Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

December 20, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #38 Road Trip

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 1:44 pm

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Road TripPublisher: Oni Press
Cover Date: August 2000
Cover Price: $2.95
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Judd Winick

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

After the death of his older brother in a tragic car accident, Jason needed to travel across the country to identify the body. Unfortunately, airline prices were extremely costly on such short notice so he decided to drive … and his sister came with. On their cross country road trip, the siblings experience a strange-looking waitress, a kind police officer and a lot of bonding time. But it’s the kind of bonding time you’re used to with close family. Plenty of poking fun at each other. Sharing great memories. And, as you’d expect in a situation like this, plenty of tears.

This is one of Judd Winick’s earliest stories but it’s written with such strong emotions that you’d swear he’d been doing this for years! The dialogue is certainly for mature audiences but it’s very realistic and sucks you right into these two characters’ lives, emotions, thoughts and personalities. They conjure up great, fun memories – and true heartbreak – all with strong emotions that you’ll certainly be able to relate to. Sure, the names, faces and situations will be different in your own life but, the feelings behind them will be the same. This is the kind of story that’ll make you want to call up that distant relative or friend and play catch up.

On Ebay: Judd Winick

December 18, 2010

Minimate Spotlight #31 Ghostbusters

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 9:12 pm

Action figures have long been a perfect compliment to comic books, since every kid (or kid at heart) has that natural desire to act out adventures with their favorite heroes off the drawn page. Every so often, a unique style of figure comes along that breaks the mold, so to speak. Each Saturday, Donny B will be showcasing various offerings from Art Asylum’s take on the ‘block figure’, with a weekly spotlight on Minimates.

Having Minimate renditions of the ghosts from the Ghostbusters films is a no brainer, but the line would be severely lacking if there were no heroes to face down the apparitions. Art Asylum left very little to be desired when they planned out how to produce the main characters from this property, having released at least 3 movie-accurate designs of each of the four Ghostbusters. This week’s image displays the most iconic look these guys ever sported – their fully suited business attire, complete with all their tools of the trade:

Behind the Image:

This one was kind of fun to photograph. I wanted to take a break from the photoshop approach that I’ve been taking lately (and will be returning to soon enough), so I arranged the four ‘mates and set a sheet behind them with some fun lighting to give this image a unique look.

On Ebay: Ghostbusters
On AtomicAvenue: Ghostbusters

December 17, 2010

Retro-Read #37 Rib

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 4:43 pm

With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!

Publisher: Caliber
Number of Issues: 5
First Issue: May 1997 ($2.95)
Last Issue: 1998 ($2.95)
Writer: Andrew M. Ford
Artist: Michael Kelleher

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

On a world similar to ours, yet different in many ways, there are two sentient species on the Earth: Humans and Worms. Sometime in the past, the more dominant humans integrated the worms into their society; although, this event is now looked at as more of an assimilation. Just as on our world, prejudice and mistrust continue to exist despite the co-existence of both species. Some worms have voluntarily left the human cities to live in non-conforming societies. And, of course, there are still humans that are unhappy that they have to share their world with another species.

This is the world Rib was born into. He’s a worm that has hopped from orphanage to orphanage until his 21st birthday when he was released into the world. Hoping to find out information on his parents, Rib moved to Metro City where he was quickly befriended by a human named Max who owns a bar/inn in the city. As the series unfolds, we’re exposed to prejudice and acceptance through Rib’s eyes as he encounters all kinds of different people from different backgrounds. Meanwhile, the leader of the nearest Non-Conformist Worm Society is nearing his death and his human-hating son is hoping to take power. And, in Metro City, the human mayor has put together a corrupt deal to get rid of all the worms.

The Bad: This series was all too prematurely ended and has an unfinished feeling to the overall story.

The Good: Michael Kelleher’s art truly shines here. His design of the title character elicits a true endearing feeling that makes you care for him instantly, despite his strange appearance we, humans.

The Verdict: What an ambitious story! Ford’s tale of a young, orphaned worm trying to find his way in the world exposes us to our human nature. He encounters incidents of unwarranted prejudice as well as unselfish acts of acceptance. However, it doesn’t ever come across as preachy and sometimes goes so far as to illustrate the reasoning behind prejudice. This story does wonders for breaking down the boundaries of what a comic story can do. I just wish it would have continued long enough to bring some of the building background storylines to a more definitive ending.

