tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81717902194477324562024-03-20T04:31:26.669-04:00Worthless ChildhoodA safe heaven for the victims of regretful investments and the disillusionment of collecting 90s pop culture noveltiesWorthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171790219447732456.post-45485091956619425952012-08-21T20:42:00.001-04:002012-08-24T23:36:21.305-04:00Good Girls, Bad Girls, 'BIG' Girls: Sexploitation in 90s Comics! (Part 1)<h3 style="text-align: center;">
DON'T FORGET TO TAKE THE <u style="color: red;">SURVEY</u> AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE! <span style="font-size: small;">(SCROLL DOWN)</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnP8rV5ZvkQz20xmtgYXdygfYLMBs9b5bvIKXc0xdv4lWcpCLEVlAGSasuZjvxSwO0lSn48CrJrJlJGr9Gzf5zVANY3X8N9z9qAF9KzBfTe7t9inDlF-NHRwhM6hDsfytpPGFWeGndDA/s1600/bigigiconsm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnP8rV5ZvkQz20xmtgYXdygfYLMBs9b5bvIKXc0xdv4lWcpCLEVlAGSasuZjvxSwO0lSn48CrJrJlJGr9Gzf5zVANY3X8N9z9qAF9KzBfTe7t9inDlF-NHRwhM6hDsfytpPGFWeGndDA/s1600/bigigiconsm.png" /></a>If there's one consistency in the history of comics, is that women have to have sex appeal. This is mostly due to the fact that the majority of the readers and creators were/are men. And let's face it, this was arguably THE biggest reason for 90s books to become such a HUGE success: Sexploitation! We started noticing an increase on the level of sexuality in main stream comics during the early 90s. Some good examples: Marvel Swimsuit Specials, Jim Lee's X-Men (most notably Psylocke) and the come-back of the original femme fatale: Vampirella, who had a strong revival in this turbulent decade.<br />
In 1992 Image was founded by the very artists that were pushing towards a more extreme and <i>risque</i> take on comics. By 1993 the portrayal of women in this popular media escalated to a whole new level. Now we had 'Super Porn Stars' with 'Super Powers' - <i>Yeeeaaah!</i> Fanboys went nuts! Now teenagers that didn't have easy access to adult magazines could pick up a comic from the local store and push just a hair of their imagination to get the same results. Older guys/men were no exception, everybody wanted a piece of it and they got it, with the best excuse in the world: "It's only a comic book." Genius!<br />
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Namorita from Marvel Swimsuit Special 1992, Sensational She-Hulk 1992 (Funny or sincere?)</h4>
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Vampirella 1991 (Michael Kaluta cover, Psylocke from the pages of X-Men 1992</h4>
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Human anatomy got re-created; from a thin or muscular body sporting a DDD+ cup that barely fits with an ass to go with it, to an abomination of Liefeld proportions, literally. <br />
I remember going to comic conventions during this time period and it was all over the place. From the professionals in the business to amateurs from hell: bad girl art was everywhere! Big posters and cardboard displays of huge breasts bursting out of some uncomfortable outfit or held by a couple of magical straps that defied gravity, demonic lesbians, S&M girls that were supposed to save the planet from who-knows-what, etc. Men brains went back to their cave days as we handed the cash. Funny enough this was supposed to make women look stronger, bad-ass, and of course, a feminist's favorite word "independent." Comic book girls weren't there anymore to accentuate the importance of the male protagonist by having to be rescued, or as an excuse for the Hero to seek revenge. However, through all of that, it became clear that this was just a testosterone driven movement made <u>by</u> men <u>for</u> men. Nonetheless, some girls still chose to see these exotic vixens as role models of some sort, or found some kind of fascination in their appeal...<br />
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A company that was key in helping spread the plague of demonic "babes" was Chaos Comics. Their main title Lady Death was a humongous success and "opened the gates" to other visually similar titles like Purgatory and Chastity.<br />
Lara Croft was huge (in more ways than one) when she first appeared in the 1996 smash hit video game Tomb Raider. She shared the same body type as the Super Heroines of the 1990s. Inevitably she was adapted to the comic book pages soon after. Her first appearance: a mini series where she teams up with Witchblade. Yes, Top Cow studios' Witchblade also became an instant winner for Image. Other famous Witchblade team-ups include Vampirella and [drum roll...] the Justice League!!!<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"><i>Top</i>: </span><span style="text-align: center;">Purgatory & Chastity just having a little 'girl talk' </span><span style="text-align: center;">Liefeld's Avengelyne & Glory</span><i style="text-align: center;">Bottom</i><span style="text-align: center;">: Tomb </span><span style="text-align: center;">Raider & Witchblade and </span><span style="text-align: center;">Lady Death</span></h4>
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As I mentioned before, Vampirella enjoyed a big come-back in the 90s. She might not look like it, being a vampire and all, but she is a 'mature lady' who had her first appearance back in 1969 when both the cover and inside pages presented good art. During the 1990s, most notably, the books featured cover illustrations by some big names in the industry such as: Dave Stevens, Adam Hughes, Joe Jusko and even the great Fank Frazetta. Harris Comics understood very well the power of good art when it came to competing with other titles spread throughout the shelves. The inside art...well, that's a different story. Alternately some covers presented a live model donning the trademark outfit. But other than the attractive model, these covers lacked any kind of immersive experience as far as background art or any kind of exotic backdrop, which made the point that much more obvious. Others followed the trend of live models like Avengelyne and Alley Cat.This presented an opportunity for fanboys to meet their favorite <i>babes</i> at conventions, and for the creators to cash in on their followers' wet dreams come true. [Arguably!] Marvel and DC were just a tad behind their competitors when it came to the level of sexploitation, but there's no doubt they pushed it as much as they could.<br />
