This was HUGE week for me. Not only did a bunch of books that I was looking for finally come in, but I also went to TWO shops this week and went a little crazy in the dollar bin of one of them.

New This Week:
True Story Swear To God 12 (Image Comics) – I already read and reviewed this issue. Short answer: get it now (unless you have no love in your heart, then just stick with Blackest Night/Siege).
Girl Comics 1 of 3(Marvel Comics) – Again read and reviewed. Again I recommend you pick it up.
The Great Ten 5 of 10 (DC Comics) – I still think this is the best book coming out from DC and I can’t wait to get the time to read it.
The Sword 22 (Image Comics) – This title is coming to an end soon and I will miss it.
Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet 1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – I’m looking forward to the entire sub-line of Green Hornet books.
First Wave 1 of 6 (DC Comics) – This is the only book I am not completely sold on, but I think this might surprise me.
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep 9 (BOOM! Studios) – Still a good title and I look forward to it every month.
Age of Bronze: Betrayal Part One TPB (Image Comics) – I decided last week to switch from single issues to trades for this title.
Siege 2 of 4 (Marvel Comics) – I finally found a copy and I’m looking forward to The Sentry vs Ares.
Starman 81 (DC Comics) – Why not, I have a vast majority of the rest of the issues. I might be missing two or three. Maybe as many as six.
Nexus: Space Opera 101/102 (Rude Dude Productions) – I had not idea this even came out, which sucks because I have looking forward to each issue and I doubt there will be any others.
Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys (Viz Media) – I wanted to get Pluto Vol 1, but since they didn’t have it, I picked this up and special ordered Pluto. I want to go on record as saying that I am picking Pluto up on the recommendation of Ryan King, so if I don’t like it, I will blame him. Just kidding, I will blame Vince B.

From The Dollar Bin:
Prophet 5 and 6 (Image Comics) – The only issue of Prophet I have is 7, so it will be nice to see how we got to that point.
Incredible Herc 116/119/120/121 (Marvel Comics) – I have never read a single issue of Incredible Herc, but I heard a lot of good things about it.
War of Kings 2 of 6 (Marvel Comics) – I read the first issue and nothing after that, but I liked it and I want to check it out for a dollar.
Dazzler 26 (Marvel Comics) – I have never read an issue of Dazzler, but this one is the beginning of “The Startling Secret of Dazzler’s Sister.” Plus, there were a LOT of issues of Dazzler in the dollar bin.
Final Crisis 4 of 7 (DC Comics) – I stopped buying after issue 3, but a dollar, why not?
Justice League of America Vol 1 37 (DC Comics) – The cover is torn, but for some reason, I don’t think I have ever read this issue.
Tales of The Teen Titans 81 (DC Comics) – I got this because the creative team is Marv Wolfman, John Byrne and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. Hall of Famer Creators FTW!!!
Imperial Guard 2 (Marvel Comics) – This has a cover date of Feb 97, but I had no idea this title even existed until I saw it for a dollar.
Fantastic Four 557 (Marvel Comics) – I missed the entire Millar/Hitch/Currie run, so when I saw it so cheaply, I thought I would check it out.
Bullet Points 1 or 5 (Marvel Comics) – I have no idea what this is about, but Tommie Lee Edwards drawing the original gray Iron Man. C’mon.
Give Me Liberty 3 (Dark Horse Comics) – Once again, never read any of the Martha Washington stuff, so why not for a dollar (notice a trend?)

Plus, even though I need about three or four long boxes, I picked up one.

Tags: age of bronze, ares, blackest night, boom studios, bryan hitch, bullet points, dazzler, dc comics, do androids dream of electric sheep, dynamite entertainment, fantastic four, final crisis, first wave, girl comics, give me liberty, great ten, green hornet, image comics, imperial guard, incredible herc, john byrne, José Luis García-López, justice league of america, kevin smith, mark millar, martha washington, marv wolfman, marvel comics, naoki urasawa's 20th century boys, nexus, pluto, prophet, rude dude productions, ryan king, siege, starman, tales of the teen titans, the sentry, the sword, tommie lee edwards, true story swear to god, vince b, viz media, war of kings

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This week on Teenage Wasteland…

If you know your history, then you understand that I was a hardcore Invincible fan at one point in time. So, how does the book hold up when I return to reading after a ten issue hiatus? Have my thoughts changed?! Also, some opinions on DC Entertainment, a congrats to iFanboy, comic reviews and Jeff Sandquist stops by to share his thoughts on Mesmo Delivery (which I now want to read). Enjoy!

