Meta4

Its really going to pick up next month. #6 focused on the rangers backstory, while #7 focused on ezra orions history. Following the typical plot development we've seen on the series so far, it'll be a few issues of backstory, building to a major confrontation, in this case, the ranger/s vs. death, crow, and wolf.

I feel like saga didnt hit big numbers until issues 8-10ish. I remember seeing first print #1's on the rack at my local comic shop next to the first trade paperback. And with the popularity hickman is experiencing over at marvel (FF, avengers, infinity) I think this book still has yet to reach its potential. As far as speculators buying the book and not reading it, I'm sure its happened, but I cant think of a dumber investment than blindly buying a book you havent read. The way that the book is written also tends to confuse alot of readers. Hickman tells the story in bits and pieces, so if you dont follow closely and read it multiple times, it may not make sense at first. As the story continues, things will become clearer, and people will be jumping on. I genuinely feel like this is too good of a series to just tank. It just hasnt hit full steam yet.

Yea, between the print run on the RRP being 300, some copies getting mangled because diamond shipped them direct to retailers, and the ink stains that plagued many of the back covers, I'd estimate (guess) theres only about 150-200 copies of the RRP that could even potentially be 9.8's. thats drastically lower than the 350+ potential 9.8's from the saga RRP. This book is going to climb once this series really catches on. (Still feel like it hasnt reached its full potential, audience wise) hickman is killing it over at marvel right now, and its only a matter of time before those fans go looking for his creator owned work. The forbidden planet variant is also going to be the sleeper book for this series. Its been said before, but its only got a print run of 1000, making it just half as rare as the saga rrp. Glad I've got ten copies each of the ghost variant, forbidden planet, and five RRP's either slabbed and stashed away, or at cgc waiting to come back. I'll probly hold on to them until the book hits issues 12-15, and even then, I'm probably keeping half of them to line my casket with. I'm a collector, not a profiteer.

Seems like theres less rrp's floating around the past couple weeks. Im interested to see how many come back yellow from NYCC, but its looking like most of the 9.8 candidates have been slabbed already. At this point, I agree with other people who have said if a copy is still raw, it's probably for a reason. I'm expecting them to catch a large jump in price around when the 2nd trade comes out, considering they seem much rarer than the saga rrp.

Thats amazing. Never heard of the artist, whats he worked on before?

Multiple readings definately help clarify whats going on. The story is purposefully given to us in bits and pieces. I just went back through and read the series through a fourth or fifth time, and was picking up details and clues in issue #1 about death defecting from the horsemen and not being ressurected with the others, things I just glanced over the first time, but once you've put together some other clues, make perfect sense.

I think that's wise. The variants are going to dry up long before the regular #1's. I'm expecting both variants to spike in price around the same time as the 2nd trade is released. (which was around the time saga saw a big spike in rrp prices)

I think the variants for #1 has slowed sales a bit for the regular #1, everyone assumes that these are the sleeper issues, when their print runs are 5k and 1k when compared to 45k. Makes them that much more rare, but takes a bit of steam away from the regular #1's.

I loved how they took a charecter thats we'd only seen in the peripheral (Orion) and made the whole issue revolve around him. With this kind of charecter development, and so many background charecters weaving in and out of the story, the possibilities for worldbuilding are endless.

Neither of us said anyhing negative about the book, or revival hoarder, just that we didn't understand having a signature on a book of someone who had nothing to do with it. I still dont. But as I said before, I support anyone who's particular collecting style makes them happy.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I never understood why someone would want a signature on a book of a person who had nothing to do with it. I saw a few sketch covers in sales threads of DC charecters on marvel books, etc. doesnt it defeat the purpose of having a signature if the person doesn't even know the book, let alone had no hand in creating it? To each their own, and I support anyone who's personal collecting style makes them happy, I just cant seem to wrap my mind around it...l

Does anyone know if marvel ever printed the oversized hardcover of alias vol 2? I've got vol. 1, but for some reason, have only seen vol. 2 in trade paperback....

Has anyone else noticed that the pacing has slowed since issue 12? Maybe its just me, but I feel like not as much has happened since the break. Charecter development is certainly progressing, but major plot advancements are seeming fewer and farther between.

