The Demise of the LCS (Local Comic Store)

So I've sort of seen this coming for a while, but every time I branch out to a new store I notice it more and more...our comic stores are fading!  Now for the sake of privacy and not blowing up anyone's spot, I am not going to mention any names, but I will tell you that I live in Northern New Jersey and if you know the places then that's not my fault!

Let me start by saying that my LCS, A & S Comics, is perfection!  They always have what I want, and if they don't then they order it for me and their 50 cent bins are always home to gems and treasure you would never suspect.  So with all this world class service, I got a bit spoiled and just assumed that all comic stores were as full service as this one.  Unfortunately I was wrong...  The first crack in this perfect image when I went to another large size store in the area and from the get go it seemed more like a business then a friendly place to get my comics.  OK no problem, everyone runs their store differently and they DID have what I wanted so fine. 

Then more recently I went to another large sized store in nearby Manhattan (which i have been to in the past and was very pleased) and found that it had much changed since last I was there.  The entire first floor was just new issues (understandable) and then row after row of just trades.  Now I do not knock trades, I think they are great for people who are just passive fans and want to read specific storylines.  BUT.  I don't know a single serious collector who collects trades over single issues.  This is not to say that collectors don't buy trades, but the majority of their purchases are collectable single issue.  The second floor of the store had rows and rows of back issue thankfully so all was not lost!  WRONG!  These many many boxes were filled with only more recent back issues (2 years or less with a few older issues thrown in) and many were grossly overpriced (especially if you take into acocunt the number of $1 eBay stores now).  Unlike the first store I went to this one did NOT have what I was looking for and, sadly, I left this store disappointed and emptyhanded.

Another grievance, a bit less serious but symptomatic of the larger problem, was when I walked into a store, that I had never heard of and came upon by chance, labeled "Blah Blah Blah's Comics and Toys" (insert real name where the blah blah blah is).  I walked in and of course I saw a bunch of toys but I asked where the comics were.  I was directed to a single table in the back jammed full with 8 or 10 boxed of comics.  Now in the essence of fairness, the comic in these boxes were true treasures!  Several old old back issues of high importance, in good condition, and for very reasonable prices.  But still it was just the one table in a store where "Comics" is half of the name!

The last straw, however, was just today!  I went to yet another, supposedly, large big name store (whose name ends in "Comics and Games")which, again, I had been to in the past and was fully satisfied.  This was simply too much.  I walked in and at first I just saw a crowded messy store and gleefully thought, "Oh yes! Now I to really search and work for my comics!"  Which I meant in all sincerity as I actually get a thrill out of digging through the piles and boxes of a store to find your favorite needed issues (yes I am a massive geek).  However, I quickly learned that the comics in this store weren't just hidden and tucked away...they were nonexistant!  I asked the clerk (over a dull roaring sound from the rear of the store) where I could find the back issues and he pointed me to the side wall.  Now everyone knows that the wall is where new comics are kept (or really really old back issues, but those are usually behind the counter) so I double checked if he heard me.  He very clearly told me that those the only comics  they had in-store: Issues released in the last 120 days!  A little shocked I made my way through the store, taking the scenic route to the "comic wall", and discovered many terrible things.  First of all, the entire store was filled now with only anime, regular trades (ugh),  RPG/TCG supplies, and, worst of all, A Magic the Gathering Tournament!  This was the end of it! I asked the clerk what happened to all the other comics in the store and he said they just decided to phase that part out.  Didn't I walk into a store called "Comics and Games"?  Not "Games With a Few Comics on the Side"!?  Don't get me wrong, everyone should let their geek flag fly in whatever way they so choose, and Magic is no more or less cool or uncool then comics.  I just don't see how THAT makes a business so much more money then comics that they need to axe comics from their Comic Store

