Welcome to this weeks spec and drek, the 4th edition for 2021. This is where we pick the winners each week we (or shall I say myself) think will be spec worthy, a great read or just cool looking art on the cover. I also dive into the pesky drek, the book you should probably avoid if you can or perhaps not invest so heavily into.
I’m changing up my format. I’ve been doing DC then Marvel for ages but I feel Marvel deserves to be mentioned first as DC is mostly garbage most weeks with only a few books being worthy of mentions. Also getting these out earlier as I got a busy week ahead…
Marvel Picks
This first pick is a no brainer. Star Wars High Republic #1 2nd Printing.
The first printing went on to wow and dazzle us. I don’t think this one will heat up as much but for those picking up High Republic books, might as well grab a copy of them all for the collection.
Is there actually going to be a death in this weeks Strange Academy #7? The solicitations certainly claim such things but we all know deaths mean nothing in these made up fantasy stories.
Might still be worthy of a pickup and for those of course reading this title.
I’m not even reading Wolverine but issue #9 certainly has me curious as to what’s going on inside.
DC Picks
Batman Black & White #2 gives us a pretty cool Jock cover. That’s about the only thing that grabs my attention this week.
Indie and Small Publisher Picks
The new mini-series from Skroce that I enjoyed so far, one issue in. I should hopefully get a sneak peek preview up before Wednesday this week.
Star Wars Adventures Smugglers Run #2 I think is introducing some new characters this week. Might be worth checking out. Sold out at Midtown but still available at TFAW.
One thing to note is, if this is a kids book, why the hefty price tag? Might of been a put off for a lot of shops limiting the number of extra shelf copies.
Sweet Downfall #1 is a new Scout book I’m looking forward to. I got a review copy I need to read. Maybe if I get time, I’ll do a sneak peek preview.
Stake #1 hits stands now as a Scout book as well. This was a Kickstarter book and it also had a pretty sweet Momoko variant as well.
Now on with the dreaded “drek” pick, every writer and artists worst nightmare when it comes to selling their hard work.
The book to avoid or not fall victim to in buying at inflated prices, whether it’s false demand, pump and dump or out of FOMO.
I don’t normally call these types of things out but something about the writer for Dead End Kids, which saw some heat with it’s first volume, I got put off when I met him at NYCC that same year and some recent social media postings.
Back at NYCC a few years ago, I didn’t realize he was the creator at the Source Point Press booth and I was checking out the Dead End Kids books and he starts chatting with me. He states he is Frank Gogol. I’m like cool. So it gets to the point where I then ask how much for the first print copies he has (I had missed out as my shops didn’t get them). He goes on to say those were his own personal copies and he’s selling them for $40, cause “That’s how much they’re going for on eBay”. I just thought to myself, man, you writing to sell your stuff at secondary market prices or want to sell your stories instead? I mean, I get it, you like to make money but I thought there would have been a better way of saying the price for the copies (that he likely had a stack of under the table). I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt when he said those were the last of his copies (sure they were, it’s like Day One of NYCC and you only brought several copies of your hot new book).
Anyways, fast forward to now and it just seems like Frank wants to boost his work based on scarcity, as in he hopes to create false demand on limited supply. He touts no second printings and then posts crap like this on social media about his book:
You hyping your work cause of it’s potential scarcity and value (based on your own limited quantity produced) Frank? Or you gonna try and tell me I should buy it cause it’s a good read? If all you do is talk value like you’re a comic book flipper, well, you already lost me as a customer and I have zero desire to pick up your work. Sorry Frank Gogol. I don’t mean to sound harsh, I hope you all the best with your books but this type of self hype and advertising, it is more off putting for me in buying your stuff.
Basically the moral of this drek is, don’t fall into FOMO because something is limited. Buy it cause YOU want it but avoid paying premium prices. If you truly want to read it, skip the secondary market and just wait for the trade. If creators are gonna pump their own work and books based on “limited” quantities (that they’re controlling in the sense of claiming no second prints whatsoever) in hopes that gets people to buy them, then that’s a major issue in this industry creating false demand. Don’t fall for this gimmick and don’t give those who pump this the time of day with your hard earned cash.
There you go @D-Rog , is that good enough spec for ya? It’s cold yet polite in a sense.
