I am sure you all read Blake’s column last week, in which he celebrated his own first anniversary writing Everything But Imaginary. Congratulations to him, of course (believe me, know one knows better than I do how hard this is to keep up consistently, week after week), but it is my turn to butt-in on the celebrating!

A year ago, I started here with a little piece on Spider-Girl, which was then “officially” cancelled. Of course, I am not taking credit for the later stay of execution it got, but I’d like to think that my little column has opened some of your eyes to titles out there that were in danger of meeting their end due to low sales.

Of course, my column began as a means to highlight books that were close to being cancelled by the likes of Marvel and DC for low sales, but it eventually grew to include small press books that you might not have heard of, but would enjoy just as much as if they came out of the houses of the big two. These publishers may have a lower sales threshold, but need the sales all the more to publish these high quality books. Often times I hear people complaining about the kinds of books Marvel and DC put out, how the “market” is unfairly dominated by the superhero genre, or how the comics have become too tied to merchandising. The fact is that we all want a high quality comic, and it is my goal to bring to your attention books that are exactly the kinds of things we all want to read.

I know most of you have a limited budget, and don’t read my column all the time because you don’t want to get hyped into buying another book that you can’t afford. Hey- I can understand that. I hope you will have the willpower to read anyway. Even I can’t afford to buy every book I cover on a regular basis- I would have had to stop writing this long ago if I were to do that, because I simply could not afford to do it anymore! So even if you don’t end up buying the title I cover, you can at least discuss it! The more people who talk about a particular book, the better chances that someone, somewhere, might be curious enough to give it a try. Titles like Spider-Girl, who suffer at the hands of Marvel’s selective Marketing. Books like Dead@17 relied on your word of mouth to become as popular as they are now. In the end, the success of books like these which don’t have an X in their title, or don’t seem to merit a lot of attention in the eyes of the big-name publishers, ultimately lie in the hands of readers like you discussing them. It is my hope that I can stir that conversation up a bit.

Obviously, this column will not follow the “format” I have used over the past year, but I have a lot of good stuff to talk about, so here goes nothing!

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First Anniversary Contest

A few weeks ago, I announced my contest to celebrate the first year of my column. It met with a great deal of discussion and a decent turnout (though not as much as I wanted, but hey – I had really high hopes!). In the end, the questions may have just been too difficult for most to even attempt to enter. I think a lot of you who chose not to enter on that basis may regret that choice, as not a single entrant got every question right! I know there must be a lot of you who are curious as to the answers- hundreds of people accessed the questions on my site, StillontheShelf.com. Before I announce the winners, I thought I would let all of you know the correct answers to the questions. Some answers require more explanation than most; hopefully I will cover any questions you might have about the answer!

1- What is the secret identity of The Buzz? – Jack “J.J.” Jameson, grandson of the Daily Bugle Publisher we all know and love, from the Spider-Girl Universe.

2- In which comic (and issue) did the Joker main Barbara Gordon, thus confining her to a wheelchair? – Batman: The Killing Joke.

3- What is Holden Carver’s “code” name? – The Conductor, from Sleeper.

4- In Meridian, what is the name of Sephie’s father? – Turos.

5- In the world of Archie Comics, what is the name of Moose Mason’s girlfriend? – Midge Klump.

6- What comic did Stan Sakai letter before creating Usagi Yojimbo? Groo the Wanderer.

7- Who did Promethea sleep with in order to “learn about magic?” – Jack Faust, in perhaps one of the most erotic, without being explicit or gratuitous comics I have ever read.

8- Complete the name of this Savage Dragon adversary (3 words) – Jimbo Da Mighty Lobster.

9- By what name did Brianna Digger go by when she was first created? – Grave Digger

10- What planet is Ted White, the original Homicron, from? Alpha. Though I suspect many of you are not familiar with the ”Strangers” comic from years past.

11- In what episode of the Batman: Animated Series did Harley Quinn make her first appearance, and who wrote that episode? – “Joker’s Favor,” written by Paul Dini

12- In what city was Katina Choovanski born? – Katchoo, from Strangers in Paradise, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

13- What series was the Vertigo title Lucifer spun out of? – Sandman

14- What college did the Ebony Warrior graduate from? – Tuskegee University. I am surprised more people did not get this answer – as it was one of the few facts I mentioned about this hero back in SOTS #13.

15- Hamza Rashad, before discovering the nature of his powers, almost died in a car accident. Who saved his life? – Ethan York, from Gen13, Volume 3.

16- Boon Sai Hong, master of the Ring of Staffs, at one time possessed another of the legendary rings. Which was it? – The Ring of Blades.

17- What accident opened up the infamous delivery route 666 so that Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker to take over? – The original carrier was shot in the leg, shortly after Pete returned to work after serving time in prison.