So what happened to the LCS of the world? What about my back issues?  Where are the cheap slightly damaged issues?  What, even, of the grossly over priced issues on the wall behind the counter??  I am sorry, but when I walk into a "Comic Store" I expect to see predominantly COMIC BOOKS!  Trading card, card games, games supplies and toys are an amazing money maker and obviously these stores are a business with a bottom line, but this new trend in the LCS to no longer cater towards actually comic collectors (much like my gripies with reboots and renumbering) leaves an incredibly bad taste in my mouth.  Maybe I am just completely spoiled by my own LCS and their unbelievable customer service and attention, but I feel like comic stores a (much like the comic companies) are gearing more towards the mighty dollar and the bottom line rather then their customers.  I am not saying they shouldn't worry about the money side, everyone has to make a buck somehow, but I know that I am more likely to stay and spend more in a comic store where I am having fun and get personalized attention as opposed to one where they just wait behind the counter to take my money or just don't have anything I want.  It could be a matter of preference, but I suspect that many hardcore true collectors feel the same way about these issues as I do

Countdown to ReGenesis!

With Schism and Fear Itself ending very soon (and Children's Crusade winding down), there is a brand new mutant world promised ahead of us.  To whet our whistles for the new status quo, Marvel has releases a slew of brand new teaser images for the X-titles.  We are still waiting on images for New Mutants, X-Factor, and Wolverine but so far these six images make one picture (the last 3 will probably finish it off) and there are some clear blue and gold team lines.  Check out these images below, who do YOU think the shadowy images are???

Nightcrawler??

 Who is going to join Wolverine's new team?

What makes Rogue side with Logan?

Why is Generation Hope with Sebastian Shaw?

Jubilee is back...but is she human?

Emma's leading the Uncanny X-men...but where is Cyclops??

As a reward for getting to the bottom of this post here's a hint as to where Scott might be during all this Post-Schism madness...

From the Mouths of Babes - Review X-men: Schism #3

And there it is folks!  It took a 3 issues (plus a 4 part prequel series that gave us next to nothing), but there it is.  The Schism that is going to cause the X-men to split in half created over:  Sending a child into battle and her becoming a murderer.

Scott Summers has always been the calm, collected (if a bit cold and withdrawn) leader of the X-men.  He has been forced to make unbelievable choices for the sake of his entire species and he’s had to make them while looking at the big picture rather than each individual life.  He’s lost family, friends and the love of his life all for a dream that was not his to begin with, but one which he has taken up and taken to new heights while the man who raised him as a son fell to his lowest point.  So as Cyclops, the leader of the free mutant world, he was put into a position where all of his soldiers were down and his last warrior, albeit his youngest and arguably least experienced one, and had to make a call.  Now, the question remains, was it the right one?  When he gave Idie leave to do as she saw fit, leading her to kill a dozen Hellfire Club soldiers, was that the right choice?  Or should it have even been a choice at all?

Now Wolverine on the other hand, despite being heart and soul to the X-men, has never really been much for the leader role.  He’s always been the leader’s right hand (whether it be Professor X, Cyclops or Storm) and challenging the X-rulers at every turn, but he has also always had a soft spot for children who are pulled into the chaotic life of an X-man too early.  Starting back with Kitty Pryde, and then later Jubilee and more recently Hope, Logan has a history of taking the X-kiddies under his wing and protecting them fiercely.  In a recent issue of Uncanny X-men, he even explained to Hope that he does not want to get close to her just in case he someday has to be the one to put her down.  With his sweet spot for kids in mind, its completely understandable that he felt so strongly against putting Idie in the middle of battle especially since he felt that he was close enough to stop the bomb himself.  But was that really his call?  Should he have followed orders and Cyclops’ lead and supported his decision regardless of whether he agreed or not?  Or did he do the right thing by trying to stop Idie’s life changing actions?

Well let’s think about it…  In the middle of a major firefight, with many of his heavy hitters downed, Cyclops unfortunately did not have the luxury of looking at a 14 year old girl, he saw the only weapon he had left.  That’s a sad drawback of the lifestyle they choose to lead, they lose their chance at a real childhood.  Now maybe, Idie did not have to kill all of them, but that does not make her a murderer (as the subsequent Generation Hope issue postulates), it makes her and her innocence an unfortunate casualty in this current war.  As for Wolverine, well to be honest, he seems wrong in this situation.  First and foremost, he WASN’T close enough to help and stop the bomb.  By the time he showed up on the scene al the damage would have been done, so actually, if Idie hadn’t sprang into action there would have been even more deaths including possibly her own.  And truthfully, in my honest opinion, Wolverine was way out of line.  The team, for better or for worse, has trusted Scott Summers to make the tough calls for the group for years now, and have had to trust that he knows what he is doing.  He is considered a tactical master by many prominent fighters in the Marvel Universe, so whether he agrees or not, Wolverine should have trusted that Scott had considered all the options before sending a mere child into battle.

