June 18, 2008
comic book day!
Today was a light week on releases. Here are a few books I read...
Oh!... SPOILER ALERT!
Justice League of America #22
This book was weird. Red Tornado got a new body with help from Batman, Zatana and Black Lighting. Vixen comes clean about her power issues and Black Canary tells her to "pack her knives and go" and Red Tornado goes nuts only to find out it was Amazo.
Likes: Red Arrow and Hawkgirl awe a great couple! Love their chemistry. Firestorm sitting at the round table. Bronze Tiger. I swear! Suicide Squad needs an ongoing book! Zatana. I hope she stays.
Dislikes: Black Canary being a total bitch. I seem to recall her having some secrets in Birds of Prey, and HELLO! Identity Criris?!? I love Vixen on the team and I hope the big three put the smack down Black Canary.
Angel: After The Fall: 9
This book was all kinds of crazy! I miss Fred! and I'm not sure what the ending was about but I'm intrigued.
Likes: FRED!ILLYRIA! Love both characters!
Dislikes: Gunn. Steak him already.
I have a few more books to go over and I'll post my yay or nay review later.
Posted by Roque at 06:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 17, 2008
3G or not to 3G...
It's no secret that I'm a total phone whore... and I'm ok with that...
With the anouncement of the 3G iPhone, I looked at my "old" iPhone and said, "it's been fun, time for an upgrade"... Scott just looked at me and rolled his eyes and walked away.
Doing research, the only main difference between my "old" phone and the new pretty shiny one is, 3G (Which Sacramento wont have until Aug/Sep) and GPS. Oh! And it's prettier and shiner...
If I buy a 3G phone, my cell bill may go up, because AT&T still haven't decided on a price plan for the new iPhone and I lock us into a new two year contract with the devil (that's Scott's pet name for AT&T). I would totally pay more for a faster wireless connection, but not if I have to wait a few months... That's kinda gross.
I'm definitely going to play with the iTunes Apps store. I'm hoping for a sassy ringtone client and picture messaging app. Here's to hoping.
I think I'm gonna end up getting it... It's what I do. I fall under pure pressure... And the pretty shiny...
Posted by Roque at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
SWEETNESS!
Woohoo! A new customer started a saver account with The Comic Lounge! This is the bestest day!
Posted by Roque at 11:46 AM | Comments (1)
June 16, 2008
can't fight the numbers...
Well, Diamond Comic Distributors released their May monthly sales report. And Marvel whopped DC's ass with a coat hanger... and then slapped them... then spat on their face... then pointed and laugh...
here's how the publishers did sales percentage wise.
MARVEL COMICS 47.56%
DC COMICS 29.95%
DARK HORSE COMICS 6.30%
IMAGE COMICS 2.75%
Seriously, Marvel sold almost HALF of what DC did... That's pretty bad.
Here's the list of the top 20 selling books as per Diamond:
1 SECRET INVASION #2 (Of 8)MARVEL
2 FINAL CRISIS #1 (Of 7) DC
3 NEW AVENGERS #41 MARVEL
4 AVENGERS INVADERS #1 (Of 12) MARVEL
5 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1 MARVEL
6 GIANT SIZE ASTONISHING X-MEN #1 MARVEL
7 BATMAN #676 DC
8 MIGHTY AVENGERS #13 MARVEL
9 BATMAN #677 DC
10 MIGHTY AVENGERS #14 MARVEL
11 JUSTICE LEAGUE O/AMERICA #21 DC
12 DARK TOWER LONG ROAD HOME #3 (Of 5)MARVEL
13 THOR #9 MARVEL
14 UNCANNY X-MEN #498 MARVEL
15 BUFFY VAMPIRE SLAYER #14 DARK HORSE
16 X-FORCE #4 MARVEL
17 X-MEN LEGACY #211 MARVEL
18 CAPTAIN AMERICA #38 MARVEL
19 JUSTICE SOCIETY O/AMERICA #15 DC
20 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #558 MARVEL
Marvel had 14 titles on the top 20 list. Poor DC had 5 and Dark Horse with 1.
Sigh... I have to admit... I was really excited to read Secret Invasion #3 this month, more than Final Crisis. AND! To make matters worse?! I'm totally more in love with Ms. Marvel than Wonder Woman! Why? Ms. Marvel is a stronger character and her support cast is great! And it's no secret that I heart Gail Simone's writing, so I feel like I'm cheating on Gail with Ms. Marvel... And to be honest, Grant Morrison is a great writer, but I always felt I had to be in his head in order to understand his story. Batman RIP? Totally don't get it, and don't get me started on Seven Solders. Secret Invasion was solid from issue 1. I even don't mind the random tie-ins.
