INTRODUCTION
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Wow. It’s the last issue of the first decade of Eric’s Newsletter. I’m only going to take a second to reflect on this since it seems that I always end up babbling about how long it’s been. At any rate, we’re coming up on December which means that it’s Christmas Comics time.
For some reason this year, there isn’t a whole lot going on in the world of comics. In video games, there certainly seems to be a lot of new releases. Go figure, eh? At any rate, we’re here to talk about the comic industry, so let’s see what’s going down…
IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE
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I’m all about Marvels Eye of Camera this month. It’s a 6-issue mini-series by Kurt Busiek with Jay Anacleto doing the art. It continues the storyline that Busiek brilliantly told with Alex Ross. You really can’t go wrong with this kind of a team, and I’m excited to get my hands on it.
OCT082430 Marvels Eye of Camera #1 $3.99 retail.
OCT082431 Marvels Eye of Camera #2 $3.99 retail.
** #1 – 50%-OFF AT WWW.COMICSNOW.COM **
** #2 – 35%-OFF AT WWW.COMICSNOW.COM **
DECONSTRUCTING COMICS
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Visit www.deconstructingcomics.com and catch these cool podcasts!
September 22: Mulele fills Tim in on the current state of his comics artist career, before the two of them review UMBRELLA ACADEMY: APOCALYPSE SUITE!
September 29 & October 6: In a two-part conversation, Tim and Kumar discuss the symbolism, details, and development of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ classic WATCHMEN!
October 13: Tim talks to Bay Area cartoonist Emily Stackhouse about the experience of self-publishing her comic!
October 20: Chicago artist Jenny Frison talks to Tim about her Webcomic “Chicago 1968” (written by Len Kody), the upcoming Windy City Comicon, and more!
October 27: Tim and Kumar discuss “I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!”, a look at the work of 1930’s cartoonist Fletcher Hanks.
More reviews and creator discussions on the way!
www.deconstructingcomics.com
HUGE DISCOUNTS AT WWW.COMICSNOW.COM
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Aside from always offering 35% off the cover price of monthly comics with no minimum to buy, each month Comics NOW offers incredible deals on some of the newest titles out there. Just point your browser to http://www.comicsnow.com to order any of these titles below at huge discounts or any other comic at least 35% off the cover price.
Here are this month’s deals:
50%-OFF COMIC DEALS:
OCT080032 Hellboy Wild Hunt #1 $2.99
OCT080208 Haunted Tank #1 Cover A $2.99
OCT080209 Haunted Tank #1 Cover B $2.99
OCT080098 Vigilante #1 $2.99
OCT082313 Impaler #1 Timson Cvr A $2.99
OCT082314 Impaler #1 Mitchell Cvr B $2.99
OCT082342 Dark Reign New Nation #1 $3.99
OCT082489 Incognito #1 $3.50
OCT082430 Marvels Eye of Camera #1 $3.99
OCT082440 Punisher War Zone #1 $3.99
OCT082339 Secret Invasion Dark Reign #1 $2.99
OCT082352 Spider-Man Noir #1 $2.99
OCT082347 War Machine #1 $2.99
OCT082464 X-Infernus #1 $3.99
OCT082459 X-Men Kingbreaker #1 $3.99
OCT082350 X-Men Noir #1 $3.99O
40%-OFF TRADE PAPERBACK DEALS:
OCT080162 All Star Superman HC Vol 02 $19.99
OCT080163 Batman RIP Deluxe Edition HC $24.99
OCT080164 Batman The Strange Deaths $19.99
OCT080168 Flash Emergency Stop TP $12.99
OCT080193 James Robinsons Complete Wildcats TP $19.99
OCT080227 Saga of the Swamp Thing HC $24.99
OCT080177 Showcase Presents House of Mystery Vol 3 $16.99
OCT080178 Starman Omnibus HC Vol 2 $49.99
OCT080179 Superman Shadows Linger TP $14.99
OCT082515 Avengers Prem HC First to Last $34.99
OCT082516 Avengers Prem HC First to Last DM Ed $34.99
OCT082517 Daredevil Man Without Fear Prem HC $24.99
OCT082518 Daredevil Man Without Fear Prem HC DM Ed $24.99
OCT082535 Hulk Giant-Size TP $12.99
OCT082506 Mighty Avengers Prem HC Vol 3 $19.99
OCT082531 Onslaught Reborn TP $14.99
OCT082490 Powers Vol 12 Coolest Dead Superheroes $19.95
OCT082499 Ultimate Origins Prem HC $24.99
OCT082500 Ultimate Origins Prem HC DM Ed $24.99
OCT082502 Ultimates 3 Prem HC Vol 1 $24.99
OCT082503 Ultimates 3 Prem HC Vol 1 DM Ed $24.99
OCT082504 Ultimates 3 Prem HC Vol 1 B & W DM Var $24.99
TOP-10 and TOP-100
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Check out Comics NOW! Inc.’s Top-100 on IRX Productions.
