The Inevitable Mediocre Spin-off

2 wallpapers today on a amazon theme. One of the Wonder Girls and one of the new Cry for Justice #5 cover. Click for the full wallpaper. Its a white background so these will fit any screen by just adjusting the wallpaper to centre.

Marvel Merch. Going Adult?

Disney has announced its going to buy Marvel Comics and Studios! You heard it here first everyone ;) Discussion has ranged from the fate of branded rides in competitor theme parks, how Disney is going to bring the properties 'back home' from rival studios, the possibility of pixar's involvement and the hope of better Direct to DVD projects. Here is something close to my heart in particular that hasn't been discussed. Will Disney start making marvel merchendise for adults? For my university degree I have a classic Mickey lever arch file and my final year dissertation notes are in a classic mickey ring bound book.

You may ask 'How is that Adult?' well Disney merch comes in two forms. Kids and Classic. Your average Kid's notebook is bright colours and cutesy poses. Stuff your average college student would drop dead if they were caught using. Disney brought out its Retro range, skewed older. Want a Mickey Laptop skin? How about a Mickey Mouse Mouse? (in school I made a mickey mouse mouse prototype. His ears were the buttons) Stationary? T-Shirt? All more mature in tone. So I ask, could they do the same for Marvel? Marvel is so much better at DC with merchandising anyway. For every DC product I see in town I see 5 marvel products. they are usually colouring books, sticker books, my first photgraphy kit and stuff like that. Marvel haven't stepped into that Adult audience for products outside of comics and toys/statues. It takes a certain kind of fan to by a statue of Spidey or to buy toys of Iron Man but Disney have cornered a market especially open to young women were I could go down to the local supermarket and take home many everyday themed products aimed at people beyond the age of 13. The online Disney store even has whole sections devoted to adult merchandise for men and women. I can only hope they branch out in this area for the Marvel characters, preferably branching out further than spidey and wolverine

In a rare opportunity for Britons an original Action Comics #252 is on EBAY. It looks to be going cheap but no doubt collectors may be waiting until the last minute. I've never seen this on Ebay before and to be honest if it stays that price I'll bid myself.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180395151429&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

Using a mix of GI Joe's Scarlett promotions and The new Batsuit. What is odd is that even without his mouth and eyes the cowl still looks Bale-y to me

I was thinking about the Superman TPBs and how they fit in the big picture of New Krypton. I concluded that it was comparable to the the upcoming Blackest Night. Geoff Johns is very methodical, he blocks things off. If you look at the run up to Blackest Night starting with rebirth its like he has a checklist. He set up parallax and sinestro as a gateway into the corps of various colours and since he's been introducing us to them storyarc by storyarc. (which is so very like how Levitz wrote the Darkseid arc in Legion back in the day) No one like him has this gradual and planned progression over years, possibly because there is no security that they will be on a title to see it through to conclusion.

Putting this in to the Super-books. Last Son started Zod/Chis/Ursa which now comes to fruiton in Action Comics and World of New Krypton, Bizarro was featured on the cover of Adventure so there is something there even if it was a fill in while Last Son was delayed, Brainiac of course kicked it all off and is now is storage, Atlas started the government side of things and he's now reappeared. All little seeds going into the conclusion of this epic. Then there is Legion, sure there is Mon-El but that was set up in an annual and not Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes. We also have Tellus who has disappeared and the lead cure. Superman says 'something is wrong with tomorrow'. I don't think that is the Legion of Three Worlds considering he was a part of it and it should have been concluded before the issue came out. It stands to reason the Legion have to find their way back into the big event. It raises some questions no one asked. What is wrong with tomorrow? How do the Legion fit in to an Earth/New Krypton War in the 21st century?Where did tellus come from?

I think DC have stumbled on a great formula of rolling epics. Morisson is doing something similar that started with Batman 666 but that is far more organic in its flow than Johns' approach. It could revolutionise comics, to build up to a summer event over 3 years rather than pulling one out of one's behind as has become the norm. Not only that but another part of Johns' genius is that I could do one of those spider webs with string and show where his catalogue of work intersects. He doesn't just move on, he's telling a continuous story thoughout the DCU. Also the benefit of this is the Omens he can place in his work, whether its been Rip Hunter's board or the end of Action #850 omens have proven a great marketing tool so much so the year started with Origins and Omens back ups. The issue with them though is that most of those titles don't have the steady creative team that the titles that have made the omens successfull do.