I have to face it, Marvel is the better publisher. Maybe it's Joe Quesada and his direction, or maybe it's the "majority rules" effect. After all this, I read on Newsarama this crazy drama between Chuck Dixon (current writer of Detective Comics and Robin) and Dan Didio (senior vice president-executive editor for DC Comics) who I guess quit last week. he responded to these allegation and it read a lil somthing like this...
I did not quit.
I do not believe it had anything to do with politics.
My involvement with Robin ends with issue 174.
I think my BATO run is over with #10.
My Booster two-parter will still be appearing.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, Storming Paradise continues on schedule.
For those keep score, yes, I was way ahead on both of my monthlies. Down the road perhaps I’ll offer those scripts and you folks can help out Books for Soldiers as you so generously have before.
(Storming Paradise is Dixon and Butch Guice’s six-issue Wildstorm miniseries set during in World War II. The first issue debuts next month.)
Dixon also appeared in the comments section of a post at Comics Should Be Good that questions DC editorial’s handling of Final Crisis, Countdown, Death of the New Gods, Robin, and Batman and the Outsiders.
Dixon, writer of Robin and Batman and the Outsiders, steps in to say:
Don’t blame my editors.
DC, currently, is run from the top down in a way that makes Jim Shooter’s aegis at Marvel look like a hippie commune.
He follows that a little later with:
Shooter was very dictatorial with strict rules for writing and drawing superheroes.
The difference between his reign at Marvel and the current one at DC is that Shooter was successful at raising circulation and longterm planning.
And then, when another commenter asks, “Taking a shot at Warners? At Levitz? At DiDio?,” Dixon clarifies:
Not at Paul.
Warners? The geniuses who merged with a company that was billions in the red? Trust me, most days they don’t even KNOW they own a comic company much less take an interest in running it.
On the Shooter front—
Though I saw Shooter in full fledge psychotic editorial rage a couple of times, he did provide leadership at Marvel and didn’t change the company’s direction five times in one day. And the company climbed out of the red and became vital again under his stewardship. I disagreed with many of his ideas when it came to continuity but he was at least consistant and you knew where you stood. And merit was rewarded back then. If you sold well and handed the stuff in on time you’d never go without work.
And finally (as of this morning, at least):
I’ve worked under tyrants and I can say that I’d prefer to work under a talented, knowledgeable tyrant with a successful plan than a directionless gladhander with a ouija board any day of the week.
Wow... Here's to better month for DC...
Posted by Roque at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2008
merry father's day
To all the dad's who supported their kids, was there for them when mistakes where made and best of all, protected their children from a judgemental society, this day is for you. If not, then there's still time... Get to fathering!
Posted by Roque at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
fall season 2008/09
Ok, so after much research, I'm über happy to find out that Sara Conner Chronicals and Eli Stone are coming back! Yay! I'm sad that Miss Guided and Moonlight didn't make it. What I also found out was that NBC is doing an Office spin off. Interesting. And! Scrubs is moving to ABC. Who knew ABC had good comedy taste? That was a jab because of Miss Guided's cancelation... I'm sorts happy that Private Practice is coming back. Still not a hundred percent sold, but its good TiVo filler. I'm really excited about Pushing Daisies, Greys Anatomy, Smallville (no Lana this season!! Yay!!!... Or Lex... Meh...) and The Office. Heroes better rock this season. They goofed big time in season two. Focus on the Heroes you have now writers!! I read one spolier by accident (seriously, it was a total accident!). One of the characters who we thought died last season, got better...
Posted by Roque at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)
comic lounge rocks!
So, yeah. I opened an online comic books store. thecomiclounge.com (I forgot the HTML tag for web links... I know.. Bad puppy). It opened in February and its still a work in progress.
I decided to open a spot at one of our lovely flea markets because I was tired of sitting on inventory. That was in April. We are finally getting the business I wanted. At least the spot pays for itself. Sorta. Right now I'm working on getting more saver accounts. We have 4 total now. Its über exciting!
Yesterday was a fun day. I made the most money on a Saturday ever! And! Without one bloody DC comic sold. Seriously... Not one... All the books I sold where Marvel. Even my t-shirts I sold went DC. What gives? When I asked this hottie who was buying the whole Secret Invasion set, why did he not pick Final Crisis! He said "because
Continue reading "comic lounge rocks!"
Posted by Roque at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)
