Today I will regale you with tales of the dark and mysterious comic shop; strange tales to chill your bones, scare little kids and...
Ah, frak it. On with the stories.
Tale #9 ~ The Truthsayer Strikes Back
It's so incredibly irritating how often people in the store (female and male), will ask me questions, get an answer, then later ask Bill or Jake the same question and get the same answer. It's annoying, though sometimes amusing. In this case it was amusing because if the guy had just listened to me, he would have saved $6.
It was near the end of the day, and I was doing inventory. Which of late isn't anything new. Inventory in this context, is defined as a level of retail hell that lasts forever. This man walks in and kind of looks around a bit. He's kind of a jittery personality, like he's had too much coffee or a cola or something. He comes to the desk and asks if the Wizard we have out is the latest. I tell him it is. He asks for an opened copy. Lucky for him, we actually had one.
Some of you may have heard yesterday about the All Star Batman and Robin recall, due to, well, an "unknown" reason. This according to the release sent to all shops:
***** SHIPPING ADVISORY: DC COMICS' ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN THE BOY WONDER #10
Dear Diamond Customer:
Please be advised that copies of DC Comics' ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN THE BOY WONDER #10 (FEB080203-4D) may be included in your September 10 shipment.
At DC's request, please do not place this book out for sale to your customers. Instead, please destroy any copies that you receive. You will be credited for these copies on your September 17 invoice.
Diamond apologizes for any inconvenience this creates for you or your customers. If you have additional questions, please contact your Diamond Customer Service Representative. Thank you.
While many people were wondering what exactly prompted DC to recall the copies, many stores, including my own, already knew the reason. Bad redacting. Or rather, ineffectual redacting, as most of the pages with the "sanitized" words still had them easily visible. Fortunately, CBR's Lying in the Gutters has some scans of a couple of pages for all you curious types (and for me, 'cause I was too lazy to scan them myself). Obviously, be wary. What lies beyond the link is not work safe.
The Captain America movie rumors keep coming, this time, Will Smith is rumored to be in the running for the Star-Spangled Avenger.
...During an MTV News interview regarding his role in "Miracle at St. Anna," actor Derek Luke let slip that a very prominent - and surprising - face could be the star of Marvel Studios' next blockbuster film.
"I heard they offered Will Smith 'Captain America,'" said Luke, adding that the intriguing casting rumor "just shows you how times have changed."
Clearly this is just a rumor from someone who doesn't seem to have any ties to the film itself; though that doesn't discount it wholly. Still, it seems unlikely Will Smith would be Steve Rogers' Captain America if it was still set during World War II; though definitely possible he could be Isaiah Bradley's Captain America. Unfortunately, the US' own history precludes him from being the "official" Cap from World War II. Now if it was updated to, say, Viet Nam, that would be something else entirely.
This entire post is a pretty big spoiler, so if you're one of the four adult comic geeks that hasn't seen The Dark Knight yet, just skip over this. Like, right now, since the spoilers start now.
I warned you...
Most have wondered if Two-Face will return after his apparent death at the end of the Dark Knight, some think he's dead dead, others think it was just a ruse to keep Gotham from falling to an even darker place. In a recent interview with Super Hero Hype, Aaron Eckhart has his answer...
Today I will regale you with tales of the dark and mysterious comic shop; strange tales to chill your bones, scare little kids and...
Ah, frak it. On with the stories.
Tale #7 ~ Return of the Living Geek Girl
One thing I like about Jake's Saturdays is that he often catches up on work in the back room while I spend most of the day in the main part by myself. This means the customers have to ask me questions rather than going to whichever of the guys happens to be there. And it's really nice to be the one person they go to, even if it is just every other Saturday.
This past Saturday a man was in with his son. The man had been into comics when he was younger and was now looking to get his kids into comics as well. Obviously, quite a bit had changed since he read comics, so I got to fill him in on quite a bit. Including stuff in relation to the Comics Code Authority, The Seduction of the Innocent, and current rating system on some major publishers (or lack thereof. I'm looking at you, DC). While explaining it, another man, about the same age as the first tuned into the conversation and during a pause, commented "Wow...you really know your stuff!" and asked me a question (to which he knew the answer) about the whole Harry Osborne drug addiction story that was asked for by the anti-drug part of the government and rejected by the CCA part. I answered it and he was more surprised.
