Category: Blogging

As expected not much has gone on this past weekend due to the holiday, but I did manage to dig up a few links for you to peruse today. I’ll be sure to talk a bit more about Longshot Press Release (listed below) I have a bit of a conspiracy theory as to why Marvel have issued such a release at this date and time. Also this week’s show will be out Thursday, along with the new comics.

On with today’s links:

• Marvel adds bonus material to X-Men Longshot Premiere HC (Variant 14) at no extra charge. This book collects Longshot #1-6 (1985) on sale August 6.
• All New “Youngblood” TPB announced. 104-page full color TPB for $9.99, will be on sale August 3rd, 2008. That’s odd because August 3rd is a Sunday.
• ICv2.com reports on BookScan’s Top 20 Graphic Novels for June. Looks like Manga rules again! More on this with John Mayo on an upcoming podcast.
• From my favorite DVD site, The Digital Bits: If you guys like DVD Collections then check out all these pics and specs for the following titles: The Omen Collection, Night Watch Trilogy, The Peanuts Holiday Collection, The Wire: The Complete Series, The Sopranos: The Complete Series, Deadwood: The Complete Series, Band of Brothers (Blu-ray), The Flintstones: The Complete Series,,Batman: The Complete Animated Series, JFK: Ultimate Collector’s Edition, Casablanca: Ultimate Collector’s Edition, I Am Legend: Ultimate Collector’s Edition, 300: Limited Collector’s Edition, A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector’s Edition, and Get Smart: The Complete Series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series.
• Rich Johnston, CBR, columnist, Lying In The Gutters, among other things, uncovers unknown artist, Michael Kelleher whose tracing over Gene Colan’s originally published work. can be found in Marvel Masterworks Iron Man Volume 4.
• Review: Richard Bruton, FPI Blog on Scalped Volume 1: Indian Country (DC Comics/Vertigo)
• Review: Collected Editions Blog on Justice League of America: The Lightning Saga HC (DC Comics)

If you guys are like me, you’re a fan of social networking. I guess in one way or another I’ve always been into it for a number of years but I never actually knew there was a term for it until about 2 years ago. With the advent of the internet came UseNet (which I used in college in 1991-94), email, message boards, Yahoo! Groups, MySpace and FaceBook, Digg, Blogs and comments, of course Podcasting and RSS, and a whole lot of others that have since cluttered up the internet.

Along came Google Reader (and other readers, but I think Google is the best) and it has turned out to be a good way to organize and subscribe to your favorite blogs, However, it only good for that particular purpose. It altogether another thing if you want to follow someone’s FaceBook page, Amazon Wishlists, Flickr, and the current Big Kahuna - Twitter. Now it has all come together with FriendFeed. As it states on the Wikipedia page, “FriendFeed is a social aggregator that consolidates the updates from social websites such as blog entries, social bookmarking websites, and social networks among others. This allows individuals using multiple social websites to have a consolidated stream of details on all their activities across these websites”.

I’ve been using FriendFeed since before it went public (I was able to get a free beta though a source of mine). I can tell you that has become an essential tool for me to keep up-to-date on all my friends including their Tweets, photos, blogs, podcasts, and other useful information. And it’s simply the best way to keep track of everything I do here at the CCL or in just my regular plain, old life. So jump on this years’ internet bandwagon – FriendFeed and subscribe to everything that I do (which includes this blog and podcast all the links below) on the internet. http://friendfeed.com/chrisccl

But if you want to follow me the old fashioned way here is a list of several other places where you can find me:

Collected Comics Library Blog http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com
CCL Podcast (.xml) http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/rss/podcast_ccl.xml
CCL Podcast (iTunes) http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=73331158&s=143441
Twitter http://twitter.com/ChrisCCL
Del.icio.us http://del.icio.us/chrisccl
Digg http://digg.com/users/chrisccl
Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/21768570%40N03/
Google Shared Items (I’ll be using this more) http://www.google.com/reader/shared/11984609320779550561
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/435/356
StumbleUpon http://chrisccl.stumbleupon.com/
ComicSpace (not yet a part of FriendFeed) http://www.comicspace.com/chrisccl/
MySpace (but I never use it) http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=60403393
Sorry no FaceBook.

