Podcast Appearance! Two-Headed Nerd

I was fortunate enough to be asked to guest host on the Two Headed Nerd comiccast this week. It was a ton of fun and I'd like you all to check it out. Here is the direct link. Let me know what you thought of the show.

http://twoheadednerd.com/2013/02/11/thn-102-the-baumstein-betrayal/

Creator Rememberance Day

We are lucky to live in a time where the comics we have available to us are plentiful, amazing and accessible. This shared loved of this medium wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the dedicated and talented men and women of the past that worked to create and deliver to us the comics of our youth, or our parents youth, or their parents youth. This has gotten me thinking: Is there a day where we as a community band together and share our love and memory of the creators or industry pioneers that are no longer with us? A creator "remembrance" day in essence? 

I couldn't find anything like it in my research so I have a proposal. On the second Wednesday of February every year we take to our social media sites, our local comic stores, our places of gathering where we talk and share comics, and take the time to talk about a creator that you have discovered in your comics reading, one who was influential in forming your love for comics, and tell people why they made an impact on your life. I think it’s important to share and keep alive the memory of the people that got us where we are today, and by doing so maybe exposing another comics fan to a creator they aren't familiar with. My remembrance this year goes to:

Jack Kirby. I know most if not all comics fans know about Mr. Kirby & his contributions to the comics industry, but this last year I have been reading more of his work that I ever had before. I have been learning just how important and prolific he was in his life and how comics wouldn't be the same without his work. I have found such joy in reading his works and appreciate comics in a completely new way after being exposed to some of the amazing creations he made.

Who would you want us to remember this year? What effect did they have on your comics reading life? I look forward to hearing your remembrances and sharing your memories of the creators that helped form your love of comics who are no longer with us.

Making the Grade: Comics As Investments

Recently I’ve been selling some of my other hobby collections (classic video game consoles and magic the gathering cards) to make some money for my one true passion, comics.  I want to spend the money I’ve gotten from selling the other things on comics ill both enjoy owning and in the long term, should I ever need to, be able to sell again for cash. When I start down this path, there are several things I’ve come across when thinking about "investing" in comics that leave me confused and concerned.

Issue 1 - Graded comics. I like the idea of having my key comics graded because it would leave me with a feeling that their value is somehow "set" by a third party. While this is arbitrary and I understand that, I can’t help but feel that it’s the closest to a real "value" for a comic. On the other hand I’ve now locked that comic away, it’s no longer something to be enjoyed, and it’s more like a bond or coin that you stick in a vault. Does that pervert the joy of comics? I'm not sure.

Issue 2 - Collecting for the sake of collecting. I enjoy comics, I love comics. I don't read all the comics I buy, some I buy with the intention of reading and have yet to, some purely to complete runs of series I have nearly complete. The purist in me thinks that if you buy a comic, it should be to read, not to just own. Comics should be for your enjoyment and when you hoard them you take away from what makes them great. Another part of me thinks that like any collection, it will grow, it can be an investment and part of the joy of collecting is to collect.

Issue 3 - Original Art. I have also been thinking about buying either original pages or doing artist commission. I like the idea of paying artists to do work for me, and I have in the past, I've also bought some original pages of books I love as well. I'm not sure that if I had to, I would be able to sell them again. It’s that line where I want to own this art by artists I love, but not being a rich man, sometimes you need to sell things you have bought to cover an unforeseen expense. It hasn't happened yet to me, but I am the kind of person who thinks about what could happen.

What are your feelings on comics’ investments? Do you buy original comics pages, original art? Have you sold comics or art you bought? Was it bought with the purpose of investing?

Community Contest. Name the Baby!

So you may or may not have seen if you follow me on Twitter that our family is expecting a baby boy in June this year. Now that we know the gender our next task is to start thinking of names. I thought it would be fun to see what you, the nerd community have, would like, or have thought about for names of kids in the vein of the geeky or nerdy. Even though we are having a boy, share your names for any gender!

Reader Appreciation Award!

