cahubble09

May 31, 2011 11:59 pm Still one of my favorite books every month!

May 30, 2011 4:05 pm I enjoyed this zero issue, but am still deciding whether to jump on the run. Project Superpowers was another Dynamite character revival project and the meta-arc never really jelled in my opinion. Trying to give panel time to such a huge cast of characters made the finished product way too convoluted. And the quality of the artwork in that series was unpredictable. I'm on board for issue #1. Maybe it will give a better feel.

May 30, 2011 3:44 pm I enjoyed these books, but can't say I actually remember what happened in them. The covers were delectable, however. I didn't read any of the other Gold Key revivals, but in the case of Magnus I wonder if the sci fi Tarzan riff is just too much of an anachronism for today's readers to be appealing.

May 30, 2011 12:55 am I'll see this to the end. It is a short distance to #72. Despite some irregularities in the art since Robertson left this title, the story has carried me through. I can't see where it's going, but I can see it going somewhere ...

Butcher's origin is its own mini ...

May 28, 2011 6:23 pm I'm one of those putzes that uses DCBS. Apologies to my LCS, but I'd much prefer to purchase books at 90s prices than not. Sometimes, though, I do walk into my local LCS. Part of it is guilt ... but it is self-serving guilt. As much as I like the low prices at DCBS I also want the local retailer to survive. Or maybe I'm just bored. Or maybe I've heard about something on a podcast. Or maybe the ambience draws me in. I don't think my monthly $10 is what keeps my LCS in business but I'm sure it helps.

The local shops in my neighborhood that seem to be doing well offer diversified products and services ... single issues, trades, hard covers, graphic novels, t-shirts, figurines, key chains ... AND gaming nights, community events ... one LCS in Denver has been trying to start a monthly graphic novel discussion group. AND they also offer pull lists. AND they have a website for online ordering. My bet is that shops like these that are innovative and adaptive will survive regardless what happens with the direct market. I also know that some shops have become quite adept at reducing excess inventory with targeted 50% off sales ... especially on FCBD.

Oh ... I'd HATE to be in the business of figuring out what and how much to order every month. I would crumble under the pressure. 

May 28, 2011 4:08 am @Wood  Thank you! I often wonder about the profitability models of the smaller publishers. Any chance you might put together a piece about Image, IDW, Boom!, Dynamite, and Dark Horse? I read laments about the sales numbers slipping of books which sell in the tens of thousands and wonder how the industry stays afloat when the print runs of so many books number in the low thousands. Just curious.

May 28, 2011 12:39 am This book ROCKS!

"Get your hand off me, you damn--" says the ape to the human ... what a wonderful tip of the hat to the original.

STORY = 5
ART = 5 

May 27, 2011 5:11 pm Thank you Jason. Very nice. I'm curious now about how TBs/HCs factor into Marvel and DC's profitability margins. Essentially, if I understand your argument correctly, Marvel and DC are both rational actors making rational decisions on the basis of their internal profitability models ... and that makes sense to me. If it is indeed the case that TBs/HCs are choking the single issue market, then (assuming they've already factored TBs/HCs into their profitability models) either Marvel and DC really aren't rational actors OR the current production rate of TBs/HCs fits within their profitability model OR they're not infallible, there's something neither of them is taking into account, and the production rates of TBs/HCs will slow down when their metrics tell them it is no longer profitable. Can you speak to the MRR of TBs/HCs?

May 27, 2011 2:13 pm I'm an incrementalist I guess. I really love both hard copy and digital reading experiences. There is something about that monthly shipment that comes from DCBS that makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. All other considerations go out the window and I lose a night or two reading.

Conversely, there is something very satisfying about reading a comic on my iPad ... especially those scanned .PDF files from those (now) old Marvel DVD collections. With a swipe of a finger or a tap, I can zoom into a specific panel and see those old books up close and personal. And it is much easier on the eyes.

I definitely can relate to your experience around moving, though. I am a recently graduated grad student ... filled up an entire 17' uhaul truck recently. It was shocking to see how much crap a single person can fit into a 325 sqft apartment ... and a LOT of it was books and comic books.

May 25, 2011 10:54 pm 05/25 -- Spidey was just swinging through the performance hall of the American Idol finale while Reeve Carney performed with Bono and Edge on stage ... fracking brilliant promo/marketing move there.