Because of the subject matter titles with <i>babes</i> became instant collectibles and were exploited with a barrage of alternate and chrome covers, trading cards and Swimsuit specials. If you missed it, you had to pay a pretty penny to see "Lady Death" in lingerie, IF you could find it. Funny enough Wizard magazine prices were always too generous compared to the real collector's market which was way more brutal!<br />
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Other worthy mentions: Catwoman, Gen13's Fairchild, Barb Wire, Shi, Glory, Battle Chasers' Red Monica, WildC.A.Ts' Vodoo, Dawn, Danger Girl, Razor, Lady Rawhide, Spawn's Angela...The list goes on and on.<br />
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From left:Gen13's Caitlin Fairchild being all innocent, Catwoman with a conveniently torn outfit and Spawn's Angela</h4>
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From Left: Battle Chasers' Red Sonj..errr..Monica and Dawn</h4>
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Once it started, there was no stopping it. Even today some of these sex icons are still alive and well. A handful have grown beyond comic book media. As we all know Tomb Raider made it into a couple of major motion pictures with Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. Witchblade had a 2 season run as a TV series on TNT, which apparently didn't do too bad. There's also supposed to be a movie release for 2013. Barb Wire was made into a movie starring Pamela Anderson at the peak of her career. Vampirella got a straight to video movie release. Lady Death was made into an anime feature in 2004 and Darkchylde (WHAT???) will also be made into a movie for 2013 directed by John Carpenter.<br />
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Some kids get to meet Mickey Mouse, she gets Purgatory! (Pic from Cosplay.com)</h4>
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When it comes to Worthless Childhood we have to find out if any of our investments on Bad/Good girl comics from the 90s are worth anything. Gentleman Troy is already working on a "Worthless Guide" for this genre. But before we reveal if your investment in such comics paid off after all these years, <span style="background-color: white;">we want you to vote!</span><span style="color: red;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Take our survey!</span></span></h3>
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So tell us, out of this list, who was your favorite 90s vixen? Or in
WC lingo: which one title did you invest the most in. The results will
be revealed after 10 days! Please spread the word, we want as many
participants as possible.</h3>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">*It wasn't easy to decide who to leave out, but we purposely eliminated: Catwoman, Lara Croft and Psylocke from the survey due to the fact that they have way too many incarnations, and people might just vote for them thinking of a particular version that is really not relevant to this poll (<i>e.g. Catwoman from Batman The Animated Series, Catwoman from Batman Returns, Catwoman from the 1993 DC series, etc.</i>)</span></span></span></h3>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" name="poll-widget57166449230962109" src="http://www.google.com/reviews/polls/display/57166449230962109/blogger_template/run_app?txtclr=%23666666&lnkclr=%232288bb&chrtclr=%232288bb&font=normal+normal+12px+Georgia,+Utopia,+%27Palatino+Linotype%27,+Palatino,+serif&hideq=true&purl=http://worthlesschildhood.blogspot.com/" style="border: none; width: 100%;"></iframe>Worthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171790219447732456.post-57428448663139338452012-08-19T20:56:00.003-04:002012-08-23T20:59:28.633-04:00Worthless Auction: the easy guide to worthless junk!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQcEwjgHt7qqoSOEB-X-DAzADTeh14fLoubFwKZRR8gxIYZyXnIcAJ_1_Y8gWda33tvzikXZq3R_V-pYTnje_l9xJK6zSflx31x6WJoohV5-fkP0Sm_o73_UScIKCKpjEL2vyk-AnPlU/s1600/featured-auction2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyQcEwjgHt7qqoSOEB-X-DAzADTeh14fLoubFwKZRR8gxIYZyXnIcAJ_1_Y8gWda33tvzikXZq3R_V-pYTnje_l9xJK6zSflx31x6WJoohV5-fkP0Sm_o73_UScIKCKpjEL2vyk-AnPlU/s1600/featured-auction2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Kick up a row! If you own this or not, it's almost irrelevant. Here's what this rubbish is worth! Cry or laugh, do whatever it takes to keep your sanity and stand the gaff!!! <click to enlarge></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHz1T0eN0j_UNetc9GuwGfumPoBnD8HloxGvsVB8OgMLaiyrdvpiRdOQeeUP-Fwwyv56Up3tA-KL7Q4_j28YfyevvIC7EVJBAiR-n4WFfd2nNnv2hcAZXwgCzQ0a3s9shYfWY1fG7_lw/s1600/auction1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHz1T0eN0j_UNetc9GuwGfumPoBnD8HloxGvsVB8OgMLaiyrdvpiRdOQeeUP-Fwwyv56Up3tA-KL7Q4_j28YfyevvIC7EVJBAiR-n4WFfd2nNnv2hcAZXwgCzQ0a3s9shYfWY1fG7_lw/s400/auction1.jpg" width="400" /></a> </h3>
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Worthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171790219447732456.post-69898255752277623422012-08-14T23:40:00.001-04:002012-08-15T07:41:55.258-04:00Magic: The Gathering....of Nerds and other CCGs<br />
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Collectable Card Games (CCGs) made headway in the 1990s. The
introduction of Magic: The Gathering issued in an avalanche of different card
games all with their own variations gameplay, strategy and background stories.
