Comics and More

Finally, Joss Whedon's Serenity made its debut in theaters today amid a buzz of great reviews. I saw a matinee because I just couldn't wait. I don't want to say too much about the movie, but God, is it awesome. Whether you're a fan of the show or not, you miss this, you miss out. Okay, so comics I've read so far this week... Ultimate Spider-man #83 - The "Warriors" storyline continues with the likes of Black Cat, Elektra, Iron Fist and Moon Knight making appearances, as well as more teen angst with MJ. I really like the direction that Bendis and Bagley are taking this in - great ending! Kitty Pryde: Shadow and Flame #4 - Now, Kitty Pryde prejudices aside, this is one damn good comic mini-series. I don't remember an X-Men spin-off mini (in recent history) that has actually gotten a decent treatment, but this one breaks the streak. New Avengers #11 - Kicking off a new story arc, we are finally introduced to Ronin, the mystery character who has ...

Continuing my adventure through the important graphic novels in the alternative world, I've finished Blankets , Craig Thompson's highly-acclaimed book. I know it's the obvious choice, given it's probably the one given most press, but I loved it. It was a thoroughly enjoying read. It was a little sentimental and sappy in some parts, but I think it was a great portrayal of life as an outsider, told from the point-of-view of someone growing up in a very religious Christian household. Full of self-doubt, painful memories and disappointments, I think this is the perfect book for anyone who wants to try out an alternative press book. It's really very easy to get into, the style isn't too far out there, and it's just a really great read. I'm surprised that a lot of people think this book has been so overrated. It may not be the best graphic novel in the history of the medium or anything, but it is one of the better ones and it really fills a void that wa...

Previews has come out once more, so it’s time to do some highlighting of the titles I’m most excited about… Archaia Studios Press: ~ The Lone and Level Sands HC - I’m a big fan of Archaia’s Artesia , so I’m definitely up for giving this first wave of new titles all a try. ~ Robotika #1 - Sounds like a cool sumarai series. And hey, nice Ryan Sook cover! Check out both the solicitations and interior art here . Boom! Studios: ~ In the Blood #1 - Steven Niles does werewolves. The PX cover looks awesome - too bad it’s $7. I’ll get the less-than-spectacular (but still cool) cover for $4. Dark Horse: ~ Serenity TPB - What a beautiful new cover by Adam Hughes! Read my review of the mini here . DC Comics: ~ Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer #2 - A follow-up to the Seven Soldiers #0 one-shot. Awesome. ~ Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #2 - The second issue isn’t available until December? Crap. At least not much happened in the first issue …and there’s a new artist (thus the delay)! ~ Fables (...

I just finished Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis , both volumes. It's really cool to get a perspective on life such as hers. It's something you just don't see in the comics medium very often. I admit, I cried. I was a big baby by the end of the first volume, but I feel completely rewarded for having read these books. I don't have anything to say about this that hasn't already been said, I'm sure, but I'm happy to report that they were wonderful books that I really feel belong in the canon of comics. I'm trying to read those books right now, those books that are so audibly acclaimed that you can't ignore them, books that transcend the medium and have become part of the literature community at large. I've read Jimmy Corrigan , Love and Rockets , From Hell , Eightball, Lynda Berry, some James Kochalka, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Bone . In my to-read list are now Maus , The Complete Peanuts , American Elf , Watchmen , Blankets , Cerebu...

Yes, I finally read the intimidating Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware. I wasn't sure I'd like it, flipping through the pages, but it's really a lot easier to read than you'd think by looking at it. There is some tedious prose to get through that's meant to be kind of tongue-in-cheek that I didn't appreciate as much as most people probably would, but it's just not to my humor. And there are some diagrams that you have to work through, but they're actually kind of fun. The production altogether is beautiful, as Chris Ware is always receiving praise for, but the rest is comics. And that's what I was mostly interested in. About a sixth of the way into the book, I could tell that it was a really honest portrayal of this character, full of very human moments that aren't really emphasized enough. But I loathed the protagonist. I absolutely could not stand this sniveling loser of a character. But as I read on, he became more tole...

