Woot: Comic Book Geeks?

Over on Woot.com (no permalinks to offers, so you'll only see the listing if you click in the next few minutes), they're having a WOOT OFF!!! This means that they're selling some overstock goods at ultra cheap prices and, when stock runs out on one item, they keep popping new items up all day.

I just happened to refresh when they were selling some Disney 3MP cameras and, while scanning through it, notice they referenced Peter David. I kinda thought it was worth sharing here:

PIRACY IS LIKE KICKING A BABY IN THE FACE, EXACTLY LIKE KICKING A BABY IN THE FACE

Everyone deserves to be happy. Artists, lawyers, pirates, criminals, there’s a place in the world for all of us. And yes, we try to let people have their fun, but we do still know what’s going on out there. Especially when it involves our work.

We obviously know there are a lot of people who buy from us and run right to eBay. And that’s just capitalism, which is perfectly okay with us. We’re completely prepared to hit eBay tomorrow and see this Disney Pix Max Pirates of the Caribbean 3MP Digital Camera in the hands of power sellers all over the place. No skin off our Roombas.

The part that frustrates us, though, is when we see our copy just cut and pasted into a big sale without any sort of passing reference to us. We’re not that self-centered here, but we think it would be nice if we got a little credit. It’s hard work making people laugh about things like a 1.5” color screen and 3 MP resolution.

Honestly, how would you feel, power sellers, if you spent a whole day coming up with a way to tie 32 MB memory and TV Out capability to a gag about post-war Sino-Soviet relations and some dude just cut and pasted it without giving a credit? How would you feel with someone else’s name on all your innovations? We don’t know what they would be, really, but one of you guys has got to have done something worthwhile in life. Just statistically speaking. You can’t all be failures that never leave the house.

Anyway, we’re don’t want to get too Peter David about this, so, just for today, here’s some pre-written copy you can use however you want. Really. We’re giving it to you, just to prove that we “get it” when it comes to fighting on the Internet. Here you go.

- – - START CUTTING HERE - – -


DISNEY PIX MAX 3MP DIGITAL CAMERA

Hi! Thanks for checking out my sale! This digital camera has a 1.5” Color LCD and 4x Digital Zoom. You’ll enjoy taking pictures with 32 megabytes of space, and you’ll be able to find your camera in a crowd thanks to the special picture of Peter DeLuise dressed as a pirate. Relive the Halloween episode of 21 Jump Street over and over again every time you take it out of your purse or pocket!

You’ll also have access to 20 Disney PhotoFriends, built right into the camera. This means you can make photos that imply you’ve been to Disneyland! Great for people who find it hard to travel from far away places. Speaking of far away places, unlike other sellers, I’ll happily ship to Nigeria! And will always take third party checks for an amount higher than the purchase price! Especially if you use the Buy It Now option before contacting me to be sure!

If you’re looking for a fun camera with SD/SDHC/MMC memory card compatibility, this is the one for you. Thanks for looking at my auction!

- – - STOP CUTTING HERE - – -


Isn’t that much nicer than stirring up a crusade about justice that ends with a million death threats and sixty new anonymous LiveJournal accounts explaining how we suck? We think it is.

So all we’re asking is that maybe, in future, you eBay people try to think about giving us a little shout out if you’re borrowing our words to pay your rent. That’s all we ask. Enjoy your Disney Pix Max Pirates of the Caribbean 3MP Digital Cameras. And please, don’t tell your friends the ending to this writeup. We’re trying to triple sales.

As much as I'm on the Peter David side of the Scans Daily argument, that's funny. I don't care who you are, that's funny. Git 'er done.

Dwayne McDuffie: "No, I Don't (Enjoy Writing JLA)."

David Brothers, of the kickass 4th Letter, caught and blogged about an exchange on The V Hive where Dwayne McDuffie expressed that he doesn't enjoy writing the JLA.

While I still don't know how much my dissatisfaction with the JLA title is caused by the constant changes editorial forces upon him or McDuffie's own work, I'd have to say I'm leaning more towards the former after seeing that McDuffie is even now still having to deal with rewrites caused by an apparent lack of a consistent plan for the DC Universe. Who knows how many times McDuffie has to go back to the drawing board because it's Tuesday and that means the Hawk couple isn't dead, but just waiting to step back on the scene in Blackest Night?

Project: Rooftop Strikes Again!

Project: Rooftop had yet another excellent redesign contest. The runner-up is pictured above. The first one is even better than this. The third design might have given them both a run for their money if the art was done in the same style as the first two. Of course, I'd buy an Ultimates or Batman Beyond style relaunch featuring any the winning designs. 

