No comments

Buying Comics during Quarantine: the very best Stores, finest Deals, as well as finest selections

  By Uncategorized

one more Wednesday, one more week without any new comics—or at least, only a scant few ones. If you’ve already run out of comics to read, as well as you’re rocking back as well as forth in your home, I understand. however one day, the quarantine will end, as well as we’ll go back to getting comics available in the world. up until then, however, we’re not allowed to go to our regional comics shops as well as roam the stacks to discover that magical connection to a comic or graphic novel. It’s like going to the pet store; only the comics don’t freak out as well as pee on your backseat. Luckily, there are lots of on the internet stores to keep our addictions going.

The finest location For getting Comics as well as trades on the Internet

(Image by means of screen grad)

If you haven’t been to InStockTrades, I feel poor for you, son. They have the very best print deals, as well as there’s something for everyone. as well as almost every hardcover as well as paperback on the site is 40%, with some as much as 70%. So, those omnibus masterpieces you’ve always wanted? instead of $125, you’re checking out $70. I shop right here as frequently as I can, particularly when there is a graphic book or series special to me. For instance, the X-Men Milestones that marvel started publishing? The greatest I spent on one is $26 (for the huge Fatal Attractions collection). Also, the gorgeous Gail Simone question lady omnibus? just $42.

x

Mario Kart DLC Gold Rush.mp4

0 seconds of 12 minutes, 40 seconds

Live
00:00
12:40
12:40

 

Most of their costs are even much better than Amazon’s print prices. The new Dawn of X collections are about $10 each on InStockTrades, whereas they are $15 or higher on Amazon. Not only that, however when they ship books, they are packed so well, you’ll never have to concern about damage. If you like feeling the pages between your fingers, state hey there to your new preferred website.

Of course, they greatly appreciate their customers. “We want to state a huge say thanks to you to our clients as well as let them understand that we are extremely appreciative that they have continued to location orders,” Emily at InStockTrades stated to Comic Years. She continued, “We are going with a extremely odd time, as well as unfortunately, nobody understands when this pandemic will end, however to see all of the positive comments that we have got in the last two weeks has been genuinely amazing! We truly believe that we have the most devoted client base!”

(Also inspect out their sibling shops, DCBService as well as TalesofWonder!)

Quarantine, Coronavirus, as well as Comixology: A catastrophe of Wallets

(Image: Comixology)

Then there are digital comics. nobody beats Comixology. digital isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, however it does have its advantages. For single issues, you don’t have to concern about miles of long boxes full of comics you’ll never checked out again. however what Comixology truly does well? Sales. ideal now there are sales for:

Dawn of X

Vault Comics

Caliber

Valerian

New Mutants

Champions

Avengers

Fantastic Four

James Bond

Fantagraphics

Comixology Originals

Pokemon

Dark Horse

DC Vertigo

Kodansha

Legendary Comics

Titan Classics

Humanoids

Submit

Boom!

Dynamite

Action Lab

Europe Comics.

Seriously… that’s their present sales lineup. Also, up until the end of the day, today (April 7th), utilize the code Marvel2020 for a get one get one complimentary sale…and that includes sale items!

Comixology is finest for comics you want to try, however don’t want to invest as well much money in. It’s likewise fantastic for finding new books. When they have a $30 print trade for like $4, it’s a risk-free gamble. save your darlings for InStockTrades. Your “one as well as done” reads? That’s what Comixology is for. If you’re getting as lots of comics as possible for the quarantine? Here’s your home.

For the truly special Comics for Quarantine

(Image: Barnes & Noble)

Now, this next location is not for saving money, however it’s fantastic if you want some awesome special editions. That’s what Barnes as well as Noble offers. a few of their B&N Exclusives are just gorgeous variant covers of the trades. however lots of of their exclusives have fantastic additional features too. For instance, Tom King’s Eisner-winning Mister miracle includes cover sketches as well as the total script of the very first issue. If you want to get a bit behind the scenes look of the comic book world, specials like these are great. Or, if you take my program graphic book Literature as well as composing at Rosemont College—very helpful.

Buying Back problem Comics Without Going All the method to Midtown

(Image by means of Midtown Comics)

If you like comics, Midtown Comics in Times Square is a bit like Mecca. The very first floor is wall-to-wall comics with all type of variants as well as signed editions—then row after row of graphic novels as well as trades. walk upstairs as well as there’s generally every Funko Pop you can believe of—and some you’re not sure why they made. plus all the wonderful back issues. Well, for all those splendid back problems as well as variants as well as trades? Midtowncomics.com is still open for business, as well as they have single problems as low as 99 cents.

But if you’re getting comics during the quarantine at Midtown Comics, you must look in any way of their exclusives. You can buy a lot of of the variants as well as signed copies that you’d discover in store on their site. as well as a few of those products are surprisingly inexpensive. I’m checking out my $75 cart (minimum for complimentary shipping, as well as I have 11 variants as well as six signed copies. If you have a preferred creator, there’s a great possibility they have something signed by them. as well as you understand what? You’ve been inside for four weeks. get yourself something that reminds you that there’s still some incredible available in the world.

Even during Social Distancing, getting Locally is Still an Option

(Image: Uncanny Comic Shop)

Check with your regional comic shop to see if they have an on the internet store. This is type of hit-or-miss. Some regional shops have a considerable on the internet presence. Some have sites that are difficult to navigate or discover items. I checked one of my regional shops, as well as they failed to remember an important feature: a get button. Oops. Some utilize eBay, Abe Books, or even Facebook Marketplace. as well as then a lot of comic shops have no on the internet store of any type of kind. It’s like you want to keep getting comics from them, however they don’t want to offer comics to you.

Whatever the situation may be, getting comics in these uncertain times of quarantine isn’t impossible. It takes a bit a lot more effort, as well as we can’t check out the method we want to, however we still can. Dr. Anthony Fauci just recently specified that he really hopes youngsters will be back in institution in the fall. What does this mean? We’re going to be social distancing with August. however as long as we’re getting as well as reading comics, this quarantine will feel at least 2% less terrible.

