Ah, Wednesdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the middle of the week that helps us get through the rest of it. Wednesdays also have new toys, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
This week is the release of the Harley Quinn 1:6 scale figure, and the release of the Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura Star Wars mini-busts. Just as a note, the mini-busts may have come out earlier, but my store just got in our shipment. I can't find a release date for them that I'm sure is the official one.
I missed them last week, but Marvel has several busts solicited for, including classic Cyclops, classic Havok, Daredevil movie, and Punisher movie (upcoming movie). They've also announced a 1:6 scale Mark II Iron Man figure; which looks very cool. All are imports, though, so make sure you let your shop know you want them as imports can be difficult to get after they've been released.
That's all for this week. If I missed any or there are some in the future you want me to talk about, send me an email.
..."'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."
...With "Batman vs. Superman" and "Justice League" stalled, Warner Bros. has quietly adopted Marvel's model of releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels to build up to a multicharacter film. "Along those lines, we have been developing every DC character that we own," Mr. Robinov says.
Like the recent Batman sequel -- which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far -- Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as "The Dark Knight." Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.' DC properties. "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it," he says. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.
WB has been kind of...noncommittal to the movies they say are coming out. Wonder Woman, Justice League and Green Arrow have all been mentioned as movies, then halted, re-started, and halted again. Looks like WB will announce further plans next month, though who knows if they'll stick to it.
The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.
Today, and weekly from now (until I think of a tip, actually) on I will regale you with tales of the dark and mysterious comic shop; strange tales to chill your bones, scare little kids and...
Ah, frak it. On with the stories.
Tale #3 ~ Spider-Man has Boobs?
No, this wasn't a quote. Not quite anyway. A couple came into the store looking for comics for their son (they said as much :P ). Their son was apparently fairly young as they went right to the children's area to look at the comics there. At one point, the man picks up one of the small trades of Spider-Girl and says out loud "Spider-Girl?"
"She's the daughter of Spider-Man, in an alternate future. It's pretty well done and would be great for kids as well as adults", I said. He looked at me incredulously. I explained further that it was done in a style similar to late silver age/early modern age in that while there is some angst, the story is overall very light; much different from the current Spidey books.
Still looking incredulous, he said "I don't know, I don't think I can accept a Spider-Man with boobs."
It was my turn to look incredulous. "Well, she's not Spider-Man. She's a different person with different troubles. She's more popular in school, she still has snarky comments in battle, but she's a different person."
"Yeah, I don't think so." He said, then bought a trade of the Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man.
I don't know what exactly he had a problem with. I don't know if it seemed like a marketing thing to get more people to read the comic, or if he really had a problem with female characters taking up the mantle of a male predecessor. I do wonder if there was a comic called "Spider-Boy, the Son of Spider-Man" if he would have had the same issue with it (if he had an issue with perceived marketing) or if he would have thought it was a great idea. Had it been my own store, I might have asked him. As it wasn't, I didn't, so I guess I will never know. Still, it was moderately irritating at the least.
Ah, Wednesdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the middle of the week that helps us get through the rest of it. Wednesdays also have new toys, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
This week is the third full week, which means new solicitations. DC has quite a few this time around, so it'll be a bit of a list. But first, the new stuff.
Hasbro releases more of its Marvel Mighty Mugg line, including Black Costumed Spidey, Doctor Octopus, and Ghost Rider. As always, they're cute as hell even if they are a bit odd looking; they sell out pretty quickly. For whatever reason, Diamond doesn't keep them in stock, even though Hasbro seems to still sell them.
Justice Series 8 is also out, featuring Batgirl, Supergirl, Toyman and Captain Cold. I kind of like Supergirl and Batgirl to a certain degree, but their faces are very weird. The site's pictures show a better paint job than the good forty I saw at work; they all look very vacant. Well, more vacant than action figures should look.
DC has solicited a LOT this week. First up is the Justice League New Frontier boxed set which has Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern and Superman in it. Other than Wonder Woman not looking like she's constipated; the rest of the figures look the same as their original releases.
Speaking of Alex Ross based figures (y'know...before...), they've announced some based off of covers from Justice Society of America: Golden Age Green Lantern, Golden Age Flash, Sandman and Starman. I'm a bit surprised there isn't at least one female character in the mix. I mean, there's about as many women as there are men, you'd think at least one of them would be in each wave.
A day late and a slightly different set up this time around. Today, and weekly from now (until I think of a tip, actually) on I will regale you with tales of the dark and mysterious comic shop; strange tales to chill your bones, scare little kids and...
Ah, frak it. On with the stories.
