DC will be returning to the world of 'Watchmen' with a series of prequels to be released in 2012.

Now with a day to have completely digested the announcement of DC’s decision to move forward with a collection of Watchmen prequels, not to mention an extended discussion with a friend, I’ve ultimately concluded I dislike the move.

With various mini-series focusing on Dr. Manhattan, Rorschach, The Minute Men, The Comedian, Ozymandias, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, the summer releases will touch on and interpret the lives of these characters for the first time (outside the film) since Alan Moore wrapped up the original series over two decades ago. Watchmen is one of the most revered comic books in the medium’s history, one which has been included consistently on lists compiling the top literary works. And it’s completely warranted. At its core the book was a character analysis of the superheroic idealization and depiction of the modern superhero, breaking down their motivations for becoming a vigilante while highlighting their virtues as well as their vices. Moore’s work humanized each of them, while concurrently celebrating their shortcomings as individual characters. It forced us to look at heroes through another lens which in turn forced us to really look hard at their ethics and morality as it relates to their actions. The book(s) grounded those characters in reality, and despite the story being rooted in the fantastic, his analysis of heroism, vigilante psychology and the moral/ethical implications of action  have not been met since. The story itself was a complete work which told its story to perfection.

Rorschach will join his teammates in a series of prequels in 2012.

So I must posit the question. Why revisit their universe? What do these books add or do to enhance the content? What will the creative teams do in so far as paying homage to Moore’s graphic novel? While I can’t go so far as to decisively state they won’t, to presume this decision wasn’t economically motivated due to the state of the industry is naive. I have a friend who characterized the Watchmen prequels as DC’s big red panic button, the button encased in a glass covering, accompanied by the message, “In case of emergency, break glass,” that would be pressed by DC editorial as a last resort. I believe he’s right, and considering the nature of the relaunch of DC titles, this should have been expected. Regardless, this is a delicate project, which despite the inclusion of Brian Azzarello and J. Michael Straczynski as part of the creative teams, I’m unsure whether this is necessary. In fact, it’s not and the more I contemplated these books the more agitated I became.

“The flip-side to that question, then, is ‘Why do anything based on something that was well done?’ It’s weirdly counter-intuitive: the characters are great, the world is terrific, we created something amazing here, so, God — let’s never ever do that again,” Straczynski said in an interview with Comic Book Resources.

While I can see his point, I find his conclusion disagreeable. Not only does it feel like a writer toeing the company line, but I challenge the mentality seemingly possessed by JMS that they should do it because they can. I doubt that any of the writers truly have something to add to any of their characterizations, much less a way to present the material in a way that enhances the purpose of Watchmen. They can try, but in the end I can’t help but feel a degree of pretension at the thought of the effort. This simply isn’t a matter of DC looking to move the story, this is a matter of the company hoping to boost sales with a move that, regardless of fan reactions to the prequels, will be picked up by all, all the same. This will be a lucrative move for the company, yet I can’t help but consider the absence of creativity in the move and the stories that may be produced where the purpose doesn’t seem so much the need to tell a story as it is the need produce a story to increase total revenues.

Mr. Straczynski spoke of logical thought in relation to the decision to move forward without Alan Moore’s blessing, however his logic fails say, if we use his own Superman example. The difference being, as far as Superman and Watchmen is concerned, is that by the time Alan Moore wrote his Superman stories, the ongoing title had been in publication for nearly 50 years. Its continuing nature lends itself to creative changes, not to mention, that as a serial, the book will never end. Watchmen is a different matter, as it’s a 12 issue maxi-series which was written with the intent of telling a story about the nature of the superhero and the humanity buried underneath the perception of their godliness. It’s a complete work without the need for re-visitation. This move is what it is, and it smells of desperation.

“God help us all.”

This rumor turned out to be false but it got me thinking, what crossovers would I like to see? If I could match up characters and licences from other companies and put together mini-series, what would I put together?

First, the rules. No worries about continuity. All participants must be alive and available to work for one or all of companies involved (no Alan Moore).

Batman / Daredevil

This was rumored at one point and I know Bendis wanted to do it and to be honest I think I’d bring Bendis and Alex Maleev on the book. Sure the book would be a little angst-y compared to the current run on either book but it be worth a look.

Snake Eyes / TMNT

Both properties are in place at IDW and maybe it wouldn’t work but I’m picturing a one shot featuring Snake Eyes and the Turtles. If I were writing it, it’d be a play on the silent issue of Gi Joe but with Michelangelo interrupting. Fun book with lots of kick ass action drawn by GI Joe work horse Valentine DeLandro. As for a writer…er… I’m free.

