REVIEW: Uncanny X-Men #2

(Marvel Comics, 2013)   –   Reviewed by Sam LeBas

The sister book to one of my favorite Big 2 on-goings, (All New X-men) offered up its second helping this week in the pages of Uncanny X-men #2 by Brian Michael Bendis and Chris Bachalo. As of now, I am having a hard time falling in love.

Brian Michael Bendis, master that he is, constructs a lovely, intimate narrative involving the lingering tensions between Scott Summers and Emma Frost. The pair shares a history that would make most Lifetime movies green with envy, and that is apparent in the way they interact here. Emma is not only struggling with the ramifications of a life-altering split with Scott, but also facing the terrifying prospect of living without her mutant abilities. Bendis does an incredible job portraying the storm of emotions raging inside of her.

Facing the age-old dilemma, best defined by The Clash, “should I stay or should I go?” Emma makes the decision to stay.  She decides to serve as a mentor to the world’s newest mutants, whom she, Scott, Magneto, and Magik have been collecting. As the group attempts to explain the mutant way of life to their new recruits, they encounter trepidation from the initiates. Eva, one of the newest mutants, is concerned for the safety of her family. In a display of compassion, Cyclops and his team transport back to her home in Australia. They are unaware that a double agent, Magneto, has called in back up.

So with such a solid storyline, why am I still hesitant to give away my heart? The answer is simple: I cannot embrace the art. Not only does the style of the art seem incongruent to the tone of the book, I question some of the choices made by the artist in a general sense. For instance, I cannot understand why in some when a full figure is shown the proportions of the characters seem altered, while in three-quarter view they retain standard dimensions. I am also leery of the cut and paste style used in some of the ensemble frames. The work looks like a collage of paper dolls pasted on a photo of the sky, because they have a white outline and none of the figures interact. This also makes the figures appear very static. Some pages have large white borders while the panels on the page seem squished. Scott Summers here looks younger (and a whole lot more like John Karsinski) than his younger counterpart featured in All New X-Men.

As you read this be aware that these critiques involve stylistic choices. Bachalo does not do anything wrong, these decisions just does not appeal to my tastes. The art is not bad, and I suppose that for readers who enjoy an Asian-inspired art style, it will seem particularly successful. Two pages in particular did impress me, the full page of Emma Frost in profile and Bachalo’s rendering of the Xavier School.
Another frustrating feature of the book are the layouts. Bendis apparently favors confusing panel distribution in his scripts; I have encountered these snares in his other work. However, if you persevere and find the flow of the panels, you will be rewarded with a great story.

So there you have it, Bendis tells a great story; and I personally can’t get into the slightly manga-inspired art style. The world will eventually recover from the shock I am sure.
___________________________
Follow Sam on twitter @comicsonice or check out her blog comicsonice.com

REVIEW: “Hawkeye” #8

(Marvel Comics, 2013)   –   Reviewed by Sam LeBas

Hawkeye #8 starts with a visual bang of brilliant storytelling from Aja and Fraction. This issue marks the beginning of a new story arc centering on Clint Barton’s seemingly ill-advised involvement with a red-headed stranger, Penny, and her litany of complications. From the beginning of this series, Fraction and Aja have stressed that their focus is purely on what happens to Clint when he is not working with the Avengers. That’s for the best, because issue 8 takes him to some decidedly un-heroic (a strip club mafia-front and jail come to mind).

Clint gets tangled up in Penny’s charms and proceeds to make a series of questionable decisions. Fraction bravely allows Clint to be a guy, not a perfect, shining, armor-clad hero. Clint’s ability to (and at times downright insistence that he must) make bad decisions make him intensely relatable and endearing. The humorous tone of the book remains grounded firmly in Clint’s refusal to take himself seriously. Against all odds, Fraction is able to make an elderly man wearing a tracksuit and an oxygen mask work as a villain in a Marvel superhero book; this should give you some insight into the outrageous twists and turns you can expect in this series. Near the end of the issue Fraction relates these street level skirmishes to some truly heavy-hitting monuments of Marvel mythology, showcasing his skill as a writer, and setting the table for the next course.

While Fraction’s choices make the narrative of this book stand out, what cements this book’s must-read status for me is Aja’s artwork. Nowhere in the cape-wearing comic world is there a more identifiable trademark style than an Aja on Hawkeye. Not only his rendering style, but his aesthetic choices regarding everything from layout to the angles he chooses to show scenes might as well have his name in neon lights.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Aja’s art style its somewhere between pop art and 1960s advertising graphics. Aja uses very little shading, and coloring is generally very monochromatic. Because he commonly fills a page with up to twenty-four panels, his canvases can be very small. So, considering that Aja works with a limited: color palette, linear variation, and space; and still manages to tell such incredible visual stories, I am going to go ahead and label him a genius. I am so glad that he’s back for this issue.

In addition to getting Aja back on the title this month, we have also been given the extraordinary gift of five big beautiful full-page illustrations from Annie Wu. Wu’s work evokes a completely different feeling than Aja’s and provides brilliant contrast by hearkening back to the genre of romance comics. I do not think there is another medium on the planet that allows you to purchase so much great art for $2.99.

Hawkeye is a completely original take on hero books tethered by Fraction’s bold storytelling and Aja’s signature artwork that hits the mark in a big way this month.