The sequel to the highly-popular X-Men: Legends RPG came out this week, titled "Rise of Apocalypse," as the X-Men and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants must unite against said threat, on the mutant island of Genosha. The game has pretty much the same play as the original, just different characters to battle and some new ones to play with. I've only played the game for about three hours, and immediately had the option of playing between the following (my team is in bold): Bishop, Colossus, Cyclops, Gambit, Iceman, Jean Grey , Juggernaut, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Rogue , Scarlet Witch , Storm , Sunfire, Toad and Wolverine. Yes, my team consists of all girls. I'm cool like that. Scarlet Witch is my lead. Gone from the play of the last game are Emma Frost and Psylocke, two characters I sadly used religiously. Magma, who was the main character, is also missing, as are Jubilee and the Beast. There are three characters I haven't unlocked yet. And so far I've battle...

Some comics I didn't get around to doing full-blown reviews of... Manhunter #14 ended the "Manhunted" four-issue story arc. Kate Spencer juggles her life as a lawyer, a mother, and a vigilante. Doesn't leave room for much free time. In this story, someone is hunting down everyone who has donned the Manhunter name (And there have been plenty. DC just loves the name, I guess). With some help from a former villain tech aid, Kate is able to discover just what the heck is going on and what's up with her gadgets (well, some of them). Marc Andreyko has done a wonderful job on this series, with the perfect mix of drama and superhero action, and a great heroine to keep the series interesting. I'm kind of sad to see that Jesus Saiz isn't doing the next few covers, as he was the reason I even picked up the first issue to skim the pages. Ah, well. The new covers seemed to be alright (tear). Runaways #8 concluded the two-issue story "Star-crossed." Probabl...

I finally got around to reading the first volume of Greg Rucka's Queen & Country series from Oni Press. Collecting the first four issues of the series, "Operation: Broken Ground" introduces us to the world of espionage and political intrigue behind Britain's Ministry of intelligence. This story examines the repercussions of an assassination in Kosovo by one of their operatives (or "minders"), the resourceful Tara Chace. Flipping throught the book, I wasn't exactly enamored with what I saw, so I put this off for awhile. But upon consuming this work, I was quite impressed with the level of suspense that Rucka created here. He really is a great storyteller, a master of pacing. And he writes the best women characters in comics too, in my opinion. The back of the trade has a few extra goodies as well, including an interlude that bridges the story between issues one and two, drawn by Usagi Yojimbo 's Stan Sakai, and some sketches of Tara Chace, includ...

"Timebreakers" is the eleventh volume of the dimension-hopping Exiles series. In this story, we get the answers to the goings-on behind the scenes with the Timebroker who initially pulled the Exiles from their realities to fix the alternate broken realities. It's what the whole series has been leading toward. In recent issues, the Timebroker's been acting rather off, comrades have disappeared for no reason, etc. But all of these things are explained in a huge, explosive climax where, of course, we see Exiles die, as is kind of the fun of the series. Remember the brutal little Illyana? Yeah, she was my favorite. Sigh. Anyways, this volume also contains the story "Destroy All Monsters," where the world is very Godzilla-like. Giant monsters are constantly appearing, like Fin Fang Foom and Krakoa, the island that walks like a man. It's fun to see big monsters duke it out. This is always one of those series where I'm not really enthused about...

The debut issue of Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #1 (of 4) his stores on Wednesday. First impressions? I didn't like this issue as much as any other issue from the Seven Soldiers saga thus far. I felt really disoriented throughout the issue (which, admittedly may be the whole point since Mister Miracle himself has no idea what's going on), but I was also kind of bored. Pasqual Ferry's art wasn't as strong as the art on the other titles either. There was a panel where a character eats something and blood drips down his chin. I thought he'd taken a bite out of a lighter and bled from it, someone else thought it was a blood-filled chocolate bar. Either way, I had to stop and pause on that panel to try and figure out what it was, whether I was right or not. I have a feeling that people who have read Jack Kirby's New Gods books will get more out of this than I did, as I'm sure there are plenty of winks in there for the fans. But not much happened in this is...