Download the November 2008 Top-100 PDF file (it’s 8KB!) at:
http://www.irxproductions.com/comics/nov08top100.pdf
It’s Comics NOW!’s very own Top-10 and Top-100 lists. This list is based on the internal sales quantities of the titles with Premiere being the big guns who pay the extra bucks to be listed first in the ordering system: Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics. The Independent list is everyone else, all those pea-shooters who no one really pays attention to… or do they?
Here’s an example of how to read the format:
1. (3) The Amazing Eric Comic #500
“1.” – the place of the title in the list this month
“(3)” – where the title was LAST month (“-” if it wasn’t)
the title – this one should be pretty obvious
“#500” – the issue number that made the Top-10
TOP 10 PREMIERE COMICS
1. (1) Batman
2. (2) Justice League of America
3. (4) Detective Comics
4. (3) Final Crisis
5. (5) Secret Invasion
6. (7) New Avengers
7. (6) Justice Society of America
8. (8) Amazing Spider-Man
9. (-) All-Star Batman & Robin
10. (-) Action Comics
TOP 10 INDEPENDENT COMICS
1. (1) Transformers All Hail Megatron
2. (-) Transformers Spotlight
3. (2) Transformers Animated Arrival
4. (4) Angel After the Fall
5. (-) Transformers Timelines
6. (5) Boys
7. (9) Fallen Angel
8. (10) Black Terror
9. (-) Red Sonja
10. (-) Futurama Comics
THE GOOD STUFF
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DARK HORSE COMICS
MISTER X: CONDEMNED #1 of 4
I’ve collected comics for almost 25 years, I hate to confess that I’ve never
heard of the Mister X series which, by Dark Horse’s own description,
“influenced an entire generation of comics fans and creators.” I could be
out of it. I did start collecting by exclusively sticking to the Marvel
Transformers series back then. At any rate, this is a new mini-series
seeking to reintroduce Mister X and his city, Somnopolis. Apparently very
“film noir” with “German expressionism” this comic starts to enter modern
pop art territory.
By Dean Motter.
24 pages. 4-issue mini-series. $3.50 retail.
DC COMICS
VIGILANTE #1
Vigilante jumps out of the pages of Nightwing (how many times has that
statement been used?) and into his own series. He moves to New York City to
fight crime on the rampant streets now owned by Disney. *Ahem* I mean, he
wants to bring “his own brand of justice – with extreme prejudice!”
Evildoers, beware, Mickey Mouse may never be safe again!
By Marv Wolfman and Rick Leonardi.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.99 retail.
WATCHMEN #1 [NEW PRINTING]
You all know how rarely I ever put a reprinting of a first issue in my
newsletter, but this may be the second exception to that rule (the first
being the reprinting of Sandman #1). This is Watchmen. If you haven’t read
the series, you absolutely need to. I have no idea if the movie’s going to
be any good (I’m betting against it), but you really need to read this
series. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen reminds me a lot of Watchmen…
even in so much as the movie sucked ass in comparison. So read this.
There. I’m done completely moving out of character to plug the crap out of
a comic.
By Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
32 pages. New printing. $1.50 retail (yes, just $1.50).
THE HAUNTED TANK #1
There’s a bit of irony in the storyline here – a Confederate Civil War
General comes back as a ghost to help guide a tank into modern-day combat.
I hate to ruin this cute little story concept right from the start, but
there were no tanks in the Civil War. The U.S. didn’t start introducing
tanks until World War 1. There were really bad submarines in the Civil War.
Maybe we could make a comic about a haunted sub?
By Frank Marraffino and Henry Flint.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.99 retail.
