Comics for September

If you scroll down and look to the right, you'll see my comics order for September. My total order, including boards, bags and weekly shipping, came to $115 for 38 items. Now if you calculate, that comes to $3.02 a piece.
And you think: But what about the discount?
Well, first off: If I bought them at a store, I'd pay 9.25% sales tax. So a $2.99 comic would cost me $3.27. So I've already saved $.25 a piece on 38 items, that's $9.50 right there.
Plus gas and travel time.
And there are three trades in my order that average $16 each, cover price.
As far as I'm concerned: whether or not I'm actually realizing 40% off on each book is irrelevant. The convenience of having it brought to the door and the fact that I'm paying less than the cover price (however small the actual discount works out to be) is worth it.
And hey, it's my life. You just need to get over it. :P

P.S. I'm just happy that there weren't any "must have" action figures this month. LOL. Since October 2004, I've only had 1 order where I spent less than $115 for a month's worth of comics! Something's gotta give!!

The Dark Knight - teaser trailer

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1clvbS_33mk

Teen Titans @ SDCC

Surfing the web for interesting news from San Diego Comic Con.

Toy News International has some cool pics from an upcoming DC Direct series. I hadn't even heard any rumors about this one (and DC Direct's website doesn't mention it). It kinda rocks!! NEW TEEN TITANS Series 2 (and it's only taken 7 years!):


Newsarama has the news on the upcoming TITANS EAST SPECIAL, which leads into an ongoing series (teased to maybe or maybe not be called TITANS EAST). Written by Judd Winnick, art by Ian Churchill (why?):


Newsarama also has the cover image for TEEN TITANS: YEAR ONE in their DC: New Worlds Order article. But they don't mention anything about it (?):

Wonder Woman - Thought Factory poster - 1977

Here's another blast from the past. I never owned one of these back in the day. Although I do remember seeing the display for them at KB Toys in Southcenter Mall.


Gosh, the world would be a much less happy place without eBay. LOL!

So -- Does she or doesn't she?

When Donna Troy returned from the dead in DC SPECIAL: THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY, she had stars in her hair:


But since then it's been kinda hit or miss. Some artists, like Pete Woods in AMAZONS ATTACK, continue to include the stellar coiffure:


Meanwhile Jim Calafiore (and the other artists) on COUNTDOWN, omit the twinkle:


It would really be nice if the editors/artists/whoever at DC would get together and decide which is the correct way to do it.

And don't get me started on how many artists fail to try and draw her costume correctly. I mean, really, is it that hard for the editors (or whomever) to give the artists references that show there's an eagle on Donna's choker and that the stars do not extend all the way down her legs? And no highlights...it's a star field, not fabric, for cryin' out loud!!!





Oops, I guess I got started! :P

Wonder Woman - Tru Dimension 3D Action kit - 1977

Look what I won on eBay a couple weeks ago!! It's the Wonder Woman Tru-Dimension 3D Action Picture Kit! It's 30 years old!! It rocks!

...

I had one of these when I was a kid. I loved it. It has 4 clear layers and a background. You paint the figures on the layers then slide them into the (ultra-cheap and cheezy) frame and *voila!* a 3D image of Wonder Woman coming at ya!!

I can't believe that only 3 people bid on this, that in the six months I had it set as an eBay search this was the first time it'd come up, that I won it for less than $40 (including postage) and that it's in great shape! Except for the slightly dinged up box, it's practically new! It even has the original paint. Don't know if that'll still be good, but still!!!

Now I'm trying to decide if I actually want to paint it. I'm mean it's so cool!! I can't describe how excited I am to have this. I'm screaming!!!

Okay, I've geeked out enough. See ya later!

Package Patrol - week of 7.18.2007

Not every artist draws men as eunuchs.

SUPERMAN by Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs from SUPERMAN/BATMAN 38		FLASH by Joe Bennett & Ruy Jose from ALL-FLASH 1 As an interesting aside: You just know that if Jim Lee had drawn this, Wally would've been in the background, and we'd've had a nice close-up shot of Iris' thong!!
SUPERMAN by Pete Woods from AMAZONS ATTACK 4		NIGHTWING by Nicola Scott & Doug Hazelwood from BIRDS OF PREY 108
And the Prize Winning Package goes to: ROY HARPER by Gene Ha from JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 11 (Variant Cover)
Looks like DC's castration commitee missed this one!!

UPDATE to "So -- Does he or doesn't he?"

As I was thinking about it, I realized Roy used 5 quick-glue arrows in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 11. FIVE! I mean, how many arrows does his arrow-holding-thingie hold anyway? He can make room for 5 of the same arrow? Is there that big a demand for the quick-glue arrows?

Wonder Woman: "Oh no! Amazo's attacking!"
Batman: "Roy! The quick-glue arrows! Now!"

I mean...? I dunno. Just something that popped into my head...

So -- Does he or doesn't he?

Okay, so we had two comics come out this week that contain conflicting information -- or plot devices, whatever...

