Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Comics Conspiracy Midnight Sale #0

Last night at Comics Conspiracy we had a successful midnight sale for the release of Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1. Many of you probably have seen or heard about it already, or attended, but I will have some photos up here and a little blurb about what all went down at or little event. Stay Tuned.

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 8/31/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 8/31/11:

01. Amazing Spider-Man #668 Marvel
02. Captain America & Bucky #621 Marvel
03. Flashpoint #5 of 5 DC
04. Justice League #1 DC
05. Uncanny X-Force #14 Marvel

This is a very, very light week for me (except for the variant covers on Flashpoint and Justice League). It is funny to see that the number of Marvel titles actually pick up beat out my DC titles, but only because DC had two books on sale this week and we were shorted the Captain America & Bucky book from last week. All and all I should be able to catch up on the rest of my "to read stack" this weekend. I am sitting here typing with my fingers crossed that this actually happens. Overall, I must say that I am looking forward to reading Flashpoint and Justice League to see where this "New Rejiggered 52" of DC's takes us. And you can expect a good discussion about this on our next episode.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

Monday, August 29, 2011

DC's Filler before "The New Rejiggered 52"

This week marks the start of the big push from DC comics called "The New 52" or as I like to call it "The New Rejiggered 52". There will only be two single issue titles shipping this week: Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1. Which many stores are being allowed to sell at midnight (12:01 AM), and Comics Conspiracy will be one of those stores.

So to be ready for this epic event I finished all of my DC single issue reading over the weekend, and with the exception of a few titles I found a majority of the DC books as of late to be poor filler issues that lead to nothing. Detective Comics is one of the main exceptions. Scott Snyder has done an fantastic job on with his Batman stories and the last story arc is proof of that.
Overall though I have not been impressed with how DC is moving forward into this new rejiggered era. With the fizzling out of so many titles and the spring board for everything being an alternative reality story it seems that until we get into the first few issues of "The New Rejiggered 52" titles we will have no idea how we get from the current DC to the new rejiggered DC. But maybe we aren't suppose to have a clear idea of this path. But according to DC the key to this transition is supposedly in Flashpoint #5 on two double splash pages. This is a huge task to accomplish, and we will see if it hits the high mark and explains enough to get us from one DC to the other, or if it leaves a bad taste in our mouths just like the filler of issues that have been coming out for months now have left in mine.
I am hopeful that this move works out for DC Comics and the comic book industry in general, and despite my disappointment with the renumbering of Action Comics and Detective Comics I am ready to see where this "New Rejiggered 52" takes us.

So be sure to come down to Comics Conspiracy Tuesday night for the midnight sale of Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1. It will be a fun night of excitement, disappointment, confusion, fear, hope, food, drinks, and good old comic book talk with your local conspirators. Hope to see you Tuesday night and don't forget that we will have a moment of silence for the death of long running sequential comics from DC before midnight.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Random Comic Pick - Episode 20

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 20 is the DC comics series Manhunter by Marc Andreyko with art by Jesús Saíz & Jimmy Palmiotti. Manhunter has many incarnations, but this one follows District Attorney Kate Spencer who serves her own kind of justice inside the courtroom and out. Spencer is tired of super villains getting away with their evil deeds and escaping the justice of the courts. She decides to take matters into her own hands. Spencer throws together a secret identity with a variety of devices from heroes and villains: a Darkstar costume, Azrael's Batman gloves for enhanced strength, agility and resistance to injury, and using Mark Shaw's power staff which allows her to fire bolts of energy Spencer becomes Manhunter and her justice is deadly.