Books Discussed
Nexus: The Origin
Invincible #70
Hate #5 and 6
Spider-woman #5 and 6

Download / iTunes / Forum

Tags: alex maleev, brian michael bendis, DC Entertainment, Hate, ifanboy, invincible, Mesmo Delivery, mike baron, nexus, Peter Bagge, robert kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Spider-Woman, steve rude

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I don’t think it is much of a secret that when I started doing Comic Book Noise, I didn’t know much about the inner workings of the comic book industry. I didn’t even know that there was a collapse of the comic book market back in the 90s. I just knew that it was harder to find some of the comic books that I had once bought. Miracleman, Scout, American Flagg, Jon Sable Freelance, Nexus, Badger,  Grendel, Hero Alliance, Justice Machine and a bunch of others just stopped being there. I didn’t know why and I didn’t go out of my way to find out.

Screwy things happened in some of the comic books I was reading, but I didn’t know the story behind them. One moment Waverider was going to touch Captain Atom’s chest and the next, one of my favorite titles (Hawk and Dove) was systematically dismantled with the deaths of Captain Sal and Dove and the  ruining of Hawk. I thought “Well, that was stupid.” but went on with my life

John Byrne was writing and drawing a damn good West Coast Avengers/Avengers West Coast and then all of a sudden, the storyline was interrupted by a couple of fill-in issues. When it came back, Roy and Dannette Thomas were on the book with Paul Ryan and Danny Bulanadi. No offense to them, but they were no John Byrne.  He was one of my favorites and one of those rare creators who I would follow from project to project.  Once I realized he wasn’t coming back, I dropped the book and went on with my life.

The pattern of things happening that make no sense followed by me going about my life continued until I started listening to comic book podcasts. From there, I found out about blogs and forums that talked about nothing but comic books. On top of that, the people on those blogs and forums also talked about what was going on behind the scenes, the juicy stuff that was only hinted at in my only source for comic book news, Wizard Magazine.

All of a sudden, a whole world was opened up to me that was apparently right in front of my eyes all the time. I dove into the comic book industry’s “secret history” head first.  I found out that somehow the secret of Monarch’s identity leaked out and Archie Goodwin decided to change from Captain Atom to Hawk. I found out that John Byrne left because Tom DeFalco had a “problem” with a storyline that he was working on. Most regrettably, I found out that most of the comic books I stopped getting was because the companies went out of business (Eclipse Comics, Innovation Publishing, Comico, First Comics, etc.)

For years, I had been told to give up my collecting and “grow up.” I didn’t. I was told to stop buying comics and be a “responsible adult” but chose to do both. Then something weird happened. Eventually, all of the information I was getting was starting to affect my enjoyment of the comic books themselves.  I had never read Previews because I am one of those people who would much rather read a comic book than a solicitation, but I found myself reading it; instead of being moved to want to get a future issue, I was usually disappointed in where things seemed to be heading and just eventually wanted to stop reading them altogether. My lifelong love of comic books was pretty much poisoned by the workings of the comic book industry.

Lately, I have stopped reading news sites and blogs. I receive Previews from my LCS but I rarely even open it unless Angie says “Hey have you seen what’s on page 135 this month?” Most regrettably, I buy fewer comic books and when I do, they are usually by companies that don’t have an abundance of publicity around them.

As a result of these changes to my habits, I find myself listening to fewer comic book podcasts. I used to think it was because they were talking about things that were no longer relevant to me, but the truth is dawning on me that I stopped listening because I don’t want to be dragged back into consuming all of the news/gossip about the industry. I would rather gauge the comic book industry on the product rather than the suppliers.

