Panelology

by Brandon

"More ranting and raving on comic book collecting?" you ask. Yes! I can deliver on that. It's free and a renewable resource. Just don't abuse my cantankerous attitude for your own benefit. My targets this week include Kingdom Come, Ultimatum, Back Issues, and The Spirit movie. Enter all who dare.

Give DC a Chance, pt. II
I talked about wanting to try out some Dc titles in my last article. This promise did not come from a lack of knowledge of DC, just a lack of appreciation. I think DC is largely boring. Could an old, tried and true, corn-fed Marvel zombie like myself actually enjoy an iconic DC title like Kingdom Come? Could I actually appreciate a book from a company I have little love for? Could I overcome my personal bias against these boring characters that are about as lifeless and uninteresting as Superman or Flash? Actually, no. I could not like.

I loved it.

While I may sound a bit like a teenage school girl when I say that, I really did love it. I thought it was entertaining and thoughtful. The commentary on the short-term gains of the 1990s superhero excesses. My love is born out of a certain ignorance of the DC universe. Mark Waid's scripting and Alex Ross' art were perfectly conjoined. Thanks to all who suggested it to me. Who knows what I will read next, but I will definitely poke my head around the rest of the DC universe.

Back (issues) to the Future
The economic situation sucks. That's not real news or anything earth-shattering. At least I hope that isn't real news to you. Comic fans are bemoaning the fact that some titles are edging closer and closer to $3.99. Now that really sucks. It seems like more and more, some comic fans are looking to trim their comic book diets in order to tighten their belts up some.

Might I offer you an alternative? Of course I can. Try back issues. I have been buying more and more back issues. I can get around 40 issues for $50-$60, roughly equivalent to the purchase of around twenty books on the shelves now. That is assuming that the books are all $2.99, which, again, they are not. I've enjoyed going back to check out all the titles I may have missed over the years at dirt-cheap prices. Earth-X, Grendel, Ghost Rider volume 2, Savage Dragon, Grim Jack, Jon Sable, Justice League, Dakota North, Azrael, Elementals volume 2, Rising Stars, and Queen & Country are just a few of the titles I've been able to indulge in on the cheap. Not bad.

How does this help the economic situation in a struggling economy? Well, it doesn't help Marvel, DC, or any other comic book company for that matter. However, it does help out the small businesses I buy these back issue books from. And to be honest with you, I would rather line their pockets with money than the pockets of Marvel and DC. Maybe I'm wrong. I probably am, but I like having lots of great books that don't cost four bucks each.

Ultimate Suckage
Um, do you think Ultimatum sucks? Me too. Do you think the new plans for the Ultimate Universe are kind of dumb? Ditto. Aside from killing off practically everyone in the Ultimate Universe, Ultimatum has been a sputtering turd of a comic, the epitome of the slide in quality for this line of titles. The plans for the future of the line coming out of New York a couple of weeks ago were also yawn inducing. Why do the Ultimate title need their own imprint? Maybe I'm reading too much in Brian Michael Bendis' reaction to the change, but I don't get the impression is terribly impressed with this retooling of his baby.


The Spirit Sucked Too
I watched the Spirit movie last week at a $2-theater. Yeah... that was awful. It was quite possibly the worst comic book adaptation ever committed to film. What the hell was Frank Miller thinking? I know a lot of people have asked this lately, but seriously, does anyone have an answer? The acting and story was so over the top that it completely removed me from the experience within the first five minutes. I'm not a huge fan of the golden age, but The Spirit happens to be one of the few titles that I enjoyed. If Eisner's stories weren't so damn good, Frank Miller may have ruined the character for me.