started to reply...to long (music is the best.)

You can play whatever you want if you work at Tribe. Within reason. Something with a beat, usually. Not dueling chainsaws. We let E put us to sleep every now and then with the Kingston Trio.

Context is everything. Whether it is the words you use, or the music you play.

At the end of the day you try to maintain the front that Art and Words could never harm anyone, yet you fret at night....that Haze has such a good beat....but will they hate you? Run screaming from the store and never come back? They say nothing for three nights.  Bob there heads sometimes.

The truth is that words can hurt, but only in context. I really don't think art can hurt, not in this broad general view we are so afraid of. 

The Mentat and the Day's King have informed me that I have offended people with this post. Seriously offended them. Some part of me notes nigga is okay in music in the store, but Gaga ALWAYS gets at least one complaint. Nigga on FB is death, regardless of context.

You tell me I shouldn't talk that way on a FB business page, and I agree. We push it. South Austin and all that. E can be far worse than me given the day, or what horrible thing DC is doing. It was the short-haired Day's King who taught me to be free. If he liked Frank Zappa he would play Joes Garage disk 1 on Sunday in a store full of children. Even I ain't that brave.

But to the Day's King Face Book is different. Usually he takes my side against the Mentat. 

But to me context is everything. That truth is raw in that post. Those words are valid and belong in that post. Context.

This is what people mean about the mad PC world. And don't get me wrong, there are people who go on rants about PCness that are really just them bitching that they can't be bigots anymore. Do you see bigotry in my posts?

Words can and do hurt, but look for the context. 

This is not an apology.  

Top 11 comics for the year of the Snake

It is that time again!

Roy's List: (In no particular order)

Honorable mentions go out to Red Sonja, Fatale, The Massive, Velvet, Alex + Ada, and Batwoman.

1. Rat Queens: A funny, violent, raunchy tale of a female mercenary group in a fantasy setting. While there is an element of "gamer humor" in this book, you will still think it is funny even if you have never played a game of D & D.

2. Shadow Year One: This book rarely comes out and I constantly fear it will be cancelled before it wraps up. Having said that, this is the best Shadow book on my shelves. The book has the correct balance of the Shadow being very skilled, but still learning how best to fight evil.

3. Lazarus: It is a world of neofeudalism. Most people are serfs belonging to one of the families. All the families have a Lazarus, a genetically modified and psychologically conditioned warrior. Great art great story.

4. Wonder Woman: This continues to be fantastic. Lots of wheeling, dealing, and scheming amongst the Olympian gods.

5. Sex: It is about vigilante trying to retire. It is about an old criminal trying to come out of retirement. Lots of subtext in this one. Best thing Joe Casey has done in a long time.

6. Deathmatch: All the heroes and villains in a mysterious prison, forced to fight in an arena. They don't remember anything about how this all came about, until they get in the arena. This was a very fun ride.

7. Saga: I keep thinking I am gonna read an issue of Saga that doesn't blow me away. It hasn't happened yet.

8. Manhattan Projects: This tale of wacky scientist run amok always make me laugh out loud. It is a hard one to describe...just read it!

9. East of West: In a world where the U.S. has been broken into a handful of countries following a meteor hit, the three horsemen of the apocalypse search for their estranged sibling, Death.  It is old west with cyberpunk and magic.

10. Avenger/New Avengers/ Infinity: It is three books, but it is really just one story. That bothers some people and I understand that. But I like it. Whether it is the political intrigue of Namor and Tchala  or Thor smashing aliens, these books always bring a smile to my face.

11. G. I. Joe Cobra Files: Cloak and dagger at it's finest. The Joe's special counter-intelligence team faces threats from within and without. Dark and gritty.

And now for the Democratic Response.

Eric's Picks for the top 11 of Snake.  Also in no particular order.  Though this is the first year that I only have 3 mainstream books on my list.  Almost 1/2 the list is Image because that is the kind of year they are having.  Also the first year that Roy and I only have 2 books in common.

1. Rat's Queens: I agree with Roy about how great this book is.  I do not think it has that much gamer humor.  But it is a hell of ride. 

2. Alex + Ada: Also from Image another Luna Brothers book and they hit it out of the park again.  I have loved their other three series (Ultra, Sword, Girls) but this one is shapping up to be my favorite.

3. Velvet (again Image): A spy thriller with a female lead.  Brubaker always pleases but this maybe his best stuff since the beginning of his Captain America run.  Epting's art is great, maybe his best as well.

4. Morning Glories (Image again): This has made it every year on my list and if you do not know why you need to pick this book up!  Trust me it will blow your mind at the end of every issue and make you want to read the next one immediately.  I will admit it reads much better in Trade or chuncks.  You pick up so much more stuff that way.

5. East of West (Last Image book): What can I say about this book that Roy has not already said.  This is my favorite Hickman book. 

6. Forever Evil (DC): The build up to this in Trinity war which started out slow  and then ended GREAT!  This lead into Forever Evil which I am loving despite a general unhappiness with DC right now.

7. Earth 2 (DC): This has also made my list the last year and only my second repeat.  It is still a lot of fun and even with the writer change the book has not suffered.

8. Aquaman (DC): This is the last repeat and maybe the last time this appears on the list.  It was the end of Johns' run this year and it was Magnificent.

9. Elfquest (Dark Horse): This just started up again in December and it is as good as I remember from my youth.  I am hoping this means we will see a reprinting of the older stuff now but if you want to read the older stuff it is free on Elfquest's website.  The entire 30 year run.

10. Red Sonja (Dynamite): Gail Simone doing sword and sorcery!  This book is beautiful to look at and read.

11. Olympians GN (:01 First Second): A graphic novel series that come out every quarter or so.  It is a all ages look at the 12 Olympians and some of the myths involving them.  The art is strong and it is great for anyone that wants to learn more of Greek Mythology or brush up on previous knowledge.

Like Roy I have a cheat though only one and not half a list. 

Cheat: Miracleman (Marvel): At long last it is being reprinted and will be collected I am sure.  One of the few Alan Moore things I still love.  If you have never read it you should come get the first issue.  Done back when Alan Moore still liked Super Heroes.

Our thoughts on not carrying products for political reasons

Eric was telling me the latest buzz on Orson Scott Card's Adventures of Superman #1, how some shop in Dallas isn't gonna carry it. About how a few of our customers have asked us not to carry it. If this was just Eric's shop that may be the case. But I am here.

Let me make it plain that I have no problem with anyone's sexuality. I hate right-wing Christians as much as any good liberal should.