Tale #1 ~ Night of the Living Geek Girl
A semi-regular came into the shop, he doesn't buy a whole lot that I've seen, some DC's, an occasional Marvel, and mainly Hulk's. He'd apparently had a stressful day and was unwinding by talking to Bill (and by being in the store, me as well :P) I would get a few things in about things going on in comics, but he mainly talked to Bill, or talked at Bill anyway. As things went on, I got more and more in edgewise about things, sometimes Bill was unsure of details, sometimes, I just knew more than Bill did on a storyline.
We ended up getting on the subject of Green Lantern, and he was apparently somewhat confused on the whole thing (that there are so many centered around Earth). Bill told him about the history of the Earth GL's, I chimed in that Kyle Rayner became Ion after Hal Jordan came back, and he asked about Hal. I'd just read the whole Parallax story with Hal's return as GL, so I explained some of it.
He stopped me and said "I don't mean to sound sexist or anything..." Which you immediately know he's going to say something that's at least moderately sexist. It's the same when you hear someone say "I'm not a racist, but..." You just know the next thing out of their mouth will be racist in some fashion.
Ah, Wednesdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the middle of the week that helps us get through the rest of it. Wednesdays also have new toys, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
This week we have the second wave of Final Fantasy VII figures, based on the likeness in the game; but with detail rather than blurry faces. This wave has Vincent Valentine, Red XIII & Cait Sith, Yuffie Kisaragi and Sephiroth. I can't actually find just a product page for it, but click here and you'll get a Google search result.
The re-release of the classic Star Trek Mego line continues with Scotty and The Keeper. As before, they're in very similar packaging to the original line and the figures themselves are exactly as the old ones, but, 'yknow...new. Like FFVII figures, I can't seem to find a link to just a product page, so here's another search result. You can find a link without me inadvertently advertising for someone.
Marvel.com has the first actual trailer (bottom of the page) for Web of Shadows shown at San Diego Comic Con; as well as a few images from the game. The trailer looks fantastic and it looks like they got Spidey's abilities to work very well within the game.
Without hesitation, players can don Spidey's traditional red suit equipped with all of its long-adored grace and agility or switch to the raw power of the black, symbiote-ravaged suit. Gamers can switch at anytime to create unstoppable combos, experience new upgrades and fight both horizontally and vertically on some of the slickest and most precarious surfaces in video games. And there's no need to worry about the camera mucking up the action. "Web of Shadows" has a context-sensitive camera that won't make everyone's favorite webslinger hurl more than his fiercest attacks against his foes.
Wolverine clearly guest stars, but there are hints of other characters joining Spidey or fighting against him. On top of that, the city apparently is quite destructable, on thing that has been missing in so many superhero games (granted, mainly due to hardware limitations).
Want to obliterate whole blocks with powerful attacks? Go ahead. Just remember that the gamers' actions are laden with consequences. Scorch the city in fire to rid it of the alien invasion or slice out the symbiote like a surgeon. Take some of Marvel's greatest characters and make them your ooze-soaked adversaries or relish the opportunity to fight side by side. The choices are yours.
Many comic fans interact well with others, at least, well enough. For those that don't, I, the Astonishing Elf Girl, am here to give to tips on etiquette in the comic book store; or "The Museum of Social Awkwardness". Remember, a happy clerk is a...happy clerk.
Tip #10 ~ Soggy, Sweat Drenched Money is Gross as Hell.
It's still summer, and in many places, the temperature is high, people sweat; things smell gross. For those of you who keep your wallet in a pants, this can cause the money itself to get...moist. I don't know how, considering the amount of material between the money and sweaty ass, but it happens. I cannot tell you how incredibly disgusting it is to get a bill from someone and have it feel like it needs to be hung up on a line to dry. It may not be sweat at all, but I have no idea how else so many have wet money. So I'm just gonna call it "sweaty-ass money"
I also don't know that the people using the sweaty-ass money actually know their bills are somehow soaked with their sweat, or whatever the hell caused the bill to be damp. If you are unsure yourself, there has to be some way to tell. Generally touching your money should lend a clue as to whether or not your money is soaking. If you are unable to tell from a simple test like that, keep an eye on clerk's face as you hand the money to them. If they make disgusted face, you probably have sweaty-ass money.
Ah, Wednesdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the middle of the week that helps us get through the rest of it. Wednesdays also have new toys, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
Another small week this week, but some fairly expensive toys. DC has another in the Ame-Con line, this time with Wonder Woman. Which totally figures that it comes out when I can't buy it. Fortunately, I can put it on hold. The next is the 1:6 scale comic version of the Joker. The teeth on this guy are seriously weird looking. Not creepy, just weird. It looks like he's wearing dentures or something..
Diamond has put out more Star Trek Mini-Mates; and if it feels like they just did, you're absolutely right. Weirdly, Diamond's site doesn't actually seem to have them listed at the moment.
Last week, Marvel and Hasbro announced more Mighty Muggs; including Galactus, Human Torch, and Silver Surfer. I swear, the Galactus looks like Stew Griffin...
