Summer 2013 Day -1 : Start of Summer

Well the summer for me starts after tomorrow, so rotating throughout my blogs will be a daily post related to work going on during the summer as related to each blog in question.

For Comic Addict, and several other blogs, it is watching the box for the last big trade before summer, and the laptop I plan to use to kick start the podcasts back into full production. It is the last trade... and no updates yet. I finished my end but still no updates. Oh well. Hopefully that changes soon. Stay tuned for updates.

Otherwise I am waiting on getting This Old Comic Addict and This Old DC Swag going once again soon. Got LOTS to review, just need to get to reviewing it.

Oh, mini reviews coming soon here, stay tuned.

Podcast Update April 2nd 2013

All new casts are up and available! New OMGComics (Easter Edition), new That New 52 Smell (update on subscriptions) and new This Old Comic Addict (first unboxing two parter).

New stuff on the way, stay tuned!

FYI : Live Recap of Upcoming Podcasts

Usuallty I just write this out in advance and cut and paste the update, but today we are waiting on boxes and packages that will mean new episodes.... well, TWO new episodes anyway... so while we wait on the long slow ship from California for two "packages" and the plane with the one package of TPBs let's recap what we are waiting on...

OMGComics Episode 1
This one we're unpacking the package of TPBs for this one, even though maybe only so much content will be actually used for this one seeing how I am cutting off the date from 2010 to present review wise so... I have very little in that range... really. Maybe I need to expand to 2001... anyway the TPB unpacking will have hopefully new stuff for this cast, even if I have to crank it back abit year wise... should be in the box today, said so on the it should be here today thing on the USPS site... sigh.

This Old Comic Addict Episode 2
This one we're unpacking two... packages... I'm guessing box like things considering the amount that is coming in but we'll see... anyway lots of content from Valiant, the Malibu Ultraverse and MARVEL here to go over... when the two packages ever arrive. I mean it left the East Coast on March 5th, was supposed to be here March 20th and... it is still between California and here... maybe it's still on the boat. Stay tuned.

Other casts awaiting things
That New 52 Smell
Subscription resolution finally happening in a few days... for maybe 10-20% of the review content... well, I didn't say it would be a dramatic resolution but it pushes the series forward ever so slightly.

20% more should be resolved by May, and another 20% by June so... hmmm... that leaves 20-30% to resolve which will all be done by June... like I said, not too exciting but it will mean a full show every week or two of content to review.

So far first Phase, the Super Phase, is moving along OK and this week's resolution will make a major mark on this. The second phase, to be announced, will be announced in April.

As for the first unpacking and review? Still waiting on it. And yes... DC Comics never responded to my email about my question about subscriptions... sigh... I guess I can send another email and see what happens... poke and prod them enough and maybe somebody will cry out "WE DON'T LIKE PEOPLE!!" and then that's it... wow... that's kinda sad and pathethic if you think about it. Sigh.

Well that's it for my live typing. Later on today I will live type content on RKYV Revue, stay tuned (as hopefully that will contain updates). See you!

TOCA Journal 1 : That Unboxing Episodes

TOCA Journal - Waiting for Something Man

These days alot of my podcasts seems to rotate around the concept of... waiting.

And not just That New 52 Smell either in terms of subscriptions made or in negotiation. I also mean waiting for trades for This Old Comic Addict, or even This Old DC Swag... and even for Pocket Gamer.

Yup. Waiting to exhale, and do unboxing episodes, is universal. Boring and universal.

The longest wait is for two boxes sent for a giant trade. The unboxing of these two? Most definitely an episode of This Old Comic Addict will revolve around the unboxing. But really. It was sent via ground, and the longest part is the long ship trip between California and Hawaii... still it is almost here, so recording shortly.

Another trade, another opening episode for This Old Comic Addict. Not nearly quite as massive as what I am expecting in the first trade, yes, but still vitally important. This trade will provide fresh review content for my RKYV reviews, being fresher stuff. Timing wise this will probably arrive on a weekend I usually record an episode of This Old Comic Addict so that works out well for me.

But moving things is not just for This Old Comic Addict. Skipped a week of Waiting To Recharge over at http://www.rpgunite.blogspot.com  because I didnt have much to report on... this week I should have abit to say in that regard.

Finishing a trade for subscriptions for That New 52 Smell... still hoping for a positive outcome. Stay tuned.

So... anything else? Nothing to report on for now, but all of this does bring up the topic of unboxing episodes... who gets them.

Top of the list is This Old Comic Addict, and This Old DC Swag, two series that dig into the past is full of potential for unboxing episodes now and then.

