Monthly archives: November, 2008

Nov032008November 3, 2008November 4, 2008NoCommentby Jim Doom

The return and impending stay of $3.99

Posted in news, rants & nostalgia by

“We’re doing everything we can to insure that the largest number of customers and retailers can continue to get a large majority of Marvel Comics at the standard $2.99 price.”

— Joe Quesada to Newsarama

I’ve written before about the wave of $3.99 comics, acknowledging the good and cursing the bad. But since that first critical post more than a year ago, it has become clear that the shift to $3.99 comics is inevitable.

In last week’s Lying in the Gutters, Rich Johnston addressed the surging comic prices by comparing a starting point of $.30 in 1977 to three decades of the US inflation rate. At $2.99, comics are already almost 300% what they would be when adjusted for inflation alone; at $3.99, comics will have doubled in price in less than a decade.

That 100%-per-decade increase seems to be the standard rate for comics cover prices; 1977 was $.30, 1987 was $.75, 1997 was $1.50 and 2007 was $2.99. Will readers be expected to shell out $6 per issue in 2017, or will this ridiculous rate of increase just speed up the extinction of monthly paper comics?
(more…)


Nov022008November 2, 2008November 2, 2008NoCommentby Fin Fang Doom

Meaningless Awards of the Week-
10/29/08

Posted in reviews by

Dropped! Avengers: The Initiative

I am sick and tired of Skrulls. How long has this invasion been going on for anyway? Aside from mutants and Spider-Man, the Marvel Universe has been completely dominated by Skrulls this year, and I can’t stand it anymore. Here’s my new rule: if a Skrull is in a book, and it’s not a Skrull that’s normally part of the cast, then I’m not going to buy the book. So She-Hulk and Runaways are safe, but A:TI is not.

Of course, this particular book was already on thin ice. I buy the thing mostly because Dan Slott writes it, and Slott is leaving the title in a couple of months to write Mighty Avengers. Plus, the art lately has been all over the place. I’m not sure when the last time A:TI had a regular artist was, but it seems like it’s been a while.

Most Splash Pages- The Astounding Wolf-Man # 9

In its scant 20-page story, Astounding Wolf-Man had four splash pages, included one double splash page at the beginning. I bring this up solely because the other Doomers were giving me a hard time at 24-Hour Comics for putting five splash pages into my 24-page comic. That’s practically the same ratio as this bona fide professional comic book. So nyah!

Worst Finale- DC Universe: Decisions #4

So the good guys catch Jericho, who was revealed in the last issue as the assassin. Then Superman gets preachy about how superheroes shouldn’t endorse candidates. Yawn.

So I guess my biggest beef with this mini-series isn’t the crappy final issue, but the crappy entire mini-series. DC sort of tricked me into buying a lame story by saying it was going to be a mini-series about how politics work in a world with superheroes. That sounded interesting. This was not.

And hey, isn’t Jericho supposed to be mute? So why was he talking in this issue?

Best Issue- Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns

This issue has four things going for it:

1) It had absolutely nothing to do with Final Crisis. Aside from this taking place specifically between issues #1 and #2 of Final Crisis and an off-hand remark about deicide, Final Crisis isn’t mentioned or involved in the story in any way.

2) Geoff Johns wrote it. Geoff Johns is awesome.

3) It’s part of the Darkest Night storyline. The Darkest Night storyline is awesome.

4) Blue Lantern!

The only bad thing is this should have just been the next issue of Green Lantern. I would have paid the same if it had just been Green Lantern though, so I guess that’s not much of a drawback.


Nov022008November 2, 2008November 2, 2008NoCommentby Jim Doom

Book of Doom:
Hellboy: In the Chapel of Moloch

Posted in books of doom, reviews by

Hellboy: In the Chapel of Moloch was the first Hellboy story I’d read in years. It reminded me of two important points:

1. How almost effortlessly cool this book seems and
2. How exponentially better it is when Mignola does the art

As a kid, I remember hating Mignola’s art. I just knew him as the guy who did covers for X-Men Classics, and I thought he sucked. This was in the age of Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld, and I simply could not or would not appreciate such abstracted art. I’m guessing I thought something like “This guy doesn’t draw enough lines.”

Well anyway, now almost 20 years later, I can’t really enjoy anything Hellboy without Mignola’s art. It just adds so much to the dark, mysterious and quirky world he’s created. The settings are always so beautiful. The scenery in Hellboy comics is like an uncredited character. Mignola takes advantage of that, often spending panel time devoted to quiet reflections on the setting. I counted more than 30 panels of silent scenery and set details, before any of the big-fight action begins (which involved plenty of “silent” panels, but of a different sort).

I hadn’t read any Hellboy since seeing the first movie several years ago, and I’d forgotten how the character’s personality wasn’t as hammy as Ron Perlman plays him. So I enjoyed reading the character as a little more subdued, almost matter-of-fact about his work. There’s still humor, but it’s not as wide-screen in its delivery.
(more…)


Nov012008November 1, 2008November 1, 2008NoCommentby Jim Doom

Local news – Nov 1, 2008

Posted in news by

• There are several new developments at Capes Comic Book Lounge in Benson. Thursday is now “Ladies Night,” which means 20% off everything in the store starting at 4 p.m. Important note — WOMEN HAVE TO BE PURCHASING THE STUFF. Guys, you can’t just bring a girl with you and get a discount. Capes also has 20% Tuesdays, in which all comics on the wall are on sale.

Also, Capes will soon feature “Penalty Comics,” a little in-store game along the lines of “I don’t know” on You Can’t Do That On Television. More details to come.

And again, Capes is featuring the Doomkopf.com Book of Doom in the shop. Capes customers and Doomkopf.com readers are encouraged to email us your review of the weekly pick to have it included in Saturday’s roundtable.

• After picking up half a million back issues this summer, Legend Comics has begun naming a “Featured 500,000 Comic of the Week” at its online store. This week’s selection is Daredevil #1 (1964). Legend is still offering 25% off all back issues every Saturday and Sunday for the rest of 2008.

If you have any comics-related news from the Omaha / Lincoln / Council Bluffs area that you’d like included in the weekly updates, send an email to doomkopf at doomkopf dot com.