First off, let me begin this article by apologizing, faithful readers, for not having an article for you in some time. Part of it was my personal/school schedule, which included a lot of filming and midterms and life in general. (A weak excuse, I know, since we are all educated fools here.) Another reason was that, frankly, I did not have the drive to mention something. Besides my general cantankerousness and daily qualms pertaining to this four-color medium I love so much, nothing really grinded my gears in particular.

And then the rings began to fall.

Like most comic events, I went into Blackest Night with cautious anticipation, aware of the fact that there will be parts of the story I enjoy, some not so much, and as long as the art was decent I will have had a decent time; I’m not one to rage about who died how and why they did what as long as it’s done well and not an obvious hamfist.

Now, while DC has had its fair share of crises, most people think of Marvel when it comes to be across-the-universe event books, particularly due in part to Civil War and Secret Invasion. That is not to say that the DC events were not as status quo-changing or attention grabbing, but even Final Crisis, while arguably better than Secret Invasion, did not have as much commercial success as Marvel’s big bald bard and his oddly-chinned changelings. Then, a bright light of hope beckoned amongst the doubt and darkness, and lo it was green.

Geoff John’s Green Lantern series, as many of you are well aware by now, has become DC’s blockbuster series, with Peter Tomasi’s Green Lantern Corps only fortifying the emerald dominion over recent commercial and popular consensuses. Now, in the middle of Blackest Night, things are even more explosive for GL and DC.

Somewhere between all this, an impish thought sprung into DC executives: “We have all these different colored/emotive rings, right? Let’s give the people what they want!” And so they did, to a point.

The Black Lantern ring was available with the purchase of Blackest Night #1, and everything seemed fine. Then, DC declared that you can get the other rings sometime during the rest of Blackest Night, as certain rings will be shipped with certain issues of certain titles that tie into Blackest Night. Seems fair, right?

What DC didn’t plan for – or, even worse, did – was that the dealers would have their own regulations and systems on how the rings and issues were distributed. While some stores give away one ring per issue up front, others have made it so you have to wait to see if you get a lantern ring after everyone who has signed up to get all the issues/rings got what they payed for up front – 8 issues/rings that cost about $2.99 or $3.99 each. Even though all this may temporarily boost sales of under-appreciated titles like R.E.B.E.L.S. and Outsiders, that kind of math, my friends, is a deal breaker.

I hate to see comic-book vendors and retailers be some of the greediest hoarders around, but sometimes they deserve it. Although, this wasn’t just their faults: while DC did give a 1:1 ratio of issues and rings, that ratio was actually 50:50. That means, while some stores will be out because they could only push fifty issues/rings, others would be stuck with 45 or so issues/rings because they only needed a few extra to meet demand.

Anyone smell oranges?

While this is a great idea, as you could tell by my own Indigo and Blue rings, I’m still disappointed in how publishers and retailers alike still tease and trick their fans into situations that could’ve otherwise left everyone walking out of their LCS happy. No wonder there’s such a demand for the Red Lantern rings.

I’m currently on the third omnibus of James Robinson’s Starman, a series that is already a favorite of mine despite only having read little less than half of the entire book. Having not read it in its entirety is not entirely of my own choice; DC’s infamously inefficient trade/collections program will not have the fourth installment of the omnibuses available until February. That’s enough of a problem by itself, but then DC decides to pull some PR stunt involving Blackest Night and eight “dead” series that will begin in January. One of those series is James Robinson’s Starman.

There is some messed up math in there somewhere.

You’d think I’d be excited for #81 come next year. I would be, too, had I have already read the series in its entirety and did not have to depend on an incompetent delivery system. Now I have to hunt down and read over 40 issues by the end of the year so I can not ruin any possible key plot points I have not come across yet – I assume, with the latter half of the series still waiting for me, is highly likely.

There’s always the other option of just not reading #81 until I have read the rest of Starman, I know. Unfortunately, I also know how unrelenting both the Internet and the Dreaded Competition love to keep on keeping on with news and updates and spoilers and general.

