Here’s a picture of Avery at our table:

Avery at First Friday 3/10

Granted, I had a LOT of favorite cartoons – Growing up in the mid-to-late 80s, the youngest part of my life basically consisted of cartoons and their toy tie-ins; I had dozens of action figures based on Transformers, Thundercats, Centurions, Silverhawks, The Real Ghostbusters, C.O.P.S., and more. But one of my favorite toys, amongst them all, was RoboCop.

ROBOCOP 2 came out in theatres, shortly after ULTRA POLICE ended, and I remember watching it on TV, several times. And, for a 1990 movie, it was about as badass as a movie was going to get – Far more hardcore than BATMAN had been in 1989, and way darker than the first TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. Robocop was the epitome of badass in my house, (at least, until TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY came out a year later).

And then ROBOCOP 3 happened, in 1993, followed by the ROBOCOP television series. And it was basically all downhill from there. A few years back, Dark Horse released FRANK MILLER’S ROBOCOP series, which was Miller’s version of the ROBOCOP 2 script (little-known fact: Frank Miller of Sin City and 300 fame penned the scripts for the first two Robocop films. Seriously!). And, if you didn’t have ROBOCOP 2 memorized, you’d have no idea what was going on in that comic. To say that it was bad would be giving bad comics a poor name.

So, I went into this version of Robocop, hopeful. I didn’t expect it to be great, but I think there’s still some potential to be had with Robocop and his world.

To start off, Dynamite’s comic takes place after the events of the first movie – You can tell, because there’s a small parenthetical comment inside the front cover that tells you so.

The art is serviceable. The characters all look like the actors who played them in the first film, but is otherwise kind of standard comic art from 12 years ago. The coloring is a bit too high-contrast for my tastes. But there’s nothing WRONG with it. It just doesn’t jive with me. And it’s extremely bloody, for no reason other than just because. Like it’s supposed to be shocking, which would’ve been great for a pre-1992 comic.

And the story… is ROBOCOP 2 without Cain or the “Nuke” drug. Everybody swears all over the place (Even Robocop curses), and it’s just… not original.

So what we’re left with is a comic that’s supposed to take place between the first two movies, that’s basically the same plot as the second movie that’s unnecessarily gory and has vulgarities thrown in for the sake of throwing in vulgarities.

It’s like Dynamite got the Robocop license and handed it to some random creators and said, “go.” There’s nothing original, here, and the people working on it clearly don’t have the same care for the characters that any of its fans do.

I can’t really recommend this comic to anybody, save Robocop’s blind loyalists. Which is unfortunate, because I was really looking forward to this being good. And now I’m not sure Robocop can be good, ever again.

We have an opportunity to increase the profile of comic books in this year’s AZCENTRAL.COM 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards.  From now until the March 11, they are accepting open nominations for different categories.  It is a real opportunity to get comic book shops and comic book related event entered into this year’s awards and increase Comic Books in the Community profile.  The nomination process is easy.  Just go to http://www.azcentral.com/best/2010/  You can make different nominations for different categories.  To help you out I have separated some of the one’s that I think might be comic book related:

Deals:
Entertainment value for families (nominate your favorite local comic shop)
Best store deals $1 or less (nominate your favorite local comic shop with a great $1 comic bin)

People & Places
Favorite local employer less than 250 employees (nominate your favorite local comic shop)
Local hero (I would nominate Ben Glendenning, Terry Tibke, Eric Mengel or Denny Ricelli local creators who donate their time and art to local events and charities)
Best cool-off spot (nominate your local comic shop)

Arts & Entertainment
Best Annual Festival or Event (nominate Phoenix Comicon)
Best Annual Arts Festival or Event (nominate Phoenix Comicon)
Best Annual Music Festival or Event (nominate Phoenix Comicon)

Shopping & Services
Best Bookstore (nominate your favorite local comic shop)

Kid’s and Family
Best Toy or Game Store (nominate your favorite local comic shop)
Best place to play hooky with the kids (nominate your favorite local comic shop)
Best children’s book/reading event (nominate Free Comic Book Day)
Best annual kid’s event (nominate Phoenix Comicon or Free Comic Book Day)

Please pass this on to any Comic Book fans you know.  The more nominations we have for events for Free Comic Book Day and Phoenix Comicon and local comic book shop, the more awareness it provides to the community.

