A.X.E.: Starfox

 

Comic: A.X.E.: Starfox

Where Purchased: Comic Hunter in Montreal, Quebec

When Purchased: October 23, 2022

When Read: November 12, 2024

Starfox is another one of those characters who joined the Avengers when I started collecting.  I didn't know ANYTHING about him.  He was introduced with a little bit of a mystery that was fun to see get explored at the time.

To non-comic readers, he is the character that Harry Styles was playing in one of the post-credit scenes in The Eternals.  

Another fun thing about Starfox was when Smacky discovered a little resemblance back in 2016...

All of which leads to me seeing this particular book on the shelf with a variant cover.  It is a one shot from another event that I did not follow.

This issue was...impenetrable.  I know the mantra of "every issue is somebody's first" no longer applies at Marvel but criminy this was just too much to process.  I don't know why it wouldn't have been a part of the main event series.  Why a one-shot?

Perhaps I have been away from this character for too long.  I did find a copy of the She-Hulk issue pictured above.  Perhaps when I give that series a read I will come back to this because I did not recognize this character at all.

I bought this variant covered A.X.E.: Starfox at one of my top three favorite comic shops, Comic Hunter in Montreal.  It is such a great place to spend some time scouring the back issue boxes for great comics.  The exchange rate always helps and they offer some cool promotions during your birthday month.

They have a neat shelving system for back issues, a dollar section, action figures, and so much more.

They were able to obtain a copy of Conan #1 for me during the height of my pursuit of birthday month comics.  Knowing why I was looking for the book, they got me a good deal on a decent copy.

Looking at the stats of my collection, I have purchased exactly 100 comics from them.  I grabbed this during the last time I visited.  Before we moved, it took me a little over an hour to reach Montreal.  Now Google Maps says it is more than a five hour trip.  C'est la vie.

My only caveat for visiting is that parking is a BEAR.  But it is a great shop with the friendliest of staffs!

Post Script: Seven Secrets

Comics: Seven Secrets #2-18

After my last post, I spent the next two evenings completing Seven Secrets.  It was a solid series.  I could see an adaptation making its way to the small screen at some point.

I rated the majority of the issues at a 9.  One or two dipped to an 8, which was probably more my fault but sometimes the art and layout confused me and dulled some of the impact that was intended.

I often bemoan how most television shows these days seem to really be chopped up, season long movies.  I miss the days of having a favorite episode because many shows I watch now seem to really need the episode before and after to fully flesh things out.

This was the first comic book series that I read that was essentially one long 480 page story.  No recap pages.  Cliffhanger-esque endings that rolled right into the next issue.  I did like it but probably could've gotten away with just grabbing the trades.  As it was, reading twelve issues on 11/13 and wrapping up the final five on 11/14 might've actually blunted my overall enjoyment.  I am glad I didn't read it month to month as it was published!

Seven Secrets #1

 

Comic: Seven Secrets #1

Where Purchased: Online at Rubber Mallet Comics via Comic Collector Live

When Purchased: May 2, 2021

When Read: November 12, 2024

I am not sure if I mentioned that I like Tom Taylor's writing.  He has a strong handle on characters and his stories really pop.  Somehow I missed this series when it started in August of 2020 and it looks like I bought the first 7 issues in May of 2021 from two different vendors on Comic Collector Live before adding it to my pull list in June of that year with issue 8.

From there, I finished buying the series and bagging and boarding them....and setting them aside.

And now having finally read issue one...wow!  I wish I had jumped into this sooner.  The book just STARTS and doesn't let go.  There is no cabbage-heading here.  Buckle up and let's see everything unfold.

The overall premise is that there are "seven powerful secrets-words, wonders, weapons, and worse-with the power to change the world."  According to a press release from publisher BOOM! Studios:

In the world of SEVEN SECRETS, the Order has trusted in Keepers and Holders to guard the Secrets in seven briefcases against all harm for centuries but when their stronghold is attacked and the secrets put in peril, the entire Order must face their greatest fear—an enemy who knows too much and is willing to kill to get what he wants.

Now, the Order’s newest member, Caspar, must discover the truth of the Secrets before the enemy does, or risk losing everything.