Geoff Johns can make an individual title seem epic and important through a carefully applied build up of pressure to a grand conclusion. He makes movies on the page over the months and yet it would take multiple feature films to do his tales justice. I also think its the idea of the writer's room that makes his titles such successes. When you are in weekly conference with your co-writers continuity errors are less and less. So much credit goes to his collaborators but we only have to look at how the arcs are structured to see its Johns' at the heart of these events. We only have to look at the seeming chaos in the batbooks for comparison. It seems everyone is writing around Grant Morrison rather than having any type of communal writers room. It shows on the page.Morrison knows what he is doing and the other writers seem to pray that anything they do doesn't get in the way. It creates a sense of timidity in the batbooks that does not hamper the super-books. All 4 books have big storylines going on right now which can only happen with great communication which is perhaps the reason why the super-books and green lantern are the envy of the comic industry right now

Pete Woods has opened his own account on Deviant Art. Remember the newsarama word balloon interview where it was explained he had plans for new krypton to the nearest fire hydrant? well he has posted a look at some designs for what is coming up. Zor-El's tomb, the thanagarian ambassador, and kryptonian jails. Check it out, some great teasers
http://petewoods.deviantart.com/gallery/

So I've completed Saturn Girl, Supergirl, Superboy and now Cosmic Boy. I'm on my way to a right little Legion. As usual I'm using Smallville actors, why choose new ones when there are fine ones about right? They are on a plain white background because that makes it easier to use in future, insert backgrounds and other characters into the background Its based on the Kitson Cosmic Boy who had the best cosmic boy costume ever, both cool and classic. It was a costume that paid tribute to Grell's infamous bustier and gave him Hal Jordon-like white gloves that go with nothing else.

A Look At Supergirl's Rogue's Gallery
Looking at the new DCU blog post it looks like the Supergirl annual will have yet more Superwoman and her relationship with her father and Lois. That's nice but its not really material for Supergirl. The purpose of a villain is to bring something out in our hero. Through recurring roles we learn more as an when we need it so that the threat to the hero grows or the relationship deepens. We saw it with Lex and the Joker and Cheetah and Sinestro. With Superwoman I feel like we have a total information dump. Like the load is being totally blown prematurely with little room for further development. We should want to know more about a character so that they are worthy of a reappearance. That means some mystery should be upheld.

We have had the mystery and the answer, we know how she acts as an opposite for Supergirl and their relationship. We need answers to how she infiltrated Kandor, how she speaks Kryptonese and how she got her powers. However we don't need her life story unless there is a bit that affects Kara. The preview I assume is the Supergirl annual as it comes straight after the colourist announcement. It seems more like Action Comics material for Lois than something belonging in Supergirl or we could always get a Superman's Wife, Lois Lane special!

A better handled villain is Reactron in his first recurring role in the series. He is fastly becoming Supergirl's nemesis. As a pre-crisis villain of Kara's it seems apt that he should take a prominent place in her collection of Rogues. His first appearance was the best arc between the departure of Joe Kelly and the arrival of Sterling Gates which was littered with crossovers and the cancer plot which alienated the opposing point of view of a controversial issue. His first look stayed true to his original form from the 70's in an updated way. He brought out Supergirl's inquisitive nature which fit a girl raised by scientists and highlighted the differences between the super-cousins. Superman hits things until they fall down and as Atlas shows has no plan B at all. Supergirl is more thoughtful and inventive. Pre-Crisis she invented cancellite and X-Kryptonite after all when she tried to nullify the effect of kryptonite. Something Supeman never tried. Reactron played this up. Since his revamp I've been on the fence about him. He's not much of a cosmic threat, he's been toned down to a less famous Metallo with a cliche connection to Kara. 'You Killed my Father, prepare to Die!' as the famous quote goes. However he has been built up and he has evolved. The man behind the mask is still as mystery. I know as much as I want to know about him for now, I'll be content if he smashes and bashes his way through the rest of New Krypton and if we leave developing him more for another time. There is something more sadistic about a gold-K core rather than a kryponite one. It means that he has to get his hands dirty and he seems to love that.