(Featured picture by means of Imgur)

No comments

INTERVIEW: JUSTIN JORDAN ON JOHN flood FROM BOOM! STUDIOS

  By

This publish is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Interviews as well as Columns

John flood #1

Justin Jordan is the writer of such comics as Luther Strode, Deep State, Spread, eco-friendly Lantern: new Guardians, as well as more. His new series, John Flood, debuts in August from BOOM! Studios as well as stars a personal detective who doesn’t requirement to sleep. Westfield’s Roger Ash got in touch with Jordan to discover a lot more about this upcoming comic.

Westfield: What can you tell us about the genesis of John Flood?

Justin Jordan: Well, I was reading about armed forces experiments to keep soldiers awake longer, as well as things that would enable you to stay awake longer. Which really exist, now. There are medications like Provigil that enable you to prevent a few of the impacts of sleep debt.

So, as these things do, it got my brain working on what life would be like if you never slept, as well as what would have to occur for you to be able to survive. Basically, what we seem to truly requirement is the REM stage of sleep.

What ended up coming out was the concept of a guy who never slept, however was never truly awake either. He existed in this hallucinatory dream specify all the time which, major downside, prevented him from being completely sure what was genuine as well as what wasn’t.

The upshot was that he might likewise utilize dream logic to make these intuitive jumps, so he was uniquely great at solving problems.

The other part of it was the concept of the competent criminal. The people in prison as well as with criminal records are the people who got caught. It’s possible, although not likely, that there’s some number available who are just so great the authorities never truly understand they exist.

So I took that concept as well as used to a killer. somebody who killed without any specific pattern or signature might have crisscrossed the country for years, as there are tons as well as tons of unsolved murders as well as missing persons cases.

These concepts collided when I believed Flood’s believed processes might discover this person by inferring him from the lack of evidence. No pattern was in itself a pattern. At least if you’re John Flood.

Character styles by Jorge Coelho

Westfield: You’re working with artist Jorge Coelho on the series. What can you state about your partnership with him?

Jordan: He’s awesome, as well as it’s going truly well? Jorge as well as I have understood each other, at least online, for a couple of years now anyway, as well as we really satisfied a few years ago. Likewise, Tamra Bonvillain, who is doing the colors, as well as I have been trying to work her for years.

So when I saw them on Sleepy Hollow, I desired them as my team. Which for a book like John Flood, which has a hallucinogenic dream like quality, has worked out excellent for me. They make me look extremely good, which is always great as a writer.

John flood #1 ten Years Variant Cover by Rob Guillory

Westfield: who is John flood as well as who are a few of the other characters we’ll meet?

Jordan: flood when we very first satisfy him is making a living as…..I assumption personal detective is most likely the closest description. He solves issues for people, as well as in return they provide him stuff. Money, mansions, etc.

So he’s got a life, of sorts. however while he’s extremely gifted at one thing, he’s kind of useless for whatever else, so he has to have a helper/minder/assistant. In this series, that’s Alexander Berry, who gets the task in the very first issue.

Berry is a young ex police officer who lost his task after he did something…..debatably bad, extremely publically. We’ll discover out what he did over the program of the series, however he’s trying to find redemption. He’s likewise Flood’s de facto muscle, which he isn’t genuine delighted about.

The other primary character is the killer, who flood regrettably does prosper in goading into coming after him. This guy has killed countless people over the last twenty five years as well as he really, truly doesn’t appreciate flood making his existence public.

John flood #1 Nick Pitarra Variant Cover

Westfield: What can visitors look ahead to in the story?

Jordan: Fun!

Well, I hope. I’m having a damn great time composing the connection between the directly laced Berry as well as the deeply, deeply odd Flood, as well as ideally that comes with in the reading.

Beyond that, there’s some great action as well as mayhem as well as a respectable secret at the core of the book, so I hope people will dig it. If you’ve liked my other books, I believe you will most likely such as this one.

Westfield: The solicitation states that John flood can’t always tell what is genuine as well as what isn’t. will the visitors understand the difference or will we be wondering that together with him?

Jordan: often yes, often no. part of the fun is decoding what is as well as isn’t happening. however that’s part of the reason we have Berry in there. For the reader, he is the difficult anchor to reality, just as he is in story for Flood.

Purchase

John flood #1

No comments

KC IS ALL wet this week

  By Uncategorized

This post is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Interviews and Columns

Someone left KC out in the rain.

A KC Column by KC Carlson

But I am in the water

As far as I can see.

— Pete Townshend, “Drowned” from Quadrophenia

So, here’s what I’ve been doing because last Thursday night … when our area got 5 inches of rain in less than two hours. and the basement (minor-ly) flooded. just enough water seeped in to soak some boxes of comic books and magazines and other stuff. Johanna and I managed to get some of the much more essential items (books we personally dealt with — mostly LSH — and my collection of much more pricey things, mostly ‘40s-‘60s Archie Comics) and get them out of the wet-bottomed boxes before the comics actually got wet.

But we couldn’t get to all of the wet boxes in time. because the comics are stacked 4 to 5 boxes high, only the bottom-most box of each stack got wet. but in purchase to get to those boxes, we would have had to relocation the other 3-4 boxes somewhere that WASN’T wet — and there weren’t enough dry places close by to do that. (At last count, there were about 480 short boxes of comics in that room. Plus, a big desk.)

The aftermath of the flooding.

Luckily, when I originally set up the comics room, I deliberately put the boxes of much more recent, less important (and theoretically easiest to replace) comic books on the bottom of each stack — just in case of catastrophe. So, yes we’ve got some damp comics, but hopefully nothing too essential or irreplaceable. We won’t know for sure for weeks yet, though, as we clean up and relocation the boxes around.

Point of fact, after working at DC Comics for many of a decade and being pretty much “comped” EVERY comic published during that time (it was the ’90s — so there were a lot of comics then), our collection always had A lot of comics that we really didn’t care about that much, but never bothered to get rid of — until now.