This was a solid 9 out of 10.  I'm going to make time over the next week to finish this series.  I will probably skip reviewing each issue but maybe do some sort of wrap up post when I finish.

Feeding into my collector mentality and coupled with the overwhelming fear of missing out that often accompanies it, I went with the variant cover for this issue.  I did the same with four of the others that I bought online three and a half years ago.

This issue's cover is by InHyuk Lee.  According to the interwebs, InHyuk Lee is an illustrator from Seoul, Korea, who is known for his digital artwork.  He has contributed covers to 8 comics in my collection...five of which are variants and three of which are the main cover.

E-Man #6

 

Comic: E-Man #6

Where Purchased: The Joker's Child in Fair Lawn, New Jersey

When Purchased: September 4, 2024

When Read: November 11, 2024

I do not know anything about E-Man.  When I started collecting comics, I stuck mostly to mainstream superhero books you could find on the newsstand.  

As an unabashed fan of John Byrne and currently on a quest to collect all of his published work, I purchased this comic for its back-up story which features his professional comics debut.  It is about what you'd expect from a recently turned pro who would go on to have a nearly 50 year career in comics.  It is enjoyable but a far cry from the artist he would become.

As of the time of this post, I only have one more John Byrne drawn book on my want list.  It is a 1992 colorized reprinting of a story that first appeared in 1980's "The Art of John Byrne".

I have never seen a copy in the wild.  There is one copy for sale on the comic marketplace "Comic Collector Live" right now for only $2.00 and the seller has 2 other books on my wish list but the three in total does not meet their minimum order amount.  It is way too expensive on eBay.

A recent work trip had me in New Jersey with a lot of extra time on my hands.  The Joker's Child had popped up in my research for other trips but it was either too far from where I was going or it was closed on the day I was near enough to justify stopping in.

It is a neat little shop.  The day I visited there were several kids with their parents poking around.  Back issues were reasonably priced and the layout was conducive to browsing.  In addition to this issue, I was able to get two decently priced issues of X-23 that I needed.

This was one of five (!) stops I made this day.

Infinity, Inc. Annual #2

 

Comic: Infinity, Inc. Annual #2

Where Purchased: Online - DMosco via Atomic Avenue

When Purchased: October 8, 2024

When Read: November 7, 2024

One of the first comics I ever bought off the newsstand was a Justice League of America issue.  It was part of what I later learned was an annual team up of the JLA from Earth-One and their counterparts from Earth-Two, the Justice Society of America.  This time, they were also teaming up with the All-Star Squadron, another group from Earth-Two to fight a group of evil beings from Earth-Three.

I am probably not the best person to explain the whole Earth-One/Earth-Two situation but I will try.  The first superhero comics came out in the 1930s.  This was when Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and other heroes hit the scene.  They eventually became embroiled in World War II.  

When The Flash #123 was published in 1961, Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original Golden Age and then-current Silver Age versions of characters.  It shunted the versions who had fought in World War II off to Earth-Two and the modern versions now occupied Earth-One.  This also allowed both versions of the same characters to appear in stories together.

All-Star Squadron retroactively introduced new stories into DC's Golden Age history, mainly during World War II.

All of this fascinated me.  I gobbled up the All-Star Squadron back issues and started collecting it in earnest.  I loved stories that took place on alternate Earths.

Once the multiverse concept became unwieldly, DC Comics made an effort to clean up their continuity, resulting in the multiple universes combining into one during 1986's Crisis on Infinite Earths mini-series.  With that, the All-Star Squadron series had to end.  It was succeeded by a series called Young All-Stars.

I am not doing any of this justice (no pun intended) but it is background for this issue.  Infinity Inc. first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25.  The group is assembled when a number of JSA protégés were denied admission to the JSA and instead formed their own group.

Infinity, Inc. was a direct sales only title so it wasn't easily available to me when it first came out.  It became another case, recently, of a series that I had enough issues of that picking up gap-fillers were an easy way to make a sympathy buy at a comic shop that didn't have much for me otherwise.  Now I am trying to finish it off.

And that is how I discovered that there was a second annual issue!  I was psyched because the bad guy on the cover, Per Degaton, was one of the villains in that first JLA/JSA crossover I picked up!