I became aware of these games during my heyday at the local Laser Tag facility
at which I was employed. In the days before online gaming, gaggles of nerds
gathered in person to challenge each other in games of skill. It was a common
sight to see many card games being played in the seating areas around the game
facility. I got sucked into the CCG world along with a few other male employees
at this time as we were friends with the regulars who spent more time there
than those of us who were actually employed at the business.</div>
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It became quickly apparent, that during the games we
watched, certain cards were more rare or had better abilities than others. This
began the rise in trading card values. Magic was the clear favorite amongst the
gamers, so obviously I tried out Wyvern instead. I may be one of only two
people to have actually played this CCG. This also meant that I missed out on
purchasing older M:TG<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>packs which
actually had some value. Wyvern might as well have had the Image logo printed
on them. Anyway, I eventually got into M:TG and played fairly decent games. I
had a variety of playable decks available mainly due to the fact that I owned
about 6000 cards. The plus side was that I saw it as a game, not as
collectables. I mean, how can you expect cards to hold great value when the
game requires you to use the newest sets and older cards become unusable.
Certain cards also became restricted or banned from play, which makes for a
poor investment if no one can use them. However, some cards have done well in
the set, just none of the ones I own. So, if you happen to own a Black Lotus,
Time Twister, Ancestral Recall or any Mox cards, you may have done well
assuming anyone ever wants to actually shell out the money to purchase these
from you. As we’ve said before, they are only worth what someone is willing to
pay and I believe that pool of buyers is rapidly depleting.</div>
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6,000 Plus!!!</h3>
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There were several other sets that did well with younger
crowds like Pokemon, which taught the finer points of dog fighting on a larger
scale. Then there was Yu-Gi-Oh, which spawned one of the stupidest cartoons
ever. Is it really necessary for two opponents, who are apparently some sort of
masters at the game, to have to explain in great detail every move they are
making and how it will ultimately affect the other opponent's critters? Then the
sadistic asshole writers would also make you listen to the inner dialogue the
players were having with themselves. I’m glad poker isn’t like that.</div>
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Yu-Gi-Oh-<i>No</i>! More excuses to blow your cash</h3>
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Star Wars tried cashing in on this too. I fell for it. I
must admit I bought it exclusively to collect, because honestly who else is
going to buy Star Wars stuff, this has to be a good investment, right?</div>
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Lucas jumping on the bandwagon?...Weird</h3>
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For those of you who got into CCGs because you enjoyed
playing the game, kudos to you and I hope you had/have fun with your game. If
you made investment choices buying Legend of the Five Rings or Jyhad (if you
bought Jyhad you should get punched in the privates) then you probably got
caught up in the hype. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will conclude
that CCGs have their allure, but play them for fun, if you want to make money
on cards, go to the casino.</div>
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And we do mean WIN! As in: Unbelievable Leprechaun farts LUCK!!!! We're still trying to get over this. If you got this Lotus card back in the day or gave your friend a couple of Franklins for it and then, for some reason, decided to keep it mint and get it graded by "professionals"..... This is what you could be getting for it TODAY! You'd be one lucky guy/gal... check this auction out! We hate to say it but "OMG!!!"</h3>
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Worthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171790219447732456.post-64447824367396006592012-07-15T21:49:00.000-04:002012-07-16T10:03:06.411-04:00Worthless Comic of July 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to our very first review. We decided to give the reverence to the comic that somehow ended up in every 1990s comic book collection. After years of meeting fellow collectors of worthless comics from our generation, it seems we are all magically bound by this common title. Yes, we may all have missed Spawn #1 or #4, WildCATs #1 or even GEN13 #2 but somehow we didn't miss <b>STORMWATCH #1</b>. This is a strange phenomenon that somehow happened. We're all united by this waste of ink and paper. And to give you the best possible review of this chaotic masterpiece is our new friend and special guest: <b><span style="font-size: small;">Daniel Elkin!</span> </b>We're thrilled to have him<b>...</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He keeps a blog, </i><a href="http://danielrelkin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #961d0f;"><span style="font: inherit;">Your Chicken Enemy</span></span><i style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">.</i></a></span></td></tr>
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<b>Random Pulls from the Bargain Bin</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>THIS COLUMN ORIGINALLY RAN ON <a href="http://www.comicsbulletin.com/" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">COMICS BULLETIN</a></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>STORMWATCH #1</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Published by: Image Comics/Malibu Comics</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Written by: Brandon Choi and Jim Lee</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Art by: Scott Clark</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">HEL... HELP ME … THE PAIN...</span></b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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It's March, 1993. It was in this month that fucking Whitney Houston's <i>I Will Always Love You</i> became the longest running number one single of all time. <i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3</i> opened in movie theaters, <i>Bebe's Kids</i> was released on home video, and Brandon Lee was killed during the filming of <i>The Crow</i>.<br />
