Halloween

The scariest part of Halloween for me is that my work really gets into it. Each department has a theme and then they go absolutely nuts with it. The cubes are decorated per the theme, every person in the department wears a costume that is matched to the theme itself. It is very strange for someone who used to work in corporate America to see Halloween at my current work. Participation is almost mandatory. This is my third year with the experience and it is still a unique one.

I also find it amusing that in the USA this has become the second biggest holiday ever. Personally I think it is my generations fault as baby boomers never want to get older, so they have just continued to carry on Halloween even as they got older and now we have as many (or more) adult costumes then children's costumes. Something that my generation has a hard time doing is learning what it means to be a parent and leaving somethings behind to be the exclusive domain of being a kid.

Now for the really scary thing - mid-term elections next week!

What I'm Getting Wednesday

I always make a list of what I'm getting to make sure I don't miss picking up something and also to try and check out an independent book that may have escaped my notice.

DC this week has 52 which is at the halfway point. I have to give DC a hell of a lot of credit for making this book a reality. Also this book has become really interesting again. My biggest problem is that so many ideas are being floated and how many will actually have a chance to flourish. Time will tell.

Adam Strange Archives Volume #2. This was one of the all time great series from the Silver Age. Adam Strange is just a regular guy who happens to transport to the planet Rann via a Zeta-beam and has to figure out how to defeat some new menace every time. He was called the thinking man's hero and I think the book still holds up very well.

Then we have Atom - a good slightly odd ball series with Gail Simone as writer. American Virgin a decidedly offbeat (even for Vertigo) book that is tracking the trials of a young evangelical man who has vowed to stay a virgin until marriage. His girl friend was murdered and he is now tracking the killer and it has taken him to the underside of society. Battle Britton, a nice mini-series about WWII by Garth Ennis. Blue Beetle which is an okay series that is tracking the adventures of the newest Blue Beetle. Detective Comics, which is now a consistently solid book.

Exterminators is out a solid Vertigo series about bugs and other things. Jonah Hex, which begins an origin story of Hex, a great western series. JLA the relaunch, which while a pretty book, it has yet to pull me into the story. I have a feeling it maybe 12 issues before the team ever actually has a meeting. Midnight, the Authority ultra powerful killer and gay lover of Apollo is getting his own title, no expectations going in on this one. Mystery in Space which is a great mini-series by Jim Starlin and friends focusing on Captain Comet. Nightwing, issue #2 by Marv Wolfman, Other Side the second issue in the Vertigo series that is looking at a soldier from either side of the Viet Nam War and working towards their inevitable meeting. Outsiders the team title by Winick. Seven Soldiers #1 - the end of Morrison's magnus opus makes it to the rest of the country. Supergirl and the Legion, another book that we should have had last week and a really well done version of the Legion. Superman Confidential starts by Cooke and Sale, which I have high hopes for and maybe causing me to look forward to three Superman books a month.

Marvel has Agents of Atlas, a terrific mini-series by Jeff Parker and Leonard Kirk which I'm sure no one else is getting, but everyone should be getting. Avengers Next, the M2Universe, I believe, which I have low expectations for, but it is a version of the Marvel Universe where we have next generation heroes (which I would want, but I want the whole line to go that way and the top creators on those books). Fantastic Four The End, Alan Davis' mini-series on the last days of the FF, usually I skip these series, but I love Alan Davis' artwork. Hulk, continuing on with his adventures on another world, Ant-Man, issue #2 and already planning on dropping this book, She-Hulk, fun series by Dan Slott, Uncanny X-Men a so-so version by Ed Brubaker and company. I may get What If Avengers Disassembled because Jeff Parker is writing and I have really enjoyed a lot of his work.

Also on the independent front we have Fallen Angel, Peter David's continuing story of a Fallen Angel, good solid book. Local a terrific series by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly from Oni press, this is a really nice book and I would encourage anyone to pick it up and check it out. Finally Wormwood Gentleman Corpse by Ben Templesmith, the twisted series that is half humor, half horror and just a bizarre masterpiece. Ben's artwork really shines and the story makes me worried about how he comes up with his ideas. This week I also may pick up Nightly News, but I have to see what it is at the store before I decide.

Ravens are 5-2

What a fun game to watch if you are a Ravens fan. It's funny how emotionally attached you can get to a simple football game. My daughter in Tampa commented that she loves it when the Bucs win. I was surprised that she was a football fan and she corrected me by saying she likes it because everyone in town is happy when they win.