I thought we would do more unboxing for a newer cast not That New 52 Smell... maybe we still could do that. Once I am of a higher level as a reviewer.

Finally less unboxing and more unveiling everytime a new subscription issue arrives. Something that will become more and more commonplace as the review titles all fall into place one by one. Still I wonder if, over time, we might not also see a more traditional unboxing of review content over time, and the advent of donations or... heaven forbid... finally meeting DC Comics criteria as a reviewer worthy of access.

Hmm... I think I will keep track every weekend of incoming trades and potential donations for unboxing episodes... starting next week. So stay tuned!

New Podcasts now available

Two new podcasts are now out and available.

This Old Comic Addict Episode 1
Coverage of comics 80's, 90's and early 2000's are covered This episode it's the start of coverage of Malibu's less successful super hero line, the Protectors' era, starting with Protectors #1-#2, The Ferret One Shot and Arrow One Shot.

Next Episode - The other part of Malibu's heroes, the Ultraverse first episode coverage.

This Old DC Swag Episode 1
Same as This Old Comic Addict, focused on DC. This episode I begin covering DC's first run of Star Trek (in the 80's) with Star Trek #1-#2 (and the many reasons why you should be reading this if you haven't yet)

More stuff (including the launch of That New 52 Smell) coming soon, stay tuned!

This Old Comic Addict : X-Men Evolution Part 1

This Old Comic Addict
X-Men Evolution Part 1 (#1-#2)
Publisher - MARVEL (2002)
Writer : Devin Grayson
Art and Colors : UDON with Long Vo, Charles Park and Saka of Studio XD
Lettering : Sharpfront's Randy Gentile
Editor : Ralph Macchio(*)
Associate Editor : Brian Smith and C.B. Cebulski (Issue #7)
Editor in Chief : Joe Quesada
President : Bill Jemas

(*) - I had to be told by Ninja High School creator Ben Dunn during an interview that this isn't Daniel-san from The Karate Kid movies.

NOTE - As of this review I didnt have X-Men Evolution Issue #8 to review.

Continuing our trip down comic book memory lane, specifically comic book adaptations of animated series. This time out the MARVEL adapt of X-Men Evolution, basically a weird prequel X-Men universe mixing up younger X-Men from a smathering of different decades and teams... oh, and Storm now has a nephew named Evan Daniels aka Spyke.

X-Men Evolution. That weird hybrid of teen angst, school drama and comic action. Oh. And as your about to see it also does a rewrite of established X history on occasion.

OK. Lets see. These eight issues basically kick off the series from the beginning. In Issue One we find Wolverine lying in the snow in Canada, apparently missing both his shirt and his memory. Head on over to America and Xavier is meeting and recruiting Ororo aka Storm... well I did say Evolution tends to rewrite X history... next up Xavier is having a cup of Earl Grey with old frienemy Magnus aka Magneto. The subject of the so called "Wild Man" of Canada comes up and suddenly Xavier has to cut short his usual human mutant talk with Magnus (and a disguised Mystique playing the role of a cute maid) in order to do his thing. Which lead to both Xavier and Magneto trying to recruit Logan at the same time... given the choice beteen peace and war by the two, Logan chooses peace... then spends the rest of the series being the character most likely to break things first and give peace a chance later. Go figure.

Issue Two introduces Cyclops. A well meaning good soul who had a bad break when his parents die in a plane crash... only for his dad to come back later as a space pirate... sheesh.

But that, and people's general fear of people who uncontrollably shoot lasers from their eyes wont get him down, even if he does save a kid from bank robbers only to be shunned by the girl's retard mom and assaulted by a cop for being different.

I am sure there is a friendship lesson there somewhere for Cyke to write.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle

Sometimes people are jerks.

Your faithful student Cyclops

Oops! Out of words! Come back next week and we will wrap up with our look at X-Men Evolution Issue 3 to 8.

See you then!

This Old Comic Addict featuring Justice League Adventures #1

This Old Comic Addict Blog
Justice League Adventures #1 (2001)
Publisher : DC Comics
Writer : Ty Templeton
Penciler : Min S. Ku
Inker : Dan Davis
Letterer : Kurt Hathaway
Colorist : John Kalisz
Seperations : Heroic Age
Assistant Editor : Steve Wacker
Editor : Dan Raspler

(Apparently it does take a village to produce a substandard comic)

In the never ending battle between DC and MARVEL (animation edition) DC and MARVEL tend to excel in opposite sides of the equation.

In this case? In this case DC puts out some great animations, but MARVEL does great comic adapts of animations.

As we count down to March and the demise of Green Lantern and Young Justice the animations, we look at the best and worst of comic adaptations of animations.