You know, I don't care what anyone says about the New Avengers . It is a damn good superhero book. This past storyline focused on the Sentry, and it was a really imaginative story, giving a grand story behind the character and propelling him to the forefront of the series with the other Avengers, meanwhile answering questions like how come nobody knows this guy? Aside from the background of the Sentry, Bendis also introduces the concept of a secret group of the most powerful and influential leaders from different corners of the Marvel universe, gathering from time to time to discuss matters of the utmost importance, such as the Sentry in this story. Among its members are Professor Xavier, Mister Fantastic, Namor, Blackbolt, Doctor Strange and Iron Man. It just made complete sense and was a great idea. Now, Steve McNiven's art in this storyline was phenomenal as well. I've loved McNiven since his work on Meridian , and I'm extremely happy anytime he graces the pa...

Volume two of the Dampyr trades released by IDW continues the popular European comic, as the half-human/half-vampire dampyr Draka seeks out the vampire master he faced in the last collection, The Devil's Son . This story Night Tribe gives us a little more history behind the characters of Draka and the vampire Tessa, who is aiding them in their pursuit of the powerful, ancient Gorka. We follow these characters' journey through a war-torn nation as civilians are taken advantage of by creatures of the night, and Tessa tries to deny what she is and what she needs to survive. With beautiful art by Majo, the dark, bloody streets of the city this story takes place in come to life amid the terrorists and monsters that use it as a battleground for their own purposes, despite the people that try desperately to survive there. Find out more behind the relationship of Draka's parents and get ready for some blood-soaked, limb-exploding pages.

Mnemonic (ni-mon’ik) adj . pert. to or assisting the memory. -- n . an aid in remembering. -- mnemonically , adv . -- mnemonics , n.sing . A technique for improving the memory. Mnemovore (ne-mov’or) n . comic book mini-series created by Hans Rodionoff, Ray Fawkes and Mike Huddleston, published by Vertigo/DC. -- v . to scare the crap out of you. The six issue mini-series Mnemovore is a scary little number, probably the most unnerving comic I’ve read in recent memory. Heh. The story follows Kaley as she recuperates from a skiing accident, whereupon she has trouble remembering things from her past, like say, anybody from it. As the series progresses, we begin to discover that things aren’t exactly what they seem. There’s something there, at the periphery of the story, at the edge of her memory…and that something has been playing with her memory and is creeping into the lives of those around her, making people forget things, making people go a little insane. The series creators do a gre...

I'm going to relate the most important comics in my life, as Patrick did in his last Think About Comics column , wherea I will let you know comics that were influential in my comics reading. I'm not going to list comics important to comics history in general, and will use Patrick's examples of Zap Comix #1 and Action Comics #1 , but things that altered the course of my reading personally . 1. Marvel Universe Trading Cards, series 1 . No, not a comic obviously, but it was what introduced me to the world in the first place. Several neighborhood friends were collecting these from the local Schinder's and I followed suit like the little lemming I was, soon falling in love with Shadowcat, holding her little purple pet dragon close, prompting me to read her comics. 2. Excalibur #48 . This was my very first comic book, introducing me to characters I still have the utmost affection for: Kitty Pryde, Meggan, Captain Britain...god, I loved these comics. I soon collected all of th...

By Pat Markfort Okay, if all goes according to plan, this should be posted on Monday, September 19th, and I think that Mondays will be the new day for TAC updates from here on out. Maybe. I’m trying hard to incorporate writing this column into my now much busier schedule, and I don’t know that I’m quite there yet, hence the absence of a column for last week. Sorry about that. In any case, this week I thought I’d present a single feature, one which I hope you’ll enjoy, and one which I’d love to see some of the other comics bloggers work with. There are certain comic books that have an important status in the history of the comics medium, books such as Action Comics #1 , or Zap Comix #1 , for example. I’m not going to be talking about those kinds of comics today. I’m going to be talking about comics which have an important status for me. Not necessarily my favorite comics (although some of them are), these comics are the ones which represent specific turning points in my relationship wit...

Shojo Beat came out with its fourth issue this week (at least in book stores). I read Absolute Boyfriend , not because it's the greatest manga, but it's a quick read and it's kinda fun. The real treasure in this magazine is of course, Ai Yazawa's Nana . Not much happens in this chapter, but the first Nana (Komatsu) seemed to resemble Miwako from Paradise Kiss a little more than she has. Ultimate X-Men #63 - Okay, as much as I like Polaris and Kitty, this book is just kind of boring. This is my last issue. Again. The Pulse #11 - New storyline. Michael Gaydos. Finally. But did we really expect Bendis to get around to a certain event in the first issue of the story arc? Of course not. I really liked the dialogue in this issue, which is a must since that's kind of...all the issue was... All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #2 - Batman's off his rocker and has kidnapped a traumatized youngster. What else is their to say? Check out Jog's thou...

