Comment: A Fanboy's Rant #1

1. One of the sequences in Comic Book Superheros Unmasked (2003) dealt with the crash of the comic industry during the early 90s. I'd like to bring up one point made by Marvel's Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada during the interview, where he basically states that the variant cover phenomenon during that time played a big part in the industry's crash. Back then, the hottest books were selling in the several hundreds of thousands. Nowadays, a publisher would kill for 150,000! Well, more than a decade removed and it looks like the industry is back at it. This time though, rather than flooding the market with foil covers and hermetically-sealed bags, we're getting limited 1st printings of issues. DC recently announced that Green Lantern: Rebirth #2 was in its second printing with a variant sketch cover. The thing that gets me though, is that DC made the announcement 12 days before shipping the 1st printing!, all the while advertising that it will ship with a variant cover. Marvel's done the same, but has gone a step further. They will make stores purchase a minimum number of issues of a certain title, using a formula reminiscent of my Economics 400 class, to determine if they will recieve one copy of the special variant cover of that month's hot issue. As a result, stores feel obligated to meet those numbers and the demands of customers who expect to see the coveted variant on the shelf. I just hope that Mr. Quesada and the rest of the industry know what they're getting into this time around.

2. Speaking of GL: Rebirth, I've got to say I like what I'm reading. So far the first two issues have me hooked. I've said before I'm a sucker for relaunches, and this one has the beginnings of a quality relaunch. For the most part, the whole Ultimate line at Marvel was gimmicky, but fun nonetheless. GL: Rebirth, on the other hand, seems to be unfolding into a book that could end up as a regular on my pull list. On another note, the ending of Spectacular Spider-Man with issue 27 is horrible news. Jenkins and Ramos are a great team and have provided a spectacular run with Spider-Man. Thankfully MK Spider-Man can fill the void after Spectaular's departure.

3. Does anyone remember this cast of characters? Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew was one of the first comic books I read. It was a team-based comic book by DC in the early 80s. By the looks of it they were the kid version of JLA.

4. The wifey and I decided to exchange X-mas gifts early this year. She got roller blades, and I got the Spider-Man 2 DVD gift set. We saw the movie again a few days back, and with a second viewing you get to appreciate the little things. The way they CGI'd Spider-Man is amazing. The subtle movements of Spidey and Doc Ock during the action sequences are very cool. The extras are jam-packed, too. If you thought the movie was good, it's a no brainer, go out and buy the DVD. If you you thought the movie sucked, but are a Spidey fan, buy it anyway. The special features alone are worth the $20.