Lost in collecting- Om's Journal by oldmilwaukee6er

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Collecting interesting people

Soundtrack:

TUES while I was dropping off my bicycle donation I was contacted by an old Milwaukee acquaintance. The lady does not like this guy too much (he rubs raw on a lot of people truthfully) because he is a know-it-all, one-upper and a bit of a mooch. However, for a good spell of 2015 this guy rode around the intermountain west on a motorized bicycle largely living off the kindness of Warm Showers strangers.

I think as a collector of objects, I have a habit of collecting interesting people. I began to wonder if other collectors collect people?

A blogger Marvell (n.d.) wrote a Cosmopolitan-esque piece titled 18 Signs You're Dating A "Collector" - A Man Who Collects Women. If one collects something it posited, like comics, then one is more likely to collect people. Marvell (n.d.) writes “It’s just who they are. Surrounding himself with things he attaches meaning to is about as much of a relationship as he can handle.” Other traits of the notorious people-collector include being mercurial, compartmentalizing, and controlling.

I am a fairly introverted empath, but can speak in front of a room of 100 people or talk to strangers about just anything. The lady can do the former but not the latter. Also, I am a pretty good listener, and so it is easy for me to ask open ended questions, get people talking and read people’s moods and body language. As an Aquarius and a fan of all sciences, pseudo or not, I often friend people I feel I can help, and I like to feel useful to people, and (after an astrology website) as if I’ve contributed something to the quality of their lives by offering them valuable insights into how they can improve themselves. In my siblings it is a theme… there is ALWAYS a lesson.

Like with comics, I have high standards and it is hard to live up to those standards. And I do not like to feel like I am being taken advantage of. There is a flipside to that- I do not like to be taken advantage of, yet I put myself into these situations with people where I am overly generous to a fault and then I get upset when it does not get reciprocated.

There is a theme among astrology websites that Aquarius likes to collect “friends” who he may call friends but even after many years are really only acquaintances. I am sociable, but also enjoy being alone in the home with my quirks that I think others may not accept in me (after Healing Universe, 2015). Here are some more traits of Aquarius after Healing Universe (2015), the charming liar, the spotlight seeker, and naturally distrustful; Aquarius enjoys social interaction and like to be known for impressing groups of people for a good cause. So there is a theme of narcissism that probably cannot be ignored, as it pops up in a few articles on the internet.

The lady likes to point out my imprint in females is similar (after Helen Fisher), she says I like a ‘wounded bird.’ From the lady- "She’s a tragic woman who chronically makes poor decisions and is always so confused and hurt when things do not go her way. The wounded bird manipulates people with her tales of woe and seeming helplessness."

In a Chicago Times article (1993), McGrath writes about a friend who describes the concept of serial friendship and how friendships run their natural course in about 4 years. Because 4 years is about how long it takes for people to get to know each other. Friendships are often driven by proximity and convenience- the kids sports games or working in the same office (McGrath, 1993), and there are lots of reasons for falling out of friendships.

My collected acquaintances/friends:

Ecopastor Stephen

Chef Jerral

DJ Todd

Know-It-All Eric, lives at home and doesn’t work

Comic Book Eric

My disc gold buddies- J, T, & N

Good ole boy Johnny, antique picker extraordinaire

Little Jimmy Picker

The old HS crew- Minnesota Nate, Korea Aaron, Professor Mark, Navy Mark, Hippie Colin, & Yack Attack (works for state dept)

The mere fact that I referred to them as a series of adjectives also speaks to a trait of friend collectors (after Marvell, n.d.).

There is a fair amount of articles about collecting friends on social media and a theme of connecting versus collecting on Facebook. A piece by CNN in 2012 observed that “the friend collector is a wily, often drunk beast that lurks within all of us, threatening to rise up and assume our form during a particularly vigorous bout of Facebooking/memory lane-walking/power-houring” (Bartz & Ehrlich, 2012). Bartz & Ehrlich (2012) argue the phenomenon was less common back in the day. Guardian writer Keegan (2007) states that collecting friends is the new philately (basically stamp collecting) and terms it the “globalization of people,” pondering only slightly the ‘coming of age of global relationships.’

It is probable then that friend-collecting will increase as use of social transmedia continues to permeate our lives, and as we move toward a singularity-driven, species hive-mind.

Super-Schweet Spawns

After helping the LCS manager TUES morning, I stopped in to see how his car was running and get an idea of what to expect in the way of new pulls for this week (only Paper Girls #6, as I am passing on the Batman rebirth-boot).

We were discussing Larsen and McFarlane’s subpar performance and he asked the same question posed by newshane… what happened to JonBoy (and, he was curious, whatever happened to Brian Wood writing Spawn)? I will have to look into that…

When the topic of my want list came up, he mentioned that he still had quite a few Spawn back issues from approximately #2-#220 with many gaps. Well, he pulled a long box out of the small backroom and I went to town, pulling 14 issues in NM- to NM+ for purchase.

As with the New Year’s sale, he priced them out using Comicbookrealm prices and rounding down overall to $42 with taxes or $3 each.

I checked the following off my want list: 152 153 162 163 203 204 205 206 209 211 212 213 214 215

This includes 5 nice Kudranski covers / interiors. Szymon Kudranski became full-time Spawn artist with issue #201, and contributed pencils to issues 200-250, and then again with 256 & 257 (finishing up some Jonboy work). Newshane wrote about him recently here.

His 50-issue run as artist will surely be one of the Top 3 for the title, and certainly stands out during this time of artistic turmoil on Spawn.

However, during his core 50-issue run, he did the cover art approximately 17 times; for issues 203-209 (sans 208?), 236, 239-240, 242-246, 248 & 249, having to share with Michael Golden, McFarlane & others.

PS > This makes me want to go on a Spawn “rip ‘n run” taking $80 in cash and visiting all the local comic stores in the Greater Milwaukee area buying up the rest of my want list. I wonder how close to finishing I would be…?

Coming Soon- Artistic Turmoil at Spawn

The Wednesday One for 6/1/16

SUN I spent some time catching up with DJ Todd after his trip to Jamaica. He stayed in the hills above Kingston for 6 weeks, paying a local man $100USD per week for lodging and 2 meals per day. We played basketball and then went down to his favorite local courts and played ‘Hustle’ half-court (basically 21 is what we called it growing up) and then ran two games full court.

This past week I have hopped on the bike a few times and played disc golf 3 times. And now hooped. So, my muscles were sore MON – TUES. Light work around the house and online posting. TUES I helped the LCS manager pick up his new used car. Later at the store I picked up some Spawn back issues (more soon). The lady and I have started walking in the mornings again too. WED we #KonMari the glassware in the kitchen, and then most of the kitchen cabinets. We filled the dining room table with excess glassware to discard (first to one friend in a new house & then to Goodwill). Tonight (WED) is an emerging artist event at 88Nine that we RSVP’d for and are riding our bikes.