Jonah Hex / Hawken

Now granted, Hawken has a lot in common with Hex but I’d love to see Tim Truman team his creation up with the supernatural version of Hex with Joe R. Lansdale penning the script. A weird western on all sides.

The Rocketeer / The Spirit

I have no idea how you would match these two up other then the time period lines up but I think if you take the fun tone of both characters, maybe a plot involving Nazi’s and The Spirit hitting on The Rocketeer’s girl, you’ve got something. especially if it’s written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke. Cooke has proven himself with both characters, it’s a natural fit.

JLA / Avengers

Well aware that we’ve had this before but I’d shake up the creative team a bit. Grant Morrison writing and Mike Deodato on pencils. It may seem like an odd pairing at first but Grant did a solid run on the JLA and Deodato has done some stellar work with the Avengers in various forms as of late but it could also serve as a bit of redemption for the artist as he drew a lot of the characters involved (the Avengers, Wonder Woman, Thor) in the 90′s during his early years with some very unfortunate costumes.

What about you dear readers? Any team ups you’d like to see? And with what creators?

If you think you’ve read this particular column before, I wouldn’t blame you. I first covered rumors of a Watchmen sequel/prequel nearly two years ago (Scott: previous column).

At the time, there wasn’t much attached to idea in terms of names attached (Grant Morrison was a lead suspect but to be perfectly honest, at the time he was writing a lot of things so it isn’t surprising) and my column more focused on the idea or who gets say so over a character/project.

And now the latest rumor kinds of brings some of that all back for discussion again.

According to Bleeding Cool (Scott: here’s the article), the latest round of Watchmen spin offs appear to be headed by Darwyn Cooke with many others joining in including Dave Gibbons who was one of the creators of Watchmen.

Yes, I said one of.

An issue I pointed out last time rears its ugly head. While I still won’t go back on my thought that Watchmen does not need a spin-off of any sort and is pretty much fine the way it is, I will stand up and probably be yelled at for this…

Dave Gibbons should be allowed to do whatever the hell he wants with Watchmen.

Dave’s art is integral to Watchmen and while he didn’t write the book, he was an incredibly close part of the creative process. If this rumor has any legs to it, people should let him have a go of it.

I don’t think it’s a great idea but I think Dave should be given the same fair shake Alan Moore would be given if he returned to the characters.

Although most of us wouldn’t notice that as we’d be too busy throwing snow balls at Satan’s head to care.

I’m sure if the project does come to fruition, Alan will say something about it. Which is his right as a creator of the book. But I always get the feeling that Alan feels the book was all his but was stolen from him underhandedly.

Unfortunately, he signed a contract stating that DC owned it until it went out of print.

Moore has said this in many interviews and feels that DC never intended for the book to go out of print hence his disinterest in the project.

But Gibbons, however, has always flirted with it.

I also know that if this project exists a lot of people will be very angry about it.

But maybe it’s my age creeping in and my anger is mellowing but guess what kids, comics have been doing this for ages. The lion’s share of the super hero comics you buy every week as based GASP on someone else’s work. Hell, the character’s in Watchmen are loose interpretations of the DC owned Charlton characters.

Would it be as good as Watchmen?

Probably not but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a good story out of it.

This is all assuming that it even happens. Let’s be honest, we’ve heard this rumor before and nothing happened. There was a an anniversary edition that never happened. The closest things we’ve got to new Watchmen was the re-coloring a few years ago and the film.

So I guess in short, Watchmen 2 (or 0 ) may happen: it has every right to happen if Dave Gibbons is involved, it won’t be as good as the original, don’t hold your breath or get you boxers bunched about it.

For someone who buys comics, this can be a hazardous thought.  Kind of like the coke addict who begins thinking speed balls are a good idea.

But I have friends that manage their addictions pretty well. With this in mind I joined fellow CBD writer Ed Campbell, I Was A Hero colorist Ryan Parent (referred to as Ryan P and our photographer for the day) and driver/collector extraordinaire Ryan  (to make things easier, he will be referred to as Tall Ryan because he’s tall. It may not be original but it’s accurate) on their trip to Mississauga for the 80′s Toy Show (which is apparently part of TFCON).

