Hosive

in this segment, i’ll detail my amore for the art and medium of comics. the title comes from a comic shop i frequented as a kid and a nod to my boy q and his blog. i haven’t done one of these in a long time so you might want to go back to earlier posts to read what this is all about. you can use the nifty select category button on the right if you are on the agapeshack.com site. sorry, facebook.

i may have to rename this column roger’s time machine chronicles. more about that in a second.

i’m a bit burned out on mainstream comics. having limited funds, i have decided to focus on the dc universe…the line and history that i grew up with; i’m lucky that my wife allows me to get any comics at all. with the marvel line, i only pay attention to daredevil…even though he shares the same universe with spidey and the xmen, there has always been an independent streak to daredevil. dd was a third rate character until frank miller; anything was possible in his comic because not many people were paying attention. in most mainstream titles, there are properties and profits to protect so there are limits to what can happen. no line on the horizon with daredevil….and other indie books and that’s why comic fans gravitate to them.

with many of my favorite mainstream titles and characters saddled with yawn storylines and writers i have been burned by, i decided to collect a few independent minded comics; much like i did in the early 90′s and came away with starman, bone, madman and strangers in paradise…beloved titles in my heart.

i picked warlord, a rebooted series from my childhood in the 70′s! and irredeemable from boom studios.

i thought i was going to pick these comics up and report quickly to you. but instead, i found that irredeemable(#2)was sold out. everywhere. across the city. and even across the country. so let me tell you about the warlord. its a fantasy series that has a cult following in the same way, soon to be released land of the lost has. pilot travis morgan stumbles upon a sword and sorcery culture in the center of the earth as the original series chronicled his adventures there. the new series finds surface landers/outsiders encroaching in on the warlord’s world…posing a threat on their home.

this is a nostalgic romp for me. much like the new star trek movie, any star trek movie…this is like a family reunion…doesn’t matter what happens….you show up regardless. i am enjoying my time but i don’t see new readers warming up to this. there’s too much back story to catch up on. also, the creator mike grell used to write and illustrate this comic…and part of the draw was his art. perhaps kids today would find it outdated but grell’s art was and is still magical. he’s a living legend! trying to reach a new generation, they maybe robbing the series of its soul. luckily, the covers are done by grell!

as for irredeemable by mark waid from kingdom come fame and upstart boom studios….i got issue #1 easily. even with the john cassidy cover! but i guess people caught onto the series and it became a sold out phenomenon….its rare for this to happen as often these days, as comics are over printed. i went to a few comic shops including regular shop and the old school forbidden planet….i called a few more shops…all sold out. when i checked websites, inflated prices everywhere!

the guy at forbidden planet recommended a shop that i had not heard of before….roger’s time machine. it felt like a time machine that traveled to a time when your comics are available! this is what old school shops like forbidden planet used to be like. whatever you’re looking for, they have it. i got 2! sold out comics there including irredeemable #2. when i asked about daredevil 116, the guy squinted. then covered his eyes trying to recall where he had last seen that issue…checked 2-3 different place as i followed him around the shop. then an aha moment as he walked over to a final box and pulled out a copy. no where else in the city did these comics exist! they even gave me bags and boards with my purchase! and gave me a discount! on sold out books??? will have to go back when my graphic novel(collected editions) fast is over.

as for the series, irredeemable features a superman archetype gone bad. not as simple as going evil like pro-wrestlers changing allegiances but ruined…corrupted…rotting….from kind hearted hero to dark hearted monster. a story that could not be told with superman or any of the mainstream guys. the first issue went through the motions of setting up the series but the second issue takes off with the first hints of betrayal that slowly change the hero’s soul. anticipating the next issue greatly! if i can get it!