Tony's Column Twenty-Four

Tony’s Column

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Sept 27, 2008

Hey, Moonie

Hi Everyone, Well a question was posed this week about what if Keith Moon had not died in 1978 and was around today. Would he be as wild and crazy, would he have mellowed out, would he have stopped drinking, would he still be with the Who making music and touring. I have an answer for that: If he hadn’t died that fateful day in September of 1978, he would have probably would have died sometime in the 80’s. You see a guy like Keith Moon (and to an extent Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison) were all on destructive paths. These were people who really wanted to live life fast and the rate they were going they were bound to burnout. Some of the stars from their day did get lucky and survive. Keith Moon would not have been the one to have lasted as long as the rest of the band. That just wasn’t Moonie’s style, which was too bad because he was a great drummer. Til Next time, Tony

Sept 20, 2008

Thanks to the Troops

This week’s column is short and to the point. I have many friends in the armed services and quite a few customers and I just wanted to say thank you for doing the Job that you are doing overseas and at home. We take a lot of these things for granted but without them we would not have the freedoms that we are so privileged to enjoy. This also goes out to the retired veterans who fought in the wars before. You may or may not agree with the causes or the reasons but because of them, we all have the rights to our opinions with out repercussions. So Once again Thank You. Till Next Time. Tony

Sept 13, 2008

Comic News

Hi Everyone, There was no Column last week due to lack of time on my part. I went to the Diamond Retailer Summit last week and I will report on a few of the things discussed. Black Panther is going away at the end of Secret Invasion and will be replaced by a female Version. The will be an X-Force/Cable Crossover coming soon. Marvel will be doing some detective comics called Marvel Noir featuring Spidey, X-men, Daredevil, Wolverine, etc. Steven King N. is an original series coming soon, along with the wonderful Wizard of Oz. The destruction of the Ultimate Universe is coming and when the dust settles their will be a new title called Ultimate Avengers. What if Returns and the War of Kings. X-Inferno: the Return of Magik, and Psylocke also returns. Amazing Spider-man #600 story is called What Really Happened at the Wedding of Peter and Mary Jane. Also coming in Amazing Spider-man is Sinister 666. Brian Bendis told us that there is going to be a shift in the Marvel universe starting with Dark Reign in December and this will involve all the Avengers books. The Dark Reign Banner will be across all effected titles and Mighty Avengers #20 will be Bendis’ Last issue. New books springing out of this will be Dark Avenger by Bendis and Deodato, Spiderwoman, Agent of Sword #1 by Bendis and Meelev. All the info for Dark Reign in the Marvel previews will have certain things blacked out (like in Civil War) and they will release a special Dark Reign Marvel Previews with all the info present after Secret Invasion 8 comes out. Powers will stop with Issue 30 and Volume 3 will launch in Late 2009. Powers is also going to be a TV Show. Marvel will be releasing their masterworks as Trade paperbacks in 2009 and will also Celebrate their 70^th anniversary. Dark Horse has let us know that the Domo 5.5 inch figures are getting the mass market treatment. The Spirit Journal will have a light up cover. Beanworld will return with New and Collected issues. Also Japanese artist consortium Clamp will have stuff released from Dark Horse. Spring solicitation for a new Aliens vs. Predator series. Image presents 2009 the year of Dawn, 2 new Dawn series and a new Dawn Product every month. Back to Brooklyn by Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti. Firebreather, Invincible (which we carry and you should be buying), I Kill Giants, Guerillas, Dragon Prince by Ron Marz and Lee Moder, Dynamo 5, Impaler, Jack Staff and Elephantmen:Fatal Diseases. Most of the DC News is stuff that has already been released with some exceptions: Blackest Night starts in Rage of the Red Lanterns, Kevin Smith is doing Batman: Capophony, Billy Tucci is doing Sgt. Rock: Last Battalion, Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures in the 8^th Grade. DC will also do a figurine Magazine like the Marvel one that will contain lead figures. Spirit will have Femme Fatales coming out just prior to the movie. Women of the DC Universe poster will be solicited in 2009 (but if you want to see it just come by Bookshelf and look in the window). Powergirl by Alex Ross. FCBD Wiz Kid figure will be Logan. And Viz Comics is doing Pluto which is the Dark retelling of Astro boy and look for lots of stuff tying into the Live action Dragonball Movie (coming April 10, 2009). That’s all for this time. Have a good one. Tony

Aug 29, 2008

So Long Jenni.

Hi Everyone, this is not my favorite type of column to write because usually when I do these one it means that someone is leaving. This time it’s Jenni from Cover to Cover. For those of you who don’t know Jenni she the smiling face you see at when you enter Cover to Cover. When she first came in to apply she was nervous and during the interview she thought “she did pretty well” but in fact she had nailed it. She has outlasted all the other people that were hired either at the same time and afterwards. Do you know why because she brought something to the table that none of the others did, Pride in her work. Without Jenni, I think I might have pulled the plug on Cover to Cover a few years ago. She has been my right hand their and I have watched her come into her own and still keeping those same country values that she was raised with. She has marvel both book and comic customers with her knowledge and know she is going to take the education degree that she worked very hard to get and pursue the path that it will take her. If you didn’t get a chance to meet her you missed someone special and for those of us that did get to know her we are better for it. So Here’s to you Jenni, Good luck in teaching our kids (hopefully you can install some common sense and responsibility into them). Till Next Time. Tony

Aug 22, 2008

Check these out!