However, this is just the other end of the shop in the small town that won't carry vertigo. The music store in the middle of b.f.e. that doesn't carry heavy metal or rap because of their political bullshit. I find the thought process behind this disgusting and I will have no part of it.

We will order any book that we feel has a chance of selling off our shelves. We will stop ordering any book that proves it is not selling after month on the shelves. We will do this for the "Gays are Evil" book. We will do this for the "Gays are the Saviors of Mankind" book. We are not here to make those decisions for you.

YOU can decide that we will not carry any product by not buying it. You can decide that we will have to reorder/bump up orders for more of a product by buying it. If nobody buys this new Superman book we will stop carrying it, just like anything else. YOU are the consumer.

-Roy

And while I do not share Roy's views on this he gets to win this disagreement.  I understand Roy's side and can not really argue with the sense of it. 

Eric

Top 11 Comics for the Year of the Dragon

Roy's Top 11 in no particular order:

It is hard to come up with a list like this. At the end of the day, I had to go with which comics produced the most emotional response. Fantastic books in my collection look at me with hurt in their eyes. Honorable mentions to Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps, Swamp Thing and Animal Man, XO, Chew and Journey into Mystery. There can be only eleven.


1.Punisher:  by Rucka.   Call it Punisher, call it Punisher:Warzone, call it Beans on Toast-just read it. Before this I said if you could only have one/wanted to try out the character that you just needed Welcome Back, Frank by Ennis. Now I have to add this one. It bookends with Welcome Back rather nicely. It is just as dark, but with none of the humor. This story and the people in it have had all the humor leeched out of them.  It follows the cops, victims, and reporters as much as it follows Frank, at least at the beginning.

2. New Deadwardians:  I am not into zombies. I am not overly into victorain/edwardian crap just based on its flavor. But I love Dan Abnett. And I love New Deadwardians. While Abnett always gives a lot of depth to his characters, I know him in comics more for a big old-fashioned adventure yarn. Abnett and Culbard, instead offers a lot of quiet moments here.  And also loud big and empty silences. "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way" as Pink Floyd would say. There was a war, and the old social strata are explored through the survivors-the vampires, the working class, and the shambling dead.

3. The Hypernaturals:  Abnett and Lanning at it again! If the world of Hyperion Cantos and Legion of Superheroes had a baby this would be it. Mankind has spread amongst the stars with sentient AIs. The culture is post Technological Singularity. It is very Transhuman, but it is not gonna let science lessons take you away from the adventure! The Hypernaturals are the government Super team. When the current team goes missing, retired members and a few rookies have to pick up the pieces.

4. Saga: For how this book makes me feel I can only compare it to Fables and Moonshadow. Vaughan and Staples have created a delightful/horrible world. It is whimsicle but not saccharin. The best storytellers can make you love a character in moments. There are two great galactic powers who fight and drag everyone else into it. When two enemy soldiers fall in love and go awol, a hunt ensues for them and their child.

5. Aquaman:  Johns and Reis deliver the best supers book on my shelves. (Okay a lot of the times it is not Ries, but it is still the best)

6. Fantastic Four/FF:  by Hickman. Somebody was talking to me saying that Hickman has Grant Morrison Peyote Big Crazy Disease. I was like "Well, hell yeah!" But like Morrison, no matter how big and crazy it gets, it is still about the people involved. There is still emotional impact. It is hard to describe without giving things away. I will say it delivers what you want from an FF book: Doom, Inhumans, Namor, Celestials, Galactus, and more!  Start at the beginning(Dark Reign Fantastic Four) and know you are in for a long ride. Your patience will be rewarded.

7. Manhattan Projects: Hickman and Pitarra being Peyote Big Crazy. It's hard to tell anyone about this one. I don't want to spoil the perverse joy that is this book. It is a world in which the atom bomb is the least scary/interesting thing to come out of the project. It is extreme people doing extreme things. Probably the most unique thing to hit me since Chew.

8. Before Watchmen: Minutemen. (Do you want to know what I think is the most telling thing about the whole Before Watchmen controversy? Moore has said he doesn't want these works to somehow sully the original one. Then he went off to write another story about Mina Harker. Fuck Alan Moore)

In any case, this was probably the best pound for pound of the Watchmen stuff that has come out. Cooke does a fantastic job, as always. The old Minutemen get a lot of development. The history of the Minutemen as told through Hollis eyes. This is the first draft of Hollis' book, and there is lot of juicy stuff that didn't make the final edit. Cooke does a great job of adding new twists without pissing over everything that has come before.

9. Batman & Robin: This is best Batman book on the shelves. Batman runs a close second. This book deals largely with the relationship between Bruce, Damien, Alfred and Titus. There are still villains and adventure, and it does get quite dark. Tomasi always delivers whether on this or Green Lantern Corps.

10. Stitched: Ennis and Wolfer give us a horror story set in the warzones of the middle east. If you have been turned off by Ennis before, trust me in that he doesn't always feel need to write about drowning in vomit, or shitting on people, or blood speckled semen. I guess he just can't maintain that level of quality. Or maybe a priest comes by every now and then and the ghost of a ten year old boy is driven out, if only for a time. When these conditions are met Ennis is perfect for delivering military fiction. Its stranded behind enemy lines with a horrific twist. However, I can only recommend the first arc.  Stop reading when Ennis leaves. Or not...to each their own.

11. Uncanny X-Force: Remender's X-Force is the best mutie book on my shelves. Like a lot of things (Hickman's FanFour/FF, Morrison's Batman) you really need to start at the beginning. It's what you would expect in an X-Force book, a lot of it explores the ethics of killing. It's not poorly written Punisher/Wolverine where everyone foams at the mouth to killl Kill KILL! But they ain't gonna cry all night after killing Nazis either. The character mix is great and the hilarious dialogue it engenders is lol worthy, but Remender doesn't beat you over the head with it ala Bendis/Sorkin. The humor and snark never get in the way of the story. All the characters grow from their experiences on this team, but ultimately the focus is on Warren, Betsy, and the omnipresent threat of Apocalypse.


Now for the opposition's response.

Eric's Top 11 (Also in no particular order)

Well 1-3 will be easy as they are repeats from last year: Aquaman, Daredevil, Amazing/Superior Spider-Man:  They are still great and some of the best superhero books on the market right now!

4. Morning Glories: This has made my list every year and every year I tell you guys I still don't know what is going on but it is GREAT!  That is still true though things are starting to come together, at least in part.  This is the one book the entire staff agrees on.  A very rare thing.  If you have not checked it out do yourself a favor.  First TP is only 9.99 and it is worth the price.  Plus comes with money back guarantee from Tribe.  Don't like it bring it back we will give you your money back.

5. Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi: A look back at where the Jedi came from.  It is done by the same creative team as Star Wars Legacy another favorite of Roy and myself. It reads better in trade or chucks of individual issues but it is so damn good.

6. Thief of Thieves: A great caper book.  If you liked the Ocean Movies you will love this book.  Image keeps selling out of it but the first arc is collected in TP.

7. Mouse Guard Black Axe: The latest installment of Mouse Guard just finished up and it was great!  I love mouse guard so damn much.  This one should be out collected later this summer.  A book on mice I never would thought I love quite this much but I so do.  Art is AMAZING and the writing compelling.  A great all ages book that is great for adults as well.

8. Journey Into Mystery: I can not believe Roy did not include this book on his top 11 and only gave it a honorable mention.  Kid Loki is the best character to come out of Marvel this decade.  A trickster god given a new start and trying to be a hero by the only way his nature will let him...lying and deceiving the villains and heroes into doing what needs to be done.  It is simply great.  While the series just finished it is done and well worth checking out.

9. Fantastic Four/FF by Hickman: Ok now for a review that will not scare the rest of you away from Hickman's FF/Fantastic Four run.  While he and Grant Morrison both do grand big tapestry crazy stories Hickman's stories are what Mr Morrison's would be if someone would just get him to write after the trip and not during.  Where Morrison sometimes seems to lose the point (and reader) Hickman will bring it all back around and tie it up with a pretty bow.  This maybe the single best run of Marvel's First Family!

10. Earth 2: Everyone knows I am a HUGE JSA fan.  I was not happy about the whole them being young and starting out again.  Plus James Robinison's latest stories, prior to this, have not been as good as his earlier work.  Earth Two however is beyond anything I could have hoped for.  The new versions of the Jay, Alan and Kendra are different while still capturing the essence of the character.  He managed to give a post "Big War" feel without having it tied to WWII and the art by Nicola Scott maybe the best of her career.

11. Untold History of Marvel Comics: Ok so it is not a comic book but it is a book that every LCBS should have on their shelves.  If you ever wanted to know how all the sausage was made from Marvel's start till early 2000's this is your book.  I could not put it down.  All the personality conflict and management debacles, not to mention all the close calls with bankruptcy.  I coudl not put this book down.  It is well worth your time to give this a read.

And that closes out the Dragon.  It will be interesting to see what the Year of the Snake gives us for comics. 

Giving Report 2012

So here is the annual charity report for Tribe.  This year we tried something different.  As many of you know we started our Keep the Change program when you check out.  For those that do not know what this is we (Roy and I) pick a different charity (usually monthly but sometimes we keep it longer).  If you as a customer want to help us support that charity you just tell us to "keep the change" and we will round up your purchase to the next whole dollar.  The change is then used to support the charity and at the end of the month we add it up and figure out how much. In addition to this we also donated money to other things and gave a lot of product for silent actions and the like to help even more charities.

This year you guys raised $345.15 in small change and we donated another $1202.27 to Randy's Cancer Fund, The Austin Planetarium, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, ACLU, St Judes, Austin Pets Alive, Conspire Theater, Project OUTYouth, Capital Area Food Bank.

In Product we donated some $21560.82 retail price.  Athena Academy silent action to help a ill teacher pay bills, Rockin Tomato and Jump GYM did the same, auction to help raise money for Crohns, Summer Stock Austin, Give to Game, and of course the Heroes Alliance.

So in all we were able to give $23108.24  our best year yet.  Here is hoping we can do more in 2013!

Two Flus, Two dark warriors: stop worrying and love Nurgle

Mr. Harrison is always saying people want to know about us. That we need to be more active in this bloggytwitty world. So I am sure a lot of you know I haven't been at the store all week. I have the flu, not the worst I've ever had...but pretty bad. So here are some observations from the field.

A few years ago, the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen recorded their Green Lantern show at our store. It was a great night but the next day I woke up with a horrible flu. Now this flu was the worst flu I have ever had in my life. One day was full on hallucinations. (oh the irony of all those experimental trips with lsd and shrooms....didn't you read the books? didn't you know that to be a shaman you almost have to die.?)

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think I almost died, but I was in a sorry, sorry state. The room was purple, I could see everything. I was awake.  Including Ultraman. By Ultraman I mean the evil Superman from Earth 3. We exchanged verbal communication. He was more real in that moment than my wife, who was at her desk across from us.

If you are like me, you chase such experiences all your life. Whether they are chemical or whether they are spirits are whether they are Jungian or whether they are Freudian makes no difference. Like Uncle Bill attributed to Hassan-i Sabbah "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

But at this point yeah it's looking strictly chemical. And like any dream there always deeper elements mixed in the random bits of nonsense. But as humans we always have to be binary, it must be one or the other. I am still secure that it is not time to start the Ultraman cult.

This week's flu. To be honest it is not so bad compared to Ultraman. I still get a sneak preview of what my life will be like if make it to my 90's. I took a shower and I felt like I had just ran a marathon, I walked across the room and ran out of breath. I also had the obligatory fever night, just not near as bad. Just the fever dreams.

This fever dream another dark warrior. This time dressed as my Sith Warrior character in SWTOR. Communication is nonverbal this time. Purple is still a component. Orange is added to the mix. Also the same feeling is there. Like it is the same individual. A part of myself. A spirit. A fever induced misfire. yes.

yes.


Looking for the silver lining in the Nurgle colored phlegm,

RSC

So tired of hearing we are not a Game Store

So as the title suggests we get to see me (Eric) go on a Roy rant style bender.  Since our competitor opened we have heard this a time or two (For those keeping track besides word of mouth our competitor also posted these ideas on their facebook. Then on yelp they recommended every game store in town including us but while all the others had what great game stores they were it was only mentioned we were a comic store.)  But I digress  the final straw was last night, at the game night we sponsor no less, was the latest time.   It was pointed out (as business cards for our competitor were handed out) that it was not bad they opened up 3 blocks away.  The reason it was not bad:

-because we were mostly a comic store and not a game store.  

 -we had a small game selection

 -no gaming space

So I would like to address these and then add things I think make us not only a "game" store but the damn good game store.

- Our square footage is roughly 1/2 comics (on walls) and 1/2 for games (all on the floor fixtures).  By their logic I can't be a good comic store but they seem to think we are.  So if we have a good selection of comics why not games

- Facts about our "small" game selection.  We have extensive lines in Warhammer/40K, Privateer Press, and Heroclix.  In minis we carry 3/4s of reapers entire line.  Over in RPGs we have 71 different systems totally some 371 different books.  On the board game side (for this blog purpose non collectible card games count as board games but for the record we have about 115) Games + expansions we have over 400 games.  If you take out non collectible card games we still have just under 300.  And every week there is where from 1 to 5 new board games.  The one area in which we are weak is CCGs.  All we have is Magic because, to be blunt, the others sold like crap and were not worth the space.