I am so glad that we finally know what the cause of the Schism is, and I am devastated that we now have to wait an ENTIRE MONTH for the next issues of Schism (both the main book and Generation Hope).  It seems to me that the story took entirely took long to get off the ground but its finally picking up speed.  I especially like the use of old X-men villains like the Hellfire Club and the Sentinels in new ways and in new forms.  The all human, all child Inner Circle is enthralling and I really hope they aren’t killed or completely defeated by the end of this storyline as I think they would make great regular enemies for at least one of the new teams of X-men. 

My Weekly Pull List - 8/17/11

Here my weekly Pull List for 8/17/11.  Generation Hope gets involved with Schism! And while we are coming into the home stretch of Fear Itself, they are still killing us with tie-ins!

AVENGERS #16 FI

AVENGERS ACADEMY #18 FI

FEAR ITSELF DEADPOOL #3 (OF 3) FI

FEAR ITSELF FEARSOME FOUR #3 (OF 4) FI

FEAR ITSELF HOME FRONT #5 (OF 7) FI

GENERATION HOPE #10 S

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #507 FI

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #626 FI

THUNDERBOLTS #162 FI

UNCANNY X-MEN #542 FI

X-FACTOR #224

X-MEN SCHISM #3 (OF 5) S

FI = Fear Itself

S = Schism

All-Renumbered, All-Reverted!

OK So I know I am a few days late on this one…but Fantastic Four #600 is coming!  I know I know I am appalled also readers!  It’s one thing to hype up the death of a long time beloved character but it’s another thing entirely to brace everyone for the “end of an era” and then to just bring it back one year later.  For those of you just now tuning in sometime in the last year or so let me catch you up…

We received months of hype revolving around two things: The death of Johnny Storm and the end of the Fantastic Four with the Future Foundation taking its place.  So I picked up the Countdown to 3 storyline and then the “Final Issue” of Fantastic Four, #588, and watched Johnny get stuck in the Negative Zone and supposedly torn limb from limb by Zone creatures.  Then I gleefully began reading because it seem like a new type of FF book and worth picking up.  It’s been touch and go since then, with me always on the brink of stopping collecting the book (the Inhuman storyline has kept me around for a few more issues).  And then I see the following picture...

Why Marvel? Why do you do this to us?  After issue #11 of FF…we will then get to see Fantastic Four #600!  And I know that the promotional pictures do not always give us an accurate representation of what’s going to happen in the issue, but COME ON! Spidey AND Human Torch are there??  After his heartfelt “death” in #588, are they really bringing back Human Torch already?? And while it’s very clever that issue #12 would be the 600^th issue of Fantastic Four, they are not reverting back to the old book and numbering…oh no!  They are bringing back Fantastic Four #600 AND releasing FF #12 so now people following them need 2 books to keep up! 

We all know how I feel about rebooting, renumbering, reverting and all that…so I am sure you can guess what I think of this move… It seems like a planned-well-in-advance move to not just sell more copies but to lure readers into following new books also!  It was one thing when books got cancelled and renumbered and later on the writers (or often the NEW writers) change their mind and revert, but this seems clearly like a planned out event since before Countdown to Three even started, like they knew they were only cancelling Fantastic Four for 11 issues.  A cheap move Marvel, very cheap…or expensive I guess I should say!  So I guess it’s now safe for me to hold my breath from Uncanny X-men #560, unless they decide to hold out until #600 for them too, leaving us collecting with a numbering gap that will drive many of us crazy. 

Does renumbering really sell more?  I mean sure I bought the last few issues of Fantastic Four to see Johnny die and the first bunch of issues to get to know the Future Foundation, but surely there were readers annoyed to see Johnny go and did not bother to pick up the new book.  Is it really worth it to gain a few new readers for a few months if you risk losing long time readers of a book?  I can already tell you that I'll be collecting until issue #11 (its nice to have an end date in site) and maybe #600 and one or two after and then I'm done.  But how many of the loyal Torch fans left and may not come back?  Priorities Marvel!! Priorities!

