FORTRESS OF BAILEYTUDE

Another week, another five posts to produce for the Fortress of Baileytude.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  I have been having an absolute ball with this blog.  I managed to post every week day in July, so that’s a good track record for a relaunch.  More than anything I hope y’all are liking what you see here and keep those comments coming.

Today I have three kind of random pictures.  Two are recent acquisitions and one of a preview image of sorts.  Recently the financial down turn that my wife and I had been going through has turned around so we are not flat broke.  This has allowed me to pick up a thing or two that I’ve had my eye on.  The first is a poster I chanced upon a month or so back and got a really good deal on.  Recently I have started collecting promotional posters from Superman’s past and this…this was a good one.

Ain’t it cool?

I am really starting to like these posters.  As a matter of fact I have decorating plans for this posters and more like it, but that will have to wait.  For now, I have this awesome piece of Superman history taped to my wall.

Next up is something that I have been wanting for a long time.  I finally found one, though and boy am I glad to have it.  You may look at it and think it is an action figure two-pack.  I look at it as proof that Mattel wants my money.

This two pack is composed of 150% awesome.  For those interested this is an action figure re-creation of the cover of DC Comics Presents #49.  I haven’t taken them out of the package yet but I soon will, so I’ll take more pictures then.  For now, bask in the glory that is Superman and He-Man getting ready to throw down.

Finally, a picture that is also a preview.

What you are looking at is every issue of Superman, Action Comics and Supergirl published since Infinite Crisis ended, going up to Superman #700.

Why have I assembled these comics?

That would be telling, but suffice to say I have plans for these books.  Plans that involve Views From The Longbox.

Stay tuned for that.

Well, that is it for today.  Come back tomorrow for YouTube Tuesday.

More to follow…

The eBay gods have been kind to me lately.

With the financial situation getting better and better I have been hitting eBay more and more and the deals have been pretty sweet.  Superman trades, or at least the ones I have been lucking into, have been rather cheap.  Here are three I have been able to pick up lately.

At first I was a little disappointed that this collection did not include the four issue Phantom Zone mini-series by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan from 1982 but as I was looking through the comics they did include seem pretty cool.  It even has The Man Who Destroyed Krypton from Superman #205 (April 1968), which features the villainous Black Zero, a name that would reappear several times in several forms during the Post Crisis era.

Original cover price? $19.99  Price paid including shipping?  $6.99

Bargain!

The next two were a package deal.

Read more…

So you are looking at the title to this post and quite possibly you are asking yourself is, “What is ACC?”

Well, ACC is the Atlanta Comic Convention, a great one day comic show that happens once every three months in, well, Atlanta.  I mean it’s right there in the name.  It’s run by Wes Tillander, who is a great guy and puts on a fantastic one day show that is 90% comics, which is fantastic.  Sure you have some off the beaten path dealers, like the person selling fans and parasols and such and you also have one or two DVD dealers, but other than that it is all comics, which is a rare thing to find these days considering even most supposed comic book conventions are, in reality, pop culture conventions.  It’s not that there is anything wrong with that sort of thing, but I’m a comics guy, so it is nice to be with my people and see all of the pretty books.

I didn’t have a whole heck of a lot of money this time out, so I wasn’t planning on getting much of anything.  I had a small list of comics I was on the look out for and would buy if the price was cheap enough.  In an odd bit of coincidence all of the items I bought were Superman related and one…one was such a freaking epic find that four days later I am STILL geeking out about it, but I will save that for last.

The first thing I found was a copy of Superman: Adventures of the Man of Steel.  This is a trade paperback of the first six issues of the Superman Adventures book that was published to go along with Superman: The Animated Series.

Bask in the glow of the Bruce Timm cover.

More under the cut.

Read more…

Here’s something that came in the mail just yesterday.

This cover is going to garner one of three reactions.

1. Hey, I have that!
2. Hey, I need that!
3. What the heck is Superboy Special #1 from 1992?

Read more…

Yesterday instead of preparing for or heading to a Super Bowl party the wife and I had a leisurely morning before heading into Atlanta for a one day comic show.  There is one the north side about every three months or so and it had been a good three years since we’ve been to one, so I secured the day off and away we went.  The plan was to meet up with my friend Garrett and after browsing through the various dealers for a spell we would head to find something to eat.

I’m pleased to say that things went off without a hitch.

