Hello Citizens and Batfans Everywhere!
Well it looks as if they are finally getting it right. By “they” I mean the developers of video games when it comes to Comic Book characters. Earlier this year we were treated to X-Men Origins Wolverine a game that was not only offered a well written plot and challenging game play but gave us the feeling that we really were controlling Wolverine. The controls were easy and natural and the Wolverine Avatar moved the way we would expect the character to.
Now it looks like it is two in a row with the release of Batman – Arkham Asylum. I am a little over half way through the game after some marathon sessions and I have to say that this game is even MORE immersive than Wolverine. The player is transported into an interpretation of the world of Batman that is absolutely faithful to the DC Universe. The plot sets The Joker loose in Arkham where the Clown Prince Of Crime lets loose his unique brand of insanity on The Dark Knight. I have already had run ins with Scarecrow and Bane that played out just they way they would in the comics. It is a tough game to put down simply because the plot is so good. You are always wondering what is going to happen next.
However, the plot is not the only thing that makes this game so engaging. The gameplay and controls are intuitive and handling the Batman Avatar quickly becomes second nature. It is a real kick to shoot the grappling hook out and move above goons from perch to perch until you are ready to strike. Also, since The Batman relies as heavily on his detective skills as his martial arts abilities, you have to THINK like The Bat. This is aided by a smooth transition from normal mode into detective mode, in which hot spots are highlighted. The puzzles are challenging but not arbitrary and for the most part actually move the plot along.
The graphics are top notch as we have come to expect from this latest generation of game consoles. Even the dark environments in and around Arkham island are filled with detail and texture. It is a gorgeous game to look at.
I would be remiss if I did not mention a real stroke of genius on the part of the gang at Eidos in using Kevin Conroy (Batman), Mark Hamill (Joker), and the wonderful Arleen Sorkin (Harley) to reprise the roles they play regularly in the DC animated series and movies. This veteran group along with a strong supporting cast that includes Richard Moll and Ephram Zimbalst Jr. makes this game feel more like you are playing through a MOVIE than just a game.
Batman - Arkham Asylum is available for the PC, X-Box 360 and PS3.
In short, Batman – Arkham Asylum is a GREAT game. Go out and buy it…NOW. As for me I have to get back to playing! I’m coming for you Joker!!!
That’s 30 citizens!
Mitch
Monday, August 31, 2009
Retro Review - Action #252
Action Comics #252
Many collectors focus their efforts on a specific area of the hobby when dealing with back issues. This is logical because, unless your last name is Gates, you cannot afford to collect EVERYTHING. My focus is mainly on collecting Silver Age Superman Family books (although I AM building an impressive run of FF as well). For those of you who don’t pay much attention to the various “Ages” of comics, The Silver Age began with Showcase #4 and the intro of the Barry Allen Flash and nominally ended with Spiderman #121 and the death of Gwen Stacy. It was an era of great innovation and the reintroduction of many of the World War II (Golden Age) characters that had been cancelled during the period when Superhero comics fell out of favor with the comic reading set in favor of War, Horror, Western and Romance comics (plus Archie!)
Many collectors focus their efforts on a specific area of the hobby when dealing with back issues. This is logical because, unless your last name is Gates, you cannot afford to collect EVERYTHING. My focus is mainly on collecting Silver Age Superman Family books (although I AM building an impressive run of FF as well). For those of you who don’t pay much attention to the various “Ages” of comics, The Silver Age began with Showcase #4 and the intro of the Barry Allen Flash and nominally ended with Spiderman #121 and the death of Gwen Stacy. It was an era of great innovation and the reintroduction of many of the World War II (Golden Age) characters that had been cancelled during the period when Superhero comics fell out of favor with the comic reading set in favor of War, Horror, Western and Romance comics (plus Archie!)
Among the gems I have accumulated over the years are very nice copies of Superman Annual #1, Adventure #260 and #300 as well as Action #242 (1st Brainiac) among so many others that I may have to buy a second house just to store them! BUT my favorite Silver Age book is a very solid copy of Action #252…the first Appearance of Supergirl (AND the first appearance of Metallo).
Like Action #242 which introduced Brainiac and the bottle city of Kandor, the introduction of Supergirl was in keeping with DC head honcho Mort Weisenger’s introduction of a variety of new concepts and supporting characters, to the Superman mythos. This in effect created the “Superman Family” which would eventually include Supergirl, Kandor, Krypto and a litany of super pets, various forms of Kryptonite, “Imaginary” stories etc.
Of course any reader of comics knows the story of Kara Zor-el, the last survivor of Argo City (which had been conveniently blown off of krypton in ONE chunk!) and Superman’s cousin!
Superman finds out from Kara that he was not the only one to escape the destruction of Krypton and among the survivors in Argo City were Zor-El, a respected scientist and Jor-El's brother. To the surprise of the surviving Kryptonians, the surface of the fragment like all other pieces of Krypton, slowly became Kryptonite and began poisoning the survivors. Luckily, Zor-El had a roll of lead shielding in his laboratory which they used to cover the land surface of the city and protect the inhabitants from Kryptonite poisoning (BIG ROLL. Zor-El married Allura and she gave birth to the first child born in Argo City. They named her Kara and lived peacefully for 15 years until a freak meteor shower smashed holes in the lead shielding. Unable to repair the damage to the shield, the Kryptonite radiation again began poisoning the inhabitants of Argo City.
Desperately, Zor-El began constructing a rocket and searching for a suitable planet to send Kara to safety.Yes you guessed it… Using a super-telescope, Kara and her mother Allura discover Earth and listening to a radio broadcast learned English and that the Superman was also a survivor of Krypton. As final touches are made to Kara's spacecraft, Allura finished making her a costume similar to Superman's so he would recognize her as one of his own (huh?). With no time to spare, the rocket is launched sending Kara to Earth, believing that her parents would die with the rest of the population of Argo City. As Kara finished her story, Superman recalls a similar situation when Jor-El sent him to earth. "Jor-El? Why, my father's name was Zor-El, your father's brother," exclaims Kara. "Great Scott! Then you're my... cousin," Turning to the girl, Superman says, "We may be orphans, but we have each other now. I'll take care of you like a big brother, cousin Kara."
Kara is overjoyed, expecting that she would come to live with Superman. However, he explains that he has adopted a secret identity, and it would become difficult to explain the sudden appearance of a cousin. Instead, Superman and Supergirl fly to Midvale. Assembling a dark wig to cover her golden hair, and a new set of clothes, Superman decides to register her in the orphanage. Considering that decades earlier the Kents gave little to no explanation regarding young Clark coming into their lives, this seems a little arbitrary and cruel on Clark’s part but it WAS 1959 after all and the Comics Code Authority would have had a problem with Superman having a teenage girl in the house! After Kara chooses the name Linda Lee (another "LL" name) Superman takes her to the orphanage telling the headmaster that, "The poor girl lost her parents in a big disaster that wiped out her whole community." Which, of course is also pretty flimsy since an entire community being wiped out SHOULD have made the papers.
The accommodations at the orphanage were not plush, and Kara uses her powers to "spruce up" the place using super-strength to repair the broken bed, her x-ray vision to fuse the cracks in a broken mirror, and her super-breath to dust the room in one blow.
Eager to try out her newfound powers, Linda Lee/Kara changes to Supergirl and slips out for a "secret" patrol of Midvale. Flying over the local theater, she sees that they are showing a film documenting Superboy's career in Smallville. Smiling to herself, Supergirl thinks, "Will I someday do as good a job in Midvale, as Supergirl? What will the future hold for me?"
Yes, the story IS a little thin and more than a bit contrived. However, it is important to remember that, in The Silver Age, DC would typically populate their books with three eight page stories. This left little room for character development or for subtle plot turns. It is also very important to remember that comics were written for a much younger audience than they are today when young (and not so young) adults are the major consumers. Where this story wildly succeeded was in the CONCEPT. Weisenger was a great idea man and he had introduced a character who would inject a shot in the arm to the entire franchise, create a ton of new stories and provide a back up feature in Action Comics. Not bad for an eight page story. As in Action #242 this brand new character was brought to the page by artist Al Plastino. Plastino was third on the Superman artist list behind Curt Swan and Wayne Boring but he seemed to be in the right place at the right time for new characters. His pencils were simple but very solid and he was an excellent story teller. The cover, realized by Curt Swan, is one of the iconic covers of the Silver Age and has been paid homage to in the current Supergirl series.
Never one to take “shots in the dark” Weisinger did not just drop Supergirl on the comics world. DC used Superman #123 (August 1958) to gauge interest in a “supergirl” character. Jimmy Olsen uses a magic totem to wish a "Super-Girl" into existence as a companion and aid to Superman; however, the two frequently get in each other's way until she is fatally injured protecting Superman from a Kryptonite meteor. At her insistence, Jimmy wishes the dying girl out of existence. The response to this story was very positive and lead to the creation of Kara a year later.
The other new character introduced in Action #252 was Metallo. John Corben was originally a thief and murderer who had just committed what he thought was the perfect murder. While fleeing from the scene of the crime, Corben suffered a near-fatal accident that mangled his body beyond repair. However, elderly scientist Professor Vale happened to come upon Corben, and used his scientific skill to transfer Corben's brain into a robotic body covered by a fleshlike artificial skin. Those elderly scientists were all over the place back in The Silver Age!! However, Corben discovered that his power source, a capsule of uranium, would only last a day, but was told by Vale that kryptonite would provide him an indefinite power supply. Of course Superman defeats Corben and Metallo “dies” in that story but we are given a new villain whose very presence can destroy the Man Of Steel. Again we see here an eight page story that is short on subtlety but long on concept! Metallo, while certainly not Luthor or Brainiac, has proven to be a durable character and has been featured in The Superman Animated series.
The final story in the issue was a Congorilla story. There is not much to be said about this one aside from an observation that intelligent Gorillas were a staple of the DC Silver Age universe.
So there you have it! One of the seminal and my personal favorite DC Silver Age comic. Supergirl has now been with us for FIFTY years. Here’s to another fifty!
Next: Who knows? I’ll make something up!
That’s 30!
Mitch
Sunday, August 30, 2009
NY ComicCon May Be a Year Away But....
Happy Sunday!
As many of you know scheduling issues with the Javits Center have forced our good griends at NYCC to push the next three day party to NEXT October! BUT that doesn't mean we have to wait a year for some New York ComicCon goodness! Check it out:
NEW YORK COMIC CON COMES TO BROOKLYNThe next NYCC isn't until October 8-10, 2010, but New York fans don't need to wait until next year to see us again. Nope. NYCC is coming to Brooklyn this September! That's right, NYCC is setting up shop outside the Javits for the very first time. September 13 by Brooklyn Borough Hall is the Brooklyn Book Festival, an annual, free celebration of literacy in all its forms, and NYCC is joining with the BBF this year to present the New York Comic Con Pavilion -- a tent, stage, and collection of publishers, artists, and partners -- that will shine a spotlight on the worlds of comics and graphic novels. Guests include Denny O'Neill, Phil Jimenez, Molly Crabapple, Dean Haspiel, and Danny Fingeroth. You're coming, too, right?
ONE-YEAR-OUT PARTYSpeaking more of NYCC's dates, we've got some other events planned between now and October 8-10, 2010. Want an example? How about a One-Year-Out Party? Fans and pros in Chicago were invited to a C2E2 One-Year-Out Party at John Barleycorn's on April 16, 2009, one year to the day to the first day of C2E2, and this October, we're treating NYC-area fans to a similar event -- an evening of food, drink, prizes and announcements to start the long road to the next New York Comic Con! Where is it? We'll be revealing that soon, but if you're a comics fan in New York City, mark October 8, 2009 on your calendar now, as you're invited to an NYCC Party!
I will continue to keep you all posted and if you want to see first hand what is going on with NYCC, check them out at http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/
Now go out and have a bagel!
That's 30!
Mitch
As many of you know scheduling issues with the Javits Center have forced our good griends at NYCC to push the next three day party to NEXT October! BUT that doesn't mean we have to wait a year for some New York ComicCon goodness! Check it out:
NEW YORK COMIC CON COMES TO BROOKLYNThe next NYCC isn't until October 8-10, 2010, but New York fans don't need to wait until next year to see us again. Nope. NYCC is coming to Brooklyn this September! That's right, NYCC is setting up shop outside the Javits for the very first time. September 13 by Brooklyn Borough Hall is the Brooklyn Book Festival, an annual, free celebration of literacy in all its forms, and NYCC is joining with the BBF this year to present the New York Comic Con Pavilion -- a tent, stage, and collection of publishers, artists, and partners -- that will shine a spotlight on the worlds of comics and graphic novels. Guests include Denny O'Neill, Phil Jimenez, Molly Crabapple, Dean Haspiel, and Danny Fingeroth. You're coming, too, right?
