Nico Esq

I've always seen Daryl as Tyreese. His relationship with Rick and Carol seems to somewhat line up with the comic. Plus having the gov kill him would be good tv. Killing the most popular character on the show would probably end in an eventual ratings disaster. If anything the show should do what the comic dared not and had Rick be killed at the end of the prison storyline. When I read the comic, Tyreese's death shocked me. He was a main character and Rick's right hand man. If they try to re-create that scene Darly is the logical choice. Or.............. they could use Andrea. I still think bad things from the Gov are heading her way. Either rape or cutting her head off in an attempt to get into the prison. Wasn't the Governor's main reason to get into the prison revenge? Right now, he has a perfect set up. Woodbury seems secure. No reason to really go after them unless he does get tortured. It's been 9 months since I read those issues, but my recollection was that the Governor attacked. They fended his group off. Michonne and Tyrese went back ninja style. Michonne got away and Tyrese got captured. The Governor's army came back and executed Tyrese and attacked with a tank. I may have that completely messed up so if someone who would correct the timeline, I'd appreciate it.

So obviously there are a lot of people banking heavily on this comic and betting significant money on it's future strength in the secondary market. The question that has always troubled me about this conclusion is this: Is Bedlam too f'd up a plot to have broad demand that will keep it selling out and drive prices up in the future? I've got a little bit of cash invested in the comics, but nothing crazy, Just a few hundred bucks. My thought is that it's definitely messed up, but that the writers appear to be exploring other subject matters than than the psychopathy of the serial killer (e.g., government, politics, the criminal justice system, etc.), and that while it is definitely an adult comic so is the Walking Dead which had some insanely graphic and disturbing things, themes, etc. happen in it. What's everyone else think?

I've always seen Daryl as Tyreese. His relationship with Rick and Carol seems to somewhat line up with the comic. Plus having the gov kill him would be good tv. Killing the most popular character on the show would probably end in an eventual ratings disaster. If anything the show should do what the comic dared not and had Rick be killed at the end of the prison storyline. Whatever you do, don't suggest that Daryl should be introduced in the comic ... if you do a few members will suffer massive strokes at the suggestion. I agree that he's super popular and that it's doubtful that show runners will execute him, but I do see Merle getting wacked by the Governor. I thin they set that up in today's episode.

You think a new character named Tyrese is going to be introduced after the prison story or in the next few episodes? I doubt it. As far as Oscar having aspects of Tyrese's character, I don't think that's going to happen either. Their skin color is all that they have in common at this point. Plus there was a huge emotional attachment to Tyrese's character when he dies in the comic. Oscar won't be able to build that kind of fan loyalty that quick. If anything Daryl has more in common with Tyrese than anyone left living (but only insofar as he's No. 2 in charge at the moment). I also don't see the cheating with Michone story happening in the comic.

I ordered books from her and she indicated that she's been preoccupied with family who are suffering from Sandy related weather that this has delayed the delivery of our comics. This is the form email she sent to me in reference to both of my purchases: Hi there, I have the books ready to send and will update with a tracking # by Monday afternoon, it's been a hectic week having relatives over in Maryland dealing with the hurricane and trying to help them as much as I can. Unfortunately getting the items out in the mail that I sold got lost in the fray. But don't worry you shall be receiving your item(s) soon. They are awesome! Thanks again and sorry for the inconvenience. - 52861karen

I'd buy a raw carefully from a good feedback seller and return if necessary. Chew #1 is so easy in 9.8, there's no reason to settle for a 9.6. +1 So easy that I got a raw copy from Amazon for $50 about 9 months ago (which was a huge upset) and got it pressed and secured a 9.8 ... Joey Post is your friend on all white covers.

I preferred the FP to the Phantom until I saw the Phantom in person and it knocked my socks off ... not sure if I will change my mind again when I see the FP variant in person or not. It looks great in photographs. I wish that Third Eye wouldn't put it's symbol on every variant it did. I understand the marketing theory, but come on this is art not Tyler Perry's Media No. xxx ... at least make it smaller!