Going to this show, I had very little in the way of expectations. I knew that it was mainly going to be a dealer’s room.  I also knew that I had little in the way of cash going in (a buddy had his bachelor party the night before. Sometimes booze, boobs and bros come before toys) but in a way it gave me an interesting idea to play with. I set a challenge/rules.

I was not allowed to go beyond a $20 limit (not including entry fee).

How much cool stuff could I get for $20?

The first thing we were greeted by at the hotel was a full-sized replica of the Keaton era Batmobile.  Whoever it was who made this bad boy did a great job. Everyone one of considered ways of stealing it and getting away with it.

We hit the dealer’s room floor running.  While my buying style is pretty much scatter shot, the others guys seem to have a little bit a game plan.  Ed is searching for A-Team (from last year’s film version) that never appeared here in Canada. He’s already got the van (which is pretty sweet I must say).  He’s also looking for deals on GI Joe stuff he may not have. Ryan P is looking for stuff that he thinks is cool (Transformers being his main Target). Tall Ryan is looking for a mixture of genres but focusing on GI Joe, Star Wars and what he thinks is awesome.

I’m amazed by all the awesome toys.

Pretty much every toy I wanted as a kid (aside from this line of Road Warrior style car and driver toys that got recalled due to lead paint) could be found in this room. Not necessarily in my budget, but they were there. From Jetfire (the Transformer that is actually a repainted Robotech toy) to the latest Marvel Galactus, even if I wasn’t buying there was a ton to look at and admire.

Looking around, the one thing I found rather interesting was the lack of people I recognized from other cons.  If you go to conventions of a certain type long enough, you tend to recognize certain faces you see year after year after year. Beyond a few dealers, the only person I recognized beyond my crew was Naked Dave (recognizable due to the fact he spends a majority of conventions pretty naked).

I would have thought the crossover would have been greater. Many comic, sci and horror fans do love toys but yet a lot of people I would expect to see at this show weren’t there. Do regular comic fans not know about these shows?

After 30 minutes or so of looking, I cam across a wall display where they were selling toys for 5 bucks a piece. Here I had found one of my purchases. From The New Frontier line DC put out I found a Darwyn Cooke style Batman.

Unfortunately no Doctor Fate figure.

The figure itself turned out to be a lot cooler then I first thought. Nice vinyl/rubber cape, good solid figure, my one and only complaint is the stand that it comes with kind of sucks.

But for $5, who am I to complain?

I later went back to the same vendor to pick up something.

The others seemed to fair well.  I’m not sure what everyone got in total but I do know Tall Ryan’s trunk area was pretty filled by the time we were done.

This may lead to another hobby for me.

As to what the second thing I picked up? I can’t currently say. As I’ve mentioned on a few occasions, the wonderful woman who puts up with me, is a bit of a nerd as well. Being the awesome boyfriend that I am, I picked her up a small something.

The best part of which is the fact I get to tease her about something I got her but she has no idea what it is.

Including in this post.

Here’s a hint. It fits in this bag.

Next week I discuss with a whole whack of people who the best superhero ever is.

First up was Thor on Friday night.

The first marvel flick of the year and lucky me my girlfriend was dying to go. Since we hadn’t gone to the theater for a while, it became date night.

First off, well done to all of the people involved in Thor.  I’ve always stated from the beginning of this Avenger’s film build up that Thor was a tricky beast; it is both the most complicated super hero film of Marvel’s cannon (because you kind of have to take Lord of the Rings and smash it into a superhero film) and weirdly enough, the least important.

Man I can hear the Thor fans screaming now, let me explain.

Thor’s movie being a success wasn’t that important. It gives The Avengers a hand but really if Thor had done dismal, it would have been a blip on the radar. The Avengers still would have continued and Thor still would have been it.

But luckily, the film is very well crafted; solid story, great direction, good acting and most importantly it was fun and felt like Thor.

And out of all the little nerd fan service in the film, my favorite bit was Walt Simonson sitting at dinner at the end of the film.

It played well and certainly better than many other origin films.  I’d love to see another Thor film and I’m very much looking forward to Captain America and The Avengers because of how good a flick this was.  It should be noted that my girlfriend also loved it… but she’s a little nerdy too so that might be a moot point.

I followed my mainstream comic evening with a huge left turn into indy land with TCAF.  Now I imagine if you follow this site you’ve read a ton of raves and reviews about the event but here’s the thing: I’m not really an indy comic guy.  And I’ve never been to TCAF.

