Blog @ Canadian Geek

I can’t say for certain that every month this column will be one, or two, columns. This week I received my comics kind of late (also received somebody else’s comics, but that’s been resolved), and the order has to be put in fairly early, so, I’m just writing it up as one column.

Some really exciting stuff this month, on both ends of the deal. First we’ll cover …

Received

Singles:

52 #52

An interesting if confusing send-off to a wonderful weekly series. Wraps everything up rather nicely, and I cannot wait to give it a complete re-read .. when they eventually release all of the trades. Intense love for Renee being the new Question. I’m not sure why that works so well, but it really does.

Astonishing X-Men #21

A perfect issue in a perfect run. I know, high acclaim, but this has been the best X-Men have been in years. And years. And several years before that. Cassaday is drawing the hell outta each one of the X-men — c’mon, who’s jaw didn’t drop even just a little when Kitty was standing before Colossus? — and Joss is simply one of the best writers, ever. I do hope Armor sticks around. All-around mindblowing.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3

Again. Joss is one of the best writers, ever. I’m 31, and not all embarrassed to admit I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And that last page? What in the!?

Countdown #51 - 48

Even if I was to avoid the natural comparisons to 52, this series has been sucking wind since I opened the first page of the first issue. Not only do I have absolutely no comprehension whatsoever as to what is going on, I also cannot bring myself to give the slightest amount of crap for Jimmy Olsen. None. I’m sticking around because I like Mary Marvel and Jason Todd. And hopefully Dini can give me a third reason soon.

Ex Machina #28

Fallen Angel #16

Justice League of America #9

I am so jealous of Red Arrow for having a ‘thing’ with Hawkgirl. So jealous.

Justice Society of America #6

Loners #2

newuniversal #6

Nova #2

Runaways #26

The trifecta of Joss awesomeness.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #30

Ultimates 2 #13

Finally! I’d honestly have to re-read the entire series to get a feel for if I enjoyed this, since it took so long to be released. I felt the reveal of Thor came too quick somehow, and the entire fight was wrapped up in an instant — granted, it was a 7-page spread, but it was still done in an instant.

Trades/HCs:

Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways

Criminal Vol. 1: Coward

Fell Vol. 1 Ltd ED HC

Girls Vol. 4: Extinction

New X-Men: Childhoods End Vol. 4

Punisher MAX Vol. 3 HC

Runaways Vol. 3 HC (x2)

Ultimate Galactus Trilogy HC

The Walking Dead Vol. 6: This Sorrowful Life

Y The Last Man Vol. 9: Motherland

And that.. was a lot of comics I received this month. And the I turn it around, and I order a bunch more then I usually do.  Frightening.

Ordered

52 THE COVERS HC
52 VOL 3 TP
ALL NEW BOOSTER GOLD #1

Praying against odds that they change the name to just “Booster Gold”.  Don’t know why.  It irks me.

ASTONISHING X-MEN #23
BLACK SUMMER #1 (Of 7)

Warren Ellis deconstruction goodness.  Missed #0, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #5
CABLE DEADPOOL VOL 7 SEPARATION ANXIETY TP
CHECKMATE VOL 2 PAWN BREAKS TP
COUNTDOWN 35
COUNTDOWN 36
COUNTDOWN 37
COUNTDOWN 38
COUNTDOWN 39

Dammit, get better!

DMZ #22
DMZ VOL 3 PUBLIC WORKS TP
EX MACHINA MASQUERADE SPECIAL
FALLEN ANGEL IDW #19
FALLEN ANGEL IDW VOL 3 TP
GHOST RIDER VOL 2 LIFE & DEATH OF JOHNNY BLAZE TP
HALO 3 MASTER CHIEF MINI BUST

Proving that I am, in fact, a Halo Whore.
HALO UPRISING #2 (Of 4)
ION VOL 2 THE DYING FLAME TP
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #12
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #8
NEW AVENGERS #33

I wish they would just announce an oversized HC of this series, then I would stop ordering the singles.  Though, perhaps that’s why the aren’t doing it.
NOBLE CAUSES VOL 7 POWERLESS TP
NOVA #5
PREVIEWS VOL XVII #8
RUNAWAYS #28
SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #33
TEEN TITANS VOL 7 TITANS EAST TP

That… is some crazy amount of stuff.