ONE-YEAR-OUT PARTYSpeaking more of NYCC's dates, we've got some other events planned between now and October 8-10, 2010. Want an example? How about a One-Year-Out Party? Fans and pros in Chicago were invited to a C2E2 One-Year-Out Party at John Barleycorn's on April 16, 2009, one year to the day to the first day of C2E2, and this October, we're treating NYC-area fans to a similar event -- an evening of food, drink, prizes and announcements to start the long road to the next New York Comic Con! Where is it? We'll be revealing that soon, but if you're a comics fan in New York City, mark October 8, 2009 on your calendar now, as you're invited to an NYCC Party!
I will continue to keep you all posted and if you want to see first hand what is going on with NYCC, check them out at http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/
Now go out and have a bagel!
That's 30!
Mitch
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Sue Richards...Heart of the Fantastic Four
Tally Ho!
In this comic book era where the average female superhero is anatomically impossible, and often not much more than a fantasy image, it is easy to say that there are no positive role models for girls in comics. This is not true. Several ladies come easily to mind as powerful and positive female role models. There’s Barbara Gordon, Wonder Woman, Buffy, and the current incarnation of Supergirl, to name a few. But perhaps the single most impressive woman in the entire pantheon of comics is…Sue Richards, The Invisible Woman.
Sue is not only one of the most powerful heroes in the entire Marvel Universe, heroic and self sacrificing, as is any card carrying adventure hero. She is also a wife and mother, as well as the moral center of the Fantastic Four. There is something also very…real…about Sue. The way she is realized on the page, beautiful but not impossible, brilliant but not all knowing, loving but capable of putting her foot down, adoring of her husband but often questioning the nature of her marriage…all of these and more make Sue a wonderfully three dimensional character. Sue is actually someone you would like to know.
Of course Susan was not ALWAYS the character we know and admire today. Back in 1961, when Jolly Jack and Smilin’ Stan first created the Fantastic Four, Sue (then Sue Storm) was little more than the damsel in distress with a very minor power. Back in those halcyon days sweet Sue was most often seen shopping for dresses, mooning over Reed, or being held prisoner. Of course this WAS the early 1960s , and she was being portrayed in much the same way that women had been presented in the Sci-Fi fare of the age. She would have been right at home in Creature Of The Black Lagoon, Rocketship X-M, This Island Earth or The Thing.
But never let it be said that the Mighty Marvel Bullpen was not forward thinking. In short order, Sue developed her force field ability, which made her as potentially powerful as anyone on the team. She was no longer a hostage waiting to happen but a vital member of the FF.
By 1966 Sue was no longer a “girl” but a married woman. And no shrinking violet was she! Early on Susan (now RICHARDS) challenged Reed’s decisions when she felt he was wrong. This was spotty back in the earlier days of the team but has evolved to the point where Sue is really the co-leader of the Fantastic Four today.
Add to all that the fact that the lovely Mrs. Richards is also one heck of a great mom. I mean how many parents would have such well adjusted kids with Dr. Doom and Galactus paying such frequent visits? (Plus she still acts as a surrogate mother to the never grown up Human Torch). She may be only co-leader of the TEAM but there is no doubt that she is the unquestioned leader and heart of the FAMILY.
Is it any wonder that Namor has had a crush on her since 1961? Or that *I* have??!!!
Next a Silver Age retro review of Action 252 from 1958, the first appearance of Supergirl!
And that's 30!
Mitch
In this comic book era where the average female superhero is anatomically impossible, and often not much more than a fantasy image, it is easy to say that there are no positive role models for girls in comics. This is not true. Several ladies come easily to mind as powerful and positive female role models. There’s Barbara Gordon, Wonder Woman, Buffy, and the current incarnation of Supergirl, to name a few. But perhaps the single most impressive woman in the entire pantheon of comics is…Sue Richards, The Invisible Woman.
Sue is not only one of the most powerful heroes in the entire Marvel Universe, heroic and self sacrificing, as is any card carrying adventure hero. She is also a wife and mother, as well as the moral center of the Fantastic Four. There is something also very…real…about Sue. The way she is realized on the page, beautiful but not impossible, brilliant but not all knowing, loving but capable of putting her foot down, adoring of her husband but often questioning the nature of her marriage…all of these and more make Sue a wonderfully three dimensional character. Sue is actually someone you would like to know.
Of course Susan was not ALWAYS the character we know and admire today. Back in 1961, when Jolly Jack and Smilin’ Stan first created the Fantastic Four, Sue (then Sue Storm) was little more than the damsel in distress with a very minor power. Back in those halcyon days sweet Sue was most often seen shopping for dresses, mooning over Reed, or being held prisoner. Of course this WAS the early 1960s , and she was being portrayed in much the same way that women had been presented in the Sci-Fi fare of the age. She would have been right at home in Creature Of The Black Lagoon, Rocketship X-M, This Island Earth or The Thing.
But never let it be said that the Mighty Marvel Bullpen was not forward thinking. In short order, Sue developed her force field ability, which made her as potentially powerful as anyone on the team. She was no longer a hostage waiting to happen but a vital member of the FF.
By 1966 Sue was no longer a “girl” but a married woman. And no shrinking violet was she! Early on Susan (now RICHARDS) challenged Reed’s decisions when she felt he was wrong. This was spotty back in the earlier days of the team but has evolved to the point where Sue is really the co-leader of the Fantastic Four today.
Add to all that the fact that the lovely Mrs. Richards is also one heck of a great mom. I mean how many parents would have such well adjusted kids with Dr. Doom and Galactus paying such frequent visits? (Plus she still acts as a surrogate mother to the never grown up Human Torch). She may be only co-leader of the TEAM but there is no doubt that she is the unquestioned leader and heart of the FAMILY.
Is it any wonder that Namor has had a crush on her since 1961? Or that *I* have??!!!
Next a Silver Age retro review of Action 252 from 1958, the first appearance of Supergirl!
And that's 30!
Mitch
Friday, August 28, 2009
NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 9/2/09
Lots of good stuff coming your way as always! First and foremost, thanks to everyone who came down for the Halloween 2 Tailgate Party. We hope ya'll had a good time, we had a great time hosting and we hope you all enjoyed the 30% off sale.
More importantly, if you guys haven't been checking out the blog on the website, please do! We've got an ever growing list of contributors including Mitch Maglio who has been doing a fantastic job throwing his comic book expertise and knowledge around, ready and willing to share it all with you. He's been posting something new on an almost daily basis and he's always got something good to bring to the table (I'm not just saying that, it's really good!). So please check it out. We've also been joined by our good friend Stephen Lindsay, creator of Jesus Hates Zombies and Inspector Ham & Eggs so keep on the lookout for his antics. And, of course, make sure you don't miss Previews & Reviews with Gore Jones appearing weekly. Now for the rest of the news!
BEASTS OF BURDEN SIGNING FEAT. EVAN DORKIN & JILL THOMPSON
In celebration of their new book, Beasts of Burden, Evan Dorkin (writer) and Jill Thompson (artist) will be appearing at Comic Book Jones for a signing on Wednesday, September 16th from 6PM - 9PM! This also happens to be the day that Beasts of Burden #1 is released so you can pick up your copy and get it signed! We will also have plenty of copies of their other works including Milk & Cheese, Magic Trixie, etc. Here's a look into what they've worked on over the years:
Evan Dorkin
-Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
-Bizzaro World
-Dork Comics
-Milk & Cheese
-Occasionally writes and does animation for the hit TV show Yo Gabba Gabba! (Super Martian Robot Girl) on Nickelodeon.
Jill Thompson
-Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, Witchcraft, Dead, Monsters
-Fables 1001 Nights of Snowfall
-Magic Trixie
-Sandman
SIGNED MARVEL THEN & NOW DVD RAFFLE
Time for another raffle folks. This time we'll be raffling off the Marvel Then & Now DVD which features an interview featuring Stan Lee, Joe Quesada and Kevin Smith. Now whats so special about this DVD? Well it just so happens to be signed by all three of those fine fellas and happens to be #1 of 225 in this limited series. Very cool indeed. This bad boy retails for $69.99 and can be yours for just $1 per raffle ticket. The raffle will be ending on Wednesday, September 2nd.
LABOR DAY SHIPPING UPDATE
Just a quick note and a little notice so that you're all in the know - during the week of Labor Day, the delivery will be coming in on Thursday, September 10th instead of Wednesday, September 9th. We'll remind you again for the forgetful types. Our store hours for Monday, September 7th will also be adjusted, we will let you know next week exactly what those hours are.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Amazing Spider-Man Pres. Anti-Venom #1 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Astonishing X-Men Omnibus HC - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Dark Reign: List Avengers One Shot - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Dark Reign: Zodiac #3 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Kick Ass #7 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Sleeper Season 2 TP - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Spider-Woman #1 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Spider-Woman #2 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Spider-Woman #3 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
More importantly, if you guys haven't been checking out the blog on the website, please do! We've got an ever growing list of contributors including Mitch Maglio who has been doing a fantastic job throwing his comic book expertise and knowledge around, ready and willing to share it all with you. He's been posting something new on an almost daily basis and he's always got something good to bring to the table (I'm not just saying that, it's really good!). So please check it out. We've also been joined by our good friend Stephen Lindsay, creator of Jesus Hates Zombies and Inspector Ham & Eggs so keep on the lookout for his antics. And, of course, make sure you don't miss Previews & Reviews with Gore Jones appearing weekly. Now for the rest of the news!
BEASTS OF BURDEN SIGNING FEAT. EVAN DORKIN & JILL THOMPSON
In celebration of their new book, Beasts of Burden, Evan Dorkin (writer) and Jill Thompson (artist) will be appearing at Comic Book Jones for a signing on Wednesday, September 16th from 6PM - 9PM! This also happens to be the day that Beasts of Burden #1 is released so you can pick up your copy and get it signed! We will also have plenty of copies of their other works including Milk & Cheese, Magic Trixie, etc. Here's a look into what they've worked on over the years:
Evan Dorkin
-Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
-Bizzaro World
-Dork Comics
-Milk & Cheese
-Occasionally writes and does animation for the hit TV show Yo Gabba Gabba! (Super Martian Robot Girl) on Nickelodeon.
Jill Thompson
-Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, Witchcraft, Dead, Monsters
-Fables 1001 Nights of Snowfall
-Magic Trixie
-Sandman
SIGNED MARVEL THEN & NOW DVD RAFFLE
Time for another raffle folks. This time we'll be raffling off the Marvel Then & Now DVD which features an interview featuring Stan Lee, Joe Quesada and Kevin Smith. Now whats so special about this DVD? Well it just so happens to be signed by all three of those fine fellas and happens to be #1 of 225 in this limited series. Very cool indeed. This bad boy retails for $69.99 and can be yours for just $1 per raffle ticket. The raffle will be ending on Wednesday, September 2nd.
LABOR DAY SHIPPING UPDATE
Just a quick note and a little notice so that you're all in the know - during the week of Labor Day, the delivery will be coming in on Thursday, September 10th instead of Wednesday, September 9th. We'll remind you again for the forgetful types. Our store hours for Monday, September 7th will also be adjusted, we will let you know next week exactly what those hours are.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Amazing Spider-Man Pres. Anti-Venom #1 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Astonishing X-Men Omnibus HC - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Dark Reign: List Avengers One Shot - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Dark Reign: Zodiac #3 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Kick Ass #7 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Sleeper Season 2 TP - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Spider-Woman #1 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Spider-Woman #2 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Spider-Woman #3 - 11/18/09 (Old Date 11/4/09)
Thursday, August 27, 2009
And now for something TOTALLY random...
Musings of a Degenerate Comic Book Collector
My daughter is starting college. Moving up to the dorm this week. Leaving the nest! Now I adore my daughter, do not want her to go. But for a minute there…just a minute I wondered how many of my comics I could store in her room!
They really should team up Batman and Wolverine someday in a serious mini-series. One is indomitable the other is inevitable.
I wonder where all those old Atlas comics, like Planet Of Vampires, wound up. Is there a special landfill for that?
Is anyone else out there considering a second home just for their statues, busts and maquettes?
Warner animation totally kicks Marvel animation’s butt.
One of the best things about Darkest Night is that you KNOW it is making Dr. Wertham spin in his grave.
Now that I think about it someone needs to call Geoff Johns and have him make Dr. Wertham a Black Lantern.
If it wasn’t for Dark Horse and IDW, I would never have gotten over the cancellation of Buffy and Angel. And what is life without THAT!?
Sue Richards could totally kick Wolverine’s butt in a fight.
Comics breed like loose change in seat cushions.
Barbara Gordon may be the most positive role model in comics today.
If you are going to dress up as Batman for Comic-con and you have a pot belly, go with the Adam West Batman and not the Christian Bale Batman because that would just be wrong.
After all these years Ben Grimm remains the ever lovin’, bashful blue eyed, idol of millions.
I didn’t realize how much Spiderman (and I) missed Mary Jane until she came back.
On that note, Cap is (almost) back …and there’s gonna be trouble!
