• May 2026
    S M T W T F S
     12
    3456789
    10111213141516
    17181920212223
    24252627282930
    31  

  • On Facebook

    On Facebook

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Comic Blog Elite

    Comic Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory

MORE disjointed thoughts on the DC Reboot

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Walt

dcrelaunchAs I knew would happen, listening to one single podcast (a Comic Geek Speak special), I found my views on the DC announcement this week if not 100% changed, at least far more “open” with some positive thrown in. Plus, the whole thing is such a HUGE announcement with so many unknowns and waves of implications that it takes more than a few minutes to begin really processing.

Some more thoughts, questions, ideas, and musings:

Since there’s going to be day-and-date digital release…many people will acquire “issues” electronically without ever setting foot in a comic shop. BUT…what if each digital issue came with some sort of way to get ahold of a local comic shop for a print edition, or “for more information” about related material?

What if buying digital-only means any given issue is only 99 cents? BUT–if you buy the print edition, you get some kind of card or code good for a “free” copy of that issue in digital format? That way–the casual reader never going to a comic shop gets a cheap digital comic…the new generation of comic reader. But for the old generation of fans, who prefer to buy the print edition, there’s that chance to access an electronic edition, which might spur one to try buying issues that way.

The social networking thing would definitely need to be addressed. Have something where at time of purchase/download, one can send a post to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and so on. “I just got BATMAN #1, written by _______ and art by _______!” (and associate a cover image, and perhaps the equivalent of solicitation text for the issue). Perhaps even allow a user to go back in and “rate” the issue and write a short review…which could then be posted the same way. Let the things go “viral” or some such.

I wonder what the relaunch and pursuing of the digital crowd might mean for the collectability of the comics. If “anyone” can simply acquire a “copy” of the issue digitally–does that largely remove the collectability even of a first issue (at least among “the masses”)? (Surely a certain amount of people will still see value and collectability in the print editions).

I am a collector in the sense of getting the long runs, and having full stories as single issues if I haven’t simply waited for the collected edition. I’d prefer to see the things enjoyed rather than hoarded for supposed value. (I thoroughly enjoy buying 25 or 50-cent copies of various issues that were THE big sellers and “hot items” in the ’90s, now relegated to bargain bins and otherwise forgotten.)

I don’t like the idea of the renumbering, but…they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do, and I’ve made my views on renumbering and variants quite well known…and will SURELY post to address my thoughts on that front as the general announcements are made in the coming months.

That said…I hope that WITH this relaunch, they take it all the way. Yeah, events and stories (Blackest Night, for example) happened, or can be referenced such that the reader who is new doesn’t need to read the other story/event…but where it might add depth to things for the older reader that did.

Continue reading →

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

The Return of Valiant (again)

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Walt

image002Several years ago, I passed on pre-ordering a hardcover of the first X-O Manowar book from the “new” Valiant. I did get the Archer & Armstrong volume, and wound up picking up most of the singles in the months after that. I thought about them recently, though, idly, figuring it was another initiative that had shown plenty of promise, but fell by the wayside.

Then this press release showed up in my inbox this morning.

image003VALIANT COMICS TO RETURN; FORMER MARVEL CEO BECOMES CHAIRMAN

Company Announces Investment and Expansion of Management Team

New York, NY – June 2, 2011 – Valiant Entertainment, the character-based entertainment company with more than 1,500 characters in its library, announced it will reintroduce the critically acclaimed Valiant Universe in print and digital comics in 2012.  Valiant has hired accomplished industry executives and creative talent to expand its management team.  The first announcement is that former Marvel CEO and Vice Chairman Peter Cuneo has assumed the role of Chairman of Valiant.

Valiant Entertainment, co-founded by Jason Kothari and Dinesh Shamdasani, has received a capital infusion from private investment company Cuneo & Company, LLC.  Peter Cuneo, Managing Principal of Cuneo & Co., recently concluded ten years of leadership at Marvel Entertainment, which achieved one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in entertainment history during that period.  His tenure with Marvel concluded with Marvel’s sale at the end of 2009 to The Walt Disney Company for over $4 billion. Gavin Cuneo, Principal of Cuneo & Co., was an investment banker with Bank of America Merrill Lynch prior to the founding of Cuneo & Co.  He has spent over ten years working in investment banking and investment management and has been appointed to Valiant’s Board of Directors.  Peter and Gavin Cuneo are working closely with Valiant’s expanded management team to usher in the new era of Valiant.