Ah, Wednesdays Thursdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the almost of the week that makes us want to scream "Why is it still Thursday?!?". Wednesdays Thursday also has new toys this week, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
A very small week this week, though the one new set of figures is a long time coming. Seriously, they were solicited for a frakking year ago. They would be the second series in the (new) Battlestar Galactica line of figures, including: Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Louanne "Kat" Katraine, Cylon Centurion, and a Previews exclusive Carl "Helo" Agathon in flight suit. The Helo figure looks odd, they made him look considerably more gaunt than he looks like, and the paint is weird for his face. Plus, he has blackish hair, rather than brown. The paint job in the photo is what I was expecting, but what we got was unfortunately disappointing; I'll still buy him though. As a warning to fans of the figure line, Kat is one per case, and you can't order her individually, so let your shop know now that you want it. My shop has technically sold out of her before they even were put on shelves (via pre-orders).
For new items, there's one I missed from a couple weeks ago, which is the Anti-Venom from Marvel Select. I really wish they'd make some other characters that are more established before making something like Anti-Venom; but I guess I'm not surprised they're cashing in on the new character. There's also a Prince Namor, Sub Mariner comiquette polystone statue slated to come out in early 2009 from Sideshow collectibles.
Diamond has just announced a 1:4 scale Indiana Jones figure from Art Asylum, the first announced in one of many lines of Indiana Jones figures. It may be a little late to cash in on the movie, especially since the official toys looked so horrible; but it's sure to get fans into it. There's no release date now, but then they never stick to them anyway.
That's all for this week. If I missed any or there are some in the future you want me to talk about, send me an email.
Today, and weekly from now (until I think of a tip, actually) on I will regale you with tales of the dark and mysterious comic shop; strange tales to chill your bones, scare little kids and...
Ah, frak it. On with the stories.
Tale #6 ~ The Secret Admirer
I'm going to be kind of vague with this one. Mainly because I don't know who this guy is, and I'm pretty sure it was not meant to be threatening in any way. Well, that's assuming that it's not the creepy guy that I originally thought it might be.
I got into work a few months ago and Jake came up to me and said "Meg, I have something to show you." in this slightly foreboding tone. I thought "what, did I frak up the bank deposit last night?" Jake opens up his email and clicks on a link. This link is to a page that's in a "men seeking women" section. I won't say exactly what it says (trying to maintain a small level of anonymity here), but it's pretty clear the guy is talking about me. And that he has a crush on me.
Ah, Wednesdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the middle of the week that helps us get through the rest of it. Wednesdays also have new toys, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
This week is the release of the Harley Quinn 1:6 scale figure, and the release of the Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura Star Wars mini-busts. Just as a note, the mini-busts may have come out earlier, but my store just got in our shipment. I can't find a release date for them that I'm sure is the official one.
I missed them last week, but Marvel has several busts solicited for, including classic Cyclops, classic Havok, Daredevil movie, and Punisher movie (upcoming movie). They've also announced a 1:6 scale Mark II Iron Man figure; which looks very cool. All are imports, though, so make sure you let your shop know you want them as imports can be difficult to get after they've been released.
That's all for this week. If I missed any or there are some in the future you want me to talk about, send me an email.
..."'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."
...With "Batman vs. Superman" and "Justice League" stalled, Warner Bros. has quietly adopted Marvel's model of releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels to build up to a multicharacter film. "Along those lines, we have been developing every DC character that we own," Mr. Robinov says.
Like the recent Batman sequel -- which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far -- Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as "The Dark Knight." Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.' DC properties. "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it," he says. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.
WB has been kind of...noncommittal to the movies they say are coming out. Wonder Woman, Justice League and Green Arrow have all been mentioned as movies, then halted, re-started, and halted again. Looks like WB will announce further plans next month, though who knows if they'll stick to it.
The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.
Today, and weekly from now (until I think of a tip, actually) on I will regale you with tales of the dark and mysterious comic shop; strange tales to chill your bones, scare little kids and...
Ah, frak it. On with the stories.
Tale #3 ~ Spider-Man has Boobs?
No, this wasn't a quote. Not quite anyway. A couple came into the store looking for comics for their son (they said as much :P ). Their son was apparently fairly young as they went right to the children's area to look at the comics there. At one point, the man picks up one of the small trades of Spider-Girl and says out loud "Spider-Girl?"