So, now that they’re wet — OUT THEY GO! hopefully before they begin to stink! (BTW, that was NOT an editorial comment… wet comics actually do smell bad.) (Not that you ought to ever have to find that out for yourself!)

HOME DEPOT: OUR new home away from home COMICS

This dehumidifier has a guard.

We now own three large dehumidifiers, one for each of the three main rooms in the basement. The first is a large general storage area with a corner dedicated to the typical basement things (furnace, water softener, sump pump, ubiquitous large drain in floor, etc.). another corner is devoted to seasonal storage (Christmas decorations) as well as all the various (and growing number of) empty electronic boxes. When I was a bachelor, those were mostly just stereo boxes, but now the majority is substantial computer and big screen TV stuff. and my several boxes of any type of audio or electronic patch cords or gadgets ever invented. These days, many of them probably ought to be in some outmoded tech museum or something.

The large majority of that room is taken up by music — several thousand CDs, several hundred vinyl albums, many of them from the 60s and 70s, and at least five bookcases filled with books about music history, or band bios, or music reference, as well as hundreds of magazines like Mojo and the late, lamented Trouser Press. If you hadn’t guessed, collecting and reading about music history is what I do when I’m angry about comic books and all the silly and dumb things about them. (Like them getting wet.) because all my music stuff actually lives on shelves (as opposed to cardboard boxes), none of my music stuff was affected by the flooding. Hmmm…

There are also several boxes of “old media” — VHS and Beta tapes of old TV shows and films which have never made it to home video or been rebroadcast, like the later seasons of St. Elsewhere. Thankfully I kept a couple of those old machines, and there’s a (long ways away) goal of getting these transferred to DVD (probably just in time for some other new medium to replace all these formats).

YOU call THIS LIVING?

Another room affected by the flooding is the TV room. My desk is in the back of that room, so I’m sitting in it best now typing this — with one of the dehumidifiers running about six feet from me. Gosh, it sure smells a lot better in here today than yesterday! (Can’t wait to discover several years from now what exactly I’ve been breathing in while working in here the last couple of days. ; )

The wall-to-wall carpeting in this room, and its underlying padding, will have to be completely replaced. Which is ultimately a good thing, because it’s old, resistant to vacuuming, and kinda filled with canine hair from the previous owners. The most significant problem here is where to put the TV, the sofa, my two desks, and various other chairs and bookshelves while the new carpeting gets installed. Gee, the comics room is kinda occupied best now…

OH YEAH, THE main thing I WAS writing ABOUT…

The desk and a bit of the dehumidifier in the comics room.

And then there’s the comics room. I’m actively trying to stay out of there while the dehumidifier is doing its job. (Which is why I’m writing this drivel today, instead of some research-heavy piece, which would actually require… uh… some research.)

Every few hours I have to check the dehumidifiers to see if they are full of water and have to be changed. “Just like new babies,” emailed Johanna. As if I needed other strange thoughts today…

CLASSIC COVER INSURANCE?

Roger asked me to cover this topic a bit because it’s probably on a lot of your minds while reading this (“Geez, what about my collection?”). sadly my completely unscientific research into the topic leads me to believe that a lot of insurance companies don’t like to cover water damage/act of God-type scenarios. Water claims, typically speaking, require flood insurance, but you have to get that separately, and only if you live in a pre-designated area. (We might be able to make a homeowners claim for the new carpeting, but it might not be worthwhile, depending on how much it will actually cost to fix ourselves and how insurance companies don’t like customers who actually want to make claims.)

As for the comics, it’s kind of a difficult slog for us because we don’t have documentation on everything that’s in that room. It’s at least a 50-year collection, and it’s been moved around the country several times now — and occasionally they’ve had to be moved before I could complete the entire inventory. I do have partial master lists for many of the Marvels, DCs, and Archies, because those are the only things I’ve “actively” been collecting over the last decade or so. problem is in keeping those master inventory lists up-to-date. like many comic collectors, I’ve focused mostly on my want Lists, and the actual inventory lists typically get back-burnered. Without this proper and exact documentation, it’s challenging to get particular coverage or show a claim.

Your comments are welcome, especially if you’ve had first-hand incidents.

RESTORATION comedy IS NO laughing MATTER

I did run into some really good guidance about comics restoration, however. because restoration is typically a very pricey proposition (I’ve never tried to restore anything – yet -, so I don’t really know how much specifically), it’s recommended that only golden Age and Silver Age books be considered for the treatment. Which kinda implies that many Bronze Age books and comics up to the present aren’t really worth being restored because you can probably readily find the books you want less expensive than having a damaged one fixed. Of course, there are exceptions if you own essential books, but if that’s the case, you already know that.

More depressing is the thought that there are SO numerous of these comics around now (or much more correctly still), that many of them have little to no actual value in the eyes of many comics dealers. Which is one of the major reasons that I’m not going to be too upset if I have to get rid of a (in context) relative handful of books. even with water damage, numerous can be dried out and flattened with bricks! Or other comic book boxes, for that matter! Hey, why not put your collection to work!

And stay out of the rain!!!

At least the flooding wasn’t this bad. Kamandi, The Last young boy on earth #1

Overall, the silver lining (heh) is that we’d been talking for years about trimming back the collection and paring down how much stuff we own. now that nature has jump-started the process, it may be time to weed out. It’s one thing to say you have, for example, a complete run of home entertainment weekly (true!), but once a random set of issues in the middle of the run get trashed, it’s no longer as essential to have any of it. So I’m thinking about what’s really essential to me to keep, quality over quantity.

_____________________________

KC CARLSON: Still wet. Doesn’t smell. What’s up with that? (Still kinda crinkly around the edges, however.)

WESTFIELD COMICS is not responsible for the dumb things that KC says. especially that thing that really irritated you. boat rides through the Comics Room! only a nickel!

