No comments about Spawn & Batman #1 (Image - DC Comics).

No comments about Batman, April 2008 Issue.

No comments about The Big Big Little Book Book: An Overstreet Photo-Journal Guide.

No comments about Hulk #1 : Who is the Hulk? (Marvel Comics).

5 comments about Simpsons Comic on Parade.

1. I ordered this booked a few months ago and now think that it has some of the best Simpsons books ever. My favourite issue was issue 27, it was about scientists fixings homers brain so he was a smart person and not a dumb one any more.



2. this is a good book because it will make you laug



3. Simpsons, Comics on Parade, is the second Simpsons comic book collection I've gotten so far. If you look on the page for the Simpsons Comics Spectacular you will find another one of my reviews. After reading both of them, I would definitely recommend the Simpsons, Comics on Parade, because of the variety of stories jam-packed in it. My favorite would have to be issue #25 because it seemed the most like a real Simpsons TV episode. I could imagine everybody saying everything, and it had a great plot as well. KEEP IT UP GROENING!



4. The Simpsons Comics carry on in this edition, but it seems to be a slight sag here. The first edition, in which the political parties come to town seems to drag. But, we get some classics, like "They Saved Homer's Brain". It's not up to the classic that was Simpsons Comics Extravaganza, but it's better than some stuff from Simpsons Comics Spectacular.



5. I have a dozen Simpsons comic books and read them all over and over again. On Parade, though, is my least favorite. Like all the books, the artwork is awesome and it has all the popular Simpsons characters, but, unlike the other books, most of the comics have very weak endings.

   "Send in the Clowns": A "devastating mass of hot air" is headed towards Springfield. The Presidential campaign, that is. It even includes big-eared third party candidate L. Ron Percent. Nice idea, but the story doesn't really go anywhere.

   "Homey Alone": Just when you thought every Simpsons character has been the subject of a comic strip, here's a strip starring Li'l Homey (Homer as a kid). Homey is left home alone and sets up a burglar trap. Who comes knocking but "eaglette" Li'l Mrs. Krabapal selling cookies. Again, a weak ending to a promising strip follows.

   "Marge Attacks": Frustrated with the lack of quality programming on the tube, Marge writes a letter to Mayor Quimby. Quimby campaigners think riding on Marge's wholesome apron strings will be the way to get the morally challenged mayor re-elected. Again, the ending could have been better.

   "Diner Violations": Funny short starring Springfield's finest, Lou and Eddie.

   "Game Called Because of Pain": Itchy and Scratchy short with a baseball theme.

   "Get Off the Bus": Sideshow Bob attends to his prison duty of cleaning the school buses and decides to fight for the cause of school bus safety (why Bob all of a sudden is concerned with the safety of children is unexplained). Ironically, Bob boobytraps Bart's seat so that, when Bart is hurled to a gruesome death, changes will be made to save the lives of others. It's up to Otto to save Bart and his classmates. This comic is one of the better ones in this books.

   "They Fixed Homer's Brain": They saved the best for last. Homer needs money to buy Lisa a new saxophone after he broke her old one. In typical Homer fashion, he volunteers for Prof. Frink's intelligence experiment. Homer jumps from "Fat Albert" intelligence to "Albert Einstein" intelligence after a single pill. Looks like he won't be needing that copy of "Lying Around Eating and Burping for Dummies" he ordered from the library.

5 comments about The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 36th Edition (Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide).

1. Iv'e had several Paperback Overstreet Guides and after moderate use pages tend to come loose from the binding and the book becomes worthless as a resale not to mention trying to keep it together. The Hardbacks seem to hold up much better and are more desirable as a collector item. For the additional price I find it is worth going with the Hardback version. I have never found Amazon.Comm to offer the Hardback and I don't know why??



2. Overstreet is certainly the book to have when trying to access the value of your collection. I only regret that they removed the grading system from this book and have moved to endorsing commercial companies to do this for you. Wizard only care about what is hot right now. All in all, this book is your best bet but alway remember, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.



3. the better comic book price guide ever.



