Maybe  you’re a long time fan looking for the greatest hits, or maybe you’re new to the world of Superman and about to head into a comic book store for the first time. If that’s the case, you’re probably curious where you should start. Fear not, dear friend! I am here to show you the wonders of the Man of Steel, having been a fan for as long as I can remember. Let’s take a trip into a world where a man can fly, and do things that inspire us to be better.

All-Star Superman

Written by Grant Morrison, Art by Frank Quitely

All- Star Superman is an homage to the Silver Age of Superman, and Grant Morrison gives a loving, glowing treatment to the Man of Steel. In this tale, Superman saves an experimental mission to the sun, only to learn that the exposure to the sun at that level had supercharged his cells to overload: Superman is dying. Before he does die though, he embarks on a quest to tie up some loose ends, and show the world why he is the first, and the greatest, superhero. Quitely’s art is amazing, and the visuals at times are breathtaking. The first sequence itself is amazing: a brief, 5-panel breakdown of his origin, which then leads to a gorgeous double splash (meaning both pages form a large image). The approach to this story is all about the wonder, unreality and spectacle of the world of Superman. It’s an amazing read, and arguably the best Superman story of the last 25 years.

Superman: Birthright

Written by Mark Waid, Art by Leneil Francis Yu

Superman: Birthright was written with the intent of being a non-canon origin of Superman, a gateway for new fans to jump in on the story of Superman. It is one of the best interpretations of Superman’s origin for the modern era. In fact, it may have influenced Man of Steel: The story starts out with Clark Kent in Africa doing a piece for the local newspaper. This Clark Kent is a man who has explored the world, looking for his place in it. Sound familiar? The book mixes in elements non-comic fans will recognize (Lex Luthor in Smallville), as well as adds on it’s own themes, and creates a terrific jumping on point for Superman and new initiates. It also happens to be our Book Club book for this month. If you’re in the city July 21^st, come by and discuss the book!

Superman: Last Son Of Krypton

Written by Geoff Johns, Richard Donner, Art by Adam Kubert, Gary Frank

This book is actually two stories in one. The first, Last Son, is written by Geoff Johns  and Richard Donner, the director of the first two Superman movies, with art by Adam Kubert. The story revolves around the discovery of a Kryptonian boy, who lands on Earth and is taken in by… CLARK KENT! You can kind of treat this as Richard Donner’s Superman III; the secret origin of this Kryptonian boy turns out to be very malicious, and the story serves to illustrate that Superman may be an alien, but he’s OUR alien, and he will defend the world and protect it no matter what, and he passes this on to young Chris Kent. It’s very heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time, it’s also an interesting approach at Superman as a father, and the writers do a great job with this idea.

The second story is by Geoff Johns working alone, with art by Gary Frank. It’s actually the basis for the animated movie Superman Unbound. Superman has faced the artificial intelligence known as Brainiac many times, but he’s never faced the real thing, and the real thing is imposing. A much more powerful, more dangerous collector of cultures, Brainiac finally shows up to Earth for real, and he’s come to collect a piece of Earth, along with the Last Son of Krypton. Superman’s struggles against Brainiac also go beyond himself: Brianiac has a Kryptonian city locked up as well, shrunk into a bottle. Not only must Superman save his adopted world, but he must try to salvage a piece of his home world, and connect with a people he had previously  thought lost to him. A very solid, very heartfelt story.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by Ed McGuinness

One of the more fun interpretations of the Man of Steel, and also the source of a DC Animated film, Superman/Batman is the ultimate buddy action story. Lex Luthor is President of the United States, and he has declared Superman and Batman enemies of the state, accusing Superman of being involved with a kryptonite asteroid about to hit the Earth. With a huge bounty on their heads, the World’s Finest find themselves facing friends and foes alike. This all leads to a major showdown with Lex Luthor, and through it all, it’s an over the top, ridiculous action movie that would make Michael Bay jealous. Jeph Loeb was definitely having fun writing this book, and Ed McGuinness’ art is at its best here. It’s such a fun romp that I can’t help but smile thinking about this book. It’s just big, old goofy fun. With tons of explosions and fists, but still, tons of fun.

That’s it for this time, I’m hoping that both this list, along with Man of Steel, will help introduce you (or a friend of yours) to the wonderful world of Superman. Until Next Time—

“My son is twice the man that you were, Zod”

-        Raph

Midtown Comics presents local comic book delivery service in Manhattan, NYC, on Wednesdays only, exclusively provided by Zipments Delivery Network!

This Amazing new service is available Wednesdays only starting June 12th with first deliveries on June 19th!

• Your books will be HAND DELIVERED to your workplace or home, from Battery Park to 125^th Street in Manhattan.
• Get your pull list same day!
• Delivery fee introductory offer: Save 50% off the delivery fee of your first order with our promotional rate of only $4.99 for a limited time only. Regular delivery fee is only $9.99.
• New comics, magazines, and graphic novels only.
• 15% off most titles!
• FREE bags and boards with All comics.
• Place your order from Wednesday afternoon through the following Tuesday morning by 7:00AM, for delivery on Wednesday.

