Tony’s Column

Tony’s Column

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                                                                                                                      Sep 16, 2011

 

 

Baseball pennant races

 

Hi Everyone, This Week I am going to talk about baseball. Yep with the NFL season just starting and the NHL season getting ready to start I would like to talk about something that will shock some of you baseball fans. The two Hottest teams with a playoff spot right now are Detroit and Milwaukee. Being a Yankee Fan, I would love to see the Yankees in the World Series but I am thinking that this season I would rather see Detroit (or even Texas) against Milwaukee. What scare me even more is that the Yankees will get in beat Texas and loose to Detroit and that Tampa Bay will knock off Boston for the wild card but will be out of Gas and Lose 4 straight to Detroit. Now Detroit has had a week series the last couple of week playing their own division but right now they are building confidence. New York and especially Boston are not. I thought they were both a lock for first and the wildcard a week ago even when they both were losing but if Tampa wins 2 more then Boston would have to hope the Yankees can beat them in the next series and they can sweep their next series. It seems this year Boston started out bad and it looks like they might end bad. There is still about 14-16 games left so anything can happen and even thought I am not a Boston fan (not by any stretch) it might be a setback for the fans. In the National, Milwaukee is doing what I thought they would do 2 years ago and the window of opportunity is closing for them to win a world series. Philadelphia is in a bad situation because have clinched and really have nothing to play for. Matter of fact with 3 more wins (I think) they will clinch home field right through the playoffs. Some would think this is good but many a team has been caught off guard because of having clinched early. I know Bud and MLB would hate a Detroit/Tampa vs Milwaukee/Arizona Final because they feel they would get no ratings unless Boston/New York/Philadelphia or even Atlanta was in it. I say that this time they are wrong because like last year, it’s teams that either haven’t won it before or haven’t been there in a long time and won. It can only be good for baseball if this was to happen. Although if the Yankees were to make it to the World Series I wouldn’t be unhappy. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                         Sep 9, 2011

 

 

9-11, 10 years later

 

Hey Everyone, Well we are upon the 10th Anniversary of 911 and I would like to share some of my thoughts. I remember the morning it happened. I was at home and I got a phone call around 7:15AM from my friend Kim, who asked if I was watching CNN. I turned on the TV just in time to see the 2nd plane hit the tower. I remember saying to her as it happened “I don’t think this is a replay, I think a 2nd plane hit the other tower”. I had been to the World Trade Center 2 years previous after a trip to Washington, DC for the Alternative Press Expo and a retail comic Conference. I remember being at the top of the twin towers and thinking that this was the last time I was going to be at the top of the building. I meant it as I had been up there quite a few times but I didn’t realize that It would truly be the last time. The funny (or not so funny thing is) both New York and Washington were targets and both were cities I had visited in 1999 on one trip. The other weird thing was in 2001 I went to Grenada in the winter and New Orleans in the Fall and in 2006 both those places got hit with devastating hurricanes. I would like to think that I am not a bad luck charm for traveling especially the year after I went to Minneapolis and the next year the bridge we used to go back and forwards was the same one that collapsed. As I started off saying I keep thinking of 911 and how the world has changed since then. If you think about it the once great American Economy has taken a plunge and If I am not mistaken that this might be the first time a war has not helped boost the American Economy. You have to wonder why the CIA had not bothered to take the threat as serious or was their a contingency plan wear they under estimate how much damage would be caused if they actually tried this. The question has been posed: How safe do you feel in a post 911 world. Well if your travelling you have to wonder if the random and all the prescreening is working. I feel as safe flying now as I did before 911. I just feel sorry for a lot of the Muslim people who are getting single out when flying because of few rag tag crazies, they get single out. I don’t think we can get complacent because nothing major has happened in the last decade but we can’t continue to be ruled by fear. Up until 911 we had our own share of homegrown lunatics (any one remember Tim McVeigh). I know airports have made huge money because pretty much you have to buy most stuff that is confiscated again once you pass through customs (How many times have you thrown out a bottle of water or cup of coffee you just bought). I remember not being able to get a hold of my cousin who worked in the area for at least 4 days. I have been listening to stories that others had experienced that day and I can relate to some of them, the waiting to hear if relatives are ok. Well I think I will end on that note. I hope everyone stays safe and I hope that people in power stop using us as pawns in their little games, and I mean ALL OF US!!. Till Next Time. Tony

