You know what’s more awesome than comics? Nothing. But what comes to a close second? Movies, and even better superhero movies! That’s what we’re going to talk about today, the comic book movies you should know about and be excited for hitting us in the good ol’ 2012! The list may seem short, but these are what I consider to be the top 3 most anticipated superhero/comic book movies. But fret not, because at the end I’ll list the rest. Never say I don’t take care of the readers!

The Avengers – May 4th

This could easily be the most anticipated comic book movie ever. Never has there been such a concerted effort to get one movie done and planned to a tee. This is the culmination of 5 movies worth of preparation and teasing. It’s been carefully configured and planned out and this is the year we finally get to see it. This movie has a lot at stake, Marvel has pretty much thrown in all their chips, betting on this hand of cards. But everything about it right now is exciting as all hell. I mean the sheer excitement for the trailer was palpable, and as we near the release date, you can bet that there will be Avengers mania! This movie has been given everything it needs, a set of stellar actors who’ve shown in each of their movies that they understand these characters, Joss “King of the Nerds” Whedon as the freaking director, and one hell of a marketing campaign. I’m sure we’ve all got our fingers crossed that it’s worth the wait.

Amazing Spider-man – July 3rd

This movie can be described with one word: Redemption. This is Sony’s one shot to get it right again, and if you’ve seen Spider-man 3, you know they’ve got a lot to make up for. But will it do anything different for us? It is another origin story, as though everyone and their dog didn’t know how Spider-man got his powers. However, it is the introduction of Curt Connors/The Lizard to the realm of movies and that could add something of interest to the movie. Not to mention, it’s a completely different cast from the first set of movies. So while Tobey Maguire is off starring in The Great Gatsby (which I’m actually insanely excited about), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, and Doctor Who once, huh.) will be playing everyone’s favorite nerd/superhero alongside Emma Stone (Superbad! and friggin’ Zombieland) as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans (He was actually Xenophillius Lovegood in Harry Potter and Nicky’s oldest brother in Little Nicky, because that was my favorite Adam Sandler movie) as The Lizard. It’s got a lot of promise, despite what I may or may not think about the new costume. And hey, if it’s really awful, then maybe Marvel will be able to get the license back from Sony and we’ll see him woven into the Marvel Movieverse! Total win/win!

The Dark Knight Rises – July 20th

Oh man, talk about saving the best for the last! As you should all know by now, Batman is my favorite character of ever. Like seriously, I have a tattoo of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy with “Bat Nerd” written on a banner. My fandom goes over the upper limit on this one. Christopher Nolan has taken a broken and dying franchise of films, and made us forget what the name Schumacher means to the Batverse (Well, almost). Batman Begins continues to be one of my favorite movies of all time, The Dark Knight was critically praised and applauded by nearly everyone (I say nearly because there was probably one or two grouches who refused to comply with “mainstream” attitudes towards the movie) and just like the last two movies I’ve mentioned in this article, The Dark Knight Rises has a lot riding on it. Not many films have amazing sequels, and even fewer have amazing threequels (pardon the term, but it seemed right, I apologize). And the last time we saw Bane as a villain was in one of those aforementioned Joel Schumacher movies, not a terribly good sign. Well that’s where you’re wrong! Look at what Nolan has done with the last two movies and the images and characterizations we’re hearing regarding Bane, and even Catwoman. It sounds like it’ll fit perfectly into the universe he’s helped form. I have the highest hopes for this film as do many others, and  you can expect to see me on the midnight opening for this movie.

Those are the movies I’m sure we’re all waiting to see with baited breath and Avengers/Spider-man/batman shirts waiting to be worn on release day. But what if you don’t care about these movies? What if there’s something other comics related movies that you want to see? Well I’ve got them! There’s G.I Joe: Retaliation, Ghost Rider and The Hobbit! There’s also loads more than is speculated to come out this year (most notably Dark Tower, the Stephen King series, although it has no attached release date yet). Oh it will be a glorious year in comics and movies. Oh yes it will!

Until next time comic fans, I’m gonna go polish off my copies of Batman Begins and Dark Knight, and lock myself in a closet with a laptop until The Dark Knight Rises comes out! Happy reading!

But what about the percentage of readers who aren’t “Wednesday Warriors” and prefer to wait for the collected editions? Well, the wait is almost over, as they will begin rolling out this spring!