Details:

• Enjoy our website discount of 15% off comics and graphic novels.
• Delivery range is from Battery Park to 125th Street.
• Choose from new comics within a 5 week range, and new graphic novels. 

 Choose from two delivery windows:

• 11:00AM to 2:00PM
• 2:00PM to 5:00PM

Place your order from Wednesday afternoon through the following Tuesday at 7:00AM, for delivery the next day, Wednesday.

The Fine Print: 

• Comics and graphic novels are discounted 15% on our website, but some items may be excluded and will be indicated as such.
• Our in-store rewards program is not valid on Zipments delivery orders.
• The range of the area serviced is from Battery Park to 125^th Street, NYC. Signature required for delivery.
• If you’re not there to accept your order, you will be charged the same fee for re-delivery.
• Maximum of 6lbs. allowed for delivery.

Midtown Bloggerinos! Raph here, and with the hot temperatures here, that means it’s blockbuster season! With movies like Iron Man 3, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Fast 6, and the upcoming Man of Steel, Hollywood is preparing for a season of big explosions, but comics also are about to get things going: between Superman Unchained, Trinity War, Infinity, the next chapter of Saga, and many others, there’s lots of action to pack into those 22 pages of comic. Here are some of my favorite action-adventures from recent memory. They are all collected into trade paperbacks or are original graphic novels, so you can get all your bang in one space.

JUSTICE LEAGUE BY GRANT MORRISON

The page that changed my life. Art by Howard Porter. From JLA #8 Copyright DC Comics.

Grant Morrison came up with what must’ve been the simplest idea for a Justice League ever: the biggest guns, the biggest baddies, the best stories. Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern and Flash; the Magnificent Seven as it were, going up against White Martians, Drug-enhanced mega geniuses, and Heaven. That’s right: HEAVEN. Well, it’s more of a renegade king angel and his host, but still. I read these issues when I was 13, and they completely blew me away. I wouldn’t be working at Midtown or doing this blog for you, dear Bloggerino, if it weren’t for this series. Read all four volumes, as there’s more awesome threats and stories, but this one is the one for me. The one that defines my comic book fandom.

INVINCIBLE COMPENDIUM VOLUME 1

Looks like Invincible has an arm AND a leg up on this guy! Art by Ryan Ottley. Copyright Image Comics/Robert Kirkman

Invincible started off innocently enough: Mark Grayson is the son of the most powerful hero in the world, and is learning to use his powers and deal with being a teenager. Sounds like a pretty uneventful book right? Wrong. At some point, the truth about Mark’s heritage and his father are revealed, and Mark is getting into some of the bloodiest, goriest battles comics have witnessed. The compendium collects the first eight volumes (or 48 issues), you can also purchase the individual volumes or the Ultimate Collections, but the Compendium is more bang for your buck, and boy is there bang: my favorite is the throwdown between Conquest and Invincible, but you’re going to have to read it to find out what happens!

PLANET HULK/WORLD WAR HULK

Sentry vs. Worldbreaker Hulk, way bigger fight than you’d think. Art by John Romita Jr. Copyright Marvel Entertainment.

When comic fans think of knock-down, drag-out fights, they think of the Hulk, the most ferocious monster/some-time hero that Marvel has. In Planet Hulk, Hulk has recently destroyed Las Vegas and the Illuminati (the secret society of superheroes that make decisions on the human race away from prying eyes) decide to send Hulk into space, to a peaceful planet where he can live the rest of his days. Of course, things don’t end up as they should, and the Hulk ends up on Sakarr; where the Red King rules with an iron fist (not Danny Rand, Iron Fist), and made Hulk fight in gladiatorial games. What happens to Hulk, I’ll let you read, but let’s just say that in World War Hulk, Hulk comes back, and he’s none too happy with Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Mr. Fantastic and Black Bolt.

These are three of the most action-packed comics out there, there are plenty  of other stories out there that may be just as good, or better, depending on your opinion. This is just my way of opening some eyes, if you guys have some suggestions, feel free to comment on this post and share the comic love!

Until Next Time,

“I need a horse!” “We don’t have horses. Just dogs, cats, birds.” “Then give me one of those large enough to ride.”

-        Raph

Midtown Bloggerinos! Raph here, I raved about the House of Ideas last time, and I think it’s only fair to share the love with DC Comics. We’re just about a year and a half into the complete relaunch of the DC Universe, and there’s been a lot of changes and upheaval; these are some of the brighter spots!

1. B-List? That’s Baloney!

There’s a universally understood concept that says that certain characters are “top-tier” (your Batmans, Spider-Mans and what have you), and then there’s the next level down: the B-List. For Marvel, that used to be Tony Stark, now look at him: he’s got a multimillion dollar movie franchise and he’s the backbone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe… well DC’s done the same for some of their so-called B-List.

