Let's see, upwards of 980+ pages, not counting the trade...carry the three...

I don't know much about how comics are purchased on the direct market, or market-sales strategies; but I do know a steal when I see one: the other weekend at Hastings, I picked up several of DC's recent reprint books, marked down from $7.99 to $.99. Then, there was also a "Buy 2, get 1 free" sale; so I have a couple hundred pages worth of books to read now.

Got nine of those, the first issue of Deadpool MAX, JSA 80-Page Giant, an issue of Atomic Robo, and the second Crisis on Multiple Earths trade. Per the receipt, I saved $89.47; so I don't know if that's a sustainable business model, but it works for me.

Everyday is Like Wednesday mentioned being surprised the DC Comics Presents books weren't selling better, and admittedly I wouldn't have purchased this lot if they hadn't been sixty-six cents a piece; but it makes me think comic books have become a closed system. If so, then there are only so many consumers that will pay for comics, and said consumers only have so much money: if super-amazing Book A puts out two issues this month, the consumer may pass on lower tier Book B, leaving comics no net gain. So, these reprints may be swell as hell, but it's tough convincing a lot of comics buyers to cough up for them; especially when they've been conditioned to buy the big "important" crossover books. Vile speculation, and I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.
Read more!

A quick post for Friday:

I forgot to post yesterday, and then was having some computer trouble, but the JLApe posts ran without me. (I hadn't intended for both to go, but oh well.) But, I did finally get to the Comic Book Shop for the first time in a stretch. And there was good news and bad...

First, the good: The new issue of Unknown Soldier barely features the title character at all, and it's great. I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for whatever writer Joshua Dysart has planned after this one ends.

Everything from the Mignolaverse...and I don't know if they call it that...was also excellent: new B.P.R.D., Hellboy, and Baltimore. I need to order the Baltimore novel off Amazon: the miniseries is about a vampire hunter in an altered post-World War I setting. This first issue is set-up, but done well. There's a palpable sense of doom in all three books...in early Hellboy stories, you knew he was going to overcome the planned destiny of his stone right hand. Now, you're not so sure if he will, or even if he should; and Hellboy doesn't even seem like the only one that could end the world.

I also enjoyed the third issue of the Bob Layton Hercules mini; which was pretty much written for me since I liked all the old ones. Some of the jokes fall flat (the too-snarky ad-slogany logo on a terrorist's missile, for example) and you really kinda have to have read the old ones, but still, fun for me. And things continue moving in the Thanos Imperative #3, where Drax the Destroyer's policy on Thanos, friend or foe, is made clear; and Nova pulls a strike team to try and end the war with one strike. (Longtime favorite Quasar is back, and gets to do the slow badass walk to battle with Beta Ray Bill and the Silver Surfer!)

Now, the bad: Well, this first one isn't so much bad as rushed, the last issue of Warlord. Pretty obviously a much-longer storyline is crammed into one issue; which is admittedly better than being cancelled midstream.

The new Toyfare was better than the last couple of issues, but...maybe not as good as it used to be. Ditto Deadpool #1000. The only story I really liked was Howard Chaykin's "Today I am da Man." And that's probably because I like Chaykin's writing and art style; the story's pretty straight-forward, but the dialogue makes it for me. There were a couple others with moments--the last panels of Dean Haspiel's "Nightmare on Elm Tree" made me laugh, because I'm a bad person--but overall, lately Deadpool comics have been nonsense for nonsense's sake; and I dropped the regular Deadpool book from my pull box.

Now, that's not to say I probably won't end up with some: there's a wrestling issue of Deadpool Team-Up that should be good, but all too often that book's taken an idea or pairing that should be a slam dunk, then utterly failed to execute. That Frankencastle/Pool team-up was the last one to really disappoint me, and it was the last one I bought.

But that brings up another point: number of regular DC or Marvel books in my pull box? Zero. I gotta say, it's probably mostly price: there's more than a few books I'd be reading if they were cheaper. But I also have this weird theory...that I need to think about, try and articulate it a little. We'll see if I get it figured out over the weekend!

Oh, and I found a surprise or two in the quarter bins, but those'll keep 'til later! Read more!

Didn't this blog used to be about comics?

Yeah, it happens sometimes: the action figures take over the show. That and...I haven't been reading a lot of comics lately. The last book I bought? Deadpool Team-Up #894, the disappointing issue with FrankenCastle. That sounds like the most fun pairing ever, but the whole issue is a set-up for one joke. One lame joke. (And why Hasbro hasn't gotten on a FrankenCastle action figure yet, I couldn't imagine...)

The Deadpool books are hit-and-miss, usually with more hits than that last one, but I think I'm enjoying Merc With a Mouth the most; and I don't mind that it's suddenly a limited series. With an end point in mind, that might keep the meandering to a minimum. I haven't read the Deadpool Corps stuff, either, since that seemed a bit much and I figured I could wait for a trade. (Kyle Baker and Phillip Bond art might sell that one for me.)