“I am excited to be partnering with Peter and Gavin,” said CEO Jason Kothari. “Peter’s decade of leadership at Marvel, Gavin’s decade of experience on Wall Street, and their highly active roles with Valiant will be integral to our expansion.”

Continue reading →

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT, Press Releases | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Booking Through Thursday – Reviews

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Walt

btt buttonDo you read book reviews? Whose do you trust? Do they affect your reading habits? Your buying habits?

When it comes to actual books (as opposed to comics), no, I don’t usually read book reviews–at least, not prior to purchase/reading. Occasionally while reading others’ blogs, if a title sounds interesting or a cover image posted grabs my attention, I’ll read a review. But my reading time is so limited overall that generally if I’m not already planning on reading the book, a review isn’t going to convince me to buy it.

I do sometimes seek out reviews AFTER I read a given book, as I’m generally interested in what OTHERS think of the book; how my feelings compare to their feelings, and often someone else will pick up on something that I entirely missed. So book reviews don’t really affect my reading or buying habits, and I don’t really have any one reviewer as a go-to before I acquire a book.

The primary exception to that is that in the course of listening to his podcast and reading other content he posts at Evertime Realms and cxPulp, Blake Petit turned me on to the Percy Jackson series as well as The Heroes of Olympus series (The Lost Hero) and The Kane Chronicles (The Red Pyramid).

Where my buying habits are most impacted and there are reviewers whose work will influence me is comics. At roughly $4 or under, a comic is a far smaller investment in the short-term, so if an issue is highly regarded, it’s usually not much effort to track it down and read it myself. When a reviewer highly recommends a series, similar deal–easy enough to track down an issue or a single volume (of a graphic novel series) to try it out.

As a reviewer at cxPulp I’ve found other reviewers often managing to get me to try new series, or plant the seed that eventually leads to a minor obsession with a given series. This happens both from actual reviews, and recommendations (which, while not formatted/intended as an official “review” accomplish the same end result).

There are podcasts that–in this context–I actually realize could technically be considered “reviews podcasts” (never thought about them specifically in that sense before). Whether it’s Blake & Co. on 2-in-1 Showcase, Michael Bailey & co. talking about specific issues on Views From the Longbox, or the Raging Bullets guys, I tend to enjoy hearing others’ thoughts on stuff I’ve read…but they also tend to get into talking about stuff I have not read, which often leads to a heightened interest for me such that I’ll end up going out specifically to buy something, or look for it the next week at the comic shop.

Another aspect to this topic: I find that there are times I find myself reading something I wouldn’t “normally” read, in the interest of writing a review of it myself, for others. And I’m confident that much of my comic-buying habits the last few years have been heavily impacted by being a reviewer…though what I actually get around to writing reviews for thends to be on the sparse side, these days.

And perhaps it’s merely pride, but I’m aware of occasions where my own reviews or recommendations have led to others trying something or buying into a new series. (I suppose there’s plenty of room for academic exploration within this topic as well).

Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Fear Itself #3 [Review]

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Walt

Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Filed under: cxPulp.com, Fear Itself, Fear Itself (event), MARVEL, Marvel Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

The DC Reboot

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Walt

dcrelaunchSo, DC’s apparently going to relaunch/reboot their entire superhero universe this September.

Black September II, maybe? (in 1995, Marvel/Malibu rebooted their Ultraverse superhero line in an event called Black September.)

50+ new #1 issues…in September. On twitter, I noticed that Erik (Savage Dragon) Larsen points out an interesting question: How is a store supposed to order that many #1 issues?

Another question: how is a CONSUMER supposed to afford to buy that many #1 issues?!? Even if DC “draws the line” at a $2.99 cover price (and even if they’re double-sized issues)…that’s $150+ for DC issues in September alone.

There are SO MANY facets to something on this scale that I wouldn’t even begin to be able to ‘cover’ them all in a quick blog post here. I have a knee-jerk reaction to the whole thing, but I also know that in the months to come, I may very well come to a different understanding or feeling on this.

But back in 2005, with the One Year Later thing…I used that “event” to jump off probably 2/3 the titles I was buying from DC, and that wasn’t even a reboot. This feels more like DC saying to me that I’ve had my fun, and it’s time to let a whole new generation officially jump on board to replace the likes of me.

And maybe that’s true.