The Wednesday One 6/1/16- Paper Girls #6. I paid cash $3.16.

Paper Girls, Image's 3rd best selling title, is back this week after a 3-month hiatus and the first trade paperback (TPB). In #6, our 1980s girls Erin, Mac, and Tiffany find themselves in the future/present. I enjoy the simple, stylized covers. Perhaps a good ‘someday’ project will be to scan them all.

PS> I passed one Batman Rebirth #1, opting to sit on the sidelines for Rebirth as I did Convergence, Divergence, & Secret Wars.

PPS>> Last week the LCS manager said that he had 30+ people waiting outside for him to open up and sell them Rebirth #1 (1st Watchmen / Dr. Manhattan in continuity) and Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 (Hydra agent reveal) on speculation. I was on the sidelines for those too.

The Lady Speaks. . . Purging Glassware

Being married to a collector offers up some insightful and amusing moments. For example, Om and I decided to purge our glassware. For me, the inspiration came from a friend who gave us a set of Mignon Faget rocks glasses for our anniversary. My first instinct was to never open them because what if they broke? Or worse? That led me to realize that we had an inordinate amount of pint glasses and other specialty glasses that we rarely to never use, either because we think there’s value there or because we just don’t use them. For example, we are not wine drinkers so having 5 sets of wine glasses seems a bit much. So we thought it would be a good idea to go through what we had in the kitchen and donate the extra to Goodwill and my friend who is in dire need of wine glasses.

This, of course, led us to dig out four boxes of pint glasses we’ve had in storage since moving to Milwaukee in 2008. A number of those boxes we’ve been moving around the country since our wedding in 1998. There’s a lot of history and emotion tied to objects, even pint glasses which are utilitarian by nature. And yet this time it was almost easy to get rid of that Widmer pint glass we’ve had since 1997, because it’s an Oregon beer we enjoyed while we were dating.

Naturally, we uncovered some gems that we couldn’t part with. Notably, for me, the Pete’s Wicked Tarot card pint glasses from 1997 were of particular interest. Oddly enough, we also have a Pete’s Wicked pitcher and six additional pint glasses. We were sad to learn that Pete’s Brewery shut down in 2011 after being one of the original big three of the 90’s micro brew movement (the other two being Sam Adams and Anchor Steam). For Om, it probably was the [Om- super schweet, 'near-complete'] Budweiser retro pints that I’m sure he’ll talk about [Om- no, but I'll post cell phone photos!].

We also uncovered a ton of sentimental pint glasses from our time in Montana and Louisiana that were difficult to part with. Luckily, we have a ton of storage and now all the pint glasses are out of their boxes and safely ensconced in our cupboards.

Okay, so what did we actually get rid of? The list runs as such:

• 22 pint glasses

• 19 wine glasses

• 4 Celtic lager glasses

• 1 rocks glass (from a Bushmill’s Christmas gift set)

• 2 Tiki mugs (from an ill-advised night at a Tiki bar in Riverwest)\

• 7 travel mugs

• 2 coffee mugs

• 2 Peroni etched pils glasses

• 2 Belgian beer glasses

• 1 pewter stein

• 2 cranberry glass cordial glasses

Seems like a lot, right? The reality is that we still have 60+ pint glasses easily and a complete set of Waterford crystal wine glasses. We aren’t going to miss a single item that we’ve donated. More importantly we’re actually going to use what we have (for the most part. I mean, we are collectors and some of the pints will always be display-only, I suspect).

I didn’t plan on having a theme for this summer but it appears I’m embarking on a decluttering process. I went through my clothes in May and had 22 t-shirts turned into a quilt by Project Repat.

And now I’ve decluttered the kitchen.

It’s liberating in many ways to be free of this stuff and it allows me to actually enjoy the things I want to enjoy. I’m getting less afraid of devaluing items because I use them the way they’re intended.

Notes on the June 2016 Previews

These are things that I, for the most art, did not order but for some reason could not let go of…

Sadistic Magician: Jim Mahfood Sketchbook #1 pg. 186. ; SEPT 2016 release. $30 for a sketchbook these days is a fair amount. Seeing him soliciting in Previews did drive me to his website where I spied his new Girl Scouts mini comic and a few other things I wish I could buy (e.g. the leggings for the lady).

Spawn #266 crossover with Savage Dragon #217. Two covers, all Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane (story, art, inks), and a "nuff said." Um. No. More needs to be said. Story preview? Rough plots? Nothing brewing 3 months out? This is ‘run out the clock mode, people.’ I, for one, am in for the schadenfreud, and issue #300. However, I expect we will see pre-order sales dropping <15k within the next 3 months if something does not improve. What’s next!? Spawn kills the Everyone?

Haha! Brian Wood watched the documentary on Netflix titled ‘Welcome to Leith’ and saw fit to write Briggs Land (already in development for an AMC television show). As a former environmental scientist, I am a fan of his Massive (review ‘someday’) and own Massive TPB #1-4. I also read in this Previews p. 36 that there is a Massive #5 out there somewhere (re-solicited) and I know 9th Wave will be collected in TPB soon. BTW the Massive is the first ever series I have collected that was TPB only and not the original source material.

Tokyo Ghost #10 equals the end of the (now) mini-series and marks the wane of Image’s #4 selling series behind Walking Dead, Saga, & Paper Girls and the only other one in the top 100 overall. I know I owe a review… I have been between reading them (early on) and hording them (later); even the lady is clamoring for a read.

Backstagers #1 (of 8). I am thinking of pulling this for my niece and gifting it. She is a tween into theater culture early and it may prove a formative title from BOOM!

A new EVIL ERNIE title… the action figure cover would be a good gift for the chef, as he liked the original Evil Ernie title.

The Alice in Wonderland HC B&W manga for $20 looks really tempting… if the lady was not so adamant against collecting modern Alice adaptations. As a collector, it kills me that she does not collect more as a scholar.

A $400 Ultimate Voltron EX action figure. Ye-ah, doin’ it up! If I had all the money in the world… due out OCT 2016.

We ended up ordering the following for August (TIO = this issue only):

• TIO The Black Monday Murders #1

• Kill or Be Killed #1

• Backstagers #1 (of 8) from BOOM!

• TIO Hardcore Akan #1 a Hardcore Henry tie-in, prequel

• TIO Art & Beauty #3 R Crumb +

• Dishonored #1 (the video game franchise comes to Titan UK)

• TIO War Mother #1 (4001 AD) 1st War Mother for the lady, she's war-curious

• Terminarch one shot

PLUS - A Spider-Gwen hoodie with mask for the lady and some Black Panther socks for a Christmas gift for the chef.

Tis but an infinite stroke of eternity’s brush.

