X-Men: Days of Future Past, Siege & Deadpool Titles $3.99!

Get them now, I'm not sure how long it's going to last!

Batman #1

Batman (1940) #1
Writer: Bob Kane
Pencils: Bob Kane
Ink: Jerry Robinson
Length: 55 Pages (Estimated)


Can I start with this issue or do I need to know something?:


You will understand this issue even if it is your first comic ever. It is not the first appearance of Batman but it basically starts with an origin story.

What is it about?

At this point the plan was to publish Batman in a quarterly basis. This issue is 55 pages long and has 5 stories:


Story 1: The Legend of Batman (Who he is and how he came to be)

Basically an origin story. Bruce's parents get killed, he swears he'll avenge them. The main difference from the story we know today is that as he grows up he becomes a "Master Scientist". 

Story 2: (no title)

First appearance of the Joker.

Joker's body count: Henry Claridge, Jay Wilde, Brute Nelson, Judge Drake = 4

For such naive writing I thought the body count was going to be zero, with only mild mischief to happen. I was wrong. The story is simple but I won't spoil the end.

Story 3: (no title)

They introduce Hugo Strange as an imprisoned arch-criminal. Once he breaks out of jail, he begins creating giants to rob banks. Something interesting in this story is that Batman has guns on the bat-plane, which goes against popular canon (Batman does not use guns, Batman does not kill).

Story 4: (no title)

We get Dick Grayson working a case on his own while Batman is busy. A rich lady held a party in a yacht, there's a valuable necklace on board and Dick is monitoring the assistants to prevent any trouble. This story introduces Catwoman, at this point called just "The Cat"

Story 5: The Joker Returns

Although all 5 stories are stand alone, this one follows up the fact that Joker is in jail and has some continuity on Batman #2. After Joker escapes from prison, Batman and Robin try to catch the Joker ending in a fatal fight.

Did I like it?
The first couple Batman stories that I read were written by Grant Morrison, it seems like he did his homework and read every Batman issue available, so he likes making references to them.

I find these first stories to be very naive, although they can be fun if you are aware of what you are getting; more less like watching B-Movies or one of those Adam West episodes.

I'm definetely interested reading other early issues to see how myth and cannon were built.

Have you read this issue? What do you think about the Bob Kane years? What are your favorite/least favorite stories?

Eerie & Creepy Archives $3.99

More than 200 pages per issue featuring work from many of the masters of comics storytelling, including Gray Morrow, Frank Frazetta, Alex Toth, Neal Adams, Joe Orlando, and others. For fans of spectacular spookiness, mind-bending sci-fi, and astonishing artwork, the New York Times bestseller Eerie Archives is a must-have.

Kindle Books By Mike Mignola $1.99-$2.99

Since October most of these titles have been discounted. I don't know if this will stay like this in 2015 or not, so take advantage of the good prices:

IDW Comics Holiday Sale

If you noticed, I've been posting some great discounts in my previous posts. Some of they will last until New Year's Eve, some of them will not last that long. Now, it is the turn for IDW Comics to show what's cheap this holiday season:

30 Days of Night: $1.99
Bloom County Vol 1: $3.99
Ghostbusters Vol 1: $3.99
The Maxx: Maxximized: $3.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol 1 (Change is Constant): $2.99
Locke and Key Vol 1 (Welcome to Lovecraft): $5.99
X Files Season 10 Vol 1: $1.99
Judge Dredd Vol 1: $4.99
Transformers, More than Meets the Eye Vol 1: $3.99
The Complete Zombie Vs Robots: $2.99

Marvel's Civil War for Kindle, only $3.25!!

I think this deal will only last one day, so take advantage of it! This book is what is going to give shape to the third Avengers movie.

Marvel Comics get Discounted for X-Mas! $3.99 to $5.99

Now is Marvel's turn to show which titles they've discounted for X-mas. Read my previous posts to be aware of all discounts. We surely have a lot to read now.

If you don't have a Kindle, remember you can use your PC/Mac, iPhone, iPad or Android Tablet with the Kindle app (which is free).

Sin City for Kindle - Good Deal!

Frank Miller's Sin City 6 (Out of 7) volumes are now available in Amazon for $3.99. I'm not sure when this offer ends, but be smart and don't miss it!

23DEC2014 Update: Vol 1 has returned to its original price. As of today only volumes 2-6 remain discounted. Hurry up!!

DC/Vertigo Comics X-Mas Discounts for Kindle Comics

Usually Holidays bring big sales with them. If you are starting your Kindle Collection DC Comics is giving us a great opportunity.

Hardly you are going to get a better offer than $4.99 for these titles:

Buckethead in Iowa

Buckethead has always been a mysterious character. He wears a KFC bucket in his head and his real name is not known yet. For several years it was thought that it was Paul Gilbert in costume, in recent years several names have popped out but none has been confirmed.

His style ranges from new age to avant garde, he was part of Guns 'n Roses for a while (his most notable mainstream gig) but he has been part of other bands like Praxis and as a huge discography as a solo artist.

This remarkable character has visited Iowa several times now...

02JUN2008 - The Picador (330 E. Washington St., Iowa City, IA, 52240)
14SEP2009 - The Picador (330 E. Washington St., Iowa City, IA, 52240)
18APR2012 - Wooly's (504 E Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309)


If you get a chance to go to one of the shows you'll probably enjoy Buckethead shredding his guitar, & a nunchucks performance among other eccentricities

Here are some of his performances I found:

Adrian Legg Plays @ CSPS - Legion Arts

Adrian Legg played last night (30MAR2010) @ Legion Arts | CSPS

I'm really happy I spent those $16.15 ($14.00 for the ticket + 2.15 service fee). Tuesday night, at 7:00PM Adrian Legg Played at Legion Arts (CSPS), downtown Cedar Rapids. 

It was the second time for me in fron  of Adrian Legg, but the first one so close. Legion Arts is a small venue, it allowed us to feel the evening very personal.

Compared to my first Adrian Legg concert, in the Sunken Gardens, San Antonio (18OCT1996) the vibe felt totally different. In San Antonio the venue was bigger, much more bigger, and Adrian Legg was opening for the G3 concert (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai & Eric Johnson). This time, it was all about Mr. Legg and his music.

The Setup was really simple. It was him and an acoustic guitar, he used one headphone in which I guess he was listening to a metronome.  

Between song and song he would pause for a minute for tell a story, funny most of the times, that was related to the next piece he was about to play.

If you get a chance to see this guitar virtuoso don't miss it, you'll be amazed on how he tunes/detunes the instrument as needed while he plays.

I haven't found clips in Youtube from that day, and I don't remember if I did any video. I took 2 pictures during the show (which I'm including at the bottom of this post). Here you can see one of the videos I found from a different show, in a different place.

Adrian Legg has played in Iowa several times:

08MAY2014 - Legion Arts (CSPS), Cedar Rapids

30MAR2010 - Legion Arts (CSPS), Cedar Rapids

22JUL2012 - The Mill, Iowa City

18OCT2013 - Legion Arts (CSPS), Cedar Rapids