"She's the daughter of Spider-Man, in an alternate future. It's pretty well done and would be great for kids as well as adults", I said. He looked at me incredulously. I explained further that it was done in a style similar to late silver age/early modern age in that while there is some angst, the story is overall very light; much different from the current Spidey books.
Still looking incredulous, he said "I don't know, I don't think I can accept a Spider-Man with boobs."
It was my turn to look incredulous. "Well, she's not Spider-Man. She's a different person with different troubles. She's more popular in school, she still has snarky comments in battle, but she's a different person."
"Yeah, I don't think so." He said, then bought a trade of the Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man.
I don't know what exactly he had a problem with. I don't know if it seemed like a marketing thing to get more people to read the comic, or if he really had a problem with female characters taking up the mantle of a male predecessor. I do wonder if there was a comic called "Spider-Boy, the Son of Spider-Man" if he would have had the same issue with it (if he had an issue with perceived marketing) or if he would have thought it was a great idea. Had it been my own store, I might have asked him. As it wasn't, I didn't, so I guess I will never know. Still, it was moderately irritating at the least.
Ah, Wednesdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the middle of the week that helps us get through the rest of it. Wednesdays also have new toys, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
This week is the third full week, which means new solicitations. DC has quite a few this time around, so it'll be a bit of a list. But first, the new stuff.
Hasbro releases more of its Marvel Mighty Mugg line, including Black Costumed Spidey, Doctor Octopus, and Ghost Rider. As always, they're cute as hell even if they are a bit odd looking; they sell out pretty quickly. For whatever reason, Diamond doesn't keep them in stock, even though Hasbro seems to still sell them.
Justice Series 8 is also out, featuring Batgirl, Supergirl, Toyman and Captain Cold. I kind of like Supergirl and Batgirl to a certain degree, but their faces are very weird. The site's pictures show a better paint job than the good forty I saw at work; they all look very vacant. Well, more vacant than action figures should look.
DC has solicited a LOT this week. First up is the Justice League New Frontier boxed set which has Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern and Superman in it. Other than Wonder Woman not looking like she's constipated; the rest of the figures look the same as their original releases.
Speaking of Alex Ross based figures (y'know...before...), they've announced some based off of covers from Justice Society of America: Golden Age Green Lantern, Golden Age Flash, Sandman and Starman. I'm a bit surprised there isn't at least one female character in the mix. I mean, there's about as many women as there are men, you'd think at least one of them would be in each wave.
A day late and a slightly different set up this time around. Today, and weekly from now (until I think of a tip, actually) on I will regale you with tales of the dark and mysterious comic shop; strange tales to chill your bones, scare little kids and...
Ah, frak it. On with the stories.
Tale #1 ~ Night of the Living Geek Girl
A semi-regular came into the shop, he doesn't buy a whole lot that I've seen, some DC's, an occasional Marvel, and mainly Hulk's. He'd apparently had a stressful day and was unwinding by talking to Bill (and by being in the store, me as well :P) I would get a few things in about things going on in comics, but he mainly talked to Bill, or talked at Bill anyway. As things went on, I got more and more in edgewise about things, sometimes Bill was unsure of details, sometimes, I just knew more than Bill did on a storyline.
We ended up getting on the subject of Green Lantern, and he was apparently somewhat confused on the whole thing (that there are so many centered around Earth). Bill told him about the history of the Earth GL's, I chimed in that Kyle Rayner became Ion after Hal Jordan came back, and he asked about Hal. I'd just read the whole Parallax story with Hal's return as GL, so I explained some of it.
He stopped me and said "I don't mean to sound sexist or anything..." Which you immediately know he's going to say something that's at least moderately sexist. It's the same when you hear someone say "I'm not a racist, but..." You just know the next thing out of their mouth will be racist in some fashion.
Moment Of The Week #8
Well last week Ruby Summers blasted the competition easily for Moment of the Week! Just like the old saying goes, never underestimate a girl made out of living gemstone with laser eyes. This week we take a look at some astounding moments from last weeks Spider-Man: Secret Invasion, Wolverine, New Avengers, Final Crisis: Rogue's Revenge, Ultimate X-Men and Thunderbolts. (Marvel heavy, last week) So join me after the jump, and be warned. Spoilers lie beyond. So if you still have to pick up any of these books, don't read ahead because it'll ruin the surprise!...
