"Hey, buddy. Wanna buy a cheap comic?"

Adult yes, but is it mature?

Now admittedly I've been out of the comic game for awhile and I've missed some things, but I've also been a part of the comic game for a long time and I remember some things too. As I reengage and work to catch up with the comic book landscape I've noticed some significant changes, some which I consider to be positive and some of which I consider to be negative. One important change I've noticed is the effort to have comic books recognized as a serious and legitimate literary art form. It's become very important for comic books to be seen as more grown up and adult and as much as I applaud this effort I think its having an unintended consequence that's hurting the industry and killing sales in the marketplace. Comic books just aren't fun anymore.

Everywhere I look its Noir and brutality, sex and infidelity. If the language in comic books doesn't offend you the amount of blood and savagery will. Comic books may indeed be more adult and graphic than they've ever been, but there isn't a lot of fun in them these days. And for all of the warning labels plastered across the front of the books there isn't a lot of maturity between the covers. Oh, there are plenty of breasts, barely clad women and f-bombs dropping like cluster bombs in Afghanistan and even though this type of content may be considered adult in content it's certainly far from mature in nature. And it certainly isn't fun because its so hard to share them with anyone.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be embarrassed to leave my comic books laying open around the house. Never did I think I'd have to wait until my son turns eighteen before we could sit together and read a comic book. And I never thought I'd have to explain to my son that I read comics for the articles inside and not the pictures of half naked women plastered throughout them. By the time my son's old enough to appreciate my comic collection he won't have any interest in them because we weren't able to share them due to the graphic nature of the content inside them. It's not fun not being able to share something I love so much with my son simply because a group of young writers in the industry right now can't seem to tell a good story without liberal doses of nudity and vulgar language.

How about bringing a little fun back to comics. How about writing some Batman stories I can sit down and read with my youngster. How about writing some stories my youngster can read without filling his vocabulary with words like shit, fuck, Hell, and damn. (And don't give me any crap about going to Disney books if I don't like it. That's just a stupid and simplistic rebuttal.)

I'm tired of reading comic books and feeling dirty afterwords. I'm tired of having to keep comic books out of my child's hands instead of putting them into them as a way of encouraging him to read. The future of the industry is dying because so many of us who are parents can't develop and nurture the same love for comic books we knew as children because they're not appropriate for young readers anymore. Young kids aren't reading comics because they lack interest, they're not reading them because they're being discouraged from doing so by parents like me. Parents who grew up with and still maintain a love for something that is now completely inappropriate to share with our sons and daughters.

It's time for the comic book industry to grow up. It's time to ease up on the adult content of nudity and course language and bring back the more mature elements like good story telling and language suitable for anyone in the whole family. In the meantime I'll continue to encourage my child to read anything but comic books. That saddens me, it really does.

There's no place like home...

Baseball cards and comics!

2312 E. Dorothy Lane
Kettering, Ohio 45420
(937) 294-4900

It was the day the music died for those of us who'd been traveling to the Bookie Parlor for so many years in search of our weekly comic book fix. I'll never forget the day when an anxious knot of us gathered outside Hal's establishment and for the life of us couldn't imagine why his shop was locked up tight and dark inside on a Wednesday afternoon. On a Wednesday!? We waited. And we waited. And Hal never showed. Not that day or any day thereafter. Hal had died.

Eventually everybody began to accept the reality that the Bookie Parlor wasn't going to open and conversation inevitably turned towards alternative supply sources for the acquisition of our comic book fix. That's when a young man turned to the group and said, "There's a little store down the street at Dorothy Lane and Woodman called, Mavericks." And that's how I started a nearly twenty-five year relationship with the store where I still buy my comics today.

Although Mavericks has been in operation since 1981 I tend to believe that it's continued success began when current owner, Jack Poland took over the store in the late eighties. Jack is a throwback to the days of the "mom and pop shop" where customers were treated as members of a family rather than interchangeable cogs in the great machine of commerce. You'll always get as warm a welcome from Jack whether you spend a hundred dollars or simply window shop.
Jack brought heart to Mavericks and a love for comics as deep and abiding as the passions of the most fervent of reader. His knowledge of character and story lines is second to no one's and talking comics with him is always a joy. But the one thing I like about Jack the most is his love for kids. I don't think I've ever seen a youngster with any sum of money in his pocket less than a nickel walk out of Mavericks without something that didn't have his eyes aglow with wonder. Jack Poland nurtures and encourages children in ways I wish more of us took the time to do with our own sons and daughters. I love taking my son to Mavericks and I love introducing him to a part of the family I hope he'll enjoy spending time with for many years to come.