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What a miserable month.</div>
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As if there wasn't enough shit in the atmosphere already in March, 1993, Image Comics fucking sharted out <i>Stormwatch</i> #1 into the world.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8171790219447732456" name="more"></a>Now I know there are plenty of Stormwatch fans out
there. Hell, DC has even included the title in their relaunch. But
seriously, this is 1993 Stormwatch. Say what you will about what happens
to the team in the future, but their birth was a seriously exploded
placenta and vaginal dischargedcovered stillbirth.<br />
<br />
There. I said it. And I'm proud.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSXXgN2C4o1WpyMQZNAMQIGj0iPuQ9ncCxs9uMoz5KF0sCCla8yvkDrDr7J4pJUJUfwoPLaB5BC6-h47-y2vFAzigSAEomblbht60VTOWtHwgUb1qyn4m1k_rBF2pl49m2DjS1dV9JFo/s1600/2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvSXXgN2C4o1WpyMQZNAMQIGj0iPuQ9ncCxs9uMoz5KF0sCCla8yvkDrDr7J4pJUJUfwoPLaB5BC6-h47-y2vFAzigSAEomblbht60VTOWtHwgUb1qyn4m1k_rBF2pl49m2DjS1dV9JFo/s400/2.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
So there's this rather dramatic opening splashpage full of all those
fucking thin black lines that had to cover everything in comic books in
the 90's. There's Battalion blasting away in Sarajevo, killing people
all over the place in the name of saving U.N. Envoy John Windsor and a
bunch of children.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The next page is a double splash where we get to meet the rest of the team and see some of the soldiers they are killing.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpK2FVBANir-YkH8tfdu0-SUyXbXr1YzrK3PfUkgfCmc7j_7ei6HXodIDCC2aKaqaDb3yLAKw073OCJUZitJLYMi43teGHbwsqSXCT8dPdJY7Qkj0fE_B4zMCAUVkjm5fTHe3yFKPSeY/s1600/3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpK2FVBANir-YkH8tfdu0-SUyXbXr1YzrK3PfUkgfCmc7j_7ei6HXodIDCC2aKaqaDb3yLAKw073OCJUZitJLYMi43teGHbwsqSXCT8dPdJY7Qkj0fE_B4zMCAUVkjm5fTHe3yFKPSeY/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is the first of many pose-off's that occur in this comic. What was
it about this decade that made artists like Scott Clark feel the need
to constantly put the characters in these outlandish positions? Was it a
reflection of the narcissism of the decade. Was Madonna more prescient
than anyone ever gave her credit for when she released <i> Vogue</i> at the start of this horrific decade? Just look at Winter in the art above. Who stands like that?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Anyway... blast, blast, kill, kill.... Then the bad guys show up for their pose.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEr3CZ_7ykJHtWXceBKWPnk1MVcL3xjXcRuYSxNF_wh9JFN7YGYha9dgbzA0VituTRO4y0-Xat3d3R20__FgzO5y0WgBA6yH8hlgykymkL2FXF-jDntiGNQ62SkMBHOIwjEyeECAsOl0/s1600/4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEr3CZ_7ykJHtWXceBKWPnk1MVcL3xjXcRuYSxNF_wh9JFN7YGYha9dgbzA0VituTRO4y0-Xat3d3R20__FgzO5y0WgBA6yH8hlgykymkL2FXF-jDntiGNQ62SkMBHOIwjEyeECAsOl0/s400/4.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
<br />
Which the Stormwatch team sees as a challenge, I guess, so they strike a new pose.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCZEtdBbJ9MtSp-7X2doPDHz9MML_5MhnfALQiPM1qVgSslV0B7M0IRhC6Aic4JSqQ7ocjaJo8REcOgk9E2Trz9JjSW099dgiDJ5cbZAF5lF9neC-ZmY5Jp3yexakugyH__809QIjB8Q/s1600/5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCZEtdBbJ9MtSp-7X2doPDHz9MML_5MhnfALQiPM1qVgSslV0B7M0IRhC6Aic4JSqQ7ocjaJo8REcOgk9E2Trz9JjSW099dgiDJ5cbZAF5lF9neC-ZmY5Jp3yexakugyH__809QIjB8Q/s400/5.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Stormwatch and the Mercs fight over posing rights or something.
Stormwatch defeats the Mercs, but at the cost of the life of U.N. Envoy
John Windsor, who was a friend of Battalion . This fucks up Battalion
and gives him nightmares. I know this since the comic suddenly jumps to
Battalion's apartment in Manhattan two days later and he is sitting up
in his bed screaming “Noooooo!”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I hate lazy shit like this.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Battalion has not only been woken up by his nightmares, but also by the
fact that there are police at his door. Freakishly muscle bound,
Battalion marches to the door, only to find this waiting for him on the
other side:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7K5nmwPQO_flN0xB7xFHDgpLteGGwLJPLzU2WCdTm8kvjzPqFnU-A3NTXfH1ArUfj15iIpdn-tjB4NxOTCj7B9OmiWaGsVXj2E6yuJt8AXkDPBpywJ6f_REf63uUI7msvj1FsogCNYD4/s1600/6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7K5nmwPQO_flN0xB7xFHDgpLteGGwLJPLzU2WCdTm8kvjzPqFnU-A3NTXfH1ArUfj15iIpdn-tjB4NxOTCj7B9OmiWaGsVXj2E6yuJt8AXkDPBpywJ6f_REf63uUI7msvj1FsogCNYD4/s400/6.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<br />
Really?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Did women actually wear outfits like this in the 90's? Did their arms
hang down to their knees like this? Did they feel the need to pose with
one arm akimbo while delivering platitudes of condolence? </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There has been an awful lot of discussion lately about the depiction of
women in comics. I am certainly no authority on this topic, but come
on.... look at this shit. I would love to hear what Brandon Choi, Scott
Clark, and <b>especially</b> Jim Lee had to say about why they
chose to depict Synergy the way they did on this page. I assume there
was a thought process behind it. I would just like to hear what it was.
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Whatever...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Synergy is at the door with Battalion's brother, Malcolm, who has been
arrested earlier in the evening for breaking and entering and
accidentally shooting one of his accomplices in the chest, killing him.
