Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 3, Issue 7

Okay, lemme say this right up front, if only for my own sake. I am going to my comics shop today, no matter what. Seriously. I swear. It's been a month of Wednesdays since I've gotten to the store on time, because of little things like tons of work and feet of snow.

This is madness.

And it has to stop.

So, hopefully, by this time tomorrow I'll have been to the store and I'll have a (ridiculous) pile of books to read over the coming long weekend. Hopefully.

But for now, let's focus on the things I am yet to purchase, since I won't be able to get to my shop until later on. It's a pretty big week of books, but I think I've managed to keep my list within reason.

Actually, before we get to all that, some breaking news. In a follow-up to yesterday's post about Borders Books, as of this morning, Borders has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing a total debt of $1.29 billion.

While they are in talks to pay back an estimated $230 million in debts to a long list of publishers, in an official statement this morning, Borders Group says that, in the next few weeks, it will close around 200 of their 642 stores in the United States.

If you'd like to read more about it, you can check out www.bordersreorganization.com, a new site put up by the company to address issues relating to the restructuring.

Well, obviously, this whole thing comes as no surprise. Still, I have to admit that my stomach did that weird, pull-y thing when I read the words early this morning. Sad to see, and I wish everyone who is losing a job over this mess the best in the coming weeks.

On that wonderful note...

There are a few big comics releases this week, like the final issue to the lead-up to the next big Green Lantern event, but I'm most excited about a couple of Image books.

One of them is a trade paperback collection of the first arc to 2010's break-out hit, Morning Glories, and the other...well, the other is something else, entirely. First to Morning Glories, though.
This was a book that we here at Exfanding told the whole world about, prior to its release, and, apparently, the whole world listened.

Because the issues sold out before they hit stands (something unique...and insane...to the comics industry) and the series is officially a Big Hit for Image.

As mentioned, the issues--especially first printings--became quite difficult to track down, as earlier issues in the series were heavily under ordered by retailers (apparently they don't read the blog).

But now is your chance to jump on, because the perfectly priced trade ships to stores today. At $9.99, for six issues, this is definitely a bargain. Here's the solicitation information from Image:

Morning Glory Academy is one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country, but something sinister and deadly lurks behind its walls. When six gifted but troubled new students arrive, they find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives as the secrets of the academy reveal themselves!

Check it out.

Up next, we have something called the Captain Wonder 3-D One-Shot, which will feature, according to Image, the most advanced 3-D tech ever used in print.
Like Nathaniel, I am not the world's biggest 3-D fan. But this book has me very interested. With story and art by Brian Haberlin and Philip Tan, this 48-page issue isn't cheap. It carries a $4.99 price tag, but, as the solicitation mentions, that includes the 3-D glasses.

Here's the blurb from Image:

Captain Wonder is the superhero of this world—he’s saved millions during his twenty-four year career. But now everything is going to Hell in a hand basket. You see, Captain Wonder has been missing for the last two months, and things don’t look so good.

Now meet Billy Gordon, ten years old and it seems someone is stalking him. What’s going on? Featuring the creative duo of Brian (Witchblade, Spawn, Aria) Haberlin and Philip (Green Lantern, X-Men, Spawn) Tan.

THE MOST ADVANCED 3D EVER IN PRINT - INCLUDES SPECIAL 3D GLASSES!

Image is on a major league hot streak with their books lately, and I'm more inclined to try their stuff than ever before. I find myself pre-ordering almost everything they're putting out, and hopefully Captain Wonder keeps that trend going.

Okay, gotta cut this short. But first, a quick teaser--since we've officially passed the 51,000 hit mark on this here blog, we're gonna do something special. And, since we're now officially important on the Internet (note that we're not actually officially important on the Internet, but our moms think we're cool), the announcement will be something Internet-y.

Right.

That's coming soon. Like, Friday, soon.

In the meantime, what are you Waiting for?

Hear That? It's the Other Shoe Dropping

So, it's now all but official that the Borders chain of bookstores will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and that upwards of 250 retail locations in the United States will close their doors in the coming weeks and months.

According to several sources, and most notably in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, the bookseller has given up on its efforts to refinance and to secure loans from outside companies.

From all reports, it seems like the retail giant was in too deep, and their debts were staggering. There was a brief period of hope, as GE recently became interested in keeping Borders afloat, but that fell through, and now the Michgan-based company has no place left to turn.

While filing for bankruptcy doesn't always mean The End of All Things (Marvel Comics did it back in the 90s), in this case...it pretty much means The End of All Things.

