Saturday, May 26, 2012

Scalped v2: #8


Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 3: The Way of the Intercepting Fist

The spotlight is on Diesel as he first plans to rob Red Crow's casino and then fights with Bad Horse. There are some flashbacks to Diesel's past which help to flesh him out a little bit. So far all the chapters in this collection take place on the same night. Each one focuses on a different character. It seems logical to assume that the pattern will continue for the remaining chapters.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Scalped v2: #7


Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 2: Down on the Killin' Floor

Lots of flashbacks interspersed with stuff taking place in the present. Dashiell only makes a token appearance as this chapter focuses on Red Crow. As his casino opens for business Red Crow reflects on the past and receives an unwanted visitor. What should be a triumphant night for him, when viewed through his eyes, appears to be, at best, a pyrrhic victory.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

What I Bought - May 14, 2012

Here are some books that arrived by media mail the other day. I bought them online, through Comic Collectors Live.

Stuff I bought 5-14-2012

JSA Classified 1 - I bought 2,3,4 at the Wild Pig Sale on FCBD. With this issue I now have the complete Power Girl story arc.

Marvel Fanfare 2 - I bought 3,4 at the Wild Pig Sale and bought 1 roughly 30 years ago when it was released. With this issue I now have the complete X-Men/Spider-Man/Ka-Zar story arc.

Captain America 261 - the first issue of the DeMattheis / Zeck run on Cap. Once I get my hands on 264 I will have a complete run from 261-276.

Action Comics 536 - part 2 of a 2-part story. I also ordered part 1 (535) but instead of sending it to me they gave me my money back. I guess I've got some more buying to do. I ordered 535 & 536 because they were referenced in New Teen Titans 23. Both stories involve the Omega Men.

I've done some research and there are a few more early Omega Men stories out there that I have not read so now I am also eager to buy Green Lantern 141-143,161. Some things to look for at Heroes Con next month.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Scalped v2: #6


Casino Boogie
by Jason Aaron (writer) and R.M. Guéra (artist)

Chapter 1: The Man Who Fights the Bull

Nothing much changes. Dashiell continues on his quest to who knows where. New characters and nuggets of information are introduced. Only a few panels are devoted to flashbacks. There is a lot of set up, most of which takes place in the present.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Super Wild Pig Show 2012 - Part 3

Part 3: What I bought - Commissions

I contacted the first four of these artists before the show and those commissions were done by the time I got to the show. The last two were done at the show. It was Free Comic Book Day not Free Commission Day. I paid for all of these but they were all reasonably priced.

Ann Preston by Michelle Sciuto
Ann Preston (Pirate/Bouncer from House of Mystery) by Michelle Sciuto


Arno Stark by Mattew Petz
Arno Stark (the Iron Man of 2020) by Matthew Petz


Iron Man vs Mandarin by Andrew Charipar
Iron Man vs Mandarin by Andrew Charipar


Mademoiselle Marie by Erica Hesse
Mademoiselle Marie by Erica Hesse


Bride of Frankenstein by Chandra Free
The Bride of Frankenstein by Chandra Free


Green Goblin by Bobby Timony
Green Goblin by Bobby Timony

Super Wild Pig Show 2012 - Part 2

Part 2: What I Bought - Books

Ambush Bug 1-4; Batman 436 & 437
WildPig 11

John Carter of Mars 2-7
WildPig12


John Carter of Mars 8 & 9; Krypton Chronicles 1-3
WildPig 13

JSA Classified 2-4


Marvel Fanfare 3,4
WildPig 15

Who's Who 25; Donald Duck Family FCBD 2012; Amazing Heroes 78
WildPig 16

Dutchy Digest 6, Free Comic Book Day 2011 & 2012
WildPig 17

Battlefields v6: Motherland; Slow News Day by Andi Watson;
The Spirit v1; Batman: Year 1; Booster Gold v1
Wild Pig 10

The Tourist by Brian Wood & Tony Cypress; Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud; The Name of the Game by Will Eisner; Essex County v2: Ghost Stories by Jeff Lemire; Creature Tech by Doug Tenapel; The Complete Copybook Tales by J. Torres & Tim Levins
WildPig 9

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Super Wild Pig Show 2012 - Part 1

Super Wild Pig Show
Embassy Suites
Piscataway, NJ
May 5-6, 2012

Part 1: Show Report

This was my first time going to a Wild Pig Sale. For the most part I did two things at the sale: I picked up commissions and I restocked my Regina pile. The comic book selection, as expected, was a bit hit or miss. I found a few things I was looking for but not everything. I'm glad I got there early because by mid-afternoon on Saturday the boxes had been thoroughly trimmed back.

Unfortunately not all the boxes were alphabetically organized. I spent a good deal of time digging through unorganized boxes without much luck. I bought a few things from those boxes but nothing that comes to mind immediately.

I chatted briefly with most of the artists that I bought commissions from. The only book I bought from a creator was the latest issue of Dutchy Digest. I spent probably close to an hour chatting with Bruce Rosenberger, one of the Dutchy Digest creators, about old cartoons and voice actors.

If I had it to do over again I think I would have left early Sunday morning to go orienteering. Saturday was great but Sunday was a bit of a drag. I didn't feel like spending anymore money on comics or art. Basically I had breakfast and then waited around for the first raffle of the day. Once the raffle was over I left and drove home.

I hate making comparisons but on the whole I didn't enjoy this show as much as I did the past couple CGS Super Shows. The missing elements were the crowds and the panels. For some reason those mean a lot to me, probably because they provide entertainment at no additional cost and satisfy my voyeuristic tendencies.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Red Skull: Incarnate


Red Skull: Incarnate

By Greg Pak (writer) and Mirko Colak (artist)

This is the story of Johann Schmidt, the young man who will one day become the Red Skull. The five covers to the five issues in this miniseries are a bit misleading. The story follows Schmidt up to the point where he becomes Hitler's right hand man, but not his transformation into the Red Skull.

The historical context and end notes provided by Pak are a plus. They help to frame the story and illuminate the development of Schmidt. It is experience that instructs him; he is a pragmatist not an idealist. Most importantly he is a multifaceted character which makes it difficult to foresee exactly how the story will end.

For the most part the art is above average although it does vary in quality. Some of the facial expressions seem a bit overdone and out of sync with the dialogue. Some panels are devoid of backgrounds, which is not a plus.

Overall this is a very fine read, with some great moments which happen to include the ending.