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The Weekly Haul: Week of April 24, 2019

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Walt

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Last week was a monumental week on a couple of fronts. Comic-wise, not so much. But I’ll get to those momentarily.

Avengers: Endgame premiered, and thanks to a friend scoring early tickets, I got to see a 6pm show of the film Thursday, April 22nd! I haven’t settled on quite the adjectives to use for it, and I really presently have no intention of attempting any formal review of the film.

I found the film to be "fitting," satisfying, well worth seeing, and I definitely enjoyed it. I loved catching various references and callbacks to other/earlier Marvel films, and one particularly key moment of self-identification that flashed back to the first of the Marvel Studios films.

While I lack the words, given the foundation of 21 earlier films, within the context of all those films and having seen them and all that…I’d be hard-pressed NOT to rank it up there with the original Iron Man and Captain America: Civil War. Though just as Infinity War brought back an awe originally found in the first 2012 Avengers, this one definitely surpassed that by far, for me.

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Eventually, I’m going to get caught up on Action Comics again. I’m almost going to have to, if I’m gonna follow the other Leviathan stuff coming in May. That said, there was definitely something to seeing the #1010 next to #1002–two four-digit numbers–with Detective Comics. I’ve yet to play any of the Arkham games…so this Arkham Knight stuff doesn’t hit the high notes for me that it probably does for others. I’m also still not overly keen on this new logo for the title…less so when seen next to the classic, nearly-original 80+ years old Action logo.

Heroes in Crisis #8 reveals stuff…and I was rather "shocked" when I realized that against initial intentions, I’ve kept on with each issue, after thinking I’d leave it for a collected edition if at all. I strongly feel like the title’s event(s) could EASILY have been condensed to 3-4 issues with the "interviews" done as bonus text pieces as backmatter and achieved the same effect in less than half the time/expense of the series as a whole. I’m digging King‘s Batman run…but HiC is far, far more a "miss" for me.

I also need to catch up on my reading for Mr. & Mrs. X…but keep up with the series because it’s Rogue and Gambit, and I’ve quite a bit of relative "history" with the characters going back 26-some years now.

I clearly, consciously remember getting Avengers Forever #1 "off the shelf" back in 1998–nearly 21 years ago. So it was fitting to get it again in this format–for only $1–and the realization that there are several years of high school graduates who were born AFTER the issue originally came out! In 1992/1993 as I was fully getting into comics, 21 years back was 1971/1972…I was closer to to Claremont‘s revamp of the X-Men then, than I am now to getting in post-1991!

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TMNT #93 kicks off City at War and begins the final run-up to #100. Criminal–basically, anything from Brubaker and Phillips–is always a treat. And for the heckuvit, I decided to "try" Ascender #1…though who knows when/if I’ll get to reading the darned thing.

Comic Shop News gives House of X the spotlight…and I’ve got mixed feelings on the thing. I’m curious and interested in something big and "key" with the X-Men…but I am NOT keen on the high-priced single-issues, nor the inevitable waste of space of entire pages with just a couple words on them that are typical to everything from Hickman…to say nothing of generally having a sense of pretentiousness from what I’ve read by the writer. Not so much that the writer is pretentious, but the air of the comics seem that way, as well as what I get from having to "do homework" to "appreciate" the stories. With two concurrent (and I believe, biweekly?) 6 issue-series across 12ish weeks…I’ll possibly check out first issues, but more than likely leave stuff for collected edition(s) if reviews warrant.

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I hit a significant quarter-bin jackpot on Good Friday (likely detailing that in an upcoming post). This past weekend, I found less of particular interest, despite snagging a "grail" (also in the likely-upcoming post). But for $1.75…two Wizard specials ($4.95 apiece cover price, I believe), the "chromium"/fancy covers for Bloodshot #0 and Turok #1 (another $8ish between the two), a Machine Man issue (that I mistook as some sort of 2099 special I’d missed all these years), and oversized Captain America (with stuff about Galactic Storm) and one of the number of variants from 2000’s X-Men #100. Easily $30ish in "value" for $1.75. Far superior value over even one $5 contemporary Marvel issue.

Hard to believe that the next New Comic Book Day will be MAY 2019 already. And it’ll be the first  NCBD post-Avengers Endgame. I wonder how different that may feel.

Or not.

Time’ll tell!