Check out the full list of release dates for Hadcovers and Softercovers, and which Issues are in each!

Coming in May 2012:

JUSTICE LEAGUE VOLUME 1: ORIGIN HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-6
$24.99 US, 176 pg

ANIMAL MAN VOLUME 1: THE HUNT TP
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artists: Travel Foreman, Jeff Huet and John Paul Leon
Collects: ANIMAL MAN #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

BATMAN VOLUME 1: THE COURT OF OWLS HC
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
Collects: BATMAN #1-7
$24.99 US, 176 pg

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL VOLUME 1: THE SIGNAL MASTERS TP
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan and Marco Castiello
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

GREEN LANTERN VOL. 1: SINESTRO HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
Collects: GREEN LANTERN #1-6
$24.99 US, 160 pg

CATWOMAN VOLUME 1: THE GAME TP
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Guillem March
Collects: CATWOMAN #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

STORMWATCH VOLUME 1: THE DARK SIDE TP
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Miguel Sepulveda and Al Barrionuevo
Collects: STORMWATCH #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

GREEN ARROW VOLUME 1: THE MIDAS TOUCH TP
Writers: J.T. Krul, Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens
Artists: Dan Jurgens, George Pérez, Ignacio Calero and Ray McCarthy
Collects: GREEN ARROW #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

WONDER WOMAN VOLUME 1: BLOOD HC
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artists: Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins
Collects: WONDER WOMAN #1-6
$24.99 US, 160 pg

Coming in June 2012:

BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS VOLUME 1: FACES OF DEATH HC
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Artists: Tony S. Daniel, Ryan Winn and Sandu Florea
Collects: DETECTIVE COMICS #1-7
$24.99 US, 176 pg

RED LANTERNS VOLUME 1: BLOOD AND RAGE TP
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artists: Ed Benes, Rob Hunter and Diego Bernard
Collects: RED LANTERNS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BATWOMAN VOL. 1: HYDROLOGY HC
Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Artist: J.H. Williams III and Amy Reeder
Collects: BATWOMAN #0-5
$22.99 US, 144 pg

MISTER TERRIFIC VOL. 1: MIND GAMES TP
Writer: Eric Wallace
Artists: Giancarlo Gugliotta, Wayne Faucher, Scott Clark, Dave Beaty and Oliver Nome
Collects: MISTER TERRIFIC #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE VOLUME 1: WAR OF THE MONSTERS TP
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Alberto Ponticelli
Collects: FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

STATIC SHOCK VOL. 1: SUPERCHARGED TP
Writer: Scott McDaniel and John Rozum
Artists: Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens
Collects: STATIC SHOCK #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

LEGION OF SUPERHEROES VOLUME 1: HOSTILE WORLD TP
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Francis Portela, Walter Simonson and Dan Green
Collects: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

Coming in July 2012:

BATMAN AND ROBIN VOLUME 1: BORN TO KILL HC
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray
Collects: BATMAN AND ROBIN #1-8
$22.99 US, 192 pg

SUICIDE SQUAD VOLUME 1: KICKED IN THE TEETH TP
Writer: Adam Glass
Artists: Federico Dallocchio, Tom Raney and Clayton Henry
Collects: SUICIDE SQUAD #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BATGIRL VOLUME 1: THE DARKEST REFLECTION HC
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Ardian Syaf and Vicente Sifuentes
Collects: BATGIRL #1-6
$22.99 US, 144 pg

DEMON KNIGHTS VOLUME 1: SEVEN AGAINST THE DARK TP
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Diogenes Neves, Oclair Albert and Mike Choi
Collects: DEMON KNIGHTS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BATWING VOLUME 1: THE LOST KINGDOM TP
Writer: Judd Winick
Artists: Ben Oliver and ChrisCross
Collects: BATWING #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

MEN OF WAR VOL. 1: UNEASY COMPANY TP
Writers: Ivan Brandon, Jonathan Vankin, B. Clay Moore, Matt Kindt and John Arcudi
Artists: Tom Derenick, Phil Winslade, Paul McCaffrey, Patrick Scherbeger, Dan Green and Richard Corben
Collects: MEN OF WAR #1-8
$19.99 US, 256 pg

GRIFTER VOLUME 1: MOST WANTED TP
Writer: Nathan Edmondson
Artists: Cafu, Jason Gorder, Scott Clark and Dave Beaty
Collects: GRIFTER #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