This stretch of beach,

This stick of Thai,

And thy, m’dear.

THURS was a teaching day, closing out my final class of the Spring. FRI we made plans to ride our bikes on the Ozaukee Interurban trail from Brown Deer to Cedarburg, WI, and back (about 18 miles). Soon we can connect from the trail near our apartment and ride the whole stretch; however some old train tracks and bridges are still being converted to trail. For this trip we planned to drive the bikes up to the Ozaukee spur trail and ride the 9mi into Cedarburg for a burger and beer. This is what got me in a little trouble last week, hopping on the bike on a FRI, taking off, eventually connecting to the Hank Aaron trail, and then stopping for a bevvie (or 4).

FRI ride was nice. The weather was phenomenal, light wind picking up from the south as the day warmed up. I was strong for the first 7 miles, mostly adjusting to my old seat being back on the bike and adjusting my riding position. The last two I was dragging a little, and not surprisingly we were a little faster on the return ride after food and 2 beers (though we both agreed to next time split a meal).

We have to repeat that ride and another slightly longer in preparation for a small 25mi ride we have in the middle of the month. I was a little saddle sore after 18 and my right knee (old injury) was definitely feeling it (though better early SAT AM as I type). After we do the 25mi ride with family mid-JUNE, then we set our sights on a 24-hour bike ride in which we will be participating (JULY). Bicycling is a theme for summer. FRI night we ordered takeout from the little Thai place around the corner and were in bed by 9pm easy.

SAT was a little bit of family- nephew baseball in the morning and two soccer games in the afternoon. I was up early watching The Sandlot and daydreaming about picking Spawn comics and knocking down my want list (still right around 30 books. The lady accompanied me to baseball on the promise of a designer coffee, after which we opted for Brady Street art walk in the rain versus the last two soccer games of the season. I’ve seen plenty and now that the lady is done teaching for the summer, she wants more of my time.

SUN/today is the first SUN of the month and a Burnham Bowl comic show! I texted the chef and he is in and the lady is ready for a Burnham Bowl show too. So, even though I could set up as a dealer, make my table easy, and downsize some more, I am shopping with friends and making it more social. Worst case, I can pick the show the best I can for a $20 bill and maybe have enough for a bowling alley cheeseburger.

After all, in Milwaukee we grind comics. Happy SUN & picking, y’all. ~Om

One Fine Day at the Beach (after jonesxx, 2013).

Coming soon- I have added to my Amazing Spider-Man #1 coffers and minor musings on the artistic turmoil at Spawn.

The Turning Page, Milwaukee WI

Soundtrack:

Burnham Bowl SUN. Easy, restful morning before I scooped up the chef and we hit the show a little after 11AM. A 35+ year old comic show, in a bowling alley, with a bar. Our budget was basically $20 each with $20 to cover entrance ($2ea) and burgers. No John Hauser holding down his ‘corner office’ booth, instead it was chock full of fresh stock 50c long boxes ($60 to fill one) and it was wide open for picking. So, I started in and the first box I found all the Usagi Yojimbos- 3 from vol2 Mirage series, 2 Space Usagis, 5 from vol3 Dark Horse, and a #1 for $1 reprint. At 50c each with a volume discount, I was hooked and worked methodically through the booth. About 10min in the lady walked by with two paperback books and said “I’m done.” I kept picking and found some interesting reading material- including reprints of Strangers in Paradise #1 and Usagi #1, Excaliber #1 in VFNM for the lady, 2 copies of Sam & Twitch #1 in NM-, #2 NM (both Bendis w/ Ashley Wood covers), Spawn Undead #2 NM+, Silver Surfer #75 NM-, and some oddball Black Panther for reading and swapping with the chef (Panther’s Prey prestige 1-3, and an annual #1). The best score was a Cerebus Bi-weekly #20 2nd appearance of Milk and Cheese. About 21 books total for $8.50.

While I was picking another collector friend (sometimes carpool) stopped by and we caught up. We talked about Ron from the Turning Page passing away (about 5 weeks ago), Darwyn Cooke’s passing and Twilight Children, his picking C2E2, and some upcoming Magic the Gathering tournaments in which he is competing. While we were talking about the Turning Page, another dealer Jim came over and filled us in on an upcoming WED June 22 memorial and the status of the building / collection (open FRI/SAT evenings).

ICv2 (2016) posted a tender piece written by Beard on Ron’s passing. Beard recounts that “Ron began selling comics in an antique mall before becoming one of Milwaukee's earliest direct-sales comics shops. In the 1980s, he carved a niche by importing Doctor Who toys, books, games and magazines and supporting the local and regional Doctor Who fan clubs. Ron enjoyed pulp fiction and science fiction” (ICv2, 2016).

Beard closes his ICv2 (2016) piece with “Ron's death is the loss of an anchor to the Milwaukee comics community and to this friend and collector.”

Ron c. 2012 (after Curley, 2012)

His obituary from the Milwaukee Journal – Sentinel

Killian, Ronald J. May 1, 2016. Age 78. Beloved brother of Jean I. Krupinski (nee Killian). Will be remembered by all friends and customers for his store, The Turning Page.

Private services have been held. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Riverside Union High School Foundation, 1615 East Locust Street, Milwaukee, WI 53211.

I did not know Ron well, but he was always patient and kind to me, and I probably did only 12 transactions with him in my time on the East Side. But the Turning Page was a real institution in Milwaukee, even if it was in decline during my time. OK, backing up… when I first moved to the city in 2008, we took an apartment for 9 months near the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee so that we could be walkable to public transportation and go down to one car. It was about 5 blocks from the Turning Page (about 6 blocks from there still). Immediately, I was smitten with the East Side’s counterculture history and tracked down the old comic book store, as well as the old Kitchen Sink addresses (on Prospect and Frederick streets). I introduced myself to Ron and told him I was into underground comix. The hours were odd, the store stagnant, but Ron was a stalwart. Always posted up in his chair. I knew that he, like old Geoff from Flipville Records, lived in the building. I knew it was an institution.

During my early months in Milwaukee, this was my comic store, and I probably plucked the odd Spawn issue, as well as about 3-4 transactions over minor undergrounds. He would bring out 1-2 books per month, and mostly they were reprints. I recall buying some Smiles (Jim Mitchell) and passing on Zap Comix reprints of #0 and #1. Ron always implied he had more, pointing behind him to the beyond chock full backroom, but I think he was testing me to see if I was worth the effort to dig. I believe he had more, but I was found wanting.

I recall the Turning Page was cash only, which is always tough on me as I rarely carry cash. Cash flows out of me, so I rarely carry it. Several of my friends are the opposite, and almost exclusively deal in cash, but not me, debit. So that was a barrier. And while the Turning Page carries new comics, they do so reluctantly- in about 20 rotating stacks around the register. Finally, toward the end… when I would only hit the Turning Page for the odd, sold out spec book… one would have to be mindful of change, and so basically have exact cash (like trying to buy a book or two with a $20 bill was a pain).

