New Year's Day Hours
Fantom Pentagon City will be running on normal business hours on New Year's Day.
Fantom Union Station will be closed.
Happy New Year!
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Fantom Pentagon City will be running on normal business hours on New Year's Day.
Fantom Union Station will be closed.
Happy New Year!
Just a reminder that we'll have only 2 new comic books this week (Wed, Dec 30th), and that next Wednesday - January 6 - we'll be back to normal, with new books on the shelves.
New Releases for Wednesday, December 30th
BLACKEST NIGHT #6
ORIGINS OF SIEGE ONE-SHOT (free)
New Releases for Wednesday, December 23rd
COMICS
∙ABSOLUTION #5 (OF 6)
∙AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #616 GNTLT
∙ANGEL ANNUAL #1
∙ANGELUS #1 (OF 6)
∙ARCHIE #604
∙ARKHAM REBORN #3 (OF 3)
∙AVENGERS INITIATIVE #31 SIEGE
∙AZRAEL #3
∙BART SIMPSON COMICS #51
∙BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #12
∙BEASTS OF BURDEN #4 (OF 4)
∙BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #200
∙BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #11
∙BLACK TERROR #6
∙BLACK WIDOW AND MARVEL GIRLS #2 (OF 4)
∙BLACKEST NIGHT JSA #1 (OF 3)
∙BLACKEST NIGHT JSA #1 (OF 3) VAR ED
∙BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER WILLOW ONE SHOT
∙CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD
∙CHEW #7
∙CRIMINAL SINNERS #3
∙CROSSED #8 (OF 9)
∙DARK AVENGERS ARES #3 (OF 3)
∙DARK TOWER BATTLE OF JERICHO HILL #2 (OF 5)
∙DETECTIVE COMICS #860
∙DETECTIVE COMICS #860 VAR ED
∙DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP #7 (OF 24)
∙DOCTOR VOODOO ORIGIN OF JERICHO DRUMM
∙ENDERS GAME COMMAND SCHOOL #4 (OF 5)
∙ENDERS SHADOW COMMAND SCHOOL #4 (OF 5)
∙FALL OF HULKS GAMMA FOH
∙FANTASTIC FOUR #574
∙FANTASTIC FOUR #574 EAGLESHAM TEAM VAR
∙FREDDY JASON ASH NIGHTMARE WARRIORS #6 (OF 6)
∙GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS HAPPY VALLEY #1 (OF 9)
∙GI JOE ORIGINS #10
∙GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #7
∙GREEN LANTERN #49 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙GREEN LANTERN #49 VAR ED (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #21
∙HALO BLOOD LINE #1 (OF 5)
∙HELLBOY BRIDE OF HELL ONE SHOT (OSW)
∙IMAGE UNITED #2 (OF 6)
∙INCREDIBLE HERCULES #139
∙INVINCIBLE #69
∙IRON MAN VS WHIPLASH #2 (OF 4)
∙IRREDEEMABLE #9
∙JACK OF FABLES #41
∙JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #34
∙LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME #1 (OF 3)
∙MADAME XANADU #18
∙MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #58
∙MONSTERS INC LAUGH FACTORY #4
∙NEW AVENGERS #60
∙NEW MUTANTS #8 XN
∙NORTHLANDERS #23
∙ORIGINS OF SIEGE ONE SHOT
∙POWERS #2
∙PUNISHER #12
∙SECRET WARRIORS #11
∙SONIC UNIVERSE #11
∙SPIDER-WOMAN #4
∙STAND SOUL SURVIVORS #3 (OF 5)
∙STAR TREK TNG GHOSTS #2
∙STAR WARS KNIGHTS OLD REPUBLIC #48 DEMON PT 2 (OF 4)
∙STAR WARS LEGACY #43 MONSTER PT 1 (OF 4)
∙SUPERMAN #695
∙TEEN TITANS #78 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙THOR #605
∙TINY TITANS #23
∙TRANSFORMERS TALES O/T FALLEN #5 (OF 5)
∙UNCANNY X-MEN #519