- It is true we have no gaming space.  That is why we help found the South Austin Gaming Group.  They use to meet at Austin Pizza but when it got to big Jonathan and I looked at Rockin Tomato for the new venue.  Which seems to have worked pretty damn well as the group as grown from a few people to 40+.  As a side note I would like to point out that there have been at least 3 stores before we opened that were majority gaming space/ minority product.  You will be hard pressed to find them now, they have all closed.

So now that I have addressed those point let me add a few more things -

- We contributed more than any other game store to Give to Game, not only this year but every year we have participated.

- We were the top sponsor of Board Game Bash both years.  The only game store in town to really get behind Jonathan's efforts to build a Gaming convention. 

- Our gaming library is with Jonathan and available at any SAG game night. We are addeding games to that every time we get new demo copies. 

- Oh and we were the host for the official Steve Jackson Games 30th anniversary party.

Yeah we totally are not a game store.  What on earth was I thinking.

The $2.99 complaint

So in the past few weeks I have had several customers complain about our poster from DC that says "Holding the line at $2.99."  They usually make a annoyed sound and complain about the "Many 3.99 comics."  Roy and I have both pointed out DC only has a few of those titles and they give you additional material.  Most of the time they just shrug.  Sometimes they challenge what we are saying.  So here is an answer to all those that challenge Roy and I on this.  To be fair I will also give numbers for Marvel.  For both companies I am only looking at their core titles and not miniseries or annuals or specials.

DC (Core 52)  There are only 7 titles that are $3.99.  All 7, everyone, has 40 pages.  8 more pages than a normal comic.  That means there 45, I will say again 45 monthly titles, that are $2.99 for 32 pages.  Now 4 of the 7 titles are some of the most popular (Action, Batman, Justice League, & Detective).  So many people will see these prices as oppose to the $2.99.  Batman also started at $2.99 and then went up to $3.99, though they did increase the page count afterwards.  That means that roughly 87% of DC's core line is only $2.99.  That seems like a strong line to me.

Marvel by contrast has 54 core titles a month. 23 titles at $2.99 for 32 pages.  Roughly 1/2 of DC's monthly number at the same price.  29 titles at $3.99 over 4 times the amount DC has at the same price point.  And all 29 of these title are only 32 pages!  No additional content for your dollar.  1 title is at $4.99 for 32 pages.  Twelve of these are shipped twice a month.  Of those 1, Iron Man, ships once at $2.99 then again that month at $3.99.  2 others are $2.99 (Captain Marvel and Deadpool)  The other 9 are all $3.99 and are the top selling monthly titles for Marvel.

So overall, DC seems to be "Holding the Line at $2.99" rather well.  And the very few times they do not they give you extra content.  If only every company had the same respect for consumers.

GM Philosophy

I am having a hard time coming up with my top 11 comic book stories. The list is too big and half the time I keep changing the criteria of "Best."

But what I have been doing is starting a Black Crusade rpg. And before that I was working on an Iron Kingdoms/WoW mashup epic saga. It has been ten years since I was in that seat, and I must tell you that my approach has changed considerably. I have softened where I used to be unyielding, and where I used to be merciful now I don't even care.

You read a lot in rpgs about ways to deal with problem players. I used to care about problem players. It drove me from the gaming table. Now I don't deal with problem players at all. They may still be there, the trick is that they are not problem players. They are just players.

I am not talking about the real problem players. People OOC rude or totally disruptive. Cheaters. the real villains. They get sorted pretty quick at our table.

No, I mean the Skulker/Wallflower. I mean the Combat Monster. I mean the Rules Idiot.

I used to care about the Wallflower who just listened. I used to stay awake wondering why the Combat Monster never wanted to engage in all this "talkie-stuff" going on. I used to try to fix it. This  ultimately killed my game. All Storytellers just embrace this truth: Garbage In, Garbage Out. This is the way to sanity.

As long as most of the people are engaged and YOU are having fun, let the Skulkers skulk and Combats combats. To be honest, it is less work on you.

I admit, Rules Idiots will be the hard one. I bought them all books. The answer will be "page 342." if it is the same damn spell they ask me about every combat. Just smile and say "page 342."

Also lets say people who don't read the background or that won't get the nuances of the story. That is still ok, as long as the player is having fun. He thinks Africa is a country, that is all. Garbage In, Garbage Out. One man's Marvel Civil War, is another man's (a real man's) Infinite Crisis. As long as the Airhead, the Skulker, and the Combat Monster keep showing up it is all good. They are not hurting you or your game. They may be getting out of it exactly what they want from it.

As long as you get enough interaction to keep your imagination going that is all that matters. You got to have some stars. Also those one note characters can become stars at any time. Keep giving them doors, but only they can decide to step through them.

How I have softened is more about narrative control. I used to be able to pull off a really good con. You felt like you had control and the fights mattered, but it was really all prescripted. It is all about acting, and giving them enough side stuff that they do have control of. Stuff that feels really important to them, but has no meaning to saga they are caught up in. I am pretty sure this is how most games are run. And it is fun.

But I am now more about giving player much more control of the story. You are like the head writer of a comic book line, and we all get together to do JLA. My job is the Editor- gotta keep is all consistent. That's a game.

To facilitate this you have to provide an immense setting, you have to have generic plot hooks all over the place. You have to dream your Saga, but let them go wherever. If you know the setting well enough you can improvise. It is a ton of prep. Also just makes modular. It is simple to have the cult be whatever Inn the characters go to. You have to think modular like that but on a grand scale.

Luckily for me, published adventures are much better than when I was a kid. I know 40k well enough and FFG has a lot of good stuff on my shelves. 

Eventually it should get to where the players are driving the story. The players should decide what they are gonna do and then I'll fill in the details.

This is not new wisdom, by any means. Well, maybe the stuff at the top is. Throw all that touchy-feely "try to engage the Wallflower" advice in the trash. You will be saner.

Words of Advice for younger people.
Roy

Top 11 stroylines part 1 Eric

What an uninspiring title.  Roy and I wanted to pick our top 11 storyline (or single issues) of all time.  We did feel we had to narrow it down some, so we decided it had to be from a normal ongoing series.  No miniseries, no one shots, no maxiseries.  Just a regular ongoing title.  Did not even have to be a current one. One small cheat on this would be miniseries like Hellboy, BPRD, Mouse Guard, and a few others.  They do a series of minis that form the ongoing essentially so they counted.  We have also noted at the end of each entry if they are collected in anyway and if that collection is in print.  So without further pomp here are my 11.