Oh, spoilers.

The one constant threat that anyone who loves the journey more than the destination must constantly avoid during their travels. I personally try to avoid just about any leaked information that I can without totally going offline, which I must say is quite a task. People nowadays seem to be more focused on learning the fact-to-fact payoff of a story than experiencing the work as one is supposed to, being fully exposed to the action and drama within it.

Maybe I’m more upset about spoilers and things of the sort than I should be. I mean, I’m a guy who was bothered by his friend posting the first TDK promo shot of Harvey Two-Face’s good side as his default picture on Facebook. (The same guy later posted a picture of Kilowog that may or may not be a promo shot from the upcoming Green Lantern movie. For the sake of our e-friend status, it better not be.) I admit to only wanting the thinnest sliver before I gobble up the whole enchilada. If one is interested in something with just that, though, isn’t that enough? I remember the first teaser trailer for Transformers about the Mars rover being squashed and how, against my better judgment, I was hooked right then and there. That, to me, is an example of successful marketing.

Nowadays, just about any media company will spill out all but the last ten minutes of content in advertising. That’s not just the blunder of film and television studios either; comics’ Big Two, especially Marvel, throw caution and suspense to the wind with their three-month solicitation systems. On the second or third issue of an arc and can’t wait to see how it ends? Don’t worry, you can get a good idea by checking out the preview/solicit of the first issue of the next arc of that series. Bam. No more suspense, and all it cost was about half the enjoyment one gets out of reading or watching just about anything.

When it comes to problems like this, I’m sorry to say that I have no real advice on how to deal with it. (Sorry, I know I could’ve told you that earlier, but that’d make me a hypocrite at this point.) The best advice I can give you right now is just stay away from the temptation of knowing when you really don’t want to, and catch up as quickly as you can. It probably wouldn’t hurt to stop thinking about why Jack Knight has not been mentioned for the past few years either.

A few weeks ago I discussed how the comic book market is in a flux, despite being part of one of the better era of comic books in recent history. There’s an aspect of the whole mess that I did not (directly) delve into, and it was my fault for identifying the readers as “consumers,” which goes against my urge to treat comics more like (pop) literature and less like products. With that in mind, allow me to now bicker about the readers as readers, and what’s the best way to turn the pages.

There are plenty of ways to buy ones books – issues, trades, or not at all – and there are just as many ways to read said books. It all depends on what kind of book it is, too. A miniseries doesn’t have much incentive to buy individual issues, considering the support for the book won’t do much for it’s fate and/or longevity (besides a few less copies of trades available for sale, but let’s not worry about that). Ongoing series, excluding the likes of Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, and other patron series, are more dependent on sales of issues and trades – trades less so, which has damaged the accuracy of how successful a book has been. Then there are entire graphic novels – which should actually be defined as such, unlike collections of a certain amount of issues – that are complete and final, and only ask that they’re taken off a few shelves.

So what book is best for you?

A lot of comic-book readers have problems answering such a (surprisingly) simple question, even after having been reading for weeks, months, or decades. Some will keep on reading a book because they’ve been with it for so long that they might as well keep going. Others will wait for the opinions of others until they decide in which to invest their time (and money). And then there are even some who don’t read the stories at all but still have an appreciation for a particular character or story idea. All of these methods, unfortunately, are wrong and unwise. The person who has been riding the coattails of a series for the long haul is among the worst; yes, it is important to keep up with recent events and be in the know of what happened to characters in which you have emotionally invested, but when it comes to spending your time and money on something, why do so with a bad story? And for the record, I’m not talking about “oh, this happened to Nightcrawler so I’m pissed at this book and refuse to read it until everything is sunshine and rainbows for my favorite devil-elf.” No. I’m talking about just plain bad writing: poor characterization, boring art, and a poor grasp on characters/plotpoints does not deserve your dollar. Wait until there’s a creative team that suits your personal palette, and have fun from there.