4. This is a good price guide, seems to be realistic, covers a large array of issues, very comprehensive, I would recommend this to anyone. I used this over a decade ago and thought it undervalued things some, but with time comes wisdom I guess, seems to be as accurate as can be hoped.



5. This was an excellent, informative guide which gave prices for just about all the comics published in the United States. It also had pictures of the comics and factual information and added knowledge to the collector of comics. In my opinion, it's a the "bible" for comic collectors!

No comments about Marvel Mangaverse #1 : Hungry Planet (Marvel Comics).

5 comments about The Official Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide.

1. If you sell on EBAY or just want to track the condition/current value of your personal collection, this is the quintisential book to have.Every major player in the world of comics bases their grading on this book.A wonderful guide with picture representation to ensure accurate grading of individual comics.From the beginners to the experts,a true comic collectors "Must Have!"



2. Bottom line: Comic book grading is THE most difficult component of the comics collecting business side of the equation. Subjective interpretation lends disparity between any 2 people's grades, but the more experience that you have, the better equiped that you are to make qualified decisions about a book's grade. This book was much-updated from its previous version, so is an improvement. Bashing the book for not giving a "Cliff-notes" version of how to wave a magic wand, and "poof!" get a grade is a poor position to take. Yes, the book needs work in terms of pictures of defects and corresponding adjustments. One should also keep in mind that there is a functional aspect of grading that allows for a given defect to be (somewhat) offset by a strong characteristic in another are (e.g. stress marks bring book to FN, but stunning colors and/or supple white pages might boost it back to VF-, as a potential example). Given that there is NOT a lot of documented information on this subject, this book is helpful as a reference ONLY, and should be used in conjunction with other references (ComicBase, Wizard, Overstreet Guide), to make a good determination of a grade. Certainly times are better now than they were, say, 10 years ago, when only pros in the business for years could make an accurate estimate. Be thankful for that. CGC info, by design, is not going to be released - it's a Trade Secret for their business model, and if they gave it all away, they would not be in business. Does Proctor and Gamble give away its recipe for its products, or DuPont? - of course not. The discerning investigative researcher uses multiple sources. One such source (if you had bothered to read the Overstreet 33rd Edition) is that Metropolis Comics helped CGC develop the standards that they use. Also, many of the MAJOR comic dealers contribute heavily to the Advisory Board for CGC, so if you look at the sources, you could glean more information as well. Stop whining, and start learning ! This book is a valuable tool to be used with the other resources available to comics collectors, but it is not the de facto "guide" for grading. There will never be such a guide, so get over it.



3. This 2nd edition is an improvement over the 1992 edition and bolsters the viewpoint that Overstreet standards must be recognized as the primary source for grading decisions. While this guide does not provide specific CGC guidelines - which CGC refuses to publish - there is an overview of CGC by CGC Primary Grader Steve Borock and there are several examples of CGC-graded comics in various grades pictured. This, of course, merely provides examples of CGC grading and does not address the issue of CGC's well-documented inconsistencies. ***UPDATE: August, 2003 - CGC has announced that it will has adopted Overstreet grading standards as its own! This is a shrewd move by CGC and will help unify overall grading standards.***

   In this guide, you will find advertising by some of the largest retailers in the nation, along with several interesting articles whose topics range from comic book history to restoration to shipping comics. Each grade has a fairly comprehensive one-page description of necessary qualities inherent to the grade, along with a full checklist of 21 grading considerations like spine roll, cover creases and staples. The pages following are filled with clear and illustrative examples of covers of books fitting the grade, with appropriate annotation of defects.

   While there is still room for improvement in future editions, such as addressing the topic of grade "qualifiers" - a defect impacting the grade of a comic whose appearance would suggest a better grade if not for the defect - it is the premier guide to comic book grading and is a must-have for any serious collector or dealer.