No comments

INTERVIEW: JEFF ROUGVIE ON IMAGE’S GUNNING FOR HITS

  By

This publish is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Interviews as well as Columns

Gunning For Hits #1

Jeff Rougvie has been in the music business for decades as well as has worked in diverse capabilities for artists including David Bowie, huge Star, Elvis Costello, Devo, Bob Mould as well as Sugar, The Replacements, They may Be Giants, as well as many others. He brings his know-how in the world of music to comics with Gunning For Hits, a new series from picture with artist Moritat. Rougvie tells Westfield’s Roger Ash more about this interesting new series.

Westfield: exactly how did Gunning For Hits come about?

Jeff Rougvie: I’ve been in the music business all my life, as well as I still run a label. The concept for the story we’re telling in the very first six problems came about when I started working with David Bowie. He was a brilliant artist as well as I got to understand him as a wonderful person, however he was at a low-point, career-wise as well as artistically. I started thinking; what will occur if he doesn’t turn his career around? When you have an artist of his magnitude in that situation, exactly how would he as well as the record business offer with it?

Gunning For Hits #1 preview page 1

Westfield: exactly how much did you draw on your own experiences for the book?

Rougvie: music fiction has a tendency to autumn into the exact same old clichés. It’s one of the reasons I set the book in the ‘80s – most writers run to the ‘60s or ‘70s, however the ‘80s was when things truly got crazy in the business. This book isn’t going to be yuppies hoovering up vast quantities of nose candy or taking advantage of groupies. We’re trying to turn tiring conventions sideways. There’s rather a bit of my experience in there, as well as stories I heard from others, however those are springboards for totally fictional scenarios. So while my character Brian Slade may seem Bowie-esque, he’s evil, as well as David was not. That’s what makes it fun!

Gunning For Hits #1 preview page 2

Westfield: What can you tell us about Martin Mills?

Rougvie: He’s a skill scout (A&R person) in the ‘80s nyc music business with a string of hits as well as a  mysterious background. He’s a narcissist, however in service of music. He believes in the power of the perfect pop song, as well as bit else – with great reason. When I started to compose the book, I plotted out Martin’s entire life – even his death – as well as I have about a hundred Martin Mills stories to tell. We join his story a couple of years into his music business career, however there are hints throughout about his past as well as visitors can comply with a twitter account of Martin’s Journal excerpts @MartinMillsHits to fill in more blanks. He’s the primary character, as well as perhaps the guy you’re rooting for, however Martin’s no hero.

Gunning For Hits #1 preview page 3

Westfield: who are a few of the other characters visitors will meet?

Rougvie: Brian Slade, Martin’s preferred traditional rock artist, who is thought about washed-up. Martin is persuaded he can make Brian a big star again. then there’s Billy, the primary innovative force of Stunted Growth, a band Martin is aggressively trying to indication in the very first issue, as well as Billy’s manager / sweetheart Diane, who both get entangled with Slade. And, of course, Melch who is one of my favorites to write. He’s Martin’s only friend, as well as cuts off a co-worker’s finger.

Westfield: will there be any type of genuine venues as well as people in the comic or is it strictly fiction?

Rougvie: We’ll refer to lots of genuine people, locations as well as events in the story. For instance, we talk about Iggy Pop in the very first issue, however he’s not doing a walk-on! There’s likewise a Gunning For Hits Spotify playlist that of program features genuine musicians, all of whom exist in Martin’s world. I look at the world of the comic the exact same method Tarantino sees his films; every story he tells occurs in his world, however a few of them are genuine events as well as others are really movies shown in the Tarantino-verse.

Westfield: What can visitors look ahead to in the story?

Rougvie: I pitched the book as a revenge fantasy for each tune that should’ve been number one. It’s called Gunning For Hits for a reason, so in the very first problem visitors will discover a great deal about exactly how the music business works, which I believe we’ve dealt with in an entertaining way. We likewise see exactly how Martin uniquely beats the odds. later on, you’ll satisfy Brian Slade, who ensnares many characters in his web, producing all kind of issues for quite much everybody – except Melch, who is happy if the bar is well-stocked. as well as it is.

Gunning For Hits #1 preview page 4

Westfield: You’re working with the artist Moritat on Gunning For Hits. What can you state about your collaboration?

Rougvie: I’m truly lucky tohave him on the book – we’ve been having a blast! His art as well as designs are ingenious, as well as he’s truly caught the character of 1980s new York. Comics have been an obsession all my life, however I’m a very first time comic writer, so Moritat’s been super-helpful in navigating the world of comics. I was a fan of his before Eric Stephenson introduced us – his work at DC on The Spirit as well as Jonah Hex blew me away, as well as he’s truly pushing himself right here – people who’ve seen the book are loving his art. as well as Casey Silver is important too, coloring as well as doing letters.

Gunning For Hits #1 preview page 5

Westfield: any type of closing comments?

Rougvie: TV shows like Madmen, The Sopranos, The cable as well as The Newsroom have taken deep dives into the inner workings of different markets (yes, I think about criminal offense an industry), so it’s surprising to me that comics haven’t complied with suit, since people are clearly interested. a few of the most prominent TV shows ever are about music, as well as Bohemian Rhapsody was just the number one movie, so clearly music as well as the music market stay a source of fascination. I believe comic visitors have been underserved in this arena as well as I hope they discover new as well as compelling comic / music stories in Gunning For Hits. I have to say thanks to picture for their interest for Gunning For Hits. It’s a testament to their commitment to trying new things, which is why they’re the most fascinating publisher in comics.

No comments

INTERVIEW: CHUCK DIXON & GRAHAM NOLAN ON IDW’S JOE FRANKENSTEIN

  By Uncategorized

This post is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Interviews and Columns

Joe Frankenstein #1

Chuck Dixon has written many comics including memorable runs on Detective, Punisher, Birds of Prey, and many others. His series Winterworld is currently being published by IDW. Graham Nolan has drawn such comics as Detective and Hawkworld as well as the Phantom Sunday comic strip. Together, Dixon & Nolan created the popular Batman villain, Bane. Now, they’re joining forces for Joe Frankenstein, a new series coming from IDW. Westfield’s Roger Ash contacted them to learn more about this exciting new title.