On Ebay: Rib | Andrew M. Ford | Michael Kelleher

December 16, 2010

Famous Fanmail #37 Lou Mougin

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 2:21 pm

You may not be surprised to learn that most people in the comic business grew up reading comic books. However, you might be interested in knowing what they were reading. Here’s a look at “Famous Fanmail”!

Lou Mougin has written quite a few comics mostly for Hero’s titles like Flare and the Champions. He got a letter printed in Destroyer Duck #7 (cover date – May 1984).

Destroyer Duck letters page with Lou Mougin

On Ebay: Destroyer Duck | Lou Mougin

December 15, 2010

Celebrity Cameos #5 Paul Jenkins

Filed under: Celebrity Cameos — Doorman @ 2:35 pm

Some of the best parts of movies like Old School and Zombieland are their unexpected celebrity cameos. The same thing happens in comics, every once in a while. Here’s a look at another Celebrity Cameo!

Paul Jenkins got to meet his comic creations (the Sentry & his wife) in New Avengers #10. A rare opportunity!

On Ebay: Paul Jenkins

December 14, 2010

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #37 GI Joe Yearbook

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 11:29 am

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Here’s a neat cover swipe by 2005’s G.I. Joe sourcebook.

G.I. Joe Yearbook #1
G.I. Joe Yearbook #1
March 1985
 
G.I. Joe Data Desk Handbook #1
G.I. Joe Data Desk Handbook #1
October 2005
 

On Ebay: G.I. Joe

December 13, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #37 Marvels Comics: Fantastic Four

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 9:49 am

Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!

Marvels Comics: Fantastic Four #1Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: July 2000
Cover Price: $2.25
Writer: Karl Kesel
Artist: Paul Smith

In 2000, Marvel published a series of one-shots that revealed what Marvel Comics would be like in the Marvel Universe.

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

During a picnic in the park, the ground opens up underneath the Fantastic Four, revealing a machine that will continue to create earthquakes intended to drop Manhattan into the ocean. The machine belongs to the Mole Man, who’s always waging war against the surface world. But, this time he’s got help – it’s a regular, old-fashioned super-villain team-up! That’s right, Mole Man and Namor the Sub-Mariner have joined forces to strike a blow against the surface dwellers. Naturally, it’s up to our heroes to defeat them … cue up Ben Grimm’s “It’s Clobberin’ Time!” battlecry.

I suppose the concept of imagining what Marvel Comics would be like in the Marvel Universe is kind of unnecessary, when it comes to the FF. After all, they’re extremely public figures. I’ve found that the most fun comes from this concept when it’s about a character that the public doesn’t know too much about (Spider-Man or the X-Men, for example). So, how did Marvel make up for the fact that this story could easily be set within the mainstream Marvel Universe? Well, they took the pitchline of “World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” and put an accent on the magazine part. Interrupting the story are some neat, one-page “articles” focusing on things like a guide to Unstable Molecules, Ben Grimm’s exercise routine, Sue’s photo album, fan art, and more. These fun little shorts add much more appeal to this one-shot than the actual story but not enough to make me excited enough to give it a strong recommendation.

On Ebay: Marvels Comics | Fantastic Four | Tony Isabella | Karl Kesel

December 11, 2010

Minimate Spotlight #30 Ghostbusters

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 12:07 pm

Action figures have long been a perfect compliment to comic books, since every kid (or kid at heart) has that natural desire to act out adventures with their favorite heroes off the drawn page. Every so often, a unique style of figure comes along that breaks the mold, so to speak. Each Saturday, Donny B will be showcasing various offerings from Art Asylum’s take on the ‘block figure’, with a weekly spotlight on Minimates.

Along with Slimer, Ghostbusters gave us one of the most unique and memorable ghosts ever: the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. What Ghostbusters line would be complete without good old Stay Puft added to the mix? And Art Asylum didn’t skimp – we didn’t just get one version, we got four (two traditional forms, one with a happy smile *pictured below* and one with an angry smile; an “exploding” version, and one that glows in the dark – just for kicks)

Behind the Image:

I have to admit, I got lazy on this one. I found a screen capture of the epic climactic Stay Puft scene, and my idea was to edit in the Minimate version like I’ve been doing with the last couple of images I’ve featured… but as I was searching for more Ghostbusters images to help with future projects, I stumbled across the above image. Yes, someone else had made the exact image that I was thinking of making – more than a year ago.