 

 

                                                                                        Aug 31, 2011

 

 

Happy B-Day, CtoC

 

Hi Everyone, well some of you may not know but as of Tomorrow Cover to Cover celebrates it’s 16 year in existence. What started off the small sister store of the Bookshelf has now become the only one of the two left. It has been a struggle these last years but I am always one to think that there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Some of the changes I have made in the last couple of years have been good and worked. Some have not. For me everyday is a new experience. When I first took over a small fledgling comic store, add some books, did some advertising and hope things would work out, I was never too sure if this would work. Well it’s still going today and Hopefully it will still be going in the next 5 years. There will be some more changes coming in the next few months until the end of the year. Some people will like and I’m sure some people will hate but I am hoping it will be change for the better and help this store provide even better service and quality for your dollar. You see any one can have a large store filled with stuff, I proved that with the Bookshelf, where I had the space to carry any and anything but in a space like Cover to Cover I need to go with quality over quantity, and so far I think I’ve done a good job and hope to do an even better job down the road. I would like to thank all of you for your patience with me while I work out the kinks. Happy Birthday Cover to Cover, may their be many more. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                        Aug 27, 2011

 

 

Summer’s Over

 

Hi Everyone, Well summer is almost over and I have to say this is the first time in a long time that I can remember where we had more sunshine than rain. They way the spring was and the early part of June I was wondering if the farmers almanac was going to be right this year but we have had the best summer in a while not the greatest for business but it was good for people just want to get out and enjoy the outside. Hardly any mosquitos so the evening are even better. The only problem is that in the east it was so dry you couldn’t have any fires so camping was out. In the west is was still wet with high water levels so camping was out in most of those areas too. Oh well I guess we can’t have it all but it was sure nice to have some of it. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                      Aug 20, 2011

 

 

Summer in the City

 

Hi Everyone, Well another summer is coming to an end and other than business wise it’s been a pretty good summer. We have had more sun than in the last 5 years combined and the mosquitoes this year have been very little to none. The worst mosquitoes I saw was at Lake Winnipeg in July one Saturday night when they just swarmed. We have had lots of things going on in old market square this year on the weekends and the patios most nights are full of people sitting, texting, some talking. Our hockey team is back and getting ready for the new season, the Football team leads the CFL with a 6-1 record and our Baseball team is in first in their division. The fringe festival had one of it’s best years ever for both indoor and outdoor venues. Rainbow Stage has had good crowds too for their outdoor performances of Cats and Hairspray. Right now it’s a good time to be in Winnipeg, except if you sell Books and Comics. For some reason, the people have just not been coming in, not just here but at many stores in the city. One just closed down recently because of lack of business. I have had to have sales, just to get sales. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys the weather, sit outside and grab a good book and an nice cold one. Till next Time. Tony

                                                                                        Aug 13, 2011

 

 

Where has common courtesy gone?

 

Hi Everyone, I’m having trouble with what I am going to write about this week. Rioting in England, the Stocks going wild, Fires being lit like crazy in the city, The Half/Black Half Hispanic Spiderman. There is so much I could talkabout. I am going to talk about courtesy, common courtesy. Last night on the radio they were talking about parking pigs. What is a parking pig. It is someone who takes up more than one spot when they park. Instead of taking the time and straightening out their vehicle, most people just leave the car the way it is causing a ripple effect. The next person has to park weird and so on. Someone sneezes it doesn’t take much to say bless you, a person is coming to the door at a store, it doesn’t take long to hold it open for them. How hard is it to say please and thank you. We seem to be losing our courtesy. I have to say when you driving and you take the time to let someone in because of a park car or construction, you can expect a wave of thanks but I would like to think that person down the road would let someone move in if the situation comes up down the road. You do not know how often lately I have let someone in and watch them just a couple of blocks later not let someone in the same predicament in. All it takes is a couple of seconds. Of course then there are the drivers who see that everyone has moved over a lane and then they try to speed and cut in before the construction instead of waiting in line like the rest of us. What makes your time more valuable than mine. At that point, I am tending to throw common courtesy out the window and say “Too bad for you Mister, Not Cutting in”. Then that is a little petty. Well my point this time is I try to be as courteous as possible and sometimes I slip but I think more and more people are being discourteous without even slipping. If you slip, I might giggle but I would still do the courteous thing and help you up. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                         Aug 6, 2011

