Coin collector event hosted in Oklahoma City this week
Have old coins or currency sitting around? The International Coin Collectors Association is hosting a buying event in Oklahoma City from Aug. 16-21.
Show me your comics!
Do you have a great comic book collection? Is there a particular issue or run you are particularly proud of? Do you have some cool action figures or original art?
If so, send me pictures! Send pictures of the pride of your collection, along with a note about why you have chosen that particular collection, how you acquired it, or why it’s special to you, and I’ll share some of the best on the blog in the coming months! E-mail your photos to featuresdesk@opubco.com.
- Matt Price
Some Eisner award nominees have Oklahoma ties
Trickster: Native American Tales
The 2011 Eisner Award nominees have been announced, and a few nominees have Oklahoma connections.
“Trickster: Native American Tales,” edited by Matt Dembicki for Fulcrum Books, features the work of multiple Oklahomans and is nominated in the best anthology category.
The Liberty Project features villains trying to be heroes
“The Liberty Project” collection from About Comics, released in 2003, collects the eight issues and one special published featuring the characters, created by Kurt Busiek (“Marvels,” “Astro City”) and James W. Fry.
Christmas comics from Golden Age highlighted in “The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories”
The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories
WORD BALLOONS
Classic tales of Santa Claus, his reindeer, friendly elves and helpful snowmen populate “The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories,” edited and designed by Craig Yoe.
Yoe, who previously edited and designed “The Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids’ Komics,” has collated another collection that should delight young and old alike. Artists represented in the collection include John Stanley (“Little Lulu”), Walt Kelly (“Pogo”) and Richard Scarry (Little Golden Books).
The stories, primarily from the 1950s and 1960s, have a charm and innocence and are compelling holiday-season tales that deserve the new audience.
Read some creepy comics for Friday the 13th
I completely forgot about it being Friday the 13th today, but as such I can’t let the day pass without a few recommendations of creepy comics to read.
1. Creepy
Might as well go with the comic that has “creepy” right there in the title. The first Creepy Archive features stories by Archie Goodwin, art by Alex Toth and covers by Frank Frazetta! That’s an all-star lineup.
2. Eerie
Creepy’s sister publication. The first Eerie Archive does duplicate some of the stories from the second Creepy Archive, as Dark Horse presents the first five issues of Eerie as they were originally presented. Covers by Frazetta and Gray Morrow.
3. Blackest Night
Odds are good you may already be reading this best-seller from DC Comics, but I’m enjoying it as the equivalent of a superhero zombie movie.
4. Essential Marvel Horror Vol. 2
This is likely to fall more along the lines of “goofy” than “scary.” It’s a mix of characters including Brother 
Voodoo and Gabriel the Devil-Hunter from the 1970s Marvel line. The mixture of one oddball thing after another makes this a fun one to pick up and read in short bursts.
5. House of Mystery
While the original “Showcase” edition is worth a look, I’ll recommend checking out the recent series by Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges. Five characters trapped are trapped in a bar that appears to be in an otherworldly realm. They are trying to find out why they are imprisoned, and along the way they tell their stories. One of the best current series from Vertigo.
Shipping highlights, 6-24-2009
The first full issue of Milo Ventimiglia’s Berserker from Top Cow hits stores today, and if you’re a fan of Wanted or some of Top Cow’s other more mature, violent books, this one is probably worth a look.
In other probably violent news, Predator comes back to comics in a new first issue from Dark Horse.
Meanwhile, Marvel has all kinds of high-octane releases, including “Utopia” No. 1 and the first “dark” Wolverine, in issue 75.
DC launches Gotham City Sirens, written by Paul Dini. Fans of Tulsa-born writer Sterling Gates can get your weekly Gates quota in “Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps” trade paperback, which contains his work from the Sinestro Corps Superman Prime Special and the Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps Secret Files.
“Tales of Sinestro Corps” collects Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Special #1, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: 
Ion #1, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Parallax #1, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Cyborg Superman #1, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman-Prime #1, Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps Secret Files #1 and backup stories from Green Lantern #18-20.
Other than “Tales,” not as many trades that I’m as excited about this week, though I imagine the “All-Star Batman and Robin” trade will sell well. The deluxe editions of the Grant Morrison JLA are also quality comics if you don’t already own that material, or if you want it in a higher-end package.
Given my Superman fandom, I’ll at least take a look at the “Tales from the Phantom Zone” collection.
What looks good to you?
- Matt Price
“Flash Chronicles” among upcoming collected editions
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — “Flash Chronicles,” reprinting the original adventures of the Barry Allen Flash, is among the highlights of DC Comics’ collected editions discussed at the ComicsPRO Annual Meeting.
Barry Allen’s first appearance in “Showcase” #4 kicked off what’s considered the Silver Age of Comics, and Flash joins Superman, Batman and Green Lantern in the “Chronicles” line. The first volume is scheduled to ship in September.
