The Unholy Dragon

I disagree but that's mostly because Priest was never intended as a long term writer and if Snyder didn't take the reigns on the book, it would have been a shittier fill-in until Bendis took over and no thank you.

So firstly, accurate. Secondly, that mirror shot is HORRIFYING. It looks like she's been contorted like twisting Laffy Taffy in defiance of a skeleton. Christ.

It's possible. Copies are up on eBay for $15 each so it's likely scalpers are at it.

So the fact I really want to watch the new seasons of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage but am too nitpicky canon stuff to skip over stuff in sequence means I'm back to watching Iron Fist. Episode 6 is pretty good, mostly because RZA gets to flex his kung fu skills. That said, it's still baffling that they took a character built around cool aesthetics and great fights based in kung fu superhero fusion and gave us a show that's like 60% boring rich kid corporate drama and 20% bad fight scenes with no costume is just...baffling. Particularly because the first season of Daredevil ticked every box I'd want out of an Iron Fist series so it's not like they lack the capability. It's not a BAD show in a general sense, but it's so far from what anyone would want from Iron Fist that I can't help but wonder if it was a genuine attempt to sabotage the franchise to get revenge on someone behind the scenes ala Inhumans. Also for someone whose power is a super punch, Finn Jones has a TERRIBLE looking punch. I'm not saying he has to go Terry Funk and just start hitting people legit, but the Nash/Tom Jane fight in the Punisher film ruled and Jane legit stabbed Nash, so you can draw your own conclusions there.

This. The difference between how Wonder Woman is presented in her film when directed by Patty Jenkins vs. in Justice League (ASS SHOTS! SLOW PAN OVER HER ASS! DID YOU KNOW GAL GADOT HAS A GREAT ASS BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT IT BE SPOTLIGHTED) really highlights that the outfit matters less than the framing. That's why the costume looks very different when drawn by Ed Benes than it does when drawn by George Perez or Nicola Scott. Assuming that perspectives of women need to be puritanical to not be sexist is way off base. Not least because a lot of women like stuff that's sexy, just less so stuff that's creepy and leering. The problem isn't that women don't like sexy women. The problem is that women dislike the male gaze notion of sexy and a majority of male directors/artists don't know how not to do that.

I can go either way on glossy paper stock. I'll definitely be glad to not have to try to angle it against the light so that glare doesn't stop me from reading the thing.

THE ASCENDING KNIGHT BATMAN ARRIVED! They're expensive but honestly? The One-12 Collective figures are the best on the market.

I could have done without Otherwise I thought it was terrific.

They still get paid for Hoopla, so I wouldn't worry about it. In some cases like the last month or so, they get paid two or three times for the same trade when I fail to read it in time.

I mean, yeah. But I honestly think the creative thing matters too. The fewer studios there are, the less inclination for any studio to do anything daring or challenging and as a society we get a lot of societal values enforced/reinforced through the media we consume. The ability to shape the narratives we consume comes with the power to shape our view of the world to some degree or another. I'm not thrilled about the notion of that being monopolized.

Honestly though? Outside of having all the Marvel shit under one banner again (outside Sony's Spidey B stuff) what opiates? They'll end up pumping out less films or less inventive ones. Disney would never have dropped Logan or Deadpool. They're way too risk averse for that. Inevitably we're going to get more and more franchises feeling like the MCU/new Star Wars/etc. tired ass Disney blockbuster formula and it's going to suck.

I haven't read the second issue yet, but honestly Challengers felt like less than you'd expect from Snyder and Kubert. Story hadn't entirely cooked and the art felt rushed. Hoping it improves from there. Most of the New Age of Heroes comics fall into that 'good-not-great' zone where I'll probably grab the trade but can't bother with the month to month. The Terrifics and The Unexpected are the big exceptions.

The 4.5 inch scale is to match with classic lines like DC Super Powers, Marvel Secret Wars, Masters of the Universe, etc. It's out of sync with most current lines but makes sense for what they were shooting for. Outside some stuff a friend made for me years back (customizing a 3.75 inch Green Lantern into Kyle Rayner as Ion being the big one) I've never dropped the $$$ on customs, but I'm often tempted. Someone made a Secret Six custom set a few years back that's just incredible.