∙UNKNOWN SOLDIER #15
∙USAGI YOJIMBO #125
∙VICTORIAN UNDEAD #2 (OF 6)
∙WALL-E #1
∙WEB #4
∙WHAT IF ASTONISHING X-MEN
∙WHAT IF SPIDER-MAN HOUSE OF M
∙WILDCATS #18
∙WITCHBLADE #133
∙WOLVERINE ORIGINS #43
∙WOLVERINE WEAPON X #8
∙WONDER WOMAN #39
∙WORLDS FINEST #3 (OF 4)
∙X-MEN FOREVER #14
∙X-MEN LEGACY #231 XN
∙ZORRO #18
GRAPHIC NOVELS / TRADES
∙AGENTS OF ATLAS TP DARK REIGN
∙ANITA BLAKE PREM HC BOOK 02 LC NECROMANCER
∙BATMAN THE WRATH TP
∙BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS 10 YEARS AT MARVEL TP
∙CLASSIC TRANSFORMERS TP VOL 05
∙CRIMINAL MACABRE CELL BLOCK 666 TP
∙DARK REIGN HOOD TP
∙DARK REIGN SINISTER SPIDER-MAN TP
∙DARK REIGN SKRULL KILL KREW TP
∙DARK REIGN YOUNG AVENGERS TP
∙FANTASTIC FOUR TP MASTERS OF DOOM
∙FARSCAPE HC VOL 03 GONE AND BACK
∙GREEN LANTERN CHRONICLES TP VOL 02
∙GUARDIANS OF GALAXY PREM HC VOL 03 WAR OF KINGS BK 02
∙INCREDIBLE HERCULES PREM HC MIGHTY THORCULES
∙INCREDIBLE HERCULES TP DARK REIGN
∙IRREDEEMABLE TP VOL 02
∙MARVEL ZOMBIES RETURN HC
∙MINI MARVELS TP ULTIMATE COLLECTION GN
∙MMW UNCANNY X-MEN TP VOL 02
∙MORE THAN COMPLETE ACTION PHILOSOPHERS TP
∙MS MARVEL PREM HC VOL 08 WAR OF MARVELS
∙ONE MODEL NATION GN
∙SCOURGE OF GODS PREM HC FALL
∙STAR WARS CLONE WARS TP VOL 04 COLOSSUS OF DESTINY
∙SUB-MARINER TP DEPTHS
∙SUPERGIRL COSMIC ADVENTURES IN THE EIGHTH GRADE TP
∙X-FORCE CABLE MESSIAH WAR TP
∙X-FORCE PREM HC VOL 03 NOT FORGOTTEN
APPAREL
∙TRANSFORMERS DECEPTICON HEAD T/S
At Fantom Comics beginning 12/9/2009
The Unwritten #8 (DC Comics - Vertigo Imprint)
This story has been excellent so far, while being a fairly blatant take-off on the Harry Potter franchise but with enough interesting twists built in to make it completely unpredictable. Bottom line: If you have ever enjoyed a comic book, and are a fan of the Harry Potter books, you really shouldn't miss this comic. Unfortunately, the first 5 issues are about to be released in trade paperback in early January, about a week before issue #9 comes out. So it will be difficult for a reader to catch up immediately. The best strategy would be to start a subscription with issue #11, and then grab the first two trades. Alternatively, this could be a good one to just follow in trade paperback, which will come out with new volumes every 5 or 6 months.
Muppet Show #0 (Boom! Studios)
My 5 year old daugher and I have been keeping up with the Muppet Show comic since it first debuted as a miniseries earlier this year. It's fantastic to see a comic book take on the format of a variety show, mixing "on stage action" with typical Muppet backstage zaniness. This is the first issue of a new monthly series, so this is the perfect jumping-on point. There are two trade paperbacks from the previous two miniseries (The Muppet Show TP and The Treasure of Peg Leg Wilson) to catch up on as well. Looking forward to more Muppets...
Toy Story #0 (Boom! Studios)
Uh oh, look out. It looks like Boom! Studios is having some great luck with their Disney properties also. Similar to the Muppet Show, Toy Story is getting it's own monthly title after a recently successful miniseries.
