Major Update

Not sure what you may have heard around the store, but the reason you haven't seen much of me lately is due to my hospitalization, Just a warning to anyone reading these words, if you suffer from occasional migraines and they suddenly increase in intensity and frequency - get to a damn hospital quick. A brain tumor is not something you can tough out.
It has been strange what has been going through my head lately, well, other other than radiation and scalpels that is. I am worried that I might not see the end of Grant Morrison's Multiversity series - even if they manage to keep it on schedule - it's six months away. More of a worry if the store will still be open at that point. I have limited options; I can try and sell, shut it down or just kind of fade away. I will not be able to work in the store again but I will try and do what's fairest for all the loyal customers who've been with me over the years.
i will try to update you more often

Canada Day Closing

Sorry, but the store will be CLOSED for business on Tuesday for Canada Day.






We still have a HUGE stack of the FREE CAPT. Canuck Canada Day comic. Come in and get one before they are ALL gone.

NEW COMICS JUNE 25th

Eternal Reviews

Batman Eternal #11

Batman Eternal is one of  DC's weekly titles, and this week's installment helps further a couple of earlier plots that helped kick off the series.

Batgirl is on the hunt for a mysterious man who was at the scene of the train derailment in Gotham. The same one that resulted in Jim Gordon's incarceration. Batgirl needs to find out who this man is and what, if any connection he has to the disaster. Sure enough, things aren't ever easy as Scorpiana and Batgirl end up at each others throats. It's nice to see the Jim Gordon angle revisited and furthered.

Julia Pennyworth is still rehabbing at Wayne Manor, making for a nice break from the chaos of chase and fight sequences. More than that, it's nice to see a little more emoting from the characters. Especially when those characters are family.

The Cluemaster plot gets some well written backstory, and we learn about his life before crime as well as his motivation. Stephanie exposes her fathers' early run-ins with Batman and tries to understand where and how her fathers' life went wrong.

A weekly Batman series is just what was needed, despite being another addition to the growing list of Batman books. The writing team of Snyder, Tynion, and Fawkes is a strong argument for the quality and consistency of the title, and a well varying art team keeps things interesting.

NEW COMICS JUNE 18th

More Bombshell covers this week, including Talia on Batman and Ra's #32
Batwoman on Batwoman #32, and Harley Quinn. She'll go quick.
Kill Shakespeare returns for another 4-issue run.
Original Sin #4 ships with 2 covers.
Wicked and Divine is a new Image title by Gillen and McKelvie( of Young Avengers and Journey into Mystery)about gods walking the Earth with the status of pop-stars. The O'Malley cover will go fast.

NEW COMICS JUNE 11th

Good week,not a lot of big stuff to mention though.
The spin-off to Original Sin starts this week, and of course its called "Original Sins", so that wont be confusing or anything.
DC 52 starts off Infinity Man and the Forever People, hopefully enough old school DC fans are still around to support a book like this.
Uncanny X-Men Special #1 starts off a 3 part story that runs through the Iron Man and Nova Specials this summer.
Figment is a Marvel comic based on an old Disney attraction.( kind of like Seekers of the Weird which just finished its run)
Empty Man is a new crime, horror comic by Cullen Bunn.
Red City is a new Image crime, sci-fi comic.
Couple more Bombshell covers this week, including Detective, Green Lantern Corps and Justice League United.
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Weekly Reviews

Here is a review of the 2 weekly comics DC is doing .

Batman Eternal #9

Batman Eternal is a weekly series from DC and another addition to the list of bat-books on the shelf. Each issue is an installment in an epic Batman story that spans many characters and locations in the DCU.

In this week's issue, Batman heads to Japan to investigate the resurgence of Carmine Falcone, who has taken over the GCPD from the shadows and is now running Gotham city. Falcone was last seen in Japan, and when we're in Japan we can usually expect to see Jiro, them Japanese Batman. Jiro makes an appearance in this issue and fights alongside Batman to uncover the mystery of Falcone's reappearance in Gotham.

Batman Eternal is a good addition to the Batman books, especially if Zero year is moving too low or the stories in other Batman titles aren't working for you. This is a weekly series, so the story progresses at a more rapid pace when compared to other titles. It's got all of the standard qualities desired in a Batman book: mystery, detective work, plenty of characters, lots of action and the writers on the book are some of the most talented in the business.