Toy prices went through the roof the past few years. We're at a point where the kind of mass market figure that used to be $5-10 is minimum $10-15. Apparently the cost of manufacturing went up as well as the cost of plastic which made prices go through the roof. Mass market toys saw a slight price increase but small run toys especially got hit since they can't distribute the costs throughout a massive production run. For me, throw in the Canadian dollar going from par to +25-30% and toy collecting has got VERY expensive.

More importantly, for people who aren't acclimated to comic prices, $5 for 100 pages of story still feels like a value price. Even if it doesn't lead to more monthly readers it's a gateway to trades as well as stuff like the toys and merch. Honestly even if they only break even on the book itself it'll be worth it as an outreach thing.

Not sure if you're looking for a Legends/Multiverse style figure but there actually is a figure of the Black Terror out. https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/34119 Full line below. https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/8883 Aaaand also they have the Daredevil on sale right now: https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/8891

Apparently they're doing full runs monthly. Also the new material will be collected in DM available trades, confirmed on Twitter by a few creators working on it. According to Jimmy Palmiotti the paper stock and presentation look terrific.

Basically I wanted a thread for the other aspects of comics and nerd culture collecting because I keep getting high end toys like the MAF EX stuff or the One-12 Collective and I need people to geek out over it with. I also frequent a secondhand toy store in my area so I get a lot of weird odds and ends. At some point I must document my ugly Batman collection. Really pumped about the new Batman 6 inch line as it seems to have the articulation of the terrific but short lived Total Heroes line with some really good sculpts. Just ordered this set: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B079KFK6TP/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Because I love the Robin and Bane. Probably getting the Harley and Batgirl as well as the Batman/Man-Bat two pack at least. The Harley actually has a better head sculpt than the forthcoming Multiverse one which is wild. But yeah! What do you collect? Besides Funko POPs. There's already a thread for that. Funko DC 3.75 inch action figure talk allowed.

Pretty sure it's magazine sized. Which is great, because as I mentioned the art should look great at that size. Andy Kubert and Tom King doing a Superman story basically locks me in to pay my stupid Canadian dollars for this.

Pumped for Lovecraft Country (as an HBO subscriber). Actually just had someone donate the book at my shop the other day and thought "This looks interesting." and grabbed it for myself, so solid timing there. Whether it leaves my pile of shame to be consumed before the adaptation is up for grabs though.

I'm pumped for this. I get a lot of customers looking for stuff for their kids and dropping $5 USD for 25-30 pages stings. Happy to direct them to Wal Mart for nice fat volumes for a reasonable price for the kids. Won't really have much of an effect on the regulars. Be curious how many of them end up dropping the $5/issue for 12 pages of new content. I'll probably end up getting at least the Superman and Batman ones but I like weird experiments like this and getting to read some classic stuff with glossy nice magazine sized art appeals to me. Some retailers are pissy because it's Wal Mart exclusive and I'll be a little grumpy if none of the new stories hit trade eventually, but this industry has been stuck trying to broaden its market by appealing within that same market. Initiatives like this, Superhero Girls, Ink, and Zoom...DC is making moves that are smart for the diversification and long term health of the brand and I welcome it.

Working through the pile of shame, read both Batman/Shadow volumes as well as Dark Night: A True Batman Story today. The Batman/Shadow trades are great, feeling huge in a way that still fits pretty tidily into canon. It helps that Snyder was the lead on the first and Steve Orlando is probably DC's answer to Al Ewing. Highly recommend both. Dark Night is a really interesting book. It's messy in the way a conversation is but extremely well told, even if it lingers a bit much on younger Paul Dini being sad he isn't getting laid. Also it makes me really wish the episode he plotted of Batman TAS featuring Dream and Death of the Endless got made. Even as a cartoon or comic now honestly.

Has anyone benefitted from the WWE system more than Gargano and Ciampa? They went from two good not great indie guys to being in most of the best matches of the year two or three years running including back to back singles classics that are totally different and have me biting my nails for a third. Just incredible.

I like Murphy a lot, but honestly the best reason I can think of to take her out of the Burnside costume is that artists who aren't Babs Tarr seem to have trouble drawing it well. I don't really think Murphy's design will look good when drawn by anyone but Murphy so we aren't exactly better off for the change.

Smack in the middle of the pack. Feels like home.