Citizen Rex #6 of 6 (Dark Horse)
This is the last and final issue of this mini-series (coming soon to a trade paperback near you), and I have no idea what to expect. This is my second experience with Los Brothers Hernandez, as they are known, and part of the fun of this one is that it is a challenge to figure out what exactly is going on. Citizen Rex has been compared to a David Lynch film in the way this book leaves you scratching your head a bit, wondering what just happened and what is coming next. Not sure how to explain it other than to say it is set in the future amidst debates on robots rights and human rights.
Daytripper #1 of 10 (DC Comics - Vertigo Imprint)
This is a collaboration involving Gabriel Ba, the artist half of the duo involved in The Umbrella Academy (this is a shameless plug for a great offbeat super hero book - check it out). Since the comic book medium is one that more often than not relies on collaboration between a team of creators, I am picking up this book to see what Ba brings to the table when paired with a different partner, in this case Fabio Moon whom I am unfamiliar with. Both main creators have won awards as artists, so it will be interesting to see what happens when the artists are in control of drawing and telling the story. This one promises to be a slice-of-life book set in Brazil, with an obituary writer as the main character.
Pilot Season: Murderer #1 (Top Cow)
This one looks like finally out this week. See my comments on Pilot Season in last week's column.
New Releases for Wednesday, December 16th
COMICS
∙AIR #16
∙AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #615 GNTLT
∙AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #615 QUINONES VAR GNTLT
∙AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS ANTI VENOM #3 (OF 3)
∙ANGEL #28
∙ASTONISHING X-MEN #33
∙AUTHORITY THE LOST YEAR #4 (OF 12)
∙BATMAN #694
∙BATMAN 80 PAGE GIANT #1
∙BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #39
∙BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #7
∙BETTY & VERONICA #245
∙BLACK PANTHER 2 #11
∙BRAVE AND THE BOLD #30
∙CABLE #21
∙CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #5 (OF 6)
∙CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #5 (OF 6) CASSADAY VAR
∙CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #5 (OF 6) FINCH VAR
∙CHIMICHANGA #1
∙COMPLETE ALICE IN WONDERLAND #1 (OF 4)
∙DAREDEVIL #503
∙DARK AVENGERS #12
∙DARK WOLVERINE #81
∙DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #6
∙DOCTOR VOODOO AVENGER OF SUPERNATURAL #3
∙DOCTOR WHO ONGOING #6
∙ELEPHANTMEN #23
∙EX MACHINA #47
∙FABLES #91
∙FARSCAPE ONGOING #2
∙FORGETLESS #1 (OF 5)
∙GHOSTBUSTERS DISPLACED AGGRESSION #4
∙GI JOE #13
∙GI JOE VS COBRA FALL SPECIAL CRIMSON STRIKE
∙GODLAND #30
∙GREEN LANTERN CORPS #43 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙GREEN LANTERN CORPS #43 VAR ED (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙HELLBLAZER #262
∙HULK #18
∙HULK #18 MCGUINNESS VAR
∙INCORRUPTIBLE #1
∙JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #156