Out of all the comic book related event in our province, TCAF (the free one) is the one I’ve never been to.  It’s not that I’m against indy comics or web comics (in fact, I think they play a very important part in comic book culture), I’m just not huge into them, so essentially I went Saturday as an observer rather than a participant.

TCAF is incredibly well put together, especially for a free/volunteer event; volunteers are helpful, maps are well laid out as are schedules.  Panels are very well put together and moderated.  I love seeing all the tables or artists known and unknown beside one another.  The thing that I took from the artist’s floor was that I didn’t see an artist or creator who wasn’t smiling.  That’s a pretty telling sign if you ask me.

I managed to catch a few panels. I will say, TCAF has a definite one up on Hobbystar in this category.  Some of the panels were at a bar!  I got to hear professionals talk about comics and drink beer and eat poutine.  How awesome is that?

This first panel I entered was about web comics.  About four minutes in I realized it was aimed at children.  I felt very creepy so I left.

The next panel over at The Pilot (a bar so much less children) was for the cartoon show Adventure Time… which I had never seen but my colleague, Nic from Bite Daily was a huge fan of.  Must admit, after the panel I wanted to check it out. It’s a bizarre cartoon but fun.

Following that was about Canadians Keeping the Canadian Identity While Working in A Global medium… or something. On the panel was Darwyn Cooke, Ray Fawkes, Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, and Jillian Tamaki. Darwyn once again cemented himself in my mind as one of the wisest and funniest men in comics. An interesting panel filled with many anecdotes about American’s slight lack of Canadian knowledge as well as issues I hadn’t thought of in terms of a Canadian working in an American company.

I also was lucky enough to get The Outfit signed by Mr. Cooke which made me incredibly happy (as it was one of my favorite comics from last year).

After that panel I happened to run into the one and only Kevin Boyd from The Shuster awards.  While Kevin would not reveal the status of my lifetime achievement award, we did have a nice chat.

All and all a great experience and I will definitely try and make more time in my schedule for TCAF next year. As I said above, I’m not huge into indy comics but they are an incredibly important part of the industry.  They provide a wide variety in comics that is needed in order to keep the medium growing. I love Mythbusters, I pretty much watch it every time I see it on. But if there was no other choice beyond Mythbusters, I’d be annoyed.  Hell even Glee has its place… to be mocked.

Web comics as well.  While some see quick and easy reads, there are many that are a longer narrative format.  It should be also noted that web comic creators were and are still well a head of the curve when it comes to online comic delivery.

A great time was had and I hope to make a repeat next year.

*Personal note: Many of you might not be aware but I’m also heavily involved in a podcast called TATANS. We’ve just created a brand new fan page.  Check it out and be sure to check the podcast too.

The most anticipated webcomic of the year looks to be one with quite the artistic pedigree behind it: Teenage Satan, a digital comic created by the wife of Darwyn Cooke; Marsha and his niece Candis along with artist Stephanie Buscema (granddaughter of John).

Teenage Satan is about a previously home schooled son of Mephisto as he experiences the hell that is High School. With no prior experience with human interaction, Teenage Satan suddenly has to deal the worst that high school has to offer, including being bullied and having a crush on a girl who doesn’t even know he exists.

Steph Buscema has been on my radar for some time now as her art is a beautiful melding of styles that are very agreeable to my eye sockets.It will launch in September and will update daily with a mix of comics, games (such as 666 sudoku) and other content. Interestingly, the comic has an end date—December 22, 2012.

Check out the preview below. I’ve already watched it six times now.

Today’s Question: “With the release of the 2011 JSA Nominees – what did they get right? What did they get wrong? Did anyone get left out completely?”

Scott VanderPloeg (writer of CBD’s Bound Together column; his ramblings can be found blogged at eBabble.)

To really answer this question well you’d have to be aware of the residence of the creator for every book you read. For the most part I have no idea where the author or artist of the comic books I’ve read are from unless I met them at a comic show or it came up in their work. If I did know where every creator was from I’d then had to have read everything on the nominee list to properly gauge what was provided against all the other Canadian material, and I’d have to be bilingual to do it. Otherwise it’s a snap judgment based on what I’ve read on the nominee list which isn’t much: Darwyn Cooke across the board!

_________

Greg Hyland (Writer/illustrator of the cult classic Lethargic Lad as well as Lego Star Wars)

Oops. They missed me AGAIN.

_________

Andrew Ardizzi (Roving reporter for CBD and student of journalism at Humber. He writes for the Humber Et Cetera. You can find him at his blog Come Gather ’round People Wherever You Roam.)