The last time I was by there was in February 2016 looking for Zap Comix #16. The last few years, we would walk by there more than stopping. The storefront was a study in sun-damaged comics and posters. Like bleached damn-near white at a few points. Then, new posters would pop on the southwest facing windows only to repeat the process. Stacks of preview comics or FCBD comics, the top copies fading, in the dust-covered window front. Racks of paperbacks. More books than comics and no real Bronze or Silver back issues to speak of. Rando action figures on the wall. However, one knew that Ron collected.

The Turning Page on Murray St in Milwaukee (as seen in ICv2, 2016)

The best pick from the Turning Page was two action figures – a Usagi Yojimbo platinum variant and a Delirium / Endless figure from DC for the lady. The card on the Usagi is dinged up, as the action figure was moved around the store before I finally threw down and bought it. I recall the lady and I felt like we were saving them from the store toward the end. I hate to write it I suppose, but that was the feeling, of rescuing stuff and giving it a new life.

And maybe I have a chance again. I swapped information with Jim, who is one of three people helping with the sale of the store stock and personal collection. He stated that he may need some help pricing and determine printings on the undergrounds. I asked after cool fixtures, or tin litho signage, or comic spinner racks- more it seems books, pulps, Golden and Silver Age comics, some undergrounds, and lots of war memorabilia (papers protesting America’s participation and Nazi memorabilia too). In fact, when I finally made it back around to Jim’s table he had two boxes of some of Ron’s collection and that created the biggest logjam for the first 2+ hours of the show- I held a Detective with a Joker cover and Action #89. Rumor has it there is / was an All Star #8 and Sensation Comics #1-100. Action Comics in the teens, and early Detectives too. Also, Amazing-Man #5-10 with the #5 1st Amazing-Man being rumored VF- 7.5 blue label, which would make it one of the top 3 graded by a wide margin (the highest being the Church/Mile High). These books will appear on ComicLink post-slabbing.

It seems the store will continue on FRI & SAT nights for a spell, with the focus being cleaning out the apartment so it can be rented and generate income for the sister. I think the family did well in picking Jim et al to help with the sale of the books. They are honest, well-connected local dealers.

**I love how Ron is wearing a Usagi Yojimbo T-shirt

The Lady Speaks. . . Purging Glassware

 

 

 

You better get rid of those Budweiser glasses, I believe having those is a felony in Milwaukee!

Sorry to hear about Ron from the Turning Page passing. I think I only went there once when I lived in Milwaukee when I was going to every shop in the area looking for rare Valiant stuff. He claimed to have some Valiants, but never bothered to dig them out for me, so I'm pretty sure I never bought a thing from him. It will be interesting to see what stuff this shop had, it seemed more like the home of a hoarder when I was there.

Our Milwaukee visit is just a few weeks away, we get in June 18th and will be leaving the 26th. Hoping to see you sometime while we're there.

 

You better get rid of those Budweiser glasses, I believe having those is a felony in Milwaukee!

It is even more a crime to collect 12 (of 14) in the set and travel around with them across the country twice

The Bud retro pints, c 1997, will officially be retro (>20 years).

The collector in me is bothered that they are incomplete (missing another 1957 and a 1961).

I can spend about $10 shipped to add each pint to the set, or sell these off for about $4-5 each.

Best left to someone else...

Our Milwaukee visit is just a few weeks away, we get in June 18th and will be leaving the 26th. Hoping to see you sometime while we're there.

I'll shoot you a PM. I've got your phone number too.

Artistic Turmoil at Spawn

What the heck is going on with Spawn?

http://www.comicbookresources.com/prev_img.php?pid=32963&pg=1

Spawn #263 is a bit of a wake-up call for me on this series… as the partnership between Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane has not yielded the best work or even work of high quality. In reviewing the JUNE 2016 Previews, Spawn #266 and Savage Dragon #217 are crossing over, with all Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane (story, art, inks). The description only said “nuff said.”

Wha huh, no?

It appears as though the team has very little planned for the title in the interim sans-

Spawn. Kills. Everyone.

And Spawn crosses over.

Whatever happened to Brian Wood?

Wood delivered a -script for Spawn on spec to McFarlane that was hyped in Previews and elsewhere as part of the "Spawn Resurrection" event, and he was slated to begin penning the series with issue #251. Wood left the book over reported creative differences. In December 2014, a Bleeding Cool (BC) and Comic Book Resources (CBR) article detailed that Wood was removed from Spawn after raising ‘objections to the considerable extent to which [his] -script and the larger plot was being rewritten.’ At the time he expressed that “It’s a bummer for me too” (Ingram, 2014).

What happened to Paul Jenkins?

ComicVine credits Paul Jenkins with all 9 issues of Spawn: The Undead, plus Spawn #251-254 and the Spawn Resurrection #1 special. At the 2015 Image Expo McFarlane announced that Jenkins, a comics veteran and Eisner winner, was the writer on the series, “running with the stated directive to not do anything that McFarlane would have written himself” (Ching, 2015). In a MAR 2015 CBR interview by Ching (2015), Jenkins was high on the task stating that he had pitched two years’ worth of stories. He notes that he “pitched something that's pretty radical for the character, and you'll see it when it comes out. It's certainly going to shake things up a little bit” (Ching, 2015). It also comes out during the interview that Jenkins, though a former writer of Spawn: Undead (1999), is not too familiar with the character’s canon, stating “If I started reading all of the issues, I'd immediately undermine the style that I work in. I had a couple of conversations with [Jonboy & Todd] … And then I started asking questions” (Ching, 2015).

During Summer 2015, one of McFarlane’s goal was to focus on getting a new Spawn film made, and Jenkins run hits the racks APR_JUL 2015. By JUL 2015, BC posts an article / email interview between Johnston (2015) and McFarlane notes “I have returned to writing the Spawn series with Jonboy Meyers continuing on the art chores (with me handling some of the covers and doing inking from time to time).”

Johnston (2015) also quotes McFarlane’s intent for a new direction with new villains, stating “Jonboy [Meyers] and I are planning on creating a handful of new villains for the book and showing the world what it would look like if everyone knew that SPAWN existed, instead of just hiding in the shadows. That turn will lead to a new direction for Simmons.”

What happened to Jonboy Meyers?

ComicVine credits Jonboy with 8 issues of Spawn, including #250-256 and a cover for 257. Jonboy posted a tweet stating that he was leaving Spawn after #256. I read somewhere that Szymon Kudranski took over half of the art for #256 and has some credit on 257 as well, according to ComicVine. An article on CBR, Burlingame (2015) noted that Spawn #258 was originally solicited in Previews as being written by Paul Jenkins and featuring art by Jonboy, was then changed to being written by McFarlane (w/ Jonboy cover), but then art by Larsen (and my copy has a Larsen cover).