This is one of the reasons why I have been concentrating more on reviews and less on “issues”. This is one of the reasons why I connect those reviews to my personal history with the titles or characters.  I try and take myself back to a time when I didn’t know anything about the companies, the creators, the editorial conflicts, the personalities behind some of the decisions made to those titles or characters, the zealotry of some facets of fandom, etc.

I am starting to take back my enjoyment of comic books and I plan on taking all of the listeners with me, industry be damned.

Tags: american flagg, archie goodwin, avengers west coast, badger, captain atom, comico, dannette thomas, danny bulanadi, eclipse comics, first comics, grendel, hawk and dove, hero alliance, innovation, john byrne, jon sable freelance, justice machine, miracleman, monarch, nexus, paul ryan, roy thomas, scout, tom defalco, waverider, west coast avengers, wizard magazine

One of the benefits of being employed is being able to afford comic books. Here is my new pull list with Detroit Comics:

The Perhapanauts (Image Comics): Probably the most underrated book being printed by one of the big companies. On top of being underrated, it is also one of the most fun.

Proof (Image Comics): There are a few elements that are very similar to The Perhapanauts, but in a much grittier way.

The Sword (Image Comics): The Luna Brothers are “go-to”s for me. Meaning, if they put it out, I’m in it for the long haul.

Madame Xanadu (Vertigo): Oddly, this is the only thing that I will be getting on a regular basis from either of the Big Two.

Nexus - (Rude Dude Productions) [not the Dark Horse stuff]: Nothing against the reprints that DH is doing, but I have the vast majority of that stuff and want to see where the story is heading.

Dynamo 5 (Image Comics): I am chuffed that Noble Causes is no more (Thanks to Barry Nugent for introducing me to the word ‘chuffed’), but this is a good substitute.

True Story Swear To God (Image Comics): One of my favorite comic books. Period.

The X-Files (Wildstorm): I have always liked the comic book version of the show than the actual TV show itself, so why not check it out?

The Walking Dead trades (Image Comics): I started reading it in trade and I see no reason to go to single issues. And I don’t want to wait for the super deluxe hardcover editions. This is perfect for me.

Atomic Robo (Red5 Comics): I like the stuff that Red5 puts out, but I cannot afford to get it all, so I want to get the best of the best. That includes this title.

Neozoic (Red5 Comics): See Atomic Robo.

Fell (Image Comics): Even if it didn’t cost $1.99, even if I didn’t do the Fellcast, even if none of that stuff matters, I would still have this on my pull list because there is only so much ass to kick and this book has the market cornered.

Love & Rockets: The New Stories (Fantagraphics): I love Love and Rockets. I would rocket it too, if I knew what that meant.

Potter’s Field (BOOM! Studios): This is one of the books that made me a Mark Waid fan and it only took about twenty years.

The Boys (Dynamite Entertainment): One of the funniest comic books out there and I don’t necessarily like funny comic books.

Groom Lake (IDW): I have seen some of the Ben Templesmith artwork and if that wasn’t enough to sell me on the project, my buddies over at 11 O’Clock Comics sweet talked me into getting it.

This list may change depending on what DC decides to do with the Legion, what Matt Wagner decides to do with Grendel and of course, when the next part of the Mage saga comes out.

Tags: atomic robo, dynamo 5, fell, fellcast, grendel, groom lake, legion of super-heroes, love and rockets: the new stories, madame xanadu, mage, matt wagner, neozoic, nexus, perhapanauts, potter's field, proof, pull list, the boys, the sword, true story swear to god, walking dead, x-files

As long time listeners of Comic Book Noise know, one of the recurring themes of the show is when I find another long box that I thought was long gone. I have moved a LOT in my adult life and I have made the mistake of leaving long boxes at one place or another. Now that I have been living in my own homes (as opposed to living with family or renting from friends), I have slowly been reassembling my comic book collection. Since I have started the podcast, I have found comics at my mother’s house, at the house of my ex-wife’s mother, in my best friend’s basement and in the garage of my sister’s ex-husband (also my former housemate).

Some times, long boxes just appear. I’m not sure where they come from, but I know they are mine. I recognize some of the comics. For some reason, those familiar comic books are not in my database (which is Comic Collector 4.2, for those of you wondering), which means that in the grand scheme of things, they don’t exist. I even have piles of loose comics in the database as Location: None.

