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May not be bait ‘n switch…but what gives?

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Walt

Newsarama on Cap Reborn |  Newsarama interview with Brevoort

Well…don’t *I* feel like a sucker.  I mean…that’s it?  Another point in the “bleh” column, methinks.

Just spotted this in the new DC solicitations.  The HC I fully expected.  But…what’s up with the simultaneous release of the paperback?

As an ISOLATED thing, I’m perplexed.

Now, if DC (and Marvel) were to start doing this with ALL their collected volumes…I’d be quite the happy camper, I think. I’d much rather have a CHOICE as to which edition to get…withOUT having to wait extra months or (a) year(s) for a paperback if I’m not interested in the hardback.

WONDER WOMAN: RISE OF THE OLYMPIAN HC AND TP
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Aaron Lopresti, Bernard Chang and Matt Ryan
Cover by Aaron Lopresti
When the gods change their plans for man’s world, it’s up to Wonder Woman to protect humanity against an invading army of male warriors and a new adversary called Genocide.
An army of Olympians has risen for an all-out assault on war across the globe and only Wonder Woman can stop them in this new title collecting issues #20-27! One particular attack could spell the end of the Department of Metahuman Affairs and end WW’s secret identity of Diana Prince. And Wonder Woman’s life is changed forever when she faces a monster named Genocide who goes toe-to-toe with her . . . and wins.
Retailer note: This title is scheduled to arrive in stores on November 4 in both hardcover and trade paperback editions.
Advance-solicited; on sale November 4 • 208 pg, FC
HC: $24.99 US; TP: $14.99 US

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A shelf o’ toys

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Walt

Been meaning to share this for awhile now. I finally acquired one of these Knape &Voght wall shelves, which meant more of my action figures ‘n such could come out of hiding/congregate upon it in the living room.

The thing pretty much speaks for itself…

Living Room Shelf #1 - June 11th, 2009

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

Booking Through Thursday: Niche

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Walt

Booking Through Thursday

There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)

But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.

What niche books do YOU read?

As I look around this room, I don’t think I really have any niche books. In fact, with the rare exception (Cretaceous Dawn, for one–I ordered it after seeing a Facebook ad), my books fit (what I, at least, consider) mainstream genres. Next to graphic novels (will get to those in a moment), I have a bookcase devoted to Christian literature, while another bookcase is taken up with fantasy (primarily Dragonlance and Magic: The Gathering, with some Aliens and MechWarrior (sci-fi) thrown in.

Now, for the crowd I run with, comics/graphic novels are pretty common (and presumably most anyone reading my blog has at least some sort of interest in comics), but at the same time, it’s possible that comics could be considered a niche in this way.

I’ll take it one step further, and choose a specific comic series: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’m eagerly awaiting next month’s release of TMNT Collected Book vol. 1 and the TMNT: Future Tense volume.

Already in my collection, I have a TMNT volume collecting the entire original run of Tales of the TMNT as well as 4 volumes collecting arcs from the current run of Tales of the TMNT. There’s a volume collecting Michael Zulli’s work on TMNT; a volume collecting the 2007 movie adaptation and its prequels; another collecting the first arc of the Dreamwave series based on the 2k3 cartoon. I have a new volume that collects the original TMNT Adventures mini-series from Archie; then four volumes from Tundra Publishing that collect issues 5-16 of the ongoing TMNT Adventures series. I have four volumes from FIrst Publishing that collect the first 11 issues and the Leonardo one-shot from the original TMNT series (In color!). I also have the adaptations of the first three films, and a random too-thick-to-be-just-a-comic/not-really-a-TPB volume collecting the “Return to New York” storyline.

Offhand, I don’t know of anyone else with a TMNT collection like this. A couple years ago when I attended an event featuring Ryan Brown, I opted to bring one of those Tundra TMNT Adventures volumes–I recall his being surprised, as he had never even seen these.

Point being…popular as the TMNT are in general, the comics seem far more a niche thing (it’s rare to even find the new, monthly-for-the-last-several-years Tales of the TMNT series in comic shops). So I guess they’re my niche-books.

Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Chiming in on Captain America

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Walt

So, Marvel–or the comics news sites, or some combo therein–managed to hook me.  Last week while I was at my primary local comic shop, I asked if I could be put down for a copy of Captain America #600.

I had picked up the first couple issues of Brubaker’s run when they came out, and didn’t find it to my liking at the time.  I returned with issue #25, and stayed on til #45 (18-part Death of Captain America epic, and the first three “Bucky issues.”  Decided to bail on the book to wait for the trades (and lookie here, I only lasted the equivilent of a single arc and I’m coming back).

I don’t know what the “big news” will be next Monday–whether it’ll be a Return or actual Rebirth of Steve Rogers.

But to be honest, I sincerely hope the news does not involve “the” (nor “a”) return of Steve Rogers. At least not yet.  I just last week finished reading the Captain America Omnibus (1-25 plus a couple specials), and adding that to what I read in singles from 25-45…it’s just far too soon in my mind for them to be bringing Steve back. With 25 issues of build to get to the death, and another 18 issues to get Bucky officially into the costume…I can’t honestly believe they’d (Marvel) force Steve’s return when Bucky’s only actually BEEN in the costume for 9 issues.