Other villains that the Supergirl team seem to need to get back too include Silver Banshee and the new Blackstarr who appeared in Action #850. An extremely important issue that set up the future of the titles as far as the return of Alura and Zor-El. Blackstarr is another of the 'Daring New Adventures' cast with Reactron. I only hope they don't bring too many female villains into the fray. Wonder Woman has a similar problem of a predominantly female rogue's gallery and the men have too few. I love a bit of equality. Men and woman are very different and they can both be grave threats in different ways without even landing a punch.

JLA is the aspiration of the DC comic movie and will bring in mega dollars for sure but why, with all the storyline troubles and potential actor clashes are they focusing on this as their big team hope? In the near future Marvel is going to unleash the Avengers and it will probably be awesome but its not like the characters that film will focus on are anywhere near as big as the JLA. So, with this in mind why doesn't Warner counter with a movie that can boast some recognisability and challenge people's expectations like Iron Man did?

1) Teen Titans- Should really be called Titans or The Titans.
We know WB have ordered a script for a potential movie starring Nightwing, so it will skew older than the cartoon and avoid comparisons to stuff like Sky High. They have a villain named Deathstroke the Terminator, this movie could be as dark as Batman.The story is there and there is recognisability from the hit cartoon and merch that went with it. Any issues with Dick Grayson after the nipple incident are irrelevant, if Batman can be rehabilitated so can he. Characters like Batman don't even need to show up, the cartoon went 5 seasons without mentioning him or green arrow or flash. It was not their story so they were irrelevant. We don't have to know where in the timeline this is compared to Bale's Batman just a good self contained story.

2) JSA
The first Superhero team brings fun for all the family. The only downside is WB's lack of faith that Joe movie-go-er will understand how there can be two Flashs, two Green Lanterns and why Kara Zor-L isn't Supergirl. This is easy PG-13 popcorn fare with characters from teens to grandpas. It has such a broad appeal. It would need a director capable of handling large casts and fans who understand that not everyone can have a starring role and may be reduced to a cameo. JSA is more JLU than JLA could ever be.

3) Legion of Super-Heroes
Something very different, its set in a utopian future (its not really utopian otherwise why would they need crime fighters but its what people use to describe the Legion future for some reason) with so many powers this movie could be a feast for the eyes. Any downsides would arise from the landscape, its totally unlike anything on earth so it runs the risk of being as fake as Coruscant. Done right it could be as visually satisfying as the Lord of the Rings movies and just as epic. The Legion is a mash up of everything in the DCU, the intergalatic scope of Green Lantern, the home base of Superman, the variety of the JSA and the family aspect of the Titans. With its two seasons worth of shows on Kids WB it reached a good audience. I think it has been said that the amount of people who watched the premiere made up the total number of Legion comics sold in the last 5 years. Legion spent 15 years without Superman/girl in their pages so its not like they would be essential for the movie so past movie continuity would not messed with.

There are even more, Doom Patrol, L.E.G.I.O.N, Metal Men. There are no bad suggestions just bad execution.

WHO IS BATGIRL?
the clues so far

Despite what DC expected its the fight to fill Batgirl's tights that is the most mysterious and compelling in Battle for the Cowl. Everyone knows Bruce will be back so who cares who will fill the tights for a few months. With Batgirl we have a permanent change. All sides have their supporters and detractors so lets look at the clues and decide.

Our first clue is the Batgirl #1 cover by Phil Noto. Deliberately designed to be vague this may not be much use. What we do know is that it is Cassandra Cain's costume but we already know from Dan Didio that Cassandra will not be part of the Batfamily following the events of Battle for the Cowl. The muzzle of Cassandra's costume has been ripped off (or some suggest the cowl is sewn to the face, I doubt this). She's a smiler and shows a confident pose.

Our second clue is the Solicit
BATGIRL #1
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Lee Garbett & Trevor Scott
Cover by Phil Noto
Variant cover by J.G. Jones

In the wake of "Batman R.I.P." and BATTLE FOR THE COWL, a new heroine has emerged in Gotham City, and as she begins her nocturnal crusade to take back the night, she will truly learn what it means to wear the mantle of the Bat. But who is this young woman, and why has she donned the cape and cowl?