Coming in August 2012:

SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS VOLUME 1: SUPERMAN AND THE MEN OF STEEL HC
Writers: Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch
Artists: Rags Morales, Rick Bryant, Brent Anderson, Gene Ha, Andy Kubert and Jesse Delperdang
Collects: ACTION COMICS #1-8
$24.99 US, 200 pg

SUPERBOY VOLUME 1: INCUBATION TP
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artists: R.B. Silva and Rob Lean
Collects: SUPERBOY #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

DEATHSTROKE VOLUME 1: LEGACY TP
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artists: Joe Bennett and Art Thibert
Collects: DEATHSTROKE #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

O.M.A.C. VOL. 1: OMACTIVATE! TP
Writers: Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen
Artists: Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish
Collects: O.M.A.C. #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

HAWK AND DOVE VOL. 1: FIRST STRIKES TP
Writers: Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld
Artist: Rob Liefeld
Collects: HAWK AND DOVE #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

SWAMP THING VOLUME 1: RAISE THEM BONES TP
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artists: Yanick Paquette, Victor Ibanez and Marco Rudy
Collects: SWAMP THING #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

RESURRECTION MAN VOLUME 1: DEAD AGAIN TP
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Artists: Fernando Dagnino and Fernando Blanco
Collects: RESURRECTION MAN #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

Coming in September 2012:

AQUAMAN VOLUME 1: THE TRENCH HC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado
Collects: AQUAMAN #1-6
$22.99 US, 144 pg

TEEN TITANS VOLUME 1: IT’S OUR RIGHT TO FIGHT TP
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artists: Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
Collects: TEEN TITANS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

BIRDS OF PREY VOLUME 1: TROUBLE IN MIND TP
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artists: Jesus Saiz and Javier Pina
Collects: BIRDS OF PREY #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN VOLUME 1: GOD PARTICLE TP
Writers: Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver
Artist: Yildiray Cinar and Norm Rapmund
Collects: THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOLUME 1: FEARSOME HC
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artists: Fernando Pasarin, Scott Hanna and Geraldo Borges
Collects: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1-7
$22.99 US, 160 pg

LEGION LOST VOLUME 1: RUN FROM TOMORROW TP
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Pete Woods
Collects: LEGION LOST #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

VOODOO VOLUME 1: WHAT LIES BENEATH TP
Writers: Ron Marz and Josh Williamson
Artists: Sami Basri and Hendry Prasetya
Collects: VOODOO #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

Coming in October 2012:

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 1: KNIGHT TERRORS HC
Writer: Paul Jenkins and David Finch
Artists: David Finch and Richard Friend
Collects: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1-9
$24.99 US, 208 pg

I, VAMPIRE VOLUME 1: TAINTED LOVE TP
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
Collects: I, VAMPIRE #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK VOL. 1: IN THE DARK TP
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Mikel Janin
Collects: JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

NIGHTWING VOLUME 1: TRAPS AND TRAPEZES TP
Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artists: Eddy Barrows, J.P. Mayer, Paulo Siqueria and Trevor McCarthy
Collects: NIGHTWING #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS VOLUME 1: THE RING BEARER HC
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Tyler Kirkham, Harvey Talibao and Batt
Collects: GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1-7
$22.99 US, 160 pg

SUPERGIRL VOL. 1: THE LAST DAUGHTER OF KRYPTON TP
Writer: Michael Green and Mike Johnson
Artist: Mahmud Asrar
Collects: SUPERGIRL #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN VOLUME 1: DARKNESS RISING TP
Writer: Tony S. Daniel and James Bonny
Artist: Philip Tan
Collects: THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1-8
$14.99 US, 192 pg

ALL-STAR WESTERN VOLUME 1: GUNS AND GOTHAM TP
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Moritat, Jordi Bernet and Phil Winslade
Collects: ALL-STAR WESTERN #1-6
$16.99 US, 192 pg

Coming in November 2012:

THE FLASH VOLUME 1: MOVE FORWARD HC
Writers: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Artist: Francis Manapul
Collects: THE FLASH #1-8
$22.99 US, 192 pg

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS VOLUME 1: REDemption TP
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Collects: RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