It goes without saying that these are in no particular order.  However the first one is my top pick.

1. A three way tie of my 3 single favorite issues of all time.  New Teen Titans VOL 1 Issues #38 "Who is Donna Troy", #39 "Crossroads", and #50 "We are Gathered Here Today".  I can not discribe in enough detail how much these issues effected me as a kid.  They are some of the first back issues I ever hunted down.  #38 is perfect character piece focusing on Robin (Dick Grayson) looking for the truth about Donna Toy's background before she was adopted by Wonder Woman.  It is incredible moving with no super heroics at all.  #39 Starts with lots of action but ends with Kid Flash and Robin giving up there heroic identities so they can find a new way in the world.  #50 is the wedding issue between Donna Troy and Terry Long.  No on appears in costume through the whole issue.  These 3 issues I think represent the best story telling ongoing series have to offer.  There is so much character development and so much emotion evoked in the reader for the main characters.  #39 is collected in the Teen Titans Omnibus V.2 HC.  #38 and #50 are in the Who is Donna Troy TP but will also be collected (and recolored) in the soon to be released Teen Titans Omnibus V.3 HC.

The Rest fall in no particular order.

2.  New Teen Titans #23-25, Annual #1:  For a single story arc, especially from the Wolfman/Perez Titans run, most people pick Judas Contract.  I mean even the story arc has a name.  It is true I love that arc (1st appearance of Dick Grayon Nightwing) but the Tamaran Story Arc from 23-25, Annual 1 I think is an under appreciated masterpiece of super hero drama. Star Fire is kidnapped and taken home.  The rest of the team pursues.  Giant space fights, super hero battles, and cool character moments really drive this piece home. 
It is collected in New Teen Titans Omnibus V.2 HC.

3. Ultimate Spider-Man Vol1 #8-13.  There are two major reasons this will always be on my top anything list.  First issue #13 is the absolutely sweetest issue of teenage love ever put into comics.  If you do not crack a smile at this issue you are dead inside.  The second reason is the finial confrontation between Kingpin and Spider-Man.  I will leave it at that.  This is all in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 2 Learning Curve.

4. Avengers Vol 1 #270-277 "Avengers Under Siege"  One of the best super hero slug fests ever!  It is so well respect that the Avengers cartoon did its own version of it.  Collected in the trade Avengers Under Siege.

5. JLA VOL 1 #6-#7.  Grant Morrision relauch of the DC super team in the 90's has so many cool moments.  I will admit the there is only one reason this story arc is on my list, it has the greatest Martian Manhunter scene of all time.  And I love MM even if no one else does.  Collected in JLA VOL 1 TP

6. Mouse Guard Fall #1-6: I love the art.  I love the epic feel of the story.  What more left is there it say, except collected in Mouse Guard Fall TP

7. Sandman #21-28 "Season of Mists": So when Roy wanted to get me to read Sandman this is the book he handed me.  Not vol 1 but vol 4 and am I ever so glad he did.  This is one of the finest example of epic fantasy story telling in any medium!   Collected in Sandman Vol 4 Season of Mists TP.

8. Wonder Woman Vol 2 #170 "She's a Wonder": I will just say up front that sadly this book has never been collected anywhere.  Still the issue should be very cheap online or in back issue bends.  Another character piece I am so fond of, this one involving Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, an interview and a game of pool.  This simple stand alone issue captures both of these power female characters so beautifully.

9. Batman Vol 1 #404-407 "Year One."  I am not sure that anything really needs to be said about this other than it is the best Batman story in print.  Collected in Batman Year One TP and Deluxe HC.

10.  Legion of Super Heroes VOL 1 #294-296, Annual #1 "The Great Darkness Saga": Wow I am not sure I have the words to do this tale justice.  As any who has seen any collected version of this tale Darkseid is the big bad.  However in the story you are just given clue after till clue until the big reveal and it just floors you.  Still even with that spoiled it is a great story of ultimate evil and the brave few who try everything to stop it.  Collected in Legion of Super Heroes Great Darkness Saga Deluxe HC.

and lastly

11.  Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 #50: "Doomed Affairs": This was the single issue that got MJ and Peter back together after a long separation.  Some of J. Michael Straczynski best work on Spider-Man.  He wanted those two back together and found a way to make it work while telling a pretty funny story of Spidy having to stop an attempted assassination of Dr. Doom.  Sadly the collections of this are no longer in print and marvel does not plan to reprint it.  Grab it if you see it.  Amazing Spider-Man JMS ultimate collection vol 2 TP.

So there are mine.  I am sure that Roy's will be up in a few days.  Hopefully you guys enjoyed it. 

Eric

National numbers just confuse me

As many of you know I have been doing this for several years.  My time as General Manager of the Lair and then my years here were educational.  Mainly they showed me how regional comic sales are.  Many times over the years it is reported that Nationally comic books sales are down.  Though last year with the new 52 sales were up on issues but down on Graphic Novels.  Yet that has never been the case were I have worked.  Sales year after year were up anywhere from 3 to 10 percent growth each year.  I have often wondered where these downward trends manifest.  I have been to several retailer gatherings over the years and they, for the most part, are almost always up.  So then where are the shops that are suffering these down turns. The greater Austin Area has always been weird in general.  So maybe that is what is going on.  Perhaps the other retailers I talk to are also in strange bubbles like Austin.  I just do not know.

On another note:

DC's survey they did with Neilson after the New 52 launched was released.  It showed the age of comic book readers being mostly 20 to 40.  Which is what I have been saying for years.  These are the new readers people need to reach, not 10 year olds.  I know that we all got into comics at that age.  I know our parents did and perhaps their parents.  But I think for years new readers have been coming from a  much older age than "conventional wisdom" would tell us.  Turns out the publishers knew who was buying there comics and retailers, fans, and others yelling for more kids comics did not.  I am not saying the industry would not grow if more kids read.  It would.  However the target demographic that we should be going for is 16 plus. How about woman.  That is a largely ignored demographic in our industry.  Because "conventional wisdom" says woman don't like superhero books.  Bull!  I have a good number of female customers.  They range in tastes just like my male customers.  And just like my male customers mostly they buy stuff from DC or Marvel.  Again maybe we are just in a weird bubble.

