The Letters Page

POSTED BY Alex Zalben, 06 November 2007

As we've mentioned before, there's way too much mail for us to answer in the shows, so we'll be answering some of it right here on the blog. As always, thanks for sending in your questions, and please keep shooting them over to tips@pulpsecret.com, call them in to 888-841-7549, or post a video response on YouTube!

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Chris asks:

Which is better, buying comics monthly, or waiting for the trade paperback reprints to come out? I've been finding it is easier to just wait for a collection than chasing down every issue, especially for something like World War Hulk that sells out quickly, or that I wouldn't usually collect, but want to get just for the event.

It's really a matter of personal preference, I think, as well as, like you said, availability. For example, I recently moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and was actually kind of surprised to find out how spoiled I was, shopping at comic stores that literally stocked everything. Now, it takes a little more work to grab everything I want, which is annoying, but it certainly won't limit the mass quantities of comics I consume each week. In any case, we've talked about this on the show before, but I think there are some stories that are written for the trade, and some that write for the monthly. Brian K. Vaughan, for example, writes excellent monthly comics, that always end in cliff-hangers. They read great in the monthlies. Blue Beetle is another excellent monthly book, as almost every issue works on its own merits, while still moving the story forward. And then there are titles like Astonishing X-Men, which are written for the monthlies, but you might father children and die in the time it takes individual issues to be released, so why not pick it up in the trade? All in all, the best guide, I think, is to ask your fellow fans on a title by title basis, or read reviews and see if that title is built for the monthlies or the bookshelf.

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Maximum Entertainment yells:

Hi guys, I am a writer and have been working on a original comic book series, but have had a lot of trouble finding an artist for my comic. Is there a way to break into the biz as a writer, or am I better off self publishing a book, and trying to shop it around? Thanks for any advice you can give me.

If you've done any reading, or talked to any comic book creators, you know there's no set way to break into the business. However, I think you hit the nail on the head with the self-publishing thing. If you write a bunch of issues of your own comics, and just hit as many conventions as possible, and (in a non-annoying way) talk to as many people as possible, if your work is good, it'll get into the right hands. However, if you never create any work, it'll never get into any hands. Make sense? The first part, about finding an artist: 1) Post on Craigslist; 2) Any artists looking to work on a book on this website? Respond in the comments, or e-mail me at alex@pulpsecret.com, and I'll hook you guys up.

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Jesse Queries:

Great work as usual guys! This week's episode, someone asked about how you pick your comics to read and review each week. In a similar vein, I was wondering, are there any specific comic shops that you recommend?

Just realize in advance that we live in NYC, so our answer would be focused on the area. I'm a big fan of Midtown Comics, which is actually so good, and relatively cheap, and has become so popular, that it's grown its own haters. You know, the people who think it's like Ticketmaster or something. If you're looking for mainstream books, and an extensive back catalog, this is a great place to check out. We're also fans of Rocketship in Brooklyn, which is a classy little indie-focused store, with a great selection, and some very cool signings. And I wouldn't feel comfortable without mentioning Forbidden Planet which is where I grew up buying comics and which still holds a very special place in my heart. Out of town, I've enjoyed both Golden Apple in LA, and Mile High Comics in Denver. Golden Apple has some killer events, and Mile High does, in fact, have a mile high stack of back issues. Anybody have other suggestions?

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Mike from Albany, NY writes:

First let me say I enjoy the reviews on your show. I may not always agree, but I like your passion about the subject. What do you think of the new artist on Ultimate Spider-Man? In my opinion he is not as good as Bagley, but he shows potential to capture the feel of USM.

I lurve Stuart Immonen's work, in general, but I agree that Bagley is a super tough act to follow. He kicked it out of the park for over 100 issues on the title, so having anyone else come in is a jarring experience. And, I think it took him a good couple of issues to get his footing, but he's definitely there now. The last issue felt much more confident on the art, and I can't wait to see what he does with the next one.

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Kovac wonders:

I'm fairly new to comics and for the most part I have been reading Marvel and Vertigo comics. I would like to get into reading some DC comics to see what i'm missing out on but i'm not really sure where to start. Superman has always stood out for me in the DC lineup, but where would you suggest that a newbie start? And good work with the show, it is you three seem to balance each out really well.

Emperor Joker! Just kidding, NEVER EVER READ THAT. For some good Superman stories (and believe me, there aren't a ton), I'd whole-heartedly recommend Superman For All Seasons, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. One of the best stories I've ever read. To continue on the Loeb bent, the first two volumes of Superman/Batman are pretty killer stuff, sort of like the big budget movie we've always (?) wanted to see. Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid is also very well written, and the Up, Up and Away arc Geoff Johns wrote recently for Action Comics is pretty fantastic, as is the art by Pete Woods. It was recently collected in a trade, so should be available at your local comical book store. And All-Star Superman, by Grant Morrison, is great (when it comes out). The last thing I'd recommend, if you're super-rich, is the Action Comics archives. I grew up reading my father's Action Comics collection, which had about forty stories from every decade of Superman's history, and it was one of my favorite things ever. Superman, more than any other hero, is a character who works best retroactively.

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