Batman Eternal is a great choice if you're looking for a solid series that's easy to catch up on, and to follow along with.

Futures End #5

Another weekly series, this one taking place five years in the future. Futures End features rue whole cast of DC characters, including Batman Beyond who is at the forefront of the story.

In the distant future, the world has been taken over by an AI. The heroes, all turned into android bugs, only have one purpose: to assimilate all life into the AI. It's as dystopian a world as you can imagine, but Batman has a plan as always. Batman Beyond is sent back in time to prevent this future from happening.

Each character seems to have their own mini stories progressing which will converge into one down the line. This issue features Constantine, Firestorm, Grifter, Mr.Terriffic and a few others. Mr Terriffic announces a new consumer level T-Sphere which can store your essence much like a flash drive stores data, and Grifter is given an interesting ultimatum.

Futures End is only five weeks in, so we haven't seen any of the top tier heroes yet. How they'll factor in is anyone's guess, but there's still almost a years worth of story left as Futures End is a 52 week book.

Futures End will also be featured during DC's September event, during which each issue of the standard monthly titles will be a Futures End tie in. With some big writers working on the book, such as Jeff Lemire and Brian Azzarello, this seems like a pretty promising title.

NEW COMICS JUNE 4th

A little more reasonable delivery this week, with a good mix of stuff.
Many of the new 52 DC titles this month will have a Bombshell variant. These are basically art pieces based on the old 50's pin-ups girls. I will have a decent supply of these variants, but they will sell quick at cover price. If you are interested make sure to order early.
Batman '66 meets Green Hornet is written by Kevin Smith and looks like a lot of fun. It is basically a sequel to the time the heroes met up in the T.V. show.
New Vampirella is pretty self explanatory. As is Big Trouble in Little China.
Princess Ugg looks like a fun all-ages book about a barbarian princess who's quite a bit different from the other girls at princess school. Its by Ted Naifeh of Courtney Crumrin fame.
More all-ages fun as Tiny Titans returns for a 6 issue run.
If you havent been reading Afterlife with Archie(zombie Archie) make sure to pick up the first trade paperback collection of issues 1-5.

NEW comics MAY 28th

A really big week to end off the month. A good mix of titles with a couple of BIG #1's to watch for.
Horror fans will be happy to see more Clive Barker on the shelves as Nightbreed #1 arrives.
More horror/comedy as Chew and Revival team-up for a one-shot.
Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 brings us 4 short self contained stories kind of like what got us all into comics years ago.
Thanos Annual #1 teams Jim Starlin with Ron Lim to bring us a big battle between the Mad Titan and his greatest foes, the Avengers and himself. This story will lead into the Thanos original hardcover coming soon.
 C.O.W.L. brings us the story of the worlds first organized super-hero union. What do they do when they are TOO successful.
With Forever Evil wrapping up this week, we can finally get to read Nightwing #30. How and why does Dick become Grayson Agent of Spyral.
Warren Ellis is back big time as Trees begins. Huge monoliths from the stars planted themselves all over the Earth, and for 10 years did nothing. Now something is happening.

WEEKLY Reviews

Batman Eternal #7
 

For those who aren't following along with the weekly series, Batman Eternal is a stand-alone Batman title completely different from the other bat-books on the shelves. Batman Eternal features a number of different writers and artists working on the same story, keeping things interesting and (hopefully) on time.

So far, the story in Batman Eternal features a wide cast of characters and we're being given a number of different plot points that are all slowly winding towards each other. Gotham is seemingly being overthrown by ex-mob boss Carmine Falcone, who appears to have the GCPD in the palm of his hand. After orchestrating the imprisonment of Commissioner Gordon and manipulating Professor Pyg, it looks like Falcone is slowly completing his takeover of Gotham.

This issue features The Penguin, Catwoman, and lots of explosions. Of course, in between the turf wars, crooked cops, and maniac villains, Batman remains on the streets investigating the circumstances surrounding Gordon's mysterious imprisonment, and the rise of an ex crime lord.

It's a good read, and gives us a little bit of everything that makes Batman books fun - detective work, villains, team-ups, and action.