Shawn Demumbrum
SpazDog Comics

I knew a man who never read anything until he picked up the Lord of the Rings. Suddenly, worlds opened up to him, and he became an enthusiastic reader for life because of that one book.

I was researching some of the papers that have been written about this, particularly this one:

http://graphicclassroom.blogspot.com/search/label/Master%27s%20Thesis

Unfortunately, this particular paper, although it presents a lot of great ideas, did not find any conclusive evidence to support or deny his theory about motivating students to read by using comic books. However, I have talked with a special education teacher who raves about the effects that comic books have had on her students.

Obviously, more research is needed.

Apparently, there’s this big controversy going on that Captain America #602 involves Marvel siding with/slamming the Tea Party movement, which I had not heard of until today, when a customer came in saying that Captain America #602 was recalled from store shelves everywhere, etc., etc. (Wow, a book called “CAPTAIN AMERICA,” mentioning political issues and polarizing the country, which is possibly more blindly divided now than ever before? No, THAT could never happen…)

I have not gotten a single letter from either Marvel or Diamond Comics Distributors about that issue being recalled. So that story is bunk, right off (although, he did buy all the copies of Cap 602 that we had left, so at least we made a nice sale off the guy. Hehe!).

The panel in question is below:

image taken from WashingtonTimes.com. Click to see full-size.

Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief, Joe Quesada, has already released a public statement on the issue, in his newest “Cup O’ Joe” article, on CBR.

The book was getting ready to go to the printer, it was on fire already from a deadline standpoint, but the editor on the book noticed that there was a small art correct that needed to get done. On the first page featuring the protestors, the artist on the book drew slogans into the protest signs to give them a sense of reality and to set up the scene. On the following page featuring the protestors again, there were signs, but nothing written in them. From a continuity standpoint, this omission stood out like a sore thumb, but was easily fixable. So, just before the book went to the printer, the editor asked the letterer on the book to just fudge in some quick signs. The letterer in his rush to get the book out of the door but wanting to keep the signs believable, looked on the net and started pulling slogans from actual signs. That’s when he came upon this one.

And used it in the scene and off it went to the printer. Unfortunately, to make the deadline, the work wasn’t double-checked thoroughly, and it was printed as is, which is where we as an editorial group screwed up. We spoke to the letterer, and he was mortified at his mistake and was truly sorry as he had no political agenda. He was just trying to do his job, but ultimately the onus falls on me as E-i-C. All that said, we caught the mistake two weeks ago, after it was printed and removed the sign from the art files so that it no longer appears in future reprints of the title or collections. So, while the crowd protesting has nothing to do with the villains in the story, we in no way meant to say they were associated with the Tea Party movement, it was a simple perfect storm of screw-ups. It happens, we’re human.

So, there you go. It was a deadline-crunching accident made by someone who was trying to do his job, so that we could all get our copies of Cap #602 on time. And considering how poorly a job CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN was doing, in regards to shipping on time, I’m not surprised Marvel wanted to get the first new issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA-proper out on time.

So, as a warning, DO NOT go out and buy 23 copies of this comic. They will sit in your closet and rot. You will not be able to sell them for big money (unless it’s to the folks who actually, you know, READ comics like CAPTAIN AMERICA, and happened to not get this particular issue on time).

