News for the Week of January 7, 2009
Rick’s Writin’s
Boy Howdy, it's been some couple of weeks hasn't it!! Getting the double
comic load this last week had the hold boxes bursting full, and I want
to thank you all for coming in, even multiple times this past week, and
picking up your stuff. It helped us recover from the previous week's weather
delays and sales slump that went with it. WE thank you muchly!! I've had
some sports related nostalgia this past week, stuff that goes back to
when I was a kid. On New Year's Day, the NHL played a hockey game between
the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings out doors at Wrigley Field
in Chicago (where the Cubs play baseball). To commemorate the occasion
a bunch of old time Blackhawk players were on hand, including my childhood
heroes Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita. I was lucky to go to many games as
a kid, as my parents were big hockey fans and shared season tickets to
the Blackhawks. This was when there were only six NHL teams. I got to
see all the greats from that era play including Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr,
Glenn Hall, Phil Esposito, and Bobby and Stosh as my dad called him. My
mom used to wave and dance a jig to our neighbor lady across the street
when the Hawks scored a goal. Those were great times watching those games.
The other item was on the newly launched Major League Baseball network,
carried on Comcast (channel 407). They played/are playing the entire Don
Larsen pitched Perfect Game from the 1956 World Series (my birth year).
Though somehow it's missing the first inning, MLB has the entire rest
of the game between the Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. The broadcast
has Hall of Fame announcer Mel Allen doing the first half and then a very
young Vin Scully doing the second half of the game. That's besides the
fact that playing in the game are baseball Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle,
Jackie Robinson, Roy Campenella, Yogi Berra, Duke Snider, and Pee Wee
Reese as well as Billy Martin, Gil Hodges and some guys I've never heard
of. It's the first time this game has ever been shown in full, and the
format is a kinescope, which is a film made from a video tape source.
Very interesting to see Yankee Stadium in its original form, with very
short left and right field fences but a hugely deep (457 ft.) center field.
(I think Seattle's Safeco Field is 405 ft. to center). And it's a day
game too, so that's interesting as well. To round out the event MLB has
in studio Bob Costas with Don Larsen and his catcher Yogi Berra to talk
over the game between breaks to get a real insiders feel for went on during
the game and particularly how it has effected Larsen for the rest of his
life. Catch this one if you can, I think it's very worth it, especially
if you're a baseball nut and love it's history as I do.
As I expected (and was hoping too) this week is a lighter load, though there's some pretty good stuff in the mix. Seems like Marvel is going a little one-shot crazy, though DC isn't being left out of that. This week we have one-shots for Spider-Man (Fear Itself: featuring Man-Thing), Wolverine (Switchback: Logan is on vacation drive, but stumbles across some trouble in a little town called Pottsville..) and the one with the most impact: Secret Invasion: War of Kings. SI: War of Kings deals with the aftermath of the Secret Invasion and the Inhumans dealings with the Skrulls. Black Bolt and his people are not going to stand for the expansion of the Vulcan Empire. This issue sets up the War of Kings story to run in the X-Men Kingbreaker series and Guardians of the Galaxy. Also from Marvel is the first issue of the new Punisher series. I'm not sure why there is a new Punisher series, unless the Max title (now called Frank Castle: Punisher) isn't in the regular continuity. This new start has Frank in the midst of the Dark Reign story, dealing with new Marvel feature boy The Sentry (who IS this guy??).
DC has its own one shot this week, as its Faces of Evil month kicks off a weekly series of Foe one-shots, starting with old time Batman villain Solomon Grundy. Grundy goes way back to the 1940's, but this issue is the first time he's had a book to himself. This issue digs into his origins and how Grundy came to be. Subsequent FOE issues will feature JLA villain Prometheus (Leading into a new Justice League #1), Deathstroke and Kobra. To go with the Faces of Evil event, most DC titles this month will feature a main foe on the cover. This weeks Detective (#852) has a Hush cover and the first part of a story with Hush and a confrontation with Selina Kyle (Catwoman). That story continues in Batman #685 later in the month (Jan. 28th) and features a beauty of a Catwoman cover by Adam Hughes. Other titles of interest to finish this week are: The Boys (#26) and Buffy (#21). That's all for now…I must do laundry. Oh. ..by the way though...we have a list of items in the new Previews that we'd like your opinion or input on, to give us a gage on how to order these new item. The list is at the counter so if you could, please have a look and jot down if you're going to be interested in these items or not. Thanks!
Paula’s Picks
I’ve made a neat list of new books coming being offered in this
month’s Previews. If you have a moment, please take a look at it
and let us know what you think about some of their offerings!
We are back on our regular
schedule for comics this week! We’re getting some good books too!
One of my favorites is coming back after a long hiatus. Blue Monday: Thieves
Like Us is a new mini-series from Chynna Clugston. I love her writing
and her art. She doesn’t do stuff very often, so when she comes
out with something (especially Blue Monday), I get really excited. I think
it might be time to go back and dig out all of my old issues and re-read
them all.
Buffy is getting back on track with issues #21 coming out this week. They
were behind for a few months, but the plan is to go back to releasing
new issues on the first week of the month. This issue starts a new storyline
starring Harmony. She cracked me up in the TV series for being a vampire
that loved unicorns. He mood was completely opposite of Spikes and she
created some good comic relief for the series.
Secret Invasion comes out in trade paperback this week. Just in time for you to catch up for the new Dark Reign series. Also from Marvel, Invincible Iron Man #9 features a Dark Reign tie-in. Marvels Zombies 3 #4 comes out as well, wrapping up the mini-series and Amazing Spider-Man #583 wraps up the “Mind on Fire” storyline.
Secret Six #5 also features a Faces of Evil tie-in and Trinity is still going with #32.