The title page of this issue indicates that it is the sequel to Young All-Stars Annual #1, which is in my collection but I am not sure if I read it.  See, Young All-Stars was one of those series I bought out of habit.  Even after I stopped enjoying the writing or the art, I kept buying it because of the "completist" mentality.  I did stop shortly before the series was cancelled but it never made it onto my "must complete" list.

This issue...is not very good.  The writing is a bit stilted and the art is stiff.  I tried a few times to get into it...setting it down, walking away, and starting over.  But it's just so disappointing.

There is a back up story called "The Private Life of Wildcat" which isn't any better.  There are quite a few embarrassing cheesecake shots and a story that is so "80's" it is painful.

Alas, this whole thing gets a 2 out of 10.

I do not buy many comics online anymore.  I really like the thrill of finding issues out in the wild.  However, if the FOMO creeps in on something, I will snag them if I find them online.  That was the case with a bunch of issues of a different series recently.  I had stopped at a few stores on the way home from a work trip and hadn't found everything I had been looking for so I logged into Atomic Avenue and found a few books at a decent price.  I threw this in to lower the overall shipping cost because I hadn't had any luck finding it in the wild.

Oh...and I am only missing issue #16 of Infinity, Inc. to complete the whole run.

Joe Hill: Rain (Complete Series)

Comics: Joe Hill: Rain 1-5

Where Purchased: Earth Prime Comics in Burlington, Vermont

When Purchased: 1 - January 13, 2022 // 2 & 3 - March 19, 2022 // 4 - May 7, 2022 // 5 - June 29, 2022

When Read: November 3, 2024

I picked up this series as it came it out on the strength of the author's name.  Though I had not read anything by Joe Hill,  I knew who he was and had heard good things about his Locke & Key series.   It still took me over two years to sit and read this.

It is very good.  The story is from Hill's original novella, adapted by David M. Booher with art from Zoe Thorogood.  It fits into world-ending apocalypse genre but is a really intimate look at how that world-ending apocalypse impacts one person on the cusp of beginning her real life.

It involves a mini-journey through the ruins and focuses on only three characters.  There is a twist that I did not see coming.

The art is gorgeous but might not be for everyone.  There are some gruesome scenes.

I still get my comics in their traditional format but this might've been one to pick up in a collected edition. I am surprised that this didn't make a bigger splash when it came out. It is a solid 8 out of 10.

And a minor nitpick...the publisher lists this as Joe Hill's Rain while mycomicshop.com calls it Rain (2022 Image) Joe Hill's and my database software has it as Joe Hill: Rain.  The covers just say Rain, while the indica has both Rain and JOE HILL'S RAIN.

Here is the official write up from Image Comics (https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/rain):

On a seemingly normal August day in Boulder, Colorado, the skies are clear, and Honeysuckle Speck couldn't be happier. She's finally moving in with her girlfriend Yolanda. But their world is literally torn apart when dark clouds roll in and release a downpour of nails-splinters of bright crystal that shred the skin of anyone not safely under cover. RAIN makes vivid this escalating apocalyptic event, as the deluge of nails spreads across the country and around the world, threatening everything young lovers Honeysuckle and Yolanda hold dear. So begins a gripping 5-issue presentation of New York Times bestselling author JOE HILL's acclaimed novella, adapted by rising stars DAVID M. BOOHER , ZOE THOROGOOD, and CHRIS O'HALLORAN.

 

Marvel Two-In-One #90

 

Comic: Marvel Two-In-One #90

Where Purchased: Richie's Comic Cabana in Waterbury, Connecticut

When Purchased: May 4, 2024

When Read: October 29, 2024

For the longest time, for series like this or Marvel Team-Up, I would get the issues that either had characters I liked as guest stars or featured a creative team that I enjoyed.  And then titles like this became easy books to snag if I visited a shop that didn't have much to offer me but I wanted to buy something to support them.

Then I'd assess my collection and recognize that I was getting near a full run so the missing issues would end up on my want list so that I could complete the run.  This series is now on the "Need to Complete" list so when I found this in the wild it was an easy pick up.

This is a fairly standard, straight-forward comic from the era.  Basically, Spider-Man and the Thing team up to fight a medieval wizard that possess a Renaissance Fair magician. Written by Jan Strand who also wrote a mini-series about the Atom for DC around this time that I really liked and have been hankering to reread for a while now.

