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!
Update Present series new and running as of right now November 2013 Update Weekly Digital Scribbles Max (now adding the content of Trek, Doctor Who, Cartoon Network comics and physical print comics with double the running time) Every Three Weeks That New 52 Smell Adding digital content Specials Digial Trek The Digital Doctor Who Podcast (weekly as of August 2014 during the new season) Stay tuned for updates.
Showing posts with label commentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commentary. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2013
FYI Episode 1 : Introduction
FYI
Introduction To My Sweet 16 Pull List Part 1
Sometimes one of my pieces needs a breather. Looking for a toy to review, ordering content to review, and so on. Lots to do.
So, from time to time, we will dig into some behind the scenes stuff and see just how things work around here with This Old Comic Addict. Today? The Sweet 16. My review pull list of titles.
Originally I admit my first list was quite unbalanced and weighted with titles from one company in particular, but over time that list? It evolved, as did how I was going to approach my reviews, until the balanced list of 16 was created. But that is only the beginning, but I will go into that in a future cast. Right now we are looking at my Sweet 16 as of the first quarter of 2013... and why these titles are on my list.
DC Comics
I admit it, I was a skeptic at first of the New 52 (which has changed over time as titles are canceled and new ones take their place), but to be truly objective preconceived notions must be set aside, meaning it is time for me to take a plunge into the New 52... my way. And that means 4 ladies' titles.
Batgirl
A few of the podcasts I listen to involve the Batman Universe family of casts, one more being Dark Knight News. So I heard all about Gail Simone (hopefully I spelled that right) and her brief stint being fired from, then rehired as Batgirl's writer. And while Batgirl would have been on my list regardless of internal dramatics, I have to admit to being intrigued.
Batwoman
I heard good things about this title. the fact Batwoman, if memory serves, is also a lesbian does not hurt none either.
Catwoman
I admit it. I am just here to see if this title's only good point is how shamelessly T&A it is supposed to be. We will see.
World's Finest
A Wave 2 title starring Huntress and Power Girl from Earth-2 (the alternate reality, not the short lived Sci-Fi show of the same name). Nuff said.
NOTE Due to the amount of titles and issues I would have to buy into to review I will not cover "Death of the Family".
IDW
Doctor Who Titles
Encompassing Volume 3, the 50th Anniversary Prisoners of Time, and later Classics TPBs.
Ghostbusters
Just because Ghostbusters 3 is dead it doesn't mean we can't follow the comic... right?
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic
Presently the last bastion for die hard Twilight Sparkle fans to get their adorkable purple book loving unicorn as she was meant to be.
Star Trek (2009 Universe)
Covering the Ongoing and all Into Darkness tie-ins.
Next Time (out of time!)
Part 2 wraps up the Sweet 16 with MARVEL Comics and Valiant, as well as an announcement on contacting all these publishers. See you next time!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
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!
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!
Monday, January 21, 2013
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!
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!
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