BOUGHT/THOUGHT for January 9, 2008

[TheCorpulent1]

Thanks.

 

[PhotoJones]

Better late then never, eh?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Well, I mean, he went to the trouble of answering me when he could've just scoffed and muttered "try Wiki, you 'tard" under his breath, like I do for most of the Stupid Question Thread questions. That deserves a "thanks," at least.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

I liked everything I read this week. BAM. Done and done.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You, sir, are a lemming.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

I'm a small arctic rodent?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yes. I bet you were surprised when you woke up this morning.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Terribly so.

 

[RockSP]

There are gonna be a lot of kids with black eyes and missing comics because of us.

Kids? Comics?

Do those two words even belong in the same sentence anymore?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

If the sentence involves theft and optical bruising, yes.

 

[BrianWilly]

Yeah, I regularly visit three comic book shops around my region, and I can literally count on the fingers of one hand the number of kids who have ever ventured near the monthly comics shelves. They just fool around with the action figures and the manga

. The only ones reading and buying comics are people around my age and older.

 

[Anubis]

So find the weakest nerd, wait for him to come out side, punch him in the eye and take his comics. Then prey to God he doesn't have a gun.

 

[Dread]

Yeah, I regularly visit three comic book shops around my region, and I can literally count on the fingers of one hand the number of kids who have ever ventured near the monthly comics shelves. They just fool around with the action figures and the manga

. The only ones reading and buying comics are people around my age and older.

My LCS in Brooklyn, which is a half hour bus ride away (all the comic shops within walking distance closed one by one; there used to be about 4-5 during the 90's and 0 as of now), but there are two other stops in Brooklyn I go to if something is missed and then two in Manhattan that I visit, Cosmic Comics and Jim Hanley's, the latter across from the Empire State Building.

In all my years I have rarely seen any customers under 18, especially under 15, step into the comic book shops, aside for the LCS, which is right next to a movie theatre. And the kids that do enter usually just want either candy for a movie (or just 'cuz), Yu-Gi-Oh/Pokemon/Other collectable cards, and manga. Usually the ones kids I see buying manga are girls. Otherwise, college age or older guys who buy the mainstream stuff.

No real reason I felt like relating my experience, but I figured we had this in common. Young'uns don't go near comics these days.

 

[PWN3R]

I miss the experience of going to an actual comic shop every week.

 

[Anubis]

I don't.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You still do it, don't you?

 

[Anubis]

I buy everything online.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

You soulless bastard.

 

[prince_dylan]

most of the time i have been the youngest one (21 now) in any comic shop.

any kids that buy comics are the ones that wander around the magazine section in Borders or Virgin stores.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, and those kids buy manga, not comics. In point of fact, those kids tend to grow up and scoff at comics, believing manga is far more sophisticated and interesting.

 

[gildea]

It's certainly cheaper.

Having said that apparently the reprint books marvel uk puts out sell a ton over here. (ie reprints featuring stories a few months back over a range of titles, the used to do one with UXM, USM and UFF which apprently was selling 200k)

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wow, those are pretty good numbers. How much do those collections cost?

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Dread's BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 1/9/08:

PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #15: This book by this point is an acquired taste; it has Punisher, but it is often lighter-hearted, or at least less serious than the MAX books, and has him fighting super-villains constantly. And he doesn't always kill 'em. You either like this, or you don't. If you take Punisher seriously, seeing him basically become a stereotype like Brock Samson for laughs may irk you. But I don't, so I have really enjoyed the hell out of this. The sequence where Castle takes on Gibbon while narrating about how he did and didn't envision dying is ****ing priceless, and doesn't feel as awkward as stuff from NEXTWAVE did. Yes, the Frog-Man in this issue is the mysterious "third one" who is probably the Leap-Frog from Dardevil a few years back, and he is swiftly killed by Al Kravenoff, who is not only friggin' insane, but seems to be inhaling some MGH from the Impossible Man, which allows him to "pop" and teleport about the area. It isn't outright said the MGH was lifted from Impy, but it seems the only possible solution, and given the events of Parker & 'Ringo's SPIDER-MAN & THE FANTASTIC FOUR mini last year, it is very possible to have swabbed some of Impy for MGH. Considering the potential of Tiger-Shark and how often he has missed it, I was somewhat miffed that Castle seems to overpower him rather quickly, but I let it slide for now. It was cool seeing Castle's reactions when he found weapons, like Man-Bull's horn (punched off by Grizzly), or a pipe when he's having his showdown with Kraven, which is interupted by the Rhino. Gargoyle & Swarm also have a cameo, and Silver Sable is recruited by G.W. Bridge into his new Wild Pack, and it is good seeing her somewhere. One minor quibble; Wegener, who has done a great job coming in after Cory Walker's issue, forgot that Vulture's fingers were supposed to be broken, because they looked fine here (unless we want to say that even Vulture can regenerate now). Rhino even gets to save Punisher and he gets off by accidentally making Castle recall Stuart Clarke's lover, who he "accidentally" killed while at the mercy of Hate-Monger's hate-rays. And hasn't everyone wanted to knee Kraven in the nuts? Frank does. I never thought I'd see "fun" and "Punisher" in the same book, but that is really the best way to describe Fraction's run at this point. Not for serious vigilante/Punisher fans, but for those of us weary of grim/bleak anti-hero fare, like the typical issue of MOON KNIGHT, this is a great interlude.


That wasnt The Gibbon Frank was fighting. It was The Mandrill (learn your apes, dammit )

Anyway; Sure this is a fun book and all, but it could be a lot better if it followed the character's power levels. Tiger Shark has been punched in the face by The Hulk and the Sub-Mariner...aint no way Frank Castle is breaking any of his teeth, much less choking him out in his own element.

I remember you and many others complaining about the jobbing that gets done with Rhino, and the Black Panther/Silver Surfer debacle...that's great, but it should apply to any and ALL characters...not be allowed to slide simply because the story is enjoyable.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Yeah, and those kids buy manga, not comics. In point of fact, those kids tend to grow up and scoff at comics, believing manga is far more sophisticated and interesting.

There was a guy in my high school that read manga. For Halloween he dressed as the main character from Yu-gi-oh (or however that's spelled). Needless to say he was mocked mercilessly.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

He pretty much asked for it at that point. Even most comic fans know they're not supposed to squeeze themselves into tights as their favorite superheroes on Halloween.

That wasnt The Gibbon Frank was fighting. It was The Mandrill (learn your apes, dammit )

Anyway; Sure this is a fun book and all, but it could be a lot better if it followed the character's power levels. Tiger Shark has been punched in the face by The Hulk and the Sub-Mariner...aint no way Frank Castle is breaking any of his teeth, much less choking him out in his own element.

I remember you and many others complaining about the jobbing that gets done with Rhino, and the Black Panther/Silver Surfer debacle...that's great, but it should apply to any and ALL characters...not be allowed to slide simply because the story is enjoyable.

That does suck. I didn't know what Tiger Shark's powers were, so I didn't notice. Fraction loses some notches.