IMAGE COMICS
FRANK FRAZETTA’S SILVER WARRIOR #1 of 4
The same team that did last year’s DEATH DEALER comes back to talk about
Frazetta’s painting, “The Silver Warrior.” We’re going to throw this story
in with a whole bunch of ridiculous names like: “North of Iparsia, there is
a land of frost known as Icevald where Akrilla Sangrilak, known as The
Silver Warrior, has watched over…” Yeah, you can see where this one is
going.
By Joshua Ortega, Nat Jones, and Jay Fotos.
32 pages. 4-issue mini-series. $3.99 retail.
IMPALER #1
From volume 1 of the trade paperback into another attempt at an ongoing
series comes the Impaler. Vampires have come to the U.S. and the military
blew the crap out of New York City in an attempt to stop[ them. Of course
it didn’t, so the vampire hunter, Vlad the Impaler, helps human survivors
fight back.
By William Harms, Matt Timson and Sheldon Mitchell.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.99 retail.
MARVEL COMICS
X-MEN NOIR #1 of 4
SPIDER-MAN NOIR #1 of 4
This month, Marvel’s going out on a limb with pretty dark attempts at
telling stories about the X-Men and Spider-Man. In the X-Men, two cops
investigate the death of a redheaded woman with a mysterious “X” tattoo on
her. In the Spider-Man Noir, it’s based in 1933… noir-time, indeed.
By Fred Van Lente, Dennis Calero, David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky, and Carmine
Di Giandomenico.
32 pages each. 4-issue mini-series. X-Men – $3.99 retail. Spidey – $2.99
retail.
YTHAQ – THE FORSAKEN WORLD #1 of 4
It seems this European comic-book series is critically-acclaimed and has
been in much demand in the U.S. so we’ve translated it. Three passengers
crash into a planet in the middle of space and are hoping they might find
help from a group of deadly mercenaries. It’s like Serenity… on ink.
By Christophe Arleston, Paul Benjamin and Adrien Floch.
64 pages. 4-issue mini-series. $5.99 retail.
MARVELS: EYE OF THE CAMERA #1 & 2 of 6
Kurt Busiek returns to pencil the sequel to the original Marvels storyline
started by him and Alex Ross. It’s told from the perspective of a normal
schmoe who just happens to be wandering around, seeing the superheroes and
super villains of the Marvel Universe. Photorealistic renderings by Jay
Anacleto round it out… and make it super-cool looking.
By Kurt Busiek and Jay Anacleto.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $3.99 retail each.
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE #1-4 of 6
I love Garth Ennis. It’s true. His gruesome storylines keep me warm at
night. And I love his Punisher. So, when he decides to write a 6-issue
mini-series with Steve Dillon doing the art, I’m on-board. Every time.
By Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $3.99 retail each.
X-MEN: KINGBREAKER
The X-Men have been defeated, and the few mutants that run free are being
hunted. What’s next now that the Emperor of the Shi’Ar Emperor are
eliminating all survivors? Of course, this one-shot is a prelude for a
bigger storyline called The War of Kings. You couldn’t see that one coming,
could ya?
By Christopher Yost and Dustin Weaver.
32 pages. One-shot. $3.99 retail.
X-INFERNUS #1 of 4
Darkchylde wants her soul back and is prepared to destroy the planet in
order to do it (sounds ironic). Can the X-Men stop her? Well… gee… let
me think about that one for a second.
By C.B. Cebulski and Giuseppi Camuncoli.
32 pages. 4-issue mini-series. $3.99 retail.
INCOGNITO #1
An ex-super-villain is in The Witness Protection Program and yearns for the
days when the rules didn’t apply to him. Of course, at some point he
decides he can’t stand it anymore and wants to return to the times when he
could do what he wants. What happens? He probably gets his ass kicked by
some superheroes… I mean, seriously, what would you expect?
By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $3.50 retail.
FINAL NOTES
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Well, that wraps up the decade right there. I’ll be back next month with the
first issue of the next decade… issue #122 (gotta remember that issue #0
idiotic-ness that I started with way back in ’98… good God… ’98…)
As always, remember, if you can’t find a good comic at Christmas time, you
can probably find a video game based on the comic that was based on a movie
that was based on a TV show that you can play!
And, as always, thank you for your business!
Eric Jacobson
