ttfitz

We saw the dog on Friday, very cute. On Saturday there was a family with a couple small kids, I'm talking barely more than knee high, and the kids had light sabers waving them around a little bit. As we went by we heard the mom say, "Remember, hit someone with that and it goes away" and my daughter said to me, "That dog yesterday was wacking people left and right and nobody seemed to mind."

I saw Greggy at one point and was going to say hello, but he looked really busy and I wasn't sure he'd have any idea who I was.

Couple years ago I got a sketch of Terror (The Boys) from Russ for my son. Really nice guy.

(in case anyone cares )

So hiding the good stuff, huh?

Last week 827 The Challenge has been met! Here is the final week update for Troy's 100 Back Issue a Week Challenge: Arrowsmith (2003) 1-6 Arrowsmith Behind Enemy Lines 1-6 Kurt Busiek never fails to deliver. As seems to be his specialty, he takes something you know and twists it around a bit. This time, it's World War I in a world where magic not only exists, but permeates every aspect of society. A good read, and I'm looking forward to more. Lansdale and Truman's Dead Folk 1-3 It's Lansdale and Truman, does anything more need to be said? Okay, it's an adaptation of a Lansdale short story, with the kind of over-the-top action that you come to expect from these two. Not quite up to the earliest Jonah Hex stuff, but still worth a read. Reload (2003) 1-3 No Hero (2008) 0-8 These two are from Warren Ellis, and they are both very Warren Ellis, so if you like that sort of thing, you should check them out. Triple Helix (2013) 1-4 This John Byrne book is supposedly the first (and maybe last?) appearance of Triple Helix, but it very much feels like you are thrown in the middle of the story, without having the beginning OR the ending provided. Possibly the least satisfying Byrne work I've read - and given that the unfinished Last Galactus Story exists, that's saying a lot. Fallen Angel (2003) 1-20 Fallen Angel Vol 2 1-33 Fallen Angel Reborn 1-4 Fallen Angel Return of the Son 1-4 Peter David's tale of the Fallen Angel/Lee/Liandra. Some of this was a reread (I think all of the original DC run and part of the IDW one), some of it new. While I enjoyed it all, it didn't seem as good as I remembered it - I think part of the attraction of the book when it came out was the whole "Is this PAD bringing back his Supergirl character?" thing, and without that the book suffers. I also thought it declined in quality as time went on. But, it being Peter David, even at its worse it wasn't really bad. Invincible 75-79 Maze Agency (1988) 1-3 The two titles for this week that I'm reading with my daughter April. Nothing new to say about Invincible, it just continues to deliver. Maze Agency is a favorite of mine from back-in-the-day, a fair-play whodunit which is a great deal of fun. When I ran across someone selling a complete run a while back I couldn't resist buying it and gifting it to my girl, with the added bonus of giving me a good reason to reread the title Hopefully she will be liking it as much as I did/do, and we will continue on with this going forward. And hey, some early Adam Hughes art, how can you go wrong? Well that's it, 500 comics read in 5 weeks. Whew. So that gets me to 927 for the year.

Previous total: 728 for the year. Well, no one tried to guess, so I guess I keep all the Maybe-Prizes to myself. Here's Week 4 of the 100 Back Issues a Week Challenge: Sandman Mystery Theatre 1-70 Sandman Midnight Theatre 1 Yep, Golden Age Sandman was the answer to the previous teaser. Some of these I had previously read, but figured I would start at the beginning. A fun read, I enjoyed the tie-in with his connection to Dream of the Endless. The Twelve 0-12 Talking with my LCS manager, I realized I had missed one of my JMS titles earlier, so I came back to this one. I enjoyed it, although I can see how it would be very annoying if you read it at the point in came out, what with the very long break that happened in the middle of the series. Invincible 70-74 Invincible Returns 1 Invincible Presents Atom Eve 1-2 Invincible Presents Atom Eve and Rex Splode 1-3 Been reading Invincible for a while now along with my daughter, and we continue to enjoy this title quite a bit. Lots happening during this portion of the book, woah boy. Hellblazer 10-13 This one I've been reading with my son, and have been enjoying it quite a bit, although I was joking with him that I might need to set a macro with "was a bit confused at times" in order to save time. After issue 13 he responded that I might need to add "pretty weird" to my macro. So that gets me to 827 for the year, and leads into the final week of the Challenge. See you back here on Friday (if I remember).