Westfield: Joe Frankenstein has been in the works for quite a while. What can you tell us about the genesis of the series and the process you’ve gone through to get to this point?

Graham Nolan: The first concept for Joe Frankenstein goes back to 2006 when I was kicking around the idea of a Doc savage kind of adventurer in a monster setting. I wanted to call it Doc Frankenstein but I found out the Wakowski Bros. already used that name. I was talking to Chuck someday about the name dilemma. He said change the name. I said “To what? I can’t just call him Joe Frankenstein”. There was a long pause and Chuck said: “Why not? That’s a great title”! With the name change came a different direction for the story. We kicked some ideas around and I asked Chuck if he would like work on this together. We were looking for a project to hook up on anyway so that’s how it came about.

Chuck Dixon: I’m Dwight Frye to Graham’s Colin Clive on this project. He came up with the concept and bounced it off me. As in any organic creative process it’s hard to recall who came up with what. but Graham is at the heart of this and was from the start. It grows from his intense love of the old universal monster movies. I love them too but Graham as a special affinity for the material. It’s like when we worked on Batman together. I thought I was a huge Batman fan until I met Graham.

Joe Frankenstein preview page 1

Westfield: What can you tell us about the story and who are some of the characters we’ll meet?

Dixon: Joe Pratt is an average guy just out of high school with no real plans for his life until Frankenstein’s monster shows up and informs Joe that he, Joe, is the heir to the Frankenstein legacy by blood. Not only that but a whole army of supernatural bad guys is out for that blood.

Nolan: The Monster’s bride needs Joe’s blood, which includes the key to unlocking the secret of eternal life! Something she doesn’t have.

Joe Frankenstein preview page 2

Westfield: how do you two work together on the book? What is your creative process like?

Nolan: Chuck and I share many of the same storytelling sensibilities. We’ve been working together for so long that there are no egos to bruise. That makes a very freeing environment to toss out ideas, no matter how crazy they may sound.

Dixon: In this instance it started with Graham and the base concept. He did the opening sequence art you’ll see in issue #1 on his own. He asked me if I’d like to contribute and we started the back and forth of how to make it work.

Nolan: first we plot out the story together over the phone and through e-mail. once that’s nailed down he writes it up, sends it to me and I will break the story down into images and pages. When the pages are finished I’ll send them on to Chuck with the dialogue I’ve written. He will make any changes and additions he wants then it will come back to me for any final changes. There’s a lot of give and take.

Dixon: My job is as the main story man like on an animation project. I suggest bits and gags and a way to tie them together. There’s either no egos between us or our egos are somehow joined. We can get pretty brutal with each other but there’s no hard feelings and Graham has no cause to think I cry myself to sleep over his “suggestions.”

Joe Frankenstein preview page 3

Westfield: Frankenstein’s Monster is an iconic horror character. how do you go about making him, or any of the monsters in the series, your own?

Dixon: It’s all presentation. Does the world need another take on the Mary Shelley characters? Yes. just one more. Ours.

This version is very much Nolan and Dixon. There are lots of twists and a dash of humor. It’s emblematic of the kind of material we like and do best together.

Nolan: There are so many versions of the Monster and because his backstory is so solid, we were able to create a horror/adventure version unlike any other. We’ve gone out of our way to try and tie into this story almost every version of the Frankenstein monster. fans will recognize that Joe “Pratt” is named after William Henry Pratt, the birth name of one…Boris Karloff. Yeah, we’re fans.

Westfield: Do you have future plans for Joe Pratt and the Monster?

Nolan: lots of plans! This is just the beginning!

Dixon: This first round is only an introduction to the worldof Joe Frankenstein. It’s a complete story on its own but leaves the door open for many more adventures.

Joe Frankenstein subscription Cover

Westfield: any closing comments?

Nolan: The first issue (with alternate cover) will be on sale February 25th.

Dixon: and there are 27 pages of story and art in each issue.

Purchase

Joe Frankenstein #1

No comments

Investing In Comic books – Is It better Than real Estate?

  By

everyone is always looking for a good investment. For some, retail businesses ownership can be lucrative. The problem is, that can be time consuming. For others, real estate is a profitable investment sector. Unfortunately, that can mean a lot of money has to be brought to the table. One terrific source of investment that many look past are comic books. Comic books survive year after year as a popular form of media. Additionally, they grow in popularity now more than ever thanks to big budget movies for marvel and DC. If investing in comic books seems like something you’re interested in, this guide will help get things started.

Types of Comic book Investing

There are a few ways to approach investing in comics. new comics come out every month worth investing in. keeping up with every issue of a popular character is hard to do. Some attempt to make the dive into this deep form of collecting and investing, but others take it a bit easier. here are the main ways many choose to invest in comics.

Collect to Invest

A lot of investors love comic books as fans. The practice of purchasing and selling comic books is an extension of an already passionate hobby. many of those types of investors collect to invest. As a whole, this practice allows collectors to buy as much of a character or series as they like, then sell them as they gain in value. many investors who fall in this category do not even know they are investors.

x

Mario Kart DLC Gold Rush.mp4

0 seconds of 12 minutes, 40 seconds

Live
00:00
12:40
12:40

 

If a comic book purchased 10 years ago suddenly becomes profitable, a lifelong collector may find themselves in an investor position. It’s a nice surprise, but some also collect simply to invest the money into something that may yield a profit later. Either way, this involves purchasing a lot of comics, which is hard to do if money is tight. It also occurs more typically with new comics, but can also involve purchasing older issues as well.

Image Credit: buy Shares In

Invest to Invest

No, that is not a typo. many comic book investors simply invest a lot of money at the hopes that they will get more back later. These comic book investors purchase already popular and typically expensive comics at the hopes that the price will go even higher. It’s hard to predict the value of comics that come out in the present day. For this reason, many investors of this type stick to only buying older, highly sought after comics.