Because Battalion is a member of Stormwatch, though, his whole family
has diplomatic immunity which means the police can't do anything with
Malcolm.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I think this whole bit is supposed to provide some sort of character
development for Malcolm and Battalion, but honestly the whole thing is
such crap that all it does is annoy me even further. I mean, diplomatic
immunity? That's what they come up with?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Then there's some more shit about Skywatch and Weatherman One that
serves no purpose in the narrative of this issue, but is probably
important to know if you wanted to read more of the series. I don't at
this point, so fuck it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The comic then jumps to U.N. Envoy John Windsor's funeral where Synergy
and Battalion have a conversation about his leaving Stormwatch.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The bad guys take the funeral as an opportunity for payback and posing.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2WYUR1Rr90aBzm0kE09gajU-E-wjIyR1LXGsmZ5ooZOvy98Q1XqgddRod0ZncMcCCUvPXexS5PGB9CLgFwGMe5pkAEBsfZ5iBCrwr8zRYqtjVBhGxpEFEGve-EBqnytzn4FZnbxzrtk/s1600/7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2WYUR1Rr90aBzm0kE09gajU-E-wjIyR1LXGsmZ5ooZOvy98Q1XqgddRod0ZncMcCCUvPXexS5PGB9CLgFwGMe5pkAEBsfZ5iBCrwr8zRYqtjVBhGxpEFEGve-EBqnytzn4FZnbxzrtk/s400/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
There's fighting. There's bullshit dialogue. There's more of those black
lines covering everything. And then one of the Mercs shoots Malcolm. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
On the ground, steaming, Malcolm echoes my exact sentiments after having read this far into this comic.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrsKZn4FrbuPEx1aIsgAVnbeqGZOjqmsIqG-fdbCmGBryiJVI435-8gRpzJVNvTYLZLbrIrE8wAwWHmkTHkg-IsXRDA0toorJu4CJfu6IfQp6h_-Cc9-cEQb7XnxQy7CRwSiG65tmiHw/s1600/8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrsKZn4FrbuPEx1aIsgAVnbeqGZOjqmsIqG-fdbCmGBryiJVI435-8gRpzJVNvTYLZLbrIrE8wAwWHmkTHkg-IsXRDA0toorJu4CJfu6IfQp6h_-Cc9-cEQb7XnxQy7CRwSiG65tmiHw/s640/8.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
There's been this whole subplot (or maybe it's the main plot, who knows)
about capturing Seedlings. It turns out that Malcolm is one of them,
which gives Synergy the opportunity to suddenly break out in a sweat
covered grimace and touch Malcolm's face.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBXhyphenhypheniR3dbPOpk3GXS2bW00U3nVlx1UJynpZ_xdnQxi3kS-2j4cXfH-axoi8JE8mYdIEOgnHHqww0Ecp-XR1L4vnx-x3PK3bVKIjzkqtCSOrE_NUL5ViCMMGm5K0B_tmfPVBZfXKXE6k/s1600/9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBXhyphenhypheniR3dbPOpk3GXS2bW00U3nVlx1UJynpZ_xdnQxi3kS-2j4cXfH-axoi8JE8mYdIEOgnHHqww0Ecp-XR1L4vnx-x3PK3bVKIjzkqtCSOrE_NUL5ViCMMGm5K0B_tmfPVBZfXKXE6k/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Her fingernail to his cheekbone “activates” him somehow. The act of “activating” Malcolm means this:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjER-WFtI0PvCjpalL7aPSC2VxnbSsyJR6xRnUy2U1N_TlA8wnSSyzL-fqdaFogmWehwrc2giDAfgMdkplqO6qkhqgsdmNxu0g-BMVWrpCU-cXXqvhU_RuSi-7jIXxdCiErQmcEazbdg/s1600/10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjER-WFtI0PvCjpalL7aPSC2VxnbSsyJR6xRnUy2U1N_TlA8wnSSyzL-fqdaFogmWehwrc2giDAfgMdkplqO6qkhqgsdmNxu0g-BMVWrpCU-cXXqvhU_RuSi-7jIXxdCiErQmcEazbdg/s400/10.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
It also means that this comic is over.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
I don't know. Maybe I'm being too harsh. I'm sure that if I was in the
right frame of mind I might be able to find some redeeming features to <i>Stormwatch</i>
#1, but right now I just can't do it. I found the comic just plain
offensive to my sensibilities both in terms of art and story. It felt
formulaic, it relied on lazy story telling, it seemed more like a
showcase for bad art than an actual piece of entertainment, and it just
reeked of profit mongering – pretty much everything that turned me
against comics in the 90's.<br />
<br />
And with so much else going on in the world now, and so many, many
better comics out there to read, I'm just downright pissed that I even
spent 15 minutes of my life immersed in this book, let alone all the
time I've now devoted to writing about it.<br />
<br />
All of this brings me back to my original questions. Why the hell am I
doing this? Why even try to draw attention to comics this awful? Maybe,
other than having some sort of martyr complex, I am trying to serve a
purpose. <br />
<br />
Maybe, just maybe, I am reminding people that comics don't need to be
like this. Maybe, just maybe, I'm helping some aspiring young comic
creator understand all that can go wrong with the medium and, through
this understanding, inspire him or her to try something original,
something dynamic, something important. <br />
<br />
Because comics can be these things. They can be inspirational, they can
point to our human condition in both a celebratory and condemning
fashion, they can make you think about your world, yourself, and your
society. Comic can be important.<br />
<br />
So, ultimately, as much as I would like to smack each of you on the back
of the head hard for putting this wet brown bag of a comic out, thank
you Brandon Choi, Jim Lee, and Scott Clark for doing it. Your garbage
has made me grapple with myself, answer some questions, give me some
purpose, and, through that, I hope to have inspired others.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Worthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171790219447732456.post-49302347345991685892012-07-15T14:39:00.002-04:002012-07-16T10:07:21.552-04:00Image Comics! The root of all evil<h2 style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MJJQBvFsttINPrWJql-ES4zkCALP6xseZghnUetZSlXSbLCG2kT_AdWmQtSTuC9-JT9KjD9sVd6MH28A37r5HdPEr7zQ08W4kNWUEf_Y3wSL_XtA3wKS1V52u1uKY8pmiu9Vy6sX6Lk/s1600/imgfoundersthx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MJJQBvFsttINPrWJql-ES4zkCALP6xseZghnUetZSlXSbLCG2kT_AdWmQtSTuC9-JT9KjD9sVd6MH28A37r5HdPEr7zQ08W4kNWUEf_Y3wSL_XtA3wKS1V52u1uKY8pmiu9Vy6sX6Lk/s400/imgfoundersthx.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4>
<span style="background-color: white;">The Founding members of Image through the eyes of WC. From
left: (front row) Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, Todd McFarlane, Rob
