Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

July 28, 2010

Glow in the Dark Comics #7 Venom

Filed under: Glow in the Dark Comics — Doorman @ 10:53 am

During the speculator boom in the 1990s comic book market, publishers enhanced comic covers to increase sales. These gimmicks included shiny foil, holograms and even pop-ups! But, one of the coolest enhancements was the glow in the dark cover. Let’s shed some light on the subject, shall we?

Venom: the Enemy Within #1 glows in the darkPublisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: February 1994
Cover Price: $2.95

Venom‘s popularity in the 1990s was at an all-time high. Capitalizing on this surge, Marvel released his very own mini series, entitled Venom: Lethal Protector. It sold well enough to warrant a second series but, rather than greenlight an ongoing series, Marvel continued to feature Venom in mini-series after mini-series. This was previously unheard of! Precedent established that if a limited series sold well enough, an ongoing series would follow. Venom broke this trend with well over 15 different mini-series. It was a smart move for Marvel because they were able to capitalize on a new #1 issue every few months and they commonly armed each potential blockbuster with a cover enhancement. The weapon of choice for Venom: the Enemy Within (which guest-starred Morbius the Living Vampire) was a glow in the dark cover!

On Ebay: Venom

July 27, 2010

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #17 X-Men

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 12:09 pm

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.

The X-Men Collectors’ Preview provided some insight into the then-current X-Men line of books. It features interviews with creators and behind the scenes info. It also includes a sketchbook that showed the thought-processes that went into creating the costumes from the Age of Apocalypse. The back cover to the book featured the Age of Apocalypse characters in a pose that swiped the front cover.


X-Men Collectors’ Preview
February 1995
X-Men Collectors’ Preview
February 1995

On Ebay: X-Men | Age of Apocalypse

July 26, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #17 Death of Dracula

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 8:20 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!

the Death of Dracula #1Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: August 2010
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Victor Gischler
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

Janus (the son of Dracula) attends the once-a-century gathering of the world’s vampires. Almost all of the vampire sects (Anchorites, Kriegers, Claws, Atlanteans, Sirens, etc) are present to bring their current issues to Dracula, the Lord of Vampires. In a bold move, Xarus (another son of Dracula), kills his father in a bid for power. The events that follow are an interesting look at how the rest of the chips fall now that the entire game has been overturned. Xarus is confident that he’ll be the new Lord of Vampires and with his new light-ending technology, he may have an edge that no other vampire does. But, will all the other sects play along?

Camuncoli‘s art is really wonderful. Each sect of vampires has its own unique look, which is helpful in identifying all the players. I never knew there were so many different types of vampires in the Marvel Universe but, now that I’ve seen them, it certainly makes sense that these centuries-old creatures are no longer all alike. Gischler sets up a great new board game for all of these characters and sects (most of which, admittedly, I never even knew existed). The status quo is destroyed in the first few pages and the rest of the story spotlights the beginning stages of putting the pieces all back together again. It’s fun and exciting and you really don’t know what’s going to happen next. There’s lot of sneaky underhandedness and misdirection to explore here. The ending leaves us with a new Lord of Vampires but it’s clear there’s a lot more story to be explored here. I’m looking forward to more!

On Ebay: Dracula | Victor Gischler | Giuseppe Camuncoli

July 24, 2010

Minimate Spotlight #12 Wolverine

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 6:16 am

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.

As we saw last week, Art Asylum’s comic-based Minimates almost never deviate from the character continuity established in their respective comic books. The only exception to that rule of thumb is Batman, who received a few conspicuous costume variations in the C3 line. That aside, there have been no Minimate costume releases designed to exploit the toy market and the little kids who just want an exciting looking Spiderman, even if he’s neon green.