Most believe that an old Batgirl is the new Batgirl but how does that tie to the solicit? Is the solicit throwing us off? Should it be taken as truth?

Now for a look at the contenders

1) Bette Kane
Stalked the Pre-Crisis streets as Bat-Girl, the sidekick of Batwoman Kathy Kane. With the return of Batwoman as Kate Kane in 52 and a familial bond suggested with Bette could we be going very far back? Also note that Kate's moniker 'Flamebird' has been usurped by Thara Ak-Var who currently stars in Action Comics. She does need a new identity. Her days as Bat-Girl are out of continuity now so she could be considered a 'new heroine' as Batgirl and learn about carrying the bat symbol. Pre-Crisis she was introduced as a love interest for Robin and in Nightwing's Origins and Omens we see him kissing Batgirl. A very strong contender.

2) Barbara Gordon
Increasingly agitated at her inability to walk the classic Bargirl could once again don the cowl. Hints of her returning to being Batgirl have been occuring for months, if not years. The end of Birds of Prey brought this to a head. What followed was a mini series called the cure where no one was cured, or were they? We are told Barbara's story continues in Batgirl #1. We have to tie this to multiple origins and omens stories. First Nightwing's. He takes Babs skydiving for her birthday and the page that follows shows a kiss between him and a classic costumed Batgirl bathed in red, like Babs' hair. She and Dick were once engaged but remember Dick is most probably Batman soon, in the picture he is Nightwing so what is going on there? Could it be another flashback story? Then there is Barbara's own Origins and Omens where she is looking at her Batgirl costume, out of the trophy case with a thoughtful expression. Reminicing about the good old days or whether she can still fit in it? However she fits none of the solicit, don't count her out though.





















3) Stephanie Brown
She fights Crime as Spoiler and has previously been Robin for a short time. The first female to take the role. She has a long time love interest in Tim Drake which fills teh Bat-Girl role perfectly from its original inception. The Batgirl #1 cover is bathed in purple light which is the colour of her costume as spoiler and the solicit could still work. While she was Robin she wasn't wearing the Batsymbol even if she had the same sort of responsibility. She was recently brought back from her written death, there must be a reason.

Other Contenders

There have been various other names put forward such as Helena Bertinelli and Misfit which I think would be very random and have no clues pointing towards them. While there is potential in these characters as Batgirl I think they'll have to wait their turn.

While I would love Barbara to be back in top form I think there is a lot of evidence for Bette and Steph that can't be ignored. So with the evidence presented what do you think?

This week ends the 6-issue Johnny DC Title Supergirl:Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade. A series that has made us laugh and cry (its Ok you boys can admit it here, you are among friends). Its a condensed version of Supergirl history in 6 stunning issues. We have Streaky, supercat extrodinaire! Comet, the now no-pervy Superhorse, the multiverse that pre-crisis Kara died for, Bizarro Supergirl, Stanhope and even more references to Supergirl and DC history! This is the comic you give to people to show them what Supergirl is and its primary audience is children! Don't let that turn you away though, find a sister or cousin as an excuse to buy it or better yet slot it under your scantily clad cover of Emma Frost when approaching the check out! Ebay it! Mail order comics are all the rage these days as well.

Its the last 50 years of the character in one series but there is so much more to be told! We hear about Kara and the Legion but we never see it. There are many, many more villains for her to face. If you are hesitant about picking it up if you don't have the previous 5 you can pre-order the paperback!
UK
US
Its out on December 8th so its the perfect Christmas gift. Buy one for your library especially School library!

But don't let my exclamation filled entry be the only source of advice, read some more articulate reviewers.

'On a scale of one to adorable, this is adorable. And a very positive comic for young girls.'

'These are potent childhood fears that provide welcome depth to the fluffy top layer, which keeps it all from being too grim. '

The twist on Streaky’s story fits in with this new vision of Supergirl’s universe and sets up a new major player in the storyline. I’m really hoping that this series can continue after the initial six issues. There’s so much stuff here, it could easily support an ongoing exploring the twists and connections of these characters. Plus, there’s a wealth of Super-continuity to mine for more material in the future.

I’m particularly bummed that next issue is the last one for this miniseries. I really hope that plans are afoot to keep this property going, because it’s another in a great line of projects from DC’s all-ages line.

