"The First Death": now in the money-wasting hardcover edition!

[pith]

As if it weren't bad enough that LKH and Co. spread this story out over two comics when, with her overuse of narration, it barely needed one, now it's compiled in a hardcover. Yes, just like issues 1-6 of Guilty Pleasures, except at least with that collection, you got six comics, not two comics and a "character handbook".

(I think LKH is the one who needs the character handbook, not the readers, but hey, that's another post entirely.)

Anyway, for those interested in inflicted the pain upon yourselves or loved ones, enjoy. Because, in the grand tradition money-draining comic editions, there's not only the main cover (note the compensating-for-something size of her name on the cover) but also the obligatory variant cover.

I seriously wonder who's buying these anymore. Granted, I haven't done extensive comic shop research, but at the comic stores I go to, the Anita books are not flying off the shelves by any stretch of the imagination.

Comments

[dwg.livejournal.com]

EGADS. According to my Comic Book Guy, the comics have been oddly popular but he has no idea why. Last time I was in the Dingey Comic Book Store, I picked up the hardcover part 1 of the 1-6 GP, and stared in absolute horror at just how small and ridiculously expensive it was. I'm used to getting boob discounts from buying stuff in that store, but for the price of that one hardcover, I can get at least two or three Hellblazers, or a Hellsing and maybe that copy of I Am Legend that's been calling to me for a while. Or any other combination of product.

I think I'll stick to piracy, kplzthx. Oh shit, that reminds me...I need to PSA First Death #2. *facepalm*

[christraven.livejournal.com]

the comics have been oddly popular but he has no idea why.

It's winter, and people need kindling for their bonfires/wood burning stoves/fireplaces/etc.

That's the only reason I can think of.

[christraven.livejournal.com]

But none quite so satisfying.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

One foil to your logic, mon ami -- it's summer here in Australia. Burning stuff isn't exactly recommended given that it's bushfire season right now.

[christraven.livejournal.com]

Y'know, a guy tries a little humor...

::sigh::

:)

[dwg.livejournal.com]

:D I did get it, but...well, I'm stewing down here. I think my humour's gone to Canada and is currently enjoying the ski conditions and hottubbing with snowbunnies. I'm insanely jealous.

[christraven.livejournal.com]

You know, if it's doing all that, I think I'm jealous. We haven't had a proper snow around my neck of the woods for a looong time.

[cheeky-duckie.livejournal.com]

Hey, there's still people in our area who need something to heat their houses while the power is out.

[moonbeamdancer.livejournal.com]

Her waist is non existent on the second cover. Someone apparently didn't pay attention in art class the day they were covering proper anatomy proportion....

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

Silly, she has to hold up her bosoms.

Actually, I think it's her method of rendering a "polo shirt" a bit sexy and body revealing, since those things actually hang like sacks.

[kessie.livejournal.com]

And I wonder why Anita is always holding that pose with one arm across her stomach.

Reaching for her gun? Only logical explanation I can think of.

[easol.livejournal.com]

It's to emphasize her big bosoms. Otherwise we might not notice them.

Although some body language experts would probably go to town on that.

[vlredreign.livejournal.com]

Well, I spent 20 bucks on the hardcover edition of The Gunslinger Early Years, but hey, that's Stephen King, and I knew what I was getting, and it was good, too.

[easol.livejournal.com]

Same here. And it had good art -- we weren't confronted with a Roland with anatomically incorrect legs, squiggle hair, overflowing thighs, and a bad eighties ensemble.

[auryanne.livejournal.com]

I was actually really happy with that since they included extra art. Although I wish they'd included the short stories that were in the individual issues. I'll have to keep buying both, I guess.

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

The guy on the variant cover looks like a John Constantine rip-off (http://www.insanerantings.com/hell/). And Anita looks like she's got ugly tattoos all over her face. Or is that supposed to be hair in her face? I can't tell.

In the original cover, Anita and the guy both have anime blue hair. This is not a look that Anita can carry off. Look at what TV Tropes has to say about blue hair on a woman (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HairColors):

Blue hair on a woman tends to indicate shyness or introversion, a correspondence which seems to have originated with Ami "Sailor Mercury" Mizuno from Sailor Moon. It also seems to connote extraordinary intelligence in both genders -- Ami Mizuno, again, but also Miki Kaoru from Revolutionary Girl Utena and Touma Hashiba from Yoroiden Samurai Troopers.

Intelligence? Shyness? ANITA?!

Does. Not. Compute.

[sharkcowsheep.livejournal.com]

SOMEBODY GET THE HAIR OUT OF HER FSKING FACE AIGHJ&^$%&

[pith]

I know: I'm kinda glad Blade ended its run, because now I don't get anything from Marvel any longer, but I just can't see charging $20 for 2 comics and a handbook when you could get the first 6 issues in hardcover for the same price.

But fans will buy pretty much anything, alas. I thought First Death was largely a waste of paper: it didn't merit two comics. Maybe one, but that's still stretching it.

They'll probably have a hardcover of 1-12 as well. Have to pimp out those alternate covers, after all.

[easol.livejournal.com]

And the original story is usually drecky. That was definitely one of them -- I've seen less mystery in grocery runs.

[mariakatarina.livejournal.com]

WTF on the first cover. Is Jean-Claude petting her hair? Are the tops of his legs supposed to be protruding with muscle definition (of muscles that do not actually exist in those places on the human body) or is that the pants themselves? And a fringed leather jacket?!

How many "Hello, the 80's called..." jokes can we get out of that?

[easol.livejournal.com]

You know, I just took human biology and had to memorize all the important muscles of the body, including virtually everything on the legs. And somehow, along the way, the teacher forgot about those. ;)

[easol.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the most worthless comic prequel EVAH. Seriously, it's just another chance for Whorenita to play a tough-as-nails damsel-in-distress, and have all the men fawn over her awesomeness. Even more hilarious, Dolph and Zerbrowski are mislabelled -- priceless.

And, of course, it's there for for LKH to ramble on forever about stuff we don't care about, only to realize ten pages from the end that whoops, she hardly has any space left for her Big Kickass Climax. (Which is also tight and wet and rainmaking... whoops, wrong type of climax)

Either way, I am slavering for this hardcover edition to come out... because amazon doesn't let me write scathing, low-on-the-pH-scale reviews of books that haven't been released yet.

[denouement16.livejournal.com]

"(note the compensating-for-something size of her name on the cover)"

Funny that you mention that...I was looking at my bookshelf the other day and realized that LKH's name took prominence on the cover with NiC, where the title of the book is smaller. I know the only pre-Nic hardback is OB, but LKH's name isn't that prominent. Anyone else notice this?

[alex-lebeau.livejournal.com]

Holy mother of the gods and all their half-human spawn, that variant is Rob Liefeld terrible. She's supposed to be pointing her gun between her arm and her ribcage, backwards!? What the shit is this? Reservoir Dogs!? And why for the love of hell is Edward smiling?

[easol.livejournal.com]

Because he's thinking about how he's gonna kill the comic book artists.