18- Prior to discovering the nega-bands that allowed Rick Jones to become Captain Marv-ell, what cornerstone Marvel hero saved Rick from the same disaster that caused his origin? – The Hulk.

19- In Noble Causes, who is Frost’s father? – Doc Noble

20- Is Alex Hayden (a.k.a. Agent X) right or left handed? – Both, he is ambidextrous.

21- What was the name of Cassie Starkweather’s gymnastics coach? – Coach Hogan, from Route 666.

22- What key historical difference caused the skewed timeline found in Rex Mundi?- The assasination Martin Luther by the Inquisition.

23- What message was written in blood on the wall of Rose Red’s “murder” scene? – “No More Happily Ever After.”

24- Who killed Mordath? – Ayden, who’s legendary bow later falls into the hands of the heroine of Sojourn.

25- Darrian Ashoka is the name of the mortal incarnation of what “Lord of Death?” – Cernunnos, from the Dawn series.

26- What profession did the bartender of the Hide-Out Bar and Grill have before opening up his drinking establishment? – He was a hero himself.

27- What three new comics were introduced in last years Free Comic Book Day issue from Rocket Comics – Ignite? Syn, Go Boy 7, and Lone.

28- In Mystic, what is the name of the secret “eighth Guild” whose power comes from logic and math? – The Geometer Guild.

29- What planet is Charon, the God of Negation space, originally from? – Earth. More about him in the upcoming Negation War!

30- What animal serves as the totem of the “god” that originally granted Brath his Sigil? – A stag. Though many already know he lost his sigil very quickly afterwards.

31- In what city does Simon Archard live and work? – Partington.

32- Hope, daughter of Marion, is a half-breed. What two races make up her genetic heritage? – Human and Eldritch- Hope is otherwise known as “Lady Death.”

33- What Marvel team does Spidey square off against in the very first issue of the Amazing Spider-Man? – The Fantastic Four.

34- Who is the first super-powered individual (other than himself) to meet Hyperion? – Stanley Stewart, the Atlanta Blur. A lot of people answered “The Whizzer,” which is only half-right. The storyline in the original Squadron Supreme did not have Hyperion meeting the Whizzer first, so that answer has been judged incorrect.

35- Who was the first mutant member of “the Ultimates?” – Janet Pym, the Wasp. A lot of people answered either Scarlet Witch or Quicksilver, forgetting that Pym is indeed a mutant and a founding member of the team, though she keeps her mutation as secret.

36- What cornerstone Marvel character is Gus Beezer’s cousin? – Peter Parker.

37- In what Sentinel story arc did Bruce Willis guest star? – “No Hero”

38- What is the name of Hazy Foss’s brother? – Simon

39- What was the title of the Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories episode in which Scrooge McDuck was introduced by Carl Barks? – “Christmas on Bear Mountain.”

40- How many consecutive years has Jingle Belle Kringle received a lump of coal from her father for Christmas? - 169

41- In what year was the ship La Misericordia attacked and captured by Blackjack Tom? – 1687

42- For how many minutes must Matzah Woman remain submerged in water before she loses her powers? – 18 minutes.

43- After becoming fully human, what did Syn decide to use as her food source, until a more suitable replacement could be found? – The rejected bodies she initially created for herself. Gross, and cannibalistic, but there was really no other food source for her to turn to at that time.

44- In the Silencers, what degree does Fiore Calvino hold? – A Bachelor of Fine Arts in Landscape Design. An entrant offered that Fiore’s last name was indeed “Carlino,” however, “Calvino” is as it is spelled on his degree in the first issue of the Silencers, so I am sticking to it! Feel free to provide evidence to the contrary, however, I am actually curious where the “Carlino” spelling comes from!

45- How much is Generic Man’s weekly allowance? - $5. A pittance considering the amount he must make working at the newspaper (Which he promptly turns over to his mother!).

46- In Superman’s Girlfriend: Lois Lane #105, what was the name of the back-up story that introduced Rose and the Thorn? – “Night of the Thorn, Day of the Rose.”

47- What Marvel Hero was I working on a script for before Marvel stopped accepting EPIC submissions? – Prodigy, a member of the Slingers. Man, I only wish I had the time to finish that one up before EPIC closed up shop.

48- What was the very first comic book I ever read? – The Amazing Spider-Man #260.

49- In my addition of the “Fanboy News Network,” the rights to what “cancelled Code 6 comic” were bought in anticipation of an upcoming film? – Admiral Cheribum of the Samurai Espionage Squad. Thanks to Blake Petit for allowing me to rip off his hilarious idea!

50- In my unprinted “submission” to Comixtreme to write a column, what comic did I cover? – Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker.

Tie Breakers- – Deadline. Many of you may have noticed Kat’s name on the byline of a story in the Pulse, #1.

