Comments on: What I bought – 25 February 2009

By: Bill Reed

Bill Reed — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:03:19 +0000

I thought the same about Blue Beetle. The “big death” was followed with no consequences except for ominous foreshadowing to something that will never pop up again, probably.

But yes, I’m buying the Umbrella Academy singles, because it’s probably my favorite comic right now.

By: Fascination Place » This Week’s Haul

Fascination Place » This Week’s Haul — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:14:58 +0000

[...] Greg Burgas wonders why Gigantic isn’t a better comic book. I think the answer’s pretty simple: While it’s a high-concept action story (”The Earth’s just a setting for alien reality TV programming”), it’s really a very depressing one. The lead character is a man who was turned into a gladiator for the aliens when he was younger, and has come back to his homeworld a hunted man. Catastrophe, tragedy and a whole lot of punching ensues. The first three issues haven’t really expanded on the premise very much, it’s continued to just be a lot of tragedy and punching with no light visible at the end of the tunnel. I have a similar problem with the other Remender series I’m reading, The End League. I can deal with dark comics series, but these aren’t just dark, they’re bleak. So they’re not much fun. [...]

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:03:43 +0000

Very cool, sir. As always, I look forward to it with much anticipation!

By: Antony Johnston

Antony Johnston — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:34:53 +0000

Wow, I had no idea “double-sized/double-length” was a phrase so filled with controversy…! We say “double-length” because, well, that’s what it is – WASTELAND #25 is 44 story pages, twice the length of a normal issue. We didn’t say “giant sized” because, well, that could mean anything. We like being specific

By: Dan Bailey

Dan Bailey — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:03:59 +0000

Remember the 80-Page Giants? *Those* were good times.

(Where did I leave the Geritol …)

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:16:11 +0000

Remember the 64 page annuals? Those were good times.

By: Michael Mayket

Michael Mayket — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:22:17 +0000

I am WAAAAAAAAAAAAY more excited about the new Beanworld collections than Mark Andrew.

This is not based on any scientific evidence, but I love Beanworld like other other people love things they really love.

You know what I mean!

By: MarkAndrew

MarkAndrew — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:04:56 +0000

It’s not like I don’t have the first set of trades and the original issues. y’know.

(Oh right. Clean up before I leave. Almost forgot.)

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:01:28 +0000

I’m not that bent out of shape by the fact that “double-size” does not actually mean twice the story, because I know it’s been that way forever (for both Marvel and DC). I just found it humorous that we had two comics this week with the “double-size” prominently displayed, so it was a ready-made rant. I’m just curious as to why they don’t just use, as David pointed out, “Giant-Size” or something else like that. Plus, why didn’t Thor #600 (starring Stupid Thor!) have any indication on the cover that it was not only “double-size,” but “Super-Gigantic-Size”? The policy is odd to me, but I don’t presume to know what goes on in the mind of Joey Q!

By: Wraith

Wraith — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:55:28 +0000

Umbrella Academy cover — I saw that in the story and immediately thought “does this somehow tie into an Ellis ‘Friday Stunt’ that I didn’t hear of?”

By: Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:52:07 +0000

For better of worse, “double-sized” usually means roughly 50% more story pages at Marvel.

Picking Avengers as a random choice, “double-sized” has meant…

In Avengers #93 – 34 pages

In Avengers (vol. 3) #12 – 38 pages

In Avengers #503 – 31 pages

In New Avengers #50 – 37 pages

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:43:06 +0000

Dave: Good to know. I haven’t read Ennis’s series yet (it’s in the queue!), so I wondered who that dude was. I guess I should get to reading it in case Dysart goes back to it more often.

By: Dalarsco

Dalarsco — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:43:32 +0000

Aside from a brief period in the ’90s double sized has always meant not quite double sized. Typically it has been 40 pages of story. These are particularly bad examples of that, but that isn’t some new thing. But yes, I would love to see Joe Q tell whining fans to shut the fuck up.

By: Ian A.

Ian A. — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:36:26 +0000

Hot diggity! Dynamo 5 and Umbrella Academy in the same week? I have got to get to a comic store.

Tomorrow. Hopefully. Tomorrow.

By: Dan Bailey

Dan Bailey — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:29:46 +0000

Great song, indeed, though I know only Kelly Hogan’s cover version.

Otherwise, DYNAMO 5, UMBRELLA ACADEMY & INCREDIBLE HERCULES are in my “to-read” stack from yesterday’s purchases, & my LCS didn’t get SHE-HULK … or the previous issue, either, so I’ve ordered them both from HeavyInk.

Your review of the final BLUE BEETLE is, unfortunately, spot-on. Oh, well.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:14:05 +0000

I’m pretty sure that Unknown Soldier is going to tie into the name more as the series progresses, given that the bandaged man with the oxygen mask in Moses’s flashback was almost certainly the Unknown Soldier from the Ennis Vertigo mini.

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:07:59 +0000

Thok: Huh. I figured he was setting up the villain, but I didn’t realize the villain had already shown up. I can forgive Sturges, because it felt like editorial interference (whether overt or not), but it doesn’t excuse the ham-fisted way things worked out.

Stu: Yeah, I figured that was pretty easy. And you’re right – it’s a great album (albums?).

By: David

David — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:33:28 +0000

Why don’t they just say Giant Sized, or Extra-sized. Sheesh Double Sized is just wrong. Why not more reprints or something.

By: Thok

Thok — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:31:46 +0000

The reason for the death in Blue Beetle was mostly to set up one character to be a villain that’s been seen in Booster Gold 6-10 and who’s going to show up later. (Hence the “Joshua?” “Why not” scene at the end, which fit in with some details we knew about the character before.)

I agree that it’s a pointless death, but the alternative was to have the “future archenemy” of Jaime Reyes be set up in a book that wasn’t Blue Beetle (or to just ignore the development of that character altogether) and I can at least sort of understand why Sturges didn’t want to go that route.

By: Stu

Stu — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:28:03 +0000

That’d be Magnetic Fields.

“Papa Was a Rodeo” from the second disc of _69 Love Songs_ of course. One of the best albums ever created.