I imagine that the terrible weather on the East Coast has given Third Eye pause about sending books through those states and I imagine that they intentionally waited for Bedlam to hit stores on Wednesday before shipping books because some retailers complained about their customers receiving their Third Eye Revival variants before the book was on their shelves. Third Eye has always treated me with respect and I trust them to do so now and in the future.

They were two separate orders so I won't necessarily receive the books at the same time, but it certainly wasn't in December? Did you mean 10/26?

Third Eye owes me 12 copies of Bedlam (10 3rd eye and 2 Phantom)

In about 3 weeks you can get an estimate on comic chron ... I very rarely see print runs anyplace else.

The only thing that's bad about the Revival story is that the Powers story was refuted by Bendis and the two stories hit at the same time.

I like Alphas on Sci Fi ... it's one of my favorite shows on TV (although it may be canceled). Anyway, I'm sitting on a bunch of copies of this book and hadn't looked at eBay prices in a while ... YIKES! The 1:10 variant is selling for $25 ... Larry's is going for $30 and you can't get $200 for a 9.8 of the sketch! What the heck happened?

All those Fatale books you were upset about paying too much for should be highly sought after now that it is an ongoing title. Great News about an awesome title. I imagine that it's going to start picking up steam on eBay. I just hope that it gets a serious look from Hollywood because it would be an awesome television show!

Larry hooked me up as well ... I'm a believer in the Phantom Variant project and anticipate big things in the future. You're business model is a class act.

Special thanks to Larry for delivering me beautiful copies of the Phantom variant! The cover is amazing. I can't wait for more Phantom variants.

Morrison's Batman makes me ill. Do the #2 variant must ne a 1:25.

Andy did Jeff tutor you on being "snarky" before he retired from the boards? Do you even read the comics you buy or do you just read about them to predict market trends? Comics are not strictly commodities to be bought and sold like shares of stock. You can actually open them up and read them and (here's a tip) they're a lot more fun to read than they are to bad/board and re-sell. I think everyone who read Happy would like to read more stories by Morrison about these characters. In my opinion it's some of the best work he's done in years. And there's no way that this book is going to end up in the $1 bin. Morrison's fan following is too large and too committed to his work to allow that kind of result.

Also, CBR published a nice review of Bedlam giving it 4 out of 5 stars. "Bedlam" was once a proper noun, the name of a London asylum. "Gone to Bedlam" became shorthand for going insane, and now the word is a synonym for chaos, uproar and madness. In "Bedlam" #1 by Nick Spencer and Riley Rossmo, Bedlam is proper once more, and grown from asylum to city. "Bedlam" #1 opens with a crescendo-like face-off between hero and villain. After sound and fury, a cinematic, pale sepia and white, double-paged title page greets the reader's eyes. It's beautiful, and it would be like a breath of fresh air, if Bedlam's façade were not also ever so slightly sinister in its withered grandeur. Since "Bedlam" is named after a place, not a person, the city itself will be no wallflower, and I look forward to seeing how Spencer uses it to examine post-industrial, once-great American cities. The opening also tells the reader what kind of story "Bedlam" will be – horror and mystery, with its feet planted in realism, while donning the sartorial shorthand of superheroes, including the mask, with all the themes of identity and public vs. private that come with that scrap of clothing. Riley Rossmo's art grasps the polar demands of Spencer's -script, moving ably between silence and noise, past and present, television and flesh and blood. In the opening pages, Rossmo draws bedlam -- panic, madness and violence – to operatic effect. Madder Red's choice of an orchestra/theater space for his slaughter is a clever detail, as is his reference to singing. As a villain, Madder Red outdoes even The Joker in his exultation in the ecstasy of drama and the aesthetics of violence. There's a lot of blood, but gore is not the point, and Rossmo's stylized art is a good fit for Spencer's intentions. The contrasts and simplicity of Jean-Paul Osuka's black, white, red and green palette not only complement Rossmo's art, but further reinforce Spencer's emphasis on theater and its duality of comedy and tragedy. The Joker and Dexter Morgan are Madder Red's closest criminal cousins, and he combines features of both killers, villain and antihero in one. He has a civilian life, however bare, but he is barely functional within it. He has some vestige of a conscience and is an intellectual. Also, like Sherlock Holmes, human suffering does not motivate him, but problem-solving draws his desire "to help." Despite being more muted in color and visual sound, the present-day, Fillmore Press parts of "Bedlam" #1 are more memorable and original than those with Madder Red. Spencer's dialogue for Press is spellbinding, and unlike anything he's written before. As Press says his lines, the reader hears his intelligence, his irony, the high pitch of his voice and the excitable, twitchy rhythms of his speech. When Madder Red/Fillmore Press isn't talking, the story drags, but the press conference and TV voiceovers do advance the backstory. Rossmo's character design dovetails with Spencer's dialogue. Press' thin physique and large features fit his Joker-like nervous energy, and Rossmo's design of Madder Red costume is a cross between a skeleton and a clown. Appropriately, both "Bedlam" #1 and its antihero have an uncomfortable, macabre sense of humor. When Press needs to make a phone call, his interaction with a salesman is one of the funniest things I've read all year. Momentarily, Press is a likable oddball, but then Spencer twists things around in the following scene, which is visceral and creepy. Rossmo makes Press' actions believable with facial features, body language and visual rhythm. The response of Press' adversaries is believable, too. Isn't it the things we don't understand, but must acknowledge, that are the most terrifying? "Bedlam" #1 showcases Spencer's gifts for concept, dialogue and mystery as well as Rossmo's skills with mood and pacing, and it's a promising mix of concept and character, creepy and clever, funny and grotesque.