And while it will be bad for me--both personally (I love bookstores!) and professionally (I am still in this wacky publishing industry, you know)--this announcement means a lot more bad news for a lot of people.

First and foremost, thousands of jobs are going to be cut as a result of this, and a lot of good people will be left looking for work in this exceedingly difficult job market.

I've always said that working is retail is one of the toughest things to do, and working at a big bookstore is certainly at the top of that Tough Things to Do list. Especially at the big stores, where questions like, "What do you think my dad will like?" are heard on an almost daily basis.

Additionally, the publishing industry itself will be affected by this, obviously, as Borders has been responsible for a large percentage of overall book sales.

Amazon and Barnes & Noble have seen stock prices jump in reaction to this week's reports, but let's be realistic here when it comes to B&N. Brick-and-mortar book stores are in trouble. Lots of it. And Amazon is the main reason why.

Now, clearly, Barnes & Noble has been much, much more savvy in terms of their anticipation of digital product and their attempts at creating an online alternative to Amazon with their Web store. They've obviously done a better job than anyone else in their efforts to maintain the relevancy of a shop.

Still, I wouldn't be surprised if we're having a very similar discussion about them in a couple of years. Publishing in general is a scary place to be, but at least publishers can rely on digital press to keep their books going.

For publishers, content rules.

For retail stores? Paper rules.

I hate to think that the bookstore--the bookstore, for goodness sakes!--will go the way of the five and dime, or Saturday morning cartoons, and become this nostalgic thing from our childhoods.

Because that's just too depressing to think about.

Valentine's Day for Single People, etc.

In some part of the world right now, it might still be Valentine's Day, right? If you've come here in search of advice about picking up a romantic movie that both you and your better half can tolerate, check out last year's post. For everyone else, I have nothing for you.

No, really. Alex tasked me with writing a Valentine's Day post like I might actually know something about the subject matter, now that I'm engaged. (Spoiler alert: I'm engaged.) In truth, I don't know any more about being romantic or Valentinesy than the next guy. As far as I can tell, being romantic involves knowing the person you fancy well enough to do something that's unexpected and shows you were thinking of them. Thus endeth my expertise.

I know at least one or two people who are happily un-romanced, and probably couldn't care less about little heart-shaped sugar candies with messages evidently written by lolcats on them. Perhaps you are one of them. Most people have some sort of instant reaction to the mention of Valentine's Day, usually either "Yay!" or "Ugh!" or "You're totally missing the point of what today is all about!" As for me, I'm indifferent.

Whether single or attached, my best Valentine's Day memories are from the times when everyone involved in celebrating was on equal footing. When single, it's been fun to be around other single people, lamenting about how single we were. (Last time I did this, I was the only guy in a group of about four girls.) When attached, it's been fun to do something together, as a couple.

It's no fun to watch everyone you know go out to celebrate with their lucky, lucky, beautiful, wish-you-could-be-them boyfriend / girlfriend / spouse / whatever. It's also no fun (or less fun) to work your butt off for the person you're involved with simply because "romantic" somehow equates to paying for everything.

I've always thought of Valentine's Day as a day for the couples to block out the world and focus on each other, and for the eternally single to unite and block out the couples. It should be a celebration of your relationship status, not a reason to suffer because you are or are not coupled.

Right?

The Final Apology

I'm instituting a new rule for all our creative endeavors: They will be done when they get done.

For the past two days, Alex has mentioned how little time he's had to write. Just before that, I mentioned how my computer underwent a forced reinstallation of Windows. Well, I've now had to reinstall Windows twice in the same week (don't ask), and I just discovered that all my Mega Man 6 project files aren't opening with whatever default version of Movie Maker I just reinstalled, so there's my technological setback for this round of videos.

Every time. Every single time. Truth be told, I would have been disappointed with myself if something catastrophic didn't happen this time; it's that obligatory plot twist that everyone's counting on.

We're still posting every day, and I'm still working toward releasing my next Mega Man 6 video. I know Alex has been on the verge of falling into a black hole for weeks now, but I've been occupied with any number of items, and I've been cheerfully crossing off one or more things from my to-do list on a daily basis. Every tick mark and strikeout is a step closer to having the ideal conditions for writing and recording. Fewer things to think about or interfere with the creative process.

Alex is welcome to abstain from following this decree--he's a nice guy, and writing about why he can't write has proven to be cathartic in the past. As for me, I will be bringing you unapologetic filler posts from now on. In addition to the regular and beefy posts, of course. I just won't make any more excuses for the filler or promises about the good times to come.

So, I'm sorry this wasn't much of a post, but I'll definitely have something more worthwhile tomorrow.