Liefeld. (Back row): Whilce Portacio, Jim Lee, Erik Larsen</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtzOZNQLPEk2SR_2ZfBI-7IlWmutiI6T3KTH41NAHWMFg1CmnkH92XuJi330C7lgjfVQ1eM3VCpwW5xB5sJGf0esxWPK1uJBe6nq21fL8k4vfiTWkm3ccjc253GeXxHdfml_Vw73jI8I/s1600/Imgefacts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtzOZNQLPEk2SR_2ZfBI-7IlWmutiI6T3KTH41NAHWMFg1CmnkH92XuJi330C7lgjfVQ1eM3VCpwW5xB5sJGf0esxWPK1uJBe6nq21fL8k4vfiTWkm3ccjc253GeXxHdfml_Vw73jI8I/s1600/Imgefacts.jpg" /></a></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span id="goog_995431082"></span><span id="goog_995431083"></span> </span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69RkGPahYHdAUaUYszP36dehqVhH8KTaXBezpk8jESK6Wk2bGmtzqFKqas4HygguAuFtQsAk8gG3OttOW79X8spvLn1gqXP2yVx61v2AZ8bZ65gJZDQjaAbdZB51hR5UvwvpLqEpqNME/s1600/cajrichiconsm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69RkGPahYHdAUaUYszP36dehqVhH8KTaXBezpk8jESK6Wk2bGmtzqFKqas4HygguAuFtQsAk8gG3OttOW79X8spvLn1gqXP2yVx61v2AZ8bZ65gJZDQjaAbdZB51hR5UvwvpLqEpqNME/s1600/cajrichiconsm.png" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> Oh, Image comics, you scamp! I was so proud, collecting Spawn #1-64, (including three copies of the #1 issue and two copies of Angela’s introduction.) Also, who could forget, the still in package, Spawn action figure, along with his buddies Medieval Spawn, Violator and Tremor hanging in my closet. But wait there’s more…excuse me a moment while I compose myself. Let’s not forget those titles that shattered my desire to collect with any hope of capitalizing on my purchases. I’m looking at you Stormwatch, Prophet, Youngblood, @#$* Wetworks that I waited forever to be released, Brigade, The Maxx (I hoped the MTV cartoon of this would help, but alas was not to be,) Union, Shadowhawk (uugh!,) Gen 13 (facepalm,) Pitt, Savage Dragon, Cyberforce,……I’m just going to stop here before I punch my monitor.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
I think one of my Avengelyne comics might be worth a few dollars. I’m just so glad I sprung for the Wizard magazines so I could order my #1/2 issues. I mean, a spitball fight might breakout and it’s nice to know I have ammo. On a side note, the Spawn figures can hold pieces of dog food quite nicely, my dog, however, is still not sure about this little guy handing him food. Maybe he’d eat it out of Violator’s mouth?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br />
I did enjoy some of Todd McFarlane’s books, but I’m a bit disappointed that he rubbed it in our faces by dropping such a large amount of money on baseballs every time someone breaks a record ($3 million Mark McGwire, $500,00 Barry Bonds.) I’d think if there was any justice in the universe that maybe in twenty or so years he’d check up on his ball prices and they’d be worth something like $1.95. It won’t matter to him much though, he’s established himself financially. I can’t say I blame him for doing what he enjoys and God bless Capitalism, but it’s just a reminder of where the rest of us failed.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4lXzcQy9Aq5iTGGxtGVeinbrdejmgjp9t7YmPAwCq8wkIpLp2G2VLlcbAfWh-PDw0MngnpYtBQCNuH3LBVhYH0sFgUSe5LlPahDRmUA82D5JQKnhuYLQPh-NjYqZ6AcNBVqczpDhJaI/s1600/1stishs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4lXzcQy9Aq5iTGGxtGVeinbrdejmgjp9t7YmPAwCq8wkIpLp2G2VLlcbAfWh-PDw0MngnpYtBQCNuH3LBVhYH0sFgUSe5LlPahDRmUA82D5JQKnhuYLQPh-NjYqZ6AcNBVqczpDhJaI/s1600/1stishs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4 style="text-align: center;">
The 1st four Image comics ever: [from left] Spawn #1 (2012 value from $.99 to $5
NM), WildC.A.T.s #1 (2012 value $.99 NM), Youngblood #1 (2012 value
$.50 NM), The Savage Dragon #1 (2012 value "worthless" NM)</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
</h4>
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</div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">I was kind of leery to get into the Image scene, like I wasn't supposed to or something. I think it was because at the time I was strictly buying Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight and [McFarlane’s] Spider-Man, with the occasional X-Men title thrown in the mix. DC and Marvel (along with Archie) comics made a good job brainwashing me since my tender years to believe that there was nothing [great] beyond their realm. But the Image buzz was too big to ignore. Like many other uneducated comic book geek of the time I thought Jim Lee and McFarlane were the shit and I hated the fact that they had left Marvel and moved on to this “new project”.</span><br style="font-weight: normal;" /><br style="font-weight: normal;" /><span style="font-weight: normal;">One day I made the decision to get acquainted with Image and find out what the fuss was about so I went to a local magazine store with the "creepy" adult section hidden on the back. I approached this guy that didn't really look like a comic book collector but he was glancing excitedly over every Image title on the shelf. He seemed like a perfect candidate to put at ease my inquiring mind. I was in my late teens at the time, this guy must have been in his early to mid 40s, I asked him something stupid to break the ice: “So…You like <i>Imáge</i> comics?", the guy said "What??" Don't ask me why, but back then I called Image comics: "<i>Imáge</i>" accentuating the “a,” you know, like French. Must have been my foreign roots. Anyway he politely corrected me and went on all excited to tell me about Spawn, WildCATs and Shadowhawk. He also mentioned some of the Valiant titles that were coming out at the time. He warned me how limited these comics were and that they weren’t massed produced like the main stream giants.</span></h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Finally, he gave me advice about not buying the comics with the newsstand bar codes: “Buy direct sales instead.” That’s something I heard multiple times thereafter. In other words: the comics that were sold at your local "Piggly Wiggly" with a bar code on the cover were not as “valuable” as the ones you would find at your comic book store. These would have an icon of some sort in place of the bar code, or in other instances <i>Direct Sales</i> written next to the bar code.</span></h4>