In AMAZONS ATTACK 4, Roy Harper makes this proclamation:


By "standard-model" I'm assuming he means regular, plain old arrows with points on the ends. And it seems as though those would be the only types of arrows with which he had to fight.

But then in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 11, he's using some arrows that seem kinda gimmicky and not so "standard-model."


So -- I just wonder which is more accurate?

Some of this week's comics...

BIRDS OF PREY 108. SEPTEMBER 2007
I hate Gail Simone.
Okay, not really. But I do hate that she's leaving BOP. I'm torn though. She's leaving BOP to write WONDER WOMAN, and WW needs it bad!!
I also hate that she made me cry in this issue!! What a great ending to her run. It would be really easy to stop buying the book right here. It was perfect. It ended, but is still open to continue. How do you do that!? LOL!!
And that four-page spread (which should've been a fold-out, dang it) was awesome. I totally didn't see that coming or how Babs was going to get out of her predicament. Great work by Simone! We love you Gail!! Can't wait for WONDER WOMAN 13!!!

BLACK CANARY 2. SEPTEMBER 2007
Despite some hideously piss-poor anatomy on the cover, the art in this issue is just gorgeous!! Who is Paulo Siqueira and why haven't I seen his work before?
The story is pretty interesting. Loved BC kicking Kobra's tail. That was fun, and very in the characterization that Gail Simone established for her in BOP.
Not sure what to say about the story. I wasn't a fan of the idea of Dinah being saddled with a kid, but now that Sin's here, I don't want anything to happen to her!! Not sure where this is going, but the cover to BC 4 does not bode well for a happy ending...

COUNTDOWN 41. JULY 18 2007
I'm glad I'm so lazy. Last week I was going to complain about how the amazons are attacking America over in AMAZONS ATTACK...but Holly and Harleen are hanging out in some sort of amazonian women's shelter in COUNTDOWN...and nobody cares? But in this issue the repercussions started. Saved from foot-in-mouth that time!!
And the art was so much better in this issue. The art in COUNTDOWN 42 was so many levels of suck I don't know where to begin, so I won't.
Not nearly enough Donna Troy. Una? Ugh is more like.

AMAZONS ATTACK 4. SEPTEMBER 2007
Well, wow, it only took four issues for this to start to get interesting.
I've loved it all along, if only for Pete Woods art *faint*. But started rocking in this issue. Although, I thought Superman was supposed to be faster than a speeding bullet...okay, whatever. Not so much anymore, I guess.
The resolution to the cliffhanger from WONDER WOMAN 10 was kinda lame. I really would've liked to have seen just how far poser Hippolyta would go.
And please give us some answers: How did the amazons come back? When? How come, when at the time of her death the monarchy of Themyscira had been abolished, Hippolyta is suddenly queen of the amazons again? AARRGGHH!!

And now for this week's Greatest Comics Moment!
From the pages of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 11:


The highlighting is all mine. I take full credit. If I could write it in the sky with neon lights...trust me, I would. It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The only thing that could make me happier is if it had read: "Michael Turner's last cover for DC Comics EVER!" Then all would be right with the world. (Plus it's funny that they mis-spelled Michael...I love it!)

That's my opinion. And it's my blog. Get over it.

Citizen Steel and Power Girl - Icons

Brannon suggested taking the Steel and Peeg animations and turning them into 100x100 icons. I figured what the heck. I had to start from scratch, but that's life. Always save your work, LOL!

Okay, the two images you see to the left are actually Flash animations that show what the icons look like. The actual icons themselves are in GIF format. You can download them both by clicking on the zip icon on the right.

The Steel icon doesn't work as well at the small size, but nothing I could do about that!

And they're kinda big. I couldn't figure out how to give them a small file size. Citizen Steel's icon is 255 kb and Power Girl's is 113 kb. So you'll have to deal with that if you decide to use them. The zip file is 337 kb.

Citizen Steel icon preview

Power Girl icon preview

click here to download icons

Oh yeah, and this'll probably never happen again. LOL!

Woot.

Don't know anything about this. Not even who the creative team is supposed to be. Well, I do know one thing: this is what Countdown is leading to. But that's not much. I probably shouldn't get excited about it yet. But I am.

The only thing I'm not excited about is the fact that JG Jones didn't get the details on WW's costume right. I should be used to this by now. Especially if George Perez isn't gonna try. But that's the one thing that I don't like about the DC Universe, no love for Diana. "Just put her in any ol' clothes you want...no one will care."

DC Solicitations for October

No, I'm not going through them all, LOL! Eek! Just wanted to talk about a couple o' things:

ReActivated Series 4: Wonder Woman.
Okay, the ReActivated line is supposed to be reissues of figures that aren't available anymore. But for the life of me, I do not recognize this figure at all! The body (except for the deformed hips, WTF) looks kinda like the Silver Age Wonder Woman from ReActivated Series 1, but the head is totally different. I dunno. Weird.

Minimates Wave 7: Nightwing and Starfire.
While I'm always happy to see the Titans represented anywhere (talk about the red-headed step-children of the DC Universe), it seems kind of odd that they've included a modern-day Nightwing with a classic Starfire. You think they would've done a set of either one or the other.