I don’t know, it’s hard to say. you’d really have to have a great grasp of the Canadian comic book scene. Obviously there are names on there like Bryan Lee O’Malley, Del Col and McCreery, Stewart and Manapul who at least deserve to be recognized for their contributions. Maybe it’s a commentary on the scene that we’re not completely aware or familiar with the Canadian comic book landscape beyond those mentioned, or even a Darwyn Cooke for that matter. I certainly think recognizing Todd McFarlane for his contributions is a good move.

I do think however that’s it’s a colossal mistake to have omitted Andy Belanger’s contributions to Kill Shakespeare. He has consistently offered some of the most dynamic, creative and altogether violent I’ve seen in the last year. It’s truly beautiful, and a crime that he’s not on there anywhere.

Pete: Yeah, I totally agree – Kill Shakespeare wouldn’t work half as well without Belanger’s very distinct art style, he lends an air of distinct menace to some of the scenes that rewards multiple readings.

_______

Anthony Falcone (Writer of Whosoever Holds This Hammer)

The main issue is that the Shusters recognize Canadian talent in a prominently American Industry, and, as Scott pointed out, it isn’t always easy to know who is Canadian.

This sets the Shusters apart from say the Gemini Awards that celebrates the achievement of Canadian Film and Television productions. The distinction is that the product must be Canadian for a Gemini, and the creator must be Canadian for a Shuster. Which, makes sense unless Manapul is going to start working on a Le Flash comic book.

When compared to the Eisners, this basically means that the Shusters are drawing from the same pool of products, but from a smaller pool of creators. It is great to recognize Canadian talent in an industry, but the real test of the quality of work will be if many of the nominees for a Shuster are also nominated for an Eisner.

This may seem like I am dumping on the Shusters, but nothing could be further from the truth. Pointing out the inherent difficulties with Canadian awards ceremonies actually demonstrates how necessary they are in maintaining our Canadian identity in artistic industries. By essentially sharing the same “box office” as the United States our work is in constant danger of being overlooked.

We all write for a Canadian comic book website, yet none of us have read (or even heard of) everything on the list. But, thank to the Shusters, at least some of us (and hopefully many of our readers) will go into our local comic book shop and try something new.

And Greg, I can only assume that someone from Wizard Magazine got to the nominations committee.

Favorite Writer: Ed Brubaker

If you’ve been reading Just a Thought for the last year, it’s become apparent that I have a rather big man crush on Ed Brubaker. I’m just in awe of the man’s diverse talent in terms to writing. He seems to effortlessly go from super heroes to crime to martial arts to pulp with ease. He has not written a comic that I’ve read this year that I didn’t like.

Runner Up – Joss Whedon

Favorite Artist: Darwyn Cooke

He only really had one thing come out this year, The Outfit and as I previously stated this year, The Outfit has Cooke pushing his boundaries.

Runner Up – Mike Deodato and Bryan Talbot.

Favorite Ongoing Title: Secret Avengers

Secret Avengers just narrowly beat out three other titles for this spot but when it got right down to it I love all the possibilities that this title brings to it. The first arc was in space. The second arc is a kung fu story. Moon Knight is in the book and to top things off, Ed Brubaker for finally re-named Fu Manchu in the Marvel Universe so the man can finally be called something. It took so long for this to occur.

Runners Up – Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Batman and Robin.

Favorite Graphic Novel: The Outfit

Once again Cooke has out done his previous works. This should be on your shelf right next to The Hunter. You can see my full review in an earlier blog.

Surprise of 2010: First Wave

This was a series I thought everyone would be all over but it kind of seem like I’m the only one reading it. Despite the talent involved and the initial fanfare in its promotion, this book has nearly fallen off the Earth.

Comics To Watch In 2011: The Boys

Got to hand it to Garth Ennis. He pretty much lulled me into a false sense of security. For quite a while The Boys had pretty much turned into “what gross joke can I fit in here now” and then a sharp turn was made into emotion land and honestly the last trade nearly broke my heart. This nearly made my list of favorite comics of the year but if it keeps on course, it will probably.

So there you have it. Next year I’m going to review this year’s list and compare where those books are compared to what makes my favorites list this year…confused? I am.

Have a Happy New Year.

Okay, waiting with baited breath might be a little tamer then reality. Pete would probably tell you that I’ve asked about it or talked about it almost once a week since I finished The Hunter… and he’d probably be right.