And...that's all the Marvel books I'm reading on a regular basis: I could start reading Captain America again, and that Alan Davis Cap/Iron Man/Thor project would be a lock if Bendis doesn't drop the ball. PunisherMax I'll probably get the trade for--man, I miss Garth Ennis on that. I only read the X-Men books when Nightcrawler gets to do something, which is never, so...

I've mentioned before, for DC I'm reading Unknown Soldier and Warlord, both of which sell a combined total of squat, which is a shame. I might cough up for that Return of Bruce Wayne series, since, well, Pirate Batman.

Over at Dark Horse, I will read about any Hellboy title they care to put out: B.P.R.D., Abe Sapien, Lobster Johnson...I skipped Witchfinder, but that was about it.

I get a lot of Warren Ellis' Avatar books, but some like Dr. Sleepless seem to have fallen off the schedule.

Is that it? Back when comics were less than two bucks, it was a lot easier to keep buying a mediocre or even crappy book, but with books coming up on a four-dollar average, it's easier to drop just about everything. And harder to pick up anything new: I'm sure I'd love Atomic Robo, but I've only read a couple issues.

So currently my enthusiasm for comics is a little low. But we'll see. Usually, something pops up to remind me why I put up with them...
Read more!

This is a lazy Sunday post that has everything to do with my comic buying habits, and nothing much to do with anything else, so I'll understand if you wanna skip this one...

Still here? Well, all right then.

So, my wife and I are trying to clear out our outstanding debt. We don't have that far to go, but it's a tough process and we're both making a lot of sacrifices. I'm clearing some of the books on my pull list that haven't been wowing me lately, trying to get down to the bare minimum. (Yes, I know "none" would be the bare minimum. Shut up.)

At the Comic Book Shop, I told them I was going to drop Army of Darkness, because it's been kind of spotty, and Ash's character seems to become more of a cartoon (than he already was) every issue. Maybe I'll be back on in time for next storyline, we'll see. They mentioned I could get a copy of my pulls, and I hadn't looked at one in a while, so I said sure.

Two pages. That sounds awful, but the computer doesn't take out cancelled series, or completed limited series. (Which makes sense: if you bought the last Creeper series, for instance, you might pick up the new one if it turned up in your box. If not, you could throw it back.)

Running through the list, I was struck by how many books I had that come out sporadically at best, like Optic Nerve or Dork. Those average maybe an issue a year, at best. I also picked up what seems like a lot of three issue limiteds, like Red or Chosen or Two-Step. I didn't have Seaguy on my list, though, I must've just got it off the shelves.

I've also ridden a lot of titles into the ground. Before I moved here, I may have been the only one in town with any Milestone books on my pull list: Static, Xombi, Heroes. The Minx. Power of the Atom. The Will Payton Starman. Green Lantern Corps, the old series. A lot of the 2099 books. Excalibur (the old one.) Morbius. The first run of Moon Knight. West Coast Avengers. Manhunter, the Mark Shaw one. Ghost. That's just off the top of my head.

So, without explaining any of that to my wife, and because I thought it would be funny, I showed her my list, all 63 titles and items. That went about as well as you might think, and nothing says "domestic dispute" like pulling a potato peeler out of your shoulder...

I'm joking, of course: my wife is remarkably almost tolerant of my comic and toy habit. I'm lucky to have her, and I love her very much. She also just promised to poison instead of stab me...how sweet, I guess.

Running through the list, for no reason:

American Century: Cancelled. I like Howard Chaykin's stuff, usually. I've been getting Hawkgirl here and there, and it seems a little slow.

Army of Darkness: Dropped. Maybe when Busiek's on it--he's coming up, isn't he?

Authority: So dropped. I really didn't like the ending of Brubaker's limited. And bringing an A-list staff to this book, just means you politely asked them for an issue or two sometime in the next five years.

Black Widow: I like her limited series. I don't think a regular series would be the way to go on with that character, or Fury.

BPRD/Hellboy books: A given, always entertaining. BPRD may actually surpass Hellboy soon.

Captain America: $1.99 my ass, it's been on the list for a long time, through a lot of highs and lows. Thankfully, it's currently on a high.

Captain America and the Falcon: Cancelled. Whatever happened to the Falcon series? I like Christopher Priest, although he sometimes gets a little too complicated for his own good.

Chosen: Mark Millar still has a pretty good average with me. This series was also about the right length, but I don't think I'd be back for a sequel.

Dark Horse Extra: A little freebie, with newspaper style strips. Long gone.

Deadpool: Then Agent X. I have kept up on Cable/Deadpool only in passing. The issues I've read have been good, I just don't like Cable.

Defenders: The recent limited series. God, I have a lot of Defenders though, mostly from the quarter bins.

Desolation Jones: When it comes back, I'm in. Ellis rarely misses for me.

Dirty Pair: Adam Warren rocks! He's done some Fantastic Four stuff that made me think he should have the book.