If your tastes trend towards baker Street may I recommend the current Sherlock Holmes comic. You may have missed it but it is worth a read!
And that's 30!
Mitch
My Top Ten Superhero Movies…EVER
Hullo!
It is really very cool that Superhero Movies are now an actual film Genre! It means that we, you and I, have arrived. We are no longer fringe geeks or nerds but mainstream consumers with our own demographic. We are part of the corporate monolith! (Maybe we should find another hobby?)
I love those lists that the AFI comes out with every so often. Top 100 movies…top 100 Action movies…Top 100 romance movies…Top 100 movies no one ever saw etc. So in keeping with that I have consulted with the film experts at DOWECHEATEMANDHOW for the top TEN all time Superhero movies. There may be some surprises and I know that there will be disagreements so I invite your comments and even venom (but please leave your guns at the door!)
1) Dark Knight – For me this is a no brainer. This was the first Superhero movie that actually found a huge following among audiences that were neither comic or genre fans. It is a tightly written, directed and paced film that is visually stunning. Add an Oscar winning performance and this movie goes right up to the top just passing….
2) Superman –The Movie – The 1978 film that made Chris Reeve a star proved that a big budget film about a comic book hero could be a good/great movie AND a mainstream block buster. It was also one of the few Superhero movies to produce a sequel that was every bit as good as the original. The promo for this movie was “You’ll believe a man can fly”…and we did.
3) Spiderman – For a Superman film to work you had to believe a man could fly. For Spidey it was all about the web slinging! And BOY did that look great. So did Kirsten Dunst (‘nuff said!). Add to that the PERFECT Peter Parker in Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn and you have a non-stop thriller that popped right off the comic book pages. It may have been the most FAITHFUL film adaptation of a comic book character ever.
4) Batman (1989) – Tim Burton gave us a creepy , other worldly interpretation of Batman that was a visual masterpiece. While Heath Ledger won an Oscar for his Joker, Nicholson SHOULD have won an Oscar for HIS!
5) Superman 2 – The Salkinds kept us waiting a LONG time for this sequel to the original film but it was worth the wait. Terrance Stamp was wonderfully over the top (KNEEL before Zod!) and Hackman did him one better (You’d think with all that advanced technology these morons could use a door knob). Plus Clark and Lois shacking up in Superman’s…shack was priceless.
6) Blade – Wesley Snipes…long swords…dusted Vampires. Nuff said.
7) X-Men – There is just something so viscerally satisfying about watching Hugh Jackman popping Wolverine’s claws. Stewart was BORN to play Professor X. and Haley Berry…. Haley Berry… Haley Berry…what was I thinking about again?
8) Batman Begins – Warner did everything in it’s power to destroy the 1980’s franchise, finally jumping the shark entirely by putting nipples on George Clooney’s bat suit. Batman begins redeemed the franchise by going back to the beginning and giving us the first cinematic Batman origin story.
9) Iron Man – When I heard that Robert Downey Jr. was to play Tony Stark I was dubious. And was I wrong! The movie is a non stop rollercoaster of well paced action. Plus where did he get all those wonderful toys?
10) Batman Returns – Michelle Pfeiffer is purrrfect as Catwoman and Danny Devito gives us a Penguin who is actually a dangerous villain. Tim Burton’s dystopian Gotham works once again!
I left out two notables here:
Sin City – While based on a graphic novel and a wonderful, risk taking film, was not actually a superhero movie.
Watchmen – I know I’m gonna get slammed for leaving Watchmen off the list but ultimately the film WAS a disappointment. It was a GOOD film that should have been great. It was ultimately undone for two reasons. First the source material did not age as gracefully as Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. What was cutting edge in the mid 80’s has become somewhat clichéd today. Angst ridden, dysfunctional heroes are a staple in current comics. Second the casting (aside from The Comedian and Rorschach) was a disaster. The opening 20 minutes was brilliant but the remainder of the film was disjointed, unevenly shot and poorly edited. Plus six foot blue….ummmm things….not great in a serious movie…again….Watchmen - Good…not great.
Finally I know that there are no less than FOUR Batman films here but try to knock one off. See what I mean? On the bright side I did omit Superman IV!
I also left out some great animated films but I will go into those in a future post.
Also I promise to deliver that piece on Sue Storm very soon!
That’s 30!
Mitch
It is really very cool that Superhero Movies are now an actual film Genre! It means that we, you and I, have arrived. We are no longer fringe geeks or nerds but mainstream consumers with our own demographic. We are part of the corporate monolith! (Maybe we should find another hobby?)
I love those lists that the AFI comes out with every so often. Top 100 movies…top 100 Action movies…Top 100 romance movies…Top 100 movies no one ever saw etc. So in keeping with that I have consulted with the film experts at DOWECHEATEMANDHOW for the top TEN all time Superhero movies. There may be some surprises and I know that there will be disagreements so I invite your comments and even venom (but please leave your guns at the door!)
1) Dark Knight – For me this is a no brainer. This was the first Superhero movie that actually found a huge following among audiences that were neither comic or genre fans. It is a tightly written, directed and paced film that is visually stunning. Add an Oscar winning performance and this movie goes right up to the top just passing….
2) Superman –The Movie – The 1978 film that made Chris Reeve a star proved that a big budget film about a comic book hero could be a good/great movie AND a mainstream block buster. It was also one of the few Superhero movies to produce a sequel that was every bit as good as the original. The promo for this movie was “You’ll believe a man can fly”…and we did.
3) Spiderman – For a Superman film to work you had to believe a man could fly. For Spidey it was all about the web slinging! And BOY did that look great. So did Kirsten Dunst (‘nuff said!). Add to that the PERFECT Peter Parker in Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn and you have a non-stop thriller that popped right off the comic book pages. It may have been the most FAITHFUL film adaptation of a comic book character ever.
4) Batman (1989) – Tim Burton gave us a creepy , other worldly interpretation of Batman that was a visual masterpiece. While Heath Ledger won an Oscar for his Joker, Nicholson SHOULD have won an Oscar for HIS!
5) Superman 2 – The Salkinds kept us waiting a LONG time for this sequel to the original film but it was worth the wait. Terrance Stamp was wonderfully over the top (KNEEL before Zod!) and Hackman did him one better (You’d think with all that advanced technology these morons could use a door knob). Plus Clark and Lois shacking up in Superman’s…shack was priceless.
6) Blade – Wesley Snipes…long swords…dusted Vampires. Nuff said.
7) X-Men – There is just something so viscerally satisfying about watching Hugh Jackman popping Wolverine’s claws. Stewart was BORN to play Professor X. and Haley Berry…. Haley Berry… Haley Berry…what was I thinking about again?
8) Batman Begins – Warner did everything in it’s power to destroy the 1980’s franchise, finally jumping the shark entirely by putting nipples on George Clooney’s bat suit. Batman begins redeemed the franchise by going back to the beginning and giving us the first cinematic Batman origin story.
9) Iron Man – When I heard that Robert Downey Jr. was to play Tony Stark I was dubious. And was I wrong! The movie is a non stop rollercoaster of well paced action. Plus where did he get all those wonderful toys?
10) Batman Returns – Michelle Pfeiffer is purrrfect as Catwoman and Danny Devito gives us a Penguin who is actually a dangerous villain. Tim Burton’s dystopian Gotham works once again!
I left out two notables here:
Sin City – While based on a graphic novel and a wonderful, risk taking film, was not actually a superhero movie.
Watchmen – I know I’m gonna get slammed for leaving Watchmen off the list but ultimately the film WAS a disappointment. It was a GOOD film that should have been great. It was ultimately undone for two reasons. First the source material did not age as gracefully as Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. What was cutting edge in the mid 80’s has become somewhat clichéd today. Angst ridden, dysfunctional heroes are a staple in current comics. Second the casting (aside from The Comedian and Rorschach) was a disaster. The opening 20 minutes was brilliant but the remainder of the film was disjointed, unevenly shot and poorly edited. Plus six foot blue….ummmm things….not great in a serious movie…again….Watchmen - Good…not great.
Finally I know that there are no less than FOUR Batman films here but try to knock one off. See what I mean? On the bright side I did omit Superman IV!
I also left out some great animated films but I will go into those in a future post.
Also I promise to deliver that piece on Sue Storm very soon!
That’s 30!
Mitch
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Previews and Reviews with Gore Jones
Welcome back to another edition of Previews and Reviews. Pretty good week in comics, some sweet number ones. Lets get to it.
Batgirl #1
Finally the last piece in the "Batman Reborn" books. Batgirl picks up where The Oracle mini-series left off, this time around though we're given a new new Batgirl. I don't want to spoil who the new Batgirl is but I'll tell you you're probably right when you guessed who it could be. The issue itself was fairly good nothing super phenominal but worth the read and another title to look forward to in the absence of Birds of Prey.
3 out of 5
Blackest Night Superman #1
What?!?! I'm in love. They're really taking the whole concept beyond what I honestly thought they were going to do with it. Black Lantern Earth 2 Superman and Lois Lane!! The possible Black Lantern Pa Kent??!?! Bananas!!! Did anyone else notice how at one point Superman embodied all the spectrums of light at once? Interesting. Keep it up PLEASE!!!
5 out of 5
Daredevil #500
If you've been out of comics, out of the loop or just plain dead, you need to get onto Daredevil and now! Besides the fact that it's been amazing since well forever, this issue in particular is wow! So many things have been building up to this point and when you reach the end of the issue your going to either laugh or cry. Matt Murdock will never ever no matter what happens be the same after this from now on.
5 out of 5
DAYS MISSING #1
by Archaia and Roddenberry, written by Phil Hester comes this really crazy book about the Steward and how he's this Watcher-esque type character who plays a more proactive role in changing events as opposed to sitting back and watching things take course. The book bounces from the Prehistoric era to Babylon to Africa in 2004 during the Swazi Fever outbreak. I was kind of confused at first but after reading it again and really paying attention to detail, I found that it was really well written and I wish this was novel so it would'nt stop after 22 pages. Do yourself a favor and check it out. It's only .99
5 out of 5 fo sho!
DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #13
I've talked about this book before and I've talked about Warren Ellis and I'll continue to do so until I hear that this book sells out at CBJ. There are few books and fewer writers whom I feel deserve the attention of more readers. This book is awesome PERIOD! It's all about how we complain about it being the future and we still don't have flying cars or alien worlds to own real estate on but we have small computers in our pockets that we can use to talk to people half way around the world. The book is about Doktor Sleepless, a simple grinder who sets into motion chaos and rebellion amongst the little lambs that surround him in his city. Do yourself a favor and go read or borrow or buy the first trade and you'll be in love with this book like WOAH!
5 out of 5
and that's all folks.. MAKE SURE.. you're at the Halloween 2 Tailgate on Thursday night. You know that ish is going to be amazing.
what I'm jonesin' for this week!:
DEADPOOL #14
FANTASTIC FOUR #570
X-FORCE #18
DARKNESS PITT #1
28 DAYS LATER #1
Batgirl #1
Finally the last piece in the "Batman Reborn" books. Batgirl picks up where The Oracle mini-series left off, this time around though we're given a new new Batgirl. I don't want to spoil who the new Batgirl is but I'll tell you you're probably right when you guessed who it could be. The issue itself was fairly good nothing super phenominal but worth the read and another title to look forward to in the absence of Birds of Prey.
3 out of 5
Blackest Night Superman #1
What?!?! I'm in love. They're really taking the whole concept beyond what I honestly thought they were going to do with it. Black Lantern Earth 2 Superman and Lois Lane!! The possible Black Lantern Pa Kent??!?! Bananas!!! Did anyone else notice how at one point Superman embodied all the spectrums of light at once? Interesting. Keep it up PLEASE!!!
5 out of 5
Daredevil #500
If you've been out of comics, out of the loop or just plain dead, you need to get onto Daredevil and now! Besides the fact that it's been amazing since well forever, this issue in particular is wow! So many things have been building up to this point and when you reach the end of the issue your going to either laugh or cry. Matt Murdock will never ever no matter what happens be the same after this from now on.
5 out of 5
DAYS MISSING #1
by Archaia and Roddenberry, written by Phil Hester comes this really crazy book about the Steward and how he's this Watcher-esque type character who plays a more proactive role in changing events as opposed to sitting back and watching things take course. The book bounces from the Prehistoric era to Babylon to Africa in 2004 during the Swazi Fever outbreak. I was kind of confused at first but after reading it again and really paying attention to detail, I found that it was really well written and I wish this was novel so it would'nt stop after 22 pages. Do yourself a favor and check it out. It's only .99
5 out of 5 fo sho!
DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #13
I've talked about this book before and I've talked about Warren Ellis and I'll continue to do so until I hear that this book sells out at CBJ. There are few books and fewer writers whom I feel deserve the attention of more readers. This book is awesome PERIOD! It's all about how we complain about it being the future and we still don't have flying cars or alien worlds to own real estate on but we have small computers in our pockets that we can use to talk to people half way around the world. The book is about Doktor Sleepless, a simple grinder who sets into motion chaos and rebellion amongst the little lambs that surround him in his city. Do yourself a favor and go read or borrow or buy the first trade and you'll be in love with this book like WOAH!