Futures End #3

Another weekly series, this one featuring the entire DC roster, as well as Batman Beyond. This title takes place five years into the future of the current DCU. Batman Beyond has been sent back in time to prevent a future believed to be caused by Mr.Terrific's corporation, Terrifitech. It's a future where an AI has taken over the world, assimilating any living beings, including superheroes and villains into cyborg bugs. Unfortunately, Batman Beyond arrives five years too late, and the transformation to his eventual future is already underway.

This weekly series is only three weeks in, and while the cast will eventually grow, it currently features Batman Beyond, Firestorm, and Frankenstein. They'll likely be important characters when the terrifying future is eventually realized, and the writers are keeping things interesting leading up to that moment. Surely though, it's a long ways away.

For DC's September issues, each one will tie into Futures End. They won't be necessary but they should give a good look at how each character fits into the future. It looks like Futures end is going to have lasting implications on the DCU as well, so it's a good title to pick up for DC fans.

New Comics May 21st

Super busy week but very few NEW titles to mention, but still a lot of great stuff.
MPH #1 starts off another Millar World title, this one features a gang of street kids who get hooked on a speed drug.
Batman and Frankenstein continues the Dark Knights hunt for the corpse of Damian. With the series Robin Reborn coming in a few months, this book might be an important prelude.
Forever Evil #7 finally arrives, and with it all the books tying in to the ending can finally ship. This week you will get Justice League #30 and Justice League America #14.
Amazing X-Men #7 is a guest shot by Kathryn Immonen, writing a Spidy and his Amazing Friends story.
Image heavy list as well, as Mercenary Sea, Saga and Velvet all arrive together.
The book end of the list has the first collection of Coffin Hill( my favourite new Vertigo title), and a NEW hrdcvr team-up of Black Canary and Zatanna. This is an original story NOT a reprint, written by Paul Dini.
Originally meant to be drawn by Amanda Connor, I think the preview art by Joseph Quinones looks great.
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New Comics May 14th

Big week again.
Justice League United #1 gets a Canada variant cover, these might go fast if the media picks up on it, so reserve a copy early.
Superman Doomed starts off a Doomsday battle that runs through many of the Superman titles for the next few months.
In United States of Murder Inc. Bendis gives us a world in which the mob runs the country. It sounds good, but I really wish Bendis would stop working on new stuff until he can get his other late books back on track(Scarlet anyone).
Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #1 is the first of a 4-part mini, as Shang-Chi tracks down a killer.
Weird Love #1 is a great collection of classic '50's material featuring art by folks like José Luis García-López.
Had a lot of people playing catch-up on Batman Eternal this week. Remember that New 52 Futures End is a weekly book as well.If you cant make it in each week, be sure to add these books to your pull list so you don't miss an issue.


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New Comics Wednesday May 7th

Well, FCBD was a huge success. Busiest one ever. I'll try to post more later.
Lots of stuff to mention for next week..
Marvel continues to amaze me with the numbering gimmicks they come up with to confuse us(and you) into buying their stuff.  Amazing Spider-Man #1.1, despite its numbering nonsense, is not connected in any way with the new #1 you just bought this week. INSTEAD, it is the first issue of a Year One type story that fits after the events of the original Spider-Man #1 from 1963. One of the stories in the new #1 leads into this, but I'm sure there will still be many customers(and retailers) confused by this.
Original Sin #1 arrives, and I have to say I was pleased with the #0 issue. Should be a good story, but again, it will get confusing with the oddly named and numbered spin-offs and specials.
Cyclops #1 starts a series featuring kid Cyclops, the time displaced one.
Ultimate Spider-Man relaunches for like the 3rd or 4th time. This time Miles not only has to live up to Peters legacy, but try to adjust to a world ravaged by Galactus.(Unless the writers have forgotten that little piece of info).