I think back to the 1990s and changes wrought–remember the bone-claws Wolverine?  That particular change stuck for a full SIX YEARS (real-world time). So much so that I think that version of Wolverine was actually starting to get a bit of notice outside of standard comic book readers (I have zero stats to back that up, though).  (But when one looks at stuff like the Ultraverse crossovers, the Overpower card game, possibly video games, etc…)

I hope that Bucky stays in the costume for at least a few more years.  Even then, at this point I think I’d find Steve much more interesting in a General Hawk sorta way–circa the latter issues of the first Devil’s Due G.I. Joe series.

But hey…time’ll tell. Right?

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Reviews Index is back!

Posted on June 7, 2009 by Walt

Only took me about five months, but I’ve finally fixed the reviews index page.  I was keeping it updated every week with new reviews I’d posted, but around the turn of the year discovered that something with links and line breaks had resulted in the same URL being linked as several different issues/numbers, meaning many of my reviews were not linked at all to the index page.

Now, if you look at the top of this page, you’ll see the Reviews Index next to the Quotes link, and all my reviews written since September 2008 are linked to on that one page.

Later this year when I get a chance, I’ll probably go through the comixtreme archives to see what older reviews of mine are still available and link to those, and I’ll begin taking those that are no longer available on comixtreme that I still have on my computer and post those here as Back-Issue Reviews, so that (ideally) all the reviews I’ve written since October 2004 will be available either here, or over at comixtreme.

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The Life of Walt #57

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Walt

A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say. In this case–with some repetition–1,003.  It’s not every day one catches up with a friend they haven’t seen in several years…

The Life of Walt #57

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Trinity #52 cover is how it SHOULD be done

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Walt

Over at DC’s blog, The Source, there’s a sneak-peek at the cover to Trinity #52. Apparently, this triple-sized cover will be a “gatefold” image–that is, the front and back covers, and an extra panel folding in at the front–will open up to reveal this FULL image, all on the single issue.

WHY this couldn’t be done with Justice Society of America #26 (also a 3-panel image) is BEYOND me…and is incredibly annoying.  (More annoying still when DC–or any other company, for that matter–puts out a TWO-panel image as two separate covers, rather than as a non-gatefold wrap-around!)

I don’t mind so much if, say, 3+ covers for DIFFERENT issues can all be placed together as a single image–but breaking the image up into multiple covers for the exact same issue is something I call shenanigans on.

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and FINALLY…the Hulk.

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Walt

Just in time for a certain new movie due out, This scene can appear on my shelf:

3.75"-scale Hulk vs. Wolverine
3.75″-scale Hulk vs. Wolverine

Filed under: The Toy Chronicles | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Star Trek toys at WalMart

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Walt
Well-stocked pegs of Star Trek Galaxy Collection toys at the local WalMart.

Well-stocked pegs of Star Trek Galaxy Collection toys at the local WalMart.

Since I was driving by, I decided to stop by the local Walmart tonight on the offchance that they might have re-stocked some of their toys, as the DC Infinite Heroes & Marvel Universe/Fury Files/S.H.I.E.L.D. pegs have been woefully empty the last few Sundays that I’ve been to the store (perhaps they stock mid-week and all the good stuff’s gone after the weekend shoppers get through?)

Well, the DC and Marvel toys were–as usual–quite the endangered species in this particular toy aisle.

On the other hand, the Star Trek toys–particularly the Galaxy Collection line–were VERY well stocked. Multiples of each figure in the line, and priced fifty-cents below the Toys ‘R’ Us asking cost (and fifty cents below the asking cost of the DC Infinite Heroes singles, and a whopping $1.97 below the asking cost of the Marvel 3.75″ lines).

Shame the DC Infinite Heroes line has never been this well-stocked ANYwhere that *I* have been…

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Booking Through Thursday: Windfall

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Walt

Booking Through Thursday

Yesterday, April 15th, was Tax Day here in the U.S., which means lots of lucky people will get refunds of over-paid taxes.

Whether you’re one of them or not, what would you spend an unexpected windfall on? Say … $50? How about $500?

(And, this is a reading meme, so by rights the answer should be book-related, but hey, feel free to go wild and splurge on anything you like.)

Probably the main thing I plan to “splurge” on will be the Starman Omnibus vol. 2.  I never read the series when it was serialized, but have gained a great deal of appreciation for it over the past few months. I’d acquired the first volume some months ago, and mostly enjoyed what I read–and while this doesn’t begin to have the same level of “respect” attached to it that Watchmen does, I’ve decided I want to try to get the whole Starman series in this Omnibus format, provided all the volumes are actually put out.

On the non-book/comics front…most of my “windfall” is going to hopefully be that bit of “cushion” in the bank account so I have the equivilent of most-of-a-paycheck in addition to the “current.”

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