And by issue #258 he has pulled in a creative team to help him pull off the 4-part Satan Saga (#259-262) with two months of delays (JAN & MAR 2016)- Erik Larsen (art, covers, eventually writer), TMcF (covers, art, writer, editor), Plascencia (art, colors), and Sandoval (B&W variant covers). A PopCultHQ (2015) interview asked 'how do you feel having your last issue of Spawn cut and switched like that? I know business is business, but…? To which Jonboy replied “No, no, no. It wasn’t that. I had already told Todd (McFarlane) I was moving on for another project. Said that’s fine. So I just finished that half an issue and he got Szymon (Kudranski)... to finish up.”

Apparently, McFarlane just could not let Wood, Jenkins, or Jonboy do their thing. Moreover, he likely wanted to grab the property back before the showdown with Satan, but now likely does not know how to fill in where he is in the story to where he wants to be by issue #300.

But why does Spawn seem to kill eveyone artistically? Some minor synthesis of fan theories…

*McFarlane cannot let go

*McFarlane not willing to let new creators create (ala the Angela / Neil Gaiman paradigm)

*The next Spawn movie is going to be awhile

*Perhaps Todd let go during the Jenkins run, during Spring / Summer 2015 to work on the movie and when that did not pan out… #snatchback

*Based on current sales numbers, it does not make economic sense to pay for a writer

(Source: http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales.html)

Now that Resurrection >> Satan Saga storylines are over it appears as though the duo of Larsen & McFarlane have very little planned for the title in the near future. A crossover. And likely variant covers to keep presales in the 17-18000 range.

And Spawn will kill everyone (McFarlane & JJ Kirby) in order to presell 30k copies at $4/each.

Nuff said.

Do you have a favorite artist?! Better change it… they’re DEAD! If you ever wondered who the most deadly hero is, THIS BOOK ANSWERS IT!

It’s SPAWN… he kills EVERY WRITER!

See more at: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/spawn-kills-everyone#sthash.OyZm8ULu.dpuf

Simon’s Cat pinks all over Rebirth

The Wednesday One for 6/8/16- Poe Dameron #3, my only pull this week. I still haven't decided to pop the digital downloads and read the books or if I am simply 'collecting.'

The lady and I have a lot of free time in June and so we cleaned house together in the morning and then went for a drive. Inevitably we decided to head toward Lost World of Wonders, Milwaukee’s best comic shop for modern comic books. We also hit Science & Surplus first, as they are right next to each other. I bought a luggage tag, a micro-cloth for cleaning eyeglasses, a caddy for the shower, and 6-feet of adhesive magnetic paper for like $11. I love that place. Next stop was the comic store and we were just supposed to be looking, because the lady decided on where we were going for lunch. Well, I just could not help myself and bought some Silver Age bags/boards, a Spawn B&W cover, and all the $1 books that my wee, hipster LCS would never stock- TWD1, Star Wars 1, Star Wars covers (x2), & Saga 1. Great score on some solid readers for about $22.

After that we zipped over to Miller Park, where the Brewers play, for lunch at the Friday’s restaurant that is built into the left field bleachers. It was fun watching players go through physical training, take batting practice, the Mets touring the field, etc... all before tonight's game.

While at the killer comic book store, I got a chance to peruse the DC Rebirth books that have sold out within 4 hours at my LCS. These books, and this reboot, seem to be a resounding initial success for DC. My LCS manager says that Marvel is pushing 50+% of the market and DC was at about 28% at the start of Rebirth. Rebirth is DC’s attempt to close the gap in market share. I feel this explains the move to biweekly issues at lower cover prices for many titles.

It was cool to see stacks of Batman #1 (30+), Flash #1 (10+), Wonder Woman #1 (5+)… to flip through them. I even perused Spawn back issues to steal myself for the final push. DC’s Rebirth seems to be a success in that it is generating lots of sales and interest in the storylines. Kudos to DC. I know this is true in Milwaukee. My LCS manager says that if NOT for the timely hype surrounding the Watchmen announcement it might not have been such a big deal. Interesting to ponder.

ALL the Rebirth white covers had pink color transfer onto the front covers, because of that pink ad for the Simon’s Cat card game. I had read on the boards that it was a problem, but WOW. I mean the pink rub was on every cover, typically along the spines and near the stapes (higher parts of the book). IMHO this is a distribution defect -versus manufacturing- that will be TOUGH tough tough(!) on hy-graders now and in the future. (For what it’s worth (FWIW), I particularly enjoy the Simon's Cat kitten collection on YouTube)

A pink ad for the Simon's Cat card game, similar to this one, graces the back covers of the majority of DC's Rebirth #1s.

It seems that cats, given the opportunity, will pink all over your comics.

Thanks so much for the write-up on the chaos over at the Spawn desks! Very informative and answered a lot of questions I had. Excellent read, as usual!

I think the problem is that Todd is afraid to let go. If I recall correctly, I remember reading in a letter's section that he was more or less shocked at what David Hine and Brian Holguin were doing with the series. He DID let go at that point for a few years, but he couldn't stay away. I think he kind of regretted walking away, and by that time the canon was so convoluted that it was difficult for him to get it back.

It also seems like he has a hard time keeping his fingers out of the plotlines, even when other writers are steering the ship.

Let's not forget, he was so tepid about his own writing abilities that he used a pseudonym (Will Carlton) when writing some of the early Kudranksi run!

Spawn has so much potential. Just needs the right, hard-hitting talent in the writing department. Talent. Consistency. Long-term strategy. Coherence.

And let's have a war to decide if Spawn will be a superhero character aimed at pre-teens and teens, or is it going to be the dark and depressing horror/drama that it's long tried to be?

I like McFarlane's general approach with the movie -script, keeping it dark and mysterious and r-rated, but who knows what the ultimate quality will be?

Just imagine what the right movie team/budget could do.

The Lady Speaks. . . Recent Documentaries

One of my guilty pleasures is watching random documentaries (and B movies, especially those involving incredibly large sea creatures or freakish weather events). So, today I’m going to write about a few of my most recent documentary viewings. These are all available on Netflix.