Last week we hit 627.... Week 3 of the 100 Back Issue a Week Challenge has been completed! For this week, these are the entries: Hellblazer 8-9 Swamp Thing 76-77 Finished off the first Hellblazer collection, looking forward to reading more of this. Incognito Vol 2 1-5 Finished off the last of the Ed Brubaker books on my list for the time period in question. Not as good as the first series, but still worth a read. LSH Vol 5 1-50 Couldn't decide where to pick up in my Legion of Super-Heroes reading, finally settled on the Mark Waid (and then Jim Shooter) run - the "Eat it, Grandpa" iteration. I remembered I had started this one way back when it came out, but hadn't finished. So, the beginning was Waid, so it was excellent. I'm thinking that from now on I will just use "Waid" instead of a superlative - "That book was really Waid" or "Not as Waid as some things, but still pretty Waid." Save some time. The Jim Shooter portion was okay, but not really Waid - the stuff he wrote in Adventure Comics when he was 14 was much more Waid. LSH in the 31st Century 1-20 This one was based on the cartoons, which I haven't seen but want to. It wasn't too bad, a little too .... cartoony, but what can you do? Legion Secret Origin 1-6 I was going to go onto the New 52 version, thinking it would be a new start (the stuff between Vol 5 and then was a little too all-over for me to pick up) but when the first few pages had references to characters who had died who I hadn't even heard of, and talk about Flashpoint, well, I passed. But the companion Secret Origin seemed safe, so I read that, and enjoyed it. LSH Millennium 1-2 LSH (2019) 1-12 Future State LSH 1-2 So, in trying to decide what Legion to read, I had the following conversation with my LCS manager (and creator of the Challenge), Troy-David: Me: So will I be annoyed reading the Bendis version? Troy-David: Probably Me: As annoying as Five Years Later? TD: Yes, but for different reasons Yeah, he pretty much nailed that one. So, if you are counting along with me, that makes 101 for the week - I've got a headstart on next week! Next up - I move from 1000 years in the future to 90 years in the past (a Maybe-Prize to anyone who figures out what my next book is!) That gets us to a grand total of 728 for the year.

Previous total of 527 for the year. Week 2 of the 100 Back Issue a Week Challenge First up, the continuation of reading with my kids from last week, which includes: Hellblazer 4-7 Invincible 52-69 A little bit of an old classic, and a newer one. Good readin' there. Supreme Power (2003) 1-18 So, yet another take on the Squadron Supreme - who are themselves a ripoff homage to the Justice League which in ordinary circumstances might bring a "meh" response. But these aren't ordinary circumstances, this is some stuff from Joe, your friend and mine the legendary J. Michael Straczynski! And if you don't know that means the stuff is really really good stuff, you don't know Joe. Speaking of "good stuff" from JMS, I give you a very good year for Joe's Comics, 2013, with: Protectors Inc (2013) 1-10 Sidekick (2013) 1-12 Ten Grand (2013) 1-12 If I need to say more than "JMS wrote 'em" to get you to read 'em, let me know. Velvet (2013) 1-15 Incognito (2008) 1-6 Some stuff from another favorite of mine, Ed Brubaker. Velvet is an excellent spy story, and one of the most beautiful comics I've read in a long while. Incognito gives us a mashup of the pulps and superheroes of the 30s, some really good stuff. Recommended all around. Finally: Superboy 184, 188, 190, 191, 193 Picking off the last few issues of Superboy that included a Legion of Super-Heroes story, before the LSH took over the title entirely. Next week, the Waid incarnation of LSH.. That gets us to 627 for the year.

Previous count : 427 Week 1 of the 100 Back Issue a Week Challenge is in the books! For my first week, I read the following: Invincible 36-51 I've been reading this along with my daughter, and since it fit with my theme (20th anniversary) I continued for this Challenge. Excellent as always, with a lot of new plot twists being introduced here. Highly recommended (series started kinda slow, I thought, but picked up around the 2nd TPB issues) Action Comics 420, 429 Superman 258,263,267,269 Lois Lane 98-112, 114-137 Jimmy Olsen 126-130, 131-139, 141-163 Went straight thru with the remaining Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen I hadn't read before, and just picked the random missing book from the known-read issues from back in the 70s/80s. Not much to say - I never was much taken with the Kirby Fourth World stuff, and these Jimmys didn't change my mind. Might be all I read of the Superman titles (85th anniversary), as I'm not sure where I might pick up without duplicating stuff I've already read. Hellblazer 1-3 This is a title (25th anniversary) my son has been interested in, so we thought we'd start reading it (even though I later realized the character of John Constantine was introduced three years earlier and didn't really fit). I've been enjoying it so far, a very interesting character. Up next - JMS! So I guess that makes it 527 for the year.

