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Favorites of Walt: The Comic Shops #4 – Sports ‘n More

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Walt

I believe it would have been 1995 or 1996 when friends and I discovered Sports ‘n More. It was another case of happening to notice the store while being driven to Capp’s Comics.

Initially, the place dealt mainly in sports cards with a few collectible card games, as well as a small selection of comics.

Eventually it passed to new management, the store was rearranged, and became more of a comic-centric store. One of the greatest things–to me–about this store was their “membership” deal. For $10/year, one got a membership card, and a 20% discount off all new comics…a discount that “paid for itself” within a month.

This store never had the selection of new comics, nor back issues, that Capp’s had…but that discount became a pretty big deal for awhile.

When Capp’s moved to its new location, and then closed up…Sports ‘n More became–because of the membership discount–the main comic shop that I’d visit for a time, even while starting as a grad student in Kent, until gas prices started to skyrocket.

The shop remains open to this day, as far as I know—though it’s been awhile since I’ve made it in. I don’t get there enough to justify to myself the $10 membership now, but occasionally I’ll stop in when looking for a random comic that no one else seems to have.

This has never been a store that I’ve looked to for back issues, per se–though they keep a number of months’ worth of issues “on the rack” at a given time, so if the issues haven’t sold, sometimes there might be 6-7 of the most recent issues available for cover price.

Though I don’t believe I was ever formally introduced, the store proprietors know me on sight, and vice versa…and I must admit to a bit of guiltiness on not visiting lately. Generally I at least make it out on Free Comic Day…and they remain one of the most “active” stores I’m aware of when it comes to participating in some of the larger “event” things with comics. They were the only store I was aware of that participated in the big release party for the first Dark Tower comic, and they always have banners and stuff out for the annual Free Comic Book Day.

Even though I don’t make it there all that often…the store remains a fixture, and it’ll be a big part of my “comics’ past” when or if they ever close down.

NEXT WEEK: Comic Heaven.

Earlier Installments:

  • #3 – Fun Stuff Cards & Comics
  • #2 – Comics & Collectibles
  • #1 – Capp’s Comics
  • #0 – Introduction

    • Filed under: Favorites of Walt, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Comic Shops | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

    A casual ‘review’ of All-Star Superman

    Posted on February 23, 2011 by Walt

    allstarsupermanblurayMonths ago—would’ve been around the release of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse—I was rather surprised to learn that the next feature from the DC/Warner Premiere line of direct-to-home-media features would be All-Star Superman. I just didn’t see it.

    The title? That was just an imprint DC was trying. Why not give it some other title to reflect the story a bit more? And being such a niche title years in the past that isn’t really affecting continuity anywhere….

    But then, that’s actually the beauty of the thing. A self-contained epic. Nothing came before. Nothing comes after. Just a single, closed arc.

    allstarsupermanpageoneI loved the opening. One of the things that jumped out at me initially when I’d read the first issue of the comic series back in late 2004 was the way it took just a handful of panels to sum up all you need to know about Superman’s past.

    “Doomed planet. Desperate Scientists. Last Hope. Kindly couple.”

    It was the embodiment of something I’d read during my undergrad years when I was working on a paper; essentially about the way certain elements of key figures in our popular culture are the same through whatever reimaginings.

    This film takes that opening—even maintaining the still-shots on the screen, without animation, perfectly (in my mind) capturing that simple opening of the comic…all the more for not feeling the need TO animate the sequence.

    allstarsuperman001The rest of the film follows much of the comics’ path, though in far less detail. A lot of time is spent on Lois’ stint as Superwoman. We’re then moved along into Samson and Atlas’ appearance and challenges, to the Kryptonian astronauts, and ultimately back to Luthor for the big finale.

    There are slight  nods to other parts of the series—I spotted Bizarro on some sort of chessboard in the Fortress, for example. And we’re given a brief scene in which Clark visits his father’s grave (though that issue when we saw the death of Jonathan was one of the most powerful issues of this series, to me, particularly in retrospect). We also did not get the Jimmy/Doomsday story. allstarsuperman006

    The animation itself wasn’t anything spectacular. Watching the blu-ray didn’t make any kind of noticable difference to me. It wasn’t bad, mind you. I did like the “compromise” on the visual style. Quitely’s got a unique visual style that I often like but just as often take issue with, but I didn’t think it was a style I wanted to see mimicked for animation. (To the opposite, I greatly enjoy Ed McGuiness’ visual style used in animation, as on the first Superman/Batman dvd).