I assumed that death turned from black to white BECAUSE he wasn't rssurected with the other 3 horsemen. Seeing as they changed genders when reborn, maybe removing himself from this process is what turned his color?

I feel the same way. Saga has a bit more humorous, playful feeling to it, east of west feels serious. I suppose being about the end of the world will do that to a story. I also feel like east of west has a few more layers to peel back to understand the story fully, which I love. Saga has some hidden developments, like prince robots relationship with gale, but east of west is given to us in pieces, its not until you put the puzzle together that it really starts taking shape.

I think thats one of the things that ai love so much about this series, it takes several readings to piece together all the pices that hickmans leaving us. I dont feel like I had a complete grasp of what was going on until the third read through the series. Each time you notice something else that ties it all together. Like the fact that "the message" was prophecied in pieces from three different people from warring nations. So its the only common ground that these nations have, The prophecy of their own destruction.

Just finished #7 myself. Awesome issue. Not as much action as those in the past, but revealed several layers of mythology that is starting to really round this world out. I love the mixture of futuristic and ancient architechture, landscapes, and creatures/spirits. It also made me realize that if the horsemen change gender each time they are ressurected, that it may have played into death defecting.( I.E. he fell in love with xiao lian, a woman, so wanted to remain male.) Loved the lake scene, really showed that although there are signs of the future everywhere, there are ancient forces at work here. East of west is very quickly surpassing saga as my new favorite series.

Not to change the subject, but someone on the CBR forum pointed out that the homosexual images that flashed across prince robots screen during issue 12 looked like Gale. I went back and looked, and think he's right. This would support the theory that gale and prince robot were lovers, and that gale was threatening to expose the truth to prince robots wife during the party scene. Again, vaughan contrasting love and societal expectations. Alana and marko following their hearts, and prince robot living a "closeted" lifestyle for fear his father and society would not accept who he truly is.

Not the best deal in the world. The other books arent worth much, and spending $400 in the hopes of getting a 9.8 thats probably only worth $500ish itself seems kind of risky. Comic book resources just posted a 3 page preview from issue 7, its got me properly hyped. The creature from the pit gets expanded on a bit. I'm really interested to see where this goes. Seems like it could expand the mythos quite a bit. Wednesday couldn't come soon enough....

X men: deadly genesis was good, but not amazing. It introduced kid vulcan and set the stage for his rise and fall of the shiar empire run on uncanny. However, I really enjoyed messiah complex. Just bought it in hardcover, re-reading it now. Great action, fantastic cable moments, and chris bachalo's art has a sort of magna style that fits the story very well. I'd say its brubakers best x men work to date.

Iron fist was great. I'm not sure how much of it was brubaker and how much was matt fraction, but that series is amazing.

I like most things he writes, but criminal was AMAZING. It felt like what miller was trying to do with sin city but more realistic. The way he followed the different generations of crime family's, letting the story intertwine all the charecters was next level storytelling. I'd reccomend anyone interested in brubaker Get both volumes of the criminal hardcovers. They're about $27 with the amazon/ebay discount, sewn binding, beautiful construction, and include lots of extras, including a gallery of sean phillips noir movie pieces and essays. I watched several of the noir films he wrote essays about, and was very impressed. Even my girlfriend liked them, "the long goodbye" in particular. His cap run was nostalgic, but not my favorite of his work. Daredevil was good, but I felt like it paled in comparison to bendis's run. Gotham central was great, definately gave a voice to the underbelly of gotham city.

Probably gonna be more like camerons dad from ferris beuller, polishing them with diapers...

Once they all come back from cgc, I'll take a picture of my whole comic wall to share with you guys.

The Authority; one more wouldn't kill me, but I've got to stop buying RRP's sometime, this is #5. But I caught it at a good price and couldn't pass it up. I LOVE this series. The way I havent loved a comic book since planetary, or sandman. Its so creative, epic, and cutting edge, and at the same time, a complete commentary on the fractured political and social climate of our country. Everyones so busy swinging at each others throats that they fail to notice the world is crumbling to pieces around them. Awesome to see that interview with Nick. Cant believe I didn't even think about the other three horsemen having horses! Four days till #7 hits the shelves, and I've got that "kid before christmas" feeling for the first time in years.