___________________________
Follow Sam on twitter @comicsonice or check out her blog comicsonice.com

REVIEW: “Thunderbolts” #5

(Marvel NOW!, 2013)   –   Reviewed by J.G. Butler

I’ve been really enjoying this title.  Super silly, gory, and full of great over the top action!  Even though I’m not totally familiar with all the characters they feel true and right where they should be.  The intro thingy on the back of the cover talks about how they were brought together to take down evil they could never have reached on their own.  Which they do, you just don’t care who it is – and neither do they.  The king or whatever of somewhere is really mean to his people and has enough power to be a threat to some other country and more importantly has something powerful the big wigs want, blah blah blah.  It doesn’t really matter with this title.  Deadpool, Elektra, Punisher and Venom just like killing bad guys and we like to watch.  Of course Gen. Ross has his own agenda that gradually unfolds, and members of the team begin to uncover super crazy stuff happen behind the scenes in what is already a horrible place to live.  Throw in a “angel” and a love triangle and you’re ready for anything.  Very gory without trying too hard.

Deadpool and Punisher are a great goofball and straight man team, but the scene where Punisher straps a landmine on himself bothers me.  Sure, he might do that were alone, trying to save a bus full of kids or something, but not when there is a big mouth smart ass with the ability to regenerate standing right next to him to strap it to.  WTF!

For the most part the writing by Daniel Way (Astonishing X-Men, Ghost Rider, Incredible Hulk) is solid and easy enough to follow.  The artwork from Steve Dillon (Preacher, Avenging Spider-Man, Hellblazer) is good but every character’s face is as flat as the backgrounds. The coloring is horrible, and makes everyone look plastic.  Most of the time it looks like the characters were drawn separately from the panels and backgrounds, to be layered together later.  Also, a light source of some kind seems to be coming from everywhere, even in the jungle – no shadows or shading except by their own bodies on themselves.

This is a very fun read but sad to say I won’t be surprised if we see the creative mojo run out after a year or so.

WRITING:  7.5 / 10

ARTWORK:  5 / 10

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:  6 / 10

___________________________

REVIEW: “Uncanny Avengers” #4

(Marvel NOW!, 2013)   –   Reviewed by Feral Fang

I should begin this with saying I am one who really enjoyed last year’s “Avengers Vs. X-Men” crossover event, and honestly think it was one of the most fun events since the whole ‘House of M’ imaginative craziness.  That said, I am very excited and surprised at how Marvel has used the large number of crossovers it has had in the past decade or so and woven so much of them into current continuity.  Titles from all over the Marvel spectrum have been the direct result of these events and major story arcs, like the “New Avengers” focus on the Illuminati, “Civil War” still being mentioned and the ramifications still felt.  This is the kind of Marvel Universe they had always teased at since I was a kid.  Instead of guest starring roles, hero-vs-hero battles, and team-ups to integrate the Universe, it feels to me like they have done a damn good job running the threads from these into the titles they have today.  Which brings us to this title, “Uncanny Avengers”.  This is one I came in a little late on, but since issue #2 I’ve had nothing but excitement for this book.  I really enjoy the ‘casting’ so to speak, and feel they have already become a cohesive team.  I was at first annoyed at Captain America being a member, but when he named Havoc as team leader I felt a bit better about it.  It still bothers me a bit, but – hey! – it’s an “Avengers” related title, so you get what you get.  Mainly, Cap and/or S.H.I.E.L.D.  And that’s fine.

The first arc for “Uncanny Avengers” have been a blast, and that’s both a pun and a truth.  After the events of “A vs. X”, Professor Xavier is dead, and the Red Skull has a plan – take Xavier’s brain, somehow attach it to his own, and gain Professor X’s psychic powers.  The ‘Uncanny Avengers’ team, while being formed as a sort of publicity stunt to show the world mutants and humans can work together in peace, quickly finds themselves in their first adventure – and one that just might kill them.  Red Skull, using the powers of Xavier’s brain as a device for mind control, sets his S-Men and the now-enthralled civilians of the surrounding area against the team, and even mutants as a whole.  As people are given the ability to see the mutant in people who may or may not know it, they become a mob of murder, beatings, and blood.  Heroes are beat to bulging versions of themselves, a God is controlled by Skull – so much goes bad in the first three issues that it left me waiting for this newest one with an almost ‘happy panic’.  So, I got it, and read it.  And, even with some things that stuck out in a bad way, I really, really enjoyed it.

Crafting such a smooth and excitingly told story in only four issues is a feat for any writer, I’d imagine, but Rick Remender once again rises to the occasion.  The characters, while well known already, have found a new space to grow in this title, and Remender has used it to it’s maximum potential.  Rivalries and tempers still flare from “A vs. X”, Havoc’s fear of failure is strongly developed, and given even more depth with a flashback scene of young Alex and Scott, surviving a horrible situation.  In that tiny scene it explains the brother’s constant struggles without needing more (for now), or not being enough.  The writing and script, through all four issues, is just like that, as well.  Not too much or too little, just a well written arc with some very interesting character development and high-end action and drama.  It really hits you as this story unfolds, the scale and scope of what is happening, and by the time you arrive at issue #4 you feel like you’ve been through the same violent and disturbing fight the team themselves had just been through.  The story is rough, takes no prisoners, and is as brutal as it needs to be.  Again, there’s that balance.