 

 

The New Spiderman

 

Hi Everyone, This week we get introduced to a new Spiderman. Well a new Ultimate Spiderman that is. Miles Morales is Half Black and Half Hispanic. He replaces the Ultimate Universe Peter Parker as Spiderman. Parker died in a fight with the Green Goblin (Ultimate Version). The Media has been portraying it as the actual Spiderman being replaced which is wrong. This is going to be confusing to people in a few months when they launch the book featuring Morales, because people will come into stores and see both Spider-men and go “I thought they killed Peter Parker, how come he is in this book, what a rip”. However I don’t think it will affect sales that much. People will by the first issue and then some will continue and some won’t. I wish we could get down to some consistent story telling whether it’s just for  issue or for 5 issues. Marvel has to get out of this WWE mentality of having something lead into something else. People want consistency (or that’s what they tell me). Also on the topic of consistency and the media. Maybe they should read the press release a little closer because just because they made him 1/2 Black 1/2 Hispanic doesn’t make him 1/2 Gay. I have heard a British Tabloid has made that distinction and North America’s own voice of reason Glenn Beck has come to that conclusion as well, with Beck not like the character because he’s too “Obama Looking”. The fun thing about this is that it seems all the conservative people are not liking this change. What most people seem to forget is that in the early days of comics, most of the creators were white males and they created characters based on what they knew. Now this is the 21 century and we have creators from all walks of life, creeds , color and gender (despite what Dan Didio might say). Comics are starting (or at least trying) to reflect that. Unfortunately it’s too bad some of us still have are heads stuck in the past. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                         July 29, 2011

 

 

Are Mini Series Like Crystal Method

 

Hi Everyone, I just read part of an blog by a retailer who was comparing Marvel crossovers to crystal meth. I have a customer who has referred jokingly to his comic collecting as being crack and I am his dealer. The points brought up are very interesting because what Marvel has done is not only make people buy their next mini series because it continues from the last one (sort of the same way a WWE pay per view leads to the next PPV) but now people  have become so jaded that they are buying the mini series out of some crazed need. For those who are able to kick the habit and not get drawn into it has caused the sales of these series decrease. It is not the mini series that is part of the meth heads problem but when the mini gets drawn to the addicts regular series. Do we buy all the tie ins or do we just continue with our own series. I have been doing the later and in most cases I have been able to make sense of what is going on. In the case of Chaos wars it didn’t make a difference that I didn’t read the mini when it came out because when I finally read the TPB I found that I had not missed anything or it wasn’t as vital to the Hulk storyline as we were lead to believe before it started. Fear itself is a different story but still you can put together most of the pieces without the main book, which brings up the question: This event is leading into the next event so does that mean we will get another open ending. The answer is yes which is how they keep you hooked. The question now if for how long. More and more people are going on to series like Walking Dead or the Boys, or back to Spawn and Savage Dragon which have one story line and doesn’t require you to buy multiply other books that may or may not have a direct impact on the story. The major companies right now are relying on our addiction and are becoming lazy in there efforts to give us something new. Well at least Marvel is being lazy, DC is trying something new in September. Let’s hope that in the next year or so most of us won’t be quoting Amy Winehouse song Rehab: “I ain’t going to Rehab, No, No, No”. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                         July 28, 2011

 

 

Burn

 

Hi Everyone, Summer is in full swing (and half over for the kids) but in Winnipeg something bad is happening. In one part of the city there has been a lot of arson fires. Every once in a while you would get a fire in a autobin or a mattress left in a back lane but lately it has been garages and attached  garages. This is dangerous because now it’s beginning to threaten peoples lives. People in these neighborhoods are getting worried and I don’t blame them. If this is the work of one person, I hope they catch the person and get them some help. If it the work of a gang, then I hope someone can stop them before someone gets hurt or killed. That would be a tragedy. Till next time. Tony

 

 

                                                                                                                        July 21, 2011

 

 

SDCC

 

 

