I hear that the Grand Opening of the Silver Snail on Yonge Street was a big success. We send our best wishes from Ottawa and congratulate Mark and George for creating a beautiful store there. I hope they and all the staff enjoy many prosperous years.

We got a GPS thingy and tried it out yesterday. It’s neat and all but there’s no replacing real driving on the roads and knowing your routes. We followed the thingy’s directions to get to my brother’s house and even though it was set on fastest route, it took longer than the way I usually go. I’m sure it will come in handy when we take road trips to places that we’ve never been before.

Ultimate Iron Man #1 - Marvel takes another kick at the Ultimate tin can with this 4-issue mini by W-Nathan Edmondson and A-Matteo Buffagni. This first issue should sell great at the newly opened Silver Snail location at Yonge near Dundas since it starts with a train wreck in Toronto. I was not overly impressed with the writing but I did like the art. I may read the next issue to see what the new Mandarin looks like.

Catwoman #10 to #13 and #0 - W-Ann Nocenti takes over after W-Judd Winick's "Dollhouse" story ended in issue #12 with her version of Catwoman's origin in issue #0. The "Death of the Family" tie-in in issue #13 was pretty weak. The only thing I could see relating this issue to the main Batman story was some Joker motif wallpaper. That's a very sneaky way to get Batman fans to buy an extra comic book.

Cyber Force #1 - The original Cyber Force hit the racks a couple of years after we opened in 1990 during the big Image boom. A-Marc Silvestri's team of super heroes sold like crazy. Now he's trying to revive his creation with co-writer Matt Hawkins and A-Khoi Pham. The best thing about this comic book is that it's free. Stores were charged 25 cents for each copy, which is about what we pay for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY comics. I heard that some stores were charging for the comic book, but at least it's worth 25 cents. I wouldn't pay $2.99 for this however. The art is okay but the story is derivative. There's just nothing really new or exciting in here. When I wonder if I could have spent the time it took to read this comic book better, then even a free comic book isn't worth picking up.

Marvel Now Point One - We retailers are privy to some inside info on upcoming projects but I swear that sometimes it goes in one eyeball and out the other without registering in the old gray matter. This $5.99 sneak peek sure came in handy. There are going to be 6 new books hitting the racks starting in November and going into February 2013. They are, in chronological order: FF, Cable and X-Force, Young Avengers, Secret Avengers, Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm really excited about two of them and mildly interested in the rest after reading this comic book.

Ex Sanguine #1 - Helen was right, this comic is better than what the gory cover would suggest. W&A-Tim Seeley is joined by W-Joshua Scott Emmons to bring you a new kind of vampire, hence the title and toothy cover. There's not as much blood in here as you might think, but there's plenty of mystery.

Fantastic Four #610 & #611 - I've been reading this title longer than I've been reading Amazing Spider-Man and I love these characters. Marvel ends this run with a wrap up of the dimensional bridge story with Reed's father and a future Valeria. I look forward to Fantastic Four #1.

The Massive #5 - I really like strong female characters and Mary is one strong female character. This is the second time that she has overcome amazing odds against her to survive. This is a book that I read the week it hits the racks.

AVX Consequences #2 - Logan visits Scott in prison for some claws to heart and winds up having a heart to heart instead. Scott figures out why he's in prison and his theory is proven right by the end of this issue. If the Punisher can survive prison, I hope that Cyclops can too.

Justice League #13 - The New 52 Cheetah is even deadlier than the old one. Wait until you see what she does to Superman. A-Tony Daniel takes over from A-Jim Lee but I'm not as disappointed as some fans seem to be. I was more intrigued by the Steve Trevor and Green Arrow back-up story by Ws-Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire than the main story and want to know where Ollie is headed next.

Untold Tales of the Punisher Max #5 - This is a story about bullying and revenge. Kids should read this in schools.

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #4 - The new revelations about these heroes that W&A-Darwyn Cooke is putting into this mini are really interesting. I was enjoying the two-page "Curse of the Crimson Corsair" back-ups but I've found the last few to be disjointed.

Ultimate Spider-Man #16 - A-Pepe Larraz's style doesn't quite live up to As-Sara Pichelli or David Marquez but he did an excellent job nonetheless. The shake-up of the UU continues as Hydra attacks the Ultimates' headquarters. This is where Miles makes the cut.

X-Factor #245 - W-Peter David wreaked havoc on the team during the 5-part "Breaking Points" to change the line-up of the team. I'm happy as long as Layla sticks around.

Captain Marvel #5 - Marvel's tactic of using As-Terry and Rachel Dodson covers to keep fans buying this book has stopped working I'm sorry to say. W-Kelly Sue DeConnick is working through Carol's origin in this story and I like what she's doing. It's too bad that Emma Rios's art isn't that popular.

Wonder Woman #13 - W-Brian Azzarello is the reason why I continue to read this title. His Diana is more than just eye candy.

Hawkeye #3 - W-Matt Fraction and A-David Aja have a hit here with fans asking for this book in the store. Not only that, but they're also checking out their Iron Fist books. Beware redheads driving 1970 Dodge Challengers. This issue features Clint's trick arrows.

Daredevil #19 - Did you notice the title on the cover? They changed it to "HEAD COMES OFF OF…DAREDEVIL THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR!" over a picture of a creepy guy holding DD's head. I thought it was a gag, but it isn't. W-Mark Waid and A-Chris Samnee reveal who the creepy guy is that hands Matt his head. I think Charles deLint's title "HERE COMES DAREDEVIL… THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD!" is funnier.

The New Avengers #31 - Yay, W-Brian Bendis has teamed up with A-Michael Gaydos again on this new story. They were great on Alias and their re-teaming makes sense since this story features Jessica Jones. There's a mystical villain loose and I can't wait to find out who it is.

*******

I read these books on Thanksgiving Monday and forgot to include them in Off The Rack #929.

Worlds' Finest #5 - I was disappointed with these solo adventures that Karen and Helena have. W-Paul Levitz doesn't explain where the machine attacking Power Girl came from or why the sniper that the Huntress apprehends is shooting at a "Take Back the Night" march.

Batgirl #9 to #12 and #0 - Ms. Gordon goes from fighting a female Talon to a bunch of suped up ex-cops and their take-no-prisoners leader Knightfall. Issue #0 is the New 52 version of Batgirl's origin leading up to her crippling meeting with the Joker. W-Gail Simone still hasn't revealed how Barbara recovered though.

FF #5 to #16 - That's a year's worth of issues and I thoroughly enjoyed them. W-Jonathan Hickman did a great job keeping things in perspective for me despite the huge time travel elements. These were so much fun that I will definitely recommend the collections for anyone wanting a good comic book reading experience.

 

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