∙JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #40 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙KOOKABURRA K #2 (OF 3)
∙LADY ACTION SPECIAL ONE SHOT
∙LAST RESORT #5
∙LOCKE & KEY CROWN OF SHADOWS #2
∙MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD #4 (OF 4)
∙MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ #2 (OF 8)
∙MIGHTY AVENGERS #32
∙MS MARVEL #48
∙NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #2 (SILVER STREAK COMICS #24)
∙NOMAD GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD #4 (OF 4)
∙OFFICIAL INDEX TO MARVEL UNIVERSE #12
∙OUTSIDERS #25 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙POWER GIRL #7
∙PROJECT SUPERPOWERS CHAPTER TWO #5
∙PS238 #42
∙REALM OF KINGS INHUMANS #2 (OF 5)
∙ROBERT E HOWARD THULSA DOOM #4
∙SHERLOCK NINJA #1 CURIOUS CASE O/T IRON MONKEY
∙SIMPSONS COMICS #161
∙SPIDER-MAN 1602 #3 (OF 5)
∙SPIDER-MAN CLONE SAGA #4 (OF 6)
∙STAR TREK DS9 FOOLS GOLD #1
∙STREET FIGHTER II TURBO #10
∙SUPERGIRL #48
∙SUPERMAN BATMAN #67 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #36
∙TALES OF TMNT #65
∙THUNDERBOLTS #139
∙TRANSFORMERS BUMBLEBEE #1
∙ULTIMATE COMICS ARMOR WARS #3 (OF 4)
∙UNCLE SCROOGE #386
∙UNDERGROUND #4 (OF 5)
∙VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT #4
∙WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #701
∙WHAT IF DAREDEVIL VS ELEKTRA
∙WORLD OF WARCRAFT SPECIAL #1
∙X-FACTOR #200
∙X-FACTOR #200 MAGUIRE VAR
∙X-FACTOR #200 YARDIN VAR
∙X-FORCE #22 CRAIN VAR XN
∙X-FORCE #22 XN
∙X-MEN LEGACY #230
GRAPHIC NOVELS / TRADES
∙ASTERIX HC ASTERIX & OBELIX BIRTHDAY
∙BATTLESTAR GALACTICA CYLON WAR TP
∙CLASSICS ILLUS HC VOL 07 DR JEKHLL & MR HYDE
∙DEAD AT 17 AFTERBIRTH TP VOL 01
∙DEADPOOL TP VOL 02 DARK REIGN
∙FINDING NEMO REEF RESCUE TP
∙GOON TP VOL 06 CHINATOWN & MYSTERY MR WICKER
∙GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY ENEMIES LIST TP
∙MARVEL ILLUSTRATED TP GN KIDNAPPED
∙PUNISHER DEAD END PREM HC
∙PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX TP WELCOME TO BAYOU
∙ROCKETEER COMPLETE COLLECTION HC VOL 01
∙SECRET WARRIORS TP VOL 01 NICK FURY AGENT OF NOTHING
∙SIMON DARK TP VOL 03 THE GAME OF LIFE
∙STAR WARS THRAWN TRILOGY HC VOL 01
∙THOR TP AGES OF THUNDER
∙THUNDERBOLTS PREM HC WIDOWMAKER
∙VIXEN RETURN OF THE LION TP
∙X-INFERNUS TP
New Releases for Wednesday, December 9th
COMICS
∙ACTION COMICS #884
∙ADVENTURE COMICS #5 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙ADVENTURE COMICS #508 VAR ED (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #614 GNTLT
∙ANGEL HOLE IN THE WORLD #1
∙AOD ASH SAVES OBAMA #4 (OF 4)
∙ARCHIE & FRIENDS #138
∙ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #20
∙BATGIRL #5
∙BEYOND THE WALL #2
∙BLACK WIDOW DEADLY ORIGIN #2 (OF 4)
∙BLACK WIDOW DEADLY ORIGIN #2 (OF 4) SECRET VAR
∙BOOSTER GOLD #27 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙BPRD WAR ON FROGS #4 (OF 4)
∙CARS RADIATOR SPRINGS #4
∙CITIZEN REX #6 (OF 6)
∙DANTES INFERNO #1 (OF 6)
∙DARK X-MEN #2 (OF 5)
∙DAYTRIPPER #1 (OF 10)