And what of those who wait and see what’s good? Well, wait if you must, but don’t let people decide what you think you should enjoy. Ironic that people as individual and outcasted as geeks and nerds can be so susceptible to collective thought – so much that if someone disagrees with the majority’s opinion, their opinion is automatically invalid or belittled. I could tell you stories of how people have insulted each other over books, but that’s a whole other article in of itself.

And those people who just don’t read at all? No. I hate you. You’re the reason comic books are looked down on, but superhero movies are just fine. You’re why there’s Smallville. Be literate once in a while, it’ll help us all out.

So if you’re having problems figuring out what to read, just be true to yourself and what you like. That goes with whatever means of reading is best for you too. Let the companies worry about the sales and support. This is your time and your money, so go out there and enjoy it for yourself.

“Always Create.”

This is just about the wisest thing someone has ever said it to me. And it may or may not be a surprise that such words came from a man whose most memorable creation is called “Dickbutt.”

KC Green, a well-known webcomic creator (Gun Show, Horribleville, Hate Song) and cartoonist. He doesn’t earn much money from his creative endeavors, but he expresses himself, improves his artistic skills, and brings plenty of laughs to thousands of people. What better reasons are there to continue creative endeavors than those?

So go forth, my right-minded friends. Write that novel, or script, or song. Draw that comic, paint that picture. Get a group of your friends together and produce that film. It doesn’t matter if it’s too similar to someone’s idea, or someone badmouthed it or made snarky comments about it. It’s about you and what you do. Do it.

It’s as simple as that, people. There’s no real way to elaborate on it.

Always create.

It seems like I can never find a decent time to write these articles. Last week, I started at 2 in the morning and ended just before noon. (Don’t worry, there was some sleep involved. Some.) This week? In the midst of my philosophy class. (Hey, gotta make some use of a philosophy class.) It’s just as well, though, since I can hardly concentrate anyway. Besides the usual reasons, I am also particularly anxious about getting back home any starting up Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. Even after getting test run during my podcast/radio show, The Harbinger, I cannot wait to play with my friend and co-host as Captain America and Iron Man respectively.

At least, until they start squabbling…

MUA2’s main storyline – borrowing heavily from Secret War and Civil War, moreso the latter – reminded me that it has been over three years since Millar & McNiven’s Marvel event. Three years since the main Marvel Universe split in two, sides were chosen, and comics were gobbled by readers whether they hated it or not. Three years for us to look at all the comics and stories that have come since the event and ask ourselves the all important question:

When Civil War happened, it certainly shocked everyone. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark fighting each other. Reed Richards and Hank Pym creating gods in the visage of their former friend and teammate. Peter Parker revealing himself to be Spider-Man, dooming him and those he love(d). Everything else in between, and more. We all know what has come after the event’s seventh issue: the death of Captain America. Iron Man acting like Pilate, Tony Stark feeling like Judas. The team of Avengers who believe they are the true heirs to the banner are now outlaws. Everything else in between, and more.

It’s understandable to think that what happened to the Marvel Universe was forced and contrived, and perhaps it was if I may indulge cynicism. You have to think about it, though: could modern-day Marvel have survived without this series? Unlike its dreaded competition, who (mostly) prefers that books and characters tell their own tales and everything will be sorted later, Marvel has always championed the idea of books and characters being closely intertwined with each other – a current example of this includes Dark Avengers, Uncanny X-Men, and even Deadpool with the just-ended Utopia storyline. This tight-knit relationship was emphasized after Civil War and it’s spoils. It helps Marvel make more money by sparking interested in another book or cast of characters for readers, and it helps readers catch a better glimpse of what’s going on in other pages of the Marvel U.

Could they have done this without the allusion to the George W. Bush Administration and the U.S. Patriot Act? That’s debatable. While comics have always been a device to escape the real world and all its woes, Marvel has always taken pride in being a mirror of the real world – just, you know, a reflection with gods and anthromorphic raccoons out in space. It’s a device that I have always found interesting, and one of the main reasons why I enjoy Marvel comics in general; being so close, yet obviously so far from the chance of this fantasy being true makes it that much more intriguing. Like all good fantasy stories, there’s also the need to have the reader empathize and relate on a personal level; the closer the fiction relates nonfiction, the stronger this device.