While I am shooting sacred cows of our industry let me take sight at another.  You DO NOT have to keep adult material shrink wrapped or out of arms reach of little ones.  Most of them are not going to want to look at something that does not have big bright colors.  Why do you think Bone went color.  And even if they do I have two things to say to that.  First it is not going to hurt the child.  It will not rot their brains or kill their senses of propriety.    Second, and I can not stress this one enough, it is not my job to police what your children see.  That is your job. 

Hmm I think I have offended enough of my colleagues in the industry along with parents I am sure.  Good thing not many people read this.

Eric

Best of the Year of the Rabbit.

So it is that time of year again for us to tell you what the best of the preceding year was in our opinion.    As you may know we do it a little differently here at Tribe.  We honor my wife Chinese heritage and do our list by the Chinese New Year rather than the western new year.  So here goes my Top Elven list.  (Another strange thing we do and if you want to know why top 11 instead of 10, all I can tell you is that it has to do with how many time zones there were in the Soviet Union.  Want to know more bug Roy.)

Eric's TOP 11

While these are in no particular order my number one choice is just that my #1

1. Titans Games GN

An original story from Wolfman and Perez with their Titans lineup from 20 plus years ago.  I must admit I was worried when I read the preview but then I read the full book.  They manage to capture the magic I loved so much from those stories.  I really loved this book.  If you are a fan at all of that era, this is one book you need to get.  (The New Teen Titans Omnibus is the other, man the recolored pages are AMAZING.)

All the rest are in no particular order
2. Daredevil

Mark Waid's Daredevil run is so damn good.  It is my favorite marvel book.  It is nice to see Matt Murdock not having his life be total shit all the time.  Plus Paulo Rivera draws Daredevil's rader and hypersenses in a way I have never seen done before and I think it is great when an artist can do this.

3. Batman (New 52)

While I am not a fan of the art the story by Scott Snyder is so damn good.  I love this book for that reason.  Also if you have not checked out his pre new 52 Detective run with Dick Grayson as Batman it is worth reading.  It is called Black Mirror.

4. Nightwing (New 52)

How could I not be a fan of this book it is my favorite character.  Alright I have hated a lot of what has been done by writers to this character in the last 10 years (Tomasi's run is the exception to that).  This book, however, managed to capture everything I love about Dick Grayson.

5. Amazing Spider-Man

Dan Slott's run has been really really good.  It has been fun without being overly tragic.  It had a huge event (Spider Island)  that not only did not feel the need to kill any major characters but had great character moments.  If only other writers at marvel could use this templete for crossovers maybe the others would not suck.

6. Aquaman (New 52)

Damn this book is great.  This book maybe John's best work ever.  The art is beyond beautiful.   And it is much a book about Mera as Aquaman.  I can not recommend this book more.  It is really really good.  If you have not checked it out come by and read the first issue at the table.  If it does not hook you nothing will.

7. GI JOE/ Cobra

Alright first one of three repeats from last year on this list.  We keep telling people about these books and few believe us.  I understand.  As I have said I never thought I would recommend a GI Joe comic.  These both are very good. GI Joe is the perfect popcorn action flick and Cobra the really captures crime books with a spy vs spy feel.  Trust me try these out you will be glad you did.

8. Morning Glories

Still on the list.  Still love this book.  Still have no idea what is going on.  Still think you should read! 

9. Fables

This book is just great! that is why it is the third one from last years list on this years.

10. Star Wars Legacy War

The end to the best Star Wars comic.  Takes place 125 years after return of the Jedi and it was magnificent start to finish.  The end was a little rushed because they were only given 5 issue to do it in but still with that this is by far the one of the best comics out.  The same creative team will be doing  a book (starting in march) showing the origins of the Jedi order.

11. Huntress

I know that Roy does not really like this book.  I will also admit that there maybe better books out there, but month after month I find myself looking forward to this all action book.  It is just a fun afternoon read.  Though I am positive that in issue six we will find out the whole issue takes place on earth 2 and it will be a lead in to the JSA.

Then my one cheat.  DC Presents Life Story of the Flash.  Another reprint of a GN that will not see light of day again.  Which is too bad.  This is not only a great Flash Story, it is in my all time favorite list for single stories.  You will love it!

So that is my list.  and Now Roy's

Roy's List:

1. Fantastic Four/FF - I have always liked Hickman's stuff, and his work on Marvel's first family is no exception. It is a very slow build, but the pay0ff is worth it.

2. Demon Knights- This is one of my favorite books from the new 52. It is a great combination of humor and fantasy.

3. Batwoman- The story is great and the art is fantastic.

4. Swamp Thing- I am so glad the poetry-readin'-french-cigarrete-smokin' wall that Vertigo put up around it's horror characters is gone! The Good Gumbo is back! A great horror book.

5. Animal Man- Another great horror title from DC. The art is especially creepy and fits the story perfectly.

6. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents- I love this book. I was only able to read a few of the old ones as a kid, the new series captures the feel of those old issues perfectly. Would you still try to save the world if everytime you used your powers it was killing you? There is also a lot of espionage and hidden agendas.

7.Journey into Mystery- It is the best thing Marvel is putting out right now. It reminds me of the mythic issues of Sandman. Kid Loki rocks and Mephisto is charmingly devious.

8. Uncanny X-Force- The second best thing Marvel is putting out. Lots of black humor and over the top action!

9. Wonder Woman- When we heard that Azzarello was writing Wonder Woman we were afraid. This is the man whose Superman was colder than a Vulcan from Star Trek. His Batman joked around with hookers. Surprisingly his Wonder Woman is not a piece of shit like most of his other DCU works. In fact it is quite good. His take on the Greek Gods is both classic and fresh at the same time.  Best Wonder Woman I have read since Rucka.

10. Aquaman- Great art and great story.

11. Neonomicon- This comic is not for the faint of heart. There is rape and violence in this Lovecraft inspired tale. What sets this apart from Avatar's usual line of juvenile gore-filled smut, is that this is really good story. The violence is not done to tittilate, but to disturb..which it does.

That is it. Happy New Year!

Giving Report 2011

It's that time of year again where we give you guys a report on how much Tribe CAG and Tribe Customers were able to raise for Charity this year.  Things seemed a lot tighter all the way around.  There was a lot less to give and a lot less people asking.  Despite that we were able to support CASA with several fundraisers.  The good folks at Hero's Alliance took many donated comics and were able to use them through out the year at several fundraisers.  We helped out Team in Training with their Star Wars Themed fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Barton Hills Elementary had an auction for saving the school that we were able to give product to.  Two more area schools had silent auctions that we were able to help out.  Give to Game got several games from us plus I know a lot of you attended to help raise food for the food bank.  CBLDF again benefited from the can by the register.  All in all  between product and funds TRIBE CAG and Customers were able to raise a little more than $12000 this year. 

