On Sale This Week (05/02)

Only DC has a new book out this week and it's one of their most interesting publication from the last couple of month.


SHOWCASE PRESENTS VOL. 1: THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT
Written by Robert Kanigher; Art and Cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume collecting one of the most unusual series ever from DC Comics! On an unnamed, uncharted Pacific island, dinosaurs continued to thrive while World War II raged across the globe. It's there that members of the U.S. Military found themselves armed only with standard-issue weapons against the deadliest predators ever to roam the Earth!

DC Universe 560pg. B&W Oversized Softcover $ 16.99 US

You gotta love silver age DC Comics. I mean, where else can you read about World War II soldiers fighting a bunch of mother&@*? dinosaurs?

image source : dccomics.com

Where Can You Get The Best Deals ?

If you didn't know it by now, I'm Canadian. Besides the fact that I bleed hockey and maple syrup, it means that I have to pay more than my American neighbors to get my comics. If comics fans south of the border can get their books pretty cheap at www.dcbservice.com or www.instocktrades.com, we canucks have to find some alternative to those site as a) they don't ship to Canada or b)shipping, duty and exchange rates makes it useless to order from the States. After having surfed the web for years in search of the best prices, I've come up with the following rules as to where to get comics and collected editions. I thought it'd be nice to share them with you:

1. If you want to buy monthly comics, stick with your local comics shop, especially if they treat you well and offer you a nice discount (from 20% to 30%). If you live in a remote area or if you don't have access to a comics shop, you can try www.allnewcomics.com, a canadian online store that offers 20% off cover price, free backs and boards and free shipping if you subscribe to at least 16 titles or if you order for more than $50.


2. If you want to buy DC Comics or any other publishers' collected editions, go to amazon.ca. As collected editions go, amazon.ca and chapters.indigo.ca are the two best bets. I'd suggest to go with Amazon over Chapters for everything but Marvel books , only because they offer a slightly better discount (27% vs. 24% on softcovers, 37% vs. 34% on hardcovers). On small trades, that won't make much of a difference, but on Absolutes or other high-end books, you'll be very glad to save the extra 3%. As far as Showcase Presents volumes go, expect to pay $16,78. Not a bad deal at all.


3. If you want to buy Marvel collected editions, go to chapters.indigo.ca. The great thing about buying Marvel books at Chapters (and ONLY Mavel books) is that they take the discount off US cover price. That drops the price by around 20% right off the bat ! On top of that, they still offer a 34% discount on most hardcovers and a 24% discount on most softcovers. Usually, an Essential will cost you $15.16, but some of them have a higher discount like Essential Iron Fist Vol.1 which goes for $13.16. All in all, you can expect to get anywhere from 40% to more than 50% off the regular Canadian cover price !

Don't forget that both Amazon and Chapters offer free shipping on orders of more than $39CAN. I strongly suggest you wait until you reach that amount before ordering since the cost of shipping would eat up the money you saved from the discounts.

If any of you have found better deals, or if you're from down south and want to share your buying habits, don't be shy and either post a comment or drop me a line at

blackandwhitewonder@gmail.com

I'd be glad to hear from you !

On Sale This Week (04/25)

It seems like we get another week off. No Essentials in sight, no Showcase Presents either. It's not really surprising considering Marvel's only putting out one Essential in April (Spider-Man Vol.8) and one in May (Fantastic Four Vol.6). Expect the pace to pick up in June when Marvel gets back to it's "2 Essentials a month" program.

I know it's not *exactly* black and white...

...but Chris Marshall from Collected Comics Library just did an interview with one of my favorite current writers, one with a definite silver and golden age sensibility and, most of all, one that creates amazingly fun comics, Mr. Jeff Parker. If you like the kind of comics reprinted in the Essential line, you should try Jeff's Marvel Adventures: The Avengers series as it has the same fun, off the wall vibe as good old silver age comics. I mean, if this doesn't look to be straight out of a silver age Essential, what is?

Oh, and his Agent of Atlas limited series is not to shabby either. A must-buy for any Marvel golden age fan. Anyway, you can hear the whole thing here or read more about the interview here.