Countdown 30.
This cover is just all kinds of cool. I've wanted to love Countdown like I loved 52, but so far it just hasn't been meant to be. It just seems kinda slow moving. Not sure how big a part this scene plays into it all, but it still rocks! Are these guys from Earth-2? Where and when did Donna get the silver lasso? And dang if Jason is lookin' pretty healthy, LOL!

Brave and the Bold 7.
Well, I usually expect better from George Perez. I mean, he's a detail man. So why he didn't get the details right on Wonder Woman's costume kinda dumbfounds me. Hopefully since things can change between solicitation and publication (as we've seen below), maybe it'll get fixed. Either way, it'll be way cool to see Wonder Woman and Power Girl teaming-up with art by Perez!! Rocking!

DC Infinite Halloween Special 1.
It's about time. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. Although people constantly feel the need to remind me that it's not a holiday. Yeah? FU, it is if I say it is. Bite me. Anyway, this could be all kinds of suck, but the effort is being made.
And that makes me happy. :)

Wonder Woman 13.
Okay, there's nothing majorly special about this one. We all know I love Wonder Woman. And we can see that the Dodsons were born to draw her. But this gets a special nod because it is GAIL SIMONE'S FIRST ISSUE! SHE'S FINALLY HERE!! I'm telling you, I haven't hated the first 10 issues of WW, but it hasn't been a lovefest, either. Gail Simone is one of the best writers in comics, and I'm just jazzed that not only is she writing Wonder Woman, but that she actually wanted to write Wonder Woman!!! She is going to make this thing explode...or there may be no hope!!!

Okay, bye. Have a great day!!

Citizen Steel and Power Girl - Cosmetic Dehancement

When the solicitations for the July DC Comics came out, they included a hot Alex Ross cover for Justice Society of America 7 featuring Citizen Steel which caused some internet hub bub. Imagine my dismay when the actual comics came out: They had taken away Steel's Express Overnight Special Delivery package and left him with Media Mail. :( I'm used to straight, sexually-insecure male artists being afraid to draw male heroes in an anatomically-correct way, but if the artist isn't afraid to be real, leave the art alone!!! For pete's sake!
Although, to be fair, they'll do the same thing to some images of lady heroes, too. Case in point: Last month's Justice League of America 10. Michael Turner apparently went a little overboard with Power Girl's bra size, so DC whacked off a couple cups before publication.
Anyway, judge for yourself. Here are the solicited covers, the printed covers and a couple of Flash animations that emphasize the de-emphasis. Enjoy.

Justice Society of America 7. September 2007
Justice League of America 10. August 2007
The more things change...

Happy Friday the 13th - Scary Mary!

In honor of friday the 13th, I give to you a movie trailer that could induce nightmares!!! The funny thing is: it's a trailer to a happy, family musical. Go figure. A remix trailer for Mary Poppins:

Comics I Didn't Get This Week

Thanks to that lovely little frickin' holiday, no comics today, I'll have to wait until Monday. I hate that. Oh well, here's what's on it's way that I can't read this weekend:

INVINCIBLE VOL 8: MY FAVORITE MARTIAN TP
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #8
OUTSIDERS VOL 6: PAY AS YOU GO TP
RUNAWAYS #27
COUNTDOWN #43
NIGHTWING #134
ALL-NEW ATOM #13
SUPERGIRL #19
BLACK CANARY #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #35
MIDNIGHTER #9
WELCOME TO TRANQUILITY #8
SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS #3

Happy 4th Again!

Here are some classic comic book covers dealing with fireworks and July 4th! Enjoy!

Mickey Mouse Magazine Vol 5 No 10. July 1940	Batman 18. August 1943
Tiny Tot Comics 3. July 1946	Mad Magazine 88. July 1964

Unpublished H.G. Peter Wonder Woman cover

This is a cover drawn by original Wonder Woman artist H.G. Peter but never used. He drew Wonder Woman from 1941-1958, so it's from that time period. Looks like from the earlier part to me.

Happy 4th!

Wonder Woman 10. August 2007

First of all: I don't know why, but I'm not a big fan of blood soaked covers. Just doesn't appeal to me. I'm sure the little fan boys love it, though. But just seems like DC has been doing a lot of these lately. That's beside the point...

This issue kind of dumbfounded me. Not as a whole. It was actually alright. Not better or worse than the last issue, and not great. But here's the thing: This is Jodi Picoult's last issue as writer (she was just here for a 5-issue "arc"), issue's 6-10 are already being solicited as a hard cover (Love and Murder, on sale Nov 14), AND IT'S NOT A COMPLETE STORY!!! This issue ends on a pretty major cliffhanger!!!

Picoult's readers may pick this up because she wrote it, and Wonder Woman fans who don't read the monthlies...but there's no resolution!!! Not even a semi this-could-be-the-end feeling. No explaination about Hippolyta, what about the Amazons attacking the US, and the last panel...HELLO!

As a monthly, it's fine. Comics are a continuing serialized storytelling format. But as a stand-alone collection... There was some bad planning going into this one.