What started with Green Lantern and Geoff Johns eight years ago has now continued to the likes of The Flash (in the excellent hands of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato), Swamp Thing (Scott Snyder/Yanick Paquette, now written by Charles Soule and drawn by Kano) and Animal Man (Jeff Lemire/Steve Pugh). These characters have had incredible stories told in the past year or so, and while creative teams rotate, and new storylines start again, you can only hope for more of the same good stuff. That also includes new books like Demon Knights (one of my favorites: a medieval Justice League?!? Count me in!), and reworked ideas like Stormwatch and Team 7.

2. Rising Talent

Speaking of Scott Snyder, and Jeff Lemire, these guys have really had their profiles raised in comics in recent years. Jeff was known more for his independent work like the Essex County Trilogy before doing Sweet Tooth for Vertigo. Animal Man wasn’t that much of a stretch for him, considering the content of Sweet Tooth, but now Lemire is tackling the likes of Green Arrow, Constantine and Justice League Dark, and he’s quickly becoming one of the main creative drivers for DC.

Speaking of creative driving, Scott Snyder has definitely done a great job taking over for Grant Morrison. Morrison’s run on Batman has been going on since 2006, and now he’s wrapping up his run with Batman Inc., but the quality of Batman stories has not dipped at all. Enter Snyder, whose only previous comic work was American Vampire and a handful of Marvel works. Snyder has created some of the most exciting, compelling Batman stories in recent memory; from Black Mirror to Court of the Owls to Death of the Family, Scott has delivered nuggets from the past, as well as dramatically changed the status quo.

On top of Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire joining the likes of Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi (who is severely underrated in my opinion: check out his Batman and Robin run!), DC has also sought out new independent talent, which leads me to…

3. The Next Generation

New talent is something any company needs to thrive and continue. DC’s talent pool has received a flush of artists: Mahmud Asrar, Yildiray Cinar, Ardian Syaf and R.B. Silva to name a few. There’s also former Image darlings Greg Capullo and Tyler Kirkham, but the writing roster is also strong as well.

You’ve got Lemire and Snyder already, but also add on Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire), Charles Soule (Swamp Thing), Nathan Edmondson (Grifter) and Robert Venditti (Demon Knights), you have a group of writers who have proven themselves with their own independent work, and it makes sense that the so-called second tier books are doing well. That’s not to say that the established people: the Geoff Johns and Gail Simones, AREN’T doing good work, but it’s good to develop talent, because you never know who’s going to do that definitive run on a character, like Lemire’s Animal Man, or Morrison’s JLA. Giving new guys a chance to leave their creative stamp can only help the company in the future.

A lot’s changed over at DC, but sometimes change is good, sometimes change is necessary. Will the New 52 last, who knows? What we do know, is that there’s some strong storytelling coming out, even if it’s not quite where we’d expect it to be.

UPDATE: 05/20/2013: Scott Snyder is doing a new Vertigo series called Wake, and we’ll be doing a signing for it! Also, Joshua Hale Fialkov may have left he company, along with some DC talent, all of this is unconfirmed, but I just wanted to keep the public informed.

Until Next Time,

“There’s My Boys”

Raph

Midtown Bloggerinos! Raph here, with a review of one of the most controversial superhero movies in recent memory: Iron Man 3! The movie debuted last Friday, and saw the 2^nd best opening in history, behind The Avengers, which is a precursor to the events of the movie. A warning, dear Bloggerino, there will be MASSIVE SPOILERS. If you’re the one guy who hasn’t seen it yet, I suggest you avoid the parts marked spoilers.

The movie is almost like Avengers 1.5, except from Tony’s perspective. Tony is dealing with the fact that he has seen honest to goodness aliens, thunder gods and enormous green rage monsters. He can’t sleep. He keeps tinkering, and tinkering. And tinkering. What does this all lead to? A confrontation with a vicious terrorist who is attacking targets in the US and abroad: The Mandarin.

SPOILERS START HERE (scroll over to read)

Which leads us to the most controversial change since Spider-Man’s organic webbing, The Mandarin Swerve. Thought to be the leader of the Ten Rings (you remember them from the first Iron Man right?), the Mandarin is actually the result of a think tank called AIM, run by Aldritch Killian. Killian is a cripple, who previously met Stark at a conference and was subsequently snubbed. Killian has taken the research of Maya Hansen and together they have created Extremis. Extremis is the bleeding edge in biological modification: rewriting the repair centers of the body to create people who can do incredible things. What does this have to do with “The Mandarin”? Extremis enhanciles are prone to overheating, and exploding. The Mandarin takes credit for these explosions, allowing Killian to then sell his Extremis soldiers to the government to hunt this terrorist… and thus running a war from both sides, and making himself an extreme power player. Tony is the key to stabilizing the Extremis formula, so these explosions are more controlled than spontaneous.

SPOILERS END HERE

So with all of that said, what do I think of the movie? It’s very good. I know people are very upset about the whole Mandarin controversy. Mandarin as constructed in the comics, is a bit, well… RACIST. He’s an Asian would-be dictator, who relies on stereotypical garb, and actually looks like the guy from the Yellow Peril posters. As an Asian-American, and an Iron Man fan, I think it would’ve been…  AWKWARD to put the Mandarin in the movie verbatim. I think the swerve is actually as good as the one in Batman Begins (although I was a little miffed that Ra’s wasn’t what he was supposed to be). Mandarin is a product of a bygone era… and trying to reintegrate him into a modern Iron Man movie universe would’ve been troublesome at best.