SUPERMAN VOLUME 1: WHAT PRICE TOMORROW? HC
Writer: George Perez
Artists: George Perez, Jesus Merino, Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott
Collects: SUPERMAN #1-6
$22.99 US, 144 pg

BLUE BEETLE VOLUME 1: METAMORPHOSIS TP
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Ig Guara and J.P. Mayer
Collects: BLUE BEETLE #1-6
$14.99 US, 144 pg

BLACKHAWKS VOLUME 1: THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD TP
Writer: Mike Costa
Artists: Ken Lashley, Graham Nolan, Norm Rapmund, Cafu and Bit
Collects: BLACKHAWKS #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

CAPTAIN ATOM VOLUME 1: EVOLUTION TP
Writer: J.T. Krul
Artist: Freddie Williams II
Collects: CAPTAIN ATOM #1-7
$14.99 US, 160 pg

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS VOLUME 1 featuring DEADMAN & CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN TP
Writers: Paul Jenkins, Dan DiDio and Jerry Ordway
Artists: Bernard Chang and Jerry Ordway
Collects: DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1-8
$16.99 US, 192 pg

If you have any love for Batman whatsoever I implore you to grab this while it’s marked down from its original 5.99 price point. It plays a lot like the famed Infinity Blade (another iOS great) and serves as a prequel to Batman: Arkham City. Did I mention that it’s by the same developers who made the most recent Mortal Kombat?

The inmates of Arkham have escaped -again- and it’s up to Batman to put them in their place. How? By going around and beating the snot out of them, one by one, of course. With every battle you’ll gain XP to upgrade your gadgets and combat abilities. You can even play dress-up with Batman with extra costumes. Running around punching dudes just isn’t the same unless you can look fabulous at the same time.

So, not only does the game  look fantastic, but the boss battles in this game are some of the best I’ve seen from any mobile game. I won’t give away just how they play out, but they’re something special.

If you still can’t get enough of the world of Batman: Arkham City, feel free to drop by our East or West locations for the Arkham City graphic novel. It’ll help fill in even more of the story leading up towards the events of the hit console title while being an awesome Batman adventure in it’s own right.

For a similar story you can even pick-up the Batman: No Man’s Land trade paperback. After an earthquake has caused an evacuation of Gotham’s citizens all of the villains and gangs lay claim to the abandoned city. Batman works with Commissioner Gordon to reclaim the city after Bruce Wayne attempted (and failed) to not have the city cut off. Already seems a lot like the plot for Arkham City, no?

Back to the gaming front, did you know that there are even more fantastic comic-book themed/superhero mobile games out there? Here are some you should definitely be checking out:

1. Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem (iPhone/iTouch, iPad, Android) Positively one of the best Spider-Man games that currently exists. A unique story and classic villains combine with the design of the Ultimate universe to create an action/brawler that I could not put down until the very end.
2. ZDAY Survival Simulator (iOS, Universal) Wonder how you’d fare in a zombie universe not so unlike that of The Walking Dead? Try your hand at a zombie survival game that resembles the old-school “choose your own adventure” books of the 90s.
3. Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (iOS, Universal) In the essence of the “runner” style of games, control Captain America as he charges through the Red Skulls fortress to rescue his captured comrades.
4. Thor: Son of Asgard (iOS, Universal) Control Thor in an original story and protect Asgard from an invasion. For a game in the style of Hero of Sparta (which itself is a God of War clone), it provides a solid hammer-bashing experience on the go.
5. Superman (iPhone/iTouch, iPad) Fly around the city as the Man of Steel and combat threats as they’re thrown at you. With an original story and action aplenty, Superman fans are sure to get their fill.

Hopefully I’ve given you some worthy material to play through during your comic breaks. Sometimes it just seems like they don’t come out often enough. And, as always, be sure to stop by the 4th Wall for comics featuring all these characters and more!

So time to dismantle the lie, there is no real darkness ascending onto our store BUT it kind of is ascending on our partner store, Gamers’ Vault, on Queen Marry. They are  hosting a special event this weekend (Both Saturday and Sunday). Gamers’ will be having a Pre-Release of a Magic the Gathering Expansion called Dark Ascension.

Registration starts at 10 AM on both Saturday and Sunday and the main event starts at 11 AM. They will be hosting multiple types of games, including sealed and two headed giant.

Come have some gaming fun then swing by our store for some reading material.

Cheers and have a good weekend.

Js signing of from the 4th Wall East on Queen Marry.

