Thoughts? I think it could have been a lot worse, but it most certainly isn’t the best either. It looks too much like his insides have come out and turned green. Granted it will look A LOT better on the big screen, for now I’m just mildly pleased with it.
-Lauren
I am a huge fan of the antique store/malls. I love spending an entire day jumping from one shop to the next, digging through junky gold in search of some unique comic book item (or anything weird really). I’ve come across some pretty awesome things. I’ve found an original 1960 Ken doll for $6, albeit his left hand had his hands cut off. I’ve bought those cute Archie Welch jelly glasses at various antique stores. Hell, I’ve even bought comics.
While many might be duped into thinking that books might be cheaper since it isn’t in a shop, I know better and you should know better too. Many long boxes I find in these places are stuffed with 90’s drek. You see, in the early 90’s, comics for one reason or another became a hot item. People were eating them up, assuming they would be of value one day. However since demand was so high, publishers issued millions of copies of a “hot” comic, thus making them anything but valuable. That’s not to say there aren’t rare moderns, but they are few and far between. That being said, people are asking really crazy prices for their modern drek. $5 for a foil cover? I’ll give you $1 and that’s being generous.
Every blue moon there will be a booth that is clearly run by someone who knows what he or she is doing with comics. For example, today I found a Jolly Jingles #16 (a golden age book, published by MLJ which would later become Archie Comics) in what I would say to be a poor/1.0 shape. The dealer was asking a mere $7, but a quick peek at 2009’s OSPG reveals that $7 is what that book is worth. I have seen signs posted that this dealer usually sells for 20% below guide, but uhh…I don’t buy it. Clearly, I do not buy it. That being said, I would have spent $75 on the OA he had up on the walls. Too bad I don’t have $75 lying around.
Lots of non comic book dealers also ask near mint prices for clearly no-where-near-mint books. Most of the time if the dealer is there, you might be able to cut a deal with him (without being rude about how he over grades). The worst thing they can say is no. If the dealer is not there? Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask the person at the check out counter. Again, the worst thing they can say is no.
So good luck, fellow comic book antique store hunters. You’ll have better luck buying comic book toys than comic books.
-Lauren
After years of waiting, Toy Story 3 is out. All of us who remember when Toy Story 1 came out probably salivated and creamed our pants in anticipation of the final instalment of one of Pixar’s most popular movies. This movie, did not let me down. The animation has come a very long way in a matter of a decade, and all of the characters look great.
We open with Andy playing with his toys, while his mother records them. Ah, memories! I was also playing with Barbie dolls of my own when this movie came out. In truth I, as well as many people my own age, grew up with Andy. We were all Andy in some way or another, and we could all relate. Well, like us, Andy has grown up and is leaving for college. Also like us, Andy hasn’t played with his toys in years. Some of the toys are gone, such as Weezy and a few others that you will be surprised about. But the core group is there. Andy plans to put most of the toys into the attic, but plans on taking Woody to college. One thing leads to another, and the toys are accidently dropped off at a daycare, where a corrupt teddy bear rules the toys. Hijinks ensue, as we watch our favorite characters attempt an escape.
The story is simple, and easy to follow. There is only one story to follow, unlike other summer movies (IRONMAN2) and you really don’t need to be familiar with the other two movies. It’s that easy, and oh so good. But I must warn you all, you need to bring tissues. I cried like a baby at the end of the movie, and it was hard for me to not bawl out loud. Maybe I’m just sensitive, I don’t know. But it is sad, yet happy at the same time. Go see it, you will not be let down.
-Lauren
Recently Archie announced that Toys R Us would be carrying Archie titles, something the store has somehow avoided. Now I don’t remember the last time I was in a Toys R Us, so I don’t remember if they had comics or not. That being said, I can’t imagine a toy store not having a comic book rack. It seems like the most logical way to make sales. More kids go to toy stores than comic book stores. Maybe all of these “poor sales” could be turned around by selling in places where kids go. .. Like a toy store. Seems like common sense to me.
So will this help Archie sales? Of course. Every little bit helps. And maybe it will help parents realize that comic books can help a childs reading skills.
-Lauren
I feel like I should come clean with all of you. I love DC comics. Not as much as Archie comics, but I love them almost as much. Marvel just seems to hoaky for me sometimes. Sure, the characters are more than just right playboys or boy scouts who can only succumb to Doomsday or a green meteorite, but I just can’t get into them. The movies on the other hand are a thrill to watch. Iron Man 1 and 2 are some of the most enjoyable comic book movies to watch! DC doesn’t have a good track record with comic book movies, yet Marvel has, for the most part, made pretty enjoyable films.