Manhunter is collected in five soft cover trades:

Manhunter (Vol. 1) - Street Justice
Manhunter (Vol. 2) - Trail By Fire
Manhunter (Vol. 3) - Origins
Manhunter (Vol. 4) - Unleashed
Manhunter (Vol. 5) - Forgotten

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 8/24/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 8/24/11:

01. Action Comics #904 DC
02. American Vampire #18 Vertigo
03. Batman Incorporated #8 DC
04. Batman: Arkham City #5 of 5 DC
05. Batman: The Dark Knight #5 DC
06. Batman: Gates of Gotham #5 of 5 DC
07. Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #3 of 3 DC
08. Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #3 of 3 DC
09. Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #3 of 3 DC
10. Flashpoint: Lois lane and The Resistance #3 of 3 DC
11. Flashpoint: Project Superman #3 of 3 DC
12. Gotham City Sirens #26 DC
13. Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #13 DC
14. Green Lantern: Movie Prequel - Sinestro #1 DC
15. Uncanny X-Force #13 Marvel
16. X-Men Legacy #254 Marvel

DC gets out the last of the old regime; lots of Batman titles, the last of the Flashpoint minis, and a random Green Lantern Movie Prequel written by Geoff Johns. Also this is the last week of the filler that has been coming out of DC for what seems a while now. And this week marks the last time a DC comic will have reached a high sequential number. So, pick up a copy of Action Comics #904 because it is the last DC comic to fall prey to the marketing scheme of renumbering and it represents the death of all the comic book ages for the past seventy years.

Remember next week "The New Rejiggered 52" begins. Are you ready?

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

Another Hospitalization...

I wanted to apologize to everyone for the delay in getting the new episode of The Comic Conspiracy up this week (we are hoping to record Wednesday night). My girlfriend was hospitalized over the weekend with another MRSA infection (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), and she had to go into surgery on Monday afternoon to have two abscesses lanced and drained. She is doing fine except for the stress and worry about exposing our son to this potentially deadly staff infection. She is home now, on antibiotics, and resting. Brody hasn't had any symptoms of a MRSA infection so that is good news and I hope that it stays that way. Sorry again and thank you for being loyal listeners and blog followers.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Caught this from the DC Rejiggered 52 Panel at the BCC

At the Baltimore Comic Con there was yet another DC "The New Rejiggered 52" panel and in a Comic Book Resources.com article I came across the following about the renumber of DC:

A long-time fan complained about the renumbering of DC's longest-running books. "I was really looking forward to 'Action Comics' #1000."

Palmiotti pointed out that even if there wasn't going to be an "Action Comics" #1000, there would be a thousandth issue of "Action Comics." "In my head, 'All-Star Western' #1 is really 'Jonah Hex' #71."


Good to know that the Marvel way of thinking about renumbering has finally poisoned the well over at DC. We as collectors/readers/fans can expect a thousandth issue of Action Comics because that high number will sell more books just because of the number, but we will never truly have an issue #1,000 which is a once in a lifetime milestone.

This year marks the death of long running sequential comics in the Marvel and DC universes and no one seems to care.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Where do you get your fix?

I'm just curious as to where our loyal listeners pick up there comic books. Post in the comments a little bit about your local comic book store. Maybe one day when I actually get to travel I might check your shop out if I am in the area (if I haven't already).

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 8/17/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 8/17/11:

01. Batman #713 DC
02. Captain America #2 Marvel
03. DC Universe Online: Legends #14 DC
04. DMZ #68 Vertigo
05. Fables #108 Vertigo
06. Fear Itself: The Home Front #5 of 7 Marvel
07. Flashpoint: Abin Sur the Green Lantern # 3 of 3 DC
08. Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #3 of 3 DC
09. Flashpoint: The Outsider #3 of 3 DC
10. Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #3 of 3 DC
11. Green Lantern Corps #63 DC
12. Legion of Super-Heroes #16 DC
13. Superman/Batman #87 DC
14. Uncanny X-Men #542 Marvel
15. X-Men: Schism #3 of 5 Marvel

Another week of picks and I feel behind in my reading...wait I am. I haven't been able to get to X-Men: Schism and at this rate I think I might wait to read the trade. But I am looking forward to the next round of Flashpoint minis that are coming to a close, the end of the Green Lantern Corps, Legion of Super-Heroes and Superman/Batman, and I am looking forward to my Vertigo reading; DMZ and Fables. Although I must say that this month comics don't entice me like they used to and I think that is because Marvel doesn't have anything that is amazing me and DC is making a decision that is big, but it is only leaving me hopeful they don't fuck it up. This August is not what I would call a good month for comics.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

