My Candles Are Out, Give Me What I Want.

My birthday is November 11th. By the time you have read this, it will have already passed. None of you got me anything. I FORGIVE YOU. I didn’t give any of you a list of what I might want. You aren’t mind readers. It’s not too late though. I will accept late gifts. To help you I have compiled my wish list.

Most of you can’t help with these. I know my readers are Joe Punchclocks just like me.  We are in the mud, making this country function. Then again….it doesn’t hurt to ask.
 

More Flash
 
Right off the bat I am going selfish. I want more issues of The Flash. I have been digging the Johns and Manapal work, but I am just not getting enough of it.  I get my books monthly. In the last three months I have received one issue of The Flash. I am not going to get up on a soapbox and yell about late comics. This is just a gentle reminder to the creators to give me exactly what I want. I want one issue a month.

I love The Flash, but the book can’t seem to get any traction. Anytime momentum builds we have a delay. If I didn’t know better, I would think that the Rogues have come to Earth-Prime and are messing with the schedule. Did Johns or Manapaul get hit with any suspicous boomerangs? Were the pages suspicously frozen? Help a Flash fan out!

Stop Hoarding

 
I wish for some of you to stop buying as much as you do, and to read more than you are. There are readers out there that have years worth of books building up. Those books are your albatross, my sub-mariner friend. That pile is turning your hobby into a job with a never ending inbox.

If you keep getting a series and you haven’t actually read an issue in nine months, I want to give you a gift.  I grant you release from your psychic obligation to the series. My birthday powers give me that power. You can continue to imagine that you are purchasing that series while spending the money on books that you are actually excited to read.

Collect All-Star Squadron

 
One of my favorite series of all time. It hit the history, comic book, and DC universe nerd section of my brain. Roy Thomas weaving this crazy story in between the Golden Age stories of the past. Providing insight into why the JSA never went to Germany and why Earth-2 Aquaman never shows up to anything. You get to see FDR and Churchilll hanging out with Golden Age characters. I don’t want to follow an art form where that isn’t cool. The cast was huge and the story was almost all b plots but I loved it for those reasons.

This beloved series has never been collected, which is criminal. The JSA has become a firmly established part of the modern DC universe and these stories would provide great insight into the history of these characters. People dig WWII stories. They got sweet villains and poignant moments. Make this happen.

More Comic Book TV Shows

 
Comic book movies are old and busted. Comic book TV shows are the new hotness. There is a certain amount of excitement in the old ticker for a Green Lantern movie or a Thor movie, but I know how they will probably turn out. They will be checklist movies. The producers make a checklist of items that the fans want to see. They then produce a movie that meets as many of those checklist items. If there is a story that is worth paying attention to, that is a bonus. They will look cool and have cool moments and I will forget about any of the details in about a day.

The Walking Dead pilot has me thinking in a new direction. TV is the way to go. It matches the serialized nature of comics. It gives characters room to breathe. The producers can adjust on the move as they see how their product is interacting with the audience. A well done TV show can generate the same emotional investment as the monthly periodical. Cliff-hangers. Reoccuring villains. The fun part of comics. You can even have a bad episode and still have hope for the next one.


Marvel/DC Crossovers
 
I want the Thing to hang out with Superman. They can do a thousand Wolverine meets Batman meets Deadpool meets Deathstroke meets Punisher crossovers. I just want one with Ben Grimm in Metropolis. There is a weak point in the dimensional fabric where Yancy Street and Suicide Slum intersect. At first Supes and Ben will fight. Supes of course will be dominating but he will have begrugding respect Ben’s fortitude. A bystander will be threatend by a falling building. Both heroes will move to save the pedestrian. At that moment they will realize that they are on the same side. They will then team up to fight an army of Brainiacs. I want Tom Fowler to draw it. Supes will even get Ben to feel good about his predicament. It will be totally sweet.

In the past they probably went a little overboard with the crossovers. That ends up diluting the magic. It has been long enough that fandom’s tolerance is at an all time low. A Marvel/DC crossover is going to hit everyone like a Four Loko. Shops will be filled with staggering nerds. We need this. I need this.

More Indie Success Stories

 
I want another Walking Dead. A book that grows steadily and strongly while maintaining a purity of vision. These indie guys are busting their asses out there and I want them to get a  taste of the sweet creative pie. It has a strawberry aftertaste. This isn’t a wish that Marvel and DC collapse and that indies rule the smoldering landscape. I think there is room for everyone and that comics will be stronger if both the Big 2 and indies are doing well. Hell, I want as much choice as possible when I go into the shops.
 
Lifetime Supply of Nick Spencer Written Jimmy Olsen Stories
 
Jimmy Olsen is one of my favorite characters. He is just an average dude who finds himself in outrageous situations. He doesn't panic. He doesn't freak out. Jimmy finds a way out of his jam with his brains and guts. He isn't Superman's sidekick, he is Superman's pal. Nick Spencer gets that across in the Action Comics co-features starring our favorite cub reporter. Spencer writes a Jimmy who is smart but not out of touch.When Mr. Spencer is writing the so-called  big time characters, I want him to be obligated to give me a Jimmy Olsen story every couple months. FOREVER If I outlive him I expect him to have a stockpile of stories ready to go.

One of these wishes is bound to come true. When they do….I am taking the credit.
 

Tom Katers got a sweet Packers winter hat for his birthday. The Packers even decimated the Cowboys for him.

