Black Science #8: A Roundabout Review

Black Science #8

Produced by Image Comics

Written by Rick Remender

Art by Matteo Scalero

After six issues of a title, I knew if I would continue to collect or drop the title. As I grew older, I placed that limit to three. After eight issues, Black Science continues to impress. The story is never quick or slow. The art never overcomes or is underscored. The comic simply is that, a comic book. 

As a teen, I would look forward to the next month, almost not being able to wait the appointed time. I don't feel that way much in today's market and yet...dare I say, after reading issue 8, I can't wait until issue nine arrives at Fat Jack's, my LCS on Sansom Street. 

I don't know what's going to happen next. I can't predict it, which is enjoyable. Kadir, who sabotaged the project seems to be filled with remorse, Nate McKay, the son of Grant, is a bit more of a surprise as he defends his older sister, and the Shaman adds to the story. It seems his people didn't create the technology they use, they only adopted it into their culture. He explains it as Black Science.

The book has a mixed feel of Quantum Leap meets Space Family Robinson.  All in all, a really good book. 

4 out of 5 stars for the book

Action Comics #1: the Final Bid

What's a comic book worth anyway?

I think with today's prices and inflation we forget how much a million dollars actually is. As a young kid, my sister tried to teach me how much $1 million dollars actually was. The main difficulty she had teaching this to me was that I had no idea of the value of a single dollar, let alone one million of them. We were in the kitchen discussing the vastness of it. She explained to me over and over again, a million dollars in single dollar denominations would overflow the kitchen.  It seemed impossible, as impossible as a 1938 comic book selling for $3,207,852. That's Three Million Two Hundred Seven Thousand Eight Hundred Fifty-Two Dollars and Zero Cents. That is more pages than my entire comic book collection compiled together...ten times over.

I watched the bidding, almost from the beginning. The first bid I was able to see was 1.6 million dollars and although it started at .99 cents, it was just two hours later that the bidding was already way past what I could afford. From there, I continued to watch and estimated that the finished price would be 3.1 million. When the CGC graded comic reached over 2 million and paused, I worried I was going to be wrong. Then on the final day, it reached 2,402,000 and with slightly over a minute left, it jumped to 2.6, and then 2.7 million just before it's final bid. At this point, not only was it about who wanted it more, it was also about who could afford it, pre-authorization or not.

Was the second bidder fumbling with the keyboard? Was he rushing to enter 3.5 million? Did the winner acquire a sudden sense of buyers remorse? And at $2.83 an hour, why was my pre-authorization request denied? 

Facebook and Instagram, the two social media outlets I follow most, lit up with multiple comic book news feeds, all with the same story: Record Setting comic book sells for $3,207,852. I almost wish the .38 cents would have accompanied the final bid, as it had lingered on earlier in the bidding.

After 48 bids, the book was sold and I still had two hours left at work to compile my thoughts. I thought about being the first one to write an article and post it seconds after the bidding was over. I was going to have it written days before, so that the only thing I would need to finish was the final bid. Instead, I waited. I wanted it to sink in. 

I think of all the stories I hear from my older customers about all the comic books they threw away, because they were never going to be worth anything anyway. However, if they didn't throw them away, and if the US government didn't have paper drives, or if the comic book burnings brought about by the senate hearings caused by Frederick Wertham's "Seduction of the Innocent" had never occurred, then many mothers and grandmothers would have been right about them not being worth anything.

This book, however, definitely was.

Thanks for Reading

Tnerb 

Sensational Comics #1: A Roundabout Review

Sensational Comics #1

By Gail Simone

And Ethan Van Sciver 

I tried out SuperMan and Wonder Woman #1 for the possibility of DC producing a romance book in the world of super heroes. It's been a long time since comic titles like Young Romance and Young Love have been around. Of course, it is 2014 and Image is producing a vast array of comic books in separate genres, so why not DC. Unfortunately, the chance I gave that title has been squandered. 

Going though my LCS had me pick up a few goodies on an above average week, but not enough where I couldn't try something new. I picked Sensation Comics #1, written by Gail Simone, who has proven herself in an industry still dominated by men; and this title be her was to be my latest #1. Her name alone will make me look at a book, and in this case, a second look. The original Sensation Comics ended in 1952 and was given a once-over in a one shot back in 1999. DC apparently thought it was time again.