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<i>Newsstand </i>edition on left, <i>Direct Sales </i>edition on right. Notice the difference on the lower right corner icons</h4>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Basically that day I got a crash course on the “exciting” world of collecting comics in the 90s. This jack-ass (bless his soul) convinced me that Image was the next big thing and that I should buy their comics, not only for the “great art” but as an <b>INVESTMENT</b> (<i>echo..echo...echo...</i>). I actually got all excited and picked up a couple of things that night. I wish I could remember which titles exactly. I know one of them was Spawn for sure, even though I had already missed the first 5 issues or so. He told me he had multiple copies of #1 and #4 and I felt jealous (HA!). I also remember picking up something useless like “Tribe” or some shit, because there was only one copy left on the shelf, in my head that meant “this title must be hot”. I was poisoned from then on, at least for a while... </span></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Mr Moo</b> promises to find a better use for this Wetworks #1</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: large;">The Image topic is so vast and such an essential part of our blog that we decided to dissect it in many posts to come. We’ll share the pain together as we’ll go title by title, alternate covers to Wizard’s #1/2s, toys and everything in between. Stay tuned...</span></h4>
</div>Worthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171790219447732456.post-89778518843383865232012-06-24T15:26:00.001-04:002012-08-22T16:29:59.891-04:00The Death of Superman: The Beginning of the End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">News segment from 1992. Gotta love the zany interviews</span></h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLjSr3X1SbQScr57HXjdqM_0x4HgXm7DOPFzMaampMNUlQR6SDtMoYyGr4_UGnYP0s7FhgzHJcTw3O5oV3AJPI73IgAToR2eij_E0Tgp_y5lr8bkIGAEkvX4ChbaI7hvUbUGwo3BMAWo/s1600/cajrichiconsm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLjSr3X1SbQScr57HXjdqM_0x4HgXm7DOPFzMaampMNUlQR6SDtMoYyGr4_UGnYP0s7FhgzHJcTw3O5oV3AJPI73IgAToR2eij_E0Tgp_y5lr8bkIGAEkvX4ChbaI7hvUbUGwo3BMAWo/s1600/cajrichiconsm.png" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I remember the day Superman died. The comic store, which I frequented, was awkwardly packed with parents hoping to obtain a copy for their children. People who had never stepped foot into a comic store anxiously waited in line for their copies, which were limited to one per customer. Having a weekly account at this location, I simply removed my copy, which was waiting for me in the store folder. I almost felt sorry for those people waiting in line knowing many of them would leave empty handed. The evening news had made the country and the world aware of this monumental event and I had my piece of history lying on my car seat awaiting its home in the cardboard comic box in the closet.<br /><br />I was initially pleased with the demand and knew the sky was the limit for my newest investment. Then it happened; the tidal wave of funeral for a friend issues, multiple crossovers and the four new super assholes who proved to be necessary for the series of postmortem books. I must admit, it was purely a business venture in purchasing these other issues, which I guess was a good thing because if I purchased them for actual substance, I would have gone into a deep state of remorse and depression. So, just as it seemed as the world would be moving on and Metropolis would look towards its next defender, guess what lying douche shows back up. Now he was more powerful than ever; able to destroy entire collections value in a single issue, proving that if there was a market, there was a way to milk it; and I…I got milked. I have the white bag comic to prove it.<br /><br />So, for those of you who spent countless dollars and months buying what was to be series of comics celebrating a fallen hero and completing the Superman story line, you are not alone. I’m sure there are collectors out there willing to sell their entire Superman debacle along with an evening with their wives just to try and break even for their horrible choice in comic speculation. If you take anything with you from this point it should be the following, next time a major comic producer decides that a prominent character contracts Ebola or gets incinerated by an alien enema, take your hard earned money and buy some shares of stock in the company itself instead of a paperback book that will be cheaper to use as toilet paper twenty years from now. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">'The Death and Return of Superman' phenomenon explained in 17 minutes! <span style="font-weight: normal;">A hilarious parody film by Max Landis</span>.</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> Starring Elden Henson, Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore et al</span>. <span style="color: red;">WARNING</span>: contains <span style="color: red;">strong language</span> </h4>
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In this section we'll present a realistic guide to the value of featured items. Gentleman Troy has put many hours into research going through old collectible price guides to newer ones. To no surprise he found Ebay to be the most accurate of all. Anybody can come up with values and numbers but just remember that in the end: "They're only worth whatever you can get someone to pay for them." For this very reason the prices fluctuate a lot! It's really hard to tell what a particular collector is thinking when buying something. An item could be worth $1 one day and three days later somebody will pay $25 for the exact same thing.</div>
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With that in mind, Gentleman Troy will show you the average item price then (if hot) and the average price now, which items are <b>Worthless</b>, which are <b>Ok</b> and which rare "gems" are actually a <b>Win</b>. We call it the <b>WOW</b> system, as in like "WOW what a waste!"</div>
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A quick guide to the 'Guide':</h3>
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<b>WORTHLESS</b>: welcome to the club! You better like how this item looks or have a fond memory attached to it. It won't do anything for your pocket</div>
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<b>OK</b>: not what you thought it would be worth, but you'll get some 'change' out of it</div>
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<b>WIN</b>: the wait paid off! this is that rare exception you were hoping for!</div>
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<b>Item Condition</b>: <b>NM</b>: Near Mint, <b>M</b>: Mint. Anything bellow this won't be mentioned as it is most likely worthless. If you actually read those comics or opened that package, you're screwed.</div>
