Free Digital Copies

Both DC and Marvel offer free digital copies of some of their books if you buy the physical copy. Indeed, I'm happy to say that Aquaman recently joined the list of titles I can get a digital copy of when I buy it.

For a long time, I ignored the option, but recently I went through every copy of every book I'd read and put in the codes to get the free online versions. In doing so, I noticed a big difference between the way DC does it and the way Marvel does it.

For a time, Marvel didn't actually give you the book you held in your hand. Instead, the free code was for other comics that they hoped the reader would get addicted to. That's all fine and dandy, but they eventually started to provide the book the code came from AND a promotional book. This is a great idea, in my opinion, because it will introduce some readers to other books. Getting the book you have online also means you are more likely to lend it out - which increases potential audiences.

DC, on the other hand, only gives you a digital copy of the book you own. And while that's lovely, I think Marvel's method is more likely to bear fruit in the future.

Another difference is that Marvel gives people who redeem a code "points" toward free stuff. For people as old as me, that's not so interesting. But for younger audiences, game-ifying the process makes the more likely to redeem the codes and read the promotional books. This, in turn, makes it more likely for them to read more books and get interested in more titles and ... well, there's a decent chance that this experiment will bear fruit in the long term.

I'm not a marketing person, but I know which version of the "free digital copies" appeals to me more - and it's not my favorite publisher's version.

More Links

Pepsi to stop using aspartame. Well, it won't get me to drink Pepsi, but it's nice to know that somebody is dropping that stuff. It tastes awful. I don't know how people can stand it. Yuck.

A hiker catches the start of a volcanic eruption. Yikes.

Hubby-Eric says he wants this book. Ok.

My former local PBS station, KCTS-9, has laid off most of its production staff. Yikes.

Pasta sauce so good you'll lose your head.

So apparently all the dinosaur toys we played with as children were actually of plucked dinos.

Like a good neighbor... State Farm ad fan fiction.

Why most "vaccine injuries" aren't actually vaccine related at all.

White Privilege is not generally something we notice... it's like being a fish underwater, we just live in it and don't think about it. Boing Boing has a cartoon that tries to explain it. It can't succeed, not fully, because there will always be people who say, "Well, I never benefited that way!" not understanding that it's more than just that. Still, I found the cartoon useful. Maybe somebody else will, too. I also found this article about reparations to be an excellent source of understanding the problem more fully. There's a lot that happened, and is still happening, that I was and am ignorant about. At the least, I hope to reduce my ignorance before talking about the subject.

Lastly... A video that's sort of Doctor Who related, as far as I'm concerned (hint: Gridlock). Plus I just like well-done hymns.

A Sunday Review

My Netgalley preview book this week is I was the Cat by Paul Tobin and Benjamin Dewey. Allison Breaking is a freelance journalist asked to tackle an unusual story by an unusual client and his schemes going back centuries.

I got this from Netgalley as a preview and was actually surprised at just how neat it is. The stories are varied, the supporting characters are fleshed out and interesting. And the ongoing background tale is both hilarious and terrifying. You wonder just what Allison has gotten herself into. The ending is both satisfying and frustrating. I love Allison's paranoid friend, she's probably the best character in the book.

Anyway, this is worth getting. I believe it's currently being released as single issues, and a potential fan could get started by checking out the first issue. There's also a Four Page Preview at CBR. Otherwise, it's something you can pre-order on Amazon. Check it out.