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Filed under: 2019 Non-Review posts, 2019 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

The Weekly Haul – Week of November 7, 2018

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Walt

Last week wound up being a decent-sized week, both for new comics as well as Half-Price Books having a coupon sale with 40% and 50% off coupons!

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First off, the new issues of Batman and Nightwing that have become top-of-the-stack reads fo rme.

Then there’s the newly-relaunched Green Lantern title with a "The" added onto the beginning, and a new, boring, plain-looking logo as The Green Lantern #1. While I had figured it’d be a curiosity, I had not expected it to be sold out less than an hour into the afternoon–arriving earlier than usual lately and it was already sold out! (Much thanks to Sean for selling me a copy that he’d had aside for himself!).

Adventures of the Super Sons is quickly solidifying as something I’ll try to read after the fact, but knowing I’ll want the singles, it’s less aggravating to just get them as they come out than try to hunt them down later.

The newest issue of The Walking Dead presents Outpost Zero as a "flip book," and I honestly bought this for the Outpost Zero segment more than anything else (and then the Walking Dead side is just a face and no actual Walking Dead logo/titling!).

I feel like Leviathan #3 is running a bit late, but i"m not certain. I’m still undecided on following this long-term, but figure with each issue as long as it doesn’t put me off too much, I’m not opposed to continuing–AND I really like the logo/title design!

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I have yet to check out the new Netflix series for Sabrina, but as usual I’m up for a $1.00 reprint, this one The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, part of the Archie horror line that seems to have more or less stalled out.

A Kickstarter that I’d backed awhile ago for a Munchkin Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles finally came in, and one of the "bonus" items was a reprint of the original Mirage edition of TMNT #1!

And then at a Walmart looking for other stuff, I happened to notice this latest "holiday" 100-page Giant, so snagged it, keeping myself up to date on those issues.

And finally, the newest issue of DC Nation as well as the newest Comic Shop News!

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Half-Price Books occasionally does coupon sales via email, where they send coupons every day for a week or so, with a progressively higher discount percentage, beginning at 20% then going to 30%, 40%, and then ending on 50%.

I went to an HPB further away than my "usual" area, and while I’d intended to get a game, I happened to spot Ultimate Spider-Man volume 8 in the locked case, and as the one volume I was still missing, found an employee and was able to get a look at the book itself.

It was priced significantly above cover price, but still well under what I’ve seen it sold for online…and with the 40% off coupon, that brought it down to cover price, so I jumped on it!

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…and that now gives me a complete run of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up (Ultimate Spidey) and Ultimate Spider-Man itself, vols. 1-12 and the Death of Spider-Man Omnibus…this is the entirety of the original Ultimate Spider-Man series, including annuals and a mini-series/tie-in or few!

I didn’t get this post ready over the weekend, nor finished on a lunch break–and between starting this and actually posting…news hit the world that Stan Lee has passed away.

Morbid though it is, when it came to "tribute art" or such, the image I first thought of–and words to offer on his passing that came to mind–are from the cover of that omnibus.

I’ll surely have more to say later…as will likely everyone else whose lives have been touched by comics!

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Filed under: 2018 Non-Review Posts, 2018 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The Weekly Haul – Week of September 5, 2018

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Walt

I managed to keep this week reasonably small-ish, though definitely could have been a bit smaller still!

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With the Image TMNT series hard to find, this current run from IDW reprinting that series–and in color–is a HUGE treat! I’ve been aware OF the series and its events, but this is the first I’m getting to actually read them for myself. It’s a very interesting thing–I don’t know that I would LIKE the series in and of itself, but as the historical, finite thing that it is, I’m quite enjoying it.

Batman #54 is a one-off issue, and quite enjoyable in and of itself.

I enjoyed Leviathan #1 enough that I was curious for #2…whether I get this one read and what I’m thinking of it will determine if I continue with single issues.

I need to pull together all my single issues of Deathstroke for this vs. Batman story to actually read…definitely should have just waited for a collected volume at this point.

I’m inclined to wait for a collected volume on Adventures of the Super Sons as I’m ridiculously behind on the ongoing series let alone this new one…but I’d kick myself later having to play "catch up" if I don’t "keep up" with the singles.

And this True Believers issue of Marvel Knights Daredevil has a PARTICULAR bit of nostalgia for me: this was THE issue that got me INTO Daredevil. I’d been aware of the character–and past runs, such as Frank Miller‘s, and the then-more-recent Man Without Fear mini-series. But buying the new Marvel Knights premiere issue in August/September 1998 was the first time I’d bought Daredevil consciously/intentionally as a new/current issue!