We get a glimpse into the future of the DC Universe with the start of the new weekly series, New 52 Futures End. If you picked up the #0 issue for free on Saturday, you'll have a good idea where this one is going. Its an amazing story featuring some under used characters, such as Frankenstein,
Batman Beyond and Grifter. This title will have major impact on the DC characters when ALL the DC titles jump 5 years in the future in September.
Batman/Superman takes a break in the story to catch up on its schedule. This is a great one-shot fill-in by Jeff Lemire as the Atom shows up to help Superman get small enough to get into Batmans brain.
The Woods is a sci-fi/horror title by James Tynion (Batwing, Batman Eternal),about a group of high school kids teleported to an alien planet.
Nailbiter gives us insight into the question of where do serial killers come from.

Jeff Lemire in the house

Well there was quite a crowd waiting to greet Mr.Lemire when he arrived this morning, and if I'd remembered to charge my camera I could prove it with a photo.
Best of all there were more than a few people who had never experienced Jeff's work before, so we got to turn them on to a whole new world of graphic fiction.
Of course the main reason you're reading this right now is to find out who won the amazing J.L.U. #0 sketch covers Jeff produced just for the todays event.

THE WINNING NUMBERS ARE:

07,  15,  22,  38, AND 47

and I'll probably play those numbers on a Lotto 6/49 ticket when I head home.


So, congratulations to , Brad, Niko,Court, Shawn and Naomi

Come by and collect your prize anytime. Just remember, it's first come, first choice. But all the covers look great so I'm sure you'll all be happy with your prizes.

NEW Comics April 30th

Busy week as publishers try to fill up the shelves for Free Comic Day.

Amazing Spider-Man #1, Peter Parker is back in his own body, and Marvel has a pile of variant covers to prove it. 2 standard covers at regular price( if you can call $5.99 a regular price) and a couple pricier variants. The DCD Summit edition is limited to 6,000 copies and has a cool Lego cover.
The Batwoman Annual finally finishes the Batwoman/Batman conflict from the main book a few months back.
The Flash Annual #3 continues from this weeks issue, and looks like it will introduce the new 52 version of Wally West. Could this be the first of the 5 Years Later tie-ins?
More Cartoon Network fun as Dexters Laboratory starts a mini-series.
Forever Evil won't really end until issue #7 shows up in late May, but Batman will get to see whats left of Gotham as the first issue of Batman VS Bane arrives.
Proving 2 Jasons are better than 1, Aaron and Latour deliver Southern Bastards. A killer crime series set in the deep south.
Vertigo Quarterly CYAN, is the first of 4 anthology comics using a colour as a unifying theme. A great list of talent on these books as writers and artists come together to show us how cool BLUE can be.
Just in time for Free Comic Day, Image delivers a great batch of BUCK books. Some of the best stuff on the shelves today are from Image, and this is your chance to jump in on stuff like East of West, Rat Queens, Sex Criminals and more for only a dollar. Many of these titles have a first volume collection available already or arriving soon. Try 'em out, or get a friend hooked.

NEW COMICS APRIL 23rd

Fairly big week with some great new comics.
Fans of Haden Blackman ( Batwoman) will want to pick up the new Elektra series, with art by Mike Del Mundo, it looks like it'll be a fast seller.
Conan relaunches as Fred Van Lente takes over writing the Cimmerians adventures.
Another Simpson Special arrives, this time spotlighting Duffman. Bongo may be running short on major characters to highlight. Call me when they get around to a Hank Scorpio one-shot.
Secret Origins is something that should have started right after the New 52 launched. The first issue features 3 stories, Superman, Supergirl, and Dick Grayson. I'm wondering if the 3rd story will give any hints of whats to come in the future for Nightwing.
Marvel starts off the spring crossover season with Original Sin #0. The Watcher will die and his secrets revealed. As usual, the main story will be fairly interesting, while the side stories and crossovers will just confuse us. Although with writers like Jason Aaron, Mark Waid and Kieron Gillen, we should have some good reading in them.


