Tuesday 16 June 2009

Refreshed

I've been on a mini break in Brighton hence the lack of updates over the last few days. Very nice it was too. Beautiful clear sunny skies, relaxing strolls along the seafront and a spiffing afternoon with Mr Wheatley and son, during which we took in Brighton's number one comic shop, Dave's Comics. Didn't spend long enough inside to write a proper review of the place, but it seemed to be a quality establishment, well set out with a fine selection of indie titles. A bit like Gosh-by-sea really.

I picked up three books that had failed to turn up on my pull list in London. I could've waited for them to come in, but, while I am prepared to cut the new shop some slack on indie titles, I really can't see any excuse not to have got me a copy of Action Comics. I mean, it's Action Comics for fuck's sake, not some small press book out of Streatham! Fuck waiting around for them to get me a copy in, I want to read it NOW!

I really hope that Cap #600 is waiting for me on Thursday, I'm liable to explode in a fat old man rage if the boss has failed to put a copy aside for me. Not that I'm that hyped to read it. Given that it came out on Monday in the States, you all know that I was completely wrong with my "Captain America is black" theory, and that the big reveal is the entirely predictable return of Steve Rogers. Bit of a cop out in my opinion. Let's face it, he's not been dead long enough for there to be any sort of buzz around his return, so why bother? They should've left him dead for another five years at the least. Oh well, as long as the story remains interesting it doesn't matter I suppose.

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Glad to see that Ron Smith was cleared of the charges levelled against him. As I remarked to Mr Wheatley at the weekend, there are more famous artists to have come out of 2000AD, but Smith was doing Dredd during a huge chunk of my childhood and I am very fond of his version of the character. I might fish out a few of those classic Otto Sump stories from the depths of my wardrobe and give them another look to celebrate Ron's acquital. Huzzah!

7 comments:

Mr A. P. Salmond, esq. said...

I tell you what, retailers are going to be ropeable over this Cap 600 business. We had to order the comic completely blind, just on the vague promise that something major was going to happen. Then a few weeks before its release we're told it's going to be released early in the States and it'll be a big media deal and by God are we sure our order is big enough? We actually increased our order (already pumped up by around 25%) by another 50 copies. There are stores all over the States that have, I guarantee it, ordered in hundreds of extra copies. Okay, so their own greed will be their downfall with it, but it's Marvel's short-sightedness that irks me. What are they going to do when these guys get into the ever-decreasing circles of unpaid supplier bills? Actually, I have a fair idea...

http://marvel.com/digitalcomics/hq/

Luckily our extra 50 aren't showing and I'm pretty confident we'll sell out anyway as it's a landmark issue for comics people and all that. But why Marvel thought anyone in the general public would give two shits about a superhero coming back to life is beyond me. The Will Smith rumour I could have bought. After all, Steve Rogers coming back was too obvious and surely that couldn't be the big surprise, could it?

You know what, it wouldn't be so bad if they had just withheld solicitation info. They've done that before and I can understand not wanting to spoil the story. But this blatant gouging by encouraging retailers to order more more more is just foul. Between this, the admission the price rises were unnecessary and the recent variant incentives deliberately designed to encourage retailers to order more copies than they need, it feels for all the world like Marvel is trying to fuck the direct market for all it's worth one last time before sneaking off out the back door to be with its digital whore.

ahem

Mr A. P. Salmond, esq. said...

Oh, and I'm glad to see Ron SMith acquitted too. :-)

Actually, I've never been a fan of his art, even though he was a core Dredd artist in my youth. I just thought his stuff was always a bit ugly. Not Otto Sump ugly, but still...

Dom Sutton said...

Mr Salmond, well said. I was convinced the hoo-ha was going to herald something major (ie Cap going black). The Rogers thing is a big fat damp squib which, for all the reasons you highlight, proves how cuntish the top brass at Marvel are.

My rant in the post above re Cap stems from the fact that I've mentioned to the manager of the shop that I'm very keen to make sure I get a copy of #600. I've been buying the Brubaker run since the first issue and could not get the death of Cap issue on its original release date. I don't want a repeat of that and now that I have a pull list I feel like I should definitely get one. Given that the public won't be rushing to get copies and that he'll have probably ordered more than he needs I should be alright, but I can't be sure and was just venting in advance.

Did you see Image's press release for the latest issue of Invincible?

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/06/16/robert-kirkman-punks-comics-industry/

Dom Sutton said...

PS Check this Ron Smith oddity...

http://bp3.blogger.com/_XMPh28LDNJ0/SIJvgfRydHI/AAAAAAAACjw/-3Fvefy0pRU/s1600-h/dredd21.jpg

Mr A. P. Salmond, esq. said...

Wow, that Ron Smith pic would fit nicely into the alley of incongruity that was Heroes For Hope!

The Kirkman thing was very good. Certainly tickled my funny bone a good deal.

Oh, and don't get me started on #600 again. Be sure to let us know what you think. I'll just say I've flicked through a copy today and...

Mr A. P. Salmond, esq. said...

By the way, I would hope given your emphasis on its importance you'll get your copy, but if not give us a yell and I'll make sure you get one.

Dom Sutton said...

Mr Salmond, you can buy that Ron Smith art for a mere $700! I'm tempted, just so I can add a speech bubble saying "No food citizen? The sentence is death!"

Link here: http://www.romitaman.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=631&ArtistId=1015&Details=1&From=Room