Marvel Comics On-Sale 8/17/11

Here the list of Marvel Comics releases for 8/17/11.  Coming into the home stretch on Fear Itself!  Nothing can stop the Juggernaut in Uncanny X-men! Generation Hope gets involved in the Schism!

AVENGERS #16 FI

AVENGERS ACADEMY #18 FI

CAPTAIN AMERICA #2

CAPTAIN AMERICA CORPS #3 (OF 5)

DAREDEVIL #2

FEAR ITSELF DEADPOOL #3 (OF 3) FI

FEAR ITSELF FEARSOME FOUR #3 (OF 4) FI

FEAR ITSELF HOME FRONT #5 (OF 7) FI

FF #2 2ND PRINTING VARIANT

FF #3 2ND PRINTING VARIANT

FF #4 2ND PRINTING VARIANT

GENERATION HOPE #10 S

HULK #39

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #507 FI

IRON MAN 2.0 MODERN WARFARE #1

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #626 FI

KA-ZAR #3 (OF 5)

MARVEL UNIVERSE VS WOLVERINE #3 (OF 4)

SPIDER-ISLAND AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL #1 (OF 3) SI

THUNDERBOLTS #162 FI

ULTIMATE COMICS FALLOUT #6 (OF 6) DOSM

UNCANNY X-MEN #542 FI

VENOM #6 SI

WOLVERINE AND BLACK CAT CLAWS 2 #2 (OF 3)

X-FACTOR #224

X-MEN SCHISM #3 (OF 5) S

DOSM = Death of Spider-man

FI = Fear Itself

S = Schism

SI = Spider Island

Mutant Generations 3: The Guthrie Clan

In this installment of Mutant Generations I’m looking into a clear case of quantity over quality.  Lucinda and Thomas Guthrie had (apparently, according to Cannonball in X-men (Vol. 2) #48) 10 children on their farm in Kentucky and of these 10 children, several of them developed fantastic mutant powers while the rest did not.  During Endangered Species, Beast and Dark Beast even thought to use the Guthries as the control group for their experiments (because of the many varied powers that came from the family) to try and restart the mutant gene using the various Guthrie children.  Many of the Guthrie siblings made appearances over the years (starting back in ROM Annual #3), but due to changes in writers their appearances (and number) have varied over the years.

Sam Guthrie (Cannonball) – The oldest of the Guthrie family and the first to manifest his mutant powers, which led to his joining the New Mutants, and later X-Force and the X-men.  Sam has the ability to project a “blast field” around himself which he uses primarily to propel himself through the air just like his namesake.  Originally he could only fly straight, no turns, and couldn’t stop himself properly, but as his control grew he gained pinpoint control over his maneuverability.   As his control over his power developed further, he found he was able to extend his blast field in other ways such as projecting it outward as a forcefield or through his fists as a blast punch.  Also, while he is blasting he is basically invulnerable since almost nothing can penetrate him blast field.  After he was gutted by Sauron in the early days of X-Force, Sam rose from the dead was proclaimed as an External Highlord, like Selene and Apocalypse, but this storyline has not been touched on in years.

Paige Guthrie (Husk) – Paige is Cannonball’s younger sister and the oldest of the Guthrie girls.  While musing in the woods one day about her older brother and his exciting life as a mutant, her own transmutation powers kicked in.  Paige developed the ability to “husk” her own skin into a new form of her choosing.  In this initial mutation, Paige turned herself into a bird, but she has not been seen making this sort of dramatic change since.  Typically she uses her skin altering power to change into diamond, granite, or even organic steel (such as Colossus), and it’s worth mentioning that her Age of Apocalypse counterpart was about to change in liquid states such as corrosive acid, while she in her regular 616 form has not learned to do that.  Paige originally joined Generation X after its creation in the wake of the Phalanx Covenant, but later went on to join Banshee’s X-Corps and then eventually the main X-men team on Angel’s squad, who she later developed a brief romantic relationship with despite their vast age difference.