    Certain touches of Quitely’s art was clearly adapted for this feature, but it was “softened” somehow, for lack of better phrasing offhand. A lot of lines were removed, so that none of the characters appeared lumpy. This made for a sorta different-looking Superman, who seemed a bit older than I’d usually picture, but not in a bad way.

    allstarsuperman003The take on Lois was quite good…no complaints there. I was rather interested in how this Lois somehow visually put me in mind of “Bones,” though that comparison may simply be my limited exposure to Bones.

    Other than the simplistic fact that we don’t have Tim Daly, Clancy Brown, or Dana Delany, I have no complaints with the voiceacting. In this case, I don’t think I was familiar with any of the voices involved, except perhaps Ed Asner (Perry White). This unfamiliarity allowed me to simply enjoy this for the story and characters, without distraction of visualizing actors behind the characters.

    The story overall really felt like it was almost multiple “episodes” made into an overall whole. Coming from having read the comics, and seeing this as an adaptation of the comics, I didn’t mind the way things sort of jump from one to the next—though I was specifically looking for that, having been slightly “spoiled” by comments made on twitter and facebook prior to my watching this—with people expressing frustration at the story jumping and being disjointed.

    I can see that, but as said…I took it in stride, and it didn’t bother me, if only for my knowing about it.

    mcduffiecreditUnfortunately, especially as excited as I was to pick this up and watch it, news came through online this afternoon that writer Dwayne McDuffie died. I hadn’t even realized that he wrote the  script for this until today. It did seem sorta strange to not see a dedication to him in the end credits…but of course, his passing was so sudden and unexpected.

    The package for this film isn’t anything wonderful. The cover image is rather iconic, though, and certainly gets to the heart of the overall story. I’m not at all impressed at the “extras.” I do enjoy the “teaser” shorts for whatever the next film in the line will be (in this case, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights). The Grant Morrison thing wasn’t all that thrilling—it seemed almost “phoned in,” so to speak. Never have been much a fan of commentaries, and this soon after watching, I’m not at all ready to re-watch with the commentary on, so can’t speak to that. If commentaries are you thing…well, there’s that.

    I picked up the Target version, which includes a couple episodes of Superman: The Animated Series. One episode was one I’d just watched from the actual Superman: The Animated Series dvd set in the last couple days; and I’m not interested in the other, as I assume that comes later, and plan to watch the series in order.

    All in all, HIGHLY disappointed in the “extras,” given how many extra shorts and features and such have been jam-packed into other recent releases—the discrepency between the “special edition” dvd and blu-ray editions with those is what mainly motivated me to go for the blu-ray this time, when I really should have simply stuck to the DVD.

    I’d recommend a purchase for the die-hard fans that’ll watch this a few times. For the casual viewer, I recommend a rental. I think if I was going to give this a hard ‘n fast rating, it’s got a good 6.5 or 7 of 10 from me, primarily penalized by the (lack of) extras.

    Filed under: All-Star Superman, DC, DC Misc., NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

    Favorites of Walt: The Comic Shops #3 – Fun Stuff Cards & Comics

    Posted on February 18, 2011 by Walt

    favoritesofwaltcomicshopslogo

    By Spring 1993, comics were one of those “big” things. Everyone was out for a quick buck, the next great comic that would put their kids through college. Or, being one of those “kids,” it was a time for looking for the next great comic that would be full of awesomeness and be “worth” a lot of money pretty quickly. And of course, with this collectors’ boom…small comic shops were popping up everywhere.

    One day when we were driving out to Capp’s Comics, I spotted a sign outside a small house-looking building with the words “Fun Stuff” and a copy of that black-background poster introducing “the Four Supermen” for the Reign of the Supermen story. I don’t recall if we stopped in that day, or another, but eventually stopped in. It was a tiny little shop, like a small house emptied out and turned into a shop.

    This shop dealt primarily with new comics, and its main stock of “back issues” were very recent–stuff removed from the “new issues” shelves and put into the back issue boxes. Nothing spectacular about the place–they sold collectible cards as well as comics, and eventually got into the blossoming “collectible card games” market as well.

    Probably the most endearing part of this shop was its nearness–it was maybe a 15 minute bicycle ride from home, which made it extremely accessible on my own, without having to get a ride. It was close enough that a couple of times, I actually walked there with a friend. We had nothing else to do–just set out on our journey, and buy a comic.