As for the event’s spoils of war, it’s admittedly a mixed bag. With the success of one crossover comes more crossovers with a similar formula, tying in a number of other books, some more related to the main story to the other, that results the creation of even more ongoing books. Civil War brought The Initiative and much more. World War Hulk segwayed Incredible Hercules and (Red) Hulk (which, unfortunately, a lot of people enjoy). Secret Invasion resulted in all the current Dark Reign titles, and a more spotlight on villains and morally ambiguous characters (Deadpool, Punisher, The Hood, etc.). While everyone is entitled to their own opinion on each book, it cannot be ignored the overall level of quality of Marvel’s current books is at an all-time high. I can safely chalk this up to the standard that Civil War established.

If you still hate Tony Stark or wish Steve Rogers was still Captain America (and, you know, not “dead”), I understand completely. Change is hard to embrace and accept, especially when the past few decades have never had storylines and concepts to drastic. As dark as the times may seem right now, though, Marvel comics are in the middle of a bright new era.

It’s two in the goddamn morning. Why am I up so late? (Moreover, why did I wait this long to write my article? I’ll chalk that up to not being inspired until now.) I actually just got back from seeing (most of) the midnight showing of 9, the “stitchpunk” film produced – not directed, you nimrods – by Tim Burton. I’ll say this about the film: despite the impressive sound design, and not being as disappointed as my radio-show co-host, I cannot honestly say that it was worth the extra time and money put in by myself. A little less? I may have enjoyed (and been awake for) more of it.

I assure you what I just said makes sense. See, lately I have been doing Early Bird specials at the theater in my hometown. (We have more than one theater, but I like to give the idea that I live somewhere between Smallville and Mayberry.) The first showing of any movie is $5.50, and there’s practically no-one else in the theater but me. With a situation like this, I win either way. District 9? Enjoyed it much, got my money’s worth and then some. Ponyo? Liked it, glad I got my money’s worth. ‘Basterds? $5.50 for two hours of Nazi-killing shared with my date is a helluva deal. Compare all that to spending over ten dollars just so I could pack into a full theater and doze off from a full day with no nap. (Although I agreed to do it, you can tell this was not my idea.)

Between paying for the sum of what District 9 and Ponyo cost me for a movie that seemed to go by quicker than half of one of those, and not being in the right mental or physical condition to properly enjoy everything, I feel like I got jipped. I/We bought into the hype and were reeled in to only find a sense of disappointment.

[At this point I had finally fallen asleep. The following was written after about six hours of sleep; hopefully I am a tad more coherent.]

Children of the Internet Age have always been frugal in their own ways through piracy and bootlegs. While the financial situation for most teens and twenty-somethings has never been one to confidently call for binge shopping and treating all money as disposable income, we of this current generation have arguably had the most reasons to “steal” and leech our preferred way of entertainment

Some would say that the current climate in which the average amount of sales and income would result in pop-products with a generally less sense of quality to them; cheaper actors would be used, cheaper equipment for production, cheaper writers/artists on cheaper paper – the lack of quantity would result in a lack of quality. Anyone who has experienced film & television, video games, and even comics can tell you that this is not the case at all. With constant advancements in technology comes computer-generated footage that’s more and more convincing with every breakthrough, intriguing stories and quick-witted dialogue that keep us hooked every week, whether it is captured by high-definition video or professional artists. We may not have produced any Godfather or Watchmen (via comics) as of late – that’s entirely up to one’s opinion and personal research, though – but it can be safely said that the overall quality of pop-media content consistently improves upon itself.