Mandarin aside, Killian proved to be a terrific villain; Guy Pearce did a great job with the scientist turned madman. In some ways, Killian was like Tony Stark: a man with a great disability, who turned and used it to do something impressive. Tony has the Iron Man, while Killian helped people (and himself) with their physical disabilities. The rest of the cast was pretty good as well: Gwyneth Paltrow’s sparring with Tony was as funny as it’s ever been. Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes got a little more comedic sparring with Tony, with the Iron Patriot material and got to do a little more out of suit action. Tony’s kid-sidekick-who’s-supposed-to-remind-him-of-himself-as-a-kid  Harley Keener (played by Ty Simpkins), wasn’t all that bad either, despite the fact that kid sidekicks (and adult ones: Chris O’Donnel’s Robin anyone?) just haven’t worked out on the big screen. With all of that said, that leaves Tony himself, and those wonderful toys.

Tony’s arc has taken him from billionaire playboy industrialist war profiteer, to man who’s trying to fix his mistakes (Iron Man), to man who learns to not think of himself as the world’s only savior (Iron man 2), to a cog in a gigantic superhero team that fights gigantic threats (Avengers)… that is a lot of crazy stuff in a person’s life, even for a guy like Tony Stark. So now we have a paranoid, frightened, traumatized Tony Stark trying to find his way, and also trying to make sense of everything he’s seen. By putting aside his own issues and fighting the good fight against Killian, he also finds himself. He’s not quite Batman, he doesn’t need to do this crusade forever, and he has someone he cares about, that means more than creating suits of armor and tinkering. Tony does what few superheroes do, he grows up. Sure, he destroys his toys, but now he’s a man who is going to approach being a superhero logically, and carefully. He’s going to make an even better Iron Man.

The suits themselves looked great, and the last action scene with Marks 8 – 42 were fantastic… but there’s a lot of implausible moments that make physicists and scientists (and nerds) shudder. That aside, the last action scene is easily the best of the three Iron Man movies, and the surprise ending to the fight is welcome.

SPOILERS START AGAIN

So the ending, with the shrapnel out of Tony’s chest, as well as the Ark Reactor, makes sense. Tony is ready to move on… but does that mean Robert Downey Jr. is as well? That’s kind of the fear, but to be fair, the guy isn’t a spring chicken anymore. He’s getting up there in age. I’d love to see him continue, but time spares no man. It might mean we have seen the last Iron Man film, but rumor has it that he’s still down for Avengers 2 and 3. Here’s hoping.

END SPOILERS

Overall, I think it’s a very strong movie. It doesn’t capture the magic of the first film, but that film came out of absolutely nowhere (at least to the mainstream). Iron Man 3 had a ridiculous amount of hype behind it, and it delivered on most levels, which is extremely hard to do for a third film. If you’re a little put out by the Mandarin reveal, just look at it this way: this is a separate universe, with a separate sensibility. It’s inspired by the comic books you know and love, but it isn’t an ADAPTATION of the comics. If you haven’t seen this movie, go out and enjoy it! It’s a lot of fun, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the rest of Phase II.

Until Next Time—

“Yeah. Yeah, I just… I had a date.”

Raph

Midtown Bloggerinos! Raph here, back from a brief hiatus. Our Times Square location has recently changed it’s hours. We’re now open 8 am – Midnight from Monday to Saturday and 12 noon to 8pm on Sundays! What does that means for yours truly? Learning to be more nocturnal! But fear not, I’m back and I have a lot to say, particularly about how much I’m enjoying Marvel Now! This relaunch of the Marvel Universe isn’t a complete reboot (unlike DC’s New 52), the stories aren’t starting over, they’re just ending the last epoch of the Marvel Universe, which pretty much dates back to 2005’s House of M. Here are 3 reasons why I enjoy Marvel Now!

1. Musical Chairs with Creators

As much as I enjoyed the work of Brian Michael Bendis on Avengers and Matt Fraction on Iron Man, you need to rotate out creators. No one expects a writer to stay on forever, particularly with a mainstream character (although I hope Bendis gets to write Ultimate Spider-Man until he’s done), so it’s logical that the guys at Marvel moved people around. Writers swapped franchises, artists are on rotations with each other on books, it’s worked out so far. The thing is, they’ve really thought this out well and moved people to exactly where they fit in, which leads me to…