    By 1996 or so, the shop was sold to new management; and by 1997 or so, it closed its doors.

    Not long after, the location was bought by some beauty salon, which remains there to this day.

    NEXT WEEK: Sports ‘n More.

    Earlier Installments:

  • #2 – Comics & Collectibles
  • #1 – Capp’s Comics
  • #0 – Introduction

    • Filed under: Favorites of Walt, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Comic Shops | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

    My wallet’s being killed

    Posted on February 14, 2011 by Walt

    Several weeks ago, I read about an upcoming project from Fantagraphics: The Complete Carl Barks. This led to a brief exchange of tweets with Blake Petit of cxPulp.com and Evertime Realms that in turn led me to contact my friend Mike Vitale to “commission” the following comic strip.

    With every announcement of a new book coming out that I might be interested in purchasing…this is my wallet’s nightmare.

    mypoorwallet

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

    Favorites of Walt: The Comic Shops #2 – Comics & Collectibles

    Posted on February 11, 2011 by Walt

    favoritesofwaltcomicshopslogo

    Not long after discovering Capp’s Comics, my friend and I discovered another store that sold comics–Comics & Collectibles. This store was in a back/side area of a local shopping plaza…rather out of the way, and if you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t even know it was there.

    It had many of the newer comics–like Capp’s did–but seemed to have a much different sort of selection of back issues. The quantity was less, but unlike Capp’s, this place had a couple tables with boxes both on and under the tables full of comics for $.25 or 5/$1. There were also boxes of "sets" and "grab bags" for good prices…and for awhile at one point, there were several boxes of old STAR comics and Archies for $.10/ea.

    The store owner even had a weekly column about comics in the local paper, which was very cool to read at the time.

    It was this comic shop that my friend and I would primarily geek out on back issues. Poring over our back issue guides, and then being amazed at all the great deals we found in those bargain bins (never mind that the condition of the issues wouldn’t always be pristine, or that we later realized that just because an issue had "Sub-Mariner" in the title did not mean it was the series where the issues were "worth" $75+ apiece…just as it never occurred to us that no comic shop owner at that time would even consider putting such valuable comics in a bargain bin).

    A couple times, Dad paid $25 to give me a "credit" with the shop for the bargain bins. It gave me a sort of "Tab" so that I could walk in and pick up some bargain issues, without having to spend "new cash." Made for a pretty sweet deal.

    As new issues go…it was at this store that I first saw something called "Batman: The Vengeance of Bane" and thought it looked stupid and pointless–and I passed on it. I picked up the first issue of something called Batman: The Sword of Azrael, but thought that it was boring so never picked up the other issues. (To my regret when Knightfall rolled around). Also got my first issue of Spider-Man 2099 here.

    And it was–in the heart of that collector mentality that I’m somewhat afraid to admit I was victim of at the time–at this store that my mom, my friend, and I waited in THE hugest line I’ve ever seen at a comic store, for the chance to walk through the store to purchase a single copy apiece of the black-bagged Superman #75.

    I recall a few bicycle rides out to this store–about a 40-45 minute journey each way, but highly worth it. Once such journey was where I picked up something called "Kingdom Come," with art by the guy who did that Marvel series–Marvels. (The names Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, and Alex Ross didn’t mean much in and of themselves to me yet–I followed characters, not writers or artists. Though Alex Ross was the first artist whose work I distinctly recognized).

    And it was partway through high school–1996 or 1997–that Comics & Collectibles closed its doors. I still had other comic shops to go to, so it wasn’t a huge loss, except in that sentimental sense.

    NEXT WEEK: Fun Stuff Cards & Comics.

    Filed under: Favorites of Walt, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Comic Shops | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

    The plans of mice and men

    Posted on February 7, 2011 by Walt

    usagionshelfwith2volsY’know….when the year was dawning, 5/6 weeks ago…I hastily rushed into a couple things.

    One was a “to-be-read” book challenge—I assembled a list of twelve books I’ve been meaning to read, and the goal is to get through those by the end of 2011. An “alternates” list is allowed, which I also maxed out at 12 books. The year is still young—it only took one full month to get through my first book, and I’m already into a second book—which I didn’t even realize was going to exist. Meanwhile, I’m about 1/3 into the audiobook version of one of my alternates.

    buffyssn1The other thing was something I’d heard about from several podcasts the last several years—to “adopt” a character. I decided to do so with Usagi Yojimbo, having intended for ages to read and learn more about the character, but never quite getting myself around to it.