∙DC HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2009 #1
∙DEADPOOL #18
∙DEATHLOK #2 (OF 7)
∙DMZ #48
∙DOOM PATROL #5 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙ENDERS GAME WAR OF GIFTS ONE-SHOT
∙FARSCAPE DARGOS QUEST #1
∙GEN 13 #33
∙GHOST RIDERS HEAVENS ON FIRE #5 (OF 6)
∙GHOSTBUSTERS PAST PRESENT FUTURE (ONE SHOT)
∙GI JOE MOVIE SNAKE EYES #3
∙GOD COMPLEX #1
∙GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #27
∙GROO HOGS OF HORDER #2 (OF 4)
∙INCREDIBLE HULK #605
∙INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #21
∙JON SABLE FREELANCE ASHES OF EDEN #3
∙MAGOG #4
∙MARVEL 70TH ANNIVERSARY FRAME ART ONE-SHOT
∙MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #18
∙MICKEY MOUSE & FRIENDS #298
∙MODERN WARFARE 2 GHOST #2 (OF 6)
∙MUPPET SHOW #0
∙MUPPET SHOW #0 INCV CVR
∙NATION X #1 (OF 4)
∙NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #3
∙PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #137
∙PHONOGRAM 2 #6 (OF 7) SINGLES CLUB
∙PILOT SEASON MURDERER #1
∙PUNISHER NOIR #4 (OF 4)
∙PUNISHERMAX #2
∙REALM OF KINGS IMPERIAL GUARD #2 (OF 5)
∙REBELS #11 (BLACKEST NIGHT)
∙RED HERRING #5 (OF 6)
∙RED ROBIN #7
∙SCOOBY DOO #151
∙SECRET SIX #16
∙SHIELD #4
∙SPIDER-MAN AND SECRET WARS #1 (OF 4)
∙STAR TREK ALIEN SPOTLIGHT CARDASSIANS
∙STAR WARS CLONE WARS #11 HERO CONFEDERACY PT 2
∙SUPER FRIENDS #22
∙SWORD (MARVEL) #2
∙TANK GIRL NUGGETS (ONE SHOT)
∙TITANS #20
∙TMNT #1 FULL COLOR ONE SHOT
∙TOY STORY #0
∙TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #2
∙TRANSFORMERS TIMELESS FALL SPECIAL WINGS OF HONOR
∙UNCANNY X-MEN FIRST CLASS #6 (OF 8)
∙UNWRITTEN #8 (MR)
∙VAMPIRELLA SECOND COMING #4
∙WALKING DEAD #68
∙WAR MACHINE #12
∙WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #3 GNTLT
∙WHAT IF WORLD WAR HULK
∙WOLVERINE UNDER BOARDWALK ONE-SHOT
∙X NECROSHA GATHERING XN
∙X-MEN FOREVER #13
∙X-MEN NOIR MARK OF CAIN #1 (OF 4)
MAGAZINES
∙ALTER EGO #90
∙TOYFARE #150
∙WIZARD MAGAZINE #220
GRAPHIC NOVELS / TRADES
∙BATTLESTAR GALACTICA FINAL FIVE TP
∙BOOSTER GOLD BLUE AND GOLD TP
∙CROSSING EMPTY QUARTER & OTHER STORIES HC
∙DARK REIGN UNDERSIDE TP
∙EX MACHINA TP VOL 08 DIRTY TRICKS
∙GENEXT UNITED TP
∙HOUSE OF M HC SPIDER-MAN FANTASTIC FOUR X-MEN
∙MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 14 THWIP DIGEST
∙MS MARVEL TP VOL 07 DARK REIGN
∙SKY DOLL TP VOL 01
∙SPIDER-MAN RED-HEADED STRANGER PREM HC
∙TERRA TP
∙ULTIMATUM TP MARCH ON ULTIMATUM
∙ULTIMATUM X-MEN FANTASTIC FOUR TP
∙WHAT IF CLASSIC TP VOL 06
∙X-FACTOR OVERTIME PREM HC
∙X-MEN SPIDER-MAN TP
Introducing... The Comics JourneyMan
When we got into the retail comic book business in 2005, there was always the underlying goal of expanding the market beyond the core demographic of folks who have continuously read comics since they first found them, which was likely when they were in elementary school or middle school or maybe even high school or college. And there is no doubt that by being conveniently located and providing above average customer service, we have successfully re-ignited the spark in many lapsed comic book readers.