 2. Like A (Hulk Sized)Glove!

The writers and artists have for the most part hit a real groove with their books, and some of it is just magical, but it also makes sense. Bendis likes doing high drama, and ensemble casts, why not tackle the largest dysfunctional pseudo family in comics? All-New X-Men, while controversial initially, does a great job of throwing the original five X-Men into the mess that is the current X-Men. Uncanny X-Men does a great job of not vilifying Cyclops completely, but clearly showing us that he is considered a terrorist worldwide for his actions in Avengers vs. X-Men. Matt Fraction does incredible, bleeding edge sci-fi with Tony Stark, why not have him work with another genius titan in Reed Richards? Also, why not have him do offbeat comics like FF and Hawkguy-er uh HawkEYE. On top of that, newer Marvel writers like Rick Remender (Captain America, Uncanny Avengers) and Jonathan Hickman (Avengers, New Avengers) are doing amazing work on their respective books. Mark Waid is also having an awesome time, with Daredevil already being one of the best books in comics, he throws Indestructible Hulk on top of that!  Instead of being bogged down by continuity or concern for new readers, the stories are fresh and FUN. Big action, big adventure, just what super hero comics should be. Throw in art from the likes of Jerome Opena, Stuart Immonen, John Romita Jr., Dustin Weaver, and so many others, and this might be the best Marvel has been in my lifetime!

3. Take A Chance On Me (feat. Darkhawk, Young Avengers, etc.)

On top of all of the A-List talent Marvel has tossed out there, they’ve also made some creative gambles and risks with creators like Kieron Gillen and Dennis Hopeless. Not that their work is bad by any means… but Gillen has only been at Marvel for about two to three years, and Hopeless even less so. Yet here they are, Gillen taking on a fan favorite in Young Avengers and the movie marquee idol that is Iron Man. Gillen and Rick Remender have had enough time at Marvel to craft their own fan favorite runs however, (Gillen’s Journey into Mystery with Kid Loki and Remender’s Uncanny X-Force), so it’s not like they’re TOTALLY out of the blue. Dennis Hopeless is though, and he arguably had the most controversial book.

Avengers Arena was marketed as an “homage” to the Hunger Games and Battle Royale… a few of it’s covers are basically taken from those two popular series. And yet, the series is still a good one. If you get past the concept that Arcade has brought a bunch of minor heroes (including, sniff sniff, DARKHAWK!), to an island where he is all-powerful, so that they can fight to the death, there’s a great story being told. Hopless’ characterizations of the heroes involved is very well done. I’ve never been more proud of Chris Powell, and there were characters I had forgotten about that I’ve come to love again, it’s just a shame that they’re probably going to bite the dust, and that’s the magic Hopeless has here. It’s similar to Walking Dead in it’s earlier years: you kept reading and praying your favorite character would survive the zombie apocalypse and then BAM!, he or she is dead. It’s kind of cruel, but you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone sometimes. If you also include Hopeless’ work with Cable and his renegade X-Force, he’s actually done very well for himself. And Marvel’s fans have reaped the benefits.

So that’s why I am loving Marvel Now! so much right now. Agree? Disagree? Leave comments on the page or on Facebook. Next week, I’m going to take a look at what I love about DC right now, and spread the good vibes all around. Until next time—

“Put the suit on”

-          Raph

Enter the fabulous world of comics and work for the premiere retailer!  We are looking for a Junior Systems Administrator that has experience with installation, configuration, documentation, and maintenance of a Windows server environment, virtualization software, and server hardware administration. We’re also looking for someone with a natural born love of comics.

This role offers exposure to a wide range of technologies including Windows, Citrix, and VMware administration. The candidate will work closely with the Director of Technology, the CFO, and the COO in many new initiatives by researching, planning, documenting, testing, and rolling out new systems and applications.  This position requires excellent communication skills, flexibility, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Administer the Windows Server 2003/2008 environment; support and administer Active Directory, group policies, DNS, and DHCP under the supervision of the Director of Technology.
• Administer & maintain the Citrix environment, including Presentation Server, Web Interface, and published applications. Proactively install Citrix software patches as necessary.
• Assist in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of VMware environment.
• Administer the current Exchange 2003 server, including mailbox & database maintenance as well as research and upgrade to the latest Exchange when appropriate.
• Perform light database administration tasks as requested.
• The ability to effectively research and manage projects assigned to them in a professional, organized, and efficient manner.
• Make recommendations on enhancements to optimize system availability and performance.
• Install, maintain, and troubleshoot network printers and drivers.
• Troubleshoot connectivity issues on LAN segments, VPN’s, and WAN connections.
• Assist with the creation and placement of users and new user accounts into their appropriate User & Security Groups.
• Provide and maintain clear and easy to understand documentation and procedures.

Requirements:

• Associates degree or higher in IT or related field, or MCSE/MCITP certification.
• Minimum of 3 years of Windows administration experience, including Server, AD, group policy, DNS, & DHCP administration.
• Must have some experience with VMware, including creating & maintaining virtual machines.
• Discipline and strong analytical problem solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Full knowledge & proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Working knowledge of any of the following: Citrix, SQL, Mac OSX, and/or Watchguard Firewall.
• Working knowledge of any of the following: Power Shell, VB, .Net, or SQL.
• Working knowledge of switches, routers, and wireless AP.
• Familiarity with mobile devices. (i.e. iPhones, iPads, Droids, Windows).