I don't think we're going to see Happy become an ongoing project for any other reason than I doubt that it's a property that Morrison will be willing to work on for any substantial length of time more than a year or so. If it's a book that you are considering investing in heavy, I would encourage you to think long and hard about it. Even if it expands to 25 issues or so, it will suffer from the same perceptions that have kept Fatale from doing as well as it should in the secondary market. On the other hand, if your interest is simply in reading more stories, I couldn't agree more. I think we need to hope that Morrison will follow up this limited series with future limited series. I think that's a definite possibility. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Even if our unwilling anti-hero meets an untimely death at the end of the series, there are certainly other stories to be told about comparable relationships between fantasy creatures and pulpy grim noir types. In the event that the movie project proceeds with haste, I imagine that Morrison will be anxious to do more work with these characters or this universe. I've got my fingers crossed too. The second issue really sold me. I laughed out loud on a few occasions, love the art and the imaginary friend is priceless. It's one of the best supporting characters I've ever seen created. In fact, I would love to see our blue horse spin off into his own series where he encounters different characters to help children who are in trouble. That book could run forever!

What's everyone's opinion about comics that will pick up heat from Marvel and DC's upcoming films? Obviously Iron Man 55 and the various Guardians of the Galaxy books have gone bananas, but what other books do you see drawing attention in the months to come? I'm interested to see who is going to play Ant Man. My gut tells me that its Scott Lang b/c he's featured in Point One, but Marvel's been explicit that its films do not influence comic plots and vice versa. I'm also interested in whether we will see some incarnation of Captain Marvel or Warlock in the Guardians of the Galaxy film to set up a confrontation with Thanos in Avengers 2. Thor 344 has cooled down substantially, but I don't know that it was ever really that hot of a book. And I don't perceive Malekith as a character that people are going to remain interested in for more than the length of the Thor sequel. I've heard buzz about the Mandarin's first appearance, but it's already a big dollar book, like Hank Pym's first appearance. Any thoughts or opinions are appeciated.

Now that I know what Santa does I don't like my copy nearly as much ... it's like having a giant piece of on the cover ,,, I'm anxious for that character to get what he deserves!

Captain America Vol. 5 No. 6 Winter Soldier variant. This book has a very small print run and according to CGC it is the 1st appearance of Winter Soldier. I anticipate that it is going to be a big dollar book when the Captain America sequel gets close to opening up at the box office. NM copies are disappearing off of eBay already but VF/NM copies that you can press are still available for cheap. Buy them, hoard them, press them, slab them and/or SS them and wait for the heat to build in anticipation of Captain America II: Winter Soldier and sell the sh*t out of them!