So why then, with all these advancements, are people still choosing to download or deal for their entertainment? Well, they always have. Besides the obvious – the current state of economies, poor college students, etc. – the simple reason is an increased emphasis on the buying power of the consumer. Dollars and money have become precious to all once again, and consumers have grown weary and wise to marketing and quality of product. Piracy has always been seen as a way to outright steal a product. In these times, however, it’s more like a sample of one’s work; if a person genuinely enjoys the work and wants to see it in its finest quality, they’ll scrape up the cash to actually buy the CD or trade/hardcover or ticket to the theater. The always-pragmatic Kevin Smith, regarding piracy and loss of money, says “See, I think ‘How many more converts did I get from piracy?’“

I won’t go so far as to say that piracy is a great advancement/accomplishment, but I will also not deem it a necessary evil. It’s just necessary, for the time and place we’re all in. Moreover, people of all ages and backgrounds should not give into the hype of latest and upcoming attractions. The consumer, now more than ever, has control and power on their side, not the producers. Think before you spend, and keep a clear head during your journey into capitalism.

But if nothing else, take a nap before a midnight premiere. Seriously.

Forgive me, faithful readers, for replacing my latest slab of critique of the comic book industry with a slice of life from my own experiences. Like any writer worth their salt and ink, I must make the most meandering moments into something worth reading. What better challenge than my own life?

I’m not sure what came first: Doctor Doom, or Doom Metal. Well, I guess Doctor Doom came first, since Fantastic Four #5 has a few years on Black Sabbath’s first album, but that’s beside the point. For me, I’m going to go ahead and say that Doom Metal did come first. I may have already had been reading Hellboy and Alan Moore books by the time I started listening to High On Fire, but I was not really into superheroes at the time. After playing the tar out of HoF’s Blessed Black Wings, I began digging deeper into the smokey and gloomy depths of Doom Metal bands like Candlemass, Electric Wizard, Trouble, Cathedral, etc. while noticing more and more that this armored dude in a green tunic and cloak was pretty cool. Finally, I broke down and bought a miniseries titled Books of Doom, in which Ed Brubaker tells the origin of Victor Von Doom in all its triumphs and tragedies. It only snowballed from there.

“Cool story, Brett, but is there a point to this, besides you reminiscing about your own dorkiness?”

Not really, but I’ll make one up right now:

There seems to be an unspoken connection between music and comics. Weird concept? Not when you start begin to think things through. Consider the fact that comics, particularly ones that have been published in the past decade’s worth of time, have a distinctly cinematic feel to them. (So much so, that a handful of films based on comic books have been made in the past three decades.) While a movie leaves little to the imagination, however, since it has already filled out the visual and audio requirements of an adaptation, a comic remains mute throughout its pages. It is then up to the reader to compose the score themselves – along with voices and whatever “KRAKABATHOOOM” might actually sound like. Moreover, a character’s personal theme or soundtrack is still left to interpretation; I would imagine The Question would be a big fan of Tom Waits, but someone else could easily argue that Vic Sage might have a thing for pop songs.

The best kind of music is that which almost seems animated, almost leaping out of the ether in some sort of spatial means, and the same is true for comic art. Does an Amon Amarth song about Ragnarok really apply to everyday life? No. However, it does wonders for reading some Thor. And while I imagine the monarch of Latveria might not dig Grand Magus or Saint Vitus as much as I do, I know he would still enjoy something as majestic and bombastic, possibly in the vein of Mussorgsky or Dvorak. Still, it’s up to the reader’s own ears and tastes to determine what will silently play while reading their latest book.

That brings me to another point I will make up as I go along: the practicality of all this sound design. Trying to tack on a song or artist with a story or character is quite a feat, especially when you are lacking in resources or knowledge of music and comics. You can try to force the latest issue of Hulk and the latest hit from Miley Cyrus intertwine with each other – honestly, I would probably not mind an attempt at that – but if you really want to find the right combination of images, words, and music, you are probably going to have to step up your musical and comical(?) repertoire. Now, I know all of us here spend hard-earned money for our comics, and even more so for all those CDs and vinyl, but I would encourage you all to expand explore new books and music. Your local library has plenty of Romantic-era pieces for those steampunk books that take place at the turn of the century or whereabouts, and all that Jazz will work nicely for just about any hardboiled noir/crime comic.