As I said the podcast for this week that I would be getting to a new round of links and happenings in the Collected Edition universe. I couldn’t find anything real significant that came out of Wizard World Chicago. Just some “maybes” to some books (Complete Hitman) and things we already know about (Hellboy/Batman/Starman included in the Starman Omnibus). Dynamite (not Devils Due) has acquired the rights to publish The Phantom. Hopefully we’ll see some more classic Phantom collections.
Have a safe and fun holiday weekend, on with the links:

• For the next two weeks only (through July 14), TwoMorrows Publishing select books are 50% off cover price. This sale features books in our popular “how-to” category of books, offering invaluable information for anyone interested in the creation of comics.
• Judge Dredd is coming back to the States and with him will be new collected editions of classic material. But why? Rebellion does a fine job. Richard , FPI Blog Log explains.
• This August, writer Matthew Tomao and artist Josh Medors present their original epic Sabbath: All Your Sins Reborn in a fully bound graphic novel from Devil’s Due and Hypergraphia Comics.
• Dabel Brothers Publishing has announced the acquisition of the rights to create a comic book adaptation of Robert Jordan’s hugely popular Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels. The first issue of the Wheel of Time comic book series will be released in December. The individual issues will be collected in graphic novel format and distributed by Del Rey, an imprint of Ballantine Books at the Random House Publishing Group.
• LucasBooks and the Random House imprint Del Rey have announced that Del Rey will publish five novels that will tie-in with the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated feature film and the cartoon series that will air in the fall of 2008 on the Cartoon Network and TNT. The Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated movie, which debuts on August 15th, will be preceded by the release of a Star Wars: The Clone Wars novel by fan favorite Star Wars author Karen Traviss, which will go on sale on July 26th.
  Science fiction/fantasy writer Karen Miller is writing the second Clone Wars novel, which will be published in December, 2008. The Star Wars novels will add depth, background and color to the Clone Wars animated saga.
• With Trinity out in stores now the Collected Editions Blog give a rundown of some of the best and essential Wonder Woman collected editions.
• Review: Richard, FPI Blog Log on Will Eisner’s The Spirit by Darwin Cooke and The Best of The Spirit
• Review: Allan Holtz, Stripper’s Guide, on Willie and Joe - The World War II Years
• Reviews: Collected Editions Blog on Wonder Woman: Love and Murder HC (DC Comics), Wonder Woman: Amazons Attack HC (DC Comics), Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes: The Quest for Cosmic Boy TPB (DC Comics) and Helmet of Fate TPB (DC Comics)

Catching up on a few links from the past week. If you know of any news that came out of Heroes Con, please feel free to comment or send me an e-mail

• Two Mags, Two Weeks, Two Bucks at TwoMorrows - from now through June 30, you can get back issues of WRITE NOW and COMIC BOOK ARTIST for only $2 each, plus shipping.
• IDW To Publish Scorchy Smith Deluxe Collection. I blogged about this last December (it was first reported last October). The book was originally scheduled to come out this summer. Well I can’t blame the guys at IDW too much - this book is worth the wait.
• Yes. I like stwallskull.com and if you like classic comics and strips like I do (and I know you do) so should you. Keep up the great work, Steven.
  I get it through my Google RSS reader. In fact, you should get this blog through RSS, too.
• John Mayo, Comic Book Resources and my friend, on Sales Estimates for May, 2008
• Augie De Blieck Jr., Comic Book Resources and my friend, on Valiant’s marketing misstep - Pipeline #575
• Now in stock: Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko
• CR Sunday Interview: Robert Greenberger from Comics Reporter by Tom Spurgeon.
• Review: Collected Editions on Shadowpact: Cursed TPB (DC Comics)

Thanks to the posters over at the Official DC Comics Archives Message Board, here is a list of upcoming 2009 trades and hardcovers. All of these books have been added to the New Releases Schedule and as more information come out from DC on the exact contents of the books, I will post them.