This is like the WWE (then-WWF) Al Snow action figure debacle of 1999, all over again. Al Snow was a pro wrestler who used to come to the ring with a mannequin head, appropriately named “Head.” Al’s gimmick was that he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and he and Head would talk to each other. To show that he was nuts, he would write “HELP ME!” backwards on both his own forehead, as well as Head’s forehead. Unfortunately, when JAKKS Pacific made the Al Snow figure, the Head accessory looked a bit too much like a Barbie head for one mother. She saw the figure and, after doing exactly zero research, complained to Wal-Mart about WWF being an advocate of Al Snow murdering women, decapitating them, and carrying their disembodied heads to the ring like some kind of Devil Worshipper. Wal-Mart immediately pulled all the Al Snow figures from their shelves, causing Toys “R” Us and Target to do the same. This caused all Al Snow figures on the secondary market (like eBay) to skyrocket to absolutely ridiculous prices, with some people selling their Al Snow figures in the triple-digits. However, after all the hysteria calmed down, all the retail outlets put their Al Snow figures back on the shelves, and nobody cared.

Completists may want to buy Cap #602 to see the story with is unaltered poster signs. People like myself who buy the comic monthly will want the issue to make sure we continue collecting each month’s comic. And, really, everybody should be buying Ed Brubaker’s run on CAPTAIN AMERICA, which started in 2005, because it’s really freaking good. But the only people who are going to be getting rich of Cap #602 are the people selling you the comic at an artificially inflated price. Don’t be a sucker.

Comics are for reading. You aren’t going to get rich off anything printed in 2010.

So, as soon as we left, we started researching, and found that no, they are not being recalled at all, but they ARE going to be changing the future printings, as there is a page that can be conceived as very controversial in the current issue. You can read more about it here. Apparently, Marvel had their letterer fudge in some content to the blank protest signs, and the result is this snafu.

My first reaction as a retailer was to go out to eBay and find out if we can snag some more copies quick, but most folks have already raised prices to $9.99 with all sorts of dramatic comment about how they are being recalled, pulled from shelves, etc.

If there is a wave of demand, we haven’t yet seen it – just that one customer – and by the time we could get our hands on more, it will probably have blown by.

Retailers are always up against challenges like this. When Amazing Spider-man #583 came out with Obama on the cover, it was all the rage, so we ordered extras of that one, and of some of the other Obama comics that were out at the same time. And now they sit on our “Obama” shelf, the frenzy passed.  Would the same thing happen to this one, should we get more copies?

For me, I am just as happy as can be that comics are making the news. All attention helps.

Five people came to offer their opinions and assistance, and shortly after the group ended, another came and gave us incredible suggestions! We are so grateful to everyone who attended: Rhia, Howard, Aaron, Vivian, Tom, and Leroy, and a special thank you to my dear friend, Linda Simpson, who ran the group for us.

Some of the more interesting conversations involved the anatomically incorrect drawings of comic book heroes, especially the women. And yet, as it was pointed out, the male super-heroes are more fantasy than not also. The idea is that these are the artists’ fantasies of ideals. At some point in the near future, I will devote a whole blog post to this subject, as it fascinates me.

Some great ideas that were presented to us are things that we really wanted to do anyway, and now we have clearer avenues. I have wanted to do more regarding using comics in education for quite some time, and we had two teachers in the room, one was a teacher of English and the other of special ed. Both saw the role of comics in their particular classrooms as very different, whereas one would use them as a springboard for teaching about symbolism in literature and the other would use them to interest students in reading. I advocate both usages and I am excited to be a part of making this happen.

I really learned a lot, and even managed to video-tape segments of the discussion, so stay tuned to our site for showings.

Do I want more Spider-Man movies? Absolutely. Do I want more Spider-Man movies by Sam Raimi and friends? Meh, not particularly.

I think the Raimi Trilogy was absolutely wonderful. The whole series tells a great story involving Peter, MJ, and Harry, their interactions with each other, and all three movies really hammer home the “With great power comes great responsibility” theme, especially with the villains. But, basically, they did the three biggest Spider-Man villains, and anybody that they do from here isn’t really enough to fill a full movie – Can The Rhino really carry a 90-120 minute film, all by himself? Hardly. Nor could Electro, the Lizard, or the Vulture.