1- What was the name of the Marvel miniseries about a reporter named Kat, written by Bill Rosemann, the current Senior VP of Publishing?

2- In Arcana Press’s Kade series, what was the name of the Monk who raised Kade? – Marco.

3- Pick a number between 1 and 1000 – 7!

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And now, the winners!

First, I would like to announce the “staff” prize. I did not elect to allow Comixtreme staff members to enter the contest, as I wanted to avoid the appearance of favoritism if one of them should win. Behind closed doors, however, I did elect to offer a prize to any staff members who decided to enter – a copy of Digital Webbing #10, with the preview of Sword of Dracula, signed by creator Jason Henderson. In addition, because I liked it so much, I will include my copy of Herobear and the Kid #1. And the winner, by one point, was Blake Petit, with 41 correct answers. I will note that Blake’s answer to the Carl Barks question was not counted (since he wrote that column!), which resulted in him beating the next nearest entrant, Benoit Fabre, who got 39 correct, by a single point. Congratulations Blake, and thanks to all of the staff members who took the time to enter!

Now for the regular contest winners. The counts of all of the entries have been double checked, and I know there are those of you whose counts would have been slightly different had you answered more precisely. Now I will say if your answer was incomplete (as in forgetting to answer Paul Dini in question #11), or technically wrong (answering The Whizzer in question 34), the answer was considered wrong. That was the only way to do it, and be fair. I am sorry if you feel slighted by this, but the rules are the rules!

Third Prize –

The third place winner takes home The Generic Trade Paperback, signed by series creator Doug Miers and a few of the comics I have covered in my Bargain Bin Love pieces. The winner, with 35 correct answers (this one went all the way to the “pick a number tiebreaker!), is Christopher Roman, aka Roman here on Comixtreme.

Second Prize –

The second place winner wins a slightly larger package – Sentinel #1, Inhumans #1, and The Waiting Place v2 #1, all signed by writer Sean McKeever, Other People’s Heroes, a novel signed by author Blake Petit, Captain Marvel #3, Kade #1: Pursuit, Meridian #34, and Dead@17 #2! The winner, with 40 correct answers, is Cameron McAra. Congratulations!

First Prize-

The grand prize, as you know, is quite a doozy. The winner of the Captain Marvel Volume 1 Trade Paperback, signed by colorist Chris Sotomayor, the CrossGen Starter Pack, including Sojourn-”From the Ashes,” The Path- “Crisis of Faith,” Mystic- “Rite of Passage,” Scion- “Conflict of Conscience,” Route 666- “Highway to Horror,” and Meridian-”Flying Solo,” Viper Comics’ Dead@17 #1-4 set (and the preview), signed by series creator Josh Howard, Sword of Dracula #1 and #2, signed by series creator and writer Jason Henderson, The Hyper-Fanboy Premium Markup Variant Limited Edition Cool Generic Comic Book #5, signed series by creator Doug Miers, the Phoenix bust, and the individual issues from comics covered in my column over the past year – Agent X #1, the Amazing Spider-Man #36, Betty and Veronica #187, Birds of Prey #56, Brath #5, El Cazador, Collected Edition, Dawn: Three Tiers #1, Deadpool (ongoing) #1, Dini Double Feature #13, Fables #16, Gen13 #0, Go Boy 7 #1, Gold Digger #41, Harley Quinn #1, Jewish Hero Corps #1, Kade #1: Pursuit, Brian Pulido’s Lady Death: A Medieval Tale #6, The Marvelous Adventures of Gus Beezer with the Hulk #1, Negation #22, Noble Causes: Extended Family, Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker #5. Promethea #14, Rex Mundi #6, Rose and Thorn #1, Ruse #21, Savage Dragon #104, The Silencers #2, Sleeper #1, Spider-Girl #1/2, Strangers #1, Strangers in Paradise #51, Super Hero Happy Hour #1, Supreme Power #1, Syn #1, Usagi Yojimbo #65, The Ultimates #1, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #635, and Way of the Rat #13, is Howard To, “bdckr” right here on Comixtreme!

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered. The contest questions were indeed difficult, and I am impressed at the number of people who could answer so many of them. It has been a fun experience putting this on- perhaps I will do another one a year from now!

Again, thanks again to all of those who contributed prizes to the contest – Bill Rosemann, Chris Sotomayor, Sean McKeever, Jason Henderson, Josh Howard and Jessie Garza, Doug Miers, Blake Petit, and Ken Baugh. I could not have done it without you!

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Year in Review

Just thought I would take some time to update you on just how all of the titles I covered this year are doing now!