Absolute Superman For Tomorrow; $99.99
Batman: R.I.P. Deluxe HC; $24.99
Saga of Swamp Thing Book One Deluxe HC; $24.99
The Complete Death Deluxe HC; $34.99
Jack Kirby’s The Losers HC; $39.99
Starman Omnibus Volume 2
The Flash Archives Volume 5
Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug
Showcase Presents: Aquaman Volume 3
Showcase Presents: Doom Patrol Volume 1
Showcase Presents: House Of Mystery Volume 3
Showcase Presents: Justice League Volume 4
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Volume 3
Showcase Presents: Superman Family Volume 3
Batman Chronicles Volume 7
Superman Chronicles Volume 6
Green Lantern Chronicles Volume 1
Wonder Woman Chronicles Volume 1
All Star Superman Vol. 2 HC
Collects All Star Superman #7-12; $19.99
Batman & Outsiders : The Snare TPB
Batman The Return Of Hush HC
Batman The Strange Deaths Of Batman TPB
Birds Of Prey Club Kids TPB
Black Lightning Year One TPB
The Brave & The Bold Volume 3 HC
Catwoman The Long Road Home TPB
Checkmate Chimera
DC/Wildstorm Dream War TPB
Eclipso Music Of The Spheres TPB
Flash Emergency Stop TPB
Green Arrow Black Canary Family Business HC
Green Lantern Sinestro War Volume 1 TPB
Huntress Year One TPB
Jonah Hex Bullets Don’t Lie TPB
Justice League International Volume 4 HC
JLA Volume 4 Sanctuary HC
Justice League Unlimited TPB
JSA Kingdom Come Part 3 HC
Justice Volume 3 TPB
Manhunter Forgotten TPB
Nightwing Gemini Rising TPB
Question Return To Oz TPB
Robin Final Fight TPB
Simon Dark Ashes TPB
Spirit Book 3 TPB
Super Friends For Justice TPB
Supergirl Way Of The World TPB
Superman Atlas HC
Superman Brainiac HC
Superman Kryptonite Nevermore HC
Superman Shadows Linger TPB
Tales Of The Green Lantern Corps Volume 1 TPB
Teen Titans Spotlight Cyborg TPB
Tiny Titans Vigilante Big City Lights, Prairie Justice TPB
Wonder Woman Ends Of The Earth HC

John Mayo and Bob Bretall are joined by Chris Marshall of the Collected Comic Library podcast and Tim “TheFreakyTiki” Rakarich to discuss the 2008 Eisners.
Links:

Eisners Awards: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml

Email us at TheGuys@ComicBookPage.com with any questions or comment you have on the episode or post on our forum.

Join the discussion on our forum at: http://fourms.comicbookpage.com

This podcast episode originated on the Comic Book Page website: http://www.ComicBookPage.com

After an unexpected vacation (of sorts) I’m back.

Here’s what all went down: I was planning on posting a usual “Collected Edition Blog browsing on a…” well, Sunday night, but we were rocked with thunderstorms, but not just any thunderstorms. Something called a Derecho, which has tornado like symptoms and was and basically be described as a wall of wind (80-100mph). It was 5:00pm when it hit. Patrick and I were inside a CVS drugstore picking up some water and chewing gum for his baseball game. As we walked in the sky was getting dark and I wasn’t sure if we were going to get the 6:00 game in – we knew that we would get wet and the game may be even delayed or called off. As we approached the cash register the lights in the building started to flicker and then BOOM! Thunder, lightning, torrential rain and the lights went black. Not knowing just how bad it was, we jumped in the car and drove a short distance to the ball field were the other coaches and players were. Along the way we saw several trees and power lines already down and flooding was starting to occur. The game was, of course, canceled and we started back for home. When we got there, the power was out all over the area and sirens from fire tucks, police and ambulances were blaring. By now the rain had let up and Patty and Erin were in the front porch accessing the damage, which wasn’t too much on my property considering what some of, my neighbors went through. Uprooted trees, smashed cars and damage to their homes. The whole ordeal was over in 20 minutes – that’s how quickly it came and went. You can see some pics on my Flickr page.

Now the real crappy part is that I have a residential generator and it was fried during the storm. When the storm hit, Patty says that our lights flickered and then the generator kicked on. About 5 minutes later a lighting hit tress and a few transformers and blown all around our subdivision and thus creating some sort of sonic boom and knocking the generator totally useless. I tried to work on it Monday and Tuesday calling people and getting parts, but it turned out to be no good. I think something is wrong with the ignition switch – at least that’s what Home Depot tells me. I’ve called my State Farm agent to make a claim on it.

We got power back on Wednesday night and everything seems to be back to normal. I really didn’t miss the TV or Internet much while I was down. I did have my Moto Q, so I was able to get e-mail and keep informed here and there. I would have liked to of done a podcast for Thursday, but nothing was truly prepared. And I had more clean up to do anyway. I’ll back on track for next week’s podcast. It will be my Incredible Hulk show. Should be a good one!