On the surface, it may seem like sound simply has no place in comics, but that is as true as saying there’s only one particular sound for any genre of music. When you’re traveling through the Speed Force, or at the speed of sound, be as creative as you can be curious.

Readers of comic books – superhero ones, in particular – have always been notorious for being openly critical about their favorite books. Question is, are their opinions really as valuable as the “products” they buy?

It was either late last year or early this year – it really has been that long since I’ve stopped following the book – that I stopped reading the latest volume of Moon Knight. I didn’t necessarily end it because it was going to suck – where I ended actually left on a pretty badass cliffhanger – but rather because after four different story arcs, it felt like they ended in as much a clear-cut manner as an ongoing superhero comic can. Content with what I have already read of the lunar lunatic, and the four hardcovers of his on my shelf, I just stopped reading the book. No ill, no fuss.

That – stop reading because you’re pleasantly full – seems to not happen much these days. Most comic readers will stop reading a book not for the general quality of the book – art, writing, etc. – but rather because something happens within the plot that is not to their liking. “This reign is too dark, rainbow corps are dumb, wah wah wah.” The most puzzling and frustrating thing about this is how comic books seems to be the only medium in which this happens consistently; who seriously stopped reading Harry Potter after Dumbledore died? Who actually decided to boycott the Star Wars franchise after Empire Strikes Back, when things weren’t looking too good? Who honestly gave up on Lost when they introduced time tr-okay that one is pretty justified.

The point is this: The main problem with comic books has been the same one since the beginning, and that’s the perspective that views them less like literature, and more like products. And because products are supposed to bring pleasure and satisfaction guaranteed to the customer, while literature and art is allowed to pluck at your heartstrings and mind grapes and not guarantee that you will like it, creators are now as conflicted between telling the story they want to tell and pandering (and pan-handling) to the public as the public themselves are between continuing their literary journeys and deciding what products to buy with their (hopefully disposable) income.

Now, why should I care about what others think about what other people think when reading something is all about my own personal adventure with the material? Simple, really: The Water Cooler Effect. Half the fun about comic books (and books without pretty pictures) is what you get from it, sure, but at least part of that other half is discussing and sharing personal thoughts and experiences with those who read the same stuff you do. The speculating, wisecracking, and even criticizing are what readers should enjoy the most about a book besides, well reading! But it’s no fun when you gush about your favorite book and then someone says “oh that book is awful, how could you be so stupid to read that book after [some event in the plot] happened? That book is a waste of time and money and you know it!”

“Well golly, mister, I didn’t want to stop reading in the middle of a story. Everything might be resolved once it all ends.”

“Hah! Take it from me, kid, superhero books are a waste because they NEVER end. I was an idiot for ever investing in that trash and so are you.”

Now, despite his tone and cries for attention and respect, Mr. Self-Important does have some noteworthy points. To the untrained eye and mind, superhero books do seem to go on forever; most mainstay books are in their third or fourth decade of publishing, and Action and Detective Comics will reach #1,000 sometime in little more than ten years. I can see how that’s pretty intimidating, and frustrating, when you’re trying to jump in somewhere. The trick, then, is to think of all that as almost limitless opportunities to finding something you will like. (If you cannot find at least one hero or character or story in the thousands among thousands of comics available to anyone these days, then comics just aren’t for you.) Once you’ve found that special something, remember that it is a story, and sometimes stories don’t instantly gratify. Until you’ve come to a point that adequately concludes the story that interested you, stick with it – you’ll be that much more rewarded when you’re done.

Falling onto the old axiom of “read what you like” may seem like a cop out to those who believe in the pipe-dream standard that everything must be excellent and innovative (and, most importantly, approved by their own personal standards), but it is a solution to comic books as old as the “product before art” problem. If you read and support the stories you enjoy, then everyone wins. If you stop reading a book because your content with what you’ve gotten from it, you win. No-one wins when someone starts complaining and whining about how they had to suddenly drop a book they spent their fast-food budget on. Unless you can’t find anything else more comfortable, you don’t need a soapbox to read.