As I believe most of you know, or at least a lot of you know, there’s a new Fables spin-off coming out in March. If you’re anything like myself, and absolutely loved Fables and have read all the spin-off, you’re probably just as excited as me.

For those of you who haven’t read Fables (you should go out and get a copy, trust me, it’s worth it), I’ll let you in on the secret, so that you can happily continue reading this post. Essentially, Fables is a story of fairy tale Characters that find themselves exiled into our world after being forced out of the Homelands by “The Adversary”. Fables puts a lovable twist on all the Characters and stories that we grew up with, giving them all multiple dimensions, complex personalities and a story we can relate to in sorts. The other thing about this series that I feel that anyone and everyone can and will love is the artwork. The cover art is always amazing too. I love it.

Fairest, the latest spin-off, focuses on a story of who is the fairest in the land. As Bill Willingham explained in an interview recently, it’s very easy to be the fairest in the land when the whole story revolves around you, but in a story that includes all the other fairy tale characters, its a little trickier. I think this a fantastic concept, we all know that its easy to be a big fish in a little pond, after all.

What I also look forward to is that it wont just be the big names (Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, ect) that get to star in this series -or at least judging from the cover they won’t be. In the same interview, Willingham confirmed that on the cover there are more than just our run of the mill gorgeous princess types, but also names like Ali Baba and Nurse Spratt. You have no idea how excited about this that I am! Being your average, not-a-gorgeous-princess type, I absolutely love that its not going to all be focused on the models out there. That being said, as happy as I am that it’s not all princesses, I am excited to see the princesses have their own story arcs – no matter how girlie that is.

I know in all I haven’t really said very much in all this, but it’s hard to tell you about something that is yet to come out. I’m looking forward to it to say the least and ive added it to my personal pull list. I feel that if you’ve enjoyed any of the Fables/Fables spin-offs, you really ought to check it out too! I’ll review it once it has come out (Due to release in March), but it still should be on all your pull-lists!

Fairest #1 - Wrap Around Cover Art

As always,
All my love, and make sure to come by the shop where myself or one of my fabulous coworkers are always more than happy to help you find the perfect book!

Bee

The 4th Wall is planning an Avengers vs. X-Men Launch Party on Tuesday, April 3 from 8:00 pm-10:00pm to make sure you can get your hands on Issue #1 as soon as possible! Plus, some special goodies:

• Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Avengers Store Allegiance Party Variants!
• Free Store Allegiance Avengers vs. X-Men Party Lithographs !
• Free Store Allegiance Buttons, Coasters and Mini-Posters!

Plus oh, so much more!

To participate, retailers must choose whether their store will be an X-Men or an Avenger store by February 5, 2012. So, we turn to you: Avengers or X-Men? Which side are you on?

Vote for your choice via the “Have Your Say” poll at the top of the page and you can decide the theme of this X-travaganza!

Yeah, I said that.

Voting closes Feb 5th, 2012 so vote early, and often!!

-Moss

So lets talk about something any 80’s child must  pick up this week.

The book I want to talk about, is a couple of weeks old. I’ve been tweeting and posting about it on-line for some time now. It’s a Jim Henson Classic brought from the silver screen to book format.  I’m talking about Volume 1 of The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths published by Archaia.

Before you guys say “Hey! I’ve seen the movie already!” I need to tell you, this is a brand new story line that ties into the movie mythology. Artist  Brian Froud participated in the creation of this amazing book bringing back the super nostalgia. For those who don’t know him, he was the artist who inspired both 80’s Classics Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.

So what’s the story about?  Well, it’s a prequel to the cult classic movie and it focuses on the weird and pretty cool character of Aughra, if you’ve seen the movie, she’s the witch type character that talks and acts a bit like Yoda. As you will find out by reading this book, Aughra was a very important persona for the  history of Thra.

If you are a fan of Jim Henson, this book is a must and to add to the good news, there will be two other volumes in the near future who will focus on other “Historic” figures of the Dark Crystal Universe.

Dark Crystal Creation Myths

I’m Js, signing off from the 4th Wall EAST.

Cheers and enjoy the book

Before my wonderful christmas eve post, I’d like to give you some useful information for next year’s Christmas season. After all, the day is almost upon us and I’m sure, last minute shopping aside, we’ve all already gotten our presents bought and wrapped. But I’m going to let you in on some secrets on how to make the holiday season a little easier for yourself this time next year.