Other highlights from the Collected Editions presentation:
- A one-volume collection of “Batman: Hush” by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee in August
- The first Zuda collection, “High Moon” vol. 1, written by former University of Oklahoma student David Gallaher, is scheduled for October.
- The all-ages “Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade,” is scheduled for December.
DC’s black-and-white “Showcase” collections are going to move toward one release per month rather than two per month. The volumes scheduled through the rest of the year are Bat Lash in July; Eclipso in August; Warlord in September; House of Secrets vol 2 in October; DC Comics Presents Superman Team Ups in November; and Wonder Woman vol 3 in December.
The panel also offered sneak peeks into 2010, including an “Adam Hughes Cover to Cover” art book; “Absolute Green Lantern Rebirth;” and new editions of “Sandman” implementing the recoloring done for the Absolute editions of the series.
– Matt Price
“Captain America: The Chosen” spurs patriotic response
From the July 4 edition of The Oklahoman:
By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor
As the United States celebrates its independence, Marvel Comics has released a collection of a popular “Captain America” story.
When Captain America was killed in Marvel’s line of comic books in 2007, the character received more publicity than ever. “Captain America: The Chosen” is a miniseries written by The New York Times best-selling author and Rambo creator David Morrell, with art by Mitch Breitweiser. It sold out its first issue nationwide. “Chosen” now is available in a hardcover collection from Marvel.
“Captain America: The Chosen” is part of Marvel’s “Marvel Knights” line. The line explores alternate and more sophisticated versions of the characters, as in recent miniseries “Spider-Man: Reign” and “Silver Surfer: Requiem.” In “Chosen,” an aged Captain America is dying, but Cpl. James Newman, deployed to Afghanistan, thinks he sees the captain alive and well, and helping Newman escape from scrapes.
Breitweiser, from Arkansas, told The Oklahoman in a phone interview that the death of Captain America probably helped the sales of “Chosen,” but that he had no advance knowledge of the plan.
“Marvel’s more secret than the CIA,” Breitweiser said. “I didn’t know about the death of Cap that day, when it happened. I called (Marvel’s) office, and they didn’t expect the amount of media coverage they were going to get from that.”
Breitweiser said the commotion about Captain America’s death inspired him to improve his art even further.
“Cap meant a lot to a lot of people, even those that weren’t reading comics, as an American icon, and I think that hit a chord with the public consciousness,” Breitweiser said. “I was still finishing the book up at the time, and that inspired me even more to just knock it out of the park.”
Morrell talked about the series on his Web site, www.davidmorrell.net, at the time of the first issue’s release:
“Throughout the story, these words function as a constant refrain: ‘Courage, honor, loyalty, sacrifice.’ Those are the military virtues, and in my opinion, the world would be a better place if all civilians practiced them.”
“Archer and Armstrong” collection in September
“Archer and Armstrong” may have been my favorite Valiant Comics title, so I was very pleased to receive this e-mail from Valiant Entertainment today.
From Valiant Entertainment:
New York, NY – Following the successes of its first two deluxe hardcover edition releases, Harbinger: The Beginning and X-O Manowar: Birth, Valiant Entertainment will release its third hardcover edition, Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions, on September 24.
Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions hardcover edition will contain issues #0-6, digitally recolored and wrapped in a brand new dust jacket cover by legendary artist, Michael Golden. Like their previous two hardcover releases, Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions will contain an all-new story written exclusively for this edition. “The Formation of the Sect”, by original series creator Jim Shooter and artists Sal Velluto and Bob Almond, tells the long-awaited story of how and why Armstrong has been pursued by this secret organization all these years.
“Our first two hardcovers have been big hits with Valiant fans both new and old,” said Walter J. Black, Senior VP & Publisher of Valiant Entertainment. “We expect this new one will be received just as well. We’ve put together a solid package highlighted by the all-new Jim Shooter short story. If you’re new to the series, this is a great way to get involved. If you’ve read it before, this new story alone will make picking it up worthwhile.”
Considered “the superhero buddy book of the decade” by Wizard Magazine, Archer & Armstrong tells the story of comics’ most unlikely traveling companions. When Archer’s preacher parents betray and try to murder him, he goes in search of enlightenment returning as the world’s greatest hand-to-hand fighter seeking revenge. Instead of revenge he finds Armstrong, the centuries old immortal wanderer who spends his time drinking, fighting and spinning tales of his hedonistic adventures throughout history. Together they span the globe facing down a threat that could destroy the world.
Archer & Armstrong: First Impressions will be available to order through Diamond Comic Distributors in their July 2008 issue of Previews which reaches comic stores on June 25.
For more information on the Valiant Universe and its characters, please log on to their website at www.ValiantEntertainment.com. While you’re there, be sure to join the mailing list to receive future updates in your inbox. Or visit Valiant Entertainment on ComicSpace at www.comicspace.com/ValiantEntertainment.