And now, back to our regular black and white programming !


image source : newsarama.com

Various Quick Reviews

As I've stated a couple of times, I'm a rather slow reader. Or maybe I should say I like to take my time while reading comics. I like to look at the art and get fully immersed in the story I have before me. One way or the other, it takes me a while to read a comic. That's not a problem per se, but it makes it hard for me to post reviews regularly. Add to that the fact that I'm simultaneously reading five phonebook-thick books, and you find yourselves with very few reviews to sink your teeth into. To try and resolve this situation, I thought it'd be nice to keep you updated on the books I'm currently tackling. That way, I'll feel less guilty about not posting reviews and you'll still have something to help you decide which books are worth getting.

Showcase Presents House of Mystery Vol.1: I'm about halfway through this one and I still haven't made my mind as to whether or not I'm going to buy the second volume of the series. I love the anthology format and the fact that most of the stories are rather short at about 12 pages each. It makes for quick reads that are perfect for bedtime. My only gripe with the book lies in the execution of some of the stories. Most of the time, the concept will be interesting, but the ending will be very predictable. Otherwise, House of Mystery is well worth its cover price and offers a pretty entertaining, if not really scary read. Recommended.


Showcase Presents Superman Vol.1: I love every single panel of this book. The art is amazing and the writing doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes up for some of he funniest stories I've ever read. In fact, I love these tales so much I've already bought the second volume even if I'm not finished with the first one. Between this book and another one further down the list, it would be very hard to choose which one I consider the single best Showcase Presents available right now. Highly recommended.


Showcase Presents Haunted Tank Vol.1 : I've already given my opinion on this book here and it hasn't changed that much since then. I still like the stories, I still like the artwork, but the plots are a bit too repetitive for my taste. Strangely, I have a feeling that this will change before the end of the book and that the stories will rely less and less on the same formula. I don't know why I've got this feeling and in all honesty I could be dead wrong, but I still think this will get better and better. As for now, I'd say the Haunted Tank is best when taken in small doses. Recommended


Essential X-Men Vol.2 : Chris Claremont and John Byrne at the height of their collective prime. Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of the Future Past, Proteus and Canada's own, Alpha Flight. The plots are captivating, the writing is great and the artwork is... well it's Byrne at the top of his game. Seriously, how could it be any better than that? Highly recommended.


Showcase Presents Jonah Hex Vol.1: As many have stated before, Jonah Hex is one of the best Showcase Presents ever published. The stories are good, the art is simply amazing and the production is top-notch. The paper seems thicker and whiter than the most recent Showcase Presents and the art reproduction is crystal clear. Without a doubt, Showcase Presents Jonah Hex is a must-have for any fan of western comics, any fan of DC comics, or any fan of good comics. Believe me, this is a blast to read and that why it is highly recommended.

On Sale This Week (04/18)

The next 7 days are my last as a student. Ever. Comes next August, I'll be in front of a class teaching to a bunch of teenagers. Until then, I have to go through one hell of a week, so excuse my briefness over this week's new book.


SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN VOL. 3
Written by Jerry Siegel and others; Art by Curt Swan and others; Cover by Swan

The third volume collecting early Superman adventures in black-and-white at a value price! This amazing collection includes appearances by Supergirl and Krypto and a retelling of Superman's origin, plus threats from Lex Luthor, Brainiac, the Legion of Super-Villains and the Fifth Dimensional imp known as Mr. Mxyzptlk!

DC Universe | 560pg. | B&W | $ 16.99 US

Superman. Silver-Age. Mr.Mxyzptlk. Buy it.


image source: www.dccomics.com

On Sale This Week (04/11)

For those of you who haven't already noticed, there was no new Essential or Showcase Presents out this week. I know, it sucks. To help you get through this, here's something funny from last week's Showcase Presents Legion of the Super-Heroes courtesy of BeaucoupKevin.com

Rumor Mill : September's Essentials

Once again, Amazon.ca has updated its Marvel Comics publication schedule. Here's what you can expect to see in your favorite comics-shop this coming September. Don't forget, the publication of these books is NOT confirmed by Marvel and their descriptions are subject to changes.