Because of this, the investors in this category spend a lot of money to make a lot of money. It is easier to buy cheaper, new comics than to keep up with the expensive editions. If you have the money, however, the payoff is much greater.

Pick to Invest

This category is similar to the collect to invest group. The major difference is that picking a few characters to purchase issues of is much easier than collecting large quantities. instead of collecting DC comics for example, you may pick to invest in Aquaman comics. The thought process is sometimes strategic. certain characters yield better returns, especially if they are well known or featured in a movie. Others choose to pick to invest in their favorite character. Whatever the approach, picking a character or two to invest in is much easier and less expensive than trying to keep up with every single issue from a major publisher.

Is investing in Comic books better than real Estate?

The question of what to invest in comes up a lot. real estate is typically seen as the smartest, most lucrative way to invest. There are some downsides to this popular method.

Real Estate is Expensive
It is hard to pull together the money to buy a building and rent out the rooms. consider the ease someone has in buying a comic book and simply taking care of it until it grows in value. A few dollars for a comic book could yield money down the road, but then again, real estate can bring in money nearly right away. The only issue is that it is quite expensive to own property, and there’s no free real estate day, but free comic book day is coming up!

Real Estate is hard to Buy
The hoops one jumps through to buy real estate are tough to manage. If you are under 18, you can begin investing in comics, but would have to wait until reaching 18 to buy real estate.

Verdict

Investing in comic books can be a terrific profit down the road. It is easy to do, and with these approaches, everyone has a way to get into the practice. start today to make money tomorrow!

No comments

BOB’S news about ABOUT STUFF!!!

  By Uncategorized

This publish is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Interviews as well as Columns,
Westfield Retail store news

November’s Wolverine Origins II

 

Lots of news out of this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con!

November sees the release of  Wolverine Origins II, a sequel to the 2001 title, this time around written by Kieron Gillen with art by Adam Kubert, the other Kubert brother!

The 2013 Eisner award winners were revealed with Saga by Brian K. Vaughn as well as Fiona Staples, Hawkeye’s David Aja as well as building stories by Chris Ware taking house several awards.

Warners siblings officially revealed a Superman/Batman film for 2015; a Flash film for 2016 as well as a Justice league film for 2017! keep those fingers crossed!

Marvel Studios showed footage as well as had many cast members from upcoming films Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The winter season Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy as well as Joss Whedon exposed that Avengers 2 would be called Avengers: Age of Ultron. No details yet on whether it will have anything to finish with the just completed comic mini-series. Surprisingly, no other announcements of upcoming films were made (Dr Strange?, Indestructible Hulk?, Inhumans?), however they may expose much more at the upcoming Disney D23 Expo opening on August 9th!

Following Marvel’s  Hunger mini-series (shipping this week, Wednesday, July 24) featuring Galactus, we will promptly see Cataclysm: The Ultimates Last Stand, a five-issue miniseries starting in November by Brian Michael Bendis as well as mark Bagley!

IDW has revealed the fourth in their series of award-winning Parker adaptations by Darwyn Cooke entitled Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground coming in December!

Dark equine has begun work on a Buffy season 10 comic however is not prepared to routine it yet!

IDW has revealed their newest Artist’s edition with Mike Mignola’s Hellboy in hell that will gather the original artwork for the present series’ very first five issues! likewise talked about – Walt Simonson’s star Slammers as well as a new Norse job for 2014 called just Ragnarok!

A 4 1/2 minute (!) trailer for season 4 of The walking Dead on AMC as well as a premiere date of Sunday, October 13th!

An special clip from the new agent Carter short that will be appearing on the Iron guy 3 Blu-ray, out September 24th!

Cobie Smulders DOES have a cameo as Maria hill in ABC’s Agents of shield pilot as well as she is expected to sometimes appear during the show’s very first season! The series premieres Tuesday, September 24th at 7pm central on ABC!

No comments

The Flash season 7 Premiere Tries To Do A little too Much, but A good start

  By

After the CW crossover event crisis On infinite Earths, most of the Arrowverse (or CWVerse) shows had a tough time going onward. Essentially, they had an Avengers: Endgame-level story and then tried to tell their individual stories that couldn’t help but feel “less epic.” Then, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down their seasons early, cutting off those stories just as they ascended to their climax. With the season 7 premiere of The Flash, this is the first time we truly get to see one of those stories continue. However, through no fault of anyone’s, this episode feels disjointed, frantically paced, and ultimately unsatisfying. This episode also features the end of a character that has been around since the first season of the show (kind of).

Team Flash has a lot of problems to address: Barry losing his speed, Iris trapped in the Mirrorverse, the new Mirror Master raising hell, the villainous terrorist organization Black Hole, the whole sue Dearborn side-plot, Cisco and Caitlin being gone, and the “new” members of the team stepping up. It’s a lot.

There were some things that “helped.” For example, since Hartley Sawyer was fired from the flash for insensitive tweets, Ralph and sue went into hiding and we may not hear from them again. The Mirror Master and Black hole plots were always meant to intertwine. Still, it feels like The Flash season 7 premiere is trying to do the work of three or four episodes in one. Thus, this meant that the sheer volume of different stories worked against connecting to any one of them. This show is still one of the best in the CW/DC arsenal, but this premiere couldn’t overcome the odds stacked against it.

x

Mario Kart DLC Gold Rush.mp4

0 seconds of 12 minutes, 40 seconds

Live
00:00
12:40
12:40

 

Spoilers to follow.

Where The Flash season 7 Premiere missed the Mark

image via Warner Bros. TV

In the context of the realities of the pandemic, it feels nit-picky to harp on the failings I found in this episode. As I mentioned above, it definitely feels like A-, B-, and C-stories from about three different episodes were all shoved into this one. This caused some to feel extraneous. For example, it’s always a delight to see Jesse L. Martin’s Joe West and his wife Cecile Horton, played by Danielle Nicolet. However, the story about Cecile expanding her empathic powers felt superfluous. Yes, it did get a crucial plot-point to the heroes, but both that and her personal discovery felt rushed.

