Berserkers - Solo Island, by Darkside Media - A Review

At Rhode Island ComicCon I was fortunate enough to come across the Darkside Media table.  There I picked up a copy of:

Berserkers - Solo Island, First Issue
by Bill Hawk and Daniel Sguiglia

This is yet ANOTHER new release from Darkside Media, a company which I had the pleasure of putting on my radar thanks to the Rhode Island ComicCon last weekend.  Read more about them on their website:

http://www.darksidemedia.us

The creators of this comic also have a kickstarter campaign going for their other title, Lovecraft P.I.  (read my review of this title in a previous post)  If you’re a supporter of comic books, and newcomers to the market,  I can’t think of a better cause:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darksidefilms/lovecraft-pi-a-three-issue-limited-comic-series

Author’s Dislcaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with this comic, or in cahoots with anyone affiliated with this comic, and receive no remuneration for this article.  My only request is if you do meet up with anyone from there, tell them The Comic