ESSENTIAL DOCTOR STRANGE VOL.3
After earning the title of Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange must defend his title, his life and his world against enemies old and new! Dormammu, Silver Dagger, Nightmare, Stygyro and more test Strange's sorcery and sanity! And after a civil war in the Dark Dimension, a summoning of sorcerers, a debacle with Dracula and the apparent annihilation of Earth, can the Master of Mystic Arts stand up to something...Stranger Yet? Guest-starring the Avengers, Blade the Vampire Hunter and Nighthawk of the Defenders! Collects Dr. Strange #1-29, Annual #1 and Tomb of Dracula #44-45.

Not my kind of book, but I'm sure some people will be very glad to see this series continue.


ESSENTIAL PUNISHER VOL.2
Mobsters, terrorists, neo-Nazis, religious fanatics, armored killers, no one's too tough for the Punisher! Follow the trail of blood as Frank Castle's war on crime takes him across the country, south of the border, back to school and Down Under! Plus: The Man With Lots Of Guns vs. the Man Without Fear in a crossover with Daredevil! And who will live and die when the Punisher leads what might be the world's shortest-lived crime-fighting team against the Kingpin of Crime? With Typhoid Mary and a cameo by the X-Men! Collects Punisher #1-20, Annual #1 and Daredevil #257

I love the Punisher but I haven't read much of his past appearances. I should get the first volume of this series, but I find this one more interesting considering it reprints stories from the very late 80's, a period left almost untouched by the Essential line.

Source : Amazon.ca
Heads-up : Phonics Monkey Vol 2 on the Marvel Masterworks Message Board

On Sale This Week (04/04)

First of all, let me apologize for the obvious lack of content in the past week. I've been busy with "real life" stuff and I wasn't able to update the site as much as I would've liked. Sorry! Anyways, let's get back to the matter at hand and take a look at this week's books, because ladies and gentlemen, we've got one heck of a Wednesday to look forward to !

Marvel continues one of its bests Essential series with the publication of Essential Spider-Man Vol.8. It collects appearances by Nightcrawler, Nova, The Lizard, The Kingpin, Jigsaw, and best of all, the first ever appearance of the one, the only, Rocket Racer !

I mean, what could we ask more ? Add in some nice Russ Andru art a handful of Len Wein penned scripts and we've got great reads to look forward to !

ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN VOLUME 8
Spider-Man is as amazing as ever against adversarial alumni like the Lizard and the Kingpin, as well as up-and-coming enemies such as Stegron and Jigsaw – with the lesser-known larcenies of the Big Wheel and the Spider-Squad to fill his spare time! Featuring the first appearances of Rocket Racer and Will O 'the Wisp! Forgotten chapters from the Green Goblin legacy and the Clone Saga! Spider-Man's origin and Peter Parker's college graduation! And J. Jonah Jameson at his best and worst! Guest-starring the Punisher, Nova the Human Rocket, the Human Torch and the X-Men! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #161-185 and ANNUAL #11, GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN #6, and NOVA #12.

None to let themselves get beaten easily, the guys over at DC Comics got one of their big guns to compete with good old web-head for the undisputed title of book of the week. Forget Superman, Batman and even Wonder Woman. To tackle Spidey, DC needed more than one super-hero. In fact, they needed a whole legion of them... (Now THAT's what I call an intro!)


SHOWCASE PRESENTS: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES VOL. 1
Written by Jerry Siegel, Otto Binder, Edmond Hamilton and various; Art by Curt Swan, George Papp, John Forte and various; Cover by Swan and Stan Kaye

A massive black-and-white volume collecting classic tales of the Legionnaires, from ADVENTURE COMICS #247, 267, 282, 290, 293, and 300-328, ACTION COMICS #267, 276, 287 and 289, SUPERBOY #86, 89, 98 and 117, SUPERMAN 147, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #4, and SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN#72 and 76!

DC Universe | 552pg. | B&W | Softcover | $ 16.99 US

Now I'm not going to lie. The only LOSH books I've ever read were the first 14 issues of the recent The Legion series by Abnett, Lanning and Coipel. I really loved it, but I expect a completely different thing from this latest Showcase Presents. I hope it's in the same alley as the Superman volumes, which would means more than 500 pages of pure Silver-Age greatness.

With long-awaited publications from both Marvel and DC, this week is shaping up to be THE best week of 2007 for black and white reprints. Pay a little visit to your local comic shop this Wednesday, you won't be disappointed.


image sources: www.survivinggrady.com and www.dccomics.com