I gave it a solid 6 out of 10.

I picked it up on Free Comic Book Day this year.  One of the benefits of our move is the proximity to so many comic shops.  I'll save the big story about this year's adventure for another time.

One of our stops was at Richie's Comic Cabana.  I had ordered a few comics from Richie's via eBay the previous August.  I'll share all about that purchase sometime soon, too.

But I knew about the physical location and we made it one of our three stops.  It was delightful chaos.  So many great books and such great prices. 

And after a few other recent purchases, I am only missing issues 2, 3, 6, and 8 of this series!  Nothing too crazy so I should stumble across them any day now!

Aliens: Earth Angel #1

 

Comic: Aliens: Earth Angel #1

Where Purchased: JC Comics in North Plainfield, New Jersey

When Purchased: September 4, 2024

When Read: October 27, 2024

Without a doubt, John Byrne is one of my favorite comic book creators.  I think his art is fantastic and I enjoy his writing.  He has the most credits of any creator in my comic book collection database, with 2,222 appearances.  The caveat is that a  book where he is listed multiple times gets multiple listings, but the next five highest individuals with credits all served as either Marvel's Editor-in-Chief or only have credits as an Editor.

Regardless, I am on a mission to hunt down all of Byrne's work, focusing mostly on art credits.  Sometimes his writing only work isn't for me.

This comic was originally serialized two pages at a time over 13 issues in Diamond's Previews in 1993.  Looking in my collection, 1993 was the beginning of a dip in my comic purchasing habits.  It was the first year I bought fewer comics that the year before since I started collecting, so I am not surprised that not only did I miss this originally, I also missed the collected version from 1994.  I really didn't focus on finding it until earlier this year when I updated my want list.

I was definitely after it for the Byrne-ness of it, but the concept intrigued me as well.  I really enjoyed the move "Prey" which was a fun entry in the Predator franchise, as it changed up the time period and turned things on their head.  This is in that vein.

Set in the 1950's, Earth Angel features an Alien outbreak in a suburban America town.  It is a rarity in the ever growing Alien franchise as it is one of the few Aliens comics set in an era of the Earth's past instead of the future.

I gave this a 9 out of 10.  I am not deeply immersed in the world of Aliens but this is a fun romp with a neat little reveal on the last page.

I was so excited to stumble across this on a recent trip.  I had visited JC Comics about a year prior on a different solo work trip and thought the store was awesome, the selection impressive, and the prices reasonable.  When I realized I would be in the area again, I made the decision to make it a stop to stretch and get out of the car for a bit.

I had worked my way through the store and had a few gap filling books I had picked out.  I finally had copies of the first issues of both Marvel Team Up and Marvel Two-In-One and the last issue I needed of Black Lightning when I saw their "Aliens" box.  I hadn't been able to find this for awhile but figured I'd take a peek.

There is nothing better than finding something on your want list in the wild.  Flipping through the box with anticipation. Finding the title and number right where it is supposed to be.

There is nothing worse than flipping through a box of comics and coming to the place where the one you want should be but to find it missing.

On this day, I was so stoked to be able to celebrate finding this.

Mystique #1

 

Comic: Mystique #1

Where Purchased: Comic Kings in Virginia Beach, Virginia

When Purchased: October 21, 2024

When Read: October 26, 2024

Whenever I travel, I try to find a comic shop to stop in and visit.  There is a little method to my madness.  I'll search around an area with Google and Google Maps.  Take a look at the pictures that are available.  Do they have wall books?  Can I see prices?  Too many Pops?  Can I see the size of their back issue area?

We needed a stop on our way to the Outer Banks to break up the drive and stretch our legs before we found some lunch.

Well, Comic Kings had a lot going for it.  They have price tags on their wall books that you can clearly see via Google and things were reasonably priced!

So while Nan wandered a nearby Food Lion, I explored this cool store.  Back issues were reasonably priced and I filled a little gap in my Daredevil collection.  I also snagged an early Star Lord appearance in Marvel Preview.  

I also saw this issue of Mystique and grabbed it.  I am a sucker for variant covers these days.  And I do like Mystique.  So even thought this wasn't on my radar, I picked it up.