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<b>CGC rating</b>: CGC stands for <a href="http://www.cgccomics.com/grading/" target="_blank">Certified Guaranty Company</a>. This is the biggest if not <u>the only</u> grading system accepted by collectors of comics and magazines. This company has been around for years and their reputation is impeccable. They can grade anyone's comics for a fee, but once graded (1 through 10), a particular book can triple its value!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Death of Superman:</span></h3>
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The "Big One": Superman #75 Memorial Set NM/M sealed. Not worth much as you can see. $12.00 average. Back in early 1993 it was worth $75 - $100+! However, it didn't take long for the value to go crashing down after the return of Superman. By 1996 this book was worth $25</h3>
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Superman #75 from left: 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st printing. You'll be lucky to get $1.75 for any of these. 3 million+ copies sold back in the day, at least half of those will plague the "collector's" market for decades to come.</h3>
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Inside Superman #75 Memorial Set. From left: Pogs set, trading card, stamps, obituary, armband.</h3>
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Funeral For a Friend 1 through 8 NM/M. If luck is on your side and you have a complete set you might be able to get $10-$25, if you add the JLA # 70 and Epilogue you might actually get $30 - $45 for the whole set!</h3>
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Double Worthless! You have to pay someone to take these from you.</h3>
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'Doomsday' trading cards by SkyBox. One of many useless "collectibles" launched by DC to squeeze the pennies out of your wallet. A set of these cards is worthless. An unopened box might fetch you $25 on a good day.</h3>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> And the winner is...</span></h2>
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Yes! We have a winner. If you ever even saw this Platinum Edition and could afford it at 1992 prices you made a wise decision (you didn't open it, did you?). Limited to 10,000 copies, this issue near mint to mint will score you anywhere from $75 to $200+ on average depending on the alignment of the planets that particular day. If you invest some cash and have it graded by CGC at 9.2 or higher you might be sitting on a small fortune of $350 to $400+. People are actually buying this one!..............for nowWorthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8171790219447732456.post-53800388974698791982012-06-19T21:15:00.000-04:002012-06-22T12:36:20.040-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl0i_pKmcQEau2x6O-0FryR4V_Sj9iadR6ThIWGOxOObgw7emMO8PmnjWV5Q-Zi0xqFc6poFgHMfjRFQHV0W8TU9vnt-lJFjxvsSJ1MubwaCfTn3ExyyVqt9qvHEVYormSJqj1iK2J8o/s1600/gt1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl0i_pKmcQEau2x6O-0FryR4V_Sj9iadR6ThIWGOxOObgw7emMO8PmnjWV5Q-Zi0xqFc6poFgHMfjRFQHV0W8TU9vnt-lJFjxvsSJ1MubwaCfTn3ExyyVqt9qvHEVYormSJqj1iK2J8o/s400/gt1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The 1990s presented us with one of the worst shams in pop culture history. If you're familiarized with the terms: "Collector's Edition", "Limited Edition", "Exclusive" then you know what we're talking about. As fans of the comic book scene and other 90s novelties and paraphernalia we couldn't help ourselves but to be mesmerized at the eye candy and seemingly valuable "junk." Flashy, prismatic, assorted and </span><span style="font-size: small;">voluptuous</span><span style="font-size: small;"> were the order of the day. A lavish exploitation of everything from trading cards to toys to comic books and everything in between.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Comic book stores opened on every corner. A comic that came out one day would triple its value in a matter of weeks or even days in some cases! People who never even read a comic in their lives were all of a sudden invading news stands and collectible shops with a copy of Wizard magazine in their hand as their guide. If a person was lucky enough to know someone that worked at Toys R Us, they would have the advantage of procuring action figures which were limited to one per case before they even hit the shelves. It was madness! But we loved it. Worst of all, we bought it... literally.</span><br />
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The advent of Ebay ushered in an uncomfortable realization
to most collectors. Items, which were so precious to us in the collectable
realm, began to emerge as colossal failures as investments. Many of us were
unaware of current prices and assumed that time would be a strong ally in
escalating the values of our comics, cards and toys. Ebay provided us an
immediate perspective of the true worth of our paraphernalia. The pricing
prowess of Wizard guides past lost their reverence as the ultimate reality of
the internet opened our eyes to the truth: our stuff had become virtually
worthless.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">We all fell prey to the greed of the collectable market,
believing we held rare and uncommon items that would increase in demand and as
the years ticked by; we were convinced that our acquisitions of these treasures
would eventually produce profits. What we failed to grasp was the glut of items
released by the expanding collectors market. The success of items from previous
decades conjured up a false comprehension of what the potential was for profit
in more recent times. This began the deluge of collectables. People hoping to
get the next Action Comics #1 or Honus Wagner card instead procured such gems
as Image comics, Beenie Babies and an immeasurable amount of Star Wars figures
and bauble.</span></div>
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We invite you, the reader, to expand upon our blog. We hope
to help create a brotherhood of downcast collectors; that we share our empathy,
our dreams and ultimately our disappointment in what we held in such acclaim.
We also hope that those of you with scarce stories of success will also add
upon our accumulation of misery. It could be possible that there is some
resemblance of a silver lining out there.</div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b> Let's all point and laugh!</b></span></div>
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</div>Worthless Childhoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15368618534947931632noreply@blogger.com1