I've been quiet around here the past couple Sundays, and the trend continues today. Originally November's "The Unboxing" was to go up, but it's been delayed as my wife and are moving this weekend to our new home. I lived eight years in my condo, but after getting married we started looking for a place of our own, and eventually we found it. So I'm spending the weekend hauling things from one town to another, and "The Unboxing" has been placed on hold, ironically, as I find myself boxing and unboxing pretty much
all our belongings.
I hope to have November's "Unboxing" up by month's end. In the meantime, your regularly scheduled Spider-Man and Transformers posts will continue to appear during the week -- and next weekend will bring a review of the bonus material in the SPIDER-MAN BY ROGER STERN OMNIBUS, as I prepared that post some time back.
Totally unrelated, but as I see in your pic, aren't those GI Joe complete collection hardcovers from IDW fantastic?
ReplyDeleteHope the move went well - I HATE movie, simply because of all the books that need to get lugged around!
Yes, I love those books! Unfortunately beginning with the fifth volume, the reproduction after issue 50 appears to be going downhill a bit. Marvel restored the first fifty issues when they reprinted them in the early 00s, and since they possess the actual film, those reproductions -- which IDW now has -- look great. But issues 51-plus weren't restored by Marvel, so IDW has to restore them using the actual issues rather than film, and there is a noticeable difference. But I'm hoping that will be corrected somehow with the next volume. Considering that IDW has a good working relationship with Marvel, as seen by the various "Artist's Edition" books they've produced, you'd think they could get their hands on that film.
Delete...Apparently even a comment from me here must be a review. Anyway, I really am enjoying these volumes, especially the fact that they're reprinting the SPECIAL MISSIONS issues in chronological order among the original G.I. JOE issues. Someday I'd love to cover Larry Hama's G.I. Joe here issue by issue... someday.
And the move went fine, thanks! There was plenty of heavy lifting, but it's all done now. We're slowly unpacking, and I don't know when I'll get all my books back into bookcases. I kinda need to buy some first, since my old bookcases were downgraded to garage storage shelving!
Speaking of moving books, I will never understand how one piece of paper weighs less than nothing, but put a few thousand of them together and they somehow weigh ten tons! Paper has to be one of the few things which really feels way heavier than you would expect it to en masse. If that makes sense.
Unfortunately beginning with the fifth volume, the reproduction after issue 50 appears to be going downhill a bit.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had a few of IDW's post-Marvel Classic GI Joe trades, and noticed the difference in reproduction right away. Like you, I hope future volumes turn out better.
I really am enjoying these volumes, especially the fact that they're reprinting the SPECIAL MISSIONS issues in chronological order among the original G.I. JOE issues.
Along with the annotations, it was the inclusion of Special Missions that got me on board for the collections. I've never read those, and having them interspersed along with the regular series (rather than in their own books) was a huge selling point for me.
Like you, I have grand designs on someday reviewing Hama's run. It's been at or near the top of the X-aminations spinoff list for awhile now.
, I will never understand how one piece of paper weighs less than nothing, but put a few thousand of them together and they somehow weigh ten tons!
As someone who worked at Barnes & Noble for nearly fifteen years, tell me about it. I feel like a whole pile of light material should still be light, but not so much.
I think I owned the first six or so SPECIAL MISSIONS issues in comic book format, but that was about it. Oh, and I had the one where the Oktober Guard members are killed off because it was kind of integral to the main series' continuity.
DeleteI almost forgot about those annotations. Love those, too! It's practically a mini-essay to go with every single issue. It would be nifty if Marvel and DC did that sort of thing with their high-end reprints.
I'm less thrilled by the fact that IDW is including more recent "1/2" issues in these JOE books among the original eighties stuff, though. They were only produced a few years ago and look completely out of place in these books. But I appreciate the dedication to completionism, and I can just skip them if I want. Plus it gives me hope for other vintage stuff in a similar vein. I believe Hama and Andrew Wildman did four or so mini-comics as pack-ins for the figures in the early nineties. I'd be very happy to see those show up in these books when they reach that era.