I miss the X-Men but couldn't crack the recent Krakoa era.  I have been picking up books from the new "From The Ashes" but this is the first one I've had time to read.  

I gave it a 7 out of 10 in my database.  This is a decent jumping on issue and I like the art.  Not a huge fan of using '90s creation Maverick, as I really don't know anything about him and not sure why I should care.  I'll come back for another issue, as the ending intrigued me enough to give it one more try...especially if I can find a cool variant cover.

As for the store, Comic Kings is worth a visit.  The owner was so nice and he shared that the price tags used to be hand drawn by his father until they decided to scan every number and print them out moving forward.  There is also some really cool art on the packages of bags and boards (which I am kicking myself for not getting, as they were also reasonably priced) all done by a younger, female employee who has a knowledge of older comic characters which wowed me.  Apparently, she has had some letters published in Saga giving Brian K. Vaughn the business!  I'll have to keep an eye out!

02-28-16: Random Thoughts

This was a crazy week.  We were flooded once again.  It was quite disheartening.  But it is over and we haven't lost too much property this time.  We might have to tear up all the sub floor in the basement but what are you going to do.

I also missed out on a trip to the Adirondacks that I had been looking forward to for a long time.  But in not going, I had extra time to bond with my son (who was a TREMENDOUS help at 1:00 AM on the first day of the flood) and got to hang out with one of the guys (and his wife) who was supposed to go on the trip but he stayed behind, too.

At about 4:30 AM on the first day of the flood, Nan convinced me to empty the bottom drawers of the file cabinets that hold my comics.  The image of us bringing stacks of comics, eventually totaling over 1600 books, to lay out in an upstairs bedroom, kind of makes me chuckle now.

So after things calmed down, I spent some time prepping for Parent Teacher Conferences tomorrow, got some reading done for my Masters class this week, and took some notes for the next round of contract negotiations.  It seemed like a good time to reward myself with a trip to Earth Prime Comics and grab some books.

My last trip had been January 3, so I did not expect to have a lot waiting for me.  I was so very wrong!  But reading comics tonight and entering them into my database has been fun.

It has also brought me to TWO milestones tonight!  I entered "All-New Wolverine" #5 as the 9,000 comic in my collection. This is my threshold number.  This means I am going to cull some stuff in the next few days to keep the total low.

The second milestone is that issue contains my FIRST printed letter to a comic book!  I had sent an e-mail in to the editor after reading issue #3 praising the book and it got printed!  Around the same time, I was moved by a different comic to thank the creator on Facebook and HE wrote back to me!

All in all, not a bad way to end a disappointing vacation!

Happy December 2014!

Back to school and normalcy after the long Thanksgiving Break.  Here are some comics I own with a December cover date!

Millie the Model 133
December 1965

One of the romance comics I was given from Nan's grandparent's house last year.

Avengers 83
December 1970

One of the comics I own that takes place in my hometown of Rutland, Vermont.

Batman 237
December 1971

 And another Rutland issue!

October 26, 2014: Vermont ComicCon

After an all day class yesterday, I spent the afternoon and evening visiting with The Armchair Squid and Drama Guy.  We watched next month's Mock Squid Soup movie, Space Battleship Yamoto (available for FREE on YouTube!) and had some good conversation and some good Chinese food.

Today...today was Vermont ComicCon!  The Squids and Mocks met up and had a blast.  I'm at the point in my comic book collecting where there really isn't anything on my wish list.  I occasionally hear about a run or a series I missed that might be worth picking up.  But today was about random finds, artists and costumes!

I grabbed two Batman '66 comics for Logan, four random Star Trek issues (two John Byrne photo novels and two alternate reality issues) and a Red Sonja one shot.  For a buck a piece, I couldn't say no!

I also snagged all 5 issues of the Spider-man: With Great Power... mini-series for $2.00!

I spent some time exploring the work of a whole lot of artists!  I picked up a Doctor Who print by Blair Shedd from one of his recent Doctor Who comics and a smaller print from Vermont artist Lee Wakerly of the 12th Doctor.  I plan on displaying them both in my classroom.