Josh “Jay” Guthrie (Icarus) – The story of Josh “Jay” Guthrie is a tragic tale.  Originally resentfully of mutants when his older siblings Sam and Paige gained powers and left home, Jay’s attitude changed when his own mutant power sprang forth.  First he gained red wings on his back which could be used to fly, and he began using this as an on-stage gimmick for his band.  When he fell in love with a daughter from a rival family (a la Romeo and Juliet) and her father found out, he was brutally beaten by the girl’s father and left for dead.  The girl, Julia Cabot, thought he was dead and drowned herself alongside Jay’s body in the river, but suddenly Jay’s secondary mutation kicked in, a healing power that prevented him from dying.  Unfortunately Julia had no such ability and died in his arms.  After being sent to the Xavier Institute he joined the Hellions squad first but later switched spots with New Mutants squad member Wither.  After M-Day, Jay retained his abilities, however he was kidnapped by the Purifiers and his wings cut from his back.  It was discovered that his healing power came from his wings, and without them he would not properly heal.  He was eventually shot by Purifier leader, William Stryker, and without his wings he died.

Melody Guthrie (Aero) – One of the middle Guthrie sisters, Melody developed the ability to fly by enveloping herself in an energy aura.  She joined Xavier’s school to learn to use and control her power, but her education was cut short when she lost her powers on M-Day and returned home to the Guthrie farm.  It is not known what other applications her energy aura may have had.

Jeb Guthrie – Jeb Guthrie was the last of the Guthrie children to gain mutant powers before M-Day struck.  Jeb had the ability to control electricity (apparently through his eyes), but unlike his older siblings, he opted not to go to Xavier’s to be instructed in their use.  It has not been made clear if he retained his powers after M-Day.

Now here is where things get a little dicey people!  With so many Guthrie children running around, writer never saw fit to firmly establish things like appearance or names for them until one of them develops a mutant power.  So here we have the siblings that did not gain powers or stable appearances (or even names). 

Elizabeth Guthrie (Amazon in AOA) – Elizabeth is a special case indeed.  She has never been shown to develop mutant powers in the main 616 universe but she played a large role in the Age of Apocalypse’s Elite Mutant Force as the sadistic size altering Amazon.  In this universe Elizabeth had the ability to change not just her size but also she gained strength proportionate to her increasing stature.  It is unclear whether the 616 version of Elizabeth will gain this ability, especially in light of M-Day.

Joelle Guthrie – Joelle is one of the Guthries who has never even been hinted that she may develop powers.  Her jealousy about her mutant siblings led her to join an anti-mutant group, Humanity’s Last Stand, but when they attacked Cannonball and Husk, Joelle realized her folly and helped bring the group down.

Lewis and his unnamed twin – Back in ROM Annual #3, readers got to meet the entire slew of Guthrie children.  During Endangered Species, Dark Beast tried to do dangerous experiments on the young boy to activate his latent X-gene (which Dark Beast suspected all the Guthries have) almost killing him.  While we got to know a bit about young blond (occasionally) Lewis, there was always a young little blond girl about his same age lingering around in the background.  While Lewis was named in New Mutants #42, this other blond girl has still not been named, but is rumored to be Lewis’ twin sister due to their close ages and blond hair.  What we do know about this unnamed twin is that she idolizes her sister Paige and wants "magic skin" like her.

Unnamed Guthrie – Now according to Sam in X-men (Vol. 2) #48, he has 9 brothers and sisters which would bring the total number of Guthrie children up to 10.  While this extra sibling is never mentioned by name, there IS an unnamed girl holding a teddy bear in X-men (Vol. 2) #36 who seems a bit too young to be Melody.  So this mystery child COULD be the final Guthrie sister.  Of course there’s always the chance that Sam had a bit too much to drink at that poker game and there is really only 9 children in total.

This just goes to show you that you do not need a mega-powerful mutant to create mega-powerful mutants!  This clan of powerful mutants (of all types of different abilities) is found right in the backwoods of Kentucky in a tiny coal mining town.  If not for the unfortunate accidents that claimed Thomas Guthrie’s life and almost his son Sam’s life, we may have missed out on this fantastic mutant dynasty.