Rachel and I left the house at about noon thirty and headed into the city after a brief pit stop for fuel and refreshments.  The show was held in a nice hotel off of Century Blvd, which is a tad north of North Druid Hills.  If you are familiar with Atlanta you probably know what I am talking about.  If not consider this color commentary.  It was a pleasant drive, which is a departure from the usual trips into Atlanta.  The traffic on I75/85 is a gauntlet that is much like watching that scene in The Protector where fifty guys come at Tony Jaa and he dispatches them in the most violent and brutal way possible.  It’s a nerve wracking experience most of the time and tends to put me on edge.  Not so yesterday.  Smooth sailing all the way until 75/85 branches off and even into I85.  I have never had a trip into the city go that well.

The Marriott where the Best One Day Show in the South was held seems like a very nice hotel where you would find business type people staying for a business type convention.  It makes the sight of comic fans walking into the lobby in Secret Invasion T-shirts and toting comic boxes kind of jarring and makes you want to start humming, “One of these things is not like the other, ones of these things does not belong.”  This is not a slight on the fans themselves because I am one of them.  I am not a self-loathing fan…well, most of the time I am not a self-loathing fan and yesterday was one of those days where I was in good spirits, so I thought it was kind of cool to see my people coming out from a good day of hunting happy with their purchases.

(The hallway leading to the show was kind of creepy.  It had this reddish plaid carpeting and I was fairly sure that any minute a set of twin girls was going to appear at the end of the hall and tell me that I should come play with them.  Play with them forever and ever and ever.  Scary.)

We paid the three dollar fee and entered the convention space and suddenly I remembered why I liked this show.  98% of the dealers there were selling comics.  There was one dealer selling bootleg DVDs, one person selling anime and manga item s,another guy that had a bunch of Star Wars toys and while some of the comic dealers had statues and action figures it was mostly comics.  Comics as far as the eye could see.  Cheap comics.  Overly expensive comics.  Comics that would make you want to punch your momma.

It.  Was.  Awesome.

Read more…

Once again the dollar box provides fodder for blogging material.

This is a fanzine that bears an inside date of February 1982.  I don’t know if that means it was published in February of that year or if it followed the pattern that comics did at the time of being four months behind.  In either case The Fantastic Four Chronicles was put out by FantaCo Enterprises and this was the second of their Chronicles books.  In the information blurb at the bottom of the table of contents they announce that the third issue will feature Daredevil and the fourth will be about the Avengers.  I don’t know if those ever saw the light of day but the first issue was about the X-Men.

As a fanzine the Fantastic Four Chronicles was rather extensive.  Over the course of several articles it details the history of the group as well as an interview with Marv Wolfman and Len Wein, a look at the animated adventures of the FF, a personal recollection by John Byrne and a checklist.

I love finding bits of business like this.  Its not something you see everyday and acts as a time capsule to the period it was published during.  That cover is amazing as well.  I am a big fan of John Byrne’s run on the Fantastic Four and love his renditions of the characters, especially the ever loving, blue eyed Thing.

All in all a good find and I am happy that it is part of the collection.

I’m also happy that it only cost a dollar.

More to follow…

Welcome to Getting My Fix, a weekly feature here at the Fortress where I, like many other comic book bloggers, tell you what I bought this week.

I mean everyone else does it so why shouldn’t I?

We’ll start with the comics I bought for me.

Now that is one amazing cover.

I have not read this latest issue of Supergirl yet but I am looking forward to it.  I don’t think I am alone in thinking that this title has had some serious problems over it’s nearly three year publication history and this is where things might really turn around.  Not that I disliked the last few issues, but with everything I have read about this new direction I have high hopes.

Especially with New Krypton coming up.

Read more…

Very light this week.  Not so much a money issue as trying to control myself.  Plus the wife and I have the trip to Metropolis coming up, so I’m trying to put a little aside so we can have some spending money. 

So, what came out this week?

Well it finally came out.  After numerous delays we finally get the conclusion to “Last Son” , which I sure as shootin’ have things to say about.  I am behind on my reviews but hopefully over the next week I can get caught.

Of course I always say that, but overall I’ve been pretty good when it comes to this blog.

Month two of giving this book another chance.  Hopefully it will continue on an upswing because I found the previous issue to be very strong.

Plus, I couldn’t really turn my back on this title.

Infinity, Inc.  Now there’s a book I could turn my back on.

Finally…

Sure I own both covers of the original but it was free.