I do have one beef with the writing, and that’s in the way Remender handles Cap.  As stated, I know it’s almost always a guarantee that he will be in any “Avengers” oriented book in one fashion or another.  It’s his crew, I get that.  But a lot of times, and especially in this title, he never really feels like more than a cardboard cut-out of Captain America, even when he fights aside or within whichever team.  That’s why it disappoints me so much in this particular comic, because of the great character building that the title is filled with.  Captain America has been around a long time, and his story and character has been explored in more ways than most comic book characters in history, but there *has* to be more, or something else you can add to the legacy.  Really, there has to be growth, which I don’t see at all in “Uncanny Avengers”.  It’s just stereotypical Cap doing what Cap does.  The entire situation around him is becoming worse than a nightmare, and the only character not written like they’re actually in the midst of such a battle is, of course, Cap.  It’s awkward, and makes me wonder why he’s even here in the first place.

My main problem with this title is, no matter how much I love it and enjoy reading it, I can’t get around John Cassaday’s art.  His art is workable, and isn’t exactly horrible or even bad, it’s just boring.  Sadly, as the issues go onward, his work gets a bit worse each issue, until we get the seemingly hyper-rushed mess that is the art in this fourth issue.  Some scenes look pretty good, but then you’ll get a handful of panels that look more like rough sketches that were accidentally inked.  His work is mostly clean and clear, as it tends to usually be, but some of the work in this title has made me even less of a fan of his, and to be honest I wasn’t really one to begin with.

This title is awesome, fun, huge, and deeply character driven in the down-time.  It is one I will be gladly buying as they’re released.  I just wish they’d get somebody else on the artwork.  Sorry, Cassaday, but you and Cap are the weight on this otherwise effortless comic.

WRITING:  8 / 10

ARTWORK:  6 / 10

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:  7.5 / 10

___________________________

 

REVIEW: “NOVA” #1

(Marvel NOW!, 2013)   –   Reviewed by Feral Fang

My history with Nova as a character is somewhat spotty, but he’s always been one interesting enough to me to ‘dip in’ when I could.  I’d find the random issues of the original series in the cheap-o comic boxes when I was a kid, and would usually pick up one or two.  It wasn’t the greatest comic or most original idea (it was always targeted for being “Green Lantern” meets “Spider-Man” – Spidey due to Nova being a teenager, “Green Lantern” due to his being a member of a multi-species intergalactic police force – the Nova Corp), but I loved the character design, the look of the comic, and well – it was just fun.  And cheap, too!  When they brought the Richard Rider version of Nova back with the early 90’s “New Warriors” title,  my interest grew even more.  As that title went it’s own way and I ventured elsewhere, I noticed over time that Nova was showing up more and more in the Marvel Universe, even getting a few mini-series and titles here and there.  Sadly, I never had the chance to pick up any of those series as they came out, but that’s just fine at the moment.  Why?  Because Nova is back.  Sort of.  No more Rider, enter Sam Alexander.

As a character, Sam is many things, and we learn this pretty early on.  After a quick look into Nova Corp past, we open on modern day Earth.  Sam is at school, where his Father – who may or may not have previously been one of the Nova Corp (Sam leans on the side of “not”) – is now the school Janitor, currently vomiting violently in the Boy’s bathroom.  Acknowledging the fact that he’ll actually be the one to (once again) finish the cleaning for his drunken Father, Sam helps him up and off to his garage.  He stands tall while his Father falls into a drunken sleep and in a telling shot, we see his Father’s old Nova helmet on a shelf behind him, tossed aside like forgotten sporting gear.  A closer shot makes it clear that there are workings involving the helmet that have yet to come into play. To me, all of these short instances – beginning right in this first scene at the school – sums up Sam’s character perfectly.  Though he hates the situation he’s in, and wishes more than anything to leave the small town of ‘Carefree’, he keeps it mostly inside and does what needs to be done.  He is at once a caring son and a frustrated ‘nurse’ for his Father, even if the frustration is based on his fear for his Father’s life and safety.  He is an older brother, with his sister Kaelynn, who he openly loves and watches over, joking with her about believing their Dad’s “stories” of his Nova Corp adventures. Though she is young enough to still believe in fantasies, she honestly fears that their Father will one day be called back by the “Novas”, as she calls them.  She believes him to be the “Greatest Nova Ever”, something she says with awe and respect.  There are major differences between these siblings, however.  While Kaelynn is cute, gentle, and trusting, Sam is snide and quick tempered – especially with his Mother, who might even be quicker to anger than Sam is.  She scolds Sam for not wanting Kaelynn to focus on such “fantasies”, eventually hinting at a greater story, stating that Sam has “no idea of the sacrifices” his Father had made.  Sam’s personality begins to take shape at this point.  He is a fighter, a care-giver, a jaded teenager and a loving brother.  He is also a dreamer – but this time he just might get more than he’s ever wanted.  It takes a love interest and a few colorful characters from the Marvel Universe to finally bring him to his apparent destiny – becoming the next Nova.  Which is perfect, since he believes his Dad’s stories are completely fiction.