Hi Everyone, I would like to talk about some comics that have been released recently. Comics that are worth picking up: Final Crisis Legion of 3 Worlds, Incredible Hercules, Terry Moore’s Echo, The Boys, Dark Ivory, Uncanny X-men, Green Lantern, Batman, Superman. Comics not sure where there going or what there doing: Amazing Spiderman, X-men Legacy, Secret Invasion (although the Tie-ins are not that bad), Trinity, Robin. I know some of you will disagree with this list but most of the good books that I have a great writing and at least shows were they want to take the story. The one that I listed as not so good are all comics put out to cash in on what ever the latest event is. I am hoping that people are going to put the time in to buy and read the well written comics out there and not be like sheep and buy what ever we are force fed from the big 2. Until next time. Tony.

Aug 15, 2008

Get the Cell out of Here!!

Hi Everyone, I am going to rant about Cell phones this time. It has become my pet peeve. I am not sure which is worse people driving with cell phones or people walking with cell phones. I have seen in the last week people yakking on their phones and crossing the street, completely oblivious to the fact that the light has changed. I have seen people jay walk while still talking on the phone. I witnessed another car texting and driving. I have had cars go whipping past me as I was at a red light it was a good thing there wasn’t anything coming from the other direction or it would have been a terrible accident. I see cars in front of me, swerving not sure which lane to be in, and you can see them talking on the phone. The best one was yesterday a guy in a ford pickup truck had the phone to his ear with one hand and was smoking with the other. Not as bad as the woman who had a cell crinked to her shoulder, a smoke in one hand and a coffee in the other hand. When the light changed do you think she put one of the things down to drive. Nope she continued on. I really hope they come up with that law prohibiting driving while being on the phone and not wait until someone gets seriously injured or even killed. Till Next time. Tony

Aug 8, 2008

Look who took our Clubhouse?

Last week, I originally was going to talk about how the San Diego comic con has outgrown it current facility and needs to go somewhere bigger. The City of San Diego is planning on expanding the current convention center and the comic con has decided to stay in it’s current location instead of moving the con to Los Angeles or somewhere else in Southern California. I (and others) think of San Diego as our club house, were we would meet talk in our special code and have good geek fun. After a while we invited some of the cool kids over but they never really stayed around. Then one day one of the Cool kids (well call them Hollywood Movies) decided that not only would they hang out, but they could get us to do what they wanted. Then they started inviting lots of their friends to the clubhouse. We were all right with this at first but now we are getting squeezed out of our clubhouse. I think have comic book movies are great and that they are being done right is spectacular but It is Comic Con not Movie Con. I hear now the best time to meet your favorite writer or artist is when a celebrity shows up or when they are having a panel with celebrities. Well I guess that’s what we have to live with as the popularity of comic movies rises. I wish this would cause a spin off into people wanting to buy the products but something tells me the buck is stopping at the movies, which is sad because this could be the gateway to other good comics that aren’t movies yet. The cool kids have taken over the clubhouse and hopefully they let us geeks back in. Until Next Time. Tony

Aug 1, 2008

It’s a Gruesome World

Hey everyone, Well I was originally going to do this column on the growth of the San Diego Comic Con but due to the nature of something that happened in the Manitoba area. As some of you may have seen on the news a tragic murder happened on a Greyhound bus just outside of Portage La Prairie, MB. This town is only 45 mins west of my Portage Avenue store. There has been lots of talk about what people did or didn’t due on the bus but the one thing is none of us can really say what we would do IF WE WERE IN THERE SITUATION. There was a blog posted by Reverend on Aug 1, stating that people rushed out trying to help themselves and leaving the man to die and why didn’t they do more to help there fellow man. Depending on the situation, self preservation does kick in, and according to eyewitness accounts the victim was already dead by the time the first person had noticed. This Blog was also in part to woman who was attacked in broad daylight in our downtown by a Pan handler and nobody went to help her. In the downtown situation I would have been in there like a dirty shirt to help because I have done so in the past. Once again it depends on the situation. I have also stood by and watch a situation to make sure it didn’t get out of control and let the people work it out. There was reports of 3 people that did try to help the guy on the bus but it was too late. They at least had the foresight to keep the assailant on the bus until the authorities arrived. I for one will commend the people who were on that bus and especially to the driver who managed to keep his cool throughout the ordeal. We may never know why Tim McLean (the Victim) was singled out but out prayers go out to his family and friends. And Reverend, yesterday you quoted the story of the good Samaritan but how about walking a mile in someone’s shoes before commenting or better yet “He who is without Sin cast the first Stone”. Until Next Time, Peace Out. Tony

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