    Then as the year actually dawned, I realized multiple seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were on Netflix streaming.

    Thought about picking up where I’d left off 5 1/2 years earlier at the end of the first season, but opted to just start fresh at the beginning. Some idle curiosity combined with some casual checking out, and I found myself quickly drawn into the show.

    buffythevampireslayerseasoneight001Tonight, I finished the 3rd season; meaning I’ve averaged about half a season per week. Of course, I’m now to the point where Angel spun off into his own show, and the question becomes: do I simply continue on through Buffy, and then double back to watch Angel…or do I flip back and forth and attempt to follow both series simultaneously, the way they originally aired?

    And as I realize how much time I’ve spent…Usagi sits on the shelf, and it seems that I’ve in many ways “adopted” Buffy as a character to focus on this year.

    Continue reading →

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

    On the Comic-Con 2011 sellout

    Posted on February 6, 2011 by Walt

    Comic-Con 2011 Four-Day Passes Sell Out in Under 3 Hours | TheHDRoom.

    I’ve seen a number of stories about this yesterday and this morning. It continues to affirm my personal feelings of NOT wanting to go to San Diego/Comic Con.

    Sure, it’s the pinnacle of conventions for people like me…or at least, it WAS.

    SDCC has become SUCH a pop culture event that it seems to me like comics are almost secondary, or some “quaint” holdover from years past.

    Plus…while I can handle crowds to a certain degree…I just cannot begin to fathom how it can be fun to have tightly pressed crowds where one would have to basically fight their way through a crowd everywhere they go, spend hours and hours in line, maybe sit through (a) panel(s) one’s not even interested in, just to be able to attend that ONE panel that everyone’s clamoring to get into. And on the convention floor, if there’s no room to be out of the flow of foot-traffic…I’d imagine it’d make it hard to simply stop at random booths to see stuff or even consider buying stuff, without it being some “frenzy” of activity.

    When the four-day passes sell out nearly instantly, 5+ MONTHS before the show…there’s obviously a huge demand. It also means–for someone like me, in Ohio–a ridiculous amount of planning and finances would have to go into planning for such a trip.

    Continue reading →

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

    Favorites of Walt: The Comic Shops #1 – Capp’s Comics

    Posted on February 4, 2011 by Walt

    favoritesofwaltcomicshopslogo

    Capp’s Comics was the first comic store I ever experienced. I recall being amazed at its very existence, as well as the selection of comics available. There was a long row of tables covered with stacks and stacks of new comics. There was an aisle-length upright, double-sided rack of new comics. DC and Marvel on one side, Image and other smaller publishers on the other side. There seemed an endless selection of comics in boxes along the outer walls of the store. There were comics and the walls.

    I’d never seen such a place. They had recent Superman and Batman comics, like what they’d have at Waldenbooks or Finast. They had older issues, including issues I’d missed years before. They had early issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, and they even had some of the Mirage-published issues.

    After being introduced to Capp’s, Waldenbooks and Finast seemed second-rate. I preferred to get my comics at Capp’s…and over a period of several months, started going there more and more (thanks to Dad driving me, and buying my comics for me).

    It wasn’t too long into going to Capp’s that The Death of Superman was announced. The store owner was offering a pre-order deal…you could pre-order however many copies of just "the death" issue, or the whole story. Dad pre-ordered 2…one for us to read and one for putting away. You could also choose to pick the issues up as they came out, or at the end–we opted for "at the end."

    That’s how it happened that that day in November 1992, the family had one of our quiet nights in–and Dad and I both read the entirety of The Death of Superman in one sitting. Since the issues had been pre-ordered (and, I believe, pre-paid-for, too) we had no hassles with getting any of the issues.

    I became a definite "regular" at Capp’s. Dad would take me most weeks, and I’d get a few comics. The latest Superman issue, definitely, and a bit of whatever else I was following at the time.

    In 1999 when I went off to college, I started a pull box, and maintained that throughout my college career, even when I wasn’t following much.

    And it was with a definite heavy heart of disappointment that I discovered one evening in early 2004 that the store had closed its doors permanently, after several years at a new location.

    The comic shop was a regular part of my life for almost 12 years…at the time, that was almost the entirety of my comic-reading/collecting life. I went to that comic shop nearly ever week for nearly seven years, and on a regular basis those next five.