This new Nova – or rather, Sam Alexander – is written like an angst-filled teenager, which makes perfect sense given his life at the moment.  I can understand that.  Jeph Loeb’s script, however, made him more annoying than troubled, and a character that is pretty hard to like, even given his love and care towards his sister and Father.  He’s whiny, selfish, and is written a bit unimaginatively, almost as if relying on the list of standard ‘disturbed teen’ cliches.  The rest of the book is a nicely spun drama with perfect touches of action and emotion, all balanced very well between one story environment to another.  While I enjoyed most of the script, I also felt it was missing something I couldn’t put my finger on.  The pacing is slightly fast moving, and I feel it read a bit too quickly, even in these days of ‘movie trailer’ length 1st issues.  An odd thing about this book is that I came into it not much of a fan of Ed McGuinness’ art, and left it very curious about what else he’s currently up to.  McGuinness’ artwork in this title is crisp, smooth, and rarely showed the ‘bulge’ look a lot of his earlier work had.  It really fit well, especially with the Nova universe backstory and ‘storytelling’ scenes.  In the end, it makes for a nicely fluid action story mixed between scenes of dark drama, some of which you would not expect given the almost completely silly looking cover.  All said, I enjoyed this title, and will be checking in for issue #2.  I at least owe Nova that much, after all these years of neglect.

WRITING:  7 / 10

ARTWORK:  7 / 10

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:  7.5 / 10

___________________________

 

REVIEW: “Indestructible Hulk” #4

(MARVEL NOW!, 2013)   –   Reviewed by Feral Fang

I had been hearing a few hints and whispers about this title from all sorts of people and places, so I finally sat down with the first issue not too long ago and gave it a read.  I was very surprised at this title, and how fun it can be.  It isn’t “literature”, of course – I mean, it *is* the Hulk – but this title holds perfect ground between mindless SMASH and some pretty emotional drama.  Now we’re up to issue #4 which, while it may not be the best one so far, still holds testament to the idea that makes this title the oddly workable premise it is.  If you are new to this book, let me give you a quick run through: Bruce Banner has fully given in to the fact that he will never be rid of the Hulk, as everything that could possibly be tried to ‘cure’ him has been tried, and he sees no other options available of any kind.  Using a surprise meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill (in a diner, of all places), he runs an idea by her – if S.H.I.E.L.D. supplies Banner with all of the tech, Lab space, and workers he needs to fully realize his potential as a scientist, he will allow them to use the Hulk as a form of ‘weapon’ – just drop him in, point him in the right direction, and hope he destroys what you sent him to destroy.  Banner sees this as a way to repay the world for all of the bad that Hulk has done over the years (as he says in this issue: “Hulk Breaks, Banner Builds”), while Maria Hill sees an interesting opportunity for S.H.I.E.L.D.  The arrangement is made, and Banner begins to assemble his work, Lab, and assistants, while he is sent as the Hulk to handle missions not suited or safe enough for any normal agent.  Oh, and eventually S.H.I.E.L.D. gives Bruce/Hulk a R.O.B. (Recording Observation Bot) to watch over him.  There really hasn’t been enough of this ‘character’ to know here nor there on my opinion of it.

A.I.M. had reactivated the Quintronic Man – a “walking weapon of mass destruction” that Hulk has had quite the problem with in the past – and Hulk took him down, no problem.  Now, Banner has the equally scary experience of meeting his new Lab Assistants, who may or may not be hiding interesting secrets and agendas.  Giving them the “Banner is about to Hulk-out, what do I do???” test (which they all pass without flinching), Banner makes the creepy statement that the Hulk “does happen” and, if he does “you can get to safety…if you run.”  To me that is what the whole book has been about – that fine line between Bruce and his other self, and the constant danger that, regardless of any helpful tech or other ways to curb his aggression, Banner can still become the Hulk at basically any time.  Even in the safest of situations, he is a constant wild card.  At this point in Banner’s life, it seems to have driven him to be a bit demented, maybe even darker.  His humor is more jaded, his attitude more direct, and his want to create rather than destroy almost seems fueled by nothing but a deep guilt and regret at what his life has become.  Now he wants that spot back, the Banner that he was before the accident.  His seeing the Hulk as a bargaining chip with S.H.I.E.L.D. tells a lot about how he views himself, especially in that form.  Expendable, unreliable, deadly and destructive.  He may act as if he has found a sort of peace with his ‘problem’, but to me he reads as if he’s really just attempting to separate himself from the beast, allowing it to run free under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s loose control without Banner being fully responsible for his actions.

After Banner runs his new team through the Hulk Test, he meets with Director Hill to discuss an undersea city known as Lemuria, a place previously known as more of a rumor than a reality.  Atlantean Warlord Attuma is attempting to seize control of the entire Pacific Ocean with the help of not only his impressive army and weaponry, but also giant sea monsters – ones that have been proven to originate from the legendary city.  Hulk, in a specialized (and very Sci-Fi looking) suit, is sent off to deal with this attack, and a cliffhanger ending wraps it up nicely, with Attuma sending Hulk to his ‘death’.  Which, of course, will *most likely* not be the case, but it’s still a fun cliffhanger to a great issue from one of new favorite titles.

WRITING:  7 / 10

ARTWORK:  7.5 / 10

COLOR ARTWORK: 8 / 10

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 7 / 10

___________________________

 

REVIEW: “Fearless Defenders” #1

(MARVEL NOW!, 2013)   –   Reviewed by Feral Fang

When I first began to see the advertisements for “Fearless Defenders”, I thought it looked interesting enough to keep in mind, at least to give it a look when it was released.  The cover caught my attention almost instantly, and I still find it to be a pretty striking cover with strong art.  Then I finally read issue #1, and was amazed by what I found inside.  In all seriousness, this is probably the worst recently released book I’ve read since the Rob Liefeld New 52 “Hawk & Dove”.  The writing from Cullen Bunn is a boring, almost ‘phoned-in’ script, and the story itself was scrambled and oddly paced.  The artwork by Will Sliney looks like poor attempts at copying an already horrid style.  Most of it is very generic, hinting at a few popular and deeply established styles, all while never really being cohesive enough to seem like Sliney has a hold on his own, individual style.  The whole issue was a mess, in all ways it could be.  I will not be looking into this title further.  I really thought there’d be some actual story here, not just reasons to patch together some overdrawn ‘money shots’.  I may be reviewing this book a little harshly, but I really think they have room to move with this title and the characters, but all they’re doing is standing perfectly still, not making a wave or ripple of any kind.  I don’t think there’s anything more that needs to be said.