But the comics? I just don’t like them. I don’t care about the characters. Maybe it was because I didn’t grow up reading Marvel. I spent much of my youth reading Batman, Wonder Woman, and any other Batman related titles. Yet Captain America, which my dad loves, I could never get into. I tried reading the Spider-Man comics after the movies came out, but Spider-Man was too angsty for me. Heck I even gave Fantastic Four a shot. But all of these characters just put me too sleep.
Oh well, better luck next time.
-Lauren
My insurance would be way high. As a result, I wouldn’t have insurance. But if you live in a fictional New York where goblins attack on a daily, would the city offer free insurance for that? Or does everyone need a high paying job just to afford to be alive? And don’t bother moving to small town America. Chances are an enemy will attack you there too.
And yet, we face similar challenges on a daily basis. Bad guys and good guys are all around us. The only difference is they aren’t flying on hover crafts or trying to eat whole planets.
-Lauren
Little Big Planet, the really awesome game on the PSP/PS3, now has Marvel characters! And not only that, they are super duper adorable! While this won’t get me to run out to stores to buy a system and that game (I have played it tho), I can’t help but fawn over little Iron Man or Thing. Maybe someone will produce toys of these cute little buggers.
-Lauren
This three issue series, by Fujima Takuya, is a gigantic piece of shit. Well story wise at least. The art is really appealing. However, the story was really lack luster. It started off on a good note. A cat is abandoned by his master (a young boy) who is sick and has to go to the hospital. For whatever damn reason, the mother throws the cat away because it reminds her of her not dead son. Honestly that is a great way to start a manga. It’s sad, dramatic, and it gives you hope that maybe the little boy will get well, go looking for his garbage kitty, rescue him, and then pimp slap his mother and throw her away.
Well, that doesn’t happen.
Instead the cat is “found” by other thrown away strays. And they all have super powers. At that point I can’t even tell you what happens because it’s all annoying fluff and pointless filler stories. I don’t even know if the kid comes back for his cat because I can not stomach this series. It’s not even cute, it’s just fucking dumb. Save yourself the agony and go read Sailor Moon.
-Lauren
Look at this crazy shit.
-Lauren
As all of you with internet access knows, the third Twilight movie Eclipse came out. I saw it this afternoon since I am a huge fan of terrible movies, and this movie did not disappoint. The usual suspects are back; Bella (Kristen Stewart), Edward (Robert Pattinson), Jacob (Taylor Lautner), and the rest of the vampires and werewolves. There is also new werewolves and vampires, but more on them later.
The movie opens with a guy walking in the pouring rain, without a hood or a hat or an umbrella, when he is suddenly attacked by something. He see’s that his hand has bite wounds, and then we are treated to about 2 minutes of him moaning and crying and attempting to act like he’s in pain. Then we go to Bella and Edward in a field. A sunny field. And sure as heck, he is twinkling. Bella is studying for her finals, and Edward is laying there smelling her hair. While it would be romantic, it just looks contrived and really creepy. Eventually he asks her to marry him, and she brushes him off. Guys, please take note. Asking a girl to marry you while she’s studying for her high school finals is not a good idea.
Then Bella winds up in Florida where she says goodbye to her mom who just can’t seem to make it to her own daughters graduation, even though she has a beach front house. At this point I mentally checked out. I can’t for the life of me tell you what happened. There were too many cut scenes, too many characters, and too much plot. Bella is in danger! Bella is in love with two deadly beings! Oh my God where did all of these “baby” vampires come from?! Before you’re given a chance to really care one way or another about any of the new characters, they are killed off within a half an hour.
What I really did notice about this film, was how God awful the hair and makeup were. Bella had on a different wig in almost every single scene, even if it was just a cut from her being outside to being indoors. The wig was constantly changed. You can tell, and it looks like a wig too. I realize Stewart cut her hair in order to play Joan Jett for another movie, but surely this juggernaut of a franchise could have afforded better wigs. It wasn’t just her, either. All of the Cullen cove sans Edward had it even worse. Carlisle, the father figure in the cove, had the silliest blonde wig I have ever seen. And his pale face makeup was even worse. It was distracting how bad it was.
On a very positive note, this was the best Twilight movie so far. The acting improved for everyone in the cast, Stewart especially. She wasn’t blinking or stumbling over all of her lines this time. She sounded like she was trying to care, and it did show. The director, David Slade (who did Hard Candy, an amazing movie), did a really great job on making this film. I really hope he stays on to film the last movie, because he clearly has the best grasp on the work. And while that’s not saying much, remember that the first movie was unintentionally funny, and the second one was *boring*. This one was funny in parts, but it really did improve, greatly.
-Lauren
Girls With Comics 