Comic Book Pick-ups - Late December/Early January

Since my last comic book update I have stopped by 'Area 52' a few more times to see what new comics they had. I picked up several number one issues, a couple holiday specials, and even treated myself to a couple of pricey TPBs. For those of you just tuning in to this blog feature you'll find that Area 52 is a new local comic book shop here in Georgia that seems to be doing well for itself. I have personally made it a mission to stop by as much as possible, and buy new, and older comic books to help the store owner earn the income that is necessary to keep his shop going. I cannot stress enough how important it is to support these smaller hobby shops. Often times they carry more unique items than the brand name stores do. It's definitely a convenience to have such a local store not far from where I live that I can go to, and keep my hobby alive without having to resort to online shopping for my collecting needs. While internet shopping does have it's own sort of benefits it pales in comparison to the experience you get when going to a store where like-minded hobbyists frequent. Definitely support your local hobby shops, even if that means buying a little something here, and there.

Now that I've given my usual speech about supporting local businesses let me get into the thick of this article. As you know I mentioned that I picked up some new #1's, a couple of holiday specials, and some new TPBs. Today I will only be showing you my comic book singles though. One of my newly prized series based possessions that I bought actually happens to be a Batman/Gotham spin-off done up by Fawkes, and Ben Templesmith. I'm actually a long time fan of Templesmith's, and absolutely loved his work on the "Wormwood Gentleman Corpse" IDW series. His art style is definitely unique, and has a sort of dark foreboding nature about it. Issues number one, and two of "Gotham by Midnight" actually featured cover art by Ben Templesmith. I was very lucky to find a back issue of #1, and picked up the recently released issue number two to go along with the new collection. As of now I have yet to read them, and might keep them in mint condition without doing so. I figure I'll wait on the TPB to be released to catch up on it's plot.

Another interesting set of pick-ups I got included two variants of the "Harley Quinn Holiday Special". Since my first visit to Area 52 I've actually picked up several new Harley Quinn related comic books, so it was a no-brainer on deciding to add these to my growing collection. One of the cover variants had a Christmas theme while the other featured a New Years themed cover. I don't think I'll open these either, because I'm more of a collector than a reader these days.

Before I move onto my one MARVEL issue I want to take you back to the recent DC Batman offerings. If you've been following the past Joker plots, and sub-plots you'll know that the clownish freak has undergone some changes, and that at one point he cut his own face off. The cover of "Batman #37 (Endgame Pt.3)" shows off the Jokers new looks, and has him holding up his old face like some sort of grotesque puppet. I loved the cover, and found it interesting enough to buy. I definitely need to find part one, and two of the endgame sub-plot before I even think about giving it a read though. It has been a LONG time since I've read, or collected anything Batman related, so I see some TPB purchases from that series in my near future.

Last, but not least we have the MARVEL mix-up of the Thor, and Spawn universe. This comic book, known as "Angela: Asgard Assassin #1" has Angela from the Spawn series doing her usual assignments in the MARVEL universe. I absolutely loved Angela's inclusion in Todd McFarlane's Spawn series, and can't wait to see her kick some ass in Asgard!

Well, that wraps things up for now folks. I hope you enjoyed the latest look at my growing comic book collection. I will try to bring you a new update each time I buy something new. Who knows? You might even see a "Monthly Mystery" contest involving a comic book prize!