Comics at the Den

If you're reading this, then we got through a pretty important step in our comic inventory process last week. I'll spare you the details, only to say that it's something I've been working towards since Day One last April and is a biiiiiiiig check-off on the 'ol to-do-list. Glad that one's done, and thanks to all the employees who helped last Sunday.

I'm in the middle of planning at least 3 different comic- and pop-culture-related events for the 2nd quarter of 2011. I know David and Sean are working on some fun stuff, too, it's really a great time to be working and/or shopping at the store. It's all things we've wanted to do for awhile, but haven't really had the resources to properly dedicate to seeing them done. My hope is that all three of these events are completely locked-in by mid-March, at which point I can finally get the other Big Monster on my To-Do list checked off: the back issues. If those are done by April 1st... Scott will be a happy man. No, really, I know how to be happy. (Quiet, Alex.)

And in the midst of all this, comes one of my favorite times of year: Spring Training. All the baseball players are reporting to camp, which means it's time for me to start drafting my fantasy baseball leagues. Crazy time right now, but I love it, I really do.

Also, we just moved the store around. Heh.

Moving on.

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New Thor Trailer out last week, and this movie is looking better and better each time I see a new trailer. Which reminds me, we're out of Thor hammers.

I say thee, Nay! Or Yay. Whichever you like, really.

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I am a huge, huge 100 Bullets fan, and if you've never read this modern noir/conspiracy classic, then you're really missing out. The writing is tight, and the art is luscious. There's something about the Vertigo brand that brings out One Great Work, from every writer who's written for the imprint. Warren Ellis had Transmetropolitan, Garth Ennis had Preacher, Grant Morrisson had.. jeez, Invisible, Doom Patrol, We3, Alan Moore had Swamp Thing. And that doesn't even include the current generation of writers: Jason Aaron is knocking it out of the park on Scalped, Brian Wood has DMZ and Northlanders, Bill Willingham is at issue #102 of Fables... the list goes on and on.

But seeing that Azzarello and Eduard Risso are teaming up for what looks to be a sci-fi series called SPACEMAN? Yeah, my inner sci-fi nerd just went ballistic.

I. Cannot. Wait.

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So, Nathan Fillion comes out and says that if he won the lottery, he'd buy back the rights to Firefly and create new episodes on the Internet. If you're a fan of Firefly, you can only imagine how absolutely crazy people went. Facebook pages, pledge drives, twitter feeds, the whole nine yards. And we're not done yet. Browncoats know the truth:

No power in the 'verse can stop us.

We're (doing) the impossible, and that makes us mighty.

Go. Click. Now.

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I love these Marvel teasers. Colossus is one of my all-time favorite characters, so any face-time for that character makes me a happy man. Anyone recognize what he's holding above his head? Here's a hint: "Nothing can stop..."

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I recently sat down and read the entirety of Red Robin. If you can get past the weak title and the costume, this is a really, really good book.

Tim has always been one of the stronger members of the Bat-family. His introductory story - the classic Lonely Place of Dying - introduced the idea that Batman needed (a) Robin to keep Batman from going "too far", or getting "too dark". It was a simple concept, and 20+ years later, it still holds true.

The premise of Red Robin is that Tim Drake doesn't believe that Bruce is truly dead, and begins a worldwide search to find proof. See, noone else (Dick, Alfred, Babs) believes him, so he strikes out on his own. With the financial resources of Bruce Wayne's fortune at his disposal, his quest takes him to Europe, where he immediately runs into one of Batman's oldest and deadliest villains.

If there's one flaw in the first twelve issues, it's the overuse of flashbacks. Reading this comic month-to-month can't compare to reading it in one chunk. Fortunately, the new creative team at issue #13 minimizes the flashbacks, and continues the solid work done by JT Krul & co.

One of the strengths of the book is the great supporting cast. Fabian Nicieza builds on the work done by the original writers, and continues the great character work on favorites both old and new. Some of my favorite scenes came between Tim and Damien. Their mutual loathing and disgust is a lot of fun, and it was nice to see two heroes who honestly dislike each other.

If you've ever liked Tim Drake, Red Robin's the book for you. It's fun, it's dense, it ties in to the Bat mythology very well, and it's a solid read. Recommended.

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Okay, I wasn't going to show this, but remember when I said I'm working on a couple popculture-related projects? Here's a hint about one of them:

See you next week.

-S.