SOURCE: USA Today article (and surely tons of others, just google it)

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

X-Men Legacy #249 [Review]

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Walt


Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Filed under: Age of X (event), cxPulp.com, MARVEL, Marvel Universe, X-Men: Legacy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Action Comics #901 [Review]

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Walt

Reign of the Doomsdays part 1

Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Kenneth Rocafort, Jesus Merino
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover: Kenneth Rocafort
Associate Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Published by: DC Comics

The first thing I noticed about this issue was the banner at the top advertising the Green Lantern film due out June 17 “only in theaters.” Now, I know Marvel has done this for YEARS, but they’ve generally done it by way of the upper corner box by the issue’s number and such. And I appreciate this on the GL books–it’s most appropriate there. But on a Superman title, it’s less appropriate, except as the full-DC-wide blast of the advertising. After all, why hide the ad on an interior or the back cover when by having a banner at the top, you’re advertising off any and all ways of displaying comics that allow the top portion to be seen?

That aside…the cover doesn’t impress me all that much. I do appreciate that Doomsday looks a lot closer to what I’m used to than it has in awhile. But the image does seem rather generic to me–Doomsday standing amidst wreckage, the bodies of the Superman Family sprawled at its feet. Something about the imagery just doesn’t do it for me. Then again…the cover is not why I bought the issue.

The story picks up where the lead story of Action #900 left off–the Superman Family has found that they are facing several Doomsdays, each tailored to a diffeent power set, but all set on destruction of the entire group. Cyborg-Superman welcomes destruction, the chance at death. The others, however do not–so after Superman neutralizes the Cyborg, the group gathers up and heads away from their attackers into the depths of the prison they’ve found themselves in. Meanwhile, on Earth, an imminent extinction-level event is detected, and (in contrast to the controversy over a short in the previous issue) the American President proclaims the country’s need of Superman, of any super-powered beings able to help. As Superman & Co. realize their prison is fast approaching Earth, they encounter yet another threat, who steps forth to prevent them from saving the planet. Without wasting time arguing, he delivers a shocking blow to the group, leaving their reaction as our cliffhanger.

I’m not a huge fan of the split art duties on the issue. Rocafort‘s visual style seems a bit “off” to me, and reminded me of my least favorite art from #900, though on a double-checking, it’s not the same. There’s something to this style that makes the characters seem overly generic, Superman especially. Somehow it looks to me more like some guy in a Superman costume, and the face alone doesn’t say “Superman” to me. Merino‘s art in the middle of the issue stands out, and is far preferable to me–the characters look a lot more “on” on those pages…and it makes it rather jarring to then shift right back to a different visual style.

Cornell‘s writing is solid…I haven’t yet read much of his work…the first issue of the Black Ring arc and then the lead in Action 900. But I do like the concept, at least, that’s at play here…and I really enjoy having Superman teamed up again with Supergirl, Eradicator, Steel, Cyborg, and Superboy. And given the first time these characters all got together, it’s fitting that they’re dealing with Doomsday. Given this context–their teamup, and the Doomsday situation…I’m tentatively hooked. I came back for this issue, having figured to only pick up #900 as the anniversary that it was.

While much of the story is fairly serious and played straight…there’s a part where we actually get a thought balloon for Superman, which seems somewhat out of nowhere–especially as I’ve grown used to the LACK of thought balloons in favor of “voiceover” narration and such. The use of the thought balloon in this issue seemed hokey and a bit forced; and momentarily took me out of the story while I thought about it. Not a huge deal, but noticeable.

Where the story is most hurt in my eyes is that I have no idea how many chapters to expect…just as I had no clue how many to expect, really, with the Reign of Doomsday hopping along through various other books without really meaning much. I certainly hope this arc is not dragged out…though this is labled Reign of the Doomsdays part 1 (escaping Reign of Doomsday which was around a half-dozen issues), it’s essentially the same story continuing, so this feels like the 7th chapter, and I’m not sure I’ll want to stick around long-term if it’s simply a dragged-out slugfest or punch-and-run-and-punch-again kinda thing.

While this doesn’t really hold a candle to Reign of the Supermen, if you’re a fan of these characters, this packs a good bit of nostalgia and hope of a new classic. Worth picking up if you enjoy seeing these characters all brought together, and/or if you read #900 and want to follow this Doomsday story.

As of now, I’m interested enough to see where this goes that I plan to come back for #902.

Recommended.