Ethan Van Sciver created a cover that makes you wonder aloud, "How long is Wonder Woman's lasso?". His interiors are also appealing to the eye, but thrown off by page 12 alone, considering it's by another artist, Marcelo Di Chiara. 

Gail Simone pits Diana against Batman's foes. Wonder Woman's imagination may be the only true way to deal with Batman's enemies and four panels on a single page halfway through the story had me thinking that a universe where dead means dead might be intriguing. The second half of the book was left unread, a separate story altogether. If Gail disappointed me, what chance did Amanda Deibert have? 

The book was fun for just one moment, but it left me with a sense of distaste. The story takes place outside the "New 52", which has me take pause, asking myself that if stories are still being told withdrawn from current universe, then what was the point of starting over in the first place? Both stories state "The End" on their final page. I'm left wondering, will the stories continue or will it be a decade before another Sensation Comics is produced? And if a number two isn't published, is that really a bad thing? If you want to try a new number one, skip this and pick up Grant Morrison's Multiversity. 

One out of Five stars

Action Comics #1, a bidding paradise

Bidding on SuperMan's first appearance 

Or

When a million dollars is not enough. 

Austin Powers had Dr. Evil hold the earth ransom for 1 million dollars. He was corrected by one of his henchmen, it wasn't enough. One of the greatest financial decisions you could make is when you finance a car or a house, but now you can add buying a comic book to the list. With 6 days left the highest graded copy of Action Comics #1 has already surpassed 1.75 million, $550,000 more than what I told my coworkers I bid. 

Of course, this is a book I could never afford, and I'm ok with that. I do find the quality of such an old book to be amazing. I can almost imagine Paul calling out to his peers, "Guys, you have to see this". 

The oohs and aahs would begin. Was it passed around, or was it limited to the rule if three. I even see upper management joining in the historic event, because grading a very fine to near mint book from 1938 is something worth bragging about, and CGC graded two. 

The issue is iconic. A book that, if never created, could have stunted the comic books we know and love today. The two oldest comic books I had the luxury of being so close to was while I was at CGC. And I will remember them, but the room did not jump in excitement, as much as I think they did with this one. As I mentioned, I will never own one, but I will get caught up in the excitement of knowing something this great is up for bid. Even Matt Nelson expressed his exuberance over it. He even mentions how it came across his desk which makes me wonder, was it pressed?

I'm guessing the book will hit 3.1 million. Which means I'm $3,099,999 shy. Of course I would love a Detective 27 to be found in the same grade, to give this Action Comics book a run for its money.

Thanks for Reading

All New X-Men #30: A Roundabout Review

All New X-Men #30

by Brian Michael Bendis

and Sara Pichelli

All New X-Men is a playground. It gives today's artists and creators a chance to play with the characters they grew up with. The original cast was brought forward in time allowing Scott to travel with his father, Jean to see how powerful she could be without the Phoenix force, and Bobby to use the same jokes on new people.

The one thing about the All New X-Men is that you get to do all new things, although I wonder when the All New X-Men will become old and Marvel will start over with the All New, New X-Men #1. 

Issue 30 cheats a little by relying on the artwork for almost four full pages with no dialog. It reminds me a little of G.I. Joe #21, but not as good. I liked the idea of X-23 being happy with someone and at first it looked like it would be Scott, which felt natural, but it's with Warren, as the cover dictates, and it feels forced.

Jean begins training with the White Queen. This is just wrong. I still consider her to be from the Hellfire Club, the image of her presiding over Kitty Pride telling the New Mutants that they will forever be hers from the last page of New Mutants #15 will forever be etched on my psyche.

Jean Grey seems a lot smarter, while Emma is still a bit... Emma, and that is only the fist half. If you like Guardians of the Galaxy, you get a taste of that here. If you like crossovers, the last page works, and if you like a pacer issue between the Brotherhood and whatever comes next, this is it. All in all, a decent issue, but I am looking for something better, something maybe a little more old, than new.

3 stars out of 5

In the Beginning

The first comic book I can remember having was given to me when I was five. One rainy day it was sitting on the floor of my Grandfather's car waiting for me. I say Grandfather, but I mean my Pop-Pop. This man, this incredibly kind man gave me something that I never realized until much later on in life, when I was slightly over forty. It was not only a treasury sized edition of Star Wars that he gave me as a kid, it was the passion that I felt for this materialistic item of fancy artwork and words. 