Bonus in getting this edition essentially off the same rack (at Comic Heaven in Willoughby, OH!) that I got the original back in ’98.

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The newest issue of DC Nation is out. I do NOT like the old trick of emphasizing a character death…and I’m NOT gonna be happy if they kill off Tim Drake (again) or Kyle Rayner (again?). Seems lately that DC is pushing to follow Marvel, and senselessly killing off characters for "shock value" or such is one of those things that I’ve FELT has been MORE overdone by Marvel than DC.

And we have this week’s edition of Comic Shop News, and some sort of CBLDF publication Read Banned Comics.

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The other day, I’d stopped into Half-Price Books to take advantage of a 20%-off-your-entire-purchase sale. I couldn’t remember if I already had it, but for being cheaper than a Marvel #1 issue, snagged JLA: Crisis of Conscience. And then despite the RIDICULOUSLY HIGH price FOR THE Half-Price Books STORE CHAIN, bought this duplicate/extra/convenience copy of Secret Origins featuring Batman and The Mud Pack.

Then while shopping at Ollie’s (a bargain outlet), found this hardcover "archive" or "omnibus" of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Comic Book. Given this was at Ollie‘s and long past the publisher seeing any real value off its sale, I bought it–plus, it’s all or primarily reprinting old Marvel content from the 1990s…so I do not feel I’ve violated my personal avoidance of Boom! Studios stuff.

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I also snagged five Dragonlance novels and an extra/reading copy of Magic the Gathering: Invasion. Flat price plus the sale discount and each of these was significantly cheaper than any non-True Believers-edition Marvel comic.

Sadly, it turned out that I already had the Draconian Measures paperback…oops! But I’d rather pay less-than-$4 for a duplicate in such good condition than pass on it and find out I did NOT have it, and not be able to easily find it in good condition again without a major hunt.

I had the hardbacks already for the Margaret Weis Amber and ____ series but not these paperbacks.

All in all, a good week for comics, and books, if a bit expensive. But as usual…could have been a lot more expensive at full price on the HPB stuff!

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Filed under: 2018 Non-Review Posts, 2018 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

The Weekly Haul: Week of August 2, 2018

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Walt

The first week of August…and a decent-sized week of new comics, including a piece I’ve been looking forward to for some time!

Of course, Chloe was quick to come by and check things out as I took these photos, so I’ll give her first spot in this post!

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I’m a sentimental fool when it comes to this cat…and I simply enjoy her company and love when she actually stays put like this for a good photo.

On with the week’s new comics!

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We’ve got the first issue of the 12-issue (planned) "maxi-series" Adventures of the Super-Sons, following their 16-issue ongoing series that ended not too long ago. The newest issue of Batman, essentially a "#2" in my eyes, for "the Next 50 Issues" of this run and considering #50 a finale of sorts. (However, I extremely highly totally completely hope that DC does NOT renumber the series anytime before a new 200+th issue!)

I’ve gotta catch up on the actual reading, but we’ve got part 5 (somehow I thought it was a 4-parter) of the Deathstroke Batman story. Then there’s the 10th issue of Mister Miracle, and the 254th GI Joe: A Real American Hero.

And for the heckuvit, of this week‘s round of "indy" #1s, I decided to check out Leviathan. As much as the out-there premise caught my attention from a text/blurb preview, it was honestly that title logo that got me. I love the big, blocky logos, and find skinny generic-typeface-minimalist logos completely uninteresting and a bit pretentious. So a big, bold title that actually looks substantive and significant…it’s a dumb aesthetic thing, but it sold me!

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Then the book I’ve been looking forward to for awhile–TwoMorrows‘ Comic Book Implosion, an "oral history" of the DC Comics "Implosion" of the late 1970s. Having long heard the term and been vaguely aware of it in broad strokes, a nice historical piece in-depth on the subject, in print format for me to get to as time allows…this had my attention from the publisher’s first social media post I saw about it!

Hard to believe it’s been another month already–DC Nation #3–but here it is. I also quite like the way the animated Star Trek look fits so well with the ’80s animated Transformers look. I might actually check out the first issue if it’s out on a "slow week," and go from there!

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Filed under: 2018 Non-Review Posts, 2018 posts, NON-REVIEW CONTENT, The Weekly Haul | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #2 [Review]

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Walt

Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

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

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2010, Dark Horse, Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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