Comments on: January 2011 Previews: Indie Month, DC and IDW Recommendations, and Snark

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:18:44 +0000

Yes, I agree, that sounds like a better choice, at least from a customer perspective.

By: BobH

BobH — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 22:53:36 +0000

The hardcover format that started with the Kirby FOURTH WORLD reprints, and has been used for subsequent books by Kirby (OMAC, LOSERS, DEMON, the golden age S&K reprints), and the Ditko CREEPER, Kubert VIKING PRINCE and others, that’s cheaper than the Archives. Books longer than the Sugar&Spike reprint run about $40 in that format, instead of $60. It’s also a much more attractive format overall (I’ve bought a dozen books in that format during a stretch where I’ve bought none of the Archives published), and I’ve seen some of those books in stores, both direct-market and mass-market, that never carry any Archives. Of the formats DC currently publishes in, that’s the one I’d have picked for the Sugar&Spike book.

By: James Schee

James Schee — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:23:30 +0000

Oh yeah I was at Heroes Con for the Gorllla Launch party! You got a signed banana! lol

SIGIL was the outer space one originally written by Barbara Kesel. I think it may have been the first CrossGen series release, but I don’t recall. For me it missed because the run started with a death of a female character (who was the most interesting of the cast) by one of the stupidest means I’ve ever seen. (in the middle of a fight she stops to hug a scared lizard and gets stabbed through the back)

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:16:14 +0000

Thanks for the Finals correction; I updated the reference above. Superstar was the first Gorilla title, if anyone remembers that imprint.

As for Sigil, it’s a great title in itself, because it sums up what people remember about CrossGen. I’m not sure I ever read the actual comic.

By: James Schee

James Schee — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:50:57 +0000

Antony beat me to the Chronicles line name, I’m honestly just surprised to see an Archive period though. I thought they had been replaced by the Omnibuses(saw a GL one, that collects the first 2 or 3 archives) Absolutes and DC Classics lines.

Sure would be nice to see a new Legion of Superheroes one, its been 12 or 13 years since the last volume. Maybe if Levitz’s curent run gets super popular? Since I think the archives were getting close to his first run.

I’m curious to see how the CrossGen books do, its been so long and the direct market has gotten even harsher towards things that “don’t count.”

SIGIL was probably the least popular of their titles, so that’s an odd choice. Though the only thing this seems to have to do with the older series, is the lead has the same last name of the previous lead. So its probably the easiest to have a fresh take on, given that it never had a run that lasted long.

I found some Ruse issues the other day for cheap. It was up and down for me in quality. When good it was really good, but there were some head scratchers too. I hope they can make it more than just a fake Sherlock Holmes with a female sidekick though. Good to use the arch type, but at times I wanted a little more departure so it didn’t seem like copying.

That Finals link you did, was actually to an alternate opening page, not ending. Its a solid series, it along with My Faith In Frankie (a title in need of a better collection, not the microscopic one it had) were two Vertigo series that were great, but got overlooked in the general flood of books.

Odd, for some reason the name Superstar by Busiek and Immonen sounds familiar, but I don’t remember anything about the book at all. Seems pricey for $15 though, but I’m sure Amazon will have it cheaper.

I love that cover for Page by Paige, if I saw it on the cover I’d pick it up.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:39:30 +0000

Thanks for the reprint info. It seems a hole in their line that might have an audience, to do more of those kinds of works. I’m all for more humor comics, from whatever era.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 22:21:45 +0000

DC offers the “Chronicles” line, a series of trade paeprbacks that reprint old stories in chronological order and in color, though they only seem restricted to the most popular superheroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash). Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be any branded line of cheap color reprints.

I’m surprised as well they’re releasing “Sugar and Spike,” given DC’s pretty thoroughly ignored their older humor comics in recent years (save what they did to the Zoo Crew in that miniseries), and their only modern humor books are the Johnny DC ones (and those mostly corporate-sibling licensed ones—Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo). Maybe they’ll start to take a stronger interest in their older humor material (imagine Golden Age animation fans would be interested in reprints of “The Fox and the Crow”)?

As for younger readers, wonder what they’d make of S&S given its similar premise to that of “Rugrats”… :-p