Fables ' "Homeland" story arc concluded its five issue run with #41 this past week. I think this has been the best story of the series thus far, on par with the graphic novel Fables: The Last Castle . The series overall, started out weak with an opening story where a Fabletown citizen was murdered, prompting an investigation by Bigby Wolf, but has been putting in some solid stories since then. A few bombs have littered the series here and there, but for the most part, it's been a really good read. Since the beginning of the series, the identity of the Adversary who drove the Fabletown citizens from their homeland has been a mystery, and this "Homeland" storyline is where we find out the back story of what's been going on back in the Homelands and who the Adversary actually is. I guess some people were able to figure out who it was, but I had no idea, not that I'd really put too much thought into it. There are thousands of fables, after all. ...

Uzumaki is a horror series by manga creator Junji Ito, whose work I'd read before in the form of Tomie , another horror series. Uzumaki means "spiral," which is exactly what this series is about. It's about spirals popping up all over the town of Kurozu-cho. It's one of those horror series that really builds momentum. At first, it has this hint of creeping dread as spirals are noticed here and there, but things quickly pick up as they appear to really curse this town and its inhabitants. It really is a scary read, with its grotesque imagery and over-the-top scares. You can tell by reading this that it's from the same creator as Tomie , the book about the zombie girl, which has the same sort of feel and theatrics. You can also check out about five pages from the book at Amazon if you want a little taste. I've only read the first volume thus far and it seems that there are at least two more out there, of which I have every intention of tracking do...

Volume two of the acclaimed Lucifer series is where the series really starts to get good. I wasn't blown away by the first trade by any means and was kind of putting off getting the second installment in place of other trades. I got a nice discount on this trade at the Chicago convention, however, and opted to buy it when it was on sale to give the series another shot. The second trade collects the stories "Children and Monsters" as well as "The House of Windowless Rooms," which consist of Lucifer the comic #5-#13, a good-sized chunk of story. There are three artists on the series throughout this book: Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly and Dean Ormston, all of whom did a fine job. They were each confined to a single arc, which is nice for a story's consistency (which Marvel did at the end of Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men ), Ryan Kelly only doing a single issue prequel to the "Children and Monsters" story. I actually liked the story "The...

Archaia Studios' Artesia is one of my favorite comics on the market presently. I think it's easily the most beautiful comic out there, with the feeling of a grand, epic tale. This being the case, I was of course excited to hear that the creator, Mark Smylie, is expanding his publishing list to include titles by other creators. If these creators share his sensibilities, this would lead to some really amazing stuff (and it's so frustrating to wait two years for a new Artesia trade to hit the market!) The newest addition to the list of titles coming out through Archaia is David Petersen's Mouse Guard: Belly of the Beast , a six issue mini-series. The artwork looks great and...gosh, it's just so darn cute. Anyways, Newsarama just announced this series recently, with some looks at the interior art. You should check it out if you haven't already. Other titles announced to come out through Archaia Press are The Lone and Level Sands graphic novel (A. David ...

Now, I've never actually read Alan Moore's series Top 10 from ABC Comics. However, I don't think there's actually been anything by Alan Moore that I haven't liked, so I, of course, had to give this a shot since people were talking about it with such fervor. Being completely ignorant of the world of Top 10 , I went into this with little information and a little apprehension, since I thought that I may be overwhelmed with things from the series and I wouldn't be able to follow it on its own. That wasn't the case however, as this serves as a prequel to the Top 10 series, coming right of World War II, when the superhumans and monsters that were employed by the USA to fight the war were all led into this newly-constructed city, Neopolis. Of course, being a city populated solely by superheros and monsters, things get a little out of hand, as there is a lot of resistance to traditional policing. This story follows two new arrivals to Neopolis, who ride the...

