Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 2, Issue 29

On this Comic-Con Eve, we all gather ‘round the Tree of Dork to give thanks for all of the geeky goodness that has been brought to us this past year.

From the triumphant (and profitable!) return of Tony Stark to the impending premiere of Scott Pilgrim, comic book movies once again ruled the world.

Except for Jonah Hex.

He ruled nothing, and he liked it.

From the death of (SPOILER!) Nightcrawler to the return of (NO SPOILER, SINCE IT DIDN’T REALLY HAPPEN YET!...plus it’s the title) Bruce Wayne (kinda...maybe...he’s a pirate!); from the end of sales juggernaut that was Blackest Night to the beginning of the moderate success that is Brightest Day; from the shifting around of DC and Marvel editorial (Geoff Johns was named King of Continuity, officially) to the announcement that Stan Lee will be writing for BOOM!...it’s been a typical, wacky, too-much-fun-for-one-fanbase-to-handle year in the comic book industry proper.

In these past twelve months, we got the best Batman video game ever, an international surprise hit in Kick-Ass, and the biggest indy comic since that last one in Image’s Chew. We saw the X-Men take on the vampires and the JLA take on the JSA (and, sometimes, the JLA took on itself, which was fun).

We watched anxiously as Disney bought Marvel, and we jumped up and down at the news that Frank Darabont will be bringing Walking Deadto the small screen. We looked on in both abject horror and giddy curiosity as comics featuring the first appearances of Batman and Superman sold for well over a million dollars, each.

We lost comics luminaries Dick Giordano and Harvey Pekar, and the industry will never be the same without them.

There were Sieges and Dark Reigns, series finales and even a comic book “skip” week. But we made it. We got through. And now we stand at the precipice of another Comic-Con, another 4-day mega-event that puts geek culture on the Big Stage, in front of the whole world.

So give yourselves all a big pat on the back, and brace yourselves for the next 12 months. But first, to celebrate the moment before geekdom explodes tomorrow, I’m going to the comic book store this evening.

And this is what I’ll be buying:

Speaking of multimedia events...today sees the release of True Blood, issue one, from IDW. This is the official tie-in to the (excuse the term) monster hit HBO series, and you can bet your bitten neck that this book is going to sell out, quickly.
Fans of the show are (*ahem*) ravenous (I should know, since I’m one), and with Comic-Con this week, IDW is going to sell tons of copies of this issue.

Typically, I shy away from TV or movie tie-ins (mostly because they’re mostly horrible), but IDW is the unquestioned king of the licensed property. They do amazing work with already-established characters, and I’m willing to bet that this book is going to be great.

Like I said, I’m a big fan of the show--which I think is one of the best-written series on TV right now--and so I’ll be sure to grab a copy. Coupled with an aggressive digital push, IDW will be selling limited editions of this book in San Diego.

Here’s the solicitation information from IDW:

Alan Ball’s hit HBO series, the sensually sizzling story of the lives and loves of vampires, mind readers, and all manner of creatures, comes to IDW!

Blood and sex mix on a hot rainy night at Merlotte's, when Sookie and her friends are trapped by a vengeful spirit who feeds on shame. People die and dirty secrets are revealed as Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Tara, Jason, and Lafayette and are all coerced to dig deep and tell painful memories from their past—those things we all have locked within us that we never tell another living soul!

Bon Temps, Louisiana has never been stranger, or more twisted, in a story co-plotted by TRUE BLOOD series creator Alan Ball, with a script by David Tischman (Bite Club) and Mariah Huehner, and lush art by David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown).

This is one of those mythical cross-over titles, where non-comics people will come into the stores looking for their copies. Just like with Marvel's first series of Stephen King's Dark Tower books, IDW has the right people excited about True Blood.

Let's just hope they're able to keep them excited.

Next up, we have a book that I love, for some very not-so-clear reasons. But, since it is the day before one of the biggest collectors' events in the world, I figure it makes sense mentioning it here.

Today sees the release of the 40th annual Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. And, even though I'm not huge on the whole, comics as collectibles thing...this book is pretty important for anyone who has even a passing interest in collecting, or in learning about the history of the hobby.
I've bought a copy two of the last four years, and I plan to pick one up this year, as well. As far as comics price guides go, Overstreet is king. But the real meat of this book--for me, at least--comes in the hundred-plus pages in the front of book.

There, retailers, experts, and collectors all talk about how certain comics have increased or decreased in value over the past 12 months, and why. There's also several features on historic events, characters, and creators throughout the book, and--oh, yeah--the hundreds of pages of the actual price guide.

The other thing I love about the Guide is the ads! There are literally hundreds of them, and they range from colorful to downright pompous. But they're all great. So, yeah, I suspect that this is a book that people interested in the topic will be buying for sure, and everyone else will look at it as a giant paperweight.

Anyway...time to go. But before I do--what are you Waiting for?