WRITING:  4 / 10

ARTWORK:  3 / 10

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:  4 / 10

___________________________

 

REVIEW: “Thor: God of Thunder” Issues #1-4

(MARVEL NOW!, 2012 – Present)   –   Reviewed by Feral Fang

Marvel NOW! has turned me on to a number of characters that I never really paid attention to, for whatever reason.  Another one of these is Thor who, after years and years of seeing him throughout the Marvel Universe, I have always thought was a dorky, useless character.  I was either unknowingly wrong then, or this new title has upped the ante on Thor books and made this something both epically powerful and tightly character-driven at the same time.  The writing from Jason Aaron (‘Scalped’, ‘PunisherMAX’, ‘Ghost Rider’, ‘Wolverine’) is tightly woven and never dips (as I had originally feared) too far into the things that made Thor annoying to me all this time – mostly the cheesy way Thor speaks.  I get it, and it makes sense, but it is what it is.  Not to mention I’m not really the biggest ‘Fantasy’ type.  Another thing I was afraid of was how much the video game Skyrim might be an influence, since that game seems to have rekindled the ‘Fantasy’ genre pretty well, and across the artistic spectrum as far as mediums go.  I went in with fears, and came out of the very first issue with all of my fears dispelled and an unexpected excitement.  The artwork is by Esad Ribić (‘Silver Surfer: Requiem’, ‘Loki’, ‘Sub-Mariner: the Depths’) – and it is *beautiful*.  With a mixture of seemingly painted panels and very well textured line art and detail, this is a book like none other I’ve seen from the ‘Big 2’, as far as being a main launch title, and not just a quick arc or graphic novel.  It is stunning artwork, stuff that keeps me excited with each of the first four issues.  Okay, the story.  Thor is battling the Godkiller, who obviously kills – you guessed it! – Gods.  The story takes place in three different time periods.  One of the three is about an early, young Thor.  The second is our modern Thor, and then a future Thor, who is near his death –  he is now the Ruler of Asgard, but also the only living God still there.  These three views of different ages not only all ties to the main Godkiller story, but do so without pause.  They roll into each other so well, going from a couple of pages of one time period, then right into where we were at the story taking place in another.  It’s perfectly paced for such an idea and, with the exception of issue #3 feeling a bit rushed, it has worked perfectly.  This version of Thor is much more accessible to the average comic reader, I think, due to the strong art and captivating story.  Having read through issues #1 through #4, I must say I am looking forward to issue #5, and I am excited to get it once it’s there for me to read.  I highly suggest this to any Marvel fan, as this title won over a die-hard Thor hater, making this one of my favorite books Marvel is putting out right now.  Go check out an issue, flip through it.  You just might be pleasantly surprised with what you find inside!  And, hey – look! – it is already the top scorer for our brand new review scoring system!  Now, that’s got to tell you something, right?

WRITING:  9 / 10

ARTWORK: 9 / 10

OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 10 / 10

___________________________

 

Comic Shop Spotlight: COMICS FTW – Santa Rosa, California

For our first edition of our Spotlight on awesome comic book shops, we talk with Kris Bartolome, main operator at Santa Rosa, California’s Comics FTW.  This is an awesome and incredibly friendly guy with an amazing store, and we are very happy to have had this chance to question him a bit.  So, here we go…!

———–

– As an introduction – Name, Rank, and Serial Number?

Kris Bartolome. Owner, manager, and janitor of Comics FTW. I’m pretty much the only one here.

– Quick question – who came up with the shop name?  I love it.

Oh man, I seriously spent about a month going back and forth on a long list of names. A lot of really terrible names: The Comic Spot, The Comic Shop of DOOM (yeah, all caps on “DOOM”), 2 Guys 1 Shop (I had a business partner in the early stages), On Comic Ground (Already taken, and in hindsight I really don’t dig the name), and a bunch of other really shitty ones. One day, I was talking to my cousin and asked him if anything really caught his attention and he randomly joked “You should just call it Comics FTW.”

– Comics FTW is a relatively recent addition to Northern California’s shifting collection of comic shops.  I’m curious as to how the current world-wide financial situation, as well as any personal hurdles, might have made opening Comics FTW difficult?  More to the point, how did you come to doing what every comic fan dreams of – opening your own shop?

I’ve been a comic fan since 3^rd grade and like so many others, I’ve always dreamed of doing this. I worked for a little while at another shop owned by a good friend of mine, and became very familiar with the processes that go on in running a comic book store. I also did the retail grind after that for seven years, and studied Business and Economics in college. At some point, I decided that I didn’t like being so directionless and wanted to pursue this comic shop thing while I was young and still able to get back on my feet in case things flopped.

The biggest hurdle in opening a new comic shop is having the start-up capital. People like to have this idea that they can walk into a bank and just get a loan like it’s nothing, but the truth is that no bank or credit union wants to fund a risky venture like comic book retail. Opening the shop meant saving a LOT of my own income and draining a lot of my own credit cards.