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe was quite an undertaking, as it was just under an intimidating 700 pages of tiny print. But this prose novel has been one of the most satisfying experiences in literature. So much so, that it has, in fact, become my favorite book of all time. I was in the midst of my Jane Austin kick when I came to read Northanger Abbey, which is chalk-full of references to this book. In fact, the protagonist of the novel was rather obsessed with the gothic thriller, propelling her into a great fascination for dark castles and mystery. This, of course, caught my attention, as it sounded like a lot of fun. I also discovered, while reading up on the book, that it has an important place in literary history, as it was influential in the rise of romanticism, was important in gothic literature's history, and served to help shape the modern detective novel (all of which the introduction of the Barnes & Noble Books edition of this book serves to explain...

I really like reviewing a full story arc or debut issue of a series, but I thought I would try out a new weekly feature mentioning other titles that are either in the midst of a story, or that I have nothing to really add that hasn't already been said about it via the blogosphere. I will provide a brief reaction, starting with this past week's comics, and I will also relay any miscellaneous thing of importance in my life here. So, without further adieu...In passing... Ultimate Spider-man #82 - Bendis and Bagley's "Warriors" storyline is shaping up to be really great. Thus far, it's introduced C-List superheros like Iron Fist and Moon Knight to the Utlimate Universe. It's also brought back favorites like Black Cat and Elektra, both of whom have made this story stand out for me. This issue pretty much focuses on the triumphant return of the Black Cat, bequeathing a lot of anxiety onto Peter Parker's shoulders, as he is conflicted between the pain t...

Hellbent is a little horror film coming to art house theaters very shortly, in time for Halloween. And what sets this apart from other horror films? The protagonists are gay. In fact, the movie presumes to name itself the first gay thriller. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but growing up, I was a big horror film buff. I loved the Friday the 13th movies and Halloween , etc, but I also loved those Full Moon movies, the direct-to-video horror movies that had titles like Puppetmaster and Subspecies . They were pretty cheesy, but I loved them for it. About five years ago, my love for horror movies was rekindled (as it usually is around Halloween every year) and I rented some Full Moon movies, one of which was the director's cut of Voodoo Academy . Now, if there was ever a gay horror movie before I saw this, I certainly didn't know about it. It was blatantly gay, but didn't come right out and say it, which may be the difference between Hellbent and thi...

Speakeasy Comics debuted another new comic this past week, Smoke & Mirror , from the writer behind their just-released Of Bitter Souls (Charles William Satterlee). I did not care for Of Bitter Souls , but Smoke & Mirror turned out much better in contrast, though it wasn't one of those debuts that blew my socks off. It was however, a good first issue. Overall, I liked the art. There were none of those panels that I just love in comics, the kind that make you stop and stare and just appreciate that one picture the artist portrayed, but the issue was certainly competently illustrated. The only scenes where things got a little out-of-hand were when Smoke was fighting his nemesis Bludgeon. There were moments where I had to interrupt the flow of the action to figure out exactly what was going on. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the action depicting the past, where Smoke's predocessor fought some bank robbers with his partner, Miss Mirrors. It was retro and reall...

Serenity , the three issue mini-series written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, concluded this past week. This series was intended to fill in the gap between events from Whedon's canceled Firefly television show and the upcoming Serenity movie. It's filled with a lot of cool events for someone who's seen the show. I was completely startled when Kalie met one of the men in blue face-to-face, as these villains are vicious and seemingly unstoppable in the television series. However, I'm not exactly sure how someone unfamiliar with the show would have reacted; It's hard to separate myself from something I love so much. I can say, as a fan, that the characters came through in this comic quite accurately. From River to Preacher to Mal, the dialogue and actions seemed to spring from the show itself, kind of bringing me back to this happy time when television was actually good. Will Conrad's pencils certainly contributed to this effect also, portraying these charac...

Well, tomorrow is another comic shipping day. I will be picking up: - Fell #1 (why not give it a shot for $2?) - Serenity #3 (Concluding issue. Only 23 more days until the movie!) - Seven Soldiers: Guardian #4 (Another soldier's adventures are ending. Well, not really ending per se, since Shining Knight didn't exactly...have an ending.) - Smoke and Mirrors #1 (Trying out the new Speakeasy series) - Stardust Kid #2 (Yes, I did not like the first issue , but it's the creators of Abadazad , damn it! I have to give it one more shot.) - Ultimate Spider-man #82 (I can't wait for Kitty to enter the book with the next arc.) - Y-the Last Man #37 ( Please stay good ) And next week, according to Diamond ... - All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #2 - Fables #41 (more of the Homeland story!) - Mnemovore #6 (Final issue) - Pulse #11 (New story - baby time!) - Ultimate X-Men #63 (Continuing the Magnetic North arc) And as always, more will probably be added when things...