Dork!/Milk and Cheese/Hectic Planet: Evan Dorkin is awesome, but puts out about an issue a year anymore, which kills me. When I first discovered his work, I was able to junk out on a ton of it, like Fight-Man or Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic. It's made the waiting even worse.

Down: Four issues, OK. Probably would've gone over better, if it had come out when it was supposed to.

Enemy Ace: War in Heaven: I really like the Enemy Ace character, and Garth Ennis tells the story of him in World War II really well.

Fell: Hell yeah.

Formerly Known as the Justice League: This just makes me sad now.

Fury: Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. So good, I hate George Clooney now. (Allegedly, he was considering a Nick Fury movie, read this, and rejected it. Clooney sucks.)

Fury: Peacemaker: Not as good. Like Punisher: Born, Ennis and Robertson as well, this also goes out of its way to show how much the characters like the war.

Ghost, vol 2: I was thinking, between the various volumes, and one-shots, limiteds, and so forth; Ghost had a very good run for a female-lead comic.

Guns of the Dragon: Limited, Bat Lash and Enemy Ace vs. Vandal Savage and Communism. Fun.

Gunwitch: Outskirts of Doom: Did Brereton disappear? Done with this, and don't know if I'd get Nocturnals again.

Jack Cross: Actually, I've never bought this.

Jay and Silent Bob: Burnt out on Kevin Smith. We'll see about Clerks 2.

Man with the Screaming Brain: Bruce Campbell and Hilary Barta. Check out the movie, the comic's a "director's cut," like if they'd had an unlimited budget...

Mark Millar's the Unfunnies: MIA. Meh.

Marvel Universe Pirate Nightcrawler Bust: Crap, I'd better save up for this.

Millenium Series Hellboy Action Figure: The movie figures just crush this one.

Ministry of Space: 3 issues, took forever, and I was thinking the twist was drugs.

Next Wave: Love it. Don't see it being around next year, but hope I'm wrong.

Nightcrawler: Not bad, should've been better. Twelve and out.

Optic Nerve: Again, 1 a year or so. Getting burnt out on it, though. That may be an odd thing to say about a book coming out once a year, but the issues are starting to run together for me.

Paradise X: the Heralds: I read all of Earth/Universe/Paradise X, and if you have all the Marvel Handbooks, some very specific back-issues (particularly of Thor and Marvel Two-in-One), and a good grasp on Marvel continuity; it's a good read. If you don't, damn, I don't know, it might as well be in Sanskrit.

Planetary: Not many issues left.

Preacher: Long gone, missed.

Punisher: Good, with moments of greatness.

Red: Three issue limited. If any justice, it should be made a major motion picture with Patrick Stewart.

Scud the Disposable Assassin, Tales from the Vending Machine: I liked these and La Cosa Nostroid: that one started as a lot of mob movie cliches and giant robots, and became a don's struggle for legitimacy, with sidetrips into insanity, betrayal, and revenge. Then Fireman Press disappeared years ago, and never wrapped up the storylines. Still mad about that one.

Silver Surfer: If you never believe another thing I ever say, believe this: the last 12 issue Surfer limited was terrible. The writers tried something new, but it didn't work at all. The new Annihilation one, is holding up OK, but it really shines in comparison.

Sin City: Hell and Back: Is Sin City going to come back? Do I want it to?

Space Ghost: I liked this. Shut up, that's why.

Toyfare, Twisted Toyfare Theatre: Filling my needs for toy info and obscure Marvel jokes every month!

Transformers, Evolutions Heart of Steel, Stormbringer: My boy's. The regular series will be back in the fall, which is kind of nice not having all the books at the same time.

Truth: I love Kyle Baker, but this one didn't work for me.

Two-Step: Three issues of fun.

Ultimate Extinction: Rushed ending.

Ultimates 2, Annual: And then I'm out before I get any Ultimates 3 on me. In the same vein as Authority, I've enjoyed it, but are there any characters here that aren't bastards?

Wanted: I liked this, but never need to see it or the characters again.

Warren Ellis Black Gas, Necromancer, Wolfskin: I usually like the Avatar stuff he's done, although it seems a tad spendy.

WE3: 3 issues was perfect here.

And then there's a lot of stuff I just buy off the rack, like Moon Knight or Uncanny X-Men, that I might not pick up every single month, but usually. This way, even though Brubaker's X-Men looks great, if he wants to do a very special issue where Warpath talks about his feelings, I can bag out.

I used to work in a mall, and picked up books there to read on my lunch breaks. Iron Man, Avengers, Astonishing X-Men, and more. None have been added to my pulls, but I still check in now and again.

I also dropped Daredevil and Powers a year ago: reading single issues from Bendis just wasn't connecting with me. Daredevil seems like it's picking up again, so maybe I'll reconsider eventually. But, my apologies for a post about nothing, and actual content tomorrow. What have you dropped lately?

Read more!