If you’re the IT person that Reed Richards would want, please send your resume along with salary requirements to jobs-it@midtowncomics.com with the subject line: Junior System Administrator.
This position is located at our warehouse in LIC, Queens and is easily accessible via MTA, including the 7 and E lines.

Salary will be based upon experience.

Midtown Bloggerinos! Raph here, back from a recent convention. The Comic Geek Speak podcast has been running for over 7 years and nearly 1300 episodes. I’ve been a listener and friend since episode 195. They have grown enough to host their own mini convention, and I’ve had the pleasure to attend every single CGS Super Show. Here’s my account of this year’s show, and why this little show is my preferred show.

Mike Norton and I at an earlier CGS Super Show

CGS Super Show is a 2 day event, taking place on Saturday and Sunday, held at the Greater Reading Expo Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. Most of the exhibitors are local comic book stores, and artists who are friends of the show. The most notable guests were Lee Weeks, Rudy Nebres, Katie Cook, Art Baltazar and Franco and Mike Norton. There’s a large independent creator presence, the biggest of which is Action Lab Entertainment, publishers of the series Fracture, NFL Rush Zone and Princeless. In fact, Shawn Pryor, VP of Action Lab, has long been a Super Show attendee, and has met collaborators at Action Lab through the world of podcasting.

So, you ask, what makes this so different from another convention like say, San Diego? Deals are made at all kinds of shows, and you can meet all kinds of people and make friends at any convention! That’s true, and I have met numerous people who I still talk to at conventions, but Super Show is very different.

With CGS Host Adam Murdough, playing the role of Brock Samson, and myself as a hapless henchmen who crossed him on the wrong day

Super Show is built around a community of people who love comics, but it isn’t completely overwhelming. As much as I love San Diego Comic-Con, and NYCC… as much as I love to see the panels, and look at all the titans of the industry, and see booths will pegs and pegs of toys… I love to talk to people about comics. A big reason why I came to Midtown was to be able to meet numerous people and recommend comics and talk about comics. Super Show allows me to not just talk about comics, but to be with friends and be around people who are doing comics. People who are trying and striving to make comics… it’s great to be around people who love comics as much as I do.

So while I enjoy the big shows, and seeing the sea of humanity, I enjoy this little show. It’s a fun time, and the people there are terrific. If you find yourself wanting to go to a small show, without the intimidating lines and massive crowds, give Super Show a try, and check out the Comic Geek Speak guys’ work! Also, check out the works of Jamal Igle, Lee Weeks, Mike Norton, Action Lab and Katie Cook at our website!

Also, I’ve started up my own, independent blog, Comic Book Crusader, where I’ll have Recommendations, Rants and other comic related fun! Until next time—

“I think that’s a burnoose”

-Raph

Midtown Bloggerinos! Raph here, with the final part of our coverage of the return of Valiant comics: an in-person chat with Executive Editor Warren Simons and Assistant Editor Joshua Johns! Read on as we get the scoop on Valiant’s successful launch straight from the source!

RAPHAEL SOOHOO: So, the first thing I want to cover is the relaunch of Valiant, which happened last year. You guys decided to selectively release/re-release- new titles with new creative teams. What was the thought process behind the specific titles you chose and the order they came out.

WARREN SIMONS: I think we wanted to have an excellent level of diversity in the books we had come out. Our first book we launched in May was X-O Manowar, and then we had Harbinger in June, Bloodshot in July and Archer and Armstrong in August. I feel like each of the books, not only from a creative team perspective, but from a tonal perspective, was sort of something unique. X-O is a sci-fi kind of a book, Archer and Armstrong is a comedy. Harbinger is, to a certain extent, a teen drama, and Bloodshot is an action-adventure book. So, I felt like each of the books represented a different corner of our universe and was tonally unique. And also the creative teams we had involved, I felt each offered something unique and a unique voice for each property. We felt that those were four of our “A-List” characters, we feel like we have probably nine to ten of them. What was your favorite?

RAPHAEL: Honestly, I don’t know anymore. I started with Archer and Armstrong, based on the recommendation of a friend’s podcast. I picked up the original hardcover, and then slowly, but surely, got to them all.

WARREN: (to Joshua) What was your favorite?

JOSHUA JOHNS: I love them all! It’s a privilege to work on them all. (Laughter) One of the things I think is very cool about our universe and our brand is that EVERYONE has a different favorite. I think that was one of the strengths of the launch is that there was something for everyone. X-O, Bloodshot, Harbinger and Archer & Armstrong, like Warren said, very different tones, but there’s something for everybody in one of those books.

RAPHAEL: Yeah, when you were going through the genres of the books, they’re really well thought out and spread out. I mean, there are some overlapping elements in the books: action, science fiction—

Warren: Sure, sure

RAPHAEL: –but the main focus of each book is a genre that for example, if you don’t like sci-fi, you can skip X-O, you might enjoy the teen drama of Harbinger. Actually, Harbinger I really like because it reminds me of the show “Heroes”, the idea that anybody can be “unlocked” and become a psiot. It’s a power fantasy, everyone wants to be a hero.