However, the bottom line for any toy company is the need to make a profit, and that is usually only possible to pull off with big name heroes that are guaranteed to sell. If collectors want lower profile characters that don’t have as much general appeal, they need to wade through a veritable river of the big guns that are more likely to catch the average buyer’s eye. So that raises a question – if Art Asylum literally needs to release at least one new version of Spidey or Iron Man or Hulk with every wave, how do they fill 35+ waves without fabricating new designs of those characters? Well, when the characters in question have decades worth of comic history, there is often plenty of pre-established costume diversity to tap into. And with more than 20 Minimate releases so far, Wolverine is a great example.

Left to right: New X-Men Wolverine, Gaijin Wolverine, Giant Sized X-Men #1 boxed set Wolverine, Patch Wolverine, Ultimate Wolverine

Behind the Image:

The visual approach on this one is clearly different than any of my other posts so far. I played around with a few ideas and eventually decided to utilize a very stylized feel for this image.
In order to set up for next week’s article, I wanted to center the focus here on the Giant Sized X-Men #1 version of Wolverine. In order to establish that, I placed him in the middle, made him larger than the others, and then muted the color schemes on the 4 background ‘mates.

On Ebay: Wolverine

July 23, 2010

Retro-Read #16 House of M: Civil War

Filed under: Retro-Read — Doorman @ 6:59 am

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: 5
First Issue: November 2008 ($2.99)
Last Issue: March 2009 ($2.99)
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Andrea Di Vito

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

A youthful Magneto begins to build up a following of mutants who are sick of being persecuted. He’s joined by his children (Pietro, Wanda and Lorna), Charles Xavier and many other familiar faces. Together, they free the enslaved mutants of Genosha and declare the country as theirs … a safe haven for all mutants. Magneto now faces the uphill battle of getting the United Nations to recognize his country as a valid entity. Meanwhile, the U.S. has launched an all-new series of non-metallic Sentinels to destroy the growing mutant threat.

The Bad: The only thing bad here is the original series that spawned it. This series was surprisingly quite good!

the Good: Andrea Di Vito’s artwork here is very well done. I’m both impressed by and happy to see how many mutants he’s drawn into this series. Since this is an alterniverse story, no character is safe … which throws a nice sense of danger into the mix.

The Verdict: This series chronicles the initial rise to power of Magneto and his children (the later stages of which were featured in the House of M mini series). Not being a fan of the first title, I was reluctant to read through this one but I was most pleasantly surprised! Gage is becoming a writer I consistently enjoy. Even though it’s an alterniverse story, Magneto fans should not ignore this one.

On Ebay: House of M | Christos Gage | Magneto

July 22, 2010

Famous Fanmail #16 J.M. DeMatteis

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 10:36 am

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”!

Over the years, J.M. DeMatteis has become one of my favorite writers. His work on titles like Moonshadow, Blood: A Tale and Seekers Into The Mystery are wonderful examples of how far the comics medium can expand beyond super-heroics. Don’t get me wrong … I always enjoy a good super hero book, and so does DeMatteis, it seems. He’s also partly responsible for the most entertaining Justice League comics I’ve ever read as well as some landmark Spider-Man comics (most note-worthy: Kraven’s Last Hunt). Back when he was just a comics fan, he got a letter printed in Thor #176 (cover date – May 1970).

Thor letters page with J.M. DeMatteis

On Ebay: Thor | J.M. DeMatteis

July 21, 2010

Glow in the Dark Comics #6 the Maxx

Filed under: Glow in the Dark Comics — Doorman @ 10:24 am

During the speculator boom in the 1990s comic book market, publishers enhanced comic covers to increase sales. These gimmicks included shiny foil, holograms and even pop-ups! But, one of the coolest enhancements was the glow in the dark cover. Let’s shed some light on the subject, shall we?

the Maxx #1 glows in the darkPublisher: Image Comics
Cover Date: March 1993

Surprisingly enough, one of my favorite comics series came out of the Image Comics glut of the early 1990s. Sam Kieth‘s the Maxx, however, is a read unlike any other comic you’ve experienced. Besides the great, unique art that Kieth is capable of, the story is quite far removed from your typical super hero book and delves into lots of psychological and emotional concerns. I can’t recommend it enough. To celebrate its first issue, a glow in the dark variant was published.

