Confessions of a Comic Book Guy

End of an Era

July 6, 2007

Of course one of the principal perks of working in a comic book shop in the first place is being able to work Wednesdays, and for fifteen years I was lucky enough to do just that. Oh, I managed to miss a couple over the years but so dedicated was I to my job […]

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The ‘F’ Word

June 1, 2007

I’ve said it before but every once in a while it really does seem like someone publishes a comic book just for me. Like the Dr. 13 series by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang which served as the back-up in the otherwise lackluster recent revival of Tales of the Unexpected. But I’m glad […]

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Happy Free Comic Book Day

May 1, 2007

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the main Free Comic Book Day offerings from Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse, but neglected to mention some of the notable other titles Dark Star would be getting for the big day. Like Nexus (those unlucky enough to have never read the Mike Baron/Steve Rude classic […]

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It’s That Time of Year Again…

April 14, 2007

Last time I praised the pamphlet, the much maligned modern 32-page color comic book, and how it was good for at least one thing: it’s the perfect delivery system for getting someone to try a new (to them) comic book series. And to support this claim I placed into evidence Free Comic Book Day; […]

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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

March 30, 2007

It’s no secret that I’ve been impatiently awaiting the next big thing to hit the comic book industry, but to my surprise they’re already there. That’s right, they because this time the next big thing seems to come in two parts:
Literary Comics
By which I mean comics based on previously existing literary works, like Stephen […]

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View from the Tipping Point

March 16, 2007

I want to believe this time it’ll be different, that we won’t go through another boom and bust, our current economic bubble won’t burst and sustainable growth is possible, but it’s getting harder all the time. Make no mistake, I was sufficiently in the moment to be just as unhappy about the Captain America […]

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Getting on the List

February 23, 2007

Last week Dark Star Books received free movie passes for a local sneak peak of Ghost Rider. How about your store?
I’m seriously asking. Maybe it’s due to a fear of revealing information that’s privileged or proprietary that could benefit a competitor at your expense (or maybe it’s just a fear of being seen […]

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You Can Prepare For Everything*

February 9, 2007

I have to admit that I’m pleased to discover many of you are also troubled by the attitude so often found in today’s comics; I’m sometimes deathly afraid I don’t so much have valid points as a bad case of “Grumpy Old Man.” And while I don’t want to belabor those points, I’d be […]

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Even When I’m Wrong, I’m Right

February 1, 2007

Say whatever else you want about me but I’m more than happy to admit when I’m wrong. In last week’s column while commenting about the upcoming “Archie Goes NASCAR” storyline I wrote that it was Betty Cooper “who as far as I know has previously never shown any interest in motor vehicles” that was […]

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Screw you, Fun

January 17, 2007

or someone who has been in this business for as long as I have, I am notoriously awful at playing the “Who Hides Behind The Mask?” game. Oh, in a pinch I’m not bad sussing out the occasional “pulse pounding conclusion” (though I freely admit I haven’t a clue how they’re going to end […]

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