Category Archives: Comic Books

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 28 – Live From the Tuesday Night Movies Beach House!

Welcome to the Tuesday Night Movies Beach House! Billy and Dave are joined by Nick, making his triumphant return to the Tuesday Night Comics podcast. The guys are recording live in front of an audience from the Tuesday Night Movies Beach House in OBX. It’s like MTV’s Beach House, but way (wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy) nerdier.

 The guys preview new comics coming out Wednesday, July 16, 2014, and talk about what they’re all reading now, how Marvel and Image today are like DC in the 90s (and how DC of today is like Marvel and Image in the 90s), Mike Allred, Saga, Fables, and…Bob Kane’s tombstone. And, as promised on the podcast, here is an image of Bob Kane’s actual tombstone, and what might be the saddest Superman cover of all time.
bob kane tombstone
superman215

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Tuesday Night Comics Episode 27

In episode 27 of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast, Billy and Dave preview new comics coming out Wednesday, July 9, 2014, discuss Rocket Raccoon #1 and Original Sin #5, and give some insight into Rocket Raccoon’s massive 300,000 copy print run.

rocket raccoon loot crate cover

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 26

Can you believe it? It’s been half a year since the start of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast! In this episode, Billy and Dave give you their picks for the new comics you should be looking out for in the store the week of Wednesday, July 2, 2014.

They also go extensively in-depth on John Romita Jr’s and Geoff Johns’s debut on Superman in Superman #32, and the importance of the Superman supporting cast.

Superman-32-Cover

And the guys have started the campaign for the most missed DC character in the New 52, Lenny Luthor!

lenny luthor

 

 

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NYCC 3-Day Passes On Sale TODAY at 12 NOON!

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Yes, the US is playing Germany today at noon and a win or tie means we’re making it to the second round of the World Cup. But if you’re a fan of New York Comic Con, something even more important is happening at 12 noon today. 3-Day NYCC 2014 passes are going up for sale on NYCC’s site.

4-Day Passes sold out in record time last week. They went up for sale at noon and were gone less than 90 minutes later. 3-Day Passes have always been more popular with NYCC attendees, so I expect these passes to sell out today even faster.

Also up for sale today will be single day tickets and Kid’s Day Passes to NYCC. I expect Saturday to sell out shortly after 3-Day Pass does.

Make sure you are at a stable internet connection at 11:59 AM today! Good luck!

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 25

Dave is back! Billy and Dave make their picks for new comic books coming out on Wednesday, 6/25/14, and discuss the craziness that has been Marvel’s Original Sin thus far! If you’re loving Original Sin, listen to this episode!

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NYCC Tickets On Sale NOW!

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New York Comic Con tickets went on sale today at 12 noon on the New York Comic Con website!

But not all tickets are going on sale today, just the 4-Day Pass ($95), Kid’s Day Tickets ($5) and VIP packages ($195 & $485). If you’re interested in getting any of these tickets, jump on them! You do not want to wait until tickets go on sale at retail locations. Finding 3-Day and 4-Day passes at comic book stores last year was a nightmare. I recommend securing your pass directly from NYCC as soon as you can.

nycc 4day vip kids tix

For those of you interested in the 3-Day Pass, if the past holds true, that will be up for sale shortly after the 4-Day Pass sells out. The individual day tickets will then follow shortly thereafter.

Personally, I think you should buy a 4-Day Pass. At $95, it’s $30 more than the 3-Day pass, so you’re only saving $5 over buying a 3-Day Pass and a separate Thursday ticket. That said, Thursday is the best day at NYCC! The crowds are light. The lines for exclusives are the smallest they’ll be all weekend. It’s the perfect day to take care of things that would take much longer on the more crowded days during NYCC weekend. 

If you’re a parent thinking about taking your kid to NYCC, consider Sunday. Crowds are lighter than Saturday, there are specific activities aimed at kids that day and you can buy a Kid’s Day ticket for your child for only $5! Kid’s Day tickets have sold out quickly in past years.

Two VIP packages are being offered. The Special Access Package ($195) and the Ultimate Access Package ($485). I don’t know about these. Yes, you get onto the show floor first, but you don’t get much of a head start over everyone else. What was nice about the VIP package at Special Edition: NYC was that you were allowed onto the show floor a full half hour before everyone else. Here, you’re just at the front of the line. NYCC is throwing in some cool perks in both of the packages, but at those price points, I recommend giving it some serious thought. They’re super-limited and sure to sell out, so if it appeals to you, get on it quick before you miss out.

Pricing-Grid-Temp-2014

UPDATE: As of 12:25 PM on 6/18/14, NYCC VIP Ticket packages are SOLD OUT!

UPDATE 2: As of 1:30 PM on 6/18/14, NYCC 4-Day Passes are SOLD OUT! This is huge. This is the fastest NYCC 4-Day Passes have sold out since they were introduced a couple of years ago. Last year, it took a few weeks for the 4-Day Pass to sell out. The 3-Day Pass is more popular than the 4-Day Pass. If you’re interested in a 3-Day Pass, make sure you are at your computer the minute they go on sale! If you want a 4-Day Pass, Midtown Comics will be the only comic book store carrying them. I’ll update with the on-sale dates for these passes once I find them out.

 

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast – Episode 24

Billy records alone! It’s just Billy on the week on the Tuesday Night Comics podcast. He gives you his picks for the new comics he’s most excited about for the week of June 18, 2014, talks about Miracle Man: A Dream of Flying and Brian Woods’s Star Wars, and recaps this weekend’s big comic book convention in New York City, Special Edition: NYC.