5 out of 5
and that's all folks.. MAKE SURE.. you're at the Halloween 2 Tailgate on Thursday night. You know that ish is going to be amazing.
what I'm jonesin' for this week!:
DEADPOOL #14
FANTASTIC FOUR #570
X-FORCE #18
DARKNESS PITT #1
28 DAYS LATER #1
Monday, August 24, 2009
Blips!
Have you ever "blipped"? Neither did I until this weekend. Blipping is GREAT and you have to give it a try.
Blips?
Blips are a series of websites dedicated to Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror and TV. Here they are
http://comicsblips.dailyradar.com/
http://geekblips.dailyradar.com/
http://tvblips.dailyradar.com/
http://horrorblips.dailyradar.com/
http://42blips.dailyradar.com/
They are nice, clean, FAST LOADING sites that are very deep in content. Possibly the best genre sites on the web...except for Comicbook Jones.Net of course!!!
That's 30
(and a genuine Stan Lee signed NO Prize for anyone who knows what "That's 30" actually means)
Mitch
Blips?
Blips are a series of websites dedicated to Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror and TV. Here they are
http://comicsblips.dailyradar.com/
http://geekblips.dailyradar.com/
http://tvblips.dailyradar.com/
http://horrorblips.dailyradar.com/
http://42blips.dailyradar.com/
They are nice, clean, FAST LOADING sites that are very deep in content. Possibly the best genre sites on the web...except for Comicbook Jones.Net of course!!!
That's 30
(and a genuine Stan Lee signed NO Prize for anyone who knows what "That's 30" actually means)
Mitch
Hal Jordan - The Right Stuff
Hal Jordan 5 by 5.
Hal Jordan was chosen to be the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814 because he was a man who could overcome great fear, who valued life and had a great sense of duty. In short it ain’t easy to be a Green Lantern…you need “the right stuff”.
I mean ANYONE who sticks his paw into an unbelievably powerful green battery and says in a bold voice:
“In brightest day
In blackest night
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil’s might
Beware my Power
GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!!!”
(tell me you don’t get a little tingle whenever you read that…I knew it …you do !)
…has GOTTA have the right stuff. Otherwise they’d laugh such a cornball right off the stage. I mean with all respect to Ben Grimm the Green lantern Oath has got “It’s Clobberin’ Time!” pretty much beat!
More than any other DC character Jordan retains the late ‘50s – early ‘60’s Right Stuff persona that was so much a staple of the period. Hal Jordan made his debut in Showcase #22 in October, 1959, when the US was just beginning to get into the Space Race with the Soviet Union , after the latter’s launching of Sputnik. NASA had been formed in July of 1958 and names like John Glenn, Alan B. Shepard, Gus Grissom and test pilots Chuck Yaeger and Scott Crossfield were the very definition of the word HERO for most Americans.
In 1958 Jordan was purposely created to embody the Astronaut/Aviator hero of the time. He was a test pilot who risked his life every day in a hurtling piece of machinery. He was “Can Do Harry Hair Chest” right down to his Kennedy Era/Camelot toes. Jordan was confident and morally unambiguous. He was not deeply introspective but had a strong sense of right and wrong. He was the perfect cop.
Those qualities, with a few minor tweaks describe Jordan in 2009. Hal was not broken, so why fix him? In fact whenever DC creators toyed with his basic persona (in the 70’s socially relevant Neal Adams period or the Parallax arc) Green Lantern…Hal Jordan ultimately disappeared.
It was not until Geoff Johns revived GL by going back to the beginning, that Jordan joined DC’S “A” list once again. When Johns takes on a character (Superman, Flash, GL etc.) he always goes back to the Silver Age core of that character. He revisits the basic character traits that made that hero so popular to begin with. With Superman it involved reviving many of the Mort Weisinger “Superman Family” conventions like Kandor, Supergirl and Krypto. In the case of Hal Jordan it is a return to the “Space Cowboy” test pilot we met back in the early Showcase issues. Of course it is all updated for a more sophisticated audience but a good concept that worked in 1958 it seems can find new life 50 years later.
The Silver Age Hal Jordan is back and is once again one of DC’s flagship characters. With all due respect to the rest of the Corps, Hal IS the one true Green Lantern!
Next…Susan Storm is the greatest Superhero(ine) in the Marvel Universe! (no kidding!)
That’s 30!
Mitch
Hal Jordan was chosen to be the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814 because he was a man who could overcome great fear, who valued life and had a great sense of duty. In short it ain’t easy to be a Green Lantern…you need “the right stuff”.
I mean ANYONE who sticks his paw into an unbelievably powerful green battery and says in a bold voice:
“In brightest day
In blackest night
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil’s might
Beware my Power
GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!!!”
(tell me you don’t get a little tingle whenever you read that…I knew it …you do !)
…has GOTTA have the right stuff. Otherwise they’d laugh such a cornball right off the stage. I mean with all respect to Ben Grimm the Green lantern Oath has got “It’s Clobberin’ Time!” pretty much beat!
More than any other DC character Jordan retains the late ‘50s – early ‘60’s Right Stuff persona that was so much a staple of the period. Hal Jordan made his debut in Showcase #22 in October, 1959, when the US was just beginning to get into the Space Race with the Soviet Union , after the latter’s launching of Sputnik. NASA had been formed in July of 1958 and names like John Glenn, Alan B. Shepard, Gus Grissom and test pilots Chuck Yaeger and Scott Crossfield were the very definition of the word HERO for most Americans.
In 1958 Jordan was purposely created to embody the Astronaut/Aviator hero of the time. He was a test pilot who risked his life every day in a hurtling piece of machinery. He was “Can Do Harry Hair Chest” right down to his Kennedy Era/Camelot toes. Jordan was confident and morally unambiguous. He was not deeply introspective but had a strong sense of right and wrong. He was the perfect cop.
Those qualities, with a few minor tweaks describe Jordan in 2009. Hal was not broken, so why fix him? In fact whenever DC creators toyed with his basic persona (in the 70’s socially relevant Neal Adams period or the Parallax arc) Green Lantern…Hal Jordan ultimately disappeared.
It was not until Geoff Johns revived GL by going back to the beginning, that Jordan joined DC’S “A” list once again. When Johns takes on a character (Superman, Flash, GL etc.) he always goes back to the Silver Age core of that character. He revisits the basic character traits that made that hero so popular to begin with. With Superman it involved reviving many of the Mort Weisinger “Superman Family” conventions like Kandor, Supergirl and Krypto. In the case of Hal Jordan it is a return to the “Space Cowboy” test pilot we met back in the early Showcase issues. Of course it is all updated for a more sophisticated audience but a good concept that worked in 1958 it seems can find new life 50 years later.
The Silver Age Hal Jordan is back and is once again one of DC’s flagship characters. With all due respect to the rest of the Corps, Hal IS the one true Green Lantern!
Next…Susan Storm is the greatest Superhero(ine) in the Marvel Universe! (no kidding!)
That’s 30!
Mitch
Saturday, August 22, 2009
BEAST OF BURDEN SIGNING ANNOUNCEMENT
In celebration of their new book, Beasts of Burden, Evan Dorkin (writer) and Jill Thompson (artist) will be appearing at Comic Book Jones for a signing on Wednesday, September 16th from 6PM - 9PM! This also happens to be the day that Beasts of Burden #1 is released so you can pick up your copy and get it signed!
If you haven't checked out anything these two have done you should really get started. Here's a short list of some of the books Evan and Jill have worked on, get to reading!
Evan Dorkin
-Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
-Bizzaro World
-Dork Comics
-Milk & Cheese
Jill Thompson
-Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, Witchcraft, Dead, Monsters
-Fables 1001 Nights of Snowfall
-Magic Trixie
-Sandman
If you haven't checked out anything these two have done you should really get started. Here's a short list of some of the books Evan and Jill have worked on, get to reading!
Evan Dorkin
-Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
-Bizzaro World
-Dork Comics
-Milk & Cheese
Jill Thompson
-Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, Witchcraft, Dead, Monsters
-Fables 1001 Nights of Snowfall
-Magic Trixie
-Sandman
Friday, August 21, 2009
NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 8/26/09
I know it seems like I say this every week, but this week is ENORMOUS! It's almost like Marvel decided to release every one of their books on the same day. I don't think we're going to be able to fit all these books on the shelf! Just take a look at the list for yourself by clicking on the new books tab on top. Enjoy and we'll see ya at the shop!
HALLOWEEN 2 TAILGATE PARTY (IT'S ON!)
The gods of CBJ tailgates must be smiling upon us. There will, in fact, be a Halloween 2 Tailgate Party on Thursday, August 27th, so make sure you don't miss our last tailgate party of the summer (don't worry there will be others throughout the year)! What is a tailgate party and what do I have to do, you ask? Simple. Grab your ticket to the midnight showing of Halloween 2 and then come meet us at the store on Thursday, August 27th @ 9PM for some free food, drinks and our special sale where we pull a number out of a hat and everything in the store will be between 10%-70% off! Don't miss it, good times aplenty!
SIGNED MARVEL THEN & NOW DVD RAFFLE
Time for another raffle folks. This time we'll be raffling off the Marvel Then & Now DVD which features an interview featuring Stan Lee, Joe Quesada and Kevin Smith. Now whats so special about this DVD? Well it just so happens to be signed by all three of those fine fellas and happens to be #1 of 225 in this limited series. Very cool indeed. This bad boy retails for $69.99 and can be yours for just $1 per raffle ticket.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Amazing Spider-Man #604 - 9/16/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Amazing Spider-Man #605 - 9/16/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Amazing Spider-Man #606 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/16/09)
Amazing Spider-Man #607 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Dark Reign Lethal Legion #3 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Dark Reign Young Avengers #5 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Deadpool #900 - 10/14/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Immortal Weapons #2 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Incognito #6 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Kick Ass #7 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Kick Ass #8 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Northlanders #20 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Thor #603 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Thunderbolts #135 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
HALLOWEEN 2 TAILGATE PARTY (IT'S ON!)
The gods of CBJ tailgates must be smiling upon us. There will, in fact, be a Halloween 2 Tailgate Party on Thursday, August 27th, so make sure you don't miss our last tailgate party of the summer (don't worry there will be others throughout the year)! What is a tailgate party and what do I have to do, you ask? Simple. Grab your ticket to the midnight showing of Halloween 2 and then come meet us at the store on Thursday, August 27th @ 9PM for some free food, drinks and our special sale where we pull a number out of a hat and everything in the store will be between 10%-70% off! Don't miss it, good times aplenty!
SIGNED MARVEL THEN & NOW DVD RAFFLE
Time for another raffle folks. This time we'll be raffling off the Marvel Then & Now DVD which features an interview featuring Stan Lee, Joe Quesada and Kevin Smith. Now whats so special about this DVD? Well it just so happens to be signed by all three of those fine fellas and happens to be #1 of 225 in this limited series. Very cool indeed. This bad boy retails for $69.99 and can be yours for just $1 per raffle ticket.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Amazing Spider-Man #604 - 9/16/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Amazing Spider-Man #605 - 9/16/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Amazing Spider-Man #606 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/16/09)
Amazing Spider-Man #607 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Dark Reign Lethal Legion #3 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Dark Reign Young Avengers #5 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Deadpool #900 - 10/14/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Immortal Weapons #2 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Incognito #6 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Kick Ass #7 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Kick Ass #8 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/9/09)
Northlanders #20 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Thor #603 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Thunderbolts #135 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Reviews for 8/20
Hailing frequencies are open for some new comic reviews. These were books released on August 19th, 2009.
Power Girl #4
For those of you who missed the first three issues, SHAME on you! Buy them NOW. Leave work if you have to. Break a date, Jump into a phone booth. Whatever you have to do and go GET them! Pee Gee is one of the best titles on the stands right now. It’s funny, sassy, exciting and beautifully rendered. And those are the WEAK points! There is a strong dash of Joss Whedon influence here in the self deprecating humor and snappy dialogue.
The creative team of Gray, Palmiotti and Conner give the book a fresh and very original look and feel. Trust me when I say you won’t confuse power Girl with any other book on the shelves.
Think of a well endowed Buffy from and alternate Krypton sent to earth to run a struggling company filled with delightful and surprisingly three dimensional supporting characters. Yes, Pee Gee has Scoobies! The book is a blast so get in on the ground floor!
Nothing much actually happens in this issue but nothing happens in such a charming and entertaining manner that you will completely enjoy the not happeningness.