One of many examples of the bad is Justice League Adventures, based of course on Justice League.

In "Disarmed", a nice marathon sitting and staring session of the League is interrupted by a female bug alien claiming to be from an organization of female aliens going around cleaning up the messes made by male... no, no, I mean the messes that usually get air time on cable news... you know, ones that don't involve Republicans and things utilizing words like "legitimate", "socialism" and "is that camera on?" and "do I sound crazy to you?"

Yes, things are not what they seem, even if there seems to be an obvious "device" that may be a bomb... a rather awkward looking green glowing thing that is supposed to be a bhomb... and the alien that showed up yes turns out to be probably evil... or just bored... which is what you'll be reading this. It has no real story past a cookie cutter paint by numbers thing, even the heroes seem boring, and there are the little people, like the girl obsessed with getting autographs of supers. Nothing here to even make you think of the Justice League animated series, but maybe you'll think of the old Superfriends show... it actually seemed like something you'd see from that. And the rest? The artwork is toonish... way way too toonish down to the level of Superman or Batman Adventures (comic) toonish... and there is just nothing here to even tell you to go and find this if your curious.

So... luckily this comic didn't last long so I won't have much to review in the future. A 1 out of 5.

Next time, hopefully on time, we'll look at something a little better... not much but it won't rate a 1 out of 5... the X-Men Evolution comics, which for some strange reason had even less issues than this!... wow... really? See you next time!

Weekly Posts

Every week I plan to post up four ongoing content series exclusive to this blog to keep it updated on a regular basis! Starting today and continuing onwards we'll cover...

Tuesday : This Old Comic Addict
Old school reviews from the past exclusive to this blog.

Thursday : FYI
Behind the scenes on all I am presently working on with RKYV Online and more.

Saturday : Book Em' Danno!
Covering the titles and companies I will be working with in a series of coming e-books covering the pasts of Defiant Comics, Malibu's Ultraverse, Realbuzz Studios and Valiant Comics in the 90's.

Sunday : Weekend Newsstand
News from the publishers I contacted and various news I've heard from across different podcast. As of this date the news from publishers come from IDW. Stay tuned for updates.

That's the weekly content! Stay tuned as I start rolling out content! Also I should hopefully, knock on wood, have news on RKYV Online #55's release soon. Stay tuned for that too!

Review Update (February 2nd)

Here's an updated list of titles I am reviewing for OMGComics!... notice how they're now balanced between four companies (DC, MARVEL, IDW and Valiant)

DC Comics
Batgirl
Batwoman
Catwoman
World's Finest (with Power Girl)

IDW
Doctor Who titles
Ghostbusters
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic
(NO ALICORNIFICATION OF TWILIGHT SPARKLE IDW! DON'T YOU DARE!!)
Star Trek (movie) titles

MARVEL
Guardians of the Galaxy
New Avengers
Superior Spider-Man
XX

Valiant
Archer and Armstrong
Bloodshot
Shadowman
X-O Manowar
(I will review Harbringer in TPB format sporatically)

Well that's the future line up. Presently I'm doing abit of trading for content all about, so I probably won't hit up Things From Another World again for awhile... but I should be doing that soon so stay tuned!

Could I... have a new home?

I think I do! Well, it's new to you in any case if you haven't been reading RKYV Online for awhile.

Returning back to full speed ahead with Issue #55 it's back and ready for you to check out shortly. And I might even be able to return reviewing wise there! Me so happy! I actually have a home (again)! Thank you Mr. Pare for taking me back in!

So updates on new reviews as I write them up here, and I'll let you know when the newest issues of RKYV Online is up for you to check out!

Now back to work!

Maybe this'll work...

How about submitting my preview reviews to a site the hosts people looking for writing work? I just wrote five short 300 word reviews... well it was going to a site that was looking for reviewers, but as it turns out what they were looking for wasn't what I was offering... for submission to all future potential homes... figured I would see if they would accept me and host my samples for potential sites to look at. Best of luck.

Posting up new content here tomorrow, stay tuned.

This Old Comic Addict Presents Good Idea versus Bad Idea

Good Idea vs Bad Idea on Guns in Comics
Featuring Batman Gotham Knights Issue #24 and Protectors Issue #5

Retro! Retro! Retro! Retro comic topic? Right here... yes, I know alot of the content here is brand spanking new and all but... sue me, it helps with my budget until my next purchase from Things From Another World. Anyway this is the sub topic Good Idea versus Bad Idea. Each time we'll look at one good and one bad idea in comics from past and present, and we'll see how they rack up. Today? It was on this day (January 16th 2013) that President Obama signed up nearly two dozen executive orders to begin slowly but surely handling gun violence in
America. It won't be a quick fix, and it will be a long time we'll need to discuss and ultimately find ways to curb gun violence, but we'll get there one day... these two comics? In one way or another have gun in their topic. Figured that would be a good way to kick off the topic. Starting off? Bruce Wayne finds himself at odds over guns
with... Batman... yeah, it's one of those issues.