Speaking of Special Edition: NYC, check out this awesome Spider-Man sketch I bought from Marcio Takara!

spiderman by marcio takara

Don’t worry, Dave fans. Dave will be back next week.

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Busiek and Allred Talk at SE:NYC

Kurt Busiek and Mike Allred are two of my favorite comic book creators. So when it was announced that they would be in conversation at SE:NYC, I knew I would be going to this panel.

busiek allred panel se nyc

Photo by Adrian King

 

The focus of the panel was to compare and contrast working for big comic book companies like Marvel and DC versus going it your own and self-publishing. At first glance, I figured Busiek would talk about Marvel and DC, and Allred would talk about self-publishing.

But early on in the panel, Busiek pointed out something that I never realized. He noted that Mike Allred made a name for himself in the 90s on the indie comic book scene with Madman and now works mainly work for DC and Marvel, while Busiek was the “company man” when he made a name for himself in the 90s, first on Marvels with Alex Ross, and then creating Thunderbolts with Mark Bagley, and his legendary run on Avengers with George Perez (not to mention Avengers Forever with Carlos Pacheco). For a while there, Busiek was Mr. Marvel. But Busiek’s current work is his creator-owned Astro City. It was interesting hearing these two legends in the field talk about the different ways they managed to break in, and how their points of view on working for big companies and self-publishing have changed over the years.

This was easily my favorite panel of SE:NYC. The only downside to the panel was the one guy in the audience who was snoring really loudly. I think the snoring threw Mr. Busiek during one of his answers, but he deftly played it off. Someone was nice enough to elbow the snoring guy in the ribs, and he was very apologetic afterwards.

After the panel, I had the good luck of getting into a conversation with Mike and Laura Allred for their entire walk back to their table in Artist’s Alley. They could not have been nicer and more accommodating. While we were talking comics, I had an almost out of body experience, where in the back of my head, 1997 me was yelling, “YOU’RE TALKING TO MIKE ALLRED! CREATOR OF MADMAN!” Thankfully, I managed to keep my cool….I hope.

Buddy Scalera moderated this panel, and did a great job. If this is any indication of the quality of panels that Buddy moderates, definitely look out for his name in future convention program guides.

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Special Edition: NYC – Sunday Panel Guide

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11:15 – 12:15 – Marvel Unlimited+ Members Only Event – I went to the Marvel Unlimited+ member event at NYCC 2013 and can vouch for the quality of these events. Members received an exclusive variant cover comic, an exclusive print and an acetate production proof cover of Origin II #1. Plus, we saw an extended trailer of the Guardians of the Galaxy  movie months before anyone else.  And Marvel talent will be on hand to answer fans questions (and possibly sign some comics). These events, and the exclusive action figure that Plus members receive when signing up, definitely make the Plus option worth getting when you sign up for Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s digital comic version of Netflix. If you’re a member, make sure you attend this. I definitely will. (Theater B – 1E21)

 12:15 – 1:15 – Self Publishing – Do you have an idea for a comic that you’d love to make? Yes, you could pitch it to a publisher. Or you could publish it yourself. Hey, it worked for Jeff Smith! He won’t be here, but Greg Pak, Amy Reeder and a few other creators who have had success with self publishing will be getting down to the nuts and bolts of self publishing. Be prepared to take notes. (Theater B – 1E21)

12:15 – 1:15 – DC Comics – Batman 75th Anniversary – Did Bob Wayne already retire? It’s going to be weird going to a DC panel without him moderating. Many Batman current Batman creators, including Gail Simone, James Tynion IV and Francis Manapul will talk about what’s coming  up in the Batman family of books in this special 75th anniversary year. (Theater A – 1E19)

1:45 – 2:45 – Sexy, Strange and Silly – Lost Superheroes of the Golden Age – This has the potential to be the most fun panel at Special Edition: NYC. Ben Saunders, the director of the Comics Studies program at the University of Oregon, will moderate this panel that highlights some of the most unique comic book characters who were spawned in the Golden Age and then faded into obscurity. (Theater B – 1E21)

2:45 – 3:45 – Marvel: 75 Years of Marvel – It’s not just Batman’s 75th birthday. It’s also the 75th anniversary of the publication of Marvel Comics #1, which featured the first appearances of Marvel’s oldest superheroes, Namor the Submariner and the Golden Age Human Torch. Marvel plans to celebrate their 75th anniversary in a big way. Come to this panel to find out the details. Panelists include Chris Claremont, Peter David and Ryan Stegman. (Theater A – 1E19)

3:00 – 4:00 – Creator-Owned Comics (vs. Corporate-Owned Comics) – I bet if this panel was called “Come Listen to Kurt Busiek and Mike Allred Talk About  Astro City and Madman” it would bring in more people. Just sayin’. Seriously though, come to this panel and listen to Kurt Busiek and Mike Allred talk about Astro City and Madman. (Theater B – 1E21)

 

 

 

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Tuesday Night Comics Podcast Episode 23

In episode 23 of the Tuesday Night Comics podcast, Billy and Dave give you their picks for which new comics you should look out for at your local comic book store for the week of Wednesday, 6/11/14. They also discuss Marvel’s recent reprints of Alan Moore’s Miracleman. Dave drops a knowledge bomb as to where Moore was inspired for Miracleman and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. And Billy lets you know why should go to Special Edition: NYC this weekend if you’re near New York City.

miracleman a dream of flying

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