Fantastic Four Movie Reboot?

From Rottentomatoes.com:

#1 FANTASTIC FOUR ALREADY GETTING A REMAKE

IESB.net broke the exclusive news this week that 20th Century Fox, which is developing reboots of Marvel's Daredevil and their Planet of the Apes franchise, now also has plans to reboot Fantastic Four completely from scratch. This means none of the same cast will return, and most importantly (I think) neither will director Tim Story, who arguably exaggerated the lighter aspects of the classic Marvel Comics title, so much that it became just plain goofy and basically a kids movie. Both recent movies were hits ($290 million and $330 million), but they were also critically reviled (26% and 35% on the Tomatometer), and are generally unpopular with comics fans. IESB.net says that Fox wants the new version to be "less bubble gum" and more like Iron Man.

Yeah...every studio wants their superhero movies to be like Iron Man or Dark Knight now. It's ridiculous that they tend to think that making the movies exactly like previous blockbusters will lead to them raking in the cash. Never mind that, if it were that easy, there'd be a billion dollar movie out every weekend.

By the way, Hollywood is running out of ideas when it makes a Donkey Punch movie. I'd expect a movie with that title to be made in the valley, not by the studios.

How NOT To Sell Me A DC Comics Issue

How DC turned me off in some of their solicitations this month:


FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN #2

Written by Matthew Sturges

Art by Freddie E. Williams II

Cover by Kako

Cars explode! Fireworks explode! People explode! Surprise villains make appearances...and explode! Get ready to run as the Human Flame ends up finding a new “benefactor” who may grant him a fate worse than death. Did we mention the explosions? Good, because this issue has tons of them.

On sale June 3 • 2 of 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

1. Matthew Sturges (the man was the kiss of death to Shadowpact and Blue Beetle)
2. Things explode. Waaaaaaaaaay too close to how Didio tried to pump up COUNTDOWN with "shit blows up" during the convention season run up.
3. 4th wall breaking in the solicit (it can work sometimes; doesn't here)
4. The "remember the thing we just put this character through recently? well, this thing here is like that one...on crack...with a Nazi-like twist!" thing.

FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #2

Written by Joe Casey

Art by ChrisCross

Cover by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau

The following is a message on behalf of the Super Young Team:

The Super Young Team would like to formally and publicly sever all ties with the manufacturers of OXY-GEN. When the team agreed to be celebrity sponsors of the product, their contracts in no way disclosed the potential deadly side effects. We in no way endorse a product that could cause our fans to be harmed, and will be making a donation to the charities helping the victims of the OXY-GEN tragedy. In the meantime, please visit our website where you can leave video messages for your favorite member of Super Young Team, and be sure to take part in the trivia challenge!

On sale June 17 • 2 of 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

1. Solicitations done "in character" that are more cute than useful

BATMAN #687

Written by Judd Winick

Art by Ed Benes & Rob Hunter

Cover by Tony Daniel & Sandu Florea

Variant cover by JG Jones

In this special epilogue to BATTLE FOR THE COWL, new BATMAN writer Judd Winick rejoins the Bat Family! This 40-page issue explores the final moments of the Battle for the Cowl as the new Batman learns that winning the Cowl comes at a high price! Witness the new Batman taking to the streets of Gotham City for the first time! Putting a new man inside the Bat-suit was the easy part – now the fun begins! Guest-starring Superman and Wonder Woman, this issue is a must-read for any Batman fan.

On sale June 10 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

1. Judd Winick...wait...nah. His previous Bat-run wasn't so bad.
2. Oh wait: Ed Benes
3. Misleading solicits. Unless something has changed drastically from what I've been hearing in back channels for what feels like a year now, there's something...I don't know...liar-liar-pants-on-fire-like about something said in that solicit.

THE FLASH: REBIRTH #3

Written by Geoff Johns

Art and covers by Ethan Van Sciver

At last, the answer to the question that’s plagued DC fans for decades: Who’s faster, Superman or The Flash? Call your bookie and bet the farm, because you’ve never seen a run like this – and if speedsters keep dying at the pace they’re going, you might never see another one again!

On sale June 10 • 3 of 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

1. A solicit that gives the appearance that an one book in a five issue mini-series is going to be wasted rehashing a classic premise. Save it for the ongoing, folks.

