When will you come back to us, MJ!

Ahhhhh, nostalgia.

I am, of course, talking about J. Michael Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man, in which Peter Parker was a down-to-earth relatable kinda guy. He was three-dimensional, and also. . .

. . . on second thought, let's just get to it. A tailor has made fun of Spider-Man's lack of a mouthpiece in his mask, and so Peter, late at night. . .
John Romita Jr. was born to draw Spidey. Here's a great little slice of Peter's and MJ's life as a couple.

It's quiet moments, subtle moments like these that make good writing, in my opinion.

I still miss MJ of course.

Scans from Amazing Spider-Man #502, in which Peter meets a tailor called Leo Zelinsky, a tailor for superheroes as well as supervillains. A supertailor.

Cover to Cover: In Hell, bacon eats you!

Continuing with this week: Squadron Supreme 2 #1 came out. As you may know, I was a huge fan of Straczynski's squadron, but since it doesn't appear as if Howard Chaykin is writing with the past squadron in mind, I'm gonna wait it out and see what other people think about it.

I hope it's damn good though, so on that note let's talk about the comics I did get.

House of Mystery #3

by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges and Luca Rossi

Okay, Bill Willingham's name is on the credits on the cover, except it doesn't seem like he wrote the back-up story in this. What is going on?

This issue was definitely not as good as the last two. Not much happens here, except for Fig figuring out that she can't leave the House of Mystery.

Also: where's the horror? Where's the fantasy? So what if some guy got impaled on a gas pipe? I don't pick up House of Mystery to read crime stories. I pick it up to read horror stories.

Right now, I probably sound angry, but that's not how I really feel about the House. It's just that this issue is a step down from the previous two. As always, the dialogue and the art is just delicious, but I'm really hoping that issue four brings back the magic.

The best dialogue on bacon also appeared in this issue:

"In Hell, the bacon eats you!"

Fables #74

by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham

So here, the attack on the Adversary continues, and we get to see it through Boy Blue's eyes.

I don't think I need to tell you how awesome it is, but I will spoil some plot points for you.

-Reading the issue, you later get to see the inspiration for the cover art, which is a girl lying on some steps with her fruit askew. Briar Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty) pricks her finger in the Imperial City, putting everyone around her into a deep sleep. That girl with the fruit is only one of them, and yes, that is some very cool inspiration.

-Pinocchio is back in Fabletown!

Holy buckets!

The next issue is the big seventy-five, so it's there that we get to find out why the Emperor sent all his dragons out save one, and how the Fabletown forces try to deal with it.

Overall, not a particularly strong week for vertigo, but certainly not a weak week.

comics catch-up

So, when I got to the shop yesterday, I noticed that there was apparently a new issue of Supergirl, number 31.

You can imagine my glee, because, well, I felt like last issue was a big mistake. With last issue, DC was inserting a stand-alone story right in the middle of an arc, and with a different creative team, at that!

So, well, I skimmed through issue 31. I didn't buy it mind you, I just skimmed it.
The good: Kelley Puckett is back on finishing his arc.
The bad: New artist guy?????

It's the new artist that made me put the book back. I mean, this just frustrates me so much.

Is it too much to ask for creative consistency? It is just so darn annoying to see another fill-in artist or a fill-in writer in the comics I read.

Rant done. Reviews now!

What if? Fantastic Four: A Tribute to Mike Wieringo
by a lot of people

Okay, this is from last week, but I was abstaining from buying anything last week because of the con.

Suffice it to say, this issue was awesome. The art is obviously a little choppy, because a lot of artists are getting in on it, but it's all in honor of Mr. Wieringo.

I didn't really know the guy, but it's a very fun and very heartfelt comic all the same. There's a story by Jeff Parker, a one-page comic strip by Chris Giarusso, and then a ton of prose dedications to the guy.

I think some of the proceeds go to the Hero Initiative, so if you haven't already gotten this comic, I very much recommend it.