4. Sometimes I wonder how major glaring issues get published with something that purports to be a definitive guide. Of course i'm talking about the size of the photos, many labelled flaws are simply undectable and pressing ones face right up to the book to see flaws is well silly and unnecessary. Its sad to see a total compromise of someones product presumably to sell more copies to WaldenBooks or whomever, it shows a lack of integrity and a lack of dedication to ones customers.
   Other than that major disappointment, I'd have to say the only other problem with the book are that the written articles are a bit muddled, the basics of grading seem a bit sparse while some aspects of minutae seem to be overemphasised.
   All the information you need to make grading judgements in todays CGC environment is here though. Most probably wont be too happy to learn that most comics they bought as NM/VF in the 80's/early 90's are probably a 7.5 at best in today's market. But thats not Overstreets fault.
   The part of the book where they take an Atom comic through the grades is very informative and probably the best visual representation of grading to date.
   Theres promise here and the information is factual but presented in a flawed manner, if you need a handy reference guide for comic grading this is it. Surely they cant help but address the basic flaws with their product in later editions?



5. The problem I find with this book, as with all books on the subject of grading, is that it is getting too complex.
   As a collector of coins and stamps, along with comics, I understand the importance of grading when it comes to the determining the value of your collection; however, when I look at a book, I now find myself trying to determine what this stress line or that OWL interior really does to the grade. How many points deducted? Added?
   Of course, Overstreet is the definiitve book on the subject but there comes a time when a decision has to be made as far as trying to figure out what grade to give it, i.e., VF- or F+, for example, and sometimes there is not enough details on exactly what it is that makes that determination. This is particularly true when it comes to Golden Age or early Silver Age.
   A Goldie is much harder to grade because, given its age, and scarcity, one must decide how much a particular defect will compromise a grade in relation to a modern book. A Goldie with spine stress lines should not be held to the same standards as a modern with the same defect. if you take away one point for that, you then should have the option of adding one point due to its rarity.
   Overstreet, while mentioning this problem, does not give enough information on it to make it clear and decisive.
   The bottom line is that the Overstreet Guide is the 'Bible' of comic collecting and is highly recommended as the definiitve guide to grading BUT......it is still the old axiom of 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder.'

1 comments about Testament: Babel - Volume 3 (Testament).

1. This latest installment of Douglas Rushkoff's Testament is as engaging and compelling as the first two. The collection has three Bible stories woven into one modern narrative. In the Job story that opens, Rushkoff plays with time-space a little more, and The Rape of Dinah story is a little more loosely materialized, but both are very interesting and imaginative works of fiction. The four part story of Babel is profound in many ways.
   
   My intent is not to spoil any of the story, because as the other two compilations have shown, even though you might know the Bible, don't think you know what happens next in Testament. This surreal and interesting interpretation of the Bible-as-modern has re-enlivened my interest in this most wonderful ancient text. (And I am not a Christian.) Kudos to Rushkoff for this amazing piece of storytelling, and kudos to him for being brave enough to weave other ancient gods and traditions into the simulation that is our lives. (Joseph Campbell would be proud.) This series has become one of my favorite comics, and better yet, one of my favorite works of contemporary fiction in a very short time.

2 comments about Midnighter, Vol. 1: Killing Machine.

1. The go back and kill Hitler story.
   
   Or, an excuse for Ennis' brand of black humour and much head demolishing. The Mignighter is captured by a man who has found a loophole in the Door teleport process, and wants him to go back in time and get rid of the Fuhrer earlier in his career, or the implanted bomb in his chest will be detonated.
   
   When sent back, he runs into some enhanced Time Police that further complicates things, as does his boredom with the Authority sitting around and not doing much - criticism of DC for screwing this title up perhaps?



2. Yeah, I get that it's fun to cut loose and take liberties with the whole super-hero genre, and that many writers (and readers) enjoy exploring the idea of what these guys would really be like if they were as violent as they are made out to be. I enjoyed the "Authority" books for a while (and then got bored) but I checked out this solo Midnighter/Batman parody out, just to see what they'd done with the character.
   
   I was disappointed to find that this was just an excuse to indulge in a hyperviolent, gratuitously graphic, yucko headbashing bloodfest... Like a DC Vertigo book, but more explicit. The plotline didn't seem particularly mature or interesting; just an excuse to wallow in violence.
   
   Others might disagree, but I didn't think this was worth reading.