Australia’s Deadliest Sea Creatures (2006)

This one was so disappointing. It was mostly just graphic footage of damaged flesh and people blah blahing about their encounters with the creatures. I would have liked more about the actual animals themselves. 2 stars

The Frozen Chosen (2014)

The Frozen Chosen is about the 16 day sturgeon spearing season on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. Being in Wisconsin, I was curious about this. While I didn’t like the actual spearing of the fish, this was a very enjoyable and fun documentary. It follows two legacy spearing families, the Muches and the Schumachers, on their quest for the biggest sturgeon they can find. But it also goes into detail about the town and nearby economy and what the sturgeon mean to the people of Lake Winnebago. It also highlights some of the personalities that surround the sturgeon spearing. Finally, it weaves conservation and history throughout so you get a full understanding of how important and amazing the fish is. It’s not a long documentary, the run time is 53 minutes and it’s definitely worth a watch. 4 stars

Dinotasia (2012)

I didn’t even finish this one. It promises a 1 hour 22 minute CGI exploration of dinosaurs but what it delivers is some of the worst animation I’ve seen in a great while. I mean, they’re baaaaaaaad. Awful. That combined with narrator Werner Herzog’s pontifications turned me off. Blech. 2 stars

Code Black (2013)

This is a medical documentary from the perspective of the doctors and student doctors who end up in the busiest ER in the US (“C-Booth” at Los Angeles’ County Hospital). You see the ER from the views of the doctors and you hear their stories, their inspiration, and their frustrations with the system. Yes, it’s graphic and emotional but I loved seeing it up close. This is nothing like any number of the scripted tv shows that deal with the ER and/or doctors. It’s real and raw. Very good. 4 stars

Attacking the Devil: Harold Evans the Last Nazi War Crime (2014)

A stark examination of the drug Thalidomide and the havoc it wreaked on families in Great Britain. Originally created by former Nazi chemists in 1953 as an antidote to Sarin, Thalidomide was prescribed to women as a sedative, anti-nausea medication, and morning sickness reliever starting in 1957. Unfortunately, the drug caused massive birth defects, the most common of which is limbs that are stumps. Other side effects included deformed eyes, hearts, urinary tracts and deafness. Only about 50% of the infants survived either due to the defects or, in some cases, due to well-meaning doctors and nurses who “put the infants out of their misery” while the mothers were sedated. Anyway, the documentary traces the uses of Thalidomide, the aftermath of its use, and how there has been very little compensation for afflicted families. Interesting, especially if you’re one who likes WWII history or pharmaceutical history. 3 stars

Sleepwalkers Who Kill (2001)

An odd little documentary focused on people who have committed violent crimes while sleepwalking. While the documentary doesn’t offer much in the way of actual medical explanation, it does show how doctors are trying to learn more about the condition. It also follows several high profile cases and interviews current sufferers. 2.5 stars

Hot Coffee (2011)

Using the infamous McDonald’s hot coffee case as jumping off point, this documentary explores how the legal system is stacked against consumers who are harmed by companies and/or their products. Specifically it gets into detail about torte laws. I learned a ton from this one, including the severity of the McDonald’s victim’s wounds. I had no idea how severely burned she was nor was I aware of how many similar cases were levied against McDonald’s. I remember the case and I remember how the media spun it, what I didn’t know was how the media basically screwed consumers over in the long run. 3 stars

Aliens on the Moon: The Truth Exposed (2014)

I like a good conspiracy theory documentary, to be sure. This one was not that great. Grainy photos and true believers didn’t really reveal anything to me. They did include scientists who were on the rational (i.e. non-conspiracy) side of things but then the narrator would just dismiss them with a glib comment and go back to a blurry grainy photo was what is supposed to be a nuclear reactor. Oh, and it cites what has long been confirmed to be a hoax video of an alien in a spaceship on the moon as though it was fact. The director of this documentary was responsible for “Alien Autopsy.” 2 stars

Dam Nation (2014)

This is a fantastic documentary about America’s long lasting love affair with dams and the various environmental, social, and cultural implications of dams. A wide array of people are interviewed including those who are on both sides of the dam issue. This documentary takes great pains to go into the history of dams in terms of need and construction process which makes the destruction of some of the more superfluous dams satisfying. Overall a great watch. 5 stars

Team Foxcatcher (2016)

This is the tragic tale of the murder of US wrestler David Schulz at the hands of his benefactor and friend, Jon E du Pont. The tale chronicles du Pont’s eccentricities and his love of all things wrestling while showing the community/family he built around himself. Then it shows du Pont’s mental unraveling which led to the murder. I’m not a wrestling fan, but I am a fan of true crime and this story had it all. I mean, there isn’t a mystery. It was pretty cut and dried, but the trial portion is interesting. 4 stars

The Incredible Bionic Man (2013)

I teach transhumanism in a lot of my classes and this 50minute documentary is a great teaching tool. The premise is that a group of engineers, roboticists, and software engineers decide to see whether they can recreate a human using both available and prototypes of prosthetics. This documentary talks about all sides of the transhumanist issue, particularly concerns of ethics and morality. There is humor as well as hope in this documentary and it’s amazing to see what is available out there. 5 stars

Sex in Comix (2012)

At some point in recent history R. Crumb and his wife, Aline Kaminsky, have decided to cement his legacy (as though that’s necessary) by rewriting some of the underground history. This documentary does touch on the underground comix movement but it spends more time looking at contemporary artists who draw controversial or sexualized comics and art. It’s nice because it includes both male and female erotic artists and gives them a space to discuss why they do what they do. Some of the artists feature include Milo Manara, Suehrio Mauro, Alison Bechdel, and Molly Crabtree. Entertaining and informative, this a must watch for any comix fan. 4 stars.

Welcome to Leith (2015)

What do you do when your small (50 people) town is taken over by a self-proclaimed white supremacist? Welcome to Leith explores the actual events of Leith, North Dakota when white supremacist Craig Cobb decide to set up in the town and create a Mecca for fellow white supremacists. The documentary gives equal time to both sides, although sympathies are clearly with the townsfolk. It also doesn’t flinch at the townspeople’s taciturn compliance through an unwillingness to confront Cobb at first. A great dissection of small-town America and the prejudices that lie within. 4 stars

The only one of these documentaries I have seen was Team Foxcatcher, which I found interesting. I was looking for more information on Kurt Angle's dealings with Foxcatcher, but there wasn't much, if anything from what I recall. I definitely need to see Sex in Comix, and I would also like to hear why you feel the Crumbs have rewritten underground history.

OM, sent a PM since I won't have internet access while in Wisconsin. Just mentioning it as I saw the PM was listed as "unread".

Milwookie Love

Soundtrack:

I am happy to report that it has been an easy last couple of weeks, as summer begins in Milwaukee. Summer in Milwaukee is festival season, as every weekend there is something going on in the city- ethnic, music, or neighborhood festival. Two weeks ago I scored free passes to a Radio Milwaukee studio session with Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) & Jesca Hoop (FRI), played disc golf twice, hung with the boys until late (FRI), took the lady out for soccer at the Nomad World Pub’s outdoor futbolfest (SAT), and hopped the bikes to one of my fave local music festivals- Locust Street in the crusty Riverwest neighborhood (SUN). All with smatterings of Euro2016 and Copa America footie.