But there is also no denying that the majority of the titles that Fantom sells fall into the "mainstream" category, which typically means lots of Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, X-Men, and whatever major "event" title is currently being produced by the Big 2 Publishers - Marvel and DC (currently we have Dark Reign from Marvel and Blackest Night from DC). The natural outcome of this trend is that when potential new customers wander into our shop, they will typically find that Fantom Comics abides by the 80/20 rule. This means that 80% of the titles on the rack are from the Big 4 Publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse - while the other 20% are from "Everyone Else". And the Big 2 tend to skew very heavily toward the "Heroes-in-Tights" category, something on the order of 90% of their books being super hero titles.
At an average of 60 new titles a week, this means that roughly 40 shelf slots are dedicated to super heroes, leaving only 20 shelf slots to every other genre imaginable. And since comics is such a malleable medium, nearly any type of story can be told in the form of comics, so there are a lot of different directions beyond super hero that comic book creators can (and do) take license with. But the overall sales numbers don't lie, and the publishers keep churning out the classic super hero characters to satisfy the core audience. And these economics translate down to the retailer, who is forced to limit exposure on books that do not have a clearly defined audience. This means that the ordering of those titles will be so thin (no more than 5 copies for the rack) that either a book is sold out before any critical mass of customers sees it, or the staff does not bother reading it because we didn't order enough copies to make it worth their while. That is not to say that nobody reads it, as existing customers who are interested in the book will pull the book as part of Fantom's Subscription Service (more on that service in future editions of this column). Plus there is the secondary market of Trade Paperbacks where a title gets a second life.
But the point of all this is that the "off the beaten path" books sell in far fewer numbers than those featuring Heroes-in-Tights. Not that there's anything wrong with super hero books (I certainly read 'em), but the challenge of raising the bar for what publishers and retailers view as "non-mainstream" titles remains. Looking at the 300 titles offered for sale in the month of October 2009, we can see the following:
Super Hero books: 182 titles offered, average sales ranking = 113
Non-Super Hero books: 118 titles offered, average sales ranking = 208
In fact, only 5 of the top 95 selling books are non-super hero books, with only Buffy the Vampire Slayer breaking the top 50. Sadly, 70 of the bottom 100 titles are non-super hero books.
My intent in writing this column is to fill a gap of sorts, to direct folks toward what they have been missing. Thus, The Comics JorneyMan (we will flesh him out more as a character in future editions as well). But the general idea is that the JourneyMan is a tour guide to what's coming up in the world of comics each and every week, typically the stuff that in theory has greater potential for mass appeal but is stuck in the vicious circle of the non-super hero world. The columns will focus on the books I have on my pull list (since those are the ones I am reading), the reasons I choose the titles that I choose, and also the books I wish I had on my pull list. As it matures, we will mix in various statistics on what sells and what doesn't sell, to see if we can demonstrate progress in raising the level of sales on the titles that are less popular according to industry sales statistics, but have the greater potential appeal to the broader target market.
I'm also writing this column because I believe the comic artform is a medium that holds vast potential for creatively communicating stories and ideas in any genre (see the Scott McCloud books for more on all of this, starting with Understanding Comics). So the column comes from the same place as the initial desire to start a company like Fantom Comics, and that is the fundamental question: "Why don't people read comics to the extent that comics could/should be read?"
Also, I welcome receiving comments back on these articles, so please post comments directly to the article.
And now on to... what to look forward to this week:
At Fantom Comics on 12/3/2009 [Note: New Comic Book Day ("NCBD") is delayed by 1 day due to last week's Thanksgiving holiday]
The Sword #20 (Image Comics)
So we are now 3 volumes deep into this one, having already seen Volume 1 - "Fire", Volume 2 - "Water", and Volume 3 - "Earth", and issue 20 will be the second issue of what will be the 4th and final volume. I have been reading The Sword from the beginning as The Luna Brothers of somewhere in Northern Virginia (not sure where) have made it onto my personal list of "Creators whom I will read any comic that they produce". Volume 4 is sure to be titled "Air". The Luna Brothers are at least partially responsible for getting me back interested in comics with their previous 24 issue sci-fi/slice of life story Girls, which debuted around the same time as Fantom Comics came into being. I've also ready their "Sex In The City" meets female superheroes chatting up their unique life issues over lunch and coffee in their previous book Ultra - 7 Days. Their art is very distinctive, and works well with the stories that they tell. The Sword tells the epic story of a young girl who comes into possession of an extremely powerful - you guessed it - sword that was created by 4 god-like beings that have lived for centuries upon centuries. If nothing else, the Luna Brothers know how to pull off the cliffhanger-in-comics format, with nearly every one of their monthly issues ending with a suspenseful full-page image that primes the reader for the next episode. It reads like a good weekly TV drama that keeps you coming back for more. What will be interesting to see is if the Luna Brothers can nail the ending of their 24 issue run on The Sword with a strong finish. Their wrap-up on Girls, which was a great read from issue 1 through 23, left something to be desired with the issue 24 finale.