I was recently given a reader appreciation award by Longbox Graveyard and now its time for me to pay it forward and return the favor. The rules of receiving the award are as follows:

1 - Thank the blogger who gave you the award: Thank you Paul! And link back to their site: Longbox Graveyard

2 - Pick some blogs you follow and enjoy and link to their sites, giving them the award as well.

My picks, in no particular order are these:


http://longboxgraveyard.com/

http://www.zanziber.com/

http://capelesscrusader.org/

http://interestedinsophisticatedfun.blogspot.com/

http://www.thirteenminutes.blogspot.com/

http://momsreadcomics.tumblr.com/

http://toobusythinkingboutcomics.blogspot.com/

http://danielrelkin.blogspot.com/

http://scifijubilee.wordpress.com/

http://myheartliesinfilmandcomics.blogspot.co.uk/

http://houseofflyingscalpels.com/
 

There are so many more I'm sure I'm missing right now, these are all fantastic sites done with love and attention.  

3 - Answer ten questions provided by the blogger who put my name up for the award (which follow below).

4 - Add ten questions for my nominees to answer: You will find my questions at the bottom of this post.

5) Include the Reader Appreciation Award Award logo on my site.

OK here it is! 

 

6) Get in touch with my own nominees to let them know about the award, and invite them to keep the chain going! - I will be doing so as soon as this post goes out!

And now, the questions I was tasked with answering:

1. DC, Marvel or Other? Which comics publisher is your favorite?

Other - Image comics is by far my favorite publisher currently. The gold standard of independent comics, Image has gotten even better in 2012 and looks like there is no chance of slowing down in 2013.

2. Who is your favorite writer or artist currently working?

You might as well ask me which one of my kids I love the most. I can tell you the creator that make me the most excited, especially for 2013. 

Jonathan Hickman - Between his mainstream titles and creator owned titles, I'm most excited to see what he will produce this year.

3. Who is your favorite writer or artist from the past?

Ill go with the easy answer because for me, its true. Jack Kirby is currently my favorite creator of the golden / silver age. Such a breath of work, so many creations, the comics industry wouldn't exist most likely without him.  

4. What superhero do you think makes the best team player?

Gotta go with Captain America on this. Cap is always looking for what a heroes strengths are, how to make it work with the team and bring everyone together. He is the leader that heroes need and finds a a way to make it work all the time. 

5. Whose superhero costume do you hate the most, and why?

 The first one to come to mind is Power Girl. Not because I don't enjoy looking at her, but really, its over the top ridiculous and really perpetuates the stereotype of female super-heroes.

6. If you could bring one title back from comic book limbo what would it be?

Well this is an easy answer: ROM The Spaceknight. He's probably going to be stuck in copyright purgatory for the rest of eternity but as a character he's so odd and quirky and actually has a lot of potential id love to see some new comics with him in it. Probably will never happen though.

 

 

7. What’s the best comic book cover you’ve ever seen? 

This is a hard one to answer for me, first one that jumps to mind is a more recent cover of Daredevil (issue 10 of the current series) that was just perfection. So many amazing covers being done currently, every week I'm blown away. 

8. Comic book action figures – way cool, or a step too far?

Way cool! Why not? I have a younger son, so its extra fun to play with action figures again. I never got into collecting rare or keeping action figures in their original packaging or buying limited edition ones, but toys are awesome! 

 

9. What was the best comic book single issue that you read in the last 2 months?

Another hard question, probably have to go with Brandon Graham's Multiple Warheads #1 but that's in a class of probably 40 or 50 equally great books in the last couple of months. 

 

10. Finally, the age old question: if you were writing, who would win a fight between Superman and Hulk? What’s your logic?

Easy answer is Superman, but its wrong. Hulk has a wild card, Bruce Banner. Banner would figure out ahead of time Superman's weakness and use it against him, letting Hulk SMASH him to a pulp.

 

Huge thanks to Paul from Longbox Graveyard for thinking of me for this, it was a lot of fun. For the people I have nominated, here are my questions for you. Keep it going and spread the love!

