Yes, I know this is being written on the 25th but is labeled as 20th. Well, long story short, I've been battling a horrendous cold/flu nasty. Getting better now, I think, but never mind that now. The important thing is my pick of the week has yet to be published (and I think I forgot to do one the week before) so here we are.
Captain America #5 from Marvel. I'd like to say that it's because of great writing or superb artwork, but my reason is far more self-serving. This month's issue of Captain America has my letter to Rick Remender published in the letters section! What's more, he wrote back! My first published letter, and it's in my favorite comic. How cool is that?
Right, I suppose to be fair, I have to dig a bit deeper. Rick Remender's writing has always been a outstanding, and the current story arc (albeit a bit bizarre for Cap) is no exception. Even in the sci-fi setting Remender still manages to keep Cap significant and tell an interesting story. Spanning over a decade and featuring his long time enemy, Dr. Arnim Zola. Flashbacks to Steve Rogers' childhood are my favorite part, each one adding to a very rich character background.
The artwork was a struggle for me at first. I'd be lying if I said I was a fan of John Romita Jr's artwork. Even now I see so many panels that bother me for one reason or another throughout the book that it sometimes seems a struggle to finish reading it. However, there are some panels where it becomes obvious that Jr has taken his time and put some real feeling into it. This issue of Cap ends on such a panel, and I'm quite happy that this is the issue which contains my letter.
Ever have a letter published in a comic? Want to sound off with your opinions on the current Cap run? You know what to do.
Monday 25 March 2013
Sunday 10 March 2013
Marvel's Big News
Last week it was announced that Marvel would have 5 big announcements on March 10 at the SXSW Gaming Expo. The aforementioned teaser images led to a lot of speculation. One included many title and character names forming the shape of a large number 1 accompanied by a caption that simply said, "First." Next, we got a teaser of a tally countdown.... Numbering 52. This seemed to spell it all out for Marvel fans. We were going to have to endure a universal reboot similar to the DC New 52 relaunch, which would make no sense given that Marvel NOW has already given new readers a universal jumping on point. Last was a teaser that simply said, "Project Gamma," on a briefcase with some sort of frequency wave in the background.
Marvel's 5 big announcements have come to pass. First, an announcement regarding more exclusive video content on their website. Cool. Next, we have some innovations being done with their digital unlimited subscription, a monthly or annual fee that grants users access to over 13,000 digital comics, but not as a hard download. This differs from the Marvel digital copies that accompany nearly all of their $3.99 comics now, a copy that once downloaded to your account is yours forever. Still, it was the other 3 stories had me excited and relieved.
The 52 tallies were for Marvel's Infinite Comics. The infinite comics are strictly digital format comics that are only available online. They can be found on Marvel's website with your Marvel account, or through the Marvel app on Apple devices or Android devices. Coming soon, there will be a new Infinite Comic available every Tuesday for one year. All of these comics will be relevant to ongoing Marvel stories and characters. For a taste of what these comics will read like, check the app now for their Guardians of the Galaxy: Drax the Destroyer special (free, of course, though the 52 to come I believe will require purchasing). So no, not a hint at a DC style reboot. Thank Thor for that.
The teaser with the big number 1? Yeah, Marvel's app and digital comics store has now/will have in total about 700 FREE comics, including #1's, annuals, specials, one-shots, etc. This includes most of the Marvel NOW #1's that have been released since November. Tying in with the mentality behind Marvel NOW, this is meant to attract new readers, get readers interested in more titles, and just generally share over 70 years worth of #1 comics. I currently have about 300 of them downloading to my iPad (I think 50 or so have already finished).
Last, we have Project Gamma. Again, this is an initiative targeted towards the digital side of things. Imagine that while you are reading your digital comics, there is accompanying audio. Music that fits the characters, stories, and adapts to the reader's reading pace. Yeah, I don't know quite how it's going to work. Only Marvel really knows at the moment. I think this could be cool, though, but we'll see what it's like when it launches later this year.
So that's it, really. What does this mean for a guy who works in a comic shop? Marvel are giving away a bunch of comics and promoting the digital format side of things. Are comic shops in danger? Not even a little. Having a digital copy of a comic book is vastly different from having the print copy. For comic collectors and long time readers, the print format will never lose its magic. Sure, we may take our digital copy codes from our Marvel books, and may even read a good deal of our comics on a tablet or phone while on the go. But it's just not the same. Having the stacks of comics, having the boxes tucked away under a bed or in a closet, hunting down that one issue you need to complete a story, digital comics can't replace these things.
Having over 700 free comics to me means that people who download them from Marvel this week may show up at our store saying, "I read a #1 (fill in the blank Marvel title) from (fill in the blank year). I loved it, and I want to read the rest of it! I don't want to buy a digital copy, though, I want to collect the issues in print. Do you have them?" It means some very busy weeks ahead as we rifle through our 25,000+ back issues at Dead Universe Comics to try and help every customer find what they are looking for, and that is more than okay. Marvel is generating interest in the old as well as the new, and that should have comic shops everywhere jumping for joy at the chance to sell the often neglected back issues.
So jump onto your iWhatever or your Galaxy-Thingy and get to downloading free and LEGAL copies of over 700 comics. Try whatever, and start reading. Figure out what you like, then come see us with any questions and we'll be there to help, as always. Happy reading!
Marvel's 5 big announcements have come to pass. First, an announcement regarding more exclusive video content on their website. Cool. Next, we have some innovations being done with their digital unlimited subscription, a monthly or annual fee that grants users access to over 13,000 digital comics, but not as a hard download. This differs from the Marvel digital copies that accompany nearly all of their $3.99 comics now, a copy that once downloaded to your account is yours forever. Still, it was the other 3 stories had me excited and relieved.