The book opens with Power Girl and her friend Terra (not evil, psycho Terra but totally cute sidekick Terra) taking in a low budget horror film. Among other things we find out that Pee Gee loves blood and gore (whoda thunk!) There is a hilarious moment when a group of teenage boys try to pick the pair up and our hero towers over the would be lothario, her “charms” staring him right in the face. The look of panic in his face alone is worth the price of admission. Further hilarity ensues when the duo has to quick change into costume (Terra forgot hers and has to go into action in her underoos!) to deal with some Anime/Lord Of The Rings monsters lead by…well I won’t spoil THAT. Let’s just say that the villain here is…unique.
Superman – Blackest Night #1
There may yet be a BAD book in the Blackest Night story line but you won’t find it here. Superman – Blackest Night #1 feels like the beginning of a particularly nasty horror movie. You know you are going to see some disturbing images…you want to turn away…you KNOW you should not go into the basement. But you do anyway. And you SHOULD because you won’t be disappointed. Shook up, disturbed and even a bit horrified, but not disappointed. Though Geoff Johns did not actually write this issue, his fingerprints are all over it, which is a good thing. Needless to say James Robinson, Eddy Barrows and Ruy Jose are all on board with the overall vision that Geoff laid out for this wide reaching arc.
As those of you who are following Blackest Night know, the Black Lantern Rings seek out dead people. (No, Bruce Willis is not in the book!) Without spoiling the story, let’s just say that seeing deceased members of the Superman family take on the aspect of Black Lantern is something to see. Too bad that Alfred Hitchcock is no longer with us because if they ever make a film out of this he would have been the perfect director!
The set up is great. We get “shots” of the idyllic life in Smallville (and a nice cameo by old friend Pete Ross). We get Clark (on hiatus from New Krypton) enjoying a meal with his mom, newly returned Connor Kent and Catwoman’s favorite canine, Krypto. (My dog , Scully gives Krypto two big paws up by the way! She thinks Underdog is a wimp by comparison!) Then, just as we are comfortable in this rural paradise…BAM! …monsters aplenty!
Scully the dog gives this issue 4 ½ out of 5 Milk Bones!
That’s 30!
Mitch
Power Girl #4
For those of you who missed the first three issues, SHAME on you! Buy them NOW. Leave work if you have to. Break a date, Jump into a phone booth. Whatever you have to do and go GET them! Pee Gee is one of the best titles on the stands right now. It’s funny, sassy, exciting and beautifully rendered. And those are the WEAK points! There is a strong dash of Joss Whedon influence here in the self deprecating humor and snappy dialogue.
The creative team of Gray, Palmiotti and Conner give the book a fresh and very original look and feel. Trust me when I say you won’t confuse power Girl with any other book on the shelves.
Think of a well endowed Buffy from and alternate Krypton sent to earth to run a struggling company filled with delightful and surprisingly three dimensional supporting characters. Yes, Pee Gee has Scoobies! The book is a blast so get in on the ground floor!
Nothing much actually happens in this issue but nothing happens in such a charming and entertaining manner that you will completely enjoy the not happeningness.
The book opens with Power Girl and her friend Terra (not evil, psycho Terra but totally cute sidekick Terra) taking in a low budget horror film. Among other things we find out that Pee Gee loves blood and gore (whoda thunk!) There is a hilarious moment when a group of teenage boys try to pick the pair up and our hero towers over the would be lothario, her “charms” staring him right in the face. The look of panic in his face alone is worth the price of admission. Further hilarity ensues when the duo has to quick change into costume (Terra forgot hers and has to go into action in her underoos!) to deal with some Anime/Lord Of The Rings monsters lead by…well I won’t spoil THAT. Let’s just say that the villain here is…unique.
Superman – Blackest Night #1
There may yet be a BAD book in the Blackest Night story line but you won’t find it here. Superman – Blackest Night #1 feels like the beginning of a particularly nasty horror movie. You know you are going to see some disturbing images…you want to turn away…you KNOW you should not go into the basement. But you do anyway. And you SHOULD because you won’t be disappointed. Shook up, disturbed and even a bit horrified, but not disappointed. Though Geoff Johns did not actually write this issue, his fingerprints are all over it, which is a good thing. Needless to say James Robinson, Eddy Barrows and Ruy Jose are all on board with the overall vision that Geoff laid out for this wide reaching arc.
As those of you who are following Blackest Night know, the Black Lantern Rings seek out dead people. (No, Bruce Willis is not in the book!) Without spoiling the story, let’s just say that seeing deceased members of the Superman family take on the aspect of Black Lantern is something to see. Too bad that Alfred Hitchcock is no longer with us because if they ever make a film out of this he would have been the perfect director!
The set up is great. We get “shots” of the idyllic life in Smallville (and a nice cameo by old friend Pete Ross). We get Clark (on hiatus from New Krypton) enjoying a meal with his mom, newly returned Connor Kent and Catwoman’s favorite canine, Krypto. (My dog , Scully gives Krypto two big paws up by the way! She thinks Underdog is a wimp by comparison!) Then, just as we are comfortable in this rural paradise…BAM! …monsters aplenty!
Scully the dog gives this issue 4 ½ out of 5 Milk Bones!
That’s 30!
Mitch
Superman's Uncle....Hugo
Greetings, felicitations, and a hearty “Tally Ho”!
First I’d like to thank Socko and everyone at Comic Book Jones for inviting me to share some of my somewhat random thoughts here. (It also let’s you know who to blame if you get a headache reading this!)
I have had an ongoing love affair with comics since 1961 and the bloom is still on the rose after all these years. Believe it or not comics were not always cool or widely accepted. Shocking isn’t it? Of course today, comics are considered a viable form of literature. Comics influences are felt in film, TV, music, theater and video games. And the fun part is only beginning. The creators of today are wonderfully gifted and innovative. The future of comics is bright indeed.
However, for the next several postings I am going to take a look BACK at the early days of Comics. I will discuss my observations on the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages of comics. Hopefully it will be fun for the reader. It is certainly fun to look back with an eye towards tomorrow. I hope that all of you will leave comments and suggestions as to future postings. Certainly I would enjoy any questions you may have about the history of the hobby we all love!
Now…. Let’s just say “the game’s afoot”!
Anyone who knows me, knows that I would have to kick this off with SUPERMAN!
Every Superhero character in comics today owes at least some debt to Superman. As the first costumed hero, The Man of Steel set the standard for every book that followed. Secret identities, meta-human powers, colorful costumes and capes, alien origins, all started with the Big Red S. However, Superman was not created out of whole cloth by young Siegel and Shuster. They also had their influences. Zorro, The Scarlet pimpernel, Hercules and Sampson were all clear antecedents to Superman.
Perhaps the single most influential precursor to Superman was Philip Wylie’s 1930 novel “Gladiator”. Wylie was one of the pioneers of Speculative fiction in the early 20th century. He is best known for “When Worlds Collide” which was made into a classic George Pal sci-fi movie in 1951.
The story begins at the turn of the 20th century. Professor Abednego Danner lives in a small, rural town, and has a somewhat unhappy marriage. Obsessed with unlocking genetic potential, Danner experiments with a tadpole (which breaks through the glass tank he's keeping it in), and a pregnant cat, whose kitten displays incredible strength and speed, managing to maul larger animals. When his wife becomes pregnant with their first child, Danner duplicates his experiment on his unknowing wife.
Their child Hugo almost immediately displays incredible strength, and Danner’s wife realizes what her husband has done. Though she hates him, she does not leave him, and they instead raise their son to be respectful of his incredible gift and sternly instruct him never to fight, or otherwise reveal his gifts, lest he be the target of a witch hunt. Hugo grows up being bullied at school, unwilling to fight back. However as he matures, Hugo discovers that in addition to great strength, he is extremely fast, nearly invulnerable and able to leap great distances (in a single bound).
Hugo finds success in High School, becoming a star football player, and receives a college scholarship. He spends summers and free time trying to find uses for his strength, becoming a professional fighter and strongman at a boardwalk. After killing another player during a football game, Hugo quits school.
Danner then joins the French Foreign legion fighting in WW I, where his bulletproof skin comes in handy. Upon returning home, he gets a job at a bank, and when a person gets locked inside the vault, Hugo volunteers to get him out if everyone will leave the room. Hugo rips open the vault door, freeing the man. The banker's response is not gratitude but suspicion. Hugo is accused of being a crafty safecracker who was otherwise waiting for an opportunity to rob the vault. He is fired and threatened with arrest for the destruction of the vault, and he is taken away and tortured. Due to his near invulnerability, this has no effect. Hugo withstands all attempts at getting him to tell how he opened the vault, escapes, and lifts a car into the air (ala Action #1). ( I won’t spoil the ending of the book here. I do recommend it as a great read though. Gladiator is still widely available and a must for any Sci-Fi fan!)
The influences on Superman are clear in Gladiator with Hugo sharing not only abilities but mild mannered temperament with Clark Kent. Hugo differs from Superman in many ways. He does not seek to become a hero or a vigilante. He is a man who is very obviously different, alien if you will, looking to find a place in the world. Hugo has much more in common with Clark. His is introspective, gentle and emotionally sensitive. Like Clark, Hugo feels an acute separation from the rest of humanity. Like Clark, Hugo envies “normal” people and wishes that he could be part of that normalcy.
Coincidence? Siegel and Shuster never actually credited Gladiator as an influence on their work, but it almost certainly had some impact. Consider the facts. Gladiator was published in 1930 and was a very popular book for the balance of the decade. It is highly unlikely that two boys who published a Fanzine entitled “Science Fiction” would have missed this book. It is also common for younger writers to “borrow” story and character elements from the literature that they have been exposed to. It is also just as common to deny those influences.( It was many years before Gene Roddenberry acknowledged Star Trek’s debt to the 1956 MGM classic “Forbidden Planet”.) In fact it is as impossible to ignore the influence of Gladiator on Superman as it is to ignore Superman’s influence on all of the superhero characters that have followed through the years. While Gladiator may not have been Superman’s “father” there is no denying that it was at least a “Dutch Uncle”
Next: “Hal Jordan, The Silver Age and the Right Stuff”
That’s 30!
Mitch
First I’d like to thank Socko and everyone at Comic Book Jones for inviting me to share some of my somewhat random thoughts here. (It also let’s you know who to blame if you get a headache reading this!)
I have had an ongoing love affair with comics since 1961 and the bloom is still on the rose after all these years. Believe it or not comics were not always cool or widely accepted. Shocking isn’t it? Of course today, comics are considered a viable form of literature. Comics influences are felt in film, TV, music, theater and video games. And the fun part is only beginning. The creators of today are wonderfully gifted and innovative. The future of comics is bright indeed.
However, for the next several postings I am going to take a look BACK at the early days of Comics. I will discuss my observations on the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages of comics. Hopefully it will be fun for the reader. It is certainly fun to look back with an eye towards tomorrow. I hope that all of you will leave comments and suggestions as to future postings. Certainly I would enjoy any questions you may have about the history of the hobby we all love!
Now…. Let’s just say “the game’s afoot”!
Anyone who knows me, knows that I would have to kick this off with SUPERMAN!
Every Superhero character in comics today owes at least some debt to Superman. As the first costumed hero, The Man of Steel set the standard for every book that followed. Secret identities, meta-human powers, colorful costumes and capes, alien origins, all started with the Big Red S. However, Superman was not created out of whole cloth by young Siegel and Shuster. They also had their influences. Zorro, The Scarlet pimpernel, Hercules and Sampson were all clear antecedents to Superman.
Perhaps the single most influential precursor to Superman was Philip Wylie’s 1930 novel “Gladiator”. Wylie was one of the pioneers of Speculative fiction in the early 20th century. He is best known for “When Worlds Collide” which was made into a classic George Pal sci-fi movie in 1951.
The story begins at the turn of the 20th century. Professor Abednego Danner lives in a small, rural town, and has a somewhat unhappy marriage. Obsessed with unlocking genetic potential, Danner experiments with a tadpole (which breaks through the glass tank he's keeping it in), and a pregnant cat, whose kitten displays incredible strength and speed, managing to maul larger animals. When his wife becomes pregnant with their first child, Danner duplicates his experiment on his unknowing wife.
Their child Hugo almost immediately displays incredible strength, and Danner’s wife realizes what her husband has done. Though she hates him, she does not leave him, and they instead raise their son to be respectful of his incredible gift and sternly instruct him never to fight, or otherwise reveal his gifts, lest he be the target of a witch hunt. Hugo grows up being bullied at school, unwilling to fight back. However as he matures, Hugo discovers that in addition to great strength, he is extremely fast, nearly invulnerable and able to leap great distances (in a single bound).
Hugo finds success in High School, becoming a star football player, and receives a college scholarship. He spends summers and free time trying to find uses for his strength, becoming a professional fighter and strongman at a boardwalk. After killing another player during a football game, Hugo quits school.
