Buy This! - February 29th, 2012

Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.
These light shipping weeks are killing me. I mean, this week is so light that my pull list is going to contain a meager three titles. I'd be more irritated by this if not for the fact that I still haven't managed to pick up my pulls after returning from vacation and counting this Wednesday's books I'll be up to three weeks of stuff waiting for me. I guess this couldn't have happened at a better time.

There is still plenty of stuff out there worth picking up this week. Though I'm not adding it to the list, (it's already made at least one prior appearance) The Shade #5 ships this week. Seriously, if you aren't picking this book up you're doing yourself a disservice. Particularly #4 which has my early pick for issue of the year. I've already raved about it here and on the podcast but that single issue perfectly captured everything that makes James Robinson's Starman and the characters therein so special.

Podcast Episode 4: The One Where Seth Goes to Disney World

Hello friends! Episode 4 of the Ancillary Characters Podcast is live, and here's an embedded version. Don't forget to comment after listening in! IMPORTANT: if you're a subscriber on iTunes, our feed just changed so you may need to go in and resubscribe... And if you haven't subscribed yet, now's the perfect time! Go!

Tales from the Long Box: Dear Fans and Retailers...

The camera opens on this loud, obnoxious guy who looks like he's only been out of bed for about  twenty minutes and hasn't bothered to shower in, oh, say a week. He's talking in this high-pitched, nasally whine at a ridiculous volume. Occasionally he'll point his stubby finger at a random issue of a random comic thrown on the musty shelves of the store he's standing in. Then with a pleased smile he picks up an issue of Warlord of Mars featuring a woman wearing essentially nothing and makes a comment about how more women like this need to stop by his shop. I hit the stop button, sit back in my computer chair and try not to think about the fact that this guy is representative of quite a few comics fans out there.

 I found this "review" on youtube. An attempt by the proprietor of a local shop to step into the digital age. He doesn't seem to realize that common retail practices could probably help him gain customers more than any video he ever posts on youtube.

Podcast episode 3: Our First Team-up (featuring the boys from Hideous Energy)

In this episode Paul and Seth talk comics news and give their picks of the week before being joined by Austin and David of Hideous Energy for a lengthy "take it or leave it" segment. Give it a listen!

Paul's Picks! - Feb. 22, 2012

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz and Dan Duncan


Wait, no Aquaman? No Flash #6? I've been waiting on those two issues all month, looking forward to some really cool stuff that the Manupal/Buccellato duo have promised us from the Fastest Man Alive! Not to mention the really cool new arc that Johns set us up for last month with Arthur being stuck out in the desert. Yes, I know, very true, but the facts are the facts people, and out of a pretty tall stack of issues this week, IDW won it by a landslide. Those of you that have been with us over the last few months are surely aware of my adoration for the Heroes in a Half Shell, but please don't think for a second that I'm handing out this week's pick based solely on some pizza loving banter from my favorite turtle in orange. The truth is, there are so many things to love about issue #7 that there was really no other option than to give praise where praise is due.

Buy This! - Feb 23rd, 2012

Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.


Forgive the lack of a new column last week and the lateness of this week's but I've just returned from a week-long vacation down in the swamps of Florida... or Disney World if you prefer. It's sort of a light week, almost to the point where I was going to bail on this week's column and instead write about my trip to the House of Mouse and how it was surprisingly Marvel-free. However, after a bit of searching I did manage to dig up three purchases that would be worth anyone's time.

Before I get to that I'd just like to take this opportunity to again commend Marvel on their omnibus editions. I just picked up the Wolverine by Jason Aaron one this past week and it's definitely impressive. Not only for the wonderful knack Aaron has for writing Logan and the stories he places him in but for the package itself. While light on extras I'm still pleased every time I open a Marvel omnibus. The books lays flat when opened (none of that page-bleeding-into-the-gutter crap that DC pulls) and they're printed beautifully in an oversized format. With artists like Ron Garney and Yanick Paquette contributing to the issues contained therein it's a great book to have in a larger scale like this.

Paul's Picks, Double Feature! (Part 2) - Feb. 16, 2012

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Double Feature, Part 2:

Hello friends and followers! Well, a day has come and gone since the first half of my Double Feature, and I have returned as promised to provide you with more talk of all things comics! To be more specific, I'm going to reveal my second pick of the week to all of you readers who've fallen victim to your own curiosity. It is typically strictly against my self-derived policy to award my chosen weekly favorite to more than one book, but given the circumstances, I decided to give it a shot. When it came down to decide which of the my two top choices would win the week, I just couldn't bring myself to lift one above the other for a number of reasons. I mean, come on, we all know (or should by now) that Batman #6 was an incredible issue that is absolutely pick-worthy! But on the other hand, the award has gone to Snyder and his Batman already on two separate occasions since this column began... And so I decided to give in to my own crazy impulse and deliver doubly by deeming the decided champion a duo! (Sorry, I may have gotten a little carried away with that...) And now, without further ado, I give you my Second and equally impressive pick of the week...

Paul's Picks, Double Feature! (Part 1) - Feb. 15, 2012

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Double Feature, Part 1:

Hey there guys! A week of comic book goodness has come and gone, and now it's time for the next installment of Paul's Picks! As you have probably noticed, there hasn't been a much coming out of Ancillary Characters this week, since my partner-in-crime Seth Breedlove has left his usual stomping ground and gone down to Orlando with family. But never fear! I'm here to supply your weekly AC fix with not just one, but TWO picks for this week! You heard it, TWO PICKS!!