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This week's movie was Thor (2011). Hubby-Eric got it from the library, so of course at a crucial moment the movie stopped because the disc was so scratched up. Fortunately, we were able to get through it and watch the whole thing, unlike our effort with Hulk... *ahem* Anyway, Thor is a brash godling who looks forward to becoming king of Asgard, but his coronation is interrupted by a sneak attack and his reaction to it leads to his banishment to Midgard (Earth). I really enjoyed seeing the "magic is just advanced technology" thing. It worked for me. I wonder if the Asgardians could rebuild the bridge if they wanted to, or have they relied on existing technology so long they no longer can duplicate it? The Earth-side was funny, particularly Thor getting humbled by a couple of women, repeatedly. Loki struck just the right note with me as well: trying to do good but failing because he cannot get to the heart of what is right. It took me awhile to figure out why the older doctor (Selvig) was so familiar... he was Bill Anderson in Mamma Mia, and did fantastic in that role. The after-credit sequence promises some more of him, which I like. Overall, a decent little movie. I wish I'd popped up some popcorn to go with it.

Aside: Hubby-Eric and I are trying to get through the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and finally catch up with the movies. We rewatched Iron Man (2008), attempted to watch The Incredible Hulk (2008) but the disc was bad. Iron Man 2 (2010) is on hold at the library. Then we'll see Captain America (2011) finally. Then The Avengers (2012). Hopefully we won't get any more bad DVDs from the library, but I'm not holding my breath. People aren't careful with DVDs they didn't pay for, which means the odds are always decent that we're going to get a heavily scratched DVD from the library.

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Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jun 4th
• Aquaman and the Others #3 - Finally we start to get somewhere with this story. Last issue was treading water, this one brings the enemies to the forefront and ties the flashbacks into the present.
• Earth 2 #24 - Hey, we're back to the original three again, sort of. I like the wonder kid, he's wise for his age. And Val, well, he's pretty cool too.
• Green Lantern #32 - Uh, yeah, war. Durlies. Greenies. Whatever. Is this plotline done yet?
• Swamp Thing #32 - Aquaman definitely comes off as a jerk in this one, but he also seems to be a guy who is willing to make the hard decisions to save the world. And the art was decent, so I'm happy overall, despite the negatives. I bought this because I thought it would be a different angle on the same events as the Aquaman book (that was how it was solicited). Instead it was a continuation. I'm not completely disappointed.
• Justice League 3000 #7 - Ok, I admit I wasn't expecting THAT twist. So it worked. But will somebody please fill in Green Lantern?
• Batman '66 meets Green Hornet #1 - Wait, do these guys know each others secret identities? Seems like they don't, but the snark between them makes it almost seem like they do, as well. Anyway, fun story.
• Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse #1 - A neat little story, not enough Aqualad. It's good to see more of Franco and Baltazar's work on Tiny Titans.
• Capt Action Cat #2 - You know, screwing up the timestreams is bad enough, but crossing realities really starts to make things confusing! Aw yeah, timestreams!

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Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist

The Recession and Comic Books

With layoffs at Diamond and DC Comics, people are understandably worried about the state of the comic book industry.

Here's my two cents, worth probably a little less than that.

Comics will never die. Comic books as we know them may evolve (I sometimes think the pamphlet/single/floppy will go away within a couple of years, but I thought that five years ago and they're still here), but they will not die. Some creators have already moved successfully to a web format, some have gone to trades only without a major web presence. While I tend to think that Studio Foglio is leading the way and watching them will tell us the state of the industry, there are plenty of other examples out there. Comic books are evolving.

I think DC Comics and Marvel Comics are the dinosaurs of the comic book industry, not the leaders. They aren't making money off the monthly books any more, and they market their books to an ever-shrinking clique of fans instead of seeking new fans. I think they should take a serious risk and start putting old comics up on-line for free with prominent links to buy the collections, and start rebuilding a fanbase from the bottom up. That they probably never will, at least not in a format that's easy to read (like simple images without anti-piracy crap that makes it impossible to view properly), just means that they will continue to lose their audiences. There will always be a core of fans, but I don't think we've yet seen how small that core is. And if you look at actual sales of comics, that's a frightening thought.

I don't read much DC now. Not enough Aquaman. I'd rather read PS238 or Girl Genius than yet another crossover. I think I could actually drop DC entirely except for my desire to keep up with my favorite character.