Danner then joins the French Foreign legion fighting in WW I, where his bulletproof skin comes in handy. Upon returning home, he gets a job at a bank, and when a person gets locked inside the vault, Hugo volunteers to get him out if everyone will leave the room. Hugo rips open the vault door, freeing the man. The banker's response is not gratitude but suspicion. Hugo is accused of being a crafty safecracker who was otherwise waiting for an opportunity to rob the vault. He is fired and threatened with arrest for the destruction of the vault, and he is taken away and tortured. Due to his near invulnerability, this has no effect. Hugo withstands all attempts at getting him to tell how he opened the vault, escapes, and lifts a car into the air (ala Action #1). ( I won’t spoil the ending of the book here. I do recommend it as a great read though. Gladiator is still widely available and a must for any Sci-Fi fan!)
The influences on Superman are clear in Gladiator with Hugo sharing not only abilities but mild mannered temperament with Clark Kent. Hugo differs from Superman in many ways. He does not seek to become a hero or a vigilante. He is a man who is very obviously different, alien if you will, looking to find a place in the world. Hugo has much more in common with Clark. His is introspective, gentle and emotionally sensitive. Like Clark, Hugo feels an acute separation from the rest of humanity. Like Clark, Hugo envies “normal” people and wishes that he could be part of that normalcy.
Coincidence? Siegel and Shuster never actually credited Gladiator as an influence on their work, but it almost certainly had some impact. Consider the facts. Gladiator was published in 1930 and was a very popular book for the balance of the decade. It is highly unlikely that two boys who published a Fanzine entitled “Science Fiction” would have missed this book. It is also common for younger writers to “borrow” story and character elements from the literature that they have been exposed to. It is also just as common to deny those influences.( It was many years before Gene Roddenberry acknowledged Star Trek’s debt to the 1956 MGM classic “Forbidden Planet”.) In fact it is as impossible to ignore the influence of Gladiator on Superman as it is to ignore Superman’s influence on all of the superhero characters that have followed through the years. While Gladiator may not have been Superman’s “father” there is no denying that it was at least a “Dutch Uncle”
Next: “Hal Jordan, The Silver Age and the Right Stuff”
That’s 30!
Mitch
Ut-oh, who let this guy in?
Hello Jonesers!! Stephen Lindsay here... the twisted mother @&#!er behind "Jesus Hates Zombies". Someone thought it was a good idea to give me access to this here blog. Silly monkeys! Don't they know my fingers dancing across the keyboard is akin to the Devil's junk swingin' in the breeze?! No good can come of it.
But I'll save the mischief and merry-making for later! Right now, it's time for me to be a whoreish shill! I've got a new webcomic that launched, and I want all of you to check it out! It's called Saints & Warlords and it's about 2 rival street gangs in 1970s Chicago who have bigger problems to deal with than just each other... Problems that involve fur and fangs... Problems that always end in blood.
http://www.captionsandballoons.com/saintsandwarlords/
Ok, that's enough of my song and dance. But fear not, for I shall return!! And when I do, things are gonna get messy.
~ S
But I'll save the mischief and merry-making for later! Right now, it's time for me to be a whoreish shill! I've got a new webcomic that launched, and I want all of you to check it out! It's called Saints & Warlords and it's about 2 rival street gangs in 1970s Chicago who have bigger problems to deal with than just each other... Problems that involve fur and fangs... Problems that always end in blood.
http://www.captionsandballoons.com/saintsandwarlords/
Ok, that's enough of my song and dance. But fear not, for I shall return!! And when I do, things are gonna get messy.
~ S
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
CBJ Did You Know for 8/19
COMIC BOOK JONES DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW THAT STAN LEE AND HIS LITTLE BROTHER TOMMY HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THEIR SISTER KATHY IN ALMOST TWO DECADES? “EVER SINCE SHE MARRIED THAT DAMN BASTARD OF A FOOTBALLER GIFFORD!... SHE’S JUST NOT RIGHT. IF OUR BROTHER BRUCE WAS STILL ALIVE HE WOULD HAVE MADE HER..HER..excelsior”, WEPT A VISABLY SHAKEN STAN AS TOMMY PATTED HIM ON THE BACK AND SAID “DON’T CRY DOG...JUST DON’T”.
NOW YOU KNOW!
love socko
DID YOU KNOW THAT STAN LEE AND HIS LITTLE BROTHER TOMMY HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO THEIR SISTER KATHY IN ALMOST TWO DECADES? “EVER SINCE SHE MARRIED THAT DAMN BASTARD OF A FOOTBALLER GIFFORD!... SHE’S JUST NOT RIGHT. IF OUR BROTHER BRUCE WAS STILL ALIVE HE WOULD HAVE MADE HER..HER..excelsior”, WEPT A VISABLY SHAKEN STAN AS TOMMY PATTED HIM ON THE BACK AND SAID “DON’T CRY DOG...JUST DON’T”.
NOW YOU KNOW!
love socko
Monday, August 17, 2009
Previews and Reviews with Gore Jones
Damn..What a week in comics..So many good books, soo little time...Let's just right into the thick of it...
First off I'm trying something new here because I don't want to waste space or your attention while I have it so, I'm going to combo review some books that came out this week.
Blackest Night #2
Blackest Night Batman #1
Green Lantern Corps #39
Blackest Night #2 just kills. Plain and freaking simple. It's amazing and keeps you turning the page wanting more and more. The shit hasn't even started to hit the fan and wow when it does I don't think we're going to be ready for it. Aquaman takes the main stage in this issue and Geoff Johns does an amazing job of turning him into this sadistic and maniacal monster. Poor Aqua lad aka Garth..All he wanted to do was bury his mentor in Atlantis and set things right..haha..sucks for him. JLA ZOMBIFIED NEXT ISSUE!!! WHAT?!?!
Blackest Night Batman #1 was a big surprise. I'm not one for mini's dealing with a bigger story that just doesn't fit in the proper title but this was a serious home run. So Dead man aka Boston Brand has his body turned into a Black Lantern, he tries to jump into it and attempt to stop it from leaving it's grave but the sheer madness that follows forces him out and in search of Batman. In doing so he body jumps into Dick and then into Damien and finds out real quick what's been going on with them and gives them the heads up as to what's happening and how it's all going down...too bad for Dick because they just so happen to arrive at the Grayson's grave and it's empty...AWESOME PLOT TWIST!!!
Green Lantern Corps #39 finds us back in space with Kyle and Guy heading back to OA after their trip to earth honoring their dead heroes and loved ones. They're hit with the black rings racing towards Oa. They follow in step and find that they're what seems like the last of the Corps still standing. As they fight to save Oa (now powerless due to the fact that the main power battery is destroyed) aand stop the unknown rings from whatever it is they're trying to do, the rings invade the Lantern Morgue and someone better get a witness cause the shit has hit the fan!
Awesome stuff from DC! I think it's looking like it's going to be better than Marvel Zombies..but we'll wait and see.
5 out of 5 for all three issues!
Adventure Comics #1
Superboy being back is cool. Seeing him try to follow in Superman's steps as he lives in Smallville again, cool. Seeing him trying to make sense of Lex Luthor, AWESOME!
Another book being written by Geoff Johns and another home run for him. Geoff Johns is DC's match for Bendis at this point. The man is writing everything. The back-up story with Starman was dope as hell because you come to find out he's still here for a reason and there are more Legion members placed to help him in whatever mission they must complete. Great stuff! Pick it up, you don't want to miss this.
5 out of 5
Deadpool #13
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That's the best way to describe this issue. I can't say much because they laughs are nonstop. I'm still a little pissed off how last issue ended off but this issue makes up for it with how funny Daniel Way can write Deadpool...hahahaha "You're a parrot..talk in parrot!!" hahaha
5 out of 5
Ultimate Comic Avengers#1
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1
Ultimates Comics Relaunch. Ult. Avengers started off with a bang. Captain America has gone awol after finding out some vital information, pertaining to his son? Carlos Pacheo's art is fantastic..it's almost movie quality. The man was born to draw these characters. Ult. Spider-Man catches Peter 6 months after Ultimatum. He's got a new job working fast food and Spider-man gets some love from the police?? pretty interesting. The Kingpin takes a swan dive and Mysterio makes some moves...
5 out of 5 for both books!
Thats all folks!!
What I'm JONESIN' For this week!
BATGIRL #1
BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #3
BLACKEST NIGHT SUPERMAN #1
DAREDEVIL #500
X-FACTOR #47
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #18
questions, comments, love, hate...hit me up and lemme know what your thoughts are!
First off I'm trying something new here because I don't want to waste space or your attention while I have it so, I'm going to combo review some books that came out this week.
Blackest Night #2
Blackest Night Batman #1
Green Lantern Corps #39
Blackest Night #2 just kills. Plain and freaking simple. It's amazing and keeps you turning the page wanting more and more. The shit hasn't even started to hit the fan and wow when it does I don't think we're going to be ready for it. Aquaman takes the main stage in this issue and Geoff Johns does an amazing job of turning him into this sadistic and maniacal monster. Poor Aqua lad aka Garth..All he wanted to do was bury his mentor in Atlantis and set things right..haha..sucks for him. JLA ZOMBIFIED NEXT ISSUE!!! WHAT?!?!
Blackest Night Batman #1 was a big surprise. I'm not one for mini's dealing with a bigger story that just doesn't fit in the proper title but this was a serious home run. So Dead man aka Boston Brand has his body turned into a Black Lantern, he tries to jump into it and attempt to stop it from leaving it's grave but the sheer madness that follows forces him out and in search of Batman. In doing so he body jumps into Dick and then into Damien and finds out real quick what's been going on with them and gives them the heads up as to what's happening and how it's all going down...too bad for Dick because they just so happen to arrive at the Grayson's grave and it's empty...AWESOME PLOT TWIST!!!
Green Lantern Corps #39 finds us back in space with Kyle and Guy heading back to OA after their trip to earth honoring their dead heroes and loved ones. They're hit with the black rings racing towards Oa. They follow in step and find that they're what seems like the last of the Corps still standing. As they fight to save Oa (now powerless due to the fact that the main power battery is destroyed) aand stop the unknown rings from whatever it is they're trying to do, the rings invade the Lantern Morgue and someone better get a witness cause the shit has hit the fan!
Awesome stuff from DC! I think it's looking like it's going to be better than Marvel Zombies..but we'll wait and see.
5 out of 5 for all three issues!
Adventure Comics #1
Superboy being back is cool. Seeing him try to follow in Superman's steps as he lives in Smallville again, cool. Seeing him trying to make sense of Lex Luthor, AWESOME!
Another book being written by Geoff Johns and another home run for him. Geoff Johns is DC's match for Bendis at this point. The man is writing everything. The back-up story with Starman was dope as hell because you come to find out he's still here for a reason and there are more Legion members placed to help him in whatever mission they must complete. Great stuff! Pick it up, you don't want to miss this.
5 out of 5
Deadpool #13
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That's the best way to describe this issue. I can't say much because they laughs are nonstop. I'm still a little pissed off how last issue ended off but this issue makes up for it with how funny Daniel Way can write Deadpool...hahahaha "You're a parrot..talk in parrot!!" hahaha
5 out of 5
Ultimate Comic Avengers#1
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1
Ultimates Comics Relaunch. Ult. Avengers started off with a bang. Captain America has gone awol after finding out some vital information, pertaining to his son? Carlos Pacheo's art is fantastic..it's almost movie quality. The man was born to draw these characters. Ult. Spider-Man catches Peter 6 months after Ultimatum. He's got a new job working fast food and Spider-man gets some love from the police?? pretty interesting. The Kingpin takes a swan dive and Mysterio makes some moves...
5 out of 5 for both books!
Thats all folks!!
What I'm JONESIN' For this week!
BATGIRL #1
BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #3
BLACKEST NIGHT SUPERMAN #1
DAREDEVIL #500
X-FACTOR #47
ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #18
questions, comments, love, hate...hit me up and lemme know what your thoughts are!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Here we are again, serving up another great week of comics and other assorted goodies! Thanks to everyone who came out to the District 9 Tailgate Party last Thursday, it was a great success and we look forward to hosting each and every one. We're still unsure as to whether or not we'll be having one for Halloween 2, but we'll let you know as soon as we know. Anyways, read on for the latest store news and a look into what's coming out this week. See ya at the shop!
(POSSIBLE) HALLOWEEN 2 TAILGATE PARTY
As of right now there is no midnight showing posted for Halloween 2 on Thursday, August 27th at the UA Theater on Forrest Avenue. Once we find out if there is one, we'll let you know if we're going to have this tailgate party or not. We shall keep you posted! Don't worry though, there will still be more within the coming months.
$75 GIFT CERTIFICATE RAFFLE
As we wave the Resident Evil statue goodbye it's now time to turn our attention to the next item up for grabs. This time we'll be raffling off a $75 gift certificate to the store! As always our raffle tickets cost only $1. This raffle has already begun and you can get your tickets now! The raffle will be ending on Wednesday, August 19th.