    Now, occasionally I’ll bump into the store owner at local one-day comic events, and we’ll chat briefly; the usual sort of pleasantries.

    Capp’s Comics was my first comics "home," and remains one of the most significant comic shops that’s been a part of my life.

    NEXT WEEK: Comics & Collectibles.

    Filed under: Favorites of Walt, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Comic Shops | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

    Booking Through Thursday: Real Life

    Posted on February 3, 2011 by Walt

    imageThe age-old “How am I going to use this in real life?” question. How would you answer it?

    “How am I gonna use THIS?” That’s a pretty deep question, and certainly varies depending on the subject matter. Obviously, the context here would be “books” or “reading.” But then, it also varies on the sort of books or reading material.

    untoldlegendofthebatmanThis is a comic reviews blog, so I’ll start with that—comics. There’s a Batman comic from the 1980s…The Untold Legend of the Batman (actually, 3 issues, or there’s a MMPB edition in black and white out there that I’d love to re-acquire as my copy disappeared probably 15 years ago). The first and 3rd issues have both had a profound effect on me.

    In the first issue, we see a college-age Bruce attending a class on the Law. In it, a professor sets out a situation and asks what the resolution should be. Bruce disagrees with the answer and asks “But sir…is that justice?” To which the professor responds “No, Mr. Wayne—that is the Law!” And in that story, that was the moment that Bruce realized he could not simply become a police officer, but had to become something NOT bound by red tape—something that could enforce justice, even if not technically the law. And from that, I gained my own distinction between and recognition of the fact that there IS a significant difference between Justice and the Law (and there’s a whole lotta biblical stuff on that, but that’s for another discussion some other time).

    In the third issue…well, there’s just a whole tone thing. Memories, how they affect someone, and how sometimes it just takes the right sort of friend or the right sort of encouragement to affect someone….and that, too, sticks with me.    (continued)

    Continue reading →

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

    Savage Dragon #s163-168: Emperor Dragon

    Posted on February 2, 2011 by Walt

    sd163I remember seeing Savage Dragon #1–from the original mini-series–on the new/recent indy-comics’ rack at Capp’s Comics in Mentor Ohio, way back when. And I remember when the first issue of the series proper came out, and I ESPECIALLY remember that 2nd issue, when the TMNT guest-starred.

    I remember the series making waves–articles in Wizard, controversies over depictions of the Divine, and just what the character could and would be put through.

    sd164And yet, I never really read the series.

    I recall hearing stuff about the 75th issue, and actually picking that one up. Giant-sized, if I recall. Involved some time-traveling villain as a kid, before he grew up to become that time-traveler. And Dragon killed him….resulting in an all-new world.

    I realized that was a good jumping-on point, and followed the series for several issues of this new world, particularly enjoying the cover dress, sd165made to look like classic Marvel books, or so it seemed.

    But the series quickly faded off my radar.

    Every now and then since, it would show up again–generally the anniversary issues. A friend gave me a run of the first 30-32 issues of the series several years back, and I’ve had my eye on the Savage Dragon Archives volumes (Image‘s version of DC‘s Showcase and Marvel‘s Essential lines).

    This past summer, when I went on a tear dropping most of the comics I’d been following, burned out from events, sd166I noticed a new storyline starting in Savage Dragon, and put the title on my pull list. And I’ve faithfully bought each issue for the past half-year.

    But tonight, I finally sat down and READ the things.

    And it’s almost like things have come full-circle.

    This Emperor Dragon arc has the look and feel of classic silver-age stuff…Larsen‘s art is very Kirby-esque. And the story is one that could only be told in a book like this, never in something from Marvel or DC.

    sd167I wasn’t sure what I’d think, but I found myself–especially after I finished reading–realizing how important the story is to the overall Dragon mythos. And in a way, it felt like issue #75 all over again, except better, for having so much more history behind it.

    Savage Dragon is one of the original Image series, and one of the longest-running series not from Marvel or DC, with nearly 2 decades behind it. I followed along with this story pretty well without MUCH background knowledge. sd168And while this story very likely strongly informs what’s to come…it seems that the coming issues would make another nice jumping-on point for an entirely new status quo–one on the level that rarely gets seen in comics, it seems.

    Been a fun ride, and I plan on sticking with the title for awhile longer…and maybe actually play some catch-up for backstory.

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

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