Fortunately for me, The Outfit is not only as good as The Hunter but pushes boundaries in terms of delivery and narrative.

For those who haven’t read the original Parker novels, it should be noted that The Outfit is actually the third book in the series. Now I completely agree with Cooke’s reasoning to skip The Man With The Getaway Face I do love the fact Darwyn did fit an abbreviated version of the story in there. It gives you all the details in a quick and entertaining fashion without having to adapt the entire novel and without to much of an interruption to the flow of The Outfit.

The one thing that I think might push The Outfit over The Hunter for me is the way that Darwyn Cooke has pushed himself artistically in the adaptation. There are portions of the book that look like an instructional pamphlet. There is a whole section done as text with illustrations. And finally there is Cooke’s own brilliant art which seems to get better every year.

And once again, IDW out does themselves with a very nice looking, well-bound hardcover at a reasonable price point.

In fact, I think the real winner at the end of these Parker adaption’s will be us fans. I can’t imagine how awesome his next book after these will look. I’m really hoping for something greater owned; that way Darwyn can really cut loose with everything he’s been perfecting on these books

If you like crime novels, crime comics or just comics in general, I think you should pick this book up.

Speaking of picking up, I picked up 7 Psychopaths from Boom last week (see CBD’s review last week) and found it rather interesting. It seems a little over-written but that could be partially from the translation. The real gem however is Sean Phillips’ artwork. I’ve loved his work on Criminal and Incognito but it’s really nice to see him stretch his legs with some Nazi’s and a dude who is burnt on 90% of his body.

Now if only Marvel could get the rights to The Shadow…

“Have we done gibbons yet?”

Ah Wednesday, the day of new comics.

As I’ve previously stated a number of times, Blue Beetle Comics in Barrie is my local shop. I’ve often explained what I like about the store in a physical sense but I’m unsure if I’ve truly explained the other part of it.

Pete and his staff (Alice-Ann and Wade) have done something remarkable in this age of online shopping and quick buying.

They’ve created a community.

Which works out well for shopper and shopkeeper alike. Maybe it’s easier if I take you through a typical Wednesday evening at Blue Beetle.

I arrive usually somewhere around 6:30pm or 7. Pete is usually manning the till and usually wandering the store or close to the front cash desk is Kevin, another loyal customer. Kevin tends to read a lot more DC books then I do but we do have similar tastes. Someone pulls out whatever is in my hold box (this week was like Christmas as it contained both an issue of Buffy and Cooke’s The Outfit graphic novel…full review next week). The conversation quickly turns to what else came out this week and what’s worth checking out. I’ve never felt like I’ve been rushed into making my box purchases or in fact I’ve never felt rushed into leaving the store.

So already you can see the benefits. I feel comfortable to browse through the new books and may buy something in addition to what’s already in my box. As well not only has the shop told me what’s out but has mentioned what they feel is worth checking out as well as another customer. This also comes into play a bit later.

Around 7:15 or so, Ed arrives. Ed is another customer who, much like Kevin, I never knew until I started going to this comic shop. Now Ed is a big GI Joe fan. He’s met both Larry Hama and Sgt Slaughter. This impresses me.

At which point we all start talking about comics and what have you and none of us feel the need to shut up or buy or stuff and get out. Where the community aspect has an effect is in the diversity. As I mentioned, Ed’s a Joe guy which means he’s reading a lot more GI Joe comics then I am. Now over the past couple of weeks IDW’s GI Joe/Cobra series got brought up. This is a comic with no previous continuity and while it’s sounded mildly interesting, haven’t really looked into it. Ed on the other hand has almost got me sold on at least trying a trade or two. Kevin reads a lot more DC then I do as well as some smaller press books I have missed. If it wasn’t for Kev, I’m not sure if I would have ever checked out Boom’s Muppet or Disney line.

So Pete has possibly made another sale and if I like it, future sales all because we feel comfortable in hanging around the store and gabbing about comics.

I doubt this was ever Pete’s intention. He’s just a guy who likes his store and wants people to feel welcome in it. Everything else is just gravy. And I feel that’s something that’s missing from a lot of shops today. Not to mention from online retail. Sure I can probably save some bucks on Amazon but a website won’t joke with me about Stan Lee’s creation guide to animal villains for Spider-Man. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a ton of sushi to digest and a Darwyn Cooke book to read until I lapse into an utterly joyful coma.

And just an update, I’ll be interviewing Andrew Vachss (if all goes as planned) next Tuesday night. So if you have any questions, please send them on in.