.
Enough is enough.

I recently read a thread about the whole “comics” vs. “graphic novels” debate and though I’ve touched on it before (and some of you have responded to it), I’m drawing the line. I refuse to bow to the ignorance of the masses and use the term “graphic novel” just to placate them. Why should I have to comprise my vocabulary because you can’t be bothered to understand what a comic is? I was here first, Johnny-Come-Lately; “Buffy Season 8″ is a comic. “Supernatural Origins” is a comic. “Maus” is a comic - the man who MADE it said so.

I’ve heard the argument that we need to accept the term because it will help bring more people to the medium. Garbage. What happens when we apply the same logic to other aspects of society that aren’t accepted? Revolt and discontent, that’s what. Just ask the homosexual community what they think of the phrase “civil union”.

And don’t feed me the, “It’s all marketing,” line either. The people perpetuating the terminology are not in the industry because the comic industry doesn’t market itself (I know, I’m a retailer). It’s the media that’s painting us with this brush and we need to make them stop. We need to correct them. We need to educate them.

To deal with drug problems, teen pregnancy, AIDS, prostitution and hundreds of other problems, the world at large touts that education is a primary the key to solving these issues yet for some reason the comic industry is prepared to accept a global wedgie and change it’s ways just to be able to walk the same halls as the school bully. Watch “Revenge of the Nerds” again people; we win.

I am making a promise to use the term “graphic novel” only as a curse word from this point on. I sell comics and they will all be referred to as such and I will (politely) correct anyone who requests a “graphic novel”. I will refer to collections of comics as “trade paperbacks” or “collected editions”. I’m am tired of catering to those who choose not to fully accept our medium and are trying to bend it to fit their world, of which we are not really a part of. You came to us, learn our ways (and yes, I know I’m dangerously close to stepping into an immigration debate here but let’s not carried away).

The Shepherd - who chose not to promise to kick people in the junk if they said “graphic novel” figuring it would be bad for business.

I’m actually rather liking the oddball titles I get when I combine titles from the trailers I’ll be listing. That’ll stick. What I don’t have yet, is a rating system — or really, a decision on whether or not to even have one. I like to think, as time goes on, the rambling that precedes a trailer will be review enough, but, I’ll leave that up to the reader. Er, readers.

It was a slow week, and I was astounded when I sat down at my computer that it was already Tuesday again. But here we are. I found two trailers, both of which should be of interest to Geeks in general. And I’ll tell you why.

Shortcut to Happiness

Three words for this one: Jennifer. Love. Hewitt.

Three more words: What. The. Hell?

This is going to be a very odd movie. I didn’t know what to think of the trailer, beyond, “Holy crap, she looks really amazing in that dress.” Some real star power lending their talents to this film, and I’m not terribly sure… why. Basically, Alec Baldwin makes a deal with the Devil, taking, you guessed it, a “Shortcut to Happiness”. All well ‘n good. And then … I’ll let you decide.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Come on. A fistful of quarters? What do you THINK the movie is about? C’mon Geeks, wrack those brains.

VIDEO GAMES.

Sadly, the trailer doesn’t make me interested. I’m not sure why. It’s a documentary that feels too much like a parody — which, really, when you’re doing a movie based on video games, whether it’s something to the effect of Double Dragon or The Mario Brothers, or, a docu/mocu-mentary, it’s hard to avoid the parody plague. It’s hard to be taken seriously.

The thing I don’t know, is whether this is meant to be taken as a parody or a serious look at the competition between two hardcore arcade game players. If this was made clear from the start, I wouldn’t be so iffy on the movie in general.

View the High Definition (QT7) Version Here.

That’s all for this week! Enjoy.