From the school library journal- My suggestion: wait for the full, six-issue run to appear in trade paperback form, then purchase it for your favorite budding feminist. She’ll appreciate the smart dialogue, snappy artwork, and sassy-yet-vulnerable heroine, and you'll appreciate the lower price tag and more durable binding.

'think Buffy without the sex and violence'
'the cool thing is that the comic doesn't treat its audience like morons just because they're (mostly) young.'
'It's craziness, and a whole lot of fun - I don't really know what else to say.'
' All-ages cute-and-engaging fun like this doesn't just happen, it takes genuine talent, so kudos to the creators for getting the mix of storytelling and weirdness right '- From Various reviews in From Heroine addict

'The first time I sent in my review of "Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade," my editors kindly sent it back with a note explaining that I needed to do more than just repeat the word "adorable" 350 times. ...And maybe we could have more than just six issues? Please?'

Enough?! Now come on DC, Don't be thick. We need more.

CONNER KENT!

Hey everyone, time for a Superboy fanart. I went with the red and blue for my image rather than the red and black! Here is the more traditional Superboy suit as he wore it in Legion but to make it that little more Kon rather than Kal there is the Black Belt at the bottom (which I'm not 100% with but whatever)

This is my first attempt at spandex, usually I try and use real clothes to recolour or touch up so that it looks 'real' or realer than an obvious manip. On the plus side I am very happy about my attempts at spandex here. I drew around the torso and filled it with blue and set it to muliply. As you can guess he ended up looking like Nightcrawler rather than Superboy. I went to google and got a squared 3D texture. thats the best I can do on explanations and set it to soft light with a low opacity. It gave the blue substance. It looked like fabric!

One of the things I'm unhappy with is the logo. Its the Superman Returns logo and it looks so 'shopped. I have an ongoing battle with logos. They never quite work for me, I tried adding shadow and texture and playing with the burn and dodge tools. Not sure it worked though. Oh Well, I persevere. Another area I wanted to improve was the belt and the underoos. Are the underpants separate? should I add shadow? Should it look like the spandex is randomly coloured to look like underpants?! There has never been a good in-universe explanation as to why Superman does not understand the concept of UNDER pants. For the Cape I used a red cape I found on google. Looking at it now the light source is off on the bottom half. Oh well..live..learn...try again

If you want this as a wallie I have two sizes CLICK!

No popular character can be a sidekick, there will always be too much demand for more focus on said 'subordinate'. Fans will demand more active roles for their favourites, compatance and equality! I would like the in-universe suggestion that while these heroes are good the future is bright, Dick Grayson will eclipse Bruce Wayne's reputation by leading the Justice League against a Starro Invasion of multiple planets. That Donna Troy will reconcile the Amazons with Men and create an alliance against evil in all forms. That Supergirl will live on and on and on and on as kryptonians do and when the Earth meets its end she moves on and continues her fight against evil across the stars.

I remember as a kid first discovering the internet I was in awe they sold actual wallpaper!!!!

http://i40.tinypic.com/20r1qwx.png

http://i44.tinypic.com/ra7top.png

http://i42.tinypic.com/2qmm3ad.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/1zbwjly.png


If you request sizes smaller I will crop

Back issue boxes are crap. Always have been always will be. There are only so many comics you can fit into those long boxes and finding a treasure once in a while does not make up for the search. I remember my friend Kerry and I in Travelling Man, sitting on the couch they provided trying to find the second part of the Supergirl/ Karate Kid issue I had missed. Ebay is a saviour as are online comic stores.


Here are a few of the gems I spotted at great prices





JLA 122 and 123. Look at that depiction of Kara! Nothing Skanky about this at all and this was in 2006! Jamal will be the first to say he's not the first to do that costume right and here is proof. That girl right there is fierce, I can't believe I missed these! (In the good old days of '06 I had no internet and just picked up my comics based on title rather than who would appear)





Remember the centrefolds and the posters they sent out to your comic store advertising New Krypton? Well I got one for the grand sum of 99p exc P&P. There are 4 more on Ebay UK and keep an eye out there were final crisis ones on there a few months back.

next up..