I have purchased comic books many times before, but those were pulled from the three for a dollar rack. They mostly consisted of Richie Rich, Casper, and the occasional super hero comic book. This begs me to answer, what's the difference between the first comic books I ever owned and the first comic book of my collection? A collection consists of more than one, normally this needs a beginning, and this was my beginning.

My first comic books never had me going back for more month after month. They were purchased whenever I was close to a newsstand or comic book shop, including a shop that I frequented when I was ten. Then one day at my local 7-11, when I was twelve, a recent remodel moved the magazine rack to the front of the store. This marketing ploy stopped me from entering the candy aisle; it was also the first time I bought a comic book with my allowance. 

New Mutants #15 was in the front, its cover by Tom Mandrake drew me over. The inside, by Sal Buscema and Chris Claremont, is what made me want to pick up the next issue, I didn’t realize I had to wait a month and headed back to the store the next day where my understanding of the Marvel Universe expanded.  I left with five or six new titles. It was a long time later that I attributed issue #15 as the beginning of my dirty little secret and as I got older I hid them away, only confiding with my closest friends. 

My comics were with me as I started dating, when I moved out, and became a father. These bound papers traversed through my twenties, thirties and entered into my forties. I continued on with these four color books being part of my life's experiences. Comic books have been a part of me for as long as I can remember, especially that treasury sized edition of Star Wars that I hurried to pick up off the floor of the car while my feet dripped from the rain outside. I tossed it to the left, buckled my seatbelt, and picked it back up ready to begin an adventure. The comic book has long since been lost to the trials of life, but I transferred the love that I have always had for my Pop-Pop to the little stapled stories I buy every week, and every week I still go on an adventure. 

Thanks for Reading

Imperial #1: A Roundabout Review

Published by Image Comics 

Written by Steven T. Seagle

Art by Mark Dos Santos 

Is this the best comic I've read all year?

The cover drew me in. I felt like a fish on a hook. The detailed simplicity reminded me of a Norman Rockwell painting. And after skimming through it, I placed it back on the shelf, picked up the rest of my weekly haul, and after realizing it was a light week, I went back and picked the best copy my LCS had off the shelf. 

When I finally picked up Imperial to read, I was only paying a portion of my attention to it. After I was done, I was in awe. The book was nothing short of phenomenal. I reviewed another Marvel title for The Next Issue Outpost and even though I felt that was a 4 out of 5, I was disappointed I didn't review this comic, because not only would I have graded it a 5 out of 5, I now feel it would be a grave disservice to pass on this title. 

In the nineties, I collected Image because I was afraid I might miss the next best thing. Now I collect Image because of the diversity. East of West, Black Science, Alex + Ada, along with Morning Glories and Ten Grand continue to entertain me month after month. My boxes are beginning to fill with great title after great title, alternating from the usual. And after deciding to not get caught up in a new series, I failed. Imperial #1 is the best new book out there. 

Thanks for Reading.

Superior Spider-Man #32; A Roundabout Review

By Dan Slott & Christos Gage

W/Giuseppe Camuncoli & John Dell

This issue takes place around the same time as Superior Spider-Man #19. It tells the tale of where Otto Octavius disappeared during his jaunt to save the city in his guise as Superior Spider-Man. So I ask, what's next? Where does the Superior Spider-Man go from here, especially after the title was ended? Asking how many Spider-Men will be involved is like asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, not to mention, why didn't Marvel just start at #1 like they've done with practically everything else?

Recently, I asked a few of my friends who write for The Next Issue Outpost, what recent villain was created that was worth his/her merit. They answered, but I couldn't find anyone villainous enough, until now. This spider slayer introduced in this issue killed multiple spider-men across the multiverse and I have yet to find out his name. His first appearance in Superior Spider-Man #32 is surrounded by questions.

There have been different universes, where others have carried the mantle of Spider-Man. The most notable is Peter Parker from the 616 universe. The first I remember of a different Spider-Man (and yet the same) was from What if...? #1 (1977). That iteration of the wall crawler was displayed inside this newest book along with others from House of M, Civil War, and one that looks reminiscent of Web of Spider-Man #100. Each scene is a corpse for Otto to find. Someone is killing the various "spiders" and any that are in the way.