My Comic Book Binding - Booster Gold Update

It finally came! My bound volume of Booster Gold comics came in the mail on Saturday the 13th and it looks awesome.
Herring & Robinson did an amazing job binding the 29 issues I sent them: Booster Gold (Vol. 1) #1-25, Action Comics #594, and Secret Origins #33-35 into a nice hefty hardcover that is about as thick as the Incredible Hulk Omnibus.
I could have taken out ads and the letters to the editor pages to reduce the thickness of the volume, but I like flipping through and seeing the old ads and the old letters from fans. To be honest I was a little weary about the cover being gold and the lettering and trim being blue but it turned out amazing. And Higgins thought it was a nice touch to have the old DC logo stamped on the spine.









My total bill for this slightly thick volume (with tax and shipping) came to about $30. Herring & Robinson are definitely worth looking into for book binding. I am now going to have to get them my first two volumes of Batman and the Outsiders and start building my library with some great looking hardcovers.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Random Comic Pick - Episode 19

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 19 is actually two picks but I felt that they went hand in hand.

My first pick is Walking Dead written by Robert Kirkman and art by Tony Moore (1st six issues) and Charlie Adlard. This series is a great portrait of the world after a zombie apocalypse as it follows a group of survivors trying to stay alive in this new unknown world filled with undead all around. Kirkman has penned a gripping story for 87 issues and I am hopeful that he keeps going with it. One of the most intriguing things about Walking Dead is the fact that the series is in black and white, and it still makes a visual impact. Walking Dead has been made into an AMC TV series which will be starting it's second season this October and it has been an amazing show to watch.
Walking Dead has been collected in hard and soft cover trades so you can collect them as you see fit. There are two types of hardcovers: the regular type which is a collection of twelve issues, and a deluxe type which is a collection of twenty-four issues.

Soft Covers:

Vol. 01: Days Gone Bye
Vol. 02: Miles Behind Us
Vol. 03: Safety Behind Bars
Vol. 04: The Heart's Desire
Vol. 05: The Best Defense
Vol. 06: This Sorrowful Life
Vol. 07: The Calm Before
Vol. 08: Made To Suffer
Vol. 09: Here We Remain
Vol. 10: What We Become
Vol. 11: Fear the Hunters
Vol. 12: Life Among Them
Vol. 13: Too Far Gone
Vol. 14: No Way Out

My second pick is the novel World War Z written by Max Brooks. I have read this book three times and it is worth picking up. Brooks gives the reader a journalistic account of people who have survived the zombie apocalypse. Through these very personal and engaging interviews we see the first outbreaks, the general chaos and brutality of not only the zombies but humanity as well, and as the panic and undead move forward we see mankind try and fight back. World War Z grabs you and doesn't let go and every time I read it I enjoy it even more and I am actually thinking about reading it again as I'm writing these lines. Brad Pitt is staring in the movie version of the book which is to be released in the later part of 2012.

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics.

Comics Conspiracy's Online Retailer Place

Comics Conspiracy now has an online retailer place. An online store with a lot more goodies than we have space for at the shop. Check it out for yourself and if something jumps out at you don't be afraid to buy it knowing you will be supporting the shop. Click the image below or the link in the Connected Worlds list on the right to go check out the store yourself.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 8/10/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 8/10/11:

01. Amazing Spider-Man #667 Marvel
02. American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #3 of 5 Vertigo
03. Batman and Robin #26 DC
04. Booster Gold #47 DC
05. Detective Comics #881 DC
06. Flashpoint: Citizen Cold # 3 of 3 DC
07. Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3 of 3 DC
08. Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #3 of 3 DC
09. Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3 of 3 DC
10. Green Lantern: War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath #2 of 2 DC
11. The Stand: The Night Has Come #1 of 6 DC
12. The Unknown #28 Vertigo
13. X-Men Legacy #253 Marvel

For the most part this week I'm looking forward to Booster Gold, the Flashpoint minis and the aftermath of War of the Green Lanterns. Fear Itself #5 came out this week as well and I will read it, but as with the rest of the series it isn't something that merits being on my pull list. August is looking to be a period of just filler, and waiting and seeing. I am hopeful for "The New Rejiggered 52", but like some comic book fans I've talked to, they find it awkward that this rejiggering comes right out of an alternative time/reality story. We will see where DC takes us and hope for the best. Now I better get to reading some comics.