I was able to update the New Release List and all the Checklists just now. I see that I missed a lot in the news department while I was away so let’s get to it:

• Amazon is listing Secret Wars Omnibus (October) and Secret Wars II Omnibus (December). OK, I I can handle but II sucked big time!!!
• Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth told us at Book Expo America that the company has acquired (or in one case, re-acquired) the rights to reprint two classic adventure strips with long and illustrious histories: Prince Valiant and Wash Tubbs & Captain Easy. Prince Valiant will be presented in an oversized color hardcover format, with two years per book, beginning in 2009. If you didn’t get these the first time around get them now! And I hope this paves the way to republish the old Tarzan Sundays and NBM did a while back.
• Star Wars.com has a slew of news: Obi-Wan and Luke get new books; you can build the The Ultimate Indiana Jones Bookshelf; and you can see the cover art to some of your favorite Star Wars novels - the Japanese editions! Part 1 Part 2 and Part 3
• What to learn how to write comics? Here’s the online course for you: Comic Book and Graphic Novel Writing. 4 weeks, June 16 - July 14 Chats Mondays, 9-10 pm ET $350.
• DK Publishing, which scored a major (and enduring) hit with The Marvel Encyclopedia in 2006, is back with Marvel Chronicle ($50), a deluxe, full color, 352-page, year-by-year survey of the history of the “House of Ideas” from its “superheroes with hang-ups” origins in the early 1960s to the present era of major events such as Civil War and Secret Invasion.
• Marvel by way of their Masterworks site has announced that Fantastic Four Volume 11 (Variant Vol. 103) will be out September 17 and collect Fantastic Four #105-116 and Atlas Era Heroes Vol. 3 - Featuring Sub-Mariner and Human Torch (Variant Vol. 104) will be out September 24 and collect Sub-Mariner #33-42.
• Matt Wagner donates artists proof copy of Batman vs. Grendel Hardcover to Comic Book Legal Defense Fund for auction on eBay.
• Fantagraphics will release a 200-page hardcover collection of the brilliant comics from Warren Publishing’s short-lived war comic anthology magazine, Blazing Combat, in December. The collection will feature reproductions from the original film negatives.
• Coming this September, all twelve issues of Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly’s Local are collected in a beautiful hardcover bookshelf edition from Oni Press; $29.99.
• See what Timothy Callahan will be reading this summer - thanks to me
• Following the successes of its first two deluxe hardcover edition releases, Harbinger: The Beginning and X-O Manowar: Birth, Valiant Entertainment will release its third hardcover edition, Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions, on September 24.
• Review: Don MacPherson, Eye on Comics, on X-O Manowar: Birth HC
• Review: Richard, FPI Blog, on The Facts In The Case Of The Departure of Miss Finch
• Review: Ben Crofts, Fractal Matter, on The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home 1 (Marvel)
• Reviews: Collected Editions Blog on 52 Volume 4 TPB (DC Comics) and Nightwing: The Lost Year TPB (DC Comics)
• Reviews: Tom Spurgeon, Comics Reporter, on Tim Sale: Black and White, Expanded and Revised and The New Yorker Book Of Mom Cartoons

No messing around today, let’s get right to it:
• Apparently over $10,000 in CGC-slabbed comics were stolen from the Graham Crackers Comics booth at Motor City Comic Con on Sunday, May 18th. I’m guessing all of the plastic covers will be opened and sold E-Bay or some other market. One good note comes out of this: these books will now be read and not covered in iron-clad packaging just so people can look at the covers. Don’t agree with me? Go watch Toy Story 2.
• CBR is reporting that Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales will be collected in hardcover format (144 pages, $24.99, June 12). IDW Publishing is proud to present six standalone graphic stories adapted from Doctorow’s short stories into comic books, each featuring cover art by some of the industry’s top talent. IDW continues to grow and is slowly becoming one of the premiere comic book and collected edition publishers.
• CBR is also reporting that IDW has landed the license to GI Joe. I first heard this rumor back in November. I really hope it doesn’t spell doom for Devil’s Due Publishing, but I’m not sure what other big name property they have. Just looking at the Top 300 comics for April (thanks to John Mayo) no comic, not even GI Joe Elite cracked the top 100 (#116). In fact, only 3 of the eight books published cracked the Top 200. I still have yet to check out Golden Age Sheena: The Best of the Queen of the Jungle TPB, a book that I’m really looking forward to. On the flip side IDW promises to publish classic collected edition of GI Joe. Hopefully, they mean the old Marvel books. Cool news.
• ICv2.com is reporting that the first volume of IDW’s collection of Little Orphan Annie, due for release June 11th, will include a previously unpublished strip from the first month, found in the Harold Gray Archives at Boston University. I told my daughter, Erin, about this book and showed her pics of classic Annie strips on the internet. She wants me to buy this book the day it comes out. Oh, one more thing — have I mentioned what a kick-ass company IDW is?
• The Collected Editions Blog found this Dr. Fate book on Amazon.com. Check out the title. Perhaps Mr. T is under that helmet?!
• Heidi MacDonald, The Beat, is reporting that Titan Publishing Group Ltd. has announced the acquisition of worldwide rights to a range of books celebrating the work of Golden Age comics legend, Joe Simon. The titles include: Joe Simon: The Man Behind The Comics, The Best Of Simon & Kirby, and The Simon & Kirby Superheroes.
• Remember the Marvel Vault book from 2007? Now publisher Running Press is going to do The DC Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book ($49.95) in October. This chronicle of America’s oldest comic publisher contains more than 25 plastic-encased archival pieces for readers to pull out and examine. Included in the collection are exact reproductions of early sketches, covers, memos, press materials, a working model of a 1942 Junior Justice Society of America Decoder, plus original pencils and inks from Wonder Woman #63.
• Review: Stephen Pakula, Sequart, on X-O Manowar: Birth (Valiant Entertainment)
• Review: John Hodgman, New York Times, on Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus Volumes 1-4 (DC Comics).
• Review: Scott Cederlund, Pop Syndicate, Host of Wednesday’s Haul Podcast and overall good friend on Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight: No Future For You TPB (Dark Horse).