I heard a radio talk show host say that the bye week is for the fans also so they can have a week off with the anxiety of watching your team.

Also in Baltimore it is great to have a team that has a shot at the playoffs as opposed to rooting for the hapless Orioles (nine losing seasons in a row.)

Hopefully the Ravens can get into the playoffs and go all the way, but no matter what it's nice to be this far into the season and be in first place.

Nextwave #9 - A Review

Nextwave Agents of Hate #9 - Writer - Warren Ellis, Artist - Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger - Inker, Dave McCaig - Colors

Premise - A group of heroes who were brought together by H.A.T.E. , now fight H.A.T.E. and it's parent company the Beyond Corporation by destroying their unusually WMDs. Actually it is absurdest humor, poking great fun at many super hero conventions.

What I Like:

1) The art. Stuart Immonen maybe one of the most versatile and best pencillers in comics today. This book is done in a cartoonish type style and Stuart has also done a lot of work in a more realistic style. I have never seen an artist who can change their styles so effectively and maintain a high quality in their work. Many artist are so stylistic that you know immediately that Byrne, Chaykin or Quietly is drawing the book. A great job and a perfect style for the book. The inker and colorist are doing great jobs as the art really pops off the page.

2) The fun. Little lines like Tabitha saying to Elsa "Why do the French hate us, anyway?" and Elsa's answer "They don't. They don't know you. The French-Canadians hate you, though." just makes me laugh as I'm reading the book. Out of context it is not as good as in the comic. The utilization of "Not Brand Echh" comedy heroes. Year ago Marvel published a parody book that was mocking their own heroes. This book brings back Charlie America, Giant-Sam, Bulk and Forbush-Man. Very funny and just out and out fun.

What I didn't Like:

1) The upside down panels. I understand that it was to make sure we had the same perspective as the heroes, but it was a lot of upside down panels and detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

2) That this series is ending with issue #12.

Grade - B

Fun and Games

http://www.yetisports.org/en/online_login.php

Check out these games.

Out playing Keno, tomorrow I will do a real post.

Action Comics #844 - A Review

Action Comics #844 - Geoff Johns & Richard Donner - writers, Adam Kubert - Artist, Dave Stewart - Colorist.

Premise - An object falls to earth and seems to contain a Kryptonian young boy.

What I Liked:

1) The story. It had big moments and little moments and told a solid engaging tales of Superman's reaction to finding perhaps another lost child from Krypton. Very effective in moving from grand scale action to personal character moments.

2) The art. Adam has developed a very unique style that is hard for me to define, but feels very good for this book. Excellent facial expressions and the coloring was very well done for this book. Also the layouts were great. Two pages spreads where the panels ran across both pages and terrific one page pin-up action shots.

What I Didn't Like:

1) Very minor complaint. When they added English sub-titles as Superman and the boy spoke in Kryptonese the white lettering was a little tough to read.

Grade - A

Side Note - I enjoy the fact that I'm enjoying Superman in his series, it has been years since I really followed and enjoyed a Superman book.

Are Sales Better or Worse for Comics

So many people are saying comics are in this great upswing in sales and I disagree. While overall sales maybe up from a few year ago, sales are still significantly down from only ten years ago. So if your sales are down and the overall population is increasing this is not a good trend. It reminds me of people who say gas prices are cheap, from a few months back they are correct, but from a year or so ago, not at all.

I just have had this feeling for awhile that we are becoming too much of a cult and I want our beloved art form to continue to thrive. Trades and such maybe the comic of tomorrow, but if the monthlies ever die I will be greatly sadden. Of course if the up trend continues I will happily be wrong.

In order to see if my gut feeling was right I checked sales from September 1996 to September 2001 to September 2006 (using Diamond sales figures) for the top 20 c0mics I discovered that in 1996 the top 20 books combined had sales of 3,639,500 in 2001 1,633,600. A drop of 55% from 1996 (which was not a high water mark for comics). By 2006 the number was 2,221,200 which is an increase from 2001 of 36%, but a decline from 1996 of 39%.

Also to choose the 10th best seller the percentages hold the same. In 1996 Spectacular Spider-Man sold 165,400, in 2001 JLA #58 sold 74,300, a drop of 55%. In 2006 Wolverine #46 sold 107,900 an increase of 45% from 2001, but a drop of 35% from 1996.

It was also interesting that in 1996 DC had zero titles in the top 20 and 11 or the 20 were X-Men related titles.

So is the current sales a boom or just an echo before it begins to fade away.