I got a pretty bashed up copy of Adventure Comics #397 from 1970 but I just had to have a dress up issue. Its a supergirl thing. If they do change her costume I hope they have a few extra pages of wacky designs.

and Finally


Copies of Supergirl 0 were going for the exact same price as my next deal. I got 4 issues of Superman/Batman which included the gender swap issue featuring Superlad and the Girls Night Out issue for the same price they wanted for the same reprinted story










Other issues I got include the 1997 pulp heroes Supergirl annual with the Legion. (there is still one left), Some Michael Turner variant covers (I just love sellers who don't know what they have is more expensive than what they are selling it for), and I've put in a bid for the famous Christmas with the Superheroes. All in all a good day and even with delivery none of these comics were as expensive as a modern comic. Considering most of us can only get to the limited back issue bins at the local store and not to conventions I think we can agree Ebay is a godsend.


(there are some Adventure Comics issues still going for 99p exc. P&P on Ebay Uk and remember to check if the seller will combine postage on mulitple items or do discounts.)

Yes, you heard right! My pull list is going to be including some of the sexiest women around.






















And this isn't even a comprehensive look at what DC has lined up for our female heroes. We have the perennial Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Wonder Girl leading the titans, Cassandra Cain in Streets of Gotham, Manhunter getting a back up story, Spoiler and the Birds of Prey in Battle for the Cowl, a yet to be announced Batgirl and The Question who will pop up in Gotham before long. Its no lie that female characters don't generate the sales the male ones do but instead of putting them back in the box like Marvel is doing DC is taking them out and playing with them. Keeping them sexy and powerful. I still could have done without looking down Oracle's shirt though.

I'm not going to get into the copyright stuff. That's neither here nor there for me. What I liked about scans daily was seeing something or getting a good description of comics on a wednesday so I, in the UK know what to pick up on the thursday. Scans_daily also helped me with back issues I need to get my grubby mits on like Solo which came out years ago and the Infinite holiday special from 2006 (and I completely forgot about this years holiday special. Ebay must help me!) I would never have read Booster Gold without seeing how fun it was but not just in scans but the pure enthusiasm of the Blue and Gold fans.But I'm not depressed. Scans_Daily will survive in some form but I hope all of the members get the message of it moving. On LJ there is a comm called noscans_daily where you can talk comics with no scans which is better than nothing.

And no I'm not mentioning where Scans_daily is now. Peter David might be watching!

not just clothes though...superhero clothes.
We don't get the great Junk Food T-Shirts in Britain but Play.com has started getting 'sugar daddy' T shirts and due in on Saturday is a DC direct T-Shirt both items feature 80's headbanded Supergirl. Now the headband usually gets a bad rep but it seems to be the costume the fashion designers love. (while the hotpants would be the one comic writers and artists favour)

So this is the Sugar Daddy T Shirt:


and this is the DC direct/Warner brothers T shirt:


To be honest I'm not sure what that one is going to look like. Who thought a DIAGRAM would be a good idea? I also have no idea what the white spots are. Maybe a lichtenstein effect. Well, we'll see when it comes. Which should be Monday, play usually send pre-ordered items out early rather than wait until the release date.

Other T shirts available are joker T-Shirts(one of which is £5), a superman shirt saying I love goodies, a wonder woman shirt which is basically the name in different colours


Batgirl in the wrong colours.

Catwoman

Wonder Woman
and the trinity: Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Batgirl. That colour scheme though...no no no

The supergirl T-Shirt is the first DC direct/WB T-Shirt available and that fit's their fashion line plans outlined last year for the character's trademark. The fashion rights were given to a store not available in the UK so maybe play snapped them up instead? Other than that T-shirt which is pre-ordered the rest are selling out fast! Expect some to be only available in medium(12/14) and Extra Large (18/20)- and they were only released in January! That is good news though, it means more to come!

I got 2 Brave and the Bold issues through the post today, both featuring Batman and Supergirl. Issue 147 from Feb 1979 and issue 160 from March 1980. Back when comics were 15p rather than £2.15. I honestly can't wait to read them. The art looks great and the texture of the paper makes it feel comic-booky. They came bagged and boarded. Its strange, I believe comics are for reading and just keeping them in their plastic is an insult to the people that worked on them but when I get 20th century comic books I feel compelled to treat them with more respect than I usually would. I like to think I keep all my comics in good condition but mostly so that they don't fall apart but there is something about old, out of print comics that makes me treat the pages with more care.