Just as one single ingredient doesn't make a successful dish so Jack Poland isn't the only reason for the popularity of Mavericks. Jack has surrounded himself with quality people who are as enthusiastic about comic books and collectibles as he is himself. Between the minds of Jason Young, Jeremy Hoyt, Matt Brassfield and Glenn Mason I don't believe there is a single topic from comic books to Magic the Gathering to sports memorability that this brain trust can't help you with. I trust these individuals to make recommendations for my pull file and that's about the highest compliment as a comic book reader I can give them. (They always seem to suggest something new and interesting instead of pushing something commercial upon me.)

Mavericks is more than just a store where I buy my comics, it is the home of my friends. Every Wednesday is a family get together where everyone in attendance comes together to share in the camaraderie that only those who share a common passion can know. Yes, we do love our comics, but we also love this homey shop and the good people who keep it going year after year. If you're looking for a comic home, I'd suggest giving Mavericks a try. We'd love having you join the family.

Don't marsh my mellow, Dude...

And the truth will set you flee...

One of my favorite Dark Horse titles in 2009 was the Hernandez brother's, Citizen Rex. It was a black and white title that took me back to the days of my youth where most of my favorite characters were of the underground variety: Captain Pissgums, Wonder Wart Hog, Fritz the Cat and Cheech Wizard. Man, you sure don't find many comics like those in the mainstream market today...

Or so I thought until I sat down to read Scott Allie's, Exurbia. Set in a world whose inhabitants are more likely closer to their television sets than the people around them, writer Scott Allie weaves a complex tale of one man's wounded spirit and his eventual redemption with the help of a rodent messiah.

Disillusioned and disenfranchised slacker Gage Wallace finds himself thrown into the crucible of self analysis and change when his world is turned upside down and he suddenly finds himself a hunted criminal on the lam accused of crimes he did not commit. During his flight across the mean streets of Exurbia Gage relives an incident from his past that scarred his conscious leading him to give up the good fight and surrender to the apathy so prevalent in the city around him. Dealing with his past issues allows him to grow beyond them and in the end return to the one thing that brings to his life a true sense of meaning and purpose.

Sporting a cast of characters including Brenda, the girlfriend, Nor and Zero, the dynamic duo of boredom and self absorption and a rat who may or may not be a messiah, Exurbia presents a madcap and sometimes scathing examination of the culture of culture and the electronic medium upon which it plays out in our daily lives. It is a satisfying and entertaining read and the Rat's final "answer" left me chuckling for hours.

Dark Horse Spoiler Alert!

You saw it here first...

Words simply can't convey the level of excitement that coursed through my entire body when I received this gem in the mail. I swooned, I trembled, I think I may even have done something in my pants I hadn't done since the night of my honeymoon. (My first honeymoon.) Just look at the cover! Is that the coolest thing since William Shatner or what? And the (Censored) stories inside are awesome.

Let me back up for a minute. I guess when you get all loud and proud about your feelings for the many fine people and the wonderful products they work so hard to produce at Dark Horse, they take notice and aren't shy about letting you know how appreciated your words are to them. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened my mailbox to find the enclosed copy of the AVP Special Edition Hardbound Book containing the stories (Censored) and (Censored).

Yes, I may have been asked not to scan, photograph or publish images to my blog, but c'mon, you don't just send out goodies like the one pictured above and expect exuberant fans like myself to be quiet about it. I'm telling everyone! "Look what I got!"

And if you haven't seen it yet; you're gonna love it when you open your copy of AVP Special Edition Video Game and find this awesome little book inside. It really is very cool and damn if it isn't a brand new kind of Dark Horse product I'd like to see a lot more of...

Thank you good people at Dark Horse for the wonderful surprise. I'll be sure to continue blogging about what I believe to be the very best publisher of comic books in the marketplace today.

I hope to see many others in the blogosphere joining me.

Until then, Make Mine Dark Horse!

And I'm gonna make Hanna Montana my ho...

"Sup, Bitches?"

What's the real message here? Is this Disney's way of saying they're not Mickey Mousing around anymore? Is this the new team logo for the Marvel/ Disney franchise, Deadpool flanked by Snow White and Cinderella? Or is this Marvel's way of showing us what could have been if only we'd bought more of their product line?

And what's up with the stupid headband bearing his name on it? Is that a souvenir from a recent trip to a certain theme park?

"So Deadpool, what are you going to do now that Disney has completed it's purchase of Marvel?"

"I'm going to Disneyland!"

I don't care how anyone tries to spin this fiasco, it's one of the worst promotions I've ever witnessed. The only thing stupider I heard today was the new Minnesota Viking fight song written by Prince.

(And I'm starting to think I know who provided him with his inspiration...)

Homegrown goodness.

Don't let the name fool you.

Every Wednesday I make the weekly pilgrimage to my local comic book store, Mavericks in Dayton, Ohio to pick up the latest releases of my favorite comic books. One of the many things that keep me returning to this shop is the nice selection of small press comic books they keep on hand. Often times while waiting for the store's shipment of mainstream books to arrive I'll spend some time perusing the small press selection of titles looking for something to catch my eye. That's how I stumbled across my first issue of, Scrap.

