Saturday, June 28, 2008

Final Crisis #2 Hits THE SPLASH PAGE

Marvel has this tiny Secret Invasion thing going on, I don't know if you've heard about it, but some of the kids are really getting into it. It might catch on, so buy your Marvel stock post-haste! DC has this other thing--this massive crossover written by Grant Morrison, who's been known to do a bit of writin' now and again. It's called Final Crisis and people don't really seem to like it because there (a) aren't enough aliens that have the powers of three or more heroes, (b) isn't a lot of repetitive dialogue and/or T-Rexes, and (c) is an expectation that readers will look at the words AND the pictures to figure out what's happening.

So now that Final Crisis #2 is out, Chad Nevett and I though it was time to discuss the grouchy reception some critics gave the first issue, and to talk about how it compares to that little Secret Invasion thing.

Also, we mention Saved by the Bell and Degrassi. Without any good reason, really. Read all about it in the newest installment of what some might consider the most profound work of comic criticism to ever hit the transnational internet spaceways, The Splash Page.

Some might instead click HERE.

11 comments:

Marc Caputo said...

I just want to know why I'm paying $3.99 for Secret Invasion and I'm getting the same number of pages as a regular $2.99 book.

That and the fact that Secret Invasion 3 was a snoozer and Final Crisis 2 was a major leap from 1 (and I liked 1!), makes me worry about Bendis. They should send him to the Ultimate Universe exclusively for a year to rehab him.

Kris Krause said...

I'm really enjoying Final Crisis, but at the same time I understand why people are frustrated now. It's so easy to be frustrated with a story when you want to know who a character is, but you have to wait a whole month for the next bit of the story. In a movie, that information comes pretty quickly so it's right to slap that person upside the head for asking you questions during the movie. But in comics, there's a whole month of intermission and we're not a very patient society in this day and age in the first place.

I have to admit, I'm a bit frustrated with Final Crisis #2 in my own way. Not by the story or the characters (I am following the story fine and I know almost all of the characters that aren't brand new) but that most of the information about the story in both issues 1 and 2 have been out there for months from interviews and solicits. Unfortunately that's also part of the society we live in, where so much hype has to be generated and therefore so much information has to be let out that the slow buildup which I would have otherwise enjoyed is a bit tedious because I already know what to expect. There are some exceptions, like the bullet going backwards through time, but overall I'm still waiting for the story to surprise me. Maybe I need to avoid solicitations and interviews from now on, but the month is so long...

Kyle White said...

I kind of figured out the bullet thing early in the issue, but I'm good at forgetting stuff from interviews, apparently.

That image looks vaguely like the fill-in guy for X-Statix. Pope? Looked up who did this, I should read some of Thomas Pitilli's work.

seth hurley said...

@ marc caputo it's $3.99 because it's printed on cardstock? Or maybe it's the big universe wide event?

dunno, I read all these books for free at Borders.

Timothy Callahan said...

You're paying $3.99 because you WILL pay $3.99.

By next summer, all comics will be that price, anyway.

Marc Caputo said...

A 33 1/3% increase in one year?

That'll make some real easy decisions.

Timothy Callahan said...

Has someone charted the average price increases on mainstream comics over the past couple of decades?

Because comics seemed to jump from $1.25 to $1.99 to $2.99 rather quickly. What's the data on this kind of thing?

Marc Caputo said...

When I came back at the end of 2003, I think most books were $2.25 or $2.50. Then they all went to $2.99, where they've been.

I'm fine at $2.99. But I understand things go up. However, I'm going to want real quality for my money.

Well, better quality.

Chad Nevett said...

For me, comic prices actually fell this past year, so I wouldn't be too upset with an increase, because that would put prices back where they were for years here...

Timothy Callahan said...

I graphed about it.

seth hurley said...

The cost of gas being what it is, and it's effects on shipping and manufacturing, the cost is going up regardless of quality.