WARREN: Yeah. Joshua Dysart, I think is doing a great job on that book, along with Khari Evans. I think the guys have created archetypes that we haven’t necessarily seen before, which is something charming about the work they’re doing as well.

RAPHAEL: Speaking of the creative teams, you guys have had really, REALLY good talent on board here. You’ve gotten Duane Swiercynski, Fred Van Lente, Robert Venditti, Cary Nord; you’ve had REALLY HUGE talent on these books. How did you go about recruiting them?

WARREN: I had the opportunity to work with many of these guys. I worked as an editor for Marvel from 2002 to 2009. Other guys, I never worked with before, like Robert Venditti, but I read Surrogates and I thought it was smart. I asked him to pitch me on X-O and he did a great job with it. Joshua I’ve never worked with before, but I read Unknown Soldier and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. Duane took over Iron Fist for Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker, I edited that book for Marvel. Fred, I had never worked with either, but I had been fan of his work, his Taskmaster series in particular was very good. I believe Hunter Gorinson, our marketing manager, suggested Fred as a possibility. So it was really just going through a list of different possible candidates. I had a whole bunch of guys pitch on the books, most of them didn’t wind up getting the gigs, but they did create pitches nonetheless. It was really going through the process, trying to figure out who would be a good choice for each particular project: their voices, how they’d handle the characters, what the story was, how easy they were to work with, whether they cursed my name (laughter) multiple times or just once, y’know, stuff like that.

RAPHAEL: Speaking of collaborations and working together. There’s Valiant’s new major crossover event this year: The Harbinger Wars (out on April 3^rd), with Harbinger and Bloodshot crossing over. What made you decide to choose these particular characters to cross over?

WARREN: As we’ll see in the first issue, it’s something that’s been in the works for probably well over a year at this point. If you read the first issue of Harbinger and the first of Bloodshot, events happen in both those issues that tie directly into this event. What we’re trying to do here primarily is have the individual issues stand alone, so that we don’t need a reader to read all our books to understand anything that’s happening. But by that same token, if you read all of our books, a much wider, larger tapestry is shown to you; a bigger picture is painted. So with Harbinger Wars, as we’ve seen in Bloodshot

(SPOILERS for the Bloodshot series):

Project Rising Spirit, which is sort of this enigmatic organization within the Valiant Universe, has rounded up these Psiot kids. Psiots are the term we use for super powered people in the Valiant Universe. They’re basically people who have the potential to have super powers, but there’s an activation process that has to occur. So when a Psiot is activated, on occasion, if they’re rounded up or captured by Project: Rising Spirit they get taken to this facility. Bloodshot breaks into this facility because he thinks a clue to his identity is in the basement, and when he gets down there, we discover that there’s nothing; there’s no clue to his identity. But there are these super power kids in this Project Rising Spirit basement, and he basically frees them. Who sent him there and why they sent him there, and the end result is something we’ll be exploring in Harbinger Wars. But the basic idea with Bloodshot is that for years and years and years, he’s been a Psiot hunter. If America has Seal Team Six to go take out Al-Qaida, you better believe that the governments of the Valiant Universe have something to take care of superpowered threats, and that something is Bloodshot.

(END SPOILERS)

RAPHAEL: Going back to the relaunch of the Valiant Universe, I think it’s one of the better relaunches in recent memory; not just because of the quality of the titles, but also the release schedule. With certain other companies, when they do a relaunch or reboot or new #1’s or whatever the case may be, they can be overwhelming, and it can be… DAUNTING to wade through all the new books. With Valiant, you guys decided to do 1 book a month for 4 months. What was the decision behind that process?

WARREN: I think that was a conscious choice. At the time I think Fred Pierce, our publisher and Dinesh Shamdasani, our Chief Creative Officer and CEO, and myself decided on what the rollout schedule would be. I think we wanted to get books out into the marketplace and reintroduce these characters to the readership and not overwhelm. We didn’t want to put 10 books out in the same month, or make it too prohibitive for someone to jump on board. I think that these are some of the most beloved and brilliant characters that have ever been created in our medium, so having the opportunity to revitalize them was an honor. And we wanted to show someone: “Here’s what X-O Manowar is, here’s who he is as a character, his origin, here’s his power set, here’s why he is a compelling character”. So to do that for X-O, Bloodshot, Harbinger and Archer & Armstrong, we tap into the high concepts of the characters and what makes them so great, and really dust them off and show people why they’re so special.

JOSHUA: Yeah I think the slow rollout gave all the readers a chance to really dig into our characters and see what they’re all about, before moving on too fast to everything else. That’s why I think our books connect to our readers so well.

WARREN: And our readers tend to be more intelligent, more handsome, (laughter) stronger, better looking

JOSHUA: INCREDIBLE Basketball players.

RAPHAEL: Right.

WARREN: Basketball, football, baseball players, excellent vocabulary, scored higher on their SAT’s–

JOSHUA: Clean teeth.

WARREN: Very clean teeth. (laughter)

RAPHAEL: You should see me in a slam dunk contest! So, now that you’ve got the “Core Four”, so to speak, released, you also released Shadowman in late 2012.