Still don’t have the hardcover of the first six issues, though.  I need to pick that up at some point.

Hope y’all had a good week at the shop as well.

More to follow…

Thanks to the Tax Rebate money that came in I was able to splurge a bit this week.  So in addition to the five books I picked up (two of which were Superman related) I also purchased part two of Graphic Audio’s 52 audio adaptation, the Incredible Hulk DVD-ROM which reprints every issue of the Jade Giant’s various series from the first one in 1962 until December 2006 (I realize that this is a Superman blog, but in all honesty the Hulk is number two with me as far as comic book characters, so he gets a pass) and a few Bronze Age Superman books.

So here we go.

An honest to goodness Kevin Maguire cover.  AWESEOME!  I was a bit miffed that he didn’t do the interior art, but I liked this issue just the same.  As soon as I get caught up on things you’ll see a review of this story.  In short: I really, really liked it.

If you only have fifty cents to buy a comic length ad this week DC Universe #0 is that book!

All kidding aside it wasn’t all that bad.  I won’t be doing a review of this one because…well, I just don’t feel like it but if you want a sneak preview of the upcoming Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds mini-series then find those two quarters that are hiding in your couch and check this out.

I don’t mean to sound like a grouch but I hated this story arc.

It didn’t start out that way.  I rather enjoyed it at first but if you go here, here, here, here, here and here you can read my reviews of Torment (which sounds kind of awesome really) for the Superman Homepage and see how a man can start out liking a book and then hating it with the fire of a thousands suns. 

Well, maybe not that much, but still while the art was not terrible from beginning to end one look at this cover makes me wonder what seventh grade art school drop out drew Superman and Batman.

Was that too harsh?

Maybe. 

Oh well, on to the Bronze Age!

It seemed that a lot of the Bronze Age books I bought this week were some of the more important issues that I’ve been wanting to own for some time now.  This one is special because Superman Vol. 1 #276 was an attempt to do an Earth-1 version of Captain Marvel, so that was cool.  Also cool is the fact that this is a Nick Cardy cover, though I have to admit that I prefer his Teen Titans and Aquaman over his Superman, but maybe that’s just me.

I was glad to get this one primarily because I owned it back when I was in the seventh grade and it disappeared.  It’s a pretty striking cover as well.  I would love to see the One Minute Later of this one as Batgirl hits the pavement and Superman flies off.

Because I’m twisted like that.

Now that’s a cover.  I mean after seeing that you just have to buy the book and read it. 

If you have ever wanted to read a version of the Pre-Crisis Lex Luthor origin that actually has the premise make sense than pick up this issue.  Or pick up the Superman vs. Lex Luthor trade that DC released some time back as the main story of this issue is reprinted there.  I will admit that I was one of those people who thought the concept that Superboy accidentally causing Lex’s hair to fall out was a thin concept behind him going bad even for the Silver Age, but Elliot S! Maggin gives Luthor’s story some real emotional weight.  This is well worth owning even if you aren’t going for a full run of seventies Superman comics like me.

And that’s it for this week.  If you haven’t done so already I politely ask that you head on over to my buddy Damian’s site and vote for him to become the official Superman for the upcoming Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Ill.  Damian’s a great guy and in looking at the competition I honestly believe that he is the best choice for the job.  Check out his video and you’ll see why.

More to follow…

A very light week Superman wise.  One team-up book, one team book and one Pre-Crisis book. 

And here we go.

I just go through reading this one.  I have mixed feelings, all of which can be read in my review on the Superman Homepage, which will be up on Monday or so.

How’s that for self pimping?

Another review book for the Homepage.  I haven’t read this one yet but I am hopeful that this book will get back on track after the past few issues.

And finally…

The Pre-Crisis collection continues along at a good clip.  I’m taking baby steps because, well, even with the deals these seventies books are getting quite expensive.  I am looking forward to completing the “Sandman Saga” as it is a story that I have wanted to read in it’s entirety for some time now.  Part of me wishes they would put out a trade of the story but at the same time I would buy the individual issues anyway.  I like trades and all.  A lot actually as my bookshelf is nearly overflowing but there is something about owning the actual comic and seeing the ads and reading the letters pages.  It’s like a little time capsule.

Oh well.  Looks to be a good week comic wise.  I also bought a couple of the Secret Invasion tie-ins and the third issue of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness’ Hulk came out, so fun reading all around apparently.

More to follow…