Blair Shedd: Approximately 11" by 7"

Mr. Shedd signing his print

Lee Wakerley: Approximately 4" by 6"

Mr. Shedd also did TWO sketches!  One for my son and one for his friend!

Nan bought a limited run print from Mr. Shedd with a Vermont theme for the house!

And then the costumes....you can see more on Nan's NEW site here!

Mock Squid Soup: Unbreakable: October 10, 2014

The Armchair Squid and I are once again hosting an installment of Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society.  Each month, on the second Friday, we shall host a bloghop devoted to a particular movie.  We invite others to watch the same film and post their own reviews.  This month's movie is... 

Currently #92 on my flickchart list

I hadn't seen this since it was in theaters in fall of 2000.  In my memory, it was one of the first superhero movies in the current wave of decent superhero movies but I hadn't viewed it since.

I was lucky enough to get to see this a few weekends back with The Squid and our mutual friend.  I enjoyed the twists and turns, as well as the final reveal.  If viewed separately from M. Night Shyamalan's other films, especially "The Sixth Sense", it is a decent thriller with some neat superhero under/over tones.

It was also the movie, with this viewing, where I realized I have now seen enough movies with The Squid that I can no longer keep track of what we've seen together easily.  I know I slept through our first ("The Pirates! Band of Misfits") and he dozed during our second ("The Avengers") but after that, I had to start writing them down!

I know that really isn't a discussion nor a review but it's been a rough week!

Head over to the Squid's site for November's sign-up list tomorrow.  

The next feature on Friday, November 14th will be... 

Space Battleship Yamato

This Month In History

This has been a CRAZY week!  I had a HUGE project due for my Masters Class which required me staying at school each night this past week until 10:00.  Progress Reports went out on Friday.  Our students started our final end of the year project, which is my baby, so I had to go to each of the fifth grade classrooms to introduce it...and I still had to teach my regular classes.

That being said, I missed my May 1st comic cover post.  So, 3 days late but here are some comics I own with May cover dates.

May 1964

My oldest issue of "The Avengers".  I'm fairly certain I got it at a convention held on UVM's campus in the mid-1980s.  If memory serves, it was in the same building the majority of my classes were held when I eventually attended UVM in the early 1990s.

May 1965

My oldest X-Men comic.  This I got so very cheap when I first started buying back issues.

May 1973

This is the storyline where Doctor Doom stiffs Luke Cage out of a $200 payment, leading to Cage going on a mission of revenge to Latveria. You can read more about it here.  The payoff issue includes one of my favorite panels of all time.

"Where's my money, honey?"

And that's all I can do today...

Happy March!

I spent some time last month reading some comics and working in my comic book database.  It turns out that I purchased far fewer comics last year than in any year since I've been collecting.  Of the 97 comics I bought last year, only 68 were new issues, the remaining 29 were back issues.

I've set aside a number to donate shortly, which puts my current total of comics at 8785.

Here are some March cover comics!

Avengers 26 (1966)

My oldest March comic.  Cover pencils by Don Heck and inks by Frank Giacoia.  I've come to appreciate Heck's work as I've grown older.  He penciled 9 covers in my collection inked by others and 7 in which he inked himself.

Avengers 145 (1976)

One of my all time favorite covers!  Rated #80 in Wizard Magazine's Top 100 Covers of All Time (Issue 127).

Action Comics 469 (1977)

Just included to make Nan laugh...

Avengers 181 (1979)

Another on the Wizard list.  This one came in at 99.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 1 (1986)

One of my all time favorites, for a variety of reasons.  Also on the Wizard list at #44.

In one of the art classes I had to take in college, I "reinterpreted" this and was quite proud of it.  However, it was one of the items that got "lost" during the dark times.

Fables 33 (2005)

Fables is one of three books on my pull list right now.  It is scheduled to end early next year with issue 150.  When it does, it will be the longest string of uninterrupted issues of any title I started collecting with its first issue.  It has some gorgeous covers.  This one was done by James Jean.

Green Arrow 46 (2005)

Also by James Jean!  In the same month! The diversity is impressive.

Saga 1 (2012)

Another comic on my pull list.  Vulgar, sweet, profane, heartwarming, hilarious, epic, intimate....the best comic book I have read in a long time.