WARREN: Yes, with Justin Jordan, the writer of The Strange Talent of Luthor Strode. Exceptionally talented cat, with Patrick Zircher co-writing, who is an excellent talent as well. That was our next release of 2012.

RAPHAEL: So, given that you have not only released 5 new books, but you also reintroduced other characters like Ninjak, what other new releases can we expect in the future?

WARREN: It’s going to be AWESOME. I don’t want to spill too much right now, we’re working on a some covers for our next release, which I don’t want to get into JUST YET, but it’s pretty amazing. We’ve got some other things in the pipeline, hang on, we’ll get there, I don’t want to spoil anything just yet.

JOSHUA: And we have a FANTASTIC Free Comic Book Day [offering], that will give everyone some great looks inside to what the Valiant Universe is, so I would say definitely go and pick that up.

WARREN: Who edited that issue?

JOSHUA: The TEAM edited that issue! (laughter)

RAPHAEL: Can we also expect more stuff like Harbinger Wars? I saw in the latest issue (issue 10) of Archer and Armstrong, that the 1% happens to casually mentions the Vine (X-O Manowar villains). Can we see more of that interaction?

WARREN: I think we shall definitely. That’s part of what makes a shared universe so much fun; you have the opportunity to build and work with these characters. What happens in Book A affects Book B, and what happens in Book B affects Book A. I think as long as we don’t use continuity as a crutch, we’ll be in good shape. I think the problem that affects our medium particularly, is when books are developed and created for the sole purpose of working to tell stories that exist in other books, and that’s when it becomes dangerous: when you don’t have a high concept that could stand on it’s own. I think when that happens, it becomes a barrier to new readers, which is ultimately problematic across the board and for young Josh Johns who can’t walk over and pick up a copy of a book and get into it.

JOSHUA: I’m trying to break into so many titles! (laughter)

RAPHAEL: Now that you mention that, the Valiant relaunch reminds me of Marvel in the Silver Age in a sense. (Marvel took a huge chance and created superheroes that were emotional and conflicted, unlike the established heroes of the time, and have since become an entertainment empire on the back of this, as well as the connectedness of the Marvel Universe, which was on display in Marvel’s The Avengers, the third highest grossing movie of all time.)

WARREN: That’s extremely flattering. We greatly appreciate it. Hopefully we’ll be able to come somewhere near the genius of those extraordinary creators and extraordinary characters.

RAPHAEL: I definitely believe in what you guys are doing here. Not only are the books really good, but there’s a tightly controlled universe, there is a sense that there’s an investment in these characters. I’m not saying other companies aren’t invested in their own characters, but there is a certain level of interest in this particular set of characters. These stories are being told for these characters, that is why these books exist. There is no cross-promotion, like you said before (about books being made for just continuity), it is so specific, that you can’t help but really enjoy the stories.

WARREN: I think part of it is testament to the great creators who are up here originally, whether it was Jim Shooter, Barry Windsor-Smith, David Lapham or Joe Quesada; a lot of the extraordinary work that those guys put into building the [initial version of the] characters, to make them really compelling archetypes that we hadn’t really saw before. It’s also a testament to our current creative teams, and worthy colleagues we have [in the office]: whether it’s our sales manager Atom! Freeman or marketing manager Hunter Gorinson or associate editor Jody LeHeup or Chief Creative Office Dinesh. Everyone works super long hours to make these books as good as possible. We appreciate the praise and our extremely handsome, intelligent, amazing fans! As well as the extraordinary retailers who have supported us, who we can’t thank enough. They’re the backbone of our industry, and retailer support is absolutely critical and vital, and we can’t thank you enough.

RAPHAEL: On a final note, you were talking about the creators who brought Valiant to where it is. Some of them may not be available to come back, given their positions at other companies, but have there been any plans to bring back the original creators?

WARREN: We’ve reached out to many. Some have said yes, some have said no, but we’ll have more stuff coming up soon. We had in our first Bloodshot hardcover, Kevin VanHook involved [with the process]. Fred Pierce, who is our publisher, also was at the original Valiant, has helped in reaching out to the creators.

JOSHUA: Also for X-O Manowar #11, Planet Death, (currently available) Bart Sears did a beautiful wraparound cover. He’s been fantastic to work with, so look for good things from him.

WARREN: We think the world of Bart!

And that wraps up my lengthy interview with some of Valiant’s brain trust. If I have been very glowing in my reviews, it’s because I enjoy quality comic work when I see it. A very special thanks to Hunter Gorinson, who gave me all of this access for these pieces as well as going on numerous conversations about the direction of Valiant. While it’s nice to see that the guys behind the scenes are great people who want to produce good comics, it’s the quality of the comics themselves that makes them stand out. If you haven’t read any of the five ongoing series, please at least read one of them. They cover a broad spectrum of storytelling genre, and I hope my reviews of them have been helpful to you. Harbinger Wars is out April 3^rd, and you might want to check that out as well! Thanks for reading, until next time—

-        Raph