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #24

Written by Matt Wayne

Art and cover by Howard Porter

At long last, the first meeting of Static and Black Lightning! Virgil Hawkins has always had a bit of a problem with authority figures – especially politicos as seemingly crooked as one-time Luthor crony Jefferson Pierce. When Black Lightning comes to speak at Hemingway High’s commencement, Static fully intends to give him a piece of his mind. But not if Holocaust takes a piece out of both of them first!

On sale June 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

1. Suggesting something is "at long last", implying that there has been some loud clamoring for something occurring when that is far from the truth. Hey, I like both characters (well, I like the universe Static comes from more than the character itself), but even I can see the ridiculously silly hype machine at work here.

Might come back to go over a few more turn-offs, but I need to find something else to do to get this sour taste out of my mouth for now. Where's my City of Heroes shortcut...

Ultimate Comics Walk-Up Sales For Feb 18st, 2009

From Lee Newman of Ultimate Comics, the list of top-selling books at one of their locations in North Carolina for what was released on 2/18/09. Pull lists are not included, as this is meant to capture what is being bought off the shelf.

(Ed note: I know, this is real late. It's awful "Special Olympics" of me.)

1. Deadpool #8
2. Secret Warriors #2
3. Superman: World of New Krypton #1
4. Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead? #1
5. Black Panther #2
6. Batman Cacophony #3
7. Hulk: Broken Worlds #1
8. Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #3
9. War of Kings #1
10. New Avengers: The Reunion #1

An all Big 2 week because well it was huge.
1. Jon, the company manager, loves this book and it is infecting all of us and our customers as well.
2. That Jonathan Hickman, we love him, so do our customers.

The rest of the list all smacks of Event (but then again so are Secret Warriors and Deadpool).

Employment circumstances have left my head spinning on a daily basis, leaving the blog to be not as high a priority as I'd like it to be. So this list wound up sitting in my inbox MUCH longer than it should (my apologies, Lee). 

Lee is right: a lot of that list (and the list I imagine we'd see for this week and weeks upcoming) can be classified as "event" related. But I don't know if I'd say they are all tied to the "four letter word" version of an event. Obviously, it is all in the eye of the beholder, but I believe most of the titles listed there are great concepts and stories first, event marketing second. 

WATCHMENSCH In Stores Today

Need something to push the memory of dangling blue cock out of your head? Need some laughs to block out all the naysayers indicating the movie is a failure because of the precipitous box office drop?

Rich Johnston comes to your rescue!!

Terry Dodson: 2 More Uncanny X-Men 507 Pages

Soldier Idolizes Joker; Commits Crime, Recruits His "Harley" And Runs

Christopher Lanum seemed like any soldier to most people, it would seem. Unbeknownst to those around him, though, he idolized "The Joker", the criminally insane Batman villain. Somehow, in his mind, there was a point and purpose to everything the Joker did and he wanted to emulate him. His girlfriend, the estranged wife of another member of the military, allegedly helped him embark on his short-lived life of crime, including assaulting another member of the military with a stun gun as Lanum attacked him with a knife.

A clip from the story as reported by The Daily Press:

However, she said her boyfriend idolized the Joker — the fictional criminal from the Batman film. Separately, investigators also noticed masks and pictures or paintings of the Joker in Lanum's room, as well as face paint on the hutch and dresser. She told investigators that her boyfriend "said everything the Joker did he did for a reason, like killing people, and that he agreed with the philosophy of doing things for a reason." 

Hours before the stabbing, Montowski said her boyfriend was "'preparing for war,' as he often did" — a ritual that involved cleaning his knives. Later, she went out for cigarettes and Lanum would not let her back in the room. Stone allowed her to walk through his room to get to the common area, then to her boyfriend's room. 

The fight between the two soldiers happened shortly afterward. Stone told police he went into the common area for a drink of water, and Lanum attacked him. Also, he said Montowski attacked him with the stun gun.

A real life Joker and Harlequinn. Who'd a-thunk it?

Terry Dodson: First Five Pages Of Uncanny X-Men 507

This One Might Make Me Stalk The Toy Store Aisles

Lucas Siegel blogged about the new DCU Classics Wave 9 announcement from Mattel. IMO, this Deadshot figure is far and away the best of the wave and quite possibly one of the best figures I've seen in the Classics line.

Awwwwwwwkward!!! UPDATED AGAIN

Updated 3/11/09: You'll see at the bottom of the original blog, a reader had pointed out a likely swipe. Frazetta's striped shirt guy looks a lot like the character on the cover of FLASH FOR FREEDOM. Frazetta's striped guy is named FLASH in a book called FREEDOM. In a Newsarama interview, Mark Kidwell talks about developing the character from the Frazetta drawing, but the Flash character seems to pre-date even the book the image seems to be swiped from. Maybe there are significant differences between his version and the one found in FLASH FOR FREEDOM and only the aesthetics are similar.