On Ebay: Maxx | Sam Kieth

July 20, 2010

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #16 Onslaught

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 4:07 pm

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.

In 1996, the X-Men line of comics brewed up a cool story with a mystery villain named Onslaught. This storyline quickly grew into a mega-event spanning across almost all of the Marvel titles at the time. It wrapped up ages-old plotlines (Who was the infamous X-Traitor?) and set up a whole new alterniverse (the Heroes Reborn line of books). The books featured below are the bookends to the Onslaught saga. I think it was a neat choice to use a cover swipe here to show the changes in the character’s look and also to show that, initially it was just the X-Men … but, in the end, it took the all of Marvel’s heroes to defeat him.


Onslaught: X-Men
August 1996
Adam Kubert
Onslaught: Marvel Universe
October 1996
Adam Kubert

On Ebay: Onslaught | Adam Kubert

July 19, 2010

One-Shot At Greatness #16 Bullets and Bracelets

Filed under: One-Shot At Greatness — Doorman @ 7:29 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!

Bullets and BraceletsPublisher: Amalgam Comics
Cover Date: April 1996
Cover Price: $1.95
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Gary Frank

When the DC and Marvel Universes merged in Marvel vs DC, a new one was created: the Amalgam Universe. This one-shot teams Wonder Woman with the Punisher in a battle for the life of their son.

*Warning! Plot Spoilers Below*

How do you bring the separated couple of Diana Prince and Trevor Castle back together again? Kidnap their infant son, Ryan. And, that’s exactly what Thanoseid does in an effort to blackmail them into telling him where the all-powerful Infinity Links can be found. But, before they can face off against Thanoseid, they must fight their way through his minions in Armaghetto, including Big Titania, Granny Harkness, Monarch, and the Female Furies. Once they get to him, Thanoseid ends up destroying the young boy … but, will this bring the couple together once again or drive them apart forever?

While Gary Frank‘s art here is sleek and great to look at, I was initially unsure of who the main two characters were amalgamations of. Because of that, the Punisher seemed like an odd match-up against a combination of Thanos and Darkseid. Once it was revealed who Frank Castle was combined with, Thanoseid’s motivation and true evil plan made a lot more sense (although it still doesn’t explain his first name, Trevor – unless it’s a reference to Wonder Woman’s beau). But, even with the revelation, the story still didn’t really draw me in and the ending didn’t do much to make me wish for more.

On Ebay: Amalgam | John Ostrander | Gary Frank | Punisher | Wonder Woman
On AtomicAvenue: Amalgam Comics

July 17, 2010

Minimate Spotlight #11 Batman

Filed under: Minimate Spotlight — Donny B @ 2:29 am

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.

With all of Art Asylum’s comic book releases, they have followed one very cool rule of thumb: Every character design is based off of a comic book event, era, or even a specific artist. While a lot of toy companies try to exploit the market by producing weird (and often lame) variations of a character that he/she would never be caught dead doing otherwise (variations like “Fractal Armor Batman” or “Anti-Vampire Spiderman“), you won’t see Minimates doing that… Well, except for a couple of Batman releases in DC’s first C3 wave. Heavy Assault Batman is one such example:

Behind the Image:

Batman is a creature of the night. He looms in shadows, and avoids brightly lit areas if at all possible. And since he loves blending into the dark, he would never wear a fruity costume with purple and pink highlights.
Since this costume is a pretty intense antithesis of Batman’s true character, I figured I would follow that deviation and light this Minimate with a very bright neon color. So I grabbed an orange light for the background (which was nothing more than a wall radiator) and a normal light to shine on Batman, so that his colors weren’t washed out by the orange hues.

On Ebay: Batman

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