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Random Comic Pick - Episode 18

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 18 is Severed the new Image book written by Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft with art by Attila Futaki. Snyder is breaking away from DC and Vertigo to write this creator owned work with the help of Tuft and Futaki. This book takes the reader back to a simpler time in American history when a young boy takes to the road, but an evil man with razor sharp teeth and an inkling for human flesh is terrorizing those same roads. What is going to happen? From this issue it seems like we are just going to have read more to find out.
Snyder and Tuft pen an excellent first issue that grabs the reader and pulls them into this darkness that was once found in old horror books, and Futaki's art adds an amazingly dark and rustic dynamic to this tale of dread that could just send a chill through your spine. Great read all around and I personally am not one for horror titles, but I highly recommend picking up Severed as it comes out in single issues.

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Conspirator Brock's Conspiracy Blog just passed 5,000 hits

Yesterday (8/4/2011) while I was slaving away at Comics Conspiracy training the new guy Marshall the blog passed 5,000 hits! This is truly amazing because it means that it only took 8 days to get another thousand hits! Thank you all for taking the time to visit my little blog corner of the internet and listen to The Comic Conspiracy. Now get out there and read some comics.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Conspirator Brock's Pull List for 8/3/11

For all of the curious people out there wondering what I like to read week to week here is a list of the titles I am going to be picking up for the week of 8/3/11:

01. Adventure Comics #529 DC
02. Batman: Arkham City #4 of 5 DC
03. Batman: Gates of Gotham #4 of 5 DC
04. DC Universe Online: Legends #13 DC
05. Flashpoint #4 of 5 DC
06. Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance # 3 of 3 DC
07. Flashpoint: Deathstroke and The Curse of The Ravager #3 of 3 DC
08. Flashpoint: Secret Seven #3 of 3 DC
09. Flashpoint: World of Flashpoint #3 of 3 DC
10. House of Mystery #40 Vertigo
11. Severed #1 Image
12. Superman #714 DC

This week marks the first round of Flashpoint minis come to end, and I'm eager to see where these stories go. If you haven't been reading Batman: Arkham City or Batman: Gates of Gotham you are missing out on some fantastic reads. The Arkham City mini series written by Paul Dini and drawn by Carlos D'Anda is a great setup for the Batman: Arkham City video game coming out in October; and yes I will have it pre-ordered. Scott Snyder has burst onto the comic book writing scene with some big titles and Gates of Gotham is a perfect example of his level of talent and you should be reading it. And he has a new independent venture through Image Comics called Severed #1, and on Ryan Higgins recommendation and Snyder's talent I'm giving it a try. And if you hadn't noticed no Marvel titles this week!

As usual I'll be talking comics on The Comic Conspiracy, and on the Geekbox Forums. Now get out there and enjoy some good old fashioned comic book reading.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Random Comic Pick - Episode 17

My random comic pick on The Comic Conspiracy: Episode 17 is the Vertigo series Daytripper written and drawn by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon. In this wonderfully drawn and written story about aspiring writer Brás de Oliva Domingos we look into his world at different point in his life. You see every facet of Brás's life, and on this journey through the years we see love, fear, happiness, hope, sorrow and many more emotions most of us take for granted in the moment. Life is beautifully captured in this series, and it is a truly eye opening read.
I have loved this book since I took a chance back in December of 2009 and picked up issue one. Daytripper has become one of my favorite series and it has moved onto my list of all time favorite comic books. I gave a copy of the graphic novel to my father for his birthday back in February and he thoroughly enjoyed it. So, go out and read this fantastic series.

Daytripper won the Eisner for Best Limited Series 2011.

Remember Comics Conspiracy is a great place to order comics.