Story: 7/10
Art: 6.5/10
Overall: 7/10

Filed under: Action Comics, DC, DC Universe, Reign of Doomsday (Event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

DuckTales #1 [Review]

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Walt

Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Filed under: cxPulp.com, DuckTales (Kaboom/Boom Studios) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Upping the random thoughts

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Walt

I found myself up far too early this Saturday morning. It’s been a long week, and I’d certainly had zero intention of being up “early” on this long weekend.

But sure enough, woke before 7am and wound up staying up. Decided to check out Netflix, which I’ve neglected for about a week, and opted to “start” watching the film Grownups from last year. Wound up going all the way through.

Next searched for stuff to add to the instant queue, and then something else to actually watch and decided I wasn’t in the mood for anything else at length. But there was “Up,” sitting in the front end of the instant queue where it’s been for months. And I haven’t seen any of the film since I went to see it in the theater a couple years back.

Surely, knowing what the beginning held and having been moved in the theater, I wouldn’t ‘fall for’ it again.

But I found myself amused at the beginning–the kids playing in the old house. Smiling at the wedding, wistful as they built a home, crushed at her news, wistful as they moved forward. Nodding in appreciation as “real life” again and again interrupted their plans, and honestly in tears as their lives reached a twilight.

And all through that…really no dialogue past their being kids.

It’s just all this fantastic, recognizeable imagery or symbolism or whatever. It’s stuff that while watching you can follow along and “get” what’s going on. You can fill in the missing dialogue in your own mind, with your own experiences and thoughts and hopes and dreams. You might find yourself projecting a bit, or identifying with stuff. Maybe not exactly–this is a fictional, animated production–but it has such a sense of authenticity about it.

I turned it off after the opener. Oh, I’ll go back and rewatch the whole thing, but as said above–not in the mood for anything at length at the moment.

And then I found that it’s really burrowed into my head, and stirred up my thinking.

Unfortunately, despite all that I read and write, I can’t really find words for it. There’s just this feeling, that I can’t quite describe. And sometimes I think the best expression of it is an analogy that few but comic readers can “get,” and it’s also summed up by the Kurt Busiek (Astro City) story “The Nearness of You.” I know that’s not my life, it’s a fictional story.

But sometimes, with all the what-ifs and if-onlys and all that, it’s easy to imagine all these alternate lives that “could have been” or “might have been,” and all that.

This is real life, though.

And I have no idea what’s coming.

 

Filed under: NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Booking Through Thursday: Rut

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Walt

btt buttonDo you ever feel like you’re in a reading rut? That you don’t read enough variety? That you need to branch out, spread your literary wings and explore other genres, flavors, styles?

All the time. I’m a comics reader primarily the last few years. Between work, reading comics, writing reviews, obsessive 14-week runs through a 7-season tv series, and other distractions, I don’t read nearly as much as I tell myself I want to. And what I do read seems to be “more of the same,” even when I AM enjoying it and it engages me and all that.

With comics, after years of sticking primarily to DC with a bit of Marvel, and occasionally other stuff sprinkled in…last year, I decided to if not “branch out” at least “stick with the less familiar” stuff. Scaled back to mainly non-DC, non-Marvel comics; kept the superhero stuff in Invincible and Savage Dragon, with some diversity by way of The Walking Dead, Uncle Scrooge/Darkwing Duck (later adding Rescue Rangers), GI Joe: A Real American Hero, and Dark Horse’s “line” of comics with Doctor Solar Man of the Atom, Magnus Robot Fighter, Samson, and Turok Son of Stone.

I completely jumped off the Superman comics as those themselves seemed to be in a rut–at least as far as I was concerned. (I’m now back on Action Comics at least for the current “Reign of the Doomsdays” story…I love a good story involving the entire Superman/Superboy/Eradicator/Cyborg/Supergirl gang.)

Other than comics, my reading seems to be YA/fantasy-ish (The Lost Hero by Riordan right now, planning on The Red Pyramid and its sequel later this summer) and Authors I Read Whatever Their New Book Is (Grisham, Meltzer).

I’m not sure what other stuff I’d want to expand into…maybe there’s a rut, but darn it, it’s MY rut, and I’m actually honestly content enough with it so long as I don’t analyze it or myself and initiate temporary dissatisfaction.

And genre-wise with comics, not much there…I read what I’m interested in…it’s cool when there IS quite a diversity, but diversity itself in genres is not the key to what I actually read.

Well, again…out of time for the pre-work writing. Off to work I go!

Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

« Previous Page — Next Page »