Sweet Tooth #4 (DC Comics - Vertigo Imprint)
Four issues into Sweet Tooth I can report a nice pacing to this apocalyptic story with a twist. In this case it appears that the world as we know it has shut down by a sickness that has already killed off most everyone. The twist being that there is an immunity to the disease in some kind of new species that appears human but with some evident physical features of animals. So far we have the main character, Sweet Tooth (aka Gus) who has the ears and antlers of a deer, and now we have seen a woman who is either part rabbit or has chosen to wait out the apocalypse in her playboy bunny uniform. The pacing is spot-on for this type of story, which has characteristics of Stephen King's "The Stand", any number of zombie stories, and possibly the new film "The Road", based on the Cormac McCarthy book. For those interested in jumping on board with this story, I recommend that you start subscribing with issue #6 and purchase the trade when it comes out.
Things I wish I were reading.....
Pilot Season: Murderer #1 (Top Cow) - This is one of the vagaries of running a comic book store: the late shipping book. I have this one on my pull list as a bit of a flier, not having any idea what I am in for, but the idea sounds interesting enough to give it a try. Apparently Top Cow has been running this Pilot Season thing since 2007, and this will be the third year. The short story: 5 new characters get a one shot "pilot" (like they do with TV shows), and readers vote to determine which character gets a regular series from Top Cow. Turns out this book was originally supposed to be released on November 18, and I saw Comixology listing it for 12/3 until today, when it shows as a 12/9 book. Not sure if they are just bumping the date out by a week each time this title does not ship, but Top Cow is mum on the ship date. But the real reason I am curious to see it is because Robert Kirkman is the writer of all 5 pilots, and he's got one of the hottest non-super hero books around in The Walking Dead.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? # 6 (BOOM! Studios) - I am a huge Blade Runner fan, but have never read the Phillip K. Dick novel. I read issue #1 of this 24 issue series, and while I acknowledge that it was a bit wordy compared to the typical comic book, I love the idea of being able to read the full novel with an equal balance of pictures to complement the story. I also acknowledge that this is not for folks who have read the book, but more for fans of the film who have never read the book, but would like to read the book to see how far Ridley Scott diverged from Phillip Dick's original vision.
Cinderella From Fabletown With Love #2 (DC Comics - Vertigo Imprint) - I am so far behind on the flagship title Fables, that I am not ready to take on the spin-offs right now. But everything I have read in the Fables universe is great storytelling with mass appeal, and I love the idea that Cinderella is a spy among the Fables.
Empowered One Shot - I love books that poke fun at the super-hero genre, which is what I think this one is about. It looks like it's got a strong following building per its Comixology stats. Who knew there are already 5 trade paperback volumes of this title?
Terry Moore's Echo #17 - TM's other major work is Strangers In Paradise, a mass appeal title that was in stores well before Fantom Comics opened its doors, and thus we never really got to build up an audience with this great title. Fantom only ordered 8 of these, and most of these are likely already spoken for. Plus we are already 3 volumes deep in trade paperbacks on this one. I have this one on my backlist.
Looking ahead to the week of 12/9/09
Citizen Rex #6 of 6 (Dark Horse)
Daytripper #1 of 10 (DC Comics - Vertigo Imprint)
Pilot Season: Murderer #1 (Top Cow)
The Unwritten #8 (DC Comics - Vertigo Imprint)