Similarly, my least-favorite plotline from last season persisted without much advancement. Candice Patton’s Iris West is still stuck in the mirrorverse, running in circles trying to escape. separating Barry and Iris is a great tension point, as these two make each other better. Yet, other than sidelining her, it’s unclear what the point of all this mirror-stuff is. perhaps I am being unfair because of my personal distaste for the story, but it’s time for Iris to get back to the real world.

Lastly, the integration of Brandon McKnight’s Chester P. Runk and Kayla Compton’s Allegra Garcia into team Flash also didn’t get the space it deserved. Barry is left alone with only these two and Tom Cavanaugh’s latest iteration of Harrison Wells, Nash. (More on him later.) grant Gustin did a fantastic job playing up the emotional tension of being a Flash without speed, leading a team he’s not familiar with. Yet, since a lot of their initial bonding in this dynamic happens off-screen (while Barry is in cryo-stasis?) happens off-screen. Hopefully, subsequent episodes will give the new team Flash the space they need to tell these characters’ stories in a more complete way.

Where The Flash season 7 Premiere Succeeded

image via Warner Bros. TV

To be clear, my complaint about Allegra and Chester above is one based in the idea that we didn’t get enough with them. Chester especially is a big (pun intended) character from the comics. So, while I also miss Carlos Valdes and Danielle Panabaker, their characters’ absences serve the story better than Iris’s. having Barry slowly losing his powers while separated from his closest friends (and his wife) is good for the story. Gustin’s performance (at least as Barry Allen) is impressive. He stays the Barry we know while also being desperate and lost. It’s a tiny needle to thread, but he does it well.

Similarly, Candice Patton’s performances are excellent as well. While the substance of the Mirroverse storyline doesn’t resonate with me, watching her convey Iris confronting darker past versions of herself is magnetic. If anything, this should have been the storyline throughout this Mirroverse diversion. Also, Victoria Park’s Kamilla Hwang is not in the episode, but apparently, she and Iris are emailing each other in the Mirrorverse. It feels like things are finally coming to a climax. While it does make for great tension, let’s hope The Flash refrains from splitting up Iris and Barry in the future. One need only look at Superman & Lois to see how there can be plenty of tension in a story without falling back on tired romance tropes.

Finally, the sequence where Barry gets his speed back is a great VFX sequence for TV. folks love to compare the CG effects in films to TV. However, DC/CW series do a fantastic job in telling VFX-heavy stories that look good on a TV budget and schedule. even though getting to that point felt a little arduous at times, the sequence was pure comic book fan bait.

All of the Wells Deserved Better

image via Warner Bros. TV

The major headline out of The Flash season 7 premiere is the death of Nash Wells (and, subsequently, all of the Wells-es). After the crisis, the denizens of Earth-Prime believe the multiverse has collapsed. through some sci-fi magic, the “essence” of all past versions of Harrison Wells live on in Nash. The episode builds up to his eventual sacrifice, but again suffers because it all feels so rushed.

A sequence in the middle of the episode, where the Wells’ essences are transferred into Barry, suffered as well. The scene in which Gustin does his imiations of Cavanaugh’s various versions of the character is humorous but fell flat for me. Showrunner Eric Wallace told TVLine.com that this sequence was shortened. So, this likely would have happened over its own episode, a much better fit than sandwiched between heavily emotional arcs. Yet, when Cavanaugh himself cycles through the personalities as the Wells-es sacrifice themselves, it’s a much better fit. Cavanaugh isn’t going anywhere, especially since we know the reverse Flash is returning. Yet, if this is the last time we see a “Harrison Wells” on the show, having that character’s last line being “Run Barry, run” is very fitting.

One good thing about the industry shutdown is that it will allow Panabaker to return to the series earlier than expected. So, she’ll be back soon as will Valdes. This season of The Flash will be great, but the premiere and the next episode will have to wrap up last season’s stories first.

The Flash airs on the CW on Wednesdays and streams on their site the next day.

What did you think of The Flash season 7 premiere? Share your thoughts, reactions, and hopes for what’s next in the comments below.

Featured image via CW.

No comments

RED SONJA as well as CUB BY JIM ZUB as well as JONATHAN LAU! COMING THIS APRIL FROM DYNAMITE

  By

This publish is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Press release

Red Sonja as well as Cub

January 20, 2014, Mt. Laurel, NJ:  While Gail Simone’s Red Sonja series is sweltering hot, Dynamite is providing a Red Sonja one-shot done as a manga style book! In April of 2014, Red Sonja as well as Cub will be offered, written by Jim Zub (Pathfinder), drawn by Jonathan Lau, with a cover by Jeffery “Chamba” Cruz!

Red Sonja as well as Cub interior art

In Red Sonja as well as Cub, blood will rain down upon the snowy ground as the She-Devil With A Sword battles her method across the Asiatic lands of Khitai. In a land of complex household loyalties as well as death before dishonor, will sharpened steel as well as the muscle mass to wield it be enough?

Red Sonja as well as Cub interior art

“Getting the possibility to compose a samurai-style story of savage battle as well as sacrifice with Red Sonja, one of the heavyweight characters of fantasy, is a genuine thrill,” states Red Sonja as well as Cub writer Jim Zub. “I’m stoked for people to see the huge action-big emotion trip Jonathan as well as I are putting together for this.”

Red Sonja as well as Cub interior art

For art as well as a lot more information, please visit: .

Red Sonja as well as Cub interior art

No comments

MARKLEY’S FEVERED BRAIN: A few OF MY favorite things

  By

This post is Filed Under:

Home page Highlights,
Interviews and Columns,
Product reviews

Wayne Markley

by Wayne Markley

I am going to take a look and review a few books I have read recently and really enjoyed. all of these are collections or graphic novels and not monthly comics. a lot of of these are collections of previously published material except for one book. two of them are collections of Marvel’s black superheroes, which are an interesting contrast in terms of how race is part of the stories and the characters. The stories are to an extent stereotypes from films. also interesting are the writers of the stories, a white woman and an African-American man have different yet at time very similar takes on the characters. Both collections are exceptional in their own way, yet very different ways of telling a story and the stories themselves tend to be very different with similar themes at times. Also, it must be noted the stories are from about a decade apart which also adds to the differences. Overall, all four of these books are great and are well worth seeking out and reading in my opinion.