YU-GI-OH MONDAY TOURNAMENTS
You asked for it, you got it! Every Monday we hold Yu-Gi-Oh card tournaments. The formula is very similar to our Magic tournaments. They take place every Monday at around 4:00 PM and the entry fee is one booster pack of your choice. Prizes will be a couple of booster packs or a starter/tournament pack. If you don't know how to play come down anyway and we'll teach you!
MAGIC THE GATHERING SATURDAY TOURNAMENTS
Taking place on Saturdays at 3:00 PM, come join us for our weekly Magic the Gathering tournaments. Play is open to all! If you don't know how to play come on by and we'll gladly teach you! Entry fees for the tournament consists of a purchase of a couple of booster packs or tournament/starter pack. If you're interested don't hesitate to come on down and join us.
COMIC BOOK JONES TUESDAY TRIVIA NIGHT
Tuesday is Trivia Night! The rules are simple and it's a lot of fun. Come down to the store around 6:00 PM for the sign up and choose to play by yourself or with a team (there is no limit to the amount of players on a team). There is a $2 buy in per person, all of the money going to the winning team. At 7:00 PM we'll begin the first of five rounds, each round containing 10 questions. Questions will generally hover around comic, sci-fi, TV, movie and other related trivia. After each round, points will be tallied up by the Quiz Master for that day and then we'll move on to the next round. At the end of the fifth round a winner will be crowned trivia champion. It's a ton of fun and I promise you that if you come once you'll want to come each and every week.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Absolute V for Vendetta HC - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Captain America Reborn #3 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Captain America Reborn #4 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Dark Avengers: Ares #1 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Flash Rebirth #5 - 10/14/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Flash Rebirth #6 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 9/30/09)
Hulk #14 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Kick Ass #7 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/12/09)
Kick Ass #8 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Scalped #31 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Star Wars Dark Times #14 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Timestorm 2099 #4 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
War Machine #9 - 9/16/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
(POSSIBLE) HALLOWEEN 2 TAILGATE PARTY
As of right now there is no midnight showing posted for Halloween 2 on Thursday, August 27th at the UA Theater on Forrest Avenue. Once we find out if there is one, we'll let you know if we're going to have this tailgate party or not. We shall keep you posted! Don't worry though, there will still be more within the coming months.
$75 GIFT CERTIFICATE RAFFLE
As we wave the Resident Evil statue goodbye it's now time to turn our attention to the next item up for grabs. This time we'll be raffling off a $75 gift certificate to the store! As always our raffle tickets cost only $1. This raffle has already begun and you can get your tickets now! The raffle will be ending on Wednesday, August 19th.
YU-GI-OH MONDAY TOURNAMENTS
You asked for it, you got it! Every Monday we hold Yu-Gi-Oh card tournaments. The formula is very similar to our Magic tournaments. They take place every Monday at around 4:00 PM and the entry fee is one booster pack of your choice. Prizes will be a couple of booster packs or a starter/tournament pack. If you don't know how to play come down anyway and we'll teach you!
MAGIC THE GATHERING SATURDAY TOURNAMENTS
Taking place on Saturdays at 3:00 PM, come join us for our weekly Magic the Gathering tournaments. Play is open to all! If you don't know how to play come on by and we'll gladly teach you! Entry fees for the tournament consists of a purchase of a couple of booster packs or tournament/starter pack. If you're interested don't hesitate to come on down and join us.
COMIC BOOK JONES TUESDAY TRIVIA NIGHT
Tuesday is Trivia Night! The rules are simple and it's a lot of fun. Come down to the store around 6:00 PM for the sign up and choose to play by yourself or with a team (there is no limit to the amount of players on a team). There is a $2 buy in per person, all of the money going to the winning team. At 7:00 PM we'll begin the first of five rounds, each round containing 10 questions. Questions will generally hover around comic, sci-fi, TV, movie and other related trivia. After each round, points will be tallied up by the Quiz Master for that day and then we'll move on to the next round. At the end of the fifth round a winner will be crowned trivia champion. It's a ton of fun and I promise you that if you come once you'll want to come each and every week.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Absolute V for Vendetta HC - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Captain America Reborn #3 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Captain America Reborn #4 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/14/09)
Dark Avengers: Ares #1 - 10/21/09 (Old Date 10/7/09)
Flash Rebirth #5 - 10/14/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Flash Rebirth #6 - 11/25/09 (Old Date 9/30/09)
Hulk #14 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Kick Ass #7 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/12/09)
Kick Ass #8 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Scalped #31 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Star Wars Dark Times #14 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Timestorm 2099 #4 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
War Machine #9 - 9/16/09 (Old Date 9/2/09)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
NEWS FLASH!
Check this out! If you're not reading Walking Dead you're a fool!
"There is no Zombie Apocalypse in your backyard. But Zombies have completely taken over Hollywood. Variety reports Frank Darabont (The Mist, The Shawshank Redemption) will adapt Robert Kirkman's and Tony Moore's (now Charlie Adlard's) 'The Walking Dead' for AMC TV.
If you've never had the pleasure of reading The Walking Dead, you should. You don't have to be a Zombie horror fan to appreciate the great storytelling that has propelled this book to the upper echelons of comic book greatness over the last few years.
The Walking Dead is dark, colorless and leaves the reader no room for getting cozy with any of the main characters. The Zombies, although major players, are not at the crux of the story. This series is about the lives, gained and lost, by the living who seem to flitter in and out of existence according to some cosmic plan, that ultimately, hasn't sided with the human race.
The protagonist of this ongoing saga is Rick Grimes, a small town police officer who awakens from a coma to find the world in the midst of a Zombie apocalypse. As the most prominent leader of a band of survivors, The Walking Dead is a character piece that centers on the life of Grimes and those around him.
The series is currently on issue # 64, with the first 60 issues collected in TPB. For more info, visit Image Comics."
"There is no Zombie Apocalypse in your backyard. But Zombies have completely taken over Hollywood. Variety reports Frank Darabont (The Mist, The Shawshank Redemption) will adapt Robert Kirkman's and Tony Moore's (now Charlie Adlard's) 'The Walking Dead' for AMC TV.
If you've never had the pleasure of reading The Walking Dead, you should. You don't have to be a Zombie horror fan to appreciate the great storytelling that has propelled this book to the upper echelons of comic book greatness over the last few years.
The Walking Dead is dark, colorless and leaves the reader no room for getting cozy with any of the main characters. The Zombies, although major players, are not at the crux of the story. This series is about the lives, gained and lost, by the living who seem to flitter in and out of existence according to some cosmic plan, that ultimately, hasn't sided with the human race.
The protagonist of this ongoing saga is Rick Grimes, a small town police officer who awakens from a coma to find the world in the midst of a Zombie apocalypse. As the most prominent leader of a band of survivors, The Walking Dead is a character piece that centers on the life of Grimes and those around him.
The series is currently on issue # 64, with the first 60 issues collected in TPB. For more info, visit Image Comics."
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
CBJ Did You Know for 8/12
COMIC BOOK JONES DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW THAT ONE OF ILLUSTRATOR ALEX ROSS’ FAVORITE PASTTIMES IS TO GO OUT IN HIS BACKYARD ON A SUNNY DAY AND BURN INDEPENDENT COMIC CREATORS WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS.
NOW YOU KNOW!
Love Socko
Love Socko
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Previews and Reviews with Gore Jones
y0000! What's up Comic Land?! A pretty decent week in books. Don't forget this week, there's a tailgate for DISTRICT 9!!!! Shit is gonna be hot!! BE there or ELSE! haha..now on with the show...
War Of Kings #6 (of 6)
So..I've done nothing but rant and rave about how cool this series has been and how awesome it is to see Marvel using more than just earth for stories again..well...
I'M SOOO F%&$ING MAD THAT AFTER 6 ISSUES AND ALL THE TIE-INS THAT AT THE END OF THE STORY WE HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER ISSUE TO FIND OUT IF BLACK BOLT AND VULCAN DIED??? WTF?!!? Seriously, Marvel charged $3.99 for the core "War of Kings mini", then they charge $3.99 for "Ascension" which was 3 issues and "Warriors" which was 2 issues and then with "Guardians of The Galaxy" and "Nova" ties ins for side story, we've spent enough money already. GIVE ME THE DAMN ENDING!!! Cliffhangers aside, yes it makes people want to read on and buy more stuff but come on, YOU'RE KILLING MY POCKET!!!
All in all War Of Kings has been a great story, I'm happy to see the Inhumans get their rightful place in the galaxy and it's nice to see them build off of a character that Ed Brubaker made out of 1 panel from Giant Sized X-Men. Truthfully, if your tight on cash, wait for the trade.
Overall Series 5 out of 5
Captain America Reborn #2
I'm going to be blunt about this, I really hate how Marvel is doing this. I was/am excited to see Steve Rogers come back just to see how he can affect the going's on in the Marvel Universe but really the way their going about it SUCKS! I don't like how he's trapped in a never ending cycle of past events and he now knows it. I think it's super cheesy and not very original. Bring Ultimate Cap to the 616 universe, shit..bring any Cap from any alternate universe to the 616 universe to spice things up but to have his soul(?) lost in time repeating events in his life sucks. The only redeeming part of this comic thus far is the potential to make Crossbones or The Red Skull; "Dark Captain America" and Norman Osborn leaking to the press that Sharon Carter was the one who shot and killed Captain America making her the most wanted woman on the planet. Sorry if you hate me for it but I really dislike where their going with this and I hope something changes and fast.
2 out 5
Destroyer # 5 (of 5)
Robert Kirkman being one of my favorite writers, I was drawn to this series but from the first issue I had the feeling I'd read it before somewhere else. I did in a book called "BRIT". Sad as it is to say, I really feel like Kirkman just re-vamped Brit for Marvel and slapped a new name on him. The concept was cool in the begining where Destroyer was an aging super-hero who was dying of Cancer and was going through his Rogues list and killing whoever was left so that when he dies, the world might be safer...That was it for like an issue then his daughter gets kidnapped, his son in law gets back in the super-hero game and the two of them fight Destroyer's arch-nemesis and win and then it's over. Destroyer retires, his son in law takes his mantle and thats it. WHACK!
Overall Series 2 out of 5
Ghost Riders Heaven On Fire #1
For those of you living under a rock and don't know anything about what's going on in Ghost Rider need to get up to date and quick. Jason Aaron came into the series late last year and has flipped the world upside down.
** Real quick during Daniel Way's story arc's; Johnny Blaze is the Ghost Rider, he thought it was a demon that was bound to his soul but he comes to find out that he's actually a creature of heaven and that he's been f*ed with this whole time as has his brother Danny Ketch. Long story short, the angel Zadkiel made them both who they are.**
So with that said Zadkiel has taken over Heaven thanks to Danny Ketch basically giving him all the Ghost Riders across the world's power and selling everyone out. Now with Zadkiel ruling heaven he's going after the anti-christ to prevent the book of revelations and write his own apocalypse. This book is hot fire! as is Ghost Rider in general. Get on this book and you'll be beyond happy.. Trust me!
5 out of 5!
Star Wars Dark Times Blue Harvest #0
YES! Funny enough, I actually just read this whole story on Myspace on Dark Horse's online comics page. It's cool they actually printed the story solo as opposed to sticking it in the Myspace Presents Dark Horse Comics TPB's. This story takes place during the "DARK TIMES" era of the SWU. This picks up post Vector and we see Dass Jennir for the first time since. He's now become a lost soul in the galaxy looking for work in shifty cantina's but the sad part is he's still got his Jedi code of honor and can't just become a hired gun or anything of the sort. Really cool stuff.. If your interested in it I'd say check out the comic online first and then buy it or if your a Star Wars buff, go get it before it sells out! This series is going to be awesome!!
5 out of 5
Wow...now onto what I'm JONES'IN for this week in comics and man is it a big freakin week!!
ADVENTURE COMICS #1
BATMAN #689
BLACKEST NIGHT #2
BLACKEST NIGHT BATMAN #1
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39 BN
SUPERMAN SECRET FILES 2009 #1
Cable #17
MARVELS PROJECT #1
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #1
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1
MILO VENTIMIGLIA PRES. BERSERKER #2
WALKING DEAD #64
ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND #1
GARTH ENNIS CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD LAST BATTLE PREVIEW
MARVEL 25TH ANN. SECRET WARS AF 2-PACK ASST. 0901
MARVEL UNIVERSE AF ASST. 0906
MARVEL UNIVERSE HANDFUL OF HEROES ASST. 0901
This is just the tip of how cool this week is coming up!!! GET YOUR DON KNOTS AND BARRY WHITE BUCKS HANDY CAUSE YOUR GONNA NEED EM!!
War Of Kings #6 (of 6)
So..I've done nothing but rant and rave about how cool this series has been and how awesome it is to see Marvel using more than just earth for stories again..well...