Comments

  1. Happy Late B-Day! Hmmm…I do have a stack of unread Streets of Gotham that I haven’t read since issue 2. Okay I’ll read it!

  2. Would Chew count as a success story? Also HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TOM

  3. Wonderful list, Tom. Hear, hear on THE FLASH. I’m loving it but I’m also missing it.

    Personally, I’ve gravitated more to YOUNG ALL-STARS than ALL-STAR SQUADRON. I’m still missing several issues, but enjoy seeing younger heroes trying to make their way during WWII. Also, it ties directly into James Robinson’s THE GOLDEN AGE, so that’s neat.

    And yes, the time is ripe for another DC/Marvel crossover. I would totally read your Thing/Superman crossover.

  4. Tom- my birthday is 11-11 also

    I hope you are ready for the giant super powers upgrade next year

    11-11-11 

  5. Happy belated birthday Tom!

  6. I agree with you on the Flash. Its getting tot he point where when i get the new issue, i don’t remember the story thats been happening. I’m not one to get livid when comics ship late, BUT having to reread an entire arc cause of lateness is kinda annoying. 

    I like Marvel/DC crossovers in theory. They just never leave much of an impression on me. That being said i really did love the Batman/Captain America crossover from a few years ago. Had lots of self refferential humor and golden age jabs and awkward moments.

    I cut my list down to only a few books a month, for budget and practicality. I don’t want to buy books i don’t read. I have a bookshelf full of trades i’ve never read, and i’m going through that slowly.  

  7. I’m gonna add some of your wish list items to my own.

     

  8. Those Jimmy Olsen co-features have been a lot of fun.  I hope you get everything you wish for.

  9. The Flash is dead!  Long live the Flash!

    It’s crazy how late that book is.  Manapul said that with his new style he can do 2 pages a day!  If that’s true, what the hell is he doing? 

  10. @ctossejr: I’m not saying that this specifically applies to the case of THE FLASH because I don’t know why that book is so slow, this is more of a general statement because I see it more and more lately that when a book is late it is ALWAYS just automatically assumed that it’s the artist’s fault.

    It’s definitely not always the artist’s fault that the book is late.

  11. Happy birthday, Tom! I got you a coupon for free hugs.

  12. @Connor: Good point.  I thought about pulling my punch on Manapul because, in fact, I don’t know if it’s his fault.  It could certainly be Johns who’s holding up the show.  I mean, he’s got the new gig and he’s on 3 books at the moment. (GL, BD, Flash)  I know BD has been on-time.  GL was late one month.  It might be him, but I thought he wrote things well in advance.  Or, at least, that was always my impression. 

  13. Damn, i am so sick of hearing "i can’t remember what happenend last issue". I guess this is what happens when you buy too many series that you’re stuck trying to keep track of so many storylines. Personally i never understood it. In my case i can only buy once in a full moon and stick to a budget. I only buy what i know i will enjoy the most. Then i reread the hell out of the issue or issues. I never forget what happened last time, i may be confused but i don’t forget. Just buy what you wanna read and ignore peer preassure. Sheesh!

  14. @TheConfessor: What if you want to read a lot of comics?

  15. Happy belated B-Day, Tom!  I regularly pine for those weeks when one of the "big three" is "out sick" and we get bonus Tom content in the weekly iFanboy POTW podcast!  Maybe a "Tom vs." backup podcast is called for?  Hmmm?  Just tack it onto the end – you know – where they just ramble on about sponsors?  The part I FFWD through anyay?  That’s the spot.

  16. Ah, Tom, you always cut to the heart of the thing! It’s a pleasure to read your Wisconsin-infused musings each week.

  17. Funny, I didn’t get any powers on my 01/01/01 bday. Wait, I did. The power to please the ladyzzz! All great ideas Thomas!

  18. 1. Nick Spencer’s Jimmy Olsen is THE best thing I’m reading in comics right now. As a general rule, I choose not to buy $3.99 books, but I’ve been happily paying $3.99 for Action just for the Jimmy Olsen back-up.

    2. I second "More Flash" – except by that I mean I want more Wally West.

    3. Most importantly, what issue is that awesome Thing panel from???  I need to go buy it right now!

     

  19. Happy Bday Tom!! An awesome Marvel/DC crossover maybe just what the industry needs!

     

  20. Oh man I agree with you on The Flash. I have lost intrest in it. I waited for what seemed like 2 years for Flash Rebirth to finish.

    Happy B’day.

     

  21. Happy belated Birthday Tom! 

  22. @theconfessor–you shouldn’t make so many unfounded assumptions.

    Momentum is important in any sort of serialized fiction like comics and tv shows. It keeps interest and makes sure that your readers/viewers don’t lose interest. Its a shame that such a great title as The Flash has such a momentum problem right now. 

  23. the irony in flash not having momentum.

    the only thing that would be more ironic is if the juggarnaut had his own series with no momentum. 

  24. Thing vs Superman is a great idea.

    Captain America needs to teamup with Jay Garick.

  25. This is where you won me over:

    "I want Tom Fowler to draw it."

    You should be an editor.

  26. There aren’t many people that could make me honestly say to myself, hmmmm, I should really go back and find issues of All Star Squadron, but you sir have done just that. Amazing. 

  27. Happy birthday in a belated fashion. I would love to have the All Star Sqaudron collected. Long live the original commander Steel.