Okay, so maybe it's not all that exciting, but we comic readers have something to be super excited about! There has been plenty of buzz surrounding the New 52 since last August, both good and bad. But this week, the fans were provided with two issues that are both noteworthy and praiseworthy. Over the next two days, I will put up reviews for my two picks, so that all of you avid readers out there will have enough of our particular brand of charm to get you by. And so tonight, I'm going to begin with my first pick (and I'm sure many of you saw this coming): Batman #6 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo.

Paul's Picks! - Feb. 8, 2012

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Batman and Robin #6 by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason


Hey guys! We're absolutely PUMPED here at AC about all the awesome things that are going on. Last night we wrapped up our third episode of the Ancillary Characters Podcast, which we should have up for you all in the next couple of days. The guys from Hideous Energy were on with us, and it was a blast.

Now on to business. There were some great books out this week (Demon Knights, anyone?), but there for me there was never really any question. I like to spread my pick of the week out a bit so that every book gets a chance at the spotlight. One book that I have yet to pick from the New 52 has been Batman and Robin. Not that the book hasn't been good, but I felt like it hadn't quite crossed over into incredible. But no more! In issue #6, these guys have absolutely hit their stride and given the readers something to be excited about.

Buy This! - Feb 8th 2012 (and a quick rant about DC collected edition hardcovers)

Every Monday Seth picks out three items that are due to ship on Wednesday and directs you toward your best bets for a quality purchase. Some times it's a single issue of a comic, other times a massive omnibus edition of a beloved series, and occasionally a figure or shiny bauble that caught his eye. Read on to find the three items you shouldn't leave your comic shop without this week.
Sorry for the lateness of this week's column. My only excuse is that I've been stricken with a virus seeking my destruction since Sunday and other than a few hours at my place of employment today, I haven't done much other than sit on my couch watching Community and old episodes of the Office on Hulu. I also managed to read a Fables trade and work my way through one the Wolverine VS the X-Men story arc from Jason Aaron's Wolverine run.

Anyway, I wasn't sure if I'd work up the energy to plop this column down or not but I finally managed to psyche myself up on enough tea to get me going so here I am. Bed worn and slightly unaware of what I'm typing exactly. Due to the fact that I can, at a later date, claim I didn't realize I was ranting I'd just like to take a moment yet again to proclaim that DC really is taking things in the right direction with their collected editions while simultaneously continuing to frustrate me every time I crack a cover.

Episode 2: The Watchmen Revelation Special Edition

Hey guys, here's episode 2 of the podcast! In this edition, we talk about the world changing announcement concerning Before Watchmen, as well as Detective Comics, Avenging Spiderman, and plenty more.

You can listen to it above, or even better, download it at iTunes at the link below. Also, if you like it, please go write us a review on iTunes. And comment below, let us know what you think, interact! Enjoy the show!

Tales from the Long Box: Geoff Johns' Flash (or the rise of Geoff Johns)

In 2002, after an absence that lasted from my early teens into my twenties, I started reading monthly comics. I started with Batman, collecting every issue of No Man's Land and, despite not having a clue what had come before I enjoyed it immensely. From there I branched out into other corners of the Marvel and DC universes. Mostly I stuck to characters I knew like Spider-Man and Superman and the Justice League. I believe it was in a copy of Wizard magazine that I first read about this guy, Geoff Johns who was working his way up through the writing ranks on smaller characters. Stars and STRIPE and the Flash had already been overseen by him and he was knee deep in what would become one of my all-time favorite comics, the JSA. I read the article, liked what he had to say about superhero comics and decided to try out one of his books.

The first book I read with Johns name on the cover was a beat up trade paperback that I got at the library collecting a hand full of issues of the Flash. I remember being struck by the art of Scott Kollins and instantly recognizing that this Johns guy had something different than other writers. His Wally West was an easy guy to identify with, who worked a normal day job and struggled with everyday problems issue to issue. Under Geoff's pen Wally became DC's answer to Peter Parker in a lot of ways. Something I've always felt set the Johns earlier work apart from other guys is that he seemed to write like he had something to prove. He'd take on books like Stars and STRIPE and Flash or the JSA, characters who were second or third tier at best, and he'd turn them into best selling titles.

Paul's Picks! - Feb. 2, 2012

Well, it's that time again folks: Wednesday! And you know what Wednesday is?... Well, of course you do, you're reading a blog about comics, so you obviously know it's New Comics Day, a.k.a. Paul's favorite weekly holiday! And in celebration of this weekly, well, celebration, Paul is here to give you his favorite book of the week.

Swamp Thing #6 by Scott Snyder and Marco Rudy

Oh, that's not ominous...

Hey guys! I hope you've had a great week so far, thanks for checking us out again here at Ancillary Characters. We're finally hitting the stride we've been striving for with our weekly articles, and our first Ancillary Characters podcast is live on iTunes! If you haven't gotten around to downloading it, I recommend you do so, and do us a huge favor: write a review on there! Anyhow, I just wanted to take a sec and thank all of you guys that keep coming back week after week to hear what we have to say.

Now on the the goods! Week one of the month is always an interesting one, with some of the heavy hitters coming out side by side. For this week, my pick could've gone one of two ways. Grant Morrison's Action Comics won the week last month with that fantastic issue about the destruction of Krypton, and he and Andy Kubert definitely came out swinging again this month with another exceptional issue. However, the winner of my Pick this week has to go to Scott Snyder and his supernatural Swamp Thing series.