– Though I first visited Comics FTW after you had been open for a bit already, I’ve been able to watch the shop grow and change for the better, and in many ways.  Having being lead to your shop by your awesome subscription/pull list service, it makes me wonder what changes might be your favorite since you’ve opened?  Also, what kind of ideas do you see for the near (or far) future?

Initially, my plan was to have a tiered discount system, with bigger discounts for longer pull lists. I immediately decided to make the 20% discount across the board when I saw that it was a big draw. Also, the decision to bag and board all comics on the wall was made the day before opening. I had always planned to offer free bags and boards for purchased comics, but I initially thought I’d be bagging and boarding at the counter as I sold the issues. After seeing the difference in visual presentation, it seemed like a no-brainer. It’s a lot of little stuff like that. How things are presented and displayed is important to me, and I think it’s made a difference in first impressions with the shop. Most of my changes revolve around making the shop look better, or making processes more efficient. That’s why people often comment that it feels like the shop is always changing. I just always find things to improve. I’ll never have a “perfect” shop.

– One of my favorite aspects of your shop has been the way you handle the “Variant” versions of certain issues that you get from publishers.  Most stores mark them up and sell them for double digit prices, yet the way FTW goes about it is very different.  Could you explain first how shops get these, and maybe some of the thinking behind the way FTW handles them?

Variant covers are usually incentives for retailers for ordering more copies of an issue. A shop can order one copy for every target amount of issues they order. It usually varies in how much a shop has to order, and can be anywhere from 10 to 1000. These variant covers almost always sell well above retail price, but the cost is the same as one regular issue (provided you order the target amount of regular issues). It wouldn’t be unusual for a store to set these issues aside and mark them up and sell them at these higher prices. Stores have been doing this forever. I actually raffle off any variants for free. In order to be qualified, you just have to be subscribed to a series that gets a raffle. After a couple weeks, I randomly grab a name and drop the variant into that subscriber’s box.

Generally speaking, I prefer to think long-term with most aspects of my business. Raffling rare covers in this way foregoes any profit I would’ve made on those items, but is a very attractive feature to subscribers. Folks have more incentive with asking me to pull their books for the next few months or years. I’m sure other owners and even customers think my decision to do this is crazy, but I know my current subscribers are happy about it and I know that new, prospective subscribers find it interesting.

– You also run a good number of ‘special nights’ like your HeroClix Tournaments, group artwork sessions, midnight comic releases and more!  What’s your favorite among these, and what plans do you have for future ‘special’ things like these?

The game nights are fun, but the midnight releases and Free Comic Day are great business days, but my favorite is our Chill N’ Sketch nights where artists of all ages and skill levels hang out at the shop and just draw. It’s awesome because it fosters this really fun community of cool people with shared interests, and more and more people become interested in being involved in it. I’m always looking for things to set this shop apart from the others, especially in ways that make the business feel closer to the community. Things like Chill N’ Sketch make the shop less “the place where we buy comics” and more “that place we love going to and want to support.”

– Speaking from your own sales at Comics FTW, rather than the overall sale numbers world or nation-wide, what has been the most successful ongoing title for you, so far?  On that same note, which of the major crossover events have made the biggest splash?  Are there any that you’re looking forward to, in either a personal or business sense?  How about any that you’re not too excited about?

People don’t know this, but DC’s New 52 launch pretty much tripled my subscriptions. The first year was a real struggle, then this amazing (and controversial) thing happened and, for me, DC accomplished what they set out to do. It just made business a lot easier for me, and attracted so many new comic readers.

Event-wise, we did a midnight launch for Avengers vs. X-Men and it ended up being this huge party and drew a lot of attention to the crossover. I’ve had more subscribers for that main series than any other book. The events do well for me because of all the extra tie-ins that people want to buy, regardless of how good the story turns out to be. As a fan, I’m not too fond, but as a businessman, I keep my mouth shut. That’s not to say all of them are bad, but I’ve learned to be neutral about my tastes.

– You have an incredible amount of independent titles, from new issues to collections.  Have any favorites?  On the ‘business’ side’, which title/collection seems to be the most popular?

I’m not sure if Image Comics count as indy anymore, but a lot of their titles are doing extremely well lately. I do sell a decent amount of smaller press books, but the majority of them are through subscriptions as opposed to selling off of the comic wall.

– The DC and Marvel competitiveness seems to be reaching a new level, what with DC’s “New 52” and the recently launched “Marvel NOW!”.  Knowing that “Marvel NOW!” is still in its initial launch phase, while DC’s “New 52” has already entered its 2nd year, what do you feel have been the strengths and weaknesses with the two?

The strength of New 52 is it’s across the board revamp. Anyone can jump into a book without any previous knowledge of the character’s history. I had new subscribers that were much more open-minded because they didn’t have to worry about going back too far. At the same time, a lot of the creative direction for most of the characters didn’t change too much. A few books did have some drastic changes, and some of the books were just very good in general, but it didn’t feel like the majority of it was “new”. Alternatively, it feels like Marvel NOW has taken a lot of key books in very different creative directions, bringing a fresh perspective on old characters. At the same time, a lot of these aren’t as well-received as the New 52 books were, and some are just downright horrible.

– Running a comic store usually means little to no time to actually read and experience some of your product, but I wonder – any individual title, trade collection, or graphic novel that has been important and/or cool enough that you’ve been unable to resist keeping up with or sitting down to read (in the case of trades and graphic novels)?