The 52 tallies were for Marvel's Infinite Comics. The infinite comics are strictly digital format comics that are only available online. They can be found on Marvel's website with your Marvel account, or through the Marvel app on Apple devices or Android devices. Coming soon, there will be a new Infinite Comic available every Tuesday for one year. All of these comics will be relevant to ongoing Marvel stories and characters. For a taste of what these comics will read like, check the app now for their Guardians of the Galaxy: Drax the Destroyer special (free, of course, though the 52 to come I believe will require purchasing). So no, not a hint at a DC style reboot. Thank Thor for that.
The teaser with the big number 1? Yeah, Marvel's app and digital comics store has now/will have in total about 700 FREE comics, including #1's, annuals, specials, one-shots, etc. This includes most of the Marvel NOW #1's that have been released since November. Tying in with the mentality behind Marvel NOW, this is meant to attract new readers, get readers interested in more titles, and just generally share over 70 years worth of #1 comics. I currently have about 300 of them downloading to my iPad (I think 50 or so have already finished).
Last, we have Project Gamma. Again, this is an initiative targeted towards the digital side of things. Imagine that while you are reading your digital comics, there is accompanying audio. Music that fits the characters, stories, and adapts to the reader's reading pace. Yeah, I don't know quite how it's going to work. Only Marvel really knows at the moment. I think this could be cool, though, but we'll see what it's like when it launches later this year.
So that's it, really. What does this mean for a guy who works in a comic shop? Marvel are giving away a bunch of comics and promoting the digital format side of things. Are comic shops in danger? Not even a little. Having a digital copy of a comic book is vastly different from having the print copy. For comic collectors and long time readers, the print format will never lose its magic. Sure, we may take our digital copy codes from our Marvel books, and may even read a good deal of our comics on a tablet or phone while on the go. But it's just not the same. Having the stacks of comics, having the boxes tucked away under a bed or in a closet, hunting down that one issue you need to complete a story, digital comics can't replace these things.
Having over 700 free comics to me means that people who download them from Marvel this week may show up at our store saying, "I read a #1 (fill in the blank Marvel title) from (fill in the blank year). I loved it, and I want to read the rest of it! I don't want to buy a digital copy, though, I want to collect the issues in print. Do you have them?" It means some very busy weeks ahead as we rifle through our 25,000+ back issues at Dead Universe Comics to try and help every customer find what they are looking for, and that is more than okay. Marvel is generating interest in the old as well as the new, and that should have comic shops everywhere jumping for joy at the chance to sell the often neglected back issues.
So jump onto your iWhatever or your Galaxy-Thingy and get to downloading free and LEGAL copies of over 700 comics. Try whatever, and start reading. Figure out what you like, then come see us with any questions and we'll be there to help, as always. Happy reading!
Thursday 7 March 2013
Pick of the Week March 6th, 2013
No surprises here! This week's pick is Marvel's Age of Ultron #1. Not because we have loads of copies to sell, not because I'm simply a huge Marvel fan, and not because it's one of the few books I got a chance to fully read so far this week. Why? Read on!
Brian Michael Bendis is very much the architect of the Marvel universe at the moment. His story telling has always been brilliant, and Age of Ultron is no exception. We are brought into the story knowing that Ultron, one of the all-time greatest Avengers villains, has returned. He has waged war on humanity and won. Much like Uncanny X-Force's Age of Apocalypse, Age of Ultron is set in the near future of the Marvel universe. This sets AU apart from other Marvel events, as it is currently has nothing to do with anything else going on in the Marvel universe.
The world is bleak, the Avengers are hiding underground, and it's every man for themselves. We encounter Hawkeye very early on, but he's not quite the same trick shooting archer we remember. For one thing, he's armed with real arrows, not his trick arrows. I'll leave that thought with you for a moment.
Like all comics, art is more than half the battle. Brian Hitch, well known for being one of the architects of the Ultimate Marvel universe alongside Mark Millar, grabs our attention straight away with a two page cityscape revealing the ruins of New York. The attention to detail is astounding, and the books's quality stays constant throughout.
I can't spoil any of the story, but let's try something new. If you've read Age of Ultron #1, sound off with your thoughts in the comment section. Warning: comments may contain spoilers!
Brian Michael Bendis is very much the architect of the Marvel universe at the moment. His story telling has always been brilliant, and Age of Ultron is no exception. We are brought into the story knowing that Ultron, one of the all-time greatest Avengers villains, has returned. He has waged war on humanity and won. Much like Uncanny X-Force's Age of Apocalypse, Age of Ultron is set in the near future of the Marvel universe. This sets AU apart from other Marvel events, as it is currently has nothing to do with anything else going on in the Marvel universe.
The world is bleak, the Avengers are hiding underground, and it's every man for themselves. We encounter Hawkeye very early on, but he's not quite the same trick shooting archer we remember. For one thing, he's armed with real arrows, not his trick arrows. I'll leave that thought with you for a moment.
Like all comics, art is more than half the battle. Brian Hitch, well known for being one of the architects of the Ultimate Marvel universe alongside Mark Millar, grabs our attention straight away with a two page cityscape revealing the ruins of New York. The attention to detail is astounding, and the books's quality stays constant throughout.
I can't spoil any of the story, but let's try something new. If you've read Age of Ultron #1, sound off with your thoughts in the comment section. Warning: comments may contain spoilers!
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