When a company writes their own interview and article that appears on a site, isn't that generally considered a press release and labeled as such? And when you're trying to publicize your products but send the same exact (word for word) canned interview to two competing sites, what are the odds that you'll piss them both off and be that much less of a priority next time you want them to cover you?

UPDATE: A reader pointed out that there appears to be a possible swipe in play here. Compare the images used in the "interviews" above with the image from the cover of FLASH FOR FREEDOM:

What do you think?

Kindle 2: Killer Comics App Closer Than You Think?

Brian Heater shows how comics imported into Kindle 2 can look over on Gearlog. They don't all look as good as BONE, at least in pictures taken of the Kindle 2 screen. As one person in the comments points out, the aspect ratio on the porting over of these comics is a bit off and certainly not wholly indicative of what comics sold by Amazon for the Kindle would look like.

I, for one, welcome our new electronic comic book store overlords.

Wizard Takes Manhattan?

Apparently, Wizard is relocating the rest of their operations to their NYC sales offices. Unless they've gutted their staff so much that it will all fit in the pre-existing offices they have in the city, it seems like money that could have gone to give proper pay and a modicum of loyalty to long time employees is being spent, instead, on a swankier address. While an NYC address makes sense, as it likely increases their physical access to DC & Marvel, the lack of being in close proximity to the Big Two never seemed to hurt them in the past. Indeed, such access doesn't really play a part in the decline of Wizard, as it has been a litany of poor business decisions (led by their web missteps) that have hastened their fall. Newsarama (long the web leader of "comic news" sites) has been trouncing Wizard's online presence for years, despite having been headquartered in NC.

Maybe they should have cut their NYC offices, brought everything back to Congers and kept a few more of the quality individuals on their staff?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT TO MOVE OFFICES TO NEW YORK CITY

A Top Industry Mainstay To Relocate All Staff, Including Editorial, To Heart Of Manhattan

New York, NY (March 5th, 2009) – Starting this May, all three monthly Wizard Entertainment publications—Wizard, ToyFare and Anime Insider—will be produced in the company's New York City office. Since it was founded in 1991, Wizard Entertainment has operated out of its headquarters located in Congers, New York, and its sales office in New York City.
 
"For the first time in 15 years, we have the company in one location, under one roof," said Wizard Entertainment Chairman Gareb Shamus. "We're very much looking forward to having all of us working together, right in the middle of the city."

Bi-annual consumer toy magazine Toy Wishes will also move to Wizard's Manhattan office, as will the company's conventions department, which puts on the annual Wizard World Philadelphia and Chicago Comic-Con shows. Wizard's West Coast staff will be unaffected. For more information about Wizard Entertainment, visit www.wizardworld.com.

About Wizard
The industry leader in the comic book, collectibles and toy market, Wizard Entertainment publishes three monthly consumer magazines: Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture; ToyFare: The Toy Magazine; and Anime Insider. Wizard Entertainment also publishes a bi-annual consumer magazine called Toy Wishes: The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment, which is the No. 1 most quoted source in the media about toys. Wizard's publications have a monthly national readership of more than two million and are currently sold in 40 countries in 10 different languages. Wizard World, the convention division of Wizard Entertainment, brings the best in comics, film, television, anime and collectibles to Chicago, the 2nd-largest Comic-Con in the country, and Philadelphia, the 3rd-largest. WizardUniverse.com is the No. 1 online destination for the comic book and pop-culture worlds.

If You're In The City That Never Sleeps...

I'm sure there are worse ways to waste an afternoon. Little heavy on the movie stuff for my tastes, but still possibly worth the trip if I was still living in north NJ.

Amazon's Electronic Book Offerings No Comic Book Killer, Eh?

Well, Amazon now can sell ebooks to be read on iPod Touch and iPhone. Color screens. Already a small market for electronic comic books. Hmmm...

Given The NY Post Cartoon Reaction...

Why has no one been up in arms about this game, released after Obama was virtually locked as the Democrat's nominee?

Scans Daily: The Latest Fan Entitlement Outrage

People bitching about Scans Daily getting shut down? A bunch of whining, over-entitled fans that have lost touch with reality for far too long, where they think that they have a right to get everything they want regardless of whether they paid for it or not.