No love for 1985?

[ragingdemon155]

Damn, I hardly see anyone talking about this issue.

I had no clue what the issue was about when I picked up. It turned out to be an amazing read. I'm really interested to see where this goes.

 

[iloveclones]

I didn't realize it came out. I'll pick it up if it looks interesting.

 

[masteryoda]

waiting for the trade.

 

[Hans]

I bought it.

Right off the bat I was pissed Off that the Tommy Lee Edwards cover, you know, the one that has been solicited for months as THE cover to the book was actually a 1:25 variant that was going for $10 minimum ($20 maximum) in my town. The actual covers were the Jimmy Cheung 50:50 peices. Not bad covers at all, but not really appropriate for the story and the overall tone of the book. **** you, Marvel.

Anyway, the actual issue was pretty good. Toby's a much more likeable character than Dave whatever-his-name-is from Kick-Ass. He's got that innocence in him that doesn't come across as forced. He doesn't care about the sales figures or "advancing the medium." Toby is a kid who loves reading comics. I could definitely relate to him. Toby's dad, though, is the real star of the book, at least for me. It was really refreshing to see a guy not only get along with his ex's new husband, but also have a genuine sense of decency about him. Toby's dad is one cool cat. I hope he doesn't get left out of the rest of the story. Aside from the cover fiasco, my only other complaint was that the past page sort of fell flat. We've seen that page before, albeit in it's fumetti form.

The art is absolutely stunning. The autumn colors really evoke the 80's adventure movie that Millar is going for. And the attention to detail on Edwards' part is astounding. Easily some of his best work.

Millar is a writer that I can't really devote myself to, or write off, which is rare. Most of his stuff I don't really care for, but every now and again he does something that's worth a look. I think this one has the potential to be something he'll be remembered for. I'll definitely stick around for the rest.

 

[iloveclones]

I bought it.

Right off the bat I was pissed Off that the Tommy Lee Edwards cover, you know, the one that has been solicited for months as THE cover to the book was actually a 1:25 variant that was going for $10 minimum ($20 maximum) in my town. The actual covers were the Jimmy Cheung 50:50 peices. Not bad covers at all, but not really appropriate for the story and the overall tone of the book. **** you, Marvel.

Wow. Entitled much?

 

[Hans]

Wow. Entitled much?

What do you mean? I liked the painted cover more. Sue me. Aside from the fact that the painted cover was said to be the regular cover, the real problem with it is that it's a sales stunt that can potentially hurt the retailers. What they did was they basically made the regular cover two different covers. You can get one half of the picture, or you can get the other. Or, as Marvel's most likely hoping, you can buy both and have a full image. But the retailers get hurt because if they want to cater to the customers who want the painted cover, they have to order 25 copies of the book for one copy of the painted cover. For smaller shops, that's not even an option.

 

[iloveclones]

You understand that they're in the business of selling things? If you want it that bad, pay for it. They're under no obligation to do otherwise. When Marvel changes its name to LetsMakeHansHappyAllTheTimeAndOnEveryOccassion, then you might have reason to complain.

 

[Hans]

How big is that stick lodged up your ass?

Marvel is in the business of selling things, but until they have their own retail locations nationwide, they're in the business of relying on the comic book shops to do the actual selling. Now, clearly you have absolutely no understanding of the relationship that exists between a manufacturer and a retailer, but I'd suggest you brush up on it.

 

[Themanofbat]

t: t: t:

If these kids only knew...

 

[Max J Power]

It sounds promising, but I'm not paying $4 per issue just because it has a cardstock cover.

 

[DoomJester]

The first issue had to set up the story, introduce the "world," so there isn't a whole lot of bang, and pow to the issue-- but everything seems to be working well. I'm excited for the next issue.

 

[gildea]

first issue was damn good. Artwork some of the best i've seen in years. It's tone kind of reminds me of the amazing superman secret identity.

 

[SpideyForPrez]

I'm not much of a Mark Millar fan, he's just a little too obsessed with reality for a comic writer IMO, also too flashy sometimes. I do respect him a little though, no real desire to check out this story at the moment. Maybe when it gets to trade...