Hi Everyone, well San Diego starts today and it will be interesting what news will come out of it. Will it be mostly movie news either about coming features or what is out now. Trying to find the Next Harry Potter or Batman film. Will we actually get real comic news something to make us go wow. Will it be the status quo and nothing really happens. I hope it will be something that will really get the industry humming again and get people excited. I hope it’s the latter because we really need something like that. But Tony what about the 52 new ones from DC isn’t that news worthy. Yes but it’s just a start and who know how the comic buying public will react. We need something more than spike sales we need consistency. If not we are going to grow stagnant and die. Some would say we already have. Till next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                         July 13, 2011

 

 

Gilligan No More

 

Hi Everyone, Sherman Schwartz the man who gave us Gilligan’s Island and the Brady Bunch passed away today. There has been rumours of a Gilligan’s Island Movie remake. I hope they don’t do it. Most of the remakes of old TV shows have failed miserably (mostly because anyone involved in the original show never gets asked to be involved in the remake or their involvement is limited) because they never really capture what made the show a classic in the first place. It’s like redoing a song, sometimes artist put a great spin on it and it becomes a hit but most time it come across like an overpaid bar band doing the same set over and over again every weekend. This fall we get another version of Charlie’s Angels. This is by no means masterpiece theatre and even though the movies tried to give it some sort of update relevance, I’m not sure if the TV show will capture either the spirit of the old show or the updating of the characters to be strong female role models. In the next few years we will also be getting some remakes (and re-launching) of some old movies also. I understand that at times we need to go with some comfort food (things from the past that make us feel good) but if they are done poorly (Green Hornet) they can ruin our memories of it. It’s like going to a restaurant you loved as a kid and find out even though the menus the same they have changed the ingredients and a new chef is cooking it. It just doesn’t taste like you remember it. Of course, maybe that’s why our memory goes as we get older so we can experience new things that are not so new after all. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                           July 7, 2011

 

 

The New 52

 

Hi Everyone, The DC 52 Is ramping up and we are now getting answers to the questions people want to know. I am going to give a condensed view of some of the things they have done. For example, the renumbering of Action and Detective, the reason for doing this is that if they are going to relaunch the DC line then everything has to go back to number one and that the old numbering represented the past and they are now looking towards the future. They mention that the characters are always evolving and changing, Like Batman carrying a gun in the 40’s going Campy in the 60’s and becoming Gritty in the 80’s, so this is just an evolution of the characters and just because a character you like is not around right now doesn’t mean they can’t show up at a later date. DC also states that the change in costumes is part of DC commitment to make and create entertaining and masterful stories.

Stories are based in the tradition of the characters with a more modern take, it is not a reboot it is a “new beginning building of the past”. It will undo some of the past but not all of it. This is the New DC Universe, not an ultimate universe, not an extra earth universe but the new DCU. Let’s hope were ready for it. Till Next Time. Tony

 

                                                                                           July 1, 2011

 

 

The New DC

 

HI Everyone, Well with the more info that is coming out about the new DC’s the more interesting things are looking. I am intrigued to see if they are going to continue on one of their promises to not write story arcs to facilitate putting them in Trade paperbacks after the storyline is done. I also wonder if this means that we will get more single issue stories or two parters. Will they decide to do more long continuous storylines and just trade the issues as they see fit. I wonder too if the decision to stop doing this might have something to do with the releasing of the issues online at the same time. To maybe wean the people who always get TPB to start to go online and purchase a bunch of issues at once, at a price that will be similar to or slightly more expensive than the price of a tradition TPB. This also gets them to cut down on the publishing costs and housing cost of the TPBs once they have gone to press. Then for the more popular storylines they can put those out as TPBs after a year to satisfy the traditionalist and have those pretty much printed to order.  They are also saying that with the Batman and Green Lantern family of books that they are picking up where they left off with the old numbering as opposed to most of the other books that are getting a new beginning. This is a very interesting move on DC and one I think the fans of those too books will enjoy because they are not invalidating any of the changes done in the last year for both books. Or at least that’s what they are telling us. I think only time is going to tell whether this bold move will be the right move or the wrong move, but so far it seems as thought they are moving in the right direction. For themselves that is, for the rest of the industry we will have to see. Till Next Time. Tony

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