And since it’s getting close to Christmas time and I’m swamped with work, I decided to just feature the image I found rather than making my own. Once Christmas is over and I’m less busy, I’ll do my own version and replace this article’s featured image. For now, though, this will give you the idea of how cool the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Minimate is 🙂

On Ebay: Ghostbusters
On AtomicAvenue: Ghostbusters

December 10, 2010

Retro-Read #36 Man-Thing vol. III

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 3:32 pm

With years spent reading single issues here and there, juggling storylines of dozens of titles, I decided it was time to find a better way to read comics. So, it was off to the back issue bins armed with the longest want list you’ve ever seen! Putting together series after series and reading them in their complete goodness, I was reborn as the Retro-Reader!

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Number of Issues: 8
First Issue: December 1997 ($2.99)
Last Issue: July 1998 ($2.99)
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Liam Sharp

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

The Nexus Of All Realities has been shattered and if it’s not reassembled soon, the converging realities will tear apart the very fabric of our universe (and every universe). To solve this dilemma, Dr. Strange charges Ellen Brandt-Sallis with the heavy responsibility of locating and gathering all of the Nexus shards before the end of the world! Along for the ride is her former husband, the Guardian of the Nexus Of All Realities – the Man-Thing.

On their quest to gather the Nexus shards, Ellen and the Man-Thing enter unique locales and encounter interesting beings (including Devil-Slayer, Howard the Duck, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer). But, it’s not just as easy as finding a shard and taking it with them. They quickly find that gathering the shards leads them into morally ambiguous decisions. Is saving the entire universe worth it if you have to defile someone’s religion? What if it requires destroying an entire planet full of life? Making the journey even more difficult is an ancient immortal named Mr. Termineus who actually wants the universe(s) to implode upon themselves, causing the end of everything! And to make matters worse for our protagonists, he’s kidnapped their only son, Job.

The Bad: This series was all too prematurely canceled and the final issues went unpublished.

The Good: Liam Sharp’s artwork is well-suited to the flavor of this series and, J.M. DeMatteis continues to cement his place as one of my favorite writers. He uses this story to present tough moral choices, spiritual jouneys and tales of redemption.

The Verdict: This series was the flagship title of Marvel’s ill-fated Strange Tales line of horror comics. Unfortunately, at the last minute, Marvel decided to make this line code-approved (it was originally intended to be published without consideration of the Comics Code Authority) and delayed publication of half of the first string of titles. So, this title was left without much support from Marvel and did not sell well. It was combined with the other poorly-selling title, Werewolf By Night, into the double-feature Strange Tales anthology. This series featured the stories that would have been Man-Thing vol. III #9 & 10 but it was canceled after the second issue and the concluding chapters of the story were left unpublished (although they had been written).

Aside from the sad affair of an unfinished story, this series is one of the most unique tales set within the mainstream Marvel Universe. Even though it’s constrained by the CCA, it’s certainly written for adults. Make no mistakes about it – this is no basic super hero story. DeMatteis presents age-old dilemmas and makes our heroes face them with no easy way out. I’ve now read this story twice and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it both times. Sharp’s pencils are superb and extremely fitting for this story – at times he manages to create illustrations that are both grotesque and beautiful at the same time. DeMatteis works in guest-stars in nearly every issues but they don’t feel forced at all and actually play important roles in the story. His style of writing is poetic in this title and touches on important questions and spiritual journeys. I really can’t recommend this title enough and I think you’ll enjoy the ride enough to overcome the disappointment of a story without an end.

On Ebay: Man-Thing | J.M. DeMatteis | Liam Sharp

December 9, 2010

Famous Fanmail #36 Eric Yarber

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 5:01 pm

You may not be surprised to learn that most people in the comic business grew up reading comic books. However, you might be interested in knowing what they were reading. Here’s a look at “Famous Fanmail”!

Eric Yarber wrote a couple of stories for horror-oriented anthologies in the 1980s and 1990s. He got a letter printed in Destroyer Duck #6 (cover date – March 1984).

Destroyer Duck letters page with Eric Yarber

On Ebay: Destroyer Duck | Eric Yarber

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