By Joe C.
It might be shorter Pull than you’re used to this week, but lucky for you, there’s definitely no lack of things to buy!
I for one am super excited to see a new Captain Marvel book on the shelves today, even more so because Marvel didn’t bring back everyone’s favorite Kree cancer victim but instead gave Carol Danvers the ability to put on a pair of pants. Talk about a character with unrealized potential. Military background? Check. Impressive array of powers? Check. History of overcoming personal tragedy? Check. Has led the Avengers? Check. Looking at this list, why isn’t Carol Danvers the female equivalent of Captain America? She’s strong, smart and capable, but she’s always been relegated to “that blonde chick with the big boobs.” Hopefully things will change for the better with new writer Kelly Sue DeConnick. DeConnick has previously been quoted as saying that her vision for the character is about hope and the power of the human spirit more than mindless action and gratuitous flashes of skin. If that sounds preachy (and I won’t lie, it does a little), the latest issue of Avenging Spider-Man should put you at ease. DeConnick paired Carol and Peter on a flight to Boston in an issue that was fun and fast-paced and still managed to pack in a fair amount of comic-book action. If she brings the same feeling to her Captain Marvel series, we can expect good things. Besides, if nothing else, this series needs to survive to prove that women in comics actually CAN wear clothes and still sell books.
Our Valued Customers: Conversations from the Comic Book Store actually came out last week, so hopefully you already have it by now. This is the first collection from the Our Valued Customers Web comic (Ourvaluedcustomers.blogspot.com), and it is absolutely essential reading for anyone who has ever spent a significant amount of time in a comic shop. You know all those crazy/offensive/hilarious/mind-boggling thing
s you overhear from customers that leave you wondering how in the hell that person managed to make it out the front door, let alone find his/her way to you? Creator Tim Chamberlain has taken that bewilderment and channeled it into one of the funniest websites out there. I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard or as consistently as the day someone first linked me to the site. Seriously, it was to the point where a coworker stuck their head over my desk and asked me if I was OK. All I can say is we’re a strange, troubled lot, comic fans. Cringing will become a frequent reaction to most of these, until you realize you’ve said the exact same thing. Then you’ll cringe twice as hard and hate yourself a little. The collection includes 45 customers you can’t get anywhere else, making it a steal at $11.99. Chamberlain is dealing with the jerks and the crazies so we won’t have to…the least we can do is show our appreciation by picking up a copy or two!