My sister went to college in Milwaukee (recall I am a wannabe, a transplant) and lives in the suburbs now and I recall her saying “I wouldn’t trade summer in Milwaukee for anything.” A phrase I now sometimes use. The weather was real cooperative too… pushing into the 80s FRI, then 90s SAT, before breaking quietly with a soft lake breeze and high 60s for music on SUN. So needless to say, I was sacked out shortly after Game of Thrones SUN.

Last week sparks renewal of the job hunt (applied to 8 jobs last week) and as much physical fitness as I could get in before the bike ride “up North” this weekend. I FINALLY got my Nashbar kit bike fitting right and every time I jumped on it this past week+ it carved the trail like butter.

The Lady Speaks. . . AC: Syndicate, Unity, Misc Thoughts

I finally finished Assassin’s Creed (AC): Syndicate at the end of May. I’d been playing it since December. While it was a truly beautiful game with a great soundtrack, was quite a lot of fun to play, and had a female protagonist option (only the second in the series) the ending was a great disappointment. The final battle was heavily cinematic (not entirely unusual for AC games, but this felt even more like watching a ten minute movie as opposed to actually playing out the game) and then they tacked on a series of Queen Victoria missions that were essentially mopping up the rest of the Templars. I mean, it was nice to have an opportunity to go back and finish collecting items that were missed initially. It just wasn’t very satisfying.

AC: Syndicate also had a weird WWI interlude, the point of which I wasn’t entirely sure. The money you collected didn’t translate back to the Victorian era. The weapons and gear you gathered in the Victorian era didn’t cross over to WWI. By the time I hit the WWI game, I was maxed out on experience points so that didn’t really help me any. It’s possible I missed something since I was so focused on finishing as much of the game as possible. Update: A quick search of the usual websites indicates that this was a “secret” put into the game by UbiSoft. Okay. I guess it’s better than offering the story as DLC.

When I finished AC: Syndicate, I immediately missed the AC world so I dove into Unity as opposed to playing Fallout 4 (that’s a summer game, I’m thinking). I admit, I will probably save my pennies to purchase the Jack the Ripper DLC and some of the other newer AC games. Just not right now. I have Unity to beat.

The weird thing is that Unity came out before Syndicate and yet it feels less in line with AC: Black Flag and Syndicate. The heads up display (HUD) is drastically different. The general controls are just different enough to be slightly annoying right off the bat. That’s a complaint about the AC series in general, they’re always mucking about with the controls and HUD. You get comfortable with one game only to move to the next game and find out that subtle changes have been made that seem counter intuitive. I still think AC: Revelation had the best overall controls, but Syndicate wasn’t too difficult to normalize to. Unity just seems backward in some ways.

Also, I hate that Eagle Vision lasts only a short while and needs to recharge. Eagle Vision is vital to the Assassin experience and Unity treats it like a stamina-based ability in an RPG. I guess that’s part of AC’s ongoing hybridity between a straight up action adventure (aka “button mashers”) and an RPG. Still, annoying.

One of the things I really liked about Syndicate was that you were dropped right into the action with very little back story and very little game play where you weren’t an assassin. Unity takes the more common AC route of painstakingly taking you through a character’s story until they become an assassin. I really had to steel myself to make it through this phase. I know they do this so that newcomers to the series can get a feel for the game, but I wish there was an option to skip this type of stuff. I’m not even in Paris yet.

Unity is a beautiful game. The attention to detail might even surpass that of Syndicate. There’s a ton more interacting with the environment, which I remember was a big selling point to Unity. You can go into more buildings and climb more surfaces. The crowds don’t react as strongly to you as they do in Syndicate which means you can blend far more easily when trying to remain/regain anonymity. And despite all the speaking characters having British accents sprinkled with French phrases, the crowd and non-essential NPC’s all speak French. It’s actually quite fun to parse what they’re talking about. Spoiler: it’s either unfair working conditions or farming/selling goods.

I don’t know if it’s just my controller or if it’s unique to the game, but the controls are much more sensitive than Syndicate. It’s a bit frustrating when trying to escape guards and bullies with a character that is hyper responsive.

Arno and adoptive sister, Elise, are a clear precursor to Evie and Jacob of Syndicate. Except you can’t play as Elise and the two are also lovers. But with Arno being an Assassin and Elise connected to the Templars (via her father) the antagonism and affection of Evie and Jacob are clearly prototyped here. Ezio used to flirt with women and Aveline used her wiles to court men into giving her rare jewels, but I’m not sure how I feel about Assassin’s being in love. Arno pines for his adopted sister and Evie falls for Henry Green in Syndicate and it just seemed weird.

I made it to the point in Unity where I’m finally training to be an Assassin. The training is happening in jail because I’ve been falsely accused of killing some noble. Naturally. And for now, that’s all the farther I’m going to make it because I picked up Dragon Age: Inquisition and would rather play that right now. Dragon Age will also be the topic of a future installment of The Lady Speaks.

Fallout 4 continues to wait, taunting me. And poor Arkham Knight hasn’t even been unwrapped yet.

OlMilwaukee6er made me promise to write a bit about my visit to Milwaukee and our comic "picking" day we had one week ago today, so here goes.

My wife was going to spend her day with a friend in Milwaukee, so I decided to do the same and hang out with my comic collecting buddy in Milwaukee. OlMilwaukee and I have known each other for years from the underground comix message board over at comicspriceguide.com. (not sure if they ever got their boards back up and running) and we hung out last time I was in Milwaukee (2013). I had lived in Milwaukee from 1998 to 2007 and my wife's family is still there, so we go to visit every few years.

This time we decided to make it a "comic picking" visit in that we would go to some local shops and see what we could dig up in the back issue bins. Around 10:00 AM I left my hotel and headed out to the East side of Milwaukee. Even though I lived in Milwaukee for years, I pretty much stayed in my part of town (south side of Milwaukee and the Greenfield, Franklin, Oak Creek area), so I told OM that I wasn't sure I would be able to find him. He agreed to meet me near the East Side location of Collector's Edge Comics. I still managed to get lost once I got off the freeway, but OM stayed on the phone with me giving directions until I managed to locate him. First, we had to decide what part of the area to hit first. OM told me about an antique mall where someone he knew had a comic booth set up. This was of interest to me as I had never been there, so that was the way we headed. I then mentioned there was another comic shop in Waukesha, so we headed there first. Neptune Comics was the first shop we went to. Much like most of the shops in my area (Philly suburbs), they had little in the way of back issues, but plenty of new books. I did go through the back issues they did have, but nothing of any real interest.

We then headed to the antique mall, called Antiques and Uniques on Main. Found the comic booth and there were plenty of back issues to go through. Pulled a decent amount of books, but ended up spending less than $20, but was happy with the books selected.