On Saturday, June 9, Canadian comic pride was shouted from the Holiday Inn in downtown Toronto as the 3rd Annual Shuster Awards took place. Comic pros mixed it up with average fans who listened to stories from Jerry Robinson (who created the Joker), learned a little about French-Canadian comic influence during the Hall of Fame inductees and cracked smiles during the witty interludes hosted by comedians Rick Green and Rob Salem. It was a night to be proud of.

Locally, Happy Harbor represented by winning the award for Outstanding Canadian Retailer and upon our return, we sent out a press release to the local media whom, for sure, would want to know more about a hometown store staking claim to national supremacy.

The Edmonton Metro was the only one of more than a dozen media outlets who decided the event was newsworthy. What beat us out; a 19-year-old kid who makes the world a better place by online gaming at the Playboy Mansion.

Really, my expectations for the media shouldn’t be that high. I mean, sending out a press release was pretty self-serving so I will let it slide. What I won’t let slide is the “media” that covers our hobby.

The local press release went out on Monday as soon as I got off the plane and then I sent a brief and friendly email to some of the major online comic news sites; Newsarama, Comic Book Resources (CBR) and ICv2. The last responded with a note thanking me for bringing it to their attention and they would see if it was possible to get something together for their site (but no promises). Fair enough and as of Friday, they had covered the event. The other two did not respond and as of today have yet to report on the Shusters.

Some sites (mostly blogs) did report on the festivities (usually inaccurately) but I’m a bit concerned about the fact the bigger, “popular” sites don’t deem this worthy. CBR has tons of coverage about the first DAY of Wizard World Philly and Heroscon, as does Newsarama, but not a single mention of the Shusters.

In fact, Newsarama is probably the most inappropriately named site out there. Their concept of “news” is asking geeky, fanboy questions to pros who seldom answer the questions asked. When something truly newsworthy happens (say, the passing of industry legend Marty Nodell), it goes unnoticed. Every week I get a little sicker reading their pap but since so many customers reference it, I have to read so I know what they are talking about.

For fanboys, Newsarama and CBG seem to have forgotten the most overused mantra in comicdom; “With great power comes great responsibility.” These two sites have a tremendous customer base that looks to them for “news”. If they don’t feel it’s a responsibility to inform them who Albert Chartier, Gene Day, Jacques Hurtubise (Zyx) and Gerald Lazarre were and why they were inducted into the Hall of Fame, then at least grow a pair a balls and report it because it is actual news.

The Shepherd

Pardon the title. I’m still trying to think of a way to make that interesting everytime I do one of these posts. So I mashed together the two trailers names, and.. viola! So anyways. Welcome to Trailer Park. I am absolutely obsessed with trailers. Y’know, the little 2-5 minute preview of films they put before other films? I loved trailers before I even knew they were called trailers; I’m kinda curious to know just where the name came from, actually. Hm.

I’m hoping to update this on a weekly basis. Tuesday is new DVD day, so it seems appropriate to be listing the trailers from the past week today. Quite frankly though, the last week was absolutely HORRIBLE for new trailers, so I’m only listing two of them. I’ll youtube when available, and provide a link to the higher-def (usually quicktime 7) trailer.

So without further ado, I give you…

SHOOT ‘EM UP

The role I absolutely did NOT expect to see Paul Giamatti in: a hitman. This trailer ROCKS, and I am so utterly pumped for this movie for at least two reasons: Clive Owen, and Monica Bellucci. Between the three of ‘em, I absolutely expect it to kick ass. The soundtrack is pumpin’, Clive is awesome. Definitely a must-watch.

View the trailer in Quicktime 7.

30 DAYS of NIGHT

Indie comic fans, this is the moment we have been waiting for. Yes, there have been indie comics made into films, certainly, (Ghost World! Woot!), but none will appeal to such a wide audience, and none will draw the crowds in quite like this one will. The question on everybody’s mind though: can they pull it off? Can they translate the comic to film? And when — as we know they will and must — they change things, will they lose the fans?