Good Idea(?) - Bruce Wayne and Batman argue about guns... with each other.

Batman Gotham Knights #24
DC Comics
February 2002
"The Devil You Know"
Writer - Devin Grayson
Pencils by Roger Robinson
Inks by John Floyd
Seperations by Wildstorm FX
Lettering by Bill Oakley
Assistant Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Bob Schreck

After a night of busting the heads of gun totting guys, Batman returns home (back in the day when he used to have that bodyguard Sasha... remember her?) only to get a call from a local gun shop. Seems his gun is all ready to be picked up, only Bruce seems to be in denial because he doesn't remember ordering a gun. So off to the Batcave he goes, where he has an argument with the only one who could have done it... Batman... soooooo Bruce is having an argument with his other self, represented by a brooding Bat cape and cowl that lords over hiim
insisting that Bruce needs to get over his phobia with guns. Why? Flashback time!

Apparently we go back a week prior, and it seems Lucius Fox had a stroke and is in pretty bad shape. Doesn't help the situation none as Bruce, typing up an inner office memo on the subject, is confronted by a gun totting employee who blames Bruce for what happened to Lucius. The situation is quickly resolved, but instead of feeling anything over the accusation and any feelings over Lucius' condition suddenly Bruce gets all obsessed with guns... gee, thanks Bruce. You're all heart.

So long story short "Batman" forces Bruce to go get the gun, in the end having him hold the gun in front of the portrait of his parents before he throws it in disgust and collapses crying. Overall? I would say this would have been a pretty strong well done story, the whole Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman having a debate
over guns and Bruce's phobia about them... only as it turns out the exact next thing that happened was the whole Bruce Wayne Murderer? slash Fugitive storyarc where this Vesper Fairchild lady (if I remember right) ends up murdered in Wayne Mansion and Bruce Wayne is the prime suspect, so I am guessing this just set that all up and wasn't actually meant to really address the actual topic of guns.

Nice to think it did, but I am not going to hold my breath. A ultimately not as impressed as I wanted to be 3 out of 5. Hence the ? at the start with "Good Idea" by the way... this conversation? It WAS a Good Idea... just it ultimately just sets up the next major Batman storyarc going through all his titles and ultimately feels lesser
because of it. If it was just that, and we didn't have this big storyarc about murder next (and I think it was probably a shooting death as opposed to, say, death by bat gadget) they I probably would ultimately have been more impressed. It wasn't, I'm not, moving on to another topic that I have even less love for. Horrible gimmicks in
comics.

Bad Idea - Worst Gimmick Ever! Bullet hole through comic gimmick!
Protectors #5
Malibu Comics
January 1993
Write - R.A. Jones
Pencils by Thomas Derenick
Inks by Deodato
Lettering by Clem Robins
Cover Artists - Thomas Derenick and Mike Miller
Cover Colorist - Albert Calleros
Interior Colors - The Malibu Pack Rats
Interior Color Designs - Tom O'Connor
Seperations - Edd Hendricks and Mark Christy

There are, to date, some horrible horrible gimmicks out there. Some, like multiple variant covers, live on to this very day. Others, happily, died way back in the day. One such gimmick? Shooting a hole through a comic with a gun... seriously, shooting a hole through a comic with a gun... then selling the comic with said hole through it.
True gimmick, I swear. Type down "bullet hole comics" and look it up yourself. Thankfully the gimmick was very short lived, and so far from what I read it was only done once for real. This one, Protectors #5, it was punched by a machine. And done badly.

While the original comic had it's creators actually incorporate the hole into the stories within? This comic didn't even attempt it. It's basically just a pointless hole punched through a comic. What is the comic about? Well, Protector's #5 (about near the end of the first story arc which lasted six issues) is about how a young hero of this
super hero group called The Protectors rushes off to try and capture this major villian named Mister Mondayk, only to be  brutally murdered by said villian. Oh and if your wondering? It's a bullet hole cover showing him being short through the chest by a bullet hole, despite the fact Mister Monday didn't even use a gun to kill the hero in
question! He basically zaps and beats him to death, writing the rather quaintly stupid message "Monday Rules" in the boy's own blood for his teammates to find.