#1: Make/Request a list

It has always been the tradition in my household to make a list for my parents. I’ve always done things this way because let’s face it, as a pop culture nerd and comic book lover, I’ve always had very specific things to ask for (nothing perverse, I swear). But as I’ve learnt this year, not everyone does this! Some people spit in the face of efficiency and let caution fly as they tell their family and friends to “be creative” or “get something nice”. While I get the novelty of receiving things that people had to really consider, it’s so incredibly frustrating to get you a great gift. Anyways, for those of us who enjoy receiving graphic novels, toys or any sort of very specific gift, I would definitely recommend making a list. It’s a great way to tell people exactly what you want and that way their shopping experience becomes a dozen time easier. Parents, the same goes for you. Ask for a list or at the very least a starting point. Everyone’s lives will be so much easier and Christmas won’t feel like a big ol’ guessing game.

#2 Take Inventory

One of the most common phrases uttered in the shop is “My son/daughter/friend/lover likes Batman/Superman/Spiderman/Walking Dead but I’m not sure what he/she/they/mi amore has already”. Well, my second tip is to go and find out. Be sneaky, be upfront, just find out what they might have. Pretend you want to borrow some books and go rifle through their shelves! It avoids an embarrassing moment when the recipient has it already and they give you that awkward forced smile as they say “thank you” and you can just tell they’re gonna ask for a gift receipt later on in the evening.

#3 Measure your time

A common issue that I’m sure occurs around the world is last minute shopping. I’m sure people have reasons for waiting that long to go out and buy gifts (I honestly can’t think of any but nobody could hate themselves that much to go through that experience without good reason right?). My advice is to get all your shopping done as quickly as possible. The likelihood of whatever item your looking for being in stock increases greatly and if you need a book ordered (because we do that for you! It’s true!), we can order it in time for the holidays. Plus, you’ll be able to sit home, relax and enjoy the holidays on the 23rd and 24th instead of hectically wrapping those mittens you fought a pregnant lady for at Sears the day before.

#4 When it doubt, gift certificate!

Look, I know some people have strong opinions when it comes to gift cards or gift certificates. Some people believe that it’s like telling a person to go do their own christmas shopping. But if we’re going to be honest, there is not one person on this Earth who would turn down a gift card to anywhere for anything on the basis that the giver “didn’t think hard enough”. A gift certificate is one of the most miraculous inventions ever. The recipient gets to pay nothing for something essentially. So hey, you know your friend likes comics but you know literally nothing about comics, buy a gift certificate (by golly, we do those too!). They’ll thank you for it because now they can afford that book they’ve been eyeing and your Christmas shopping workload is cut in half.

Alright comic fans! Here’s hoping your holiday shopping is done and you can enjoy the real joys of the season! The family, the friends and the comics! You’ll be hearing from me again on Christmas Eve. It’s only 3 days away!

With that I bring you Dry Spell, written and illustrated by Ken Krekeler. Focused on seemingly mild-mannered office worker Tom Ferris, the novel deals with a world where there are very few super-heroes/villains, and the only big name supe is Apollo (of Superman equivalent ability whom Tom despises). Once a co-worker figures out that Tom has a secret concerning his past relations with the super-powered everything begins to unravel. Tom is revealed to be the Black Baron, the big bad super-villain everyone had thought dead but who now is under a new identity while living among the normal population. I won’t ruin anything with more detail, suffice to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story and found myself racing through the pages to find out what happens next.

If you’re reading this blog I’ll assume you’ve seen the Pixar film The Incredibles (if not, then do so right now) because that’s the vibe I got from Dry Spell, but from a villain’s perspective.

Unlike the majority of comics these days, Krekeler uses real-life models as reference for his characters, which admittedly turned me off initially. While anyone can trace a picture and put it in a comic book, his effectiveness at handling these characters and his use of color to bring out the overall mood of a page won me over in the end. The real-life models bring the reader that much closer to accepting that this is taking place in a real world, sure to keep you involved from the moment you turn that first page.

So come take a look at Dry Spell and some of our other lesser known titles here at the 4th Wall. You may just find that perfect Christmas gift for the comic book aficionado in your life.

Do you have any non-mainstream/indie titles that you’ve read and would like others to know about? Sound off and share them in the comments below!