Me? I’m iffy. I never read the comic, and the trailer… doesn’t grab me as much as the concept of the book does.

View the trailer in various formats.

And that’ s it for this week. Let me know what you think?

For those of you reading this column who aren’t regular comic buyers (unlikely, I know) and for those comic geeks who are trying to convert their many friends (again, unlikely, I know), here are a few conversations and phrases to avoid with your average, below average and even the above average comic retailer so you don’t get those glares we all hate to get from people smarter than us.

What not to say:
“Is this any good?”

Why you should not say it:
I need to make money so yes, of course it’s good. Commercial aspects aside, please remember that it’s art and all art is subjective. I’m not a fan of Mike Mignola’s art but I have customers who would happily kill me in defense of his work. Everything is good to someone which leads us to …

What not to say:
“Can you recommed something?”
“Of course. Do you have a preferance of heroes or non-heroes? Action, romance, horror or something else?”
“Oh, anything.”

Why you should not say it:
You don’t like everything. No one does. Grow a spine and tell the retailer where your interests lie. This will save you both a lot of time and the retailer a lot of frustration from showing things that you have no interest in. The more infromation you give, the easier it will be to put you on the right path to comicy goodness. If you’ve read something before and liked it, let ‘em know. If you read something and hated it, let ‘em know as well.

What not to say:
“Can you give me a discount?” or, “Can you knock off the GST?”

Why you should not say it:
First off, it’s just rude. In my day I was told to never ask for favours from someone you just met or didn’t know very well and that’s exactly what you are doing. You want me to do you the favour of saving you money which comes at my expense. Establish a relationship first, then we’ll talk. Also, this is a BUSINESS, all be it a comic business, it’s still a business and things are priced so that we can stay in operation. Wanting a discount affects our budget and how we operate.
The second statement is just annoying cause it’s so specific. If you don’t give me the GST, that means I have to pay it for you and that’s not very fair to make me pay your taxes.

What not to say:
“Does this shirt make me look fat?”

Why you should not say it:
I’m a smart ass and you won’t like the answer.

What not to say:
“Are you going to be having a sale anytime soon?”

Why you should not say it:
Retailers, generally, don’t announce sales too far in advance becasue they don’t want it to affect their regular sales leading up to the day. And yes, it does matter. A polite retailer may give an inside nudge to customers who may be making a big purchase just before they announce the sale but as a rule, a sale is designed to give an additional bump to sales. If there’s a drop before the sale, then everything just kinda balances out and with the effort that goes into preparing for a sale, there’s very likely going to be a loss if the drop if significant.

What not to say:
“I have a first edition comic.”

Why you should not say it:
Over 99% of all comics ever made are “first editions”. Second printings are rare, really rare. Saying this means, “I know this business,” when it actually shows that you don’t.

What not to say:
“I have comics from the (example: 1970s) still in their original bags.”

Why you should not say it:
Comics, individually, never came in “bags”, and when you say “bags” I know you’re implying that they are in clear plastic sleeves that you think are keeping them safe. A couple of tips; bags made before 1988 are not acid free which are ruining your comics AND Saran Wrap and Ziplocks do not qualify as comic bags.

What not to say:
“I have a Superman OR Batman OR Spider-Man #1.”

Why you should not say it:
Because you don’t. Okay, you might have Superman #1 from 1988 or Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #1 or Spider-Man #1 from 1990 but they aren’t worth much (dollar wise) and they had huge print runs (so everyone has them). It is not a bragable. See the “first edition” comment.

So, the Springer Moment here is choose your words carefully, phrase things as questions as opposed to statements of fact (”first editions”, original bags, #1’s, etc.) and give as much information as you can when looking for suggestions. If you want to avoid those glares like I said, which is next to impossible since ALL comic shop owners are pompus asses who look down on everyone who shows weakness in their Geek Froce, a little knowledge can go a long way. Take my advice and enjoy your next trip to the comic shop.

The Shepherd