Episode 1523 Talkback - Comic Talk
Pants
Posts: 567
Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat, but the Geeks still aren't too busy for some pithy comics chat! Topics include the ever-growing bounty of Star Wars #1 variant covers; Archie Comics' early plans for their star character's 75th anniversary; the questionable merits of series renumbering; and whatever other sugarplums dance into our heads. (55:48)
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Here is the BleedingCool page: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/11/14/with-marvels-star-wars-1-incentives-tied-to-sales-of-original-sin-8-could-they-sell-half-a-million/
Now, that doesn't mean that the movie hype, the return to Marvel, subject matter, etc. aren't playing in to this, but as an example, the comic shop I work for ordered 3 Original Sin #8 books (big seller, eh?). For us, 200% would be 9 (3 + 6). However, we wanted to get an Alex Ross cover . . . so we ordered 50 (well above the 200% mark). That also opened us up for the Skottie Young and a few other variant covers. Long story short, we ordered around 65 issues (regular + variants). Imagine what a shop like DCBService will be doing to get their variants?
Cheers!
Green Lantern Corps being cancelled is more shocking than the geeks let on. Don't get me wrong, FIVE Lantern titles? It wasn't going to last. Not in the slightest, but I expected Sinestro, Red Lanterns and New Guardians to be cancelled before GLC. Green Lantern is one of DC's flagship characters. As a matter of fact, I'm fairly certain Aquaman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern are ALL original New 52 books that are STILL in print because...they're flag ship titles. The series could SUCK, but you're more likely to change up the creative team than lose that brand recognition. GLC was the catch all for all Lantern related things NOT featured in the main title. A title like that became MORE important post Johns with the invention of the other Lantern Corps.
Red Lanterns wasn't a shocker though. Soule said he was leaving and fans of the series were worried about the new direction of the series under a different writer. ESPECIALLY since the prior creative team was GOD AWFUL. It says alot that Soule was able to take one of the WORST LANTERN TITLES EVER and turn it into one of my favorites. If you're willing and able, pick up the Soule written issues of Red Lanterns featuring Guy Gardner as a Red Lantern. Great stuff.
Green Lantern: New Guardians also isn't a shocker. It's ALSO been a very good title but has been slipping lately. Justin Jordan is ALSO leaving the title. My main concern here is the loss of Kyle Rayner. I LOVE Kyle when he's an "only Lantern" type and I love him even more when he has more power than he knows what to do with (this time as a White Lantern). So I'm disappointed that the focus on him is being shifted there. But again, not unexpected.
Batwoman being cancelled bugs me but only because they FINALLY introduced Ragman into the New 52 and we all know how I love Ragman.
I was hoping that the DC discussion here would have led to some talk about the overall cost of the Convergence event. Maybe that gets covered in part two, but I'm curious as to what you gentlemen think about the financial commitment that DC expects of us to revisit aspects of the Classic DCU we miss.
This will of course lead to a quest scenario in which other characters can join the party along the way, at first keeping things familiar with other canned vegetables such as corn and peas. Eventually, more colorful characters can be introduced allowing Fiona Staples to really exercise her creativity. Perhaps a comic relief character, like a toothbrush. Think Bruce Spence from The Road Warrior. Something along those lines.
Should this be an all-ages book? Perhaps we could pitch this to Kaboom.
I personally am excited about all of the buzz for Star Wars being a super huge fan of the property. I also am excited about all of the variant covers. I personally am trying to get them all (but I know that a couple I probably won't own are the sketch cover to Alex Ross and the sketch cover to Joe Quesada....they are just too expensive to obtain). I saw an article recently that said there will be over 100 variant covers, but they were counting the signed editions of other variant covers and the reproduced sketches done on the blank sketch cover. I don't count those. Last I saw, of actual variant covers, there are about 64. If you remove the sketch variants of the color editions, the number goes down by almost half. Still a lot of covers, but I was not surprised. I would do this for no other title, but Star Wars is huge for me, so just for this issue, I am trying to get all that I can.
I am definitely interested in trying the Archie title when it relaunches. Like Chris said, you can put those two creators on a comic about a grocery list, and I will give it a try.
In regards to the titles ending, I'm sad about Worlds Finest and Green Lantern Corps ending. the others I kinda expected.
In regards to the solicit for the last issue of Worlds Finest that I believe Pants stated kinda gave a spoiler, it actually didn't. It mentioned the death of Lois Lane, but this is Earth 2's Lois Lane. The story they are telling happens in the past of Earth 2. In the present day of Earth 2, Lois Lane is Red Tornado, so we already knew for a while that she must have died as a person and her mind was put into Red Tornado's body. This issue must just show how that happened. So, I can definitely see how this could be thought of as a spoiler if anyone was not reading the titles of Earth 2 or Worlds Finest currently, but it actually doesn't spoil that this happens. It is just a past story that explains how it happened. Hope that makes sense.
Thanks again for the episode, guys.
You guys mentioned how people will buy issues and have them signed by Star Wars actors, which I totally agree. Many people will do that. I personally am a Star Wars fan first and a comic book fan an extremely close second....which means that as much as Star Wars is a big part of my life, so are comics. So I would look to have these issues signed by the comic creators, well, except for maybe the movie variant cover....that one would be cool to have signed by the actor on the cover.
Grayson is my top of the pile DC book at the moment but I'm still really enjoying Batwoman and the Aquaman books. The Green Lantern books have been consistent, but the constant events have left me feeling worn.
Of course, Image beats the living snot out of both of them. Oh, and I only know that because supposed Marvel apologist, "Chris from Wild Pig," has turned me on to so many Image books, I can't even keep track of them.
If you're really about to stop listening because they are currently leaning more towards Marvel and Image, I think you may be doing yourself a gross disservice @MEDuell . But mine is merely one man's opinion on an Internet forum...
I personally enjoy both Marvel and DC, and I would say that I also read an equal parts of independent stuff as well. I'm an equal opportunity reader. I read what I like. When it comes to DC, I am getting caught up on some stuff. I recently caught up on Green Arrow. I stopped reading after Lemire left (his run was amazing), but was still getting the issues. I read them this weekend, and very glad I kept collecting them. If you like the TV show Arrow, then I highly recommend reading Green Arrow. I am loving the Flash right now with the future Barry storyline going on. I know some people hate Justice League, but the current Amazo Virus storyline has been enjoyable to me. I'm catching up on the Green Lantern titles (got way behind, so just starting the Uprising storyline), but they have been solid. I am loving the Endgame story in Batman. I really enjoyed the first issue of Secret Six. It was weird but a good kind of weird. Earth 2 still knocks it out of the park for me every month. I am loving Grayson. I personally am enjoying the weekly series, and the great thing with them is when I do get a stinker issue, it's only one week later that a new one comes that is usually better.
I could go on with other DC titles I am enjoying, but I think I will end there.
I started comics as an X-Men fan but I've also learned to love the Avengers so I'm loving the Marvel books right now. I never really got into DC until the Sinestro Corps War and Morrison on Batman. Those are the only titles I keep up with. Well Wonder Woman before the creative team change. So as someone standing on the outside of DC's history the New 52 piqued my interest for a little while but eventually nothing about it made me want to read any new titles. To me it all seemed underwhelming.
The show will continue to grow and change and I will keep listening as long as the Geeks keep putting out shows. I enjoy hearing them talk and though I don't always agree with what they have to say, I have come to think of them as friends who I just haven't met yet. I have only one person where I live that I get to talk comics with and for me the Geeks are a great substitute for an LCS. I only wish I didn't have to wait so long between episodes, bt that's only because I'd like to hear and talk about comics every day!