There has been a long box sitting near my desk for a while now and I have never really paid attention to it. I have always meant to put it with the other boxes, but it wasn’t in the way, so no big rush. Today I decided to take a look at it and discovered that it is not in the database. And like I said, if it isn’t in the database, it doesn’t exist.

Hurray for free comics that spontaneously exist.

I’m not sure what is in the box, but just quickly looking in the box shows:

• a lot of American Flagg (including most of the DeMatteis/Badger run and the Time Squared special),
• Grendel #1 (featuring Christine Spar),
• all twelve issues Howard Chaykin’s Amerikan Flagg,
• Infinity Gauntlet (the entire mini),
• Infinity War (just the first issue),
• Infinity Crusade (just the first issue),
• Infinity Inc (including the annuals),
• Invaders (including the battle against The Crusaders and the return of Union Jack)
• Invasion (the entire thing),
• a bunch of old Iron Man issues (Layton artwork. The stuff around the Sunturion times),
• Judgment Day Aftermath (by Alan Moore and Gil Kane),
• the first 30 issues of Nexus/Nexus Legends,
• Starman Secret Files and Origins (which I didn’t even know I ever bought),
• a bunch of the Millennium Giants crossover issues,
• Superman Red Superman Blue with the 3D glasses and the other Superman reprint issue,
• Superman Forever with the Alex Ross cover,
• Trinity #1 (Green Lantern, The Darkstars and L.E.G.I.O.N.),
• A long run of Walter Simonson’s X-Factor (very underrated stuff),
• The first five X-Factor annuals,
• X-Force #1 (I wonder how much this is worth now),
• Two copies of X-Men #1 (ditto),
• and a lot of grass clippings in the bottom of the box.

It looks like I have to do a lot of bagging because none of the Iron Man or X-Factor issues are in bags and they look like it. The issues are readable, but they feel dirty. I also need to confirm their existence by adding them to the database.

Who knows, I might even get a chance to read some comic books. If I do, then I will shamelessly steal from Just Bill and talk about what I enter into the database.

Tags: 3d comics, alan moore, alex ross, american flagg, bob layton, christine spar, comic collecting software, crusaders, darkstars, database, finding old stuff, gil kane, grass, green lantern, grendel, howard chaykin, infinity crusade, infinity gauntlet, infinity inc., infinity war, invaders, invasion, iron man, james robinson, jm dematteis, judgment day, L.E.G.I.O.N., mark badger, mike baron, millennium giants, nexus, spontaneous generation, starman, steve rude, sunturion, superman blue, superman forever, superman red, trinity, union jack, Walter Simonson, x-factor, x-force, x-men

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Bruce Rosenberger returns with a look at the work of Jeremy Massie, Angie and Derek talk about apologies, Angie’s Stuff It Sale haul, “Really? Why? Really? Where?”, Nexus history, Burn Notice recommendation, Bubba Ho-Tep, Rick Remender, BTVS and Joss Whedon, Are the waits for late comics ever really worth it?, Angela ruins diets, Angela hates blondes, The return of Milestone, Musical Interlude, Batman: Joker’s Asylum recommendation, The Boy Who Made Silence trade?, Young Liars recommendation, Gerry Alanguilan history, No Madman Atomic Comics for Angela, The Perhapanauts Vol 1 recommendation, What Derek is loving, Greatest American Hero, Freakangels recommendation, Love and Capes recommendation, Spy School, The Odd Squad, AmericaJr.net, Black Terror, God The Dyslexic Dog, Rick Remender, What Angie Wanted To Talk About and Asobi Seksu.

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Tags: america jr, asobi seksu, batman, black terror, blue monday, bubba ho-tep, buffy the vampire slayer, burn notice, dais vail, david lapham, dynamo 5, freakangels, gerry alanguilan, god the dyslexic dog, greatest american hero, jeremy massie, joker, joss whedon, love and capes, madman atomic comics, markosia comics, milestone comics, new order, nexus, noble causes, paul duffield, perhapanauts, previews, proof, rick remender, spy school, The Boy Who Made Silence, the odd squad, the sword, warren ellis, young liars