An Early Grave –

It was a tough year for titles I covered this year and hopefully I had nothing to do with that! Among the titles that have reached an early end are four CrossGen titles, Ruse, Meridian, Mystic, and Way of the Rat. While its cancellation has not been announced, Route 666 is rumored to be teetering on the edge. After #24, the title is supposed to be relaunched, possibly under a different name with the same creative team. While this does not mean doom for the title, the fact that nothing concrete has been announced yet does call into doubt its future. So please, give the title a shot – it really is worthy of your attention! Among other casualties this year are Harley Quinn and Gen13 from DC, and Sentinel from Marvel. Mr. Keen, from Moonstone, though slated as a mini, sadly did not do well enough to garner another run. A big shame on that count, as that was a high quality series.

While not so much “cancelled,” several titles met their end this past year, but should resurface again in a new volume or mini. Sleeper from Vertigo is going to release “Season Two” in the upcoming months, and the Ultimates is about to do the same thing. The Marvelous Adventures of Gus Beezer seems to be over for the time being, as Gail Simone has signed an exclusive deal with DC, but that does not mean we won’t see any more of the loveable little kid at some point in the future. The Generic Comic Book’s first mini has come to an end, but a second installment of that title is also due out this year. Lady Death is also about to begin a new volume – The Wild Hunt, which should be an interesting read. Finally, Noble Causes, which is really just a series of mini-serieses, should eventually come out with another installment. At least, I hope so! Of course, last week’s title, Herobear and the Kid, is about to begin a new three part mini. The biggest news of this bunch is Agent X, which was “cancelled” on a really good note thanks to three outstanding final issues written by Gail Simone. The best thing about that was the return of Deadpool, which will star in his own series along with Cable, the first issue of which is due out this month.

Chronically Tardy

A few titles I covered in this past year just can’t seem to come out on time. Strangers and Dawn “Three Tiers” from Image are notable among them. The latter seems to be way under the radar at this point, and looks to have been repositioned from an ongoing to a six issue mini. Probably for the best there, as I was not too keen on that book. Dawn is even later- most likely due to its art.

An even more disappointing “tardy” title is Pete, the P.O.’d Postal Worker. . I covered this title way back in July, and at that time, the next new issue was all but printed- yet it still has not come out! This is particularly disappointing to me, as I have been a fan of the title since day one. Hopefully I will see it on the shelves someday!

Milestones

Several titles I have covered have passed some major milestones. Of course, I have to mention Amazing Spider-man’s 500th issue- I don’t think we will be seeing that one go anywhere soon. Gold Digger recently had its 100th issue (50 in black and white, 50 in color)- a great accomplishment there. Of course, Betty and Veronica will be reaching there 200th issue (since the relaunch) at the end of this month, which is a great accomplishment in of itself for a non-big-two publication. Of course, last but not least is Strangers in Paradise, now in its 10th year of publication. Congratulations to all of these titles!

Going Strong

Nothing major to report for the remaining titles I covered in my first year. Of course, there are books that met with incredible, of surprising successes like Dead@17, or books like Usagi Yojimbo that continue their run of excellence, and should not be going anywhere, anytime soon. I invite all of you to take a peak at my archives page- where you can find all of the titles I covered over the past year (and beyond). There you can see just what I had to say about the titles I mentioned earlier and all of the titles that fall under the “Still going!” category. You might just find something that appeals to you that has fallen under your radar!
The Future

I’d like to close this month by talking a little about a self-published mini comic I found recently at my local comic shop. Jaci Slotnik, a student from Laguna Niguel, California, put together this mini-comic, and has been selling it (at a cover price of $1) at Nuclear Comics, my own local comic shop.

This book has a lot to offer. Jaci demonstrates a great deal of artistic talent in Pots and Pans, as well as a sense of humor. She unabashedly switches from art that could quite possibly stand up against comic artists who have “made it” in the industry to a group of characters who are nothing more than stick figures.

The story is pretty personal, and could probably be described as stream of consciousness. She drifts around a bit in the book, but on the whole it is a story about her and her “love affair” with art and comics. On the whole, it is lighthearted and funny, and a wholly enjoyable read. I get the impression that we will probably see her name start to pop up from time to time in the future- so be on the look out! She has a raw talent, and I can’t wait to see what kind of work she puts out when her style matures (though she is not that far off now!).

If you are interested in picking up a copy of Pots & Pans (for the cover price plus shipping, of course), please drop me a line, and I will let you know what you need to do. Who knows, you might just end up with an original work from a future star in the comic industry!
A bit long, but as #50 is supposed to be a comic milestone, I thought I would celebrate my first year properly. Thanks to everyone who has supported me, and all of you who have read Still on the Shelf over the past year. Here is to another year of great comics! Next week I shall be taking a break, and the lovely and burly (I think, aren’t lumberjacks burly?) Ms. Andrea Speed will be filling in. There will be a quiz when I get back, so you better pop in to see what she has to say. As always, thanks for reading- stick around for what I have planned this year!

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