Power man and Iron Fist epic Collection: Heroes For Hire

First off we have the Power man and Iron Fist epic Collection: Heroes For Hire. This collection picks up ideal were the Iron Fist epic Collection left off. once again Chris Claremont and John Byrne continue their Iron Fist stories with Misty Knight and Colleen Wing and add in Luke Cage, DW Griffith and a variety of other street characters. It collects Power man (formerly Luke Cage, Hero For Hire) issues 48 and 49 and with issue 50 it became Power man and Iron Fist and Mike Zeck took over the art. It continues to reprint issues through #70 so the collection is nearly 450 pages long and you absolutely get your money’s worth. Claremont left the series fairly soon after the title change and Mary Jo Duffy took over writing the book with Mike Zeck at first and later Kerry Gammill on pencils. With Duffy and Gammill they get into a groove and the stories start to come together with a great mix of the urban world of Luke Cage and the affluent elite lifestyle of Danny (Iron Fist) Rand. These conflicts are explored and explained as both characters lives change. I point this out as the earlier Claremont issues tended to be Iron Fist stories with Luke Cage sort of there and Duffy was able to strike a balance between Luke’s world and villains and Danny’s world of villains. Duffy also threw in Bob diamond from the Sons of the Tiger as a supporting character as well as adding a service manager to help the two heroes run their Heroes For hire company, and to add some subplots. The stories range from a lot of urban drug dealers and inner city stories to clashes with the X-Men and the Living Monolith. Of course Sabretooth also returns. What I really liked about these stories is the balance between the two worlds and how the characters interacted. Iron Fist and Power man are very different characters from very different backgrounds, and are nearly opposites of each other, but they work together so smoothly in these stories. It is interesting to see how Duffy moves things so as to create the world of Heroes for hire while taking the groundwork laid by Claremont in the Iron Fist epic Collection and the previous Power man stories. (The first volume of marvel Masterworks: Luke Cage, Hero for hire Vol. 1 comes out this week by the way). overall I found this book to be a very good read, my only problem is the art is a little un-even. After Byrne, the art is up and down depending on the inkers, some of them are great and sometime it leaves a lot to be desired, but the story pulls it through each time.

Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The complete Collection Vol. 1

Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The complete Collection Vol. 1 (collecting the work of Christopher priest and mark Texeira with a fill in or two by Joe Jusko). This was a series that was done under the marvel Knights banner and is one of the most original Black Panther stories in a long time. priest and Texeira are able to take the angry and political Black Panther from Jungle action and re-focus the character as a king, warrior, and a very interesting hero. There is a great mix of the politics of the first run and urban drama as the opening story finds T’Challa exiled from his home and living in new York. This series also sets up what David Liss would later do in his run on Daredevil/Black Panther man Without concern series, which is also an exceptional read. This first volume collects the first 17 issues of the series and it is a great. a lot of of the stories are told from the perspective of a government agent names Ross who is assigned to help the Black Panther with any of his needs and ultimately lands up in a number of undignified situations that the Black Panther has to bail him out of. The stories are original and fast paced that tell a great mix of action and story with neither outweighing the other. There is also a fair amount of humor thrown in here. Of course there are the standard super-villains such as Kraven the hunter and Mephisto thrown in. plus other superheroes guest-star at times, such as the fantastic Four, Avengers and the Hulk all make appearances. My only complaints, and these are minor, is at times the printing is very dark and it is hard to make out what is happening in the art. I am not sure if this is a print issue or the art was just very dark to begin with. Secondly there is very creative panel design that can be tough to figure out at times. It is great and different, but not always clear. I would not let ether of these criticisms though detour you from getting this book as it is excellent.

Veda: Assembly Required

Veda: Assembly required is by the creative team of Samuel Teer, Hyeondo Park and Kelly Fitzpatrick and is part of Dark horse young adult line of books. I can say without question it is one of the most captivating books I have read in a very long time and is one of my favorite books of the year so far. The basic story is about a young girl who lives in a factory (where the whole story takes place) in hiding with her mother who works there. As she is alone during the days while her mother is at work she learns to speak to the machines around her. a lot of are basic machines that do cleaning and manual labor. After her mother is killed in a work accident the machines take over her world as her friends and comrades. The girl and the machines are not alone as there are also gremlins in the factory regularly trying to disrupt the machines and their work. Throughout the story Veda (the little girl) grows up and her allegiances change but with age she sees the light. This is full of charm and a great book for all ages and I cannot praise it highly enough. The art and story are a best mix of kids of all ages. (It would make a terrific animated movie).

Imperial

Imperial is written by one of my favorite writers, Steve Seagle and is beautiful drawn by mark Dos Santos. The book describes itself as a rollicking romantic comedy but it is so much more. It is a mix of superheroes and romance and a lot of humor. The lead character, mark is about to get married when he is chosen to replace the world’s greatest hero. Can he make his relationship work while learning to be a superhero? Can he plan a wedding while in training to be Earth’s new Champion? Does his fiancé still want him after this new occupation path? This trade collects the complete story all in one very great trade with great design (and the monthly book also had great sense of design to it). A terrific read that I would highly recommend. (And while I am at it you must also check out Steve Seagle’s Red Diary, another exceptional book).

That wraps it up this time. These are just a few of the books I have read lately that I really took pleasure in and I am guessing a lot of readers missed out on. all of these books are great, in various degrees and for different reasons. everything I have written here is my opinion and in no way reflects the opinions of Westfield Comics or their employees. have you read any of these books? Why not? If you have please let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you. I can be reached at MFBWAY@AOL.COM. As always,

Thank you.