I hope all of you had a great Memorial Day Weekend. As you can see from my pervious post I was rather busy. But it’s a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you get everything done that needs to get done. Sure, the work never stops when it comes to yard work, but I can look out my window and see the flowers bloom and that makes it all worthwhile.
As for comics, this weekend, things are pretty slow, but I did manage to read the Complete Shmoo (Dark Horse); a fantastic book that I will be reviewing for an upcoming podcast in the next few weeks. I’ll even let you in on a little secret - it’s a front runner for The CCL Collected Edition of the Year!!!
Same old stuff in the Collected Edition Blogosphere. So let’s get to it now:

• Fantagraphics has posted images of the newly released Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis the Menace 1951-1952 Softcover
• My pal Joe, FPI Blog, talks with Blank Slate Books
• BOOM! Studios‘ hardcover collections of their critically acclaimed Warhammer 40,000: Damnation Crusade and Warhammer 40,000: Forge Of War can now be purchased exclusively through the BOOM! Studios web store as both signed-and-numbered and signed-and-lettered editions.
• Marc-Oliver Frisch gets right to the point on Brian Wood
• Graeme McMillan tries uncover what is up with the Millar/Hitch Fantastic Four Hardcover
• Red Rocket 7 10th anniversary collection on the way
• Top Shelf will release a collection of Corey Barba’s YAM comics, both new and previously published in Nickelodeon Magazine
• About Comics Collects Gail Simone’s You’ll All Be Sorry. A collection of her hilarious prose pieces. Featuring a mixture of classic entries culled from her popular online column and brand new pieces, this About Comics paperback will delight Simone’s growing legion of fans.
• Marvel Collects Ultimates 3 #1-#3. I really don’t like these “mini-trades” I think it’s just a money grabber. Keep in mind that Ultimates 3 #1 has already received an 2nd Printing and we can expect a trade and/or hardcover by Christmas. Too much of a good thing…
• Not really comics related, but I found this list very interesting: 100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man’s Library. I’ve read only 10. Which I think is pretty good.
• Eagle Awards 2008 Results. Among the many categories are Favourite Original Graphic Novel The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman: Black Dossier and Favourite Reprint Compilation Absolute Sandman Volume 2
• Reviews: Collected Editions Blog on the Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation TPB (DC Comics) and Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter TPB (DC Comics), which also feature the Secret Six
• Getting ready for the Trade: Christopher Butcher reviews Project Superpowers #0-#3 and the 2008 FCBD Special (Dynamite)
• Preview, Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter, on Jules Feiffer’s The Explainers (Fantagraphics) Books. Note: this book is in stores now.

Go to Lowe’s – Check
Yard work – Check
Back to Lowe’s – Check
More yard work – Check
Watch Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers – Check
Patrick’s Little League – Check
Again to Lowe’s – Check
Even more yard work – Check
Grill meat and drink beer – Check
Sleep – Check
Wake up and finally update CCL blog – a constant work in progress