The hole is entirely pointless. It is just there as a horrible horrible pointless gimmick. And, if you think about it, a possibly last minute gimmick as nothing was done to even incorporate the hole into the comic! Pages were not drawn to accomidate the presence of the so called bullet hole, advertisers were not warned (and they were
rather peeved about that when they got their copy and saw their ads messed up by the hole), and not even the death of the character in question fit the gimmick... at the very least he should have been, oh I don't know, SHOT TO DEATH BY A GUN!!

Thankfully it's been just over 20 years, and to date this is just a sad little note in comic book gimmick history that thankfully nobody has ever again tried to emulate. And given the present nature of the discussion of guns in today's society I have a feeling it would not go over well with people is somebody tried to bring back the "gimmick". Oh well.

Next time I hope we have a cheerier topic to Good Idea versus Bad Idea!

Post Script
Apparently Bruce Wayne's thing with holding guns isn't done yet, as it looks like, from the cover of the upcoming Batman #19 from the new 52 Universe, he's actually shooting a gun at someone... but this is the new 52 and Batman from 10 years ago can't possibly be to blame for Bruce suddenly shooting people, right? Let's blame the Joker... or something. Seriously though what's up with that cover? Maybe I should look into that for OMGComics!... stay tuned!

Thrown Out... Again.

Well and I was so hopeful that my articles were at least having a chance, but once again I am thrown out of another place I could have called home. Sad. But nothing to do about that but buck up, roll out the search site for a new place to hang my hat, and try again. In the meantime I will drop an article here weekly so I can use this as a referral for my search for a new home.

So I should have an article up shortly. Stay tuned and please recommend me to people to check me out please, follow this blog, that would be most appreciated by myself. Thank you.

A Week Has Passed...

And so far things are looking pretty... well, hopeful.

So far, to date, only one article got bounced while I got four presently in consideration (one being in consideration for over a week). I do keep looking back at the site, though nothing I wrote has yet appeared so I take it they're all still being considered. Well, at least they're still being considered. That's good... right?

Going to send off an email today asking for any input on how to tighten up the articles. Maybe abit more spit and polish can improve their content? We'll see.

So far up for consideration is...
Multimedia Talk Episode Zero
Adam Warren's Dirty Pair 6" Figures (Kei & Yuri) (2002)

OMGComics Episode Zero
Reviews of Doctor Who Volume 3 #1-#2, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #1 and Star Trek Ongoing #11-#12

Stop The Madness! Episode Zero
Amazon and SHIELD, a first look.

This Old Comic Addict Episode Zero
Good Idea Versus Bad Idea
Batman : Gotham Knights #24 versus Protectors #5

Already writing content to continue these, and add one more series to the rotation. Hopefully there will be some updates soon, but all in all this is why I am waiting for a dozen articles to clear and be accepted before I post up the site I'm submitting to... things could go any which way right at this moment. Still, even if I do get thrown out... again... I can still buck up and submit elsewhere. Look on the bright side, eh?

Updates coming soon. Stay tuned.

Submissions To Date (January 17th 2013)

Submissions move ever forward! What have I done to date?

OMGComics
Reviews of Doctor Who Volume 3 Issues #1-#2, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #1 and Star Trek Ongoing #11-#12
Status - Well... it hasn't been rejected yet so it's my first... success? Maybe? Yes? No? Stay tuned. Should have a new article done at the start of February.

This Old Comic Addict
Good Idea vs. Bad Idea featuring... guns in discussion and a gun related bad gimmick!
Batman : Gotham Knights #25 versus Protectors #5
Status - Newest review out

That is presently what I cranked out waiting for their verdicts. What am I working on?

Multimedia Talk
Toy review! Adam Warren's Dirty Pair 6" Kei and Yuri figures (2002)

Hmm... I need to get some more reviews cooking! Stay tuned for updates!

Welcome to "This Old Comic Addict"!

Now that I am pushing my way to doing regular ongoing reviews of many a things, mostly comics and comic related things, I thought it'd be great to get a blog going to cover alot of what I am doing... wherever I am doing it with.

Truth be told I am presently submitting to one online site in particular, but I probably won't announce where until I meet with a measure of success and publish... let's say a dozen. Once I got a dozen successes under my belt I think I can safely say I can finally say where I have been submitting to.

So far my record is one fail and one awaiting confirmation. 50%? Not too bad but I can do better.

So what will you see here?

- Updates on reviews I am presently working on.
- Updates on my podcasts once I get them back up and running again related to the topics here.
- Failed reviews. Just because they were rejected it doesn't mean I can't share them with you.

All that and more. We are just getting started so please recommend us to a friend, and stay tuned for fresh content as I work hard to get new stuff out!