As some of you know we just started our keep the change program.  And though it is starting small I think it will have a big impact on next years report. 

These reports may sound a little like us tooting our own horn.  I assure it is not.  We do this every year so that you can see we are still committed to giving back as much as we can, as often as we can.  Well us and a little help from all our friends.

Tribe

For as little as $.50 a visit

So as many of you know we try to donate as much as we can.  Our yearly report will be out in a few weeks when a catch up the books. For now let me explain a new idea that I had, and that we will be starting in a week or so.

This was inspired, in part, by our banks keep the change program.  In case your bank does not have it the program is they round up all your charges and put the change into your savings account.  Roy and like this idea but instead of keep the money for the store we thought why not save it up over a month and donate it.

As a result we are now offering customers the option of telling us "keep the change."  We will then put that into a pool and at the end of the month donate to a worth wild charity.  Mostly small local ones where a small amount of money can do the most good.

"Well," you ask, "who gets to choose what charity is worth wild?"  Why we do of course.  I will try to have a sign or poster up at the register so that every month you can see what your change is going to.  While you might not think .27 cents is a lot at 200+ customers a week that is around $200 a month that will get donated to charity.  This is in addition to everything else we do.

So please here in the new year, make it a habit of everytime you check out tell us to keep the change.  We will do the rest. Plus we will be periodically matching the amout of change gathered for donation.

Just another way we try to walk to the walk.

Eric

52 Recommendations: Part 2

As DC's New 52 is approaching, the Tribe is going to post what they're looking forward to the most in September and beyond.

Next up we have Eric, co-owner of Tribe!

As a retailer I am very much looking forward to all of the 52.  Interest and excitement of new fans is hitting a all time high.  That means a lot of new customers trying out DC Comics.  That makes me happy.

As a fan I am a little more scared about this relaunch.  There are a few titles however that I am happy to see.


Batgirl (Gail Simone/Adrian Syaf and Vincente Cifuentes, cover by Adam Hughes)

I know a lot of people are annoyed she is no longer Oracle.  That it losses something from the integrity of the character.  I think it is wonderful.  I love Babs and I am very happy to see her back as Batgirl.  Plus Simone has waited all her life to write Babs as Batgirl and she will make sure the character does not lose anything that made her unique.  Of all the writers in the world for Batgirl there could not be a better choice.  I have total faith that she will make this the best book of the new 52.


Aquaman (Geoff Johns/Ivan Reis and Joe Prado)

While I have no been happy with the current story arc of GL, I loved Brightest Day.  Johns has wanted to do an Aquaman comic for  a while and this will give some need exposure to a under used JLA member.  With the exception of Morrison's 90's JLA run no one has really been able to write this Character as cool as he should be.  Johns will do that is nothing else.


Nightwing (Kyle Higgins/Eddy Barrows and JP Mayer)

I know that a lot of people were happy with Dick as Batman.  Certainly he did a better job than Bruce but the role did not work for me.  Dick never wanted to be the Bat he always wanted to be his own man.  I am so glad that he is getting his own book again.  How much of the character will change with the DCU being so altered I do not know, but I have to root for this book.  He has been my favorite character in comics since I was a kid,and he was Robin.


All Star Western (Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti/Moritat)

If you have not been reading the Jonah Hex book now is the time to try.  It has been the perfect spaghetti western.  The only bad part about the book was the rotating artists.  Now with All Star Western they will have a good regular artist, and the same great writers.  I have no doubt that this book will be great.  If you like the Clint Eastwood early western movies you need to try this number #1!

52 Recommendations Part 1

As DC's New 52 is approaching, the Tribe is going to post what they're looking forward to the most in September and beyond. If you don't want to miss anything, you can get all 52 titles for 25% off, or all a certain week's titles in the 52 for 15% off.

First up is me, Paul Harrison, the guy who currently maintains this website.

Birds of Prey (Duane Swierczynski/Jesus Saiz)

A noir novelist, and awesome (former) Marvel writer, Swierczynski's work is universally tense and action-oriented. Birds of Prey seems like a good fit - the team made up of normal, trained people, fighting real crime. Without Oracle in the new DC Universe, who knows what their backstory is, but it's sure to be a fun ride.

Legion Lost (Fabien Nicieza/Pete Woods)

I haven't read a Legion book in over a decade, but Nicieza's runs on Marvel's Thunderbolts, and DC's Red Robin has convinced me that I should buy everything he writes. It certainly doesn't hurt that it definitely looks like it's going to be a smart sci-fi superhero story, and takes its name from a Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (The Kings of Cosmic!) storyline that is now available in a trade paperback.

 

Mr. Terrific (Eric Wallace/Gianluca Gugliotta, cover by J.G. Jones)

Mr. Terrific is one of my favorite characters in the DCU, and this is his first solo series ever. Introduced in John Ostrander's old Spectre series, Mr. Terrific went on to be a member of the JSA, and later was the White King of DC's spy organization Checkmate. This new chapter in his life has him running his own corporation and think-tank, so I expect some pretty awesome super-science.

Justice League International (Dan Jurgens/Aaron Lopresti)

Partially spinning out of the amazing Justice League: Generation Lost, JLI represents a new take on one of the best Justice League comics of all time. JLI was razor-sharp wit, relevant stories, and just awesome stories. Dan Jurgens, creator and writer of Booster Gold, is someone that I definitely trust to continue these fine traditions. I know they're continuing the tradition of mysteries at least, since there used to be someone in the lower left in that cover. Hmmm?

Suicide Squad (Adam Glass/Marco Rudy, cover by Ryan Benjamin)

Despite these costumes (Which I hope don't make it past the cover), and despite Gail Simone's wonderful Secret Six ending, a new Squad title has been a long time coming. Politically relevant, hilarious, and incredibly brutal, the 80s Suicide Squad (First volume available now!) was one of the greatest comics ever made. Adam Glass's previous experience seems to mostly be with Deadpool titles, which I hope is a good fit.


Blue Beetle (Tony Bedard/Ig Guara/Ruy Jose, Cover by Taylor Kirkham/Sal Regla)

Jaime Reyes from El Paso, TX is one of the few superheroes Texans can call their own, and his previous adventures under Kieth Giffen and John Rogers (Collected starting in Blue Beetle: Shellshocked) were some of the best teenage superhero books you could ever want. Tony Bedard can be an inconsistent writer, but when he likes and knows characters, he's one of the best. I hope this is a breakout title for Blue Beetle, and Bedard since they really deserve one.


