Comic Book Candy

Retailer exclusive variants are nothing new to collectors, but for fans with love for their local comic shop, Amazing Spider-Man 666 will a be a must-have issue for their collection. Spidey is shown on the cover holding the Daily Bugle with a headline touting the rescue of your LCS by everyone's favorite webslinger. Because these variants required a large minimum order, not every store was able or willing to participate. But here in Chicago, four stores decided to order the incentive covers, and I was lucky enough to have my photography grace the covers of two. Considering only about 200 stores worldwide will have this incentive cover (see Marvel's master list ), I feel honored to have my work on these covers. A special thanks is necessary to both Challengers and Graham Crackers for entrusting me with the task of representing their unique stores. They could have taken their own photo, hired a different photographer, or just used a store logo, but they thought of me first and I...

(For those joining late, please see the introductory post on Odyssey X , where I explain my attempt to read every X-Men title during X-Men: Schism) X-Men #15 Writer: Christopher Yost Artist(s): Dalibor Talajic & Wil Quintana Cover Price: $3.99 It's tough for a reader to jump into a story at the end of a multi-issue arc. All of the previous momentum is meant to culminate at long last, but instead of relief we get a bombardment of mindless action sequences with little attention to character development. At least that's how it felt reading X-Men #15. Cyclops and company are attempting to stop an old enemy who want to destroy all of mankind in order to protect mutants. The issue jumps back and forth between the current struggle and their original confrontation with these Evolutionaries. The big difference we see between "then" and "now" is that Magneto is no longer working with the enemy, but other than that it is the same, "We don't want yo...

Part of the appeal of completing Odyssey X ( reading all of the X-Men titles during X-Men: Schism ) is to experience these books with fresh eyes. What if a new reader tried all of these titles in one go? Would it make sense? Would it be engaging enough to bring them back for more? How much would it cost  to commit to reading every X-Men title? In the truest sense, I am not even reading every single mutant-featured comic. Wolverine will not be on my reading list, nor will Deadpool. Both of these over-exposed characters frequent the Marvel U proper as much as the X-Men titles. I also know my limits, and I have a pull list full of other Independent, DC, and Marvel books to read. Any extra books I pick up will be included as "bonus" reviews. This week saw the release of a second printing of Uncanny X-Force #11, and since it boldly states that it is "Chapter 1" of the Dark Angel Saga, I thought I'd jump in now so I can more easily understand "Chapter 2". ...

It's hard to think of an equal comparison for the downfall of the X-Men titles; once flagship books that were consistently among the top sellers in the industry, the last several years have seen dismal sales despite increasingly talented creative teams coming aboard. The likes of Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker, and Matt Fraction have tried - and failed - to rejuvenate the once crowning jewel of the House of Ideas. That lost luster has come at a high price as once loyal readers are reluctant to give the books another chance. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I'll never buy your book again. Or so should be the saying in comics. With the econapocolypse showing no end in sight, readers are more selective than ever and that's not even considering competing (cheaper) entertainment. X-Men books brought me into a comic book shop as a 15 year old girl. Specifically, I wanted to be Jean Grey; intelligent, beautiful, sought after by many suitors, and oh yeah, insanely powerful. ...