I'M SOOO F%&$ING MAD THAT AFTER 6 ISSUES AND ALL THE TIE-INS THAT AT THE END OF THE STORY WE HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER ISSUE TO FIND OUT IF BLACK BOLT AND VULCAN DIED??? WTF?!!? Seriously, Marvel charged $3.99 for the core "War of Kings mini", then they charge $3.99 for "Ascension" which was 3 issues and "Warriors" which was 2 issues and then with "Guardians of The Galaxy" and "Nova" ties ins for side story, we've spent enough money already. GIVE ME THE DAMN ENDING!!! Cliffhangers aside, yes it makes people want to read on and buy more stuff but come on, YOU'RE KILLING MY POCKET!!!
All in all War Of Kings has been a great story, I'm happy to see the Inhumans get their rightful place in the galaxy and it's nice to see them build off of a character that Ed Brubaker made out of 1 panel from Giant Sized X-Men. Truthfully, if your tight on cash, wait for the trade.
Overall Series 5 out of 5
Captain America Reborn #2
I'm going to be blunt about this, I really hate how Marvel is doing this. I was/am excited to see Steve Rogers come back just to see how he can affect the going's on in the Marvel Universe but really the way their going about it SUCKS! I don't like how he's trapped in a never ending cycle of past events and he now knows it. I think it's super cheesy and not very original. Bring Ultimate Cap to the 616 universe, shit..bring any Cap from any alternate universe to the 616 universe to spice things up but to have his soul(?) lost in time repeating events in his life sucks. The only redeeming part of this comic thus far is the potential to make Crossbones or The Red Skull; "Dark Captain America" and Norman Osborn leaking to the press that Sharon Carter was the one who shot and killed Captain America making her the most wanted woman on the planet. Sorry if you hate me for it but I really dislike where their going with this and I hope something changes and fast.
2 out 5
Destroyer # 5 (of 5)
Robert Kirkman being one of my favorite writers, I was drawn to this series but from the first issue I had the feeling I'd read it before somewhere else. I did in a book called "BRIT". Sad as it is to say, I really feel like Kirkman just re-vamped Brit for Marvel and slapped a new name on him. The concept was cool in the begining where Destroyer was an aging super-hero who was dying of Cancer and was going through his Rogues list and killing whoever was left so that when he dies, the world might be safer...That was it for like an issue then his daughter gets kidnapped, his son in law gets back in the super-hero game and the two of them fight Destroyer's arch-nemesis and win and then it's over. Destroyer retires, his son in law takes his mantle and thats it. WHACK!
Overall Series 2 out of 5
Ghost Riders Heaven On Fire #1
For those of you living under a rock and don't know anything about what's going on in Ghost Rider need to get up to date and quick. Jason Aaron came into the series late last year and has flipped the world upside down.
** Real quick during Daniel Way's story arc's; Johnny Blaze is the Ghost Rider, he thought it was a demon that was bound to his soul but he comes to find out that he's actually a creature of heaven and that he's been f*ed with this whole time as has his brother Danny Ketch. Long story short, the angel Zadkiel made them both who they are.**
So with that said Zadkiel has taken over Heaven thanks to Danny Ketch basically giving him all the Ghost Riders across the world's power and selling everyone out. Now with Zadkiel ruling heaven he's going after the anti-christ to prevent the book of revelations and write his own apocalypse. This book is hot fire! as is Ghost Rider in general. Get on this book and you'll be beyond happy.. Trust me!
5 out of 5!
Star Wars Dark Times Blue Harvest #0
YES! Funny enough, I actually just read this whole story on Myspace on Dark Horse's online comics page. It's cool they actually printed the story solo as opposed to sticking it in the Myspace Presents Dark Horse Comics TPB's. This story takes place during the "DARK TIMES" era of the SWU. This picks up post Vector and we see Dass Jennir for the first time since. He's now become a lost soul in the galaxy looking for work in shifty cantina's but the sad part is he's still got his Jedi code of honor and can't just become a hired gun or anything of the sort. Really cool stuff.. If your interested in it I'd say check out the comic online first and then buy it or if your a Star Wars buff, go get it before it sells out! This series is going to be awesome!!
5 out of 5
Wow...now onto what I'm JONES'IN for this week in comics and man is it a big freakin week!!
ADVENTURE COMICS #1
BATMAN #689
BLACKEST NIGHT #2
BLACKEST NIGHT BATMAN #1
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39 BN
SUPERMAN SECRET FILES 2009 #1
Cable #17
MARVELS PROJECT #1
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #1
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1
MILO VENTIMIGLIA PRES. BERSERKER #2
WALKING DEAD #64
ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND #1
GARTH ENNIS CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD LAST BATTLE PREVIEW
MARVEL 25TH ANN. SECRET WARS AF 2-PACK ASST. 0901
MARVEL UNIVERSE AF ASST. 0906
MARVEL UNIVERSE HANDFUL OF HEROES ASST. 0901
This is just the tip of how cool this week is coming up!!! GET YOUR DON KNOTS AND BARRY WHITE BUCKS HANDY CAUSE YOUR GONNA NEED EM!!
Friday, August 7, 2009
NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 8/12/09
We've got a ridiculous week coming up! A lot of amazing books including Batman, Blackest Night, and Deadpool not to mention the next trade paperbacks of some of the hottest titles right now including Walking Dead, Fables, and Invincible! Damn!
Also, if you were foolish enough to miss our GI Joe Tailgate Party, plain and simple it was pretty awesome. Free food and drinks aside EVERYTHING IN THE STORE WAS 60% OFF! When's the next tailgate party you ask? Well, it just so happens to be this Thursday. Read on for more info!
DISTRICT 9 MOVIE TAILGATE
Our second movie tailgate for the month goes down this Thursday, August 13th. If you missed all the other ones, here's the deal: buy your ticket to the midnight showing of District 9 for the Thursday midnight showing (technically Friday morning) and then come down to the store starting at 9PM for some free food, drinks and our special sale where we pull a percentage out of a hat and everything in the store will be somewhere between 10%-70% off!!! Don't miss it, a good time is always had! During the GI Joe tailgate everything in the store was 60% OFF, I"M NOT KIDDING!
You've got one more chance to join us for a tailgate party after this on Thursday August 27th for Halloween 2. If you have any other questions just ask us by e-mailing comicbookjones@gmail.com or calling us at (718) 448-1234.
$75 GIFT CERTIFICATE RAFFLE!
As we wave the Resident Evil statue goodbye it's now time to turn our attention to the next item up for grabs. This time we'll be raffling off a $75 gift certificate to the store! As always our raffle tickets cost only $1. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Anyway, this raffle will be starting up on Saturday, August 8th and ending on Wednesday, August 19th.
YU-GI-OH MONDAY TOURNAMENTS
You asked for it, you got it! Every Monday we hold Yu-Gi-Oh card tournaments. The formula is very similar to our Magic tournaments. They take place every Monday at around 4:00 PM and the entry fee is one booster pack of your choice. Prizes will be a couple of booster packs or a starter/tournament pack. If you don't know how to play come down anyway and we'll teach you!
MAGIC THE GATHERING SATURDAY TOURNAMENTS
Taking place on Saturdays at 3:00 PM, come join us for our weekly Magic the Gathering tournaments. Play is open to all! If you don't know how to play come on by and we'll gladly teach you! Entry fees for the tournament consists of a purchase of a couple of booster packs or tournament/starter pack. If you're interested don't hesitate to come on down and join us.
COMIC BOOK JONES TUESDAY TRIVIA NIGHT
Tuesday is Trivia Night! The rules are simple and it's a lot of fun. Come down to the store around 6:00 PM for the sign up and choose to play by yourself or with a team (there is no limit to the amount of players on a team). There is a $2 buy in per person, all of the money going to the winning team. At 7:00 PM we'll begin the first of five rounds, each round containing 10 questions. Questions will generally hover around comic, sci-fi, TV, movie and other related trivia. After each round, points will be tallied up by the Quiz Master for that day and then we'll move on to the next round. At the end of the fifth round a winner will be crowned trivia champion. It's a ton of fun and I promise you that if you come once you'll want to come each and every week.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Dark Avengers #8 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Dark Reign Zodiac #3 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Dark Reign Young Avengers #4 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Flash Rebirth #4 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/12/09)
Hulk #15 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/16/09)
Incredible Hulk #601 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Incredible Hulk #602 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/16/09)
Punisher Max #73 - 8/19/09 (Old Date 8/12/09)
Thor #603 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
War Machine #9 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
War Machine #10 - 10/7/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Also, if you were foolish enough to miss our GI Joe Tailgate Party, plain and simple it was pretty awesome. Free food and drinks aside EVERYTHING IN THE STORE WAS 60% OFF! When's the next tailgate party you ask? Well, it just so happens to be this Thursday. Read on for more info!
DISTRICT 9 MOVIE TAILGATE
Our second movie tailgate for the month goes down this Thursday, August 13th. If you missed all the other ones, here's the deal: buy your ticket to the midnight showing of District 9 for the Thursday midnight showing (technically Friday morning) and then come down to the store starting at 9PM for some free food, drinks and our special sale where we pull a percentage out of a hat and everything in the store will be somewhere between 10%-70% off!!! Don't miss it, a good time is always had! During the GI Joe tailgate everything in the store was 60% OFF, I"M NOT KIDDING!
You've got one more chance to join us for a tailgate party after this on Thursday August 27th for Halloween 2. If you have any other questions just ask us by e-mailing comicbookjones@gmail.com or calling us at (718) 448-1234.
$75 GIFT CERTIFICATE RAFFLE!
As we wave the Resident Evil statue goodbye it's now time to turn our attention to the next item up for grabs. This time we'll be raffling off a $75 gift certificate to the store! As always our raffle tickets cost only $1. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Anyway, this raffle will be starting up on Saturday, August 8th and ending on Wednesday, August 19th.
YU-GI-OH MONDAY TOURNAMENTS
You asked for it, you got it! Every Monday we hold Yu-Gi-Oh card tournaments. The formula is very similar to our Magic tournaments. They take place every Monday at around 4:00 PM and the entry fee is one booster pack of your choice. Prizes will be a couple of booster packs or a starter/tournament pack. If you don't know how to play come down anyway and we'll teach you!
MAGIC THE GATHERING SATURDAY TOURNAMENTS
Taking place on Saturdays at 3:00 PM, come join us for our weekly Magic the Gathering tournaments. Play is open to all! If you don't know how to play come on by and we'll gladly teach you! Entry fees for the tournament consists of a purchase of a couple of booster packs or tournament/starter pack. If you're interested don't hesitate to come on down and join us.
COMIC BOOK JONES TUESDAY TRIVIA NIGHT
Tuesday is Trivia Night! The rules are simple and it's a lot of fun. Come down to the store around 6:00 PM for the sign up and choose to play by yourself or with a team (there is no limit to the amount of players on a team). There is a $2 buy in per person, all of the money going to the winning team. At 7:00 PM we'll begin the first of five rounds, each round containing 10 questions. Questions will generally hover around comic, sci-fi, TV, movie and other related trivia. After each round, points will be tallied up by the Quiz Master for that day and then we'll move on to the next round. At the end of the fifth round a winner will be crowned trivia champion. It's a ton of fun and I promise you that if you come once you'll want to come each and every week.
BIRTHDAY COUPON!
E-mail us your full name and birthday and receive a special gift from us when your special day arrives! Send your e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with the subject line "Birthday."
SHIPPING UPDATES
Dark Avengers #8 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Dark Reign Zodiac #3 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Dark Reign Young Avengers #4 - 9/9/09 (Old Date 8/26/09)
Flash Rebirth #4 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/12/09)
Hulk #15 - 9/30/09 (Old Date 9/16/09)
Incredible Hulk #601 - 8/26/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
Incredible Hulk #602 - 9/23/09 (Old Date 9/16/09)
Punisher Max #73 - 8/19/09 (Old Date 8/12/09)
Thor #603 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
War Machine #9 - 9/2/09 (Old Date 8/19/09)
War Machine #10 - 10/7/09 (Old Date 9/23/09)
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Resident Evil William Birkin Raffle Winner
Congratulations to Christina Caballero on winning the Resident Evil William Birkin statue (MSRP - $199.99)! To those who bought raffle tickets, thanks for trying! Don't worry we'll have another weekly raffle starting up this Saturday. See ya at the shop!
-Tiger
-Tiger
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
CBJ Did You Know
Hey There! Well due to the insane amount of stuff we're getting in this week there is absolutely no room on the in store checklist for a "Did You Know". Fear Not my faithful friends for through the magic that is the interweb I'm gonna drop a classic on ya! This biscuit is from the May 20th 2009 checklist and some folks argue that it is my best to date so dig in:
COMIC BOOK JONES DID YOU KNOW?
DID YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU LEAVE AN UNSPAYED OR UNNUETERED PET UNDER YOUR PILLOW WHEN YOU GO TO SLEEP BOB BARKER WILL FLOAT INTO YOUR OPEN BEDROOM WINDOW THAT NIGHT AND REPLACE THAT SLUTTY PET WITH A SHINEY NEW PLINKO CHIP!
NOW YOU KNOW!
love socko
love socko
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