Of course all of these are overshadowed by the release of Justice League (Canada )United #0. We have yet to see the full extant of the damage done by the Crime Syndicate as Forever Evil #7 is still a month away. But Justice League America is no more, and whats left of the team head north to regroup. Jeff Lemire has put together an interesting group of heroes, including 2 he has written to great success, Green Arrow and Animal Man. This is also the introduction of a new Canadian female hero Equinox. CBC did a nice piece recently on Jeff and his work to develop a native character without resorting to stereotype.
AS A REMINDER....COMICS & MORE WILL BE HOSTING JEFF LEMIRE IN-STORE
SATURDAY APRIL 26TH FROM 12 NOON- 3 P.M.
Due to media attention on this comic, it may sell out in the Toronto area fairly quickly. Be sure to reserve a copy by e-mail or through our on-line store and come by Saturday to get it signed. I have a limited number of Blank cover versions available for sketches. Limit of 1 to person with pre-orders to current customers being filled first.
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Jeff Lemire Signing

The talented writer/artist Jeff Lemire will be doing his  only signing for JUSTICE LEAGUE CANADA/UNITED in the Toronto area at COMICS & MORE on SATURDAY, APRIL 26 between 12-3 pm!

The first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED, featuring a new Canadian version of The Justice League and the first appearance of the brand-new teenaged, CREE SUPERHERO, EQUINOX (as seen on CBC), will arrive in comic book stores WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23. Jeff will be signing at Comics & More at DANFORTH and LINSMORE (just steps from the Greenwood Subway Station) that SATURDAY at noon!

This will be the only Toronto-area signing for the comic. He will be signing and giving away 5 limited edition blank variant covers with sketches of Justice League characters !

Copies of many of Jeff's other books will be for sale, but stock is limited. I will also have original art form Trillium, Animal Man and Sweet Tooth available.

For more info about JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED and EQUINOX click here

Batman Eternal

Batman Eternal is the first new weekly series from DC in quite a while. It's another addition to the Bat-Book family, and it's going to be featuring a huge showcase of talent over the weeks. This first issue is written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion, and drawn by Jason Fabok.

The first issue of Batman Eternal feels like any other Batman title, but not in a bad way. It does seem more Gotham-centric, focusing on the GCPD for a bit of the book and introducing a new lieutenant to the force. The new 52 version of Jason Bard, who may be familiar to Batgirl readers, and possibly a new love interest for the current version of Babs.
 The book really picks up in the last 5 pages or so, and sets up the rest of the arc very well.

This is a pretty good alternative for readers who aren't enjoying Zero Year. Lots of readers online seem to be wanting a Snyder written Batman title that doesn't take place in the past, and Batman Eternal seems like an excellent alternative. That may change in the future when new writers take over, but that's also the beauty of a weekly series like this. You'll get the chance to read Batman stories from many different creative teams without having to pick up a slew of Batman titles. It should also make it easy to jump into arcs as the weeks go by.

The weekly format is something DC is heavily invested in as a 2nd weekly title begins in May. You can pick up  DC Futures End #0 for FREE on Saturday May 3rd.

NEW COMICS APRIL 16th

Well a moderate week for the middle of a 5 Wednesday month. A lot less first issues to mention this time.
Green Lanterns arch-enemy Sinestro, finally lands his own title. He cant be happy that Larfleeze solo'd before he did.
The new Ultimate Universe adds another title as Ultimate FF debuts, with a huge roster change. Iron Man, Machine Man and Falcon join Sue Storm as the Future Foundation sets to cleaning up the mess left in Galactus' wake.
Solar man of the Atom joins the Dynamite versions of the Valiant characters.
Hulk relaunches with a #1 as it continues from the last page of the Indestructible Hulk #20.
Superior Spider-Man #31 wraps up the Doc Ock version of the character and sets up the all new Amazing Spider-Man #1 coming in a couple weeks. There are a pile of different variant covers,but at $6.00 a pop, fans will probably have to just pick their favourite.

VARIANT COVERS

One of my pet peeves is the variant cover schemes Marvel and DC use to bump sales. The requirements have gotten so high lately that most stores never get to see any of them, I usually get 2-3 of  a few each month.
However, DC has decided to make the variant covers to their titles open quantity for June. Meaning I can order as many as I think I can sell...and I do think they'll sell. The variant theme that month is Bombshells. Basically they are drawn to look like the pin-ups that were common during the war.  And they are a gorgeous batch of covers by the talented Ant Lucia who has a line of figures coming from DC Collectibles based on his artwork.
If you are interested in getting the variant version of your regular titles in June( or maybe buying an extra copy) let me know in store or check them off at the on-line store. I'm sure these will sell quick off the shelves once people see them.