We then decided to go to Milwaukee proper, so we headed to Lost Worlds of Wonder. I like Lost Worlds because they do have a selection of bargain books at different price points. The $1 books are bagged and are pretty much in order, although they do get messed up a little with people going through them. The 50 cents books are also bagged, but the order is random. Then we come to the quarter books. There are actually some decent books in the quarter section, but the biggest drawback are that the books are not bagged and they put a price sticker on the cover of each book! I really wish they would reconsider doing this, but I think they are trying to do their best to not get the three levels of bargain books confused and I guess they feel quarter books are not worthy of being bagged. Anyway, I again pulled a decent selection of books. I tried to go through their stock quickly, but I ended up going to this shop about four times while in Milwaukee so I could thoroughly go through everything.

We then headed over to the Collector's Edge West location, which in retrospect I'm glad OM talked me into doing. The West location is closing this upcoming Saturday, so at least I had a chance to go there one last time. I was never a big fan of the location as they didn't have back issues out for you to go through, but they did have a few recent back issues out which I went through. I pulled a stack of books and OM had the clerk go in the back and pull several Spawn issues he wanted. My biggest problem with the Collector's Edge stores are that they have nothing priced and use a web site to price the books at the counter. This caused me to put back most of the books I pulled as I felt the prices were too high, but I did end up buying two books.

By that time, it was getting late in the day and we still had not had anything to eat, so I suggested going to Sobelman's, which is closer to OM's side of town. OM had his better half meet us there and while we waited, we ordered drinks. I ordered the Baconado, a Bloody Mary with lots of little bacon wrapped cheese balls. I then noticed that it was almost 6 PM, so instead of ordering food, I had my drink and then called it a day as I needed to go have dinner with my better half. Said our goodbyes and ended what was a very fun day of comic "picking". Thanks, OM!

It’s tough to get back to writing… for so long I did not. During the whole new case and newNew case fiasco, I sort of fell out and back to lurking- doing a little lurking too over at the ‘other’ boards (ugh, they are fugly, but it was funny to watch everyone run over there). I did write a little via PM, and converse locally, and I can tell you with honesty that high grade collectors were very concerned with not only the real issues of the case or the non-PR response but also ‘why slabbing?’ How did we get to this point? I have been thinking a lot about this.

The lady has always questioned slabbing, so I asked her to put down her thoughts (which she did 6/22). I will be sharing it shortly, slightly edited so that the post is not nuked.

Finally, we have been traveling and are fully immersed in summer. HIGHLIGHTS- The weekend of 6/18 we drove the bikes up to Door County for the peninsula bike ride. We had a 30mi day and then scored free passes to the Beer festival. BrotherJ visited 6/23 and we picked comics for 8 hours together before having a drink at Sobelman’s Pub. 6/24 – 6/29 was spent drinking/dining/walking in New Orleans, with a thin overlay of the engineering education conference; limping home with $12 in my pocket. Then back up to Door County 7/2 -7/4 with 20 other family members; the lady and I camped on the beach. SAT 7/2 at 415am we had a break-in at our 4-story apartment building with a (drunk?) guy kicking in a window to the basement and passing out on the fourth floor of our back stairwell (right as I went to investigate the cops arrived and the whole thing, from broken glass to hauling him away, took less than 35min). Crazy. I sealed up the window, took pictures, and contacted the condo management company to help better secure the window and we STILL were on the road ‘up Nort’ (as we say) by 7am. Such is life.

As for comics… just the usual pulls, mostly Star Wars related for me. I have been thinking of researching first appearances in the new comics and generating a dollar book want list. The lady has been killing it; she was especially excited to see part 6 of the Dark Jem (Holograms) storyline. Moreover our Previews stuff is beginning to trickle in; the first of which was Overstreet’s Guide to Cosplay. On 6/17 we swung through a Barnes & Noble looking for the Justice League #51 misprint (fail) and I bought a $20 comic magazine out of the UK- Comic Heroes (May ’16).

One of my favorite nostalgic memories of comic books is related to travel. When my family would drive to Door County when we were little, we would usually get something for the road trip- comic books or Mad Libs, or small travel games like magnetic chess or mini Yahtzee. The comics were usually tossed after the road trip. So without the nostalgic memory or travel (or striking out on a spec book) I would not have paid $20 for a comic magazine. However, I did and it was good!

Over the course of the last 2+ weeks, I have just about read it cover to cover. As the cover indicates, they go in-depth on Marvel’s new crossover, Apocalypse Wars, and run down the 20 best X stories ever (#1 Dark Phoenix Saga, #2 God Loves Man Kills, #3 Apocalypse Solution & Dark Angel Saga…). A nice interview with Harley Quinn creator Paul Dini about his new graphic novel – Dark Night: A True Batman Story (he was robbed/injured in RL); a feature on writer Charles Soule; schweet Attack On Titan article with Hajime Isayama (I only have the FCBD issues, but watched most of the anime). Art profile of Tess Fowler (Rat Queens); interview with Blutch; the story behind Mark Millar’s comics’ debut, The Saviour (this was good); and my favorite- a beautiful, historic, 8-page feature on the violent kids comic, Action (aka the Seven Penny Nightmare).

I ALSO did some work on my comic closet and I can actually step in there and file a modern book. I really need to do some basic collecting tasks like re-build an inventory and gain better control of it. July seems like the perfect month. As you can imagine, it is no easy task experiencing a break-in (even if ours was uneventful and over quickly) and it has me back to thinking about comic book habits. And so it begins.

PS > Picking with BrotherJ was awesome, he is such a pro. He reminded me of some basics of effective comic picking versus my more freewheeling antique approach. A) He has a solid want list; a few pages long. I have gotten sloppy about this recently and I know it meant I left $3 Spawns on the table because I was not sure. Also, I have purchased about $7 worth of Usagi Yojimbo duplicates, so double edged sword in both books left in the wild and wasted money. B) He picks thoroughly and deliberately. This is actually a trait that is shared by most of the best pickers I know. They have no problem looking where you might not. I know this to be true and still it is a shortcoming of mine. BroJ found many a book in a box that I had already passed though (to be fair he has a big information advantage on most all superhero stuff). To that end, we had the most fun grinding the Parbs’ comic booth at the antique mall in Waukesha and I received a nice education in the process. We both came away with ~$17 worth of $1 & $2 books and some of the most variety of stuff you can imagine. I picked Love & Rockets vol2 1-3, Hate 1 reprint, a stack of Usagis, Walking Dead 154 1st Beta

And this super-schweet (to me) World’s of D&D Raistlin and Drizzt Do’Urden cover (cvr price of $9.50!). USA presales for the regular cover of this book were only about 7700 copies according to Comichron, so in theory fewer for this prestige cover.