Anyway, I don't think comic books are going to go away. But I'm not entirely sure they are going to be around in the same form we get them now for much longer. Especially of the heart of the industry doesn't start taking more risks in order to sell more books.

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Big Daddy's House: "Dream Dinner" - Looked tasty, but mostly stuff I don't generally eat. This guy makes me feel like I could almost make it, despite my ability to make the easiest recipe turn into inedible slop.
• Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: "Brain Freeze" - Ok, I'd love to try the sweet potato ice cream. But I really don't need most of the ice cream. I want it, but I'm strong enough... I don't need it.
• Food Detectives: "Brain Freeze" - I almost never get brain freeze, because I usually eat ice cream pretty slowly. The freezer burn advice was good, and I will no doubt use it in the future.
• Ace of Cakes: "Swimming With the Sharks" - I wanna swim with the sharks.

Comics this week:

• Green Lantern Corps #27 - A bit of a day-in-the-life issue, with some nasty set up. Natu appears, but only briefly, so I'll say it was a so-so issue.
• Captain Britain and MI13 #4 - I like Faiza. The rest, not so much.
• Checkmate #29 - This book is nearly done, right?
• Action Comics #868 - Um, go Brainiac?
• Batman #679 - Don't know what is happening in this issue, don't really care.
• Doctor Who #6 - Hrm. If the issue hadn't had a review of what happened, I wouldn't have understood it at all. As it was, the story was almost too confusing to follow.
• Tiny Titans #7 - Wonder Girl playing with an Aquaman action figure? CUTE!

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

A Sunday Review

TV this week:

• Have I Got News For You: "Brian Blessed, Marcus Brigstocke and Alan Duncan" - After watching Brian Blessed yell his way through this episode, I realized I'd have to watch it again as I'd laughed so hard during parts of it that I missed bits.
• Ghost Hunters: "Haunted Asylum" - I don't recall seeing a parental warning on this show before. But then, wandering around in an asbestos-tainted asylum in the middle of the night isn't exactly safe.
• Numb3rs: "Atomic No. 33" - Larry's anger at the cultist woman's Ben Stein moment was probably the most interesting part of the show. But the general mystery was also pretty well done.
• Supernanny: "Martinez Family" - A standard episode with a fairly normal family.
• Smallville: "Quest" - A search set off by symbols carved into Lex's chest. Yuk.
• Doctor Who: "The Doctor's Daughter" - I was sure I wouldn't like this one. But the ending pleased me much more than I expected.

Comics this week:

• Justice League Unlimited #45 - As always, a nice done-in-one tale that I enjoyed.
• Detective Comics #844 - Hmm. Is that the end then? Or is the power of the puppet too great?
• House of Mystery #1 - A slow start, but promising.
• Hulk #3 - Ah, being dropped into the middle of a story, the Marvel way. I think I got it, though. The mystery is about who Red Hulk is. Basic stuff, but fun.
• Invincible Iron Man #1 - Nice set-up. That about covers it.
• Man With No Name #1 - Fairly standard Western.
• Star Wars: Legacy #23 - Set over 100 years after the familiar Star Wars, and not too bad. Not great, but vaguely interesting enough to keep reading.
• Conan #50 - Final issue of a pretty good Conan run. I enjoyed this finish, and kind of regret dropping the book when Kurt left it.
• Doctor Who #4 - Poor artwork, jumpy storyline, weak characterization (sorry Gary). Not recommended.
• Rogue Angel #3 - I'm really enjoying this book. It was telegraphing the plot a little, but it was still very good.
• PS238 #31 - I love this book. I really, really love this book. I need to buy all the collections, as well. This is such a great book. If you aren't reading it... well, you're loss I guess. But it's probably my favorite comic book right now. And for the past few years, really.

No library book or movie this week, the comicon is taking up my time.

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews

No Foolin' - Links

Heroes Initiative to Publish Mike Wieringo's final Marvel Comics work.