 1 DC, Marvel or Other? Which comics publisher is your favorite?

 2 Who is your favorite writer or artist currently working?

 3 Who is your favorite writer or artist from the past?

 4 What comic was the most influential on you as a child or young adult?

 5 If you could bring one title back from comic book limbo what would it be?

 6 What are your top three current comic books (series) right now?

 7 What are your top three comic book series or properties of all time?

 8 Favorite comic book adaptation either movie or TV show or...other?

 9 What is your most cherished comic book or related item? (Like original art, etc.)

10 What comic or comic book character would you like to see turned into a blockbuster movie?

Hopefully my picks will keep the game going and pay this forward! Until next time true believers...\

Im Sorry: Star Wars #1

This post is in response to some questioning of my short review of Star Wars #1 from Dark Horse that I posted here: http://twoheadednerd.com/2013/01/10/ludicrous-speed-reviews-010913/

     Some comics aren’t for everyone; some comics aren’t even for someone they should be for. Some comics, sometimes, just don’t make that connection, even when everything about them should be perfect for a reader. One of those comics for me was Star Wars #1 by Brian Wood. I’m not going to go into technicalities on art style, continuity, wording or any of that. The fact is, nothing is really wrong with this issue at all. It’s great. The art looks great, the writing was good, and everything this book was supposed to do it did. But, let’s back up.

     I’m a big Star Wars fan. The original movies were formative for me as a child. I’ve watched those dozens of times. I’ve seen a lot of the extended universe stuff, clone wars cartoon, specials, had books as a young child. I named my Son Luke for crying out loud! That being said, I never could get into the novels or really any of the star wars comics. I like flipping through an old Droids comic from Marvel from time to time, but that’s reading for nostalgia, not reading a new comic for pleasure.  So that being the case, what does this new Star Wars comic do for me?

     The answer is: Nothing. I don’t really care what happens. This is no fault of the creators, the book is meant to be filler between Star Wars and Empire, and that’s exactly what it will be. I’m sure it will be very enjoyable to people who want to read it, there just isn’t any spark in me right now that cares. What it comes down to for me is that I know what happens, all this book serves for me is more flavor text to a story I’ve seen and enjoyed a hundred times. This makes me a hypocrite, there are properties that I like to have these fillers for, Star Wars isn’t one of them for me. So when I give a short review saying that star wars fans will love this book, but if you aren't you probably wont care, that's exactly what I mean. Hope this clears things up, hope you all enjoy this book as much as you should! I will probably even try a few more issues, but I don’t really feel that excited for it, and that’s just my opinion.

Resolutions for 2013

It’s a new year, with so many comics, so many possibilities. As with every New Year, we ask ourselves: “What do I want to accomplish this year, what will be a successful year for me?” In attempting to answer that question for myself, here are 5 resolutions for 2013 that I hope to tackle.

1 - Discover New Creators. The world of comics has more talent and vibrancy than ever before. There are young fresh creators out there that are starting to produce the next generation of work, and discovering them and seeing their talent grow is thrilling. I want to find more new talent and in whatever way I can, help them get exposure and grow their skills in the industry.

2 - Read More from "The Stack". If you’ve read some of my previous posts you know that the books I have outweigh the books I’ve read. A goal for this year is to read those wonderful books I wanted to get so badly, only to have them sit on the shelf resigned to the backlog because more new stuff was coming in. In 2013 I’m going to change that (I hope).

3 - Study Comics History. I don’t think I’m one of those people that say you have to have read 70 years of comics to enjoy and understand anything current, but I do have a desire to learn more about the history of comics, the industry, and creators. There is a lot of value in knowing what influences current creators, how publishers treat their properties now, and how we all got to where we are today. I want to learn more about the past to satisfy curiosity.

4 - Fill In Runs. I have a decent amount of comics, but my collection is spotty at best. I have missing issues from nearly every series I collected and it’s a thorn in my collector’s side. I want to spend more time collecting missing back issues this year and less on getting more back issues that don’t fill in what I already have amassed.

5 - Read More Web Comics. Along the same vein as discovering new creators, there is a huge world of web comics that I know little about. I know there is amazing work being done on the web and a lot of new talent in print comics can come from there. I want to make an effort to discover new web comics and fill in that part of the world of comics for me.

What are your resolutions and hopes for 2013? What would you like to see get done in your comics life this year? I wish you all a great 2013, and happy reading!