Possibly to rectify this situation, reportedly, Sony pictures wanted to make a film with two villains. Raimi refused, citing that the reception to the third movie wasn’t as positive to the first two (despite the more profitable opening weekend); Without fail, the comic movies that focus on just one villain (or, in the case of X-Men, one major villain with some assorted henchmen) are always of better quality than the ones that have two. The Dark Knight is the best of all the Batman movies, and I would argue that Batman ‘89 comes in second, even above Batman Begins. And that’s not because The Joker is in both movies, but because each one only has a single villain (because, while Two-Face is present in TDK, he’s not really a proper villain, as much as a pawn in Joker’s plans), which is easier to follow than Batman Returns (which had Penguin and Catwoman), or Batman Forever (Riddler and Two-Face), or Batman & Robin (Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy). Hell, Batman Begins had two R’as Al Ghuls AND The Scarecrow! Far too complex.

So, in the wake of Raimi bailing on the project, due to these creative differences, Sony has announced a reboot to the franchise, focusing on Spider-Man’s time in high school, and it’s to be directed by (500) Days of Summer’s Marc Webb. I haven’t seen (500) Days of Summer, but I have heard naught but positive reviews for the film.

Is a full-on reboot necessary? I don’t necessarily think so. However, I do think that the story that Raimi & company were telling has run its course, and it’s time for something else. I don’t think I really want to see more of Tobey Maguire (now 35) and Kirsten Dunst (who will be 28 this year) angsting over each other anymore. We’ve had three movies of that story; Let’s move on to something else.

I think the best direction for Spider-Man is to find a new cast and to start telling random adventures of the webhead and his friends. And we could get more into Parker’s personal life. Let’s see some stories about Peter trying to date Betty Brant. That, combined with Mysterio could fill up an entire movie. Pete trying to get involved with Felicia Hardy while Spidey gets involved with The Black Cat while they take on somebody like The Kraven the Hunter could have interesting possibilities.

But, I think that Sony distancing themselves from the Raimi trilogy and moving on to something else is a good idea. It’ll breathe a breath of fresh air into the franchise. And, besides – I’d rather have SOME Spider-Man movie on the horizon than none at all.

Wal-Marvel Comics

What a sight! I would love to see such an array of folks in our store. Some one of these days, we need to run a costume contest and take a picture of all of the contestants. That would be a lot of fun, I think. In fact, it’s been way too long since we did something like that.

Stay tuned. You may be hearing about something soon…..

Tonight I was reading through some master’s degree theses on comic books (http://www.comicsresearch.org/ComicsDissertations-masters.html) and I was particularly struck with a thesis done by Joseph James Darowski entitled The American Way: What Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men Reveal about America. Right away, Darowski talks about how Superman burst on the scene as early as 1938, making an impact that over 70 years later, is still going strong.

He goes on to reveal all of the ways that Superman has pervaded our culture in a myriad of media forms. He has an iconic stature that has woven its way into the hearts of Americans. The S Shield is well-known and instantly recognized. In fact, if you haven’t seen it yet, we have a new Superman sign at our store, which broadcasts to the world that we are a comic book store. What says it better?

Our new Superman Sign

Darowski goes on to talk about the fact that Superman represents America’s new mythology, a theme I highly support, and with which I agree. Superman exhibits the characteristics that have made our country great – he arrives from another planet to live a better life, he upholds the American ideals of truth and justice, maintains a balance between civilization and freedom, and even his suit reflects the patriotism of the United States in its red and blue color.

To this day, Superman comics reflect the struggles of the American people. The present story line has him living on another planet, trying to adjust to a lifestyle that is decidedly NOT American, and this powerful icon has been arrested for treason. Meanwhile, America struggles with its own problems. Oh bring him back to help us in these times. America needs Superman more than New Krypton does!