The truth is, my personal monthly read list is pretty small. But I always stop everything I’m doing when I pull one of the titles out of the box and read it then and there. I actually read a little of everything (good or bad) to keep up with what’s going on, but currently the only things I really wait for are: Saga, Walking Dead, Batman, and Avengers. The list rotates often though. Scalped was easily my favorite book, but it ended last year. I also really dug Wolverine and the X-Men but I just haven’t been feeling it lately. I always keep an eye out for new crime/noir and horror stuff that generally comes out more sporadically.

– You have a very wide variety of non-print comic memorabilia, as well as items from other mediums such as film and television.  I must say, every time I visit I get lost in all of the figures, collector sets, etc.  What are some of the Top Sellers in this area, as far as character, film, TV show, etc.?  What would you say was the overall favorite?  Any come to mind that have been difficult to move?

For toys, I move a LOT of older Marvel figures. It’s hard to compete against big box retailers with new action figure lines, so I tend to focus on secondary market items. Marvel figures, particularly Marvel Legends, are always popular. Superhero figures in general sell a lot better for me than Star Trek, GI Joe, or Star Wars stuff. I also stopped carrying a big selection of busts and statues as those don’t seem to move very well either, regardless of who the character is.

– Just about every fan has that one comic, that one character, or that one graphic novel that changed the way they saw the medium.  For some it can be something that simply just opens their eye to the fact that comics are *awesome*, while others it’s something that took their already comic-loving mind and blew it open with new possibilities of what comics are capable of.  What would yours be?

I first started reading comics in elementary school with those old Marvel Team-Ups, and continued from there into a LOT of 80’s and 90’s X-Men. I’d say my view of the medium in general changed after I read The Dark Knight Returns. I’d never really been exposed to the darker, grittier side until that book, and I read Watchmen not too long after.

Sometime in high school, I was doing a research paper on comics in the 60’s and found a bunch of books on more underground stuff by creators like Robert Crumb. That led me into reading things from Harvey Pekar, Daniel Clowes, Peter Bagge, Adrian Tomine, the Hernandez brothers and a bunch others. I’d say high school was when my comic tastes expanded the most, as I was looking for new reading in every genre and I came to be more open-minded about indy books.

– Care to talk a bit about some of your favorite people in comics?  I mean in regards to writers, artists, etc.?  Any new ones you’ve gotten into?  Any old favorites who have kept their work strong all this time?

I’ve got a soft spot for Sergio Aragones. My dad took me to my first Comic Con when we lived in San Diego, and as an elementary school kid, I was lost. Then one day, this guy calls out to me to come over to his table and asked if I knew about Groo. He showed me a bunch of his work, drew a sketch of Groo for me, and gave me a signed copy of a first issue. I didn’t realize until way later who he was.

When I first started reading comics, I was all about Spider-Man, and Todd McFarlane was the guy. Him, Erik Larsen, and Jim Lee were my favorites. As I came to appreciate writers more in my older years, I tended to like Chris Claremont at first, then Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, and a few others.

Nowadays, I’m a huge fan of Jason Aaron, Jonathan Hickman, and Brian K. Vaughan. My favorite artists are Olivier Coipel and John Romita Jr. I try not to exclusively follow certain creators though, and I’m always checking out new stuff.

– Final question, and a common and cheap one, at that!  Who’s your favorite comic book character, superhero or otherwise?

I started with Spider-Man, and I’m pretty sure it’ll always be Spider-Man. He’s the underdog, but he’s got heart and the true essence of his character isn’t his powers, but his sense of responsibility. Plus he’s fun to read, and that’s the most important thing to me about comics.

___________________________

MORE INFORMATION

MAIN WEBSITE:  http://comicsftw.com/

FACEBOOK PAGE:  https://www.facebook.com/comicsftw

___________________________

PHOTOS:

COMICS FTW!

Inside the shop.

HeroClix night!

A great photo of right outside the shop.

___________________________

REVIEW: “Captain America” #2 (Marvel NOW!)

(MARVEL NOW!, 2013)   –   Reviewed by Feral Fang

The Marvel Now! ‘Captain America’ title keeps getting better and better, and I was already excited after the first issue, so this makes me happy.  Opening up one year after the end of issue #1, we find Cap and his new side-kick roughing it – no shelter, hardly any food, dangers around every corner.  Steve Rogers has grown long hair and a beard, and the boy he is protecting (Ian) also sports a more aged look, even with it only being a year that has passed.  This shows you how much the two have gone through in the past 12 months – the battles and the hunger has nearly broken them, causing Cap to momentarily consider ending their lives.  He only toys with the idea for a split second before regaining his composure, but it was an option for a second, that’s how bad things have gotten for them.  Still trapped in Dimension Z, they deal with dangerous sand storms, a hostile environment on all fronts, and an attack by ‘the Mutates’, creatures that resemble how it might look if you mixed the Brood with Venom.  Genetically engineered ‘evil’, these creatures have varied powers and vehicles with which to attack.  This fight leads into an awesome creature reveal, which then leads us to the end of the issue, with both Cap and Ian in a very deadly situation.  The writing by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr.’s artwork are still perfectly executed, and I was excited to see more flashbacks to the younger Steve Rogers, the vulnerable and powerless kid with the world crashing around him.  The character study underlining the main storyline is great and flows perfectly from scene-to-scene.  This is still my favorite Marvel Now! title so far, and once again the team behind this book have created something really special.