Superman creates Community.

There's something very appealing about Deep Value. While I don't want to toss my various gadgets, I wish I could repair my car myself. We use cloth shopping bags and have a clockwork radio. I also tend to have a healthy supply of candles on hand.

I don't know, Jack, I've listened to old-time radio and I enjoyed The Shadow.

The Ten most unreasonable parking tickets of all time.

Famous photographs redone in LEGO. Check each image to see links to the original photo.

Here's a write-up of a neat library event related to a book I recently read.

I'll be watching this story closely to see how well the turbine works.

More on the Wii Fit, the one video game I think maybe I ought to consider getting.

More pug for the in-laws.

And lastly, Rest in Peace Jim Mooney. For your delight, an image Mooney did of Aquaman:

Randoms for the Day

Linda Medley discusses WonderCon and Fantagraphics.

While I'm very happy with our current eBay auction results, I'm kind of surprised that no one is giving the Alan Scott Green Lantern soft toy any love. C'mon, eBayers, where's the Golden Age love?

Mike Sterling on Captain America and Marvel, and ordering comics.

Leonard Kirk amuses me yet again, this time with the instructions for Kraft Dinner.

Beware the Ides of March.

Mark Evanier asks an obvious question. Having something like that in cars would be really handy.

Roombonkers! via Garrett.

R2-D2 Mailboxes.

Ask An Applied Mathematician.

Stopping Stock Spammers by stopping transactions on spammed stocks. Could it work? I sure hope so.

Saying vagina will get you suspended?

I generally don't care at all about American Idol, but I've been checking in on this one because Blake Lewis is from Bothell, where I live. I still haven't bothered to actually WATCH the show, so I don't know if our local rep is any good. But I'm keeping an eye on the news to see how far he goes.

Random Thoughts

It started raining here again this week. It was like the whole city let out a giant sigh of relief. Sure, it's wet, but the air is clearer and the plants no longer look wilted. We'd gone without long enough that newcomers and visitors were starting to say, "The weather isn't that bad in Seattle!" which is the worst thing that can happen. We don't want more people moving here only to complain that they actually saw that "sun" thingy where they used to live. And to be honest, I was really uncomfortable seeing the sky that unnatural shade of blue instead of its normal gray/white.

The newest link on my site is to David Allen Jones' Blog AKA "The Johnny Bacardi Show". Thanks to the fantastic linkback feature that Elayne Riggs introduced me to, I was able to discover he linked to my blog, and actually implied that I'm fun and interesting, to boot! That brings my readership up to two and a half (my hubby, David, and my retailer who sometimes visits).

There's a great, short, interview with Ramona Fradon by Heidi MacDonald at Comicon's Pulse. I'm a BIG fan of Ramona. My favorite piece in my Aquaman collection is an original Ramona Fradon watercolor my husband surprised me with for Christmas 1997. Having Ramona's work be the majority of the new Aquaman Archive coming out made my month, and it's good to see her getting recognition on a major comic news site.

I'm thinking I ought to do some reviews of older books. The sugar-coated bee story (see Monday, Nov 4th's first blog) made me pull out Clan Apis and reread. Perhaps I should at least make an occasional reference to other great series I've gotten over the years. Heck, since I'm already talking about Jay Hosler, I'll mention that Sandwalk Adventures, his latest effort, has been very good so far. And educational too!

The news that Stan Lee is suing Marvel took me by surprise. While Stan seems to have the biggest ego in all of comics, he never seemed like a guy to go against company lines. Then again, I don't know the details, so maybe I'd better just shut up and watch how it goes.

And for my final thought this evening (unless I post another one later on tonight): A powerful and rich king had three magnificent and valuable rings that he kept in a gorgeous and ornate box. As he grew older, he decided one day to give each of his three daughters one of the rings. After the giving was done, a single ring still remained in the box. Can you tell me how?