And the strip by Chris Giarusso, some of which is here:

Mythos: Captain America
by Paul Jenkins and Paolo Rivera

Okay, I think this was from last week as well. Uhh, sorry.

Still, that doesn't really matter, because this is an out-of-continuity re-telling of Captain America's origins, and Cap will always amaze me, not just because he's led the Avengers or can throw that shield like an Olympian, but he braved through the Depression, and he was just a 98-pound kid who wanted to make something of himself.

It's just amazing that the army actually rejected him, but he had the guts to sign up for the top-secret Operation: Rebirth and became the Cap we all know and love.

Cap is a real hero, when the word actually meant something, and this comic is a perfect example of it.

Also, the art is insanely gorgeous. Painter Paolo Rivera even puts in his own sound effects!

I have a newfound respect for rabbits

You know how when you were little, you'd sometimes go up to rabbits to scare them away?

Harmless enough right?

Yeah, never do that again. Like, ever.

From this week's Fables. Reviews are forthcoming.

We're off to see the wizard. . .

. . . The wonderful Wizard World Chicago!

We finish talking about that today, and I just wanted to tell everyone that the slideshow which I so unceremoniously pimped out yesterday, is now available.* One crappy camera. One person. Sixty-four pictures.

*EDIT: I get waaaaay too many hits based on image searches, so I've made my album private. Don't worry though, you just need the guest password: it's "voluMinous." Watch the caps, and once you get there, just click the "slideshow" link on the top right corner of the page.


If there's one thing you ever really learn from cons, it's the money you'd save from never going to your comic shop ever again and only going to cons.

A little tip: Never settle for buying single issues for a dollar. There are bound to be quarter bins somewhere, and I think I found three or four of them this year.

I got some Birds of Prey back issues, some 90s Silver Surfer stuff, and I filled in lots of gaps in my miniseries, such as Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters or Countdown to Mystery.

I got some trades as well, on the left there.

First volume of Brubaker's Catwoman, the second volume of Denny O'Neil's Green Lantern/Green Arrow, the Dark Phoenix Saga, Doctor 13: Architecture and Morality, and more. . .

The cheapest I could find them was five dollars (trade) and seven dollars (hardcover). There was this one vendor, though, who covered a couple booths on opposite sides of the con, and did really well at advertising their half-off trades, so I bet they got a lot of business, despite the better deals elsewhere.

I mean, all you do is yell "Half off!" or "50% trades!" It can't be that hard.

There was also this rivalry between these two vendors. The first guy had a ton of quarter bins, but -- they weren't organized, and they had a lot of crappy 90s stuff. I couldn't find any of the comics I was looking for, except for some Green Arrow back issues.

The second one had 50-cent stuff, but -- they were incredibly organized, incredibly friendly, and all their comics felt clean and easy to go through.

They even shrinkwrapped some complete sets!

And the guy double-bagged my stuff!

Random Comic Shop, I know I never got your name, but if you're out there somewhere, please make yourself known. That little symbol is all I have of you, but I will advertise for you. Please appear on the blog!


Now let's look at some toys. Wheeeeee:

Statues cost so much for a bunch of bricks that don't move at all. I mean, they're pretty and all, but that's it.

Powerwalking Batman! Now action figures are where it's at.

Except nothing can beat Adam Hughes.

ARGH.

You have NO IDEA how hard I tried to get a good picture of Supergirl. I tried all kinds of angles, but her pose is just a bunch of CRAP. What kind of pose is that for an action figure? What is she doing, DJ-ing?

God.

Anyways, that does it for the rest of the con. You can find more pictures in the slideshow, of more Adam Hughes awesomeness and Batman Begins figures.

Again, if anyone knows about that Random Comic Shop with the amazing customer service, please let me know!

Bye Wizard World! Let's hope next year is even better!

If any of this piqued your interest, feel free to make some comments and strike up a conversation!