— 5 out of 5 Murder-Slices

___________________________

 

COMIC NEWS: December 18th, 2012

Here’s some quick comic news blurbs and links for you!

– Visit ‘Dimension Z’ from the new Marvel NOW! Captain America title, with an interview from Marvel with writer Rick Remender, with some preview art from the amazing John Romita, Jr.! –> http://marvel.com/news/story/19853/captain_america_enter_dimension_z_pt_1

– Vote on the “Most Surprising (In A Good Way) Comic of 2012” Poll over at Bleeding Cool!  Some great choices! –> http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/12/16/most-surprising-in-a-good-way-comic-of-2012-nominations/

– Issue information (including an Art Adams cover!) from CBR for Robert Kirkman’s “Invincible” Issue #100, where I guess a lot of characters die!  Kirkman is turning into a comic character serial killer! :D –> http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=42730

– ComiXology has announced a few new features, including ‘bookmark’ & ‘continue’ features, better sharing capabilities, and a new feature that allows continuing from where you left off on a different device!  Read it all here: –> http://blog.comixology.com/2012/12/18/read-pause-continue-across-all-devices-with-new-comixology-feature/

– The awesome color reprints of the original (and not goofy like the cartoon) ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ has entered into Volume 3, with 128 pages of TMNT goodness!  I’ve really been enjoying re-reading this after so long (though I do miss the black and white look somewhat, had a better feel to it for the style, etc.), and these collections are AWESOME.  Get the info here: –> http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/12/18/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-classics-vol-3-preview/

– Looking for that special something for that special comic fan in your life (or yourself)?  Well, then check out Comics Alliance’s awesome “Holiday Gift Guide: Deluxe Editions, Omnibusses, and Art Books” – some very classic and great works represented on this monster of a list! –> http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/12/18/holiday-gift-guide-deluxe-edition-comics-omnibus-art-book-2012/

– DC Comics have lost the rights to some classic characters such as the Spirit, Doc Savage, and the Avenger, but keep rights to the Spirit archives –> http://comicbook.com/blog/2012/12/18/dc-comics-retains-the-rights-to-the-spirit-archives-but-loses-pulp-heroes/

– Dan Slott, writer of ‘Amazing Spider-Man’, and especially the final storyline, has been receiving death threats.  Yes, over a story in a comic.  Read about the bull here on CBR –> http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=42731

___________

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST – NOT NEWS, BUT AWESOMENESS!

Black Widow as drawn by amazingly talented artist Chris Bachalo (click to see a larger version)!

REVIEW: “Captain America” #1 (Marvel NOW!)

(MARVEL COMICS, 2012)   –   Reviewed by Feral Fang

I have never been much of a Captain America fan.  I guess I just always found him to be cheesy, either in character or his costume, or even a mix of both.  I used to regard Superman in the same way, but that changed over time to a full-on love, and the same thing is happening for me with Captain America.  Mostly based on his steadfast ‘voice of reason and safety’ position during the whole “Avengers Vs. X-Men” and it’s lead up story lines, since I’m not exactly all that well versed on his comic adventures.  The film “Avengers” made up for the somewhat crappy earlier Cap film, so I’m sure that helped, as well.  Either way you look at it, Marvel NOW! has launched with Captain America #1 being one of the main titles, and this is a book of high quality.  The pulp-y feel of this title (heightened by the first ‘present day’ scene of Cap fighting in a WWII era bomber) brings a timelessness to Cap, making it seem all at once his past and our present.  A large part of this perfectly crafted first issue is the always awesome John Romita Jr., who seems able to capture any setting or character without it looking awkward or out of his artistic range.  He’s been quite the fun artist to watch – from the old flat noses he used to have on just about every character’s face, to the damn beautiful work he’s done in Amazing Spider-Man.  I’ve enjoyed his work throughout, and this was no exception.  With the amazing Klaus Janson on inks, the images jump off the page, powered by the perfectly rendered artwork.  I was surprised to see the book open on a flashback scene to the 1920’s, with Steve Rogers/Captain-to-be as a child.  His father is in the middle of abusing Steve’s mother as he hides under the kitchen table.  What struck me the most was the Father’s mention of ‘ever since we moved to this country’, and how they were Irish immigrants.  I had never seen this portrayed in such a way before, and it struck me – Captain America, the old-time, classic American figure, was probably the first of the family to be born in the United States (he’s rather young in the flash back), but it’s that idealistic dream of this country, the one never realized, where every nationality, race, etc. meant nothing as far as status or worth. America was you and them, all of us as one solidified country.  It was a nice idea, and by now mostly nostalgic in its truth, but that was the dream.  Having Steve Rogers as a part of one of our country’s experiments with mass-immigration, that wonderful dream of a ‘melting pot’, makes him all the more American, in my eyes.  Rick Remender’s script is tightly woven, and a damn good story, if a bit quick to get to some scenes.  If you’ve seen any of the advertising for this book (and there was quite a lot), you know that this first adventure has Cap traveling (not by choice) to a place known as ‘Dimension Z’, an unearthly ‘Dimension’ where he will have to fight to survive.  This is actually one of the things that made me so excited to get my hands on this – I had wondered how they would treat the new title, and this premise is both unique and creative in many ways.  Take Cap out of his element.  Awesome.  I recommend a lot of books on here, but if you are even remotely interested, I’d say go for it – jump in the ride and see where it takes you. You might be very happy you did.

— 5 out of 5 Misplaced Superheroes

___________________________