Animal Man (Jeff Lemire/Tarvel Foreman and Dan Green)

Animal Man is one of those characters that only a certain amount of people know is awesome, and that can be said for Jeff Lemire as well, who is a writing superhero. Jeff Lemire's creator-owned Sweet Tooth is one of the best things going, and if he bring half the drama and weirdness to Animal Man that Grant Morrison's definitional run did, without treading old ground, this could be the best title on my list here.

My disconnect with many comic readers

Looking at a lot of different geek forums, I have been surprised that this seems to be one of the most popular sentiments about the DC relaunches: "I am so excited about this. I am reading marvel, but now I can read some DC without worrying about lots of old continuity."

This reaction makes me wonder if these people made sure to read all the Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Avengers from the 60's to the present before reading any new marvel.

Of course there are titles like Sandman or Y the Last Man. Stuff with a beginning, middle and end. But in superhero comics there is no end, and "beginnings" seem to happen every 10-15 years. Even as a kid I knew this. I never went up to the cashier and asked how could I read detective comics #487 without reading the four hundred and eighty six before it.

A lot of these characters have existed over 75 years. Sure, you can get the archives and check out the art form in it's infancy. But you need know nothing to dive into a mainstream  supers tale!

Don't Be That Guy.

New DCU or old/new DCU or will digitial kill my comics take your pick

So with DC's big annoucment this week we have been getting a lot of questions.  What do we think?  Will it hurt Tribe business?  Will it be a total reboot?

Roy thought it would be a good idea if we had a blog post to answer some of these things.  He thought I should be the one to write it, my guess is because he is now on his weekend.   So here it goes:

The digital annoucnment does not concern me in the slightest.  Most of our customers do not buy digital comics.  Those that do are supplementing their buying that way not replacing.  We have also seen those that buy digital come back and purchase the trades collecting their digital stories.  I am sure you will be reading and hearing about how digital will kill floppy sales.  This may eventually be true.  However they said the same thing almost 12 years ago when both DC and Marvel moved to collected trades of their current runs.  Many people predicted people would move away from monthly to get the collected editions.  What really happened was some people switched over, some bought both, and others got into it just to get the trades.  Only time will tell on digital and the future it holds for the industry.

As for the New DCU.  DC sent an email to retailers explaining that was not a reboot.  It seems they are gonig to be keeping some aspects, if not most, of the current timeline.  As a reader I am very nervous.  Most of my favorite comic characters are DC 2nd and 3rd tier.  They are usually the ones to get the most "reimagining."  As a retailer I am very excited by this.  Right after Infinite Crisis DC did a one year later jump.  Many people picked up those books to see what all the excitment was.  It did not work out as well as it could of, mainly because several creative directions were not to fans liking.  However if this is done right it could greatly increase DC and Tribes sales.  How can I not love that.  DC is also the company that goes out of their way to help  retailers.  Many of these #1, #2, and #3's will be returnable so that we can take a risk and not lose our shirts as it were.

So I guess the over all upshot is Digital no worries.  Reboot (or whatever it is) reader in me nervous.  Retailer in me is excited.

In other news Roy thinks this will change nothing and it is a bunch of hype.

There you go

Marvel vs DC (idiocy I have hear at my shop 1)

" I like Marvel better because it is more realistic." "I like DC better because the heroes are more heroic." " I like Marvel better because the attitude is more modern."

Hardly a week goes by that I do not hear these kinds of comments. Most people know that I despise a lot of what Marvel has done recently(Scarlet Witch, Sentry, Mary Jane), but I can honestly say I love both universes. If I didn't love Marvel's world, there would be no reason for me to hate Joe Quesada. Also, I don't care if someone prefers one or the other.  But it drives me crazy when people tell me these whacked out reasons why they prefer one company over another. "I like Coke better than Pepsi because Coke has water in it."

I think the main problem is a lot of comics fans know just enough to be dangerous. During most of the Silver Age, there was a substantial difference in the two publishers. Marvel was all about misunderstood youth and the dangers of The Man. DC was all about eat plenty of vegetables and go to bed early. But even this is just a generalization. But the college kids and hippies decided marvel was more "hip."

The problem is that I hear this from customers that I am certain are not reading 60's material. Ever since I have been reading, both publishers seem thematically the same. Both universes' heroes have flaws. Both contain grisly villains. Girlfriends stuck in refrigerators, sidekicks beaten to death, heroes on drugs, cops vs heroes, street level heroes, the power of a billion exploding sons, misunderstood youth, moral ambiguity....they are in both.

Also, I am sorry but Marvel is in no way less powerful than DC. Thor, Invisible Woman, Dr. Strange, Magneto, Phoenix, Doom, and others too numerous to mention could probably give Superman a run for his money, if not win the battle. Richards, Pym, or Stark are constantly whipping up very powerful gadgets. Remember, we are not comparing titles we are comparing the whole universes.

So when the Marvel snobs come in prattling on about realism, then I have to wonder the last time a teenager burst into flames or when a giant tried to eat the planet. Also, who the hell wants realism? Put those unrealistic comics down! Realism is the FF land and die of cancer. Realism is Banner is blown to bits. Yay realism! 

A lot of creators have done a lot of work for both publishers, their style and themes can be found in both universes.

Like I said, I really don't care if people like one and not the other. They are depriving themselves of some good stories, though. What is good is all subjective. But just don't tell me any bullshit.  Pepsi has water in it too!

-Roy

Giving Back Report

So as many of you know we here at Tribe are big at giving back to the community both local and at large.  It was one of our earliest business decisions.  The goal was to give a portion of our over all profits to help causes we believed in.  As many of you know we have not had much in the way of pay for Roy and I.  However that has not stopped us from trying to raise awareness and money for the causes we love.  So we have asked our customers for help from time to time.  Many of you contributed to Team Tribe when my wife Joansandy was trying to raise money for the Heart Association last year.  Many of you have put spare change in our Comic Book Legal Defense Fund jar we have at the registrar.  Cans of food were brought in last year for the Give to Game.  Comics and games were donated for our Christmas drive whose name I forgot both this past year and the year before.  And Roy and I have followed suit and tried to give product here and there for silent Auctions, raffles, door prizes etc.  Where that was not feasible we gave money.    Anyways this long rambling is a thank you to all who have helped us help others.  Because of Tribe's efforts both Customers and Owners in 2009 we were able to donate (in one form or another) almost $5000.00.  In 2010 we were able to triple that number and give 15,000.00! 

Thanks to all of our customers who have helped for the last 2 years.  I am glad that so many wanted to help us help others.  Here is hoping that 2011 is even better.

That about covers it.

Eric