 

[elswick1979]

Hans Says Right off the bat I was pissed Off that the Tommy Lee Edwards cover, you know, the one that has been solicited for months as THE cover to the book was actually a 1:25 variant that was going for $10 minimum ($20 maximum) in my town. The actual covers were the Jimmy Cheung 50:50 peices. Not bad covers at all, but not really appropriate for the story and the overall tone of the book. **** you, Marvel.



Shouldn't it be a "**** local comic store guy" as well? He didn't pay a mark up on it, check the cover price on that bad boy, same as the other 2 covers that were 50:50. Why should Marvel take a hit for hooking a small biz owner up with a way to make some extra cash, if you don't wanna pay the extra for the cover you want then step outta the way for someone that doesn't mind spend $7 more to get what they want, I'm sure they'll thank you for it.

 

[Darthphere]

first issue was damn good. Artwork some of the best i've seen in years. It's tone kind of reminds me of the amazing superman secret identity.

I highly doubt it.

 

[moraldeficiency]

I liked the first issue overall. The fanwanking in the comic store was a bit much but this doesn't seem too preachy yet and I think it'll be worlds better than say kickass or millar's horrific FF run. Toby was likable and relatable in a way millar generally shy's away from and he shouldn't. The premise is interesting and the dialogue flows pretty well. I'll need to read the next issue to see if the setup gets botched but not too much wrong with the first one.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Toby? Aw, every time someone mentions 1985 now, I'm gonna think of The Office.

 

[moraldeficiency]

You know, I've never seen that show.

 

[Hans]

Shouldn't it be a "**** local comic store guy" as well? He didn't pay a mark up on it, check the cover price on that bad boy, same as the other 2 covers that were 50:50. Why should Marvel take a hit for hooking a small biz owner up with a way to make some extra cash, if you don't wanna pay the extra for the cover you want then step outta the way for someone that doesn't mind spend $7 more to get what they want, I'm sure they'll thank you for it.

Nine times out of ten, the reason the retailer marks up the price is to try and cover some of the losses in ordering so many copies of the book just to get the variant. Ever see the piles and piles of books like Civil War #1, WWH #1 and other first issues that just sit there unsold? The retailers usually eat that.

Now, that certainly doesn't account for the larger retailer (Midtown Comics, Graham Crackers, etc) who can and will blow through those extra copies ordered to get that variant cover, but still mark up the price to ungodly figures just to make an extra buck. In that case, then yes, the retailer should take the heat.

In my small comic shop's case, that's not the story. They're just trying to get back what they spent in trying to carry a product that someone might want. I don't see how you could fault them for that.

 

[Anubis]

Eh, Trade waiting.

 

[iloveclones]

Nine times out of ten, the reason the retailer marks up the price is to try and cover some of the losses in ordering so many copies of the book just to get the variant. Ever see the piles and piles of books like Civil War #1, WWH #1 and other first issues that just sit there unsold? The retailers usually eat that.

Now, that certainly doesn't account for the larger retailer (Midtown Comics, Graham Crackers, etc) who can and will blow through those extra copies ordered to get that variant cover, but still mark up the price to ungodly figures just to make an extra buck. In that case, then yes, the retailer should take the heat.

In my small comic shop's case, that's not the story. They're just trying to get back what they spent in trying to carry a product that someone might want. I don't see how you could fault them for that.

It's their choice, Hans. They don't have to order extra in order to carry the variants. If their customers want them so badly, well, supply and demand, baby. They should charge them whatever it costs them to get the variant. If the customer won't do that, well, he didn't want it that bad in the first place. Go to ebay. I'm sure you can find what you want there. But don't blame Marvel. They're the ones producing the thing that you want so badly. Would you rather they just not produce it?

 

[Anubis]

That would be best.

 

[fifthfiend]

It's their choice, Hans. They don't have to order extra in order to carry the variants. If their customers want them so badly, well, supply and demand, baby. They should charge them whatever it costs them to get the variant. If the customer won't do that, well, he didn't want it that bad in the first place. Go to ebay. I'm sure you can find what you want there. But don't blame Marvel. They're the ones producing the thing that you want so badly. Would you rather they just not produce it?

It's called "ethics." You should look it up some time when you're not busy upchucking warmed-over Limbaugh.

 

[DoomJester]

Just wait a bit for the 1985 enthusiam/speculation to die down. The price of the variants will almost surely fall. That's how I grabbed a civil war sketch variant.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

If it means that much, just look at it online. It's the same pic that's on the cover, and it's free.