By Zenguru

Greetings, Skid Fans!

Boy, it’s been a while since we talked on the toilet, eh? Well, I went to the Pittsburgh Comicon last week and it’s been sticking to me all this time. So I figure it’s about time to wipe it off.

I thought this year’s show would be a bust, at first. Michael Turner canceled for health reasons. Herb Trimpe canceled for family reasons. And usual mainstays Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner bowed out for personal reasons. I’m not a whiner, but for an autograph collector this show wasn’t looking very bright.

I couldn’a been more wrong. (more…)

By Zenguru

*bathroom door creaks open*

Whoops! Greetings, Skid fans! Looks like ya…caught me opinionating again. Well, as long as my opinion is coming out, it might as well leave a stain. So here goes.

The comic industry has been blessed with the efforts of certain individuals. Creators whose influence resonates from the inception of their careers to the end and beyond. Of course, one such creator is Jack Kirby.

Everyone who reads comics should know Jack Kirby. Everyone who works in comics should acknowledge him. But how many of those creators should compare themselves to him? (more…)

By Zenguru

Hello! Welcome to the inaugural edition of Skid Marks!

My head’s recently been getting full of opinions on the comic industry. And they need somewhere to go. Since I’m not fond of barfing, they’re going to have to come out of another end. They’re also probably going to leave a stain, but hey! Who doesn’t?

So here’s what’s been on my mind…

As a lifelong comic reader, I’m given to bouts of nostalgia. Usually, I fall back on comics I read as a kid. Revisiting those great classic stories that I came across by chance at the grocery store, the newsstand, or the local 7-11. Back in those days, those were practically the only places one could get comics. I know my first lcs didn’t appear until roughly 1985.

But whenever I look back on those days, whenever I rummage through those back issues, one thing always comes to attention: The price! (more…)