In the eighties, the biggest story line was the 12 issue maxi-series, Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. This helped introduce one of the biggest changes in Peter Parker's life. In the modern age, Dan Slott has come a long way from writing Ren and Stimpy, and after his amazing tale of Otto taking over the Spider mantle in 31 previous, consecutive issues, I am salivating on what's going to happen in his Spider-verse. Will Otto Spidey help Peter Spidey? Will the symbiotic Spidey Suit swing through New York again? Will Flash Thompson and the Guardians arrive? How long will we have to wait until Morlun returns? And will this new Spidey killer be working for him or something far more sinister?

4 out of 5 stars 

When a Variant Hurts

I can not say I have never bought a variant. In the nineties I was guilty of wanting the gold variants from Valiant. However, when it came to the first variant I can remember buying, it was the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21. I picked my favorite  between the two covers available. This is something I still do, with a few exceptions. If a variant is priced higher than the cover price, case in point 1:200, I tend to pick the cover price, after all I want to read it.

I am reminded of the saying you can not judge a book by its cover. And some of these comics have amazing covers. With all the variants that are flooding the market, it makes the nineties look like a drop in the bucket. Most recently I purchased a 3-D Sandman, and Hacktivist which both were graded by CGC as a 9.9. One was purchased off the internet, the other off of a dealer at a convention in New York.

At these conventions I love to purchase the harder to find commodity, but I have been able to get deals on these variants, which is the only reason I have bought them. However, if push came to shove and I had a choice between getting a 1:200 book with an asking price of $200; even with an awesome cover by the artist of the week, I think I would rather choose a marvel premiere #1, Action Comics #411, and/or a Ghost Stories #32. I need conventions to find these older books since my choice of LCS's do not have a quick turn around time on back issues.

Over the years Wizard World has changed from a Comic Book convention to a Pop Culture Media Event. What does this mean? It means that I have become disappointed at my home convention in Philadelphia which had the Major Comic Book Companies along with retailers that sold their books promote themselves elsewhere. As WW added more actors and actresses along with other pop culture personalities the convention changed. The change that bothered me the most was the convention hosted a lot less dealers.

If CGC wasn't at Philadelphia Wizard World for on-site grading I wouldn't have attended. The other conventions I have travelled to over the past few years are ECCC, MegaCon, Baltimore Comic Con, NYCC, NYSE, and the small local Philadelphia Comic Con. I have made it my mission to visit a few different conventions outside my home state, and of course the SDCC is one of those that I hope one day to attend.

Mile High Comics, meaning Chuck Rozanski has recently claimed, this will be the last year he attends. At a $10,000 loss I couldn't imagine him wanting to be back and quietly wonder, would Philadelphia Wizard World be better if he set up booths there? The claim that Chuck has made is that the variants take a big part of the convention goers extra pocket money. Many of these variants are sold exclusively through the company never giving the retailers the chance to sell their own product. 

The Alex Ross sketch variant of ASM #1 was selling for over $250. I even heard one dealer say to a prospective buyer "it was the book to buy". The customer asked if it would retain the value, he was told most assuredly. I shuddered. I walked away after hearing this, I couldn't stomach the speculation of a book voiced as fact. 

I remember thinking my W.I.L.D. Cats gold embossed cover would never drop in value. I purchased it for two reasons, one it would be worth thousands when I'm older and it was a really cool cover. One out if two is still true. We the fans make the market, even if speculators try to lead the way. As an example, prices recently on Strange Tales #110 are beginning to spike. So if I buy a variant it is because I enjoy the cover. But, the various variants have changed not only by cover but by the stores that offering them. Now comic books shops like Comics To Astonish, Midtown Comics, or Mile High Comics have their own "must buy here copies". How did the variant market get so hot that even LCS's needed their own covers?

So why is Chuck upset that variants are taking a chunk of his profits when his company has his own variant? Is this just a case of sour grapes or will the comic market implode once again as it did twenty years ago? And how will comic book conventions survive if the dealers decided to stop selling at them?

Thanks for Reading

Ps. Update: Mile High Comics has decided to go to SDCC 2015 after all. There is still hope.