There are more Iron Man Superhero Squad box sets coming, which include: First Appearance Iron Man, Iron Monger, War Machine, Iron Man. The second set has Dreadknight, Zhang Tong, Stealth Armor Iron Man, Iron Man.
Tired of Iron Man yet? Too bad; Marvel Select has an exclusive Stealth Armor Iron Man, which includes a base that makes it look like he's blasting off. Which, you'd think, would totally kill the whole "stealth" thing.
There's also a third wave of Hulk movie figures, though at this point they're not really from the movie. Regardless... This wave includes: Bi-Beast (Not what you think), Classic Hulk, Gray Hulk, Ironclad, Abomination, Power Glow Hulk and Gamma-Charged Abomination.
And that, believe it or not is it for this week. If I missed any or there are some in the future you want me to talk about, send me an email.
The Onion's top "headline" this week is that title, which in and of itself is hilarious. With the picture and the article, it's brilliant. Here's a bit of it:
EARTH--Former vice president Al Gore--who for the past three decades has unsuccessfully attempted to warn humanity of the coming destruction of our planet, only to be mocked and derided by the very people he has tried to save--launched his infant son into space Monday in the faint hope that his only child would reach the safety of another world.
"I tried to warn them, but the Elders of this planet would not listen," said Gore, who in 2000 was nearly banished to a featureless realm of nonexistence for promoting his unpopular message. "They called me foolish and laughed at my predictions. Yet even now, the Midwest is flooded, the ice caps are melting, and the cities are rocked with tremors, just as I foretold. Fools! Why didn't they heed me before it was too late?"
Al Gore--or, as he is known in his own language, Gore-Al--placed his son, Kal-Al, gently in the one-passenger rocket ship, his brow furrowed by the great weight he carried in preserving the sole survivor of humanity's hubristic folly.
Many comic fans interact well with others, at least, well enough. For those that don't, I, the Astonishing Elf Girl, am here to give to tips on etiquette in the comic book store; or "The Museum of Social Awkwardness". Remember, a happy clerk is a...happy clerk.
Tip #8 ~ What do we look like, a library?
It's a classic line often attributed to comic shops and would seem more the stereotype than the truth. However, you'd be surprised how often it happens. Then again, you may be one of the people that does it.
It's totally understandable if you want to flip through a book to see if it's something you want; but reading in a comic shop is just bad form. The shop doesn't make money off of the books you don't buy; and while reading something isn't stealing, it doesn't exactly endear you to the people who work in the shop.
There are some small offenders, who will just read an issue and then move on, and then there are those who spend hours in the shop reading whatever they can find until they're stopped by an employee. The fact that someone is actually willing to do it still surprises me. Kids doing it are less surprising, many of them don't know any better, but some of the worst offenders are adults; and they SHOULD know better.
Yes, comics are expensive; yes the big companies have Event Fetish and it costs a small fortune just to keep up with what's going on. I totally understand that; if I wasn't working in the shop, I'd be able to read only a third of what I currently read each week. The fact remains, though, that reading in the shop is just bad for business.
Ah, Wednesdays. New Comic Book Day. That little day in the middle of the week that helps us get through the rest of it. Wednesdays also have new toys, and everyone loves toys. Except some, but I'm not talking to those people right now. They don't like toys.
Oddly enough, this week is probably the smallest week in terms of toys and such that are out and announced. So short, I half wondered if I should just wait a week; but then this week's news would be old news.
If you're a bobble head fan, Marvel has out its San Diego Comic Con exclusive (except not really) Mark II Iron Man out. Rather than giving someone free advertisement, you can find it yourself.
Sideshow Collectibles has announced a Ghost Rider on throne maquette, based on a cover from Ghost Rider (naturally). Details in websites and magazines can be so funny and over the top sometimes, this maquette has this in its description: "ready to take a place of honor in your own hall of heroes."
Diamond has announced their lineup of Secret Invasion mini-mates, based on some of the "heroes" that arrived in the Skrull ship. To keep everything secret, each one has a Skrull head you can swap it with, or just pretend you have a Skrull head on a pike; whichever.
And that, believe it or not is it for this week. If I missed any or there are some in the future you want me to talk about, send me an email.
Moment Of The Week #6
Well, I was expecting Dark Willow to trounce the competition with her godlike powers, but last week the winner was none other than the Authority, for the touching moment between Apollo and Midnighter in this apocalyptic world that Wildstorm has become. This week we take a look at scenes from Fantastic Four, Runaways/Young Avengers, Captain Britain, Green Lantern Corps, Secret Invasion, and Final Crisis: Revelations. (whoo that's a lot!) So join me after the jump, and be warned. Spoilers lie beyond. So if you still have to pick up any of these books, don't read ahead because it'll ruin the surprise!...