From the moment I started reading this book I was immediately drawn in to the world of Scrap. Barely more than a large crater, the skies overhead filled with electrical storms (Believed by some to be portals.) whose appearance always heralds a rain of debris from the sky it is a harsh and hostile environment. The general population is divided into two groups, the Foragers who live within the walls of Centre City and, the Scrappers who live in and search the piles of debris for salvageable materials .

The first story arc revolves around Il'Eigha and the Ceraf who first attacks and then establishes a symbiotic bond with the young girl. Il'Eigha once lived within the relative safety of Centre City until circumstances forced her out into the debris fields to begin a new life as a scrapper. Taking pity upon a child younger than her own tender years she is herself attacked by the same Ceraf, (A creature who feeds upon energy sources to sustain itself.) after it drains the boy of his life energies. The ensuing battle between Il'Eigha and the Ceraf, first for her very life and then for her own individual identity and self awareness is a compelling story.

I'd almost forgotten all about the harsh world of Scrap and the struggle of Il'Eigha to find balance in the symbiotic relationship she now shared with the Ceraf. I 'd never seen another issue on the shelves of Mavericks until this past Wednesday when lo and behold there it was, issue number two. I grabbed the single copy available and joyfully added it to the stack of goodies I' d already gathered and couldn't wait to get it home.

Now, the creative team of Cris Martin/pencils, Cris Hoskins/inks and grays, and Brandon (BJay) Johnson/writer may not be as familiar to you as the creative teams behind such popular titles as, Darkest Night, Siege, Batman or Thor, but their efforts are no less creative or entertaining to read. I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two issues of Scrap and will continue to follow this book as long as they continue to produce it. Everything about this book is good, except for the regularity with which it appears on store shelves, but as good as this title is I can certainly find it in my heart to forgive such a minor flaw.

In an age where the "Big Two" are more often than not the "Big Pee-Yew" and I find myself turning to other sources for comic book pleasure, Scrap is a delightful find. The book is unique and a very refreshing change from the endless monotony of crossover events and "Rainbow Bright" superheroes that seem to dominate the mainstream landscape today. And it is a homegrown product made right here in Dayton, Ohio my very own hometown.

Every week I talk to fellow comic book readers who do nothing but complain about the sorry state of the comic books they're spending their hard earned dollars on. When I ask them why they're still buying the titles I always get the same response, "I've been collecting the book my whole life and I just can't stop picking up issues now!"

That's no reason to buy a book! Look, I've been around long enough to learn that just because you've been doing something stupid, doesn't mean you have to keep on doing it. There are alternatives to the "Big Two" line of comic books. You don't have to keep buying bad books just because you've been doing so for a long time now. You can try something new. I'd suggest, Scrap. It's a smart choice...

Following my muse...

It was probably just the wind...

If I was a camp counselor gathered around the final campfire on the last night before the kids were to leave for home in the morning and I wanted them to have that one magical moment they'd never forget for the rest of their lives, I'd ask Scott Allie to tell a ghost story. I close my eyes and I can hear the sounds of a crackling fire and crickets chirping in the night. I can hear the voice of Scott as he begins a tale with, "It was a night where the mist upon the moors seemed to writhe and coil around our legs like a living beast..."

Wherever he'd take the tale from there I'd know for a certainty that by the time he reached the end of it the kids would be taking home the story they'd never forget. That is the magic of Scott Allie. The way he tells a story captures the imagination and holds you spellbound from start to finish. And he does it in that quiet voice that has you holding your breath and hanging upon every word. He doesn't horrify or terrorize. He doesn't send you screaming into the night. He simply fascinates and mesmerizes his audience with the well crafted tale.

In an age where so many seem to believe that bigger and grander is better, Scott Allie weaves wondrous magic from the simplest of threads. And he does it in every story he tells. From the scraggiest of moors to the humble streets of Exurbia Scott always manages to lift the most ordinary of moments into the realm of poignancy. Don't believe me? Go here and read his wonderful piece on Myspace Dark Horse Presents. Go ahead, I'll wait...

Nice, huh? A return for deposit bottle. The simplest of items become the vehicles for the most profound of adventures. Scott has a real gift for it. He tells our stories; the tales of the everyday Joe. And the way he does it makes our tales as wondrous as any space opera to be found in the world of comics today. He makes me feel good about us when so much else only seems designed to make me feel bad about us.

What does this have to do with Solomon Kane you ask? I'm not sure, but sometimes a writer just has to follow wherever the muse leads him and tonight she beckoned me into the deep waters of one fine writer, Mr. Scott Allie. Now go enjoy the beginning of a good scary story, read Solomon Kane, Death's Black Riders part one. And when you've finished with that, go out and buy Exurbia the TPB. I think you'll like that too...