Previous Count - 389. Summary for July: Amazing Spider-Man 271-282, Annual 19-20 Spectacular Spider-Man 111-121, Annual 5 Web of Spider-Man 10-20, Annual 1 Still working my way thru the copper age Marvels that I haven't previously read (with some I have, just to not skip around). Frankly nothing much jumps out at me when I think back, except for maybe some Peter David work that didn't really grab me like I expect Peter David work to grab me. Coming up - for long-time readers of my posts in these threads, it's time for the 100 Back Issue a Week Challenge, something my LCS manager does in honor of the Baltimore Comic Con. For the next 5 weeks, I will attempt to read 100 back issues each week. I usually have a theme, and this year I've gone with one done before - characters or titles which debuted some even multiple of 5 years ago. So, if it started in a year ending in "3" or "8", it's eligible. I started last Friday, and will end on the last day of August. Right now I'm repeating some titles (Superman family of books - 1938) from previous years picking up where I left off, and some newer stuff like Invincible and Hellblazer. Other possibles that have some interest in this thread would include LSH and SiP. So stay tuned! And if you have a suggestion, let me know. New total thru July Spideys: 427

IBTL!

Yeah, a lot of places list the wider version as "Silver Age Thick" referring to the thicker books fitting better. For those of you interested in their backing boards, I just got an email that they are having a sale on most of their boards.

Sure, but I understand it's no longer a parking lot...can you meet me at Bloomingdales instead?

Welcome to the internet! Reddit AITA subreddit

Update for June, previous total of 317. House of Slaughter 11-15 Liked this one a whole lot more than the previous arc. Marvel Team-Up 137-150 Amazing Spider-Man 249-270, Annual 18 Spectacular Spider-Man 86-110, Annual 4 Web of Spider-Man 1-9 Continuing with my run of Spidey titles, finishing off MTU and continuing along with it's replacement in the lineup, Web of Spider-Man. Some memorable issues along the way - Assistant Editor's Month! Debut of the Black Costume! The End of the Black Costume (sorta)! Mary Jane's big reveal! Secret Wars II crossover! The Death of Jean DeWolfe! Slowly approaching the end point of my Spider-Man reading, don't know what will follow - perhaps pick up some of the DC titles where I left off with the 70s? Or where I trailed off in the 90s? Hey, who knows? As they used to say, Stay Tuned! New total for the year - looks like 389. Well below where I wanted to be at this point.

Way to live up to your forum name!

The best part of a person's collection, IMO.

You can hardly go wrong asking Mark about most anything comic related.

So sorry to hear this, Mike. Don't be surprised if it hits you at weird moments. A few years ago my mother died in early November after a few months worth of hospital/rehab/hospital where she really wasn't there most of the time, so it wasn't a sudden thing. At Thanksgiving that year, I saw my wife making homemade pimento cheese for our family dinner, which my mother had always done. I didn't know my wife had asked her the year before how to make it (which was weird itself, as she doesn't really cook). I just lost it - and I don't even like pimento cheese.

I'm surprised no one has remarked about the (I assume) typo in the subject line. When I first saw this thread, I thought, "Wait, did Geoff Johns do a teenage Green Lantern story or something?"

To be perfectly frank, while there were jokes that Microchip was you on a second account, I would say it seems like two different people posting under the Hero Restoration name. Half of your responses have me say, "This guy has had it rough, but he seems to see what he's been doing wrong, I hope he manages to get it together" and half have me thinking, "Wow, this guy is a complete @ss." You would do well to try and expand on the former and shrink dramatically on the latter.

I think if you read thru this thread carefully, you'd find that there were people supporting you and giving you the benefit of the doubt who changed their minds after some of your attacks against people who had 5-figure books with you and had paid thousands for work that hadn't been done for multiple years, along with your "sure you can have your books back but NO REFUNDS". The attitude you have adopted here has not helped your case, particularly the refund stance. I get that you can't afford to pay everyone back right on the spot, but if you were really concerned with your reputation you would have expressed some attempt to make things right at some point.

What a load.