Rex Mundi (volume 1): The Guardian of the Temple collects the first six issues of the on-going series by Image. This book has a really great premise - it's a mystery set in an alternate-history where the Catholic Church still rules. In this story arc, an ancient scroll in possession of the church is stolen by occult means. The guardian of these scrolls calls on his reliable friend, Dr. Julian Sauniere, to discover what happened to the artifact. Julian is the main character here, always appearing too serious and dark, a completely unidentifiable protagonist for the reader who wasn't already put off by the bland story that's bogged in politics that I had not an inkling of interest in. Now, I actually like politics in fantasies. I was probably the only person on Earth who loved the politics in Star Wars: Episode I , but the politics here were just silly and too superfluously laid out. I mean, I know this bare bones mystery needed some meat to stretch it over six issues...

Ultra: Seven Days consists of an eight-issue mini-series by The Luna Brothers, published by Image. It's been in my to-read pile for awhile, and I finally got around to it. But seriously, don't make the same mistake as me and put this off any longer - you have to read this book. This is the best superhero comic I've ever read. Although it's not a traditional superhero book. It's a perfect blend of superhero and drama and comedy. The series takes place in Spring City, where superheros work as kind of police units, but are also treated as celebrities. For the most part, this book examines Pearl Penalosa, the person behind the ubercelebrity Ultra, and her relationship with other superheros, particularly two other gal pals, Aphrodite and Cowgirl. Pearl also faces problems in the romance department as well as with the press. The dialogue in this book is just amazing, as well as all of the characters, who come off as genuine people with distinct personalities that don...

" Y-the Last Man #36 " is a stand-alone issue that follows the atrocious "Girl on Girl" story arc. Seriously, the reason I read this one so late was because I almost dropped this book following that story. I decided to give this one more issue a chance and...it's one of the best issues of the series thus far. The series overall has been good. Not great, but good. I think Brian K. Vaughan has the best intentions of making really interesting situations come out of Yorick's adventures. But, for the most part, they're just entertaining at best. There have been a few stories that have really wowed me, but "Girl on Girl" just fell flat into that category of one of the worst stories I've ever read in comics. Vaughan created this story with no interesting situations, with no interesting characters introduced and with surprises that left me rolling my eyes. I did not care what anyone's intentions were whatsoever, and I did not care to h...

Joss Whedon and John Cassaday have concluded their first run on the flagship X-title, Astonishing X-Men , with the amazing Laura Martin on colors (there will be a brief hiatus before they return to the book). The storyline "Dangerous" began really strong with the suicide of a mutant in the danger room and a wounded sentinel crawling to the X-mansion to inflict some damage, whereupon the students were trapped in the danger room with Kitty Pryde. Great start, right? Unfortunately, the build-up to this storyline was better than the payoff. It's a cool concept, having the danger room a mutant itself. It's one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. The first battle with the sentient machine was really great too, although that is where the story starts its downhill trek. From there, the plot brings Xavier into it, creating an interesting rift between the students and their mentor that I can't wait to see expanded on. Then the sentinel that killed...

By Pat Markfort What Makes A Good Comic Book Store? I had wanted to review Kevin Huizenga’s Or Else #3 for this week’s column, but my local store, Lost World of Wonders , didn’t have it. It’s possible they ordered a copy and it sold out before I got there (about 40 minutes after they opened), as they had a couple of copies of the first issue. Of course, it’s also possible that these couple of copies of the first issue were all they had ordered, so they didn’t bother with the second and third issues. Hard to say. It’s frustrating. I spent the car ride back home complaining about the situation with David. We both tend to get pretty annoyed at lousy comic book stores. But, is it fair to call Lost World a lousy store? When we moved here a few months ago, we were actually quite pleased that we were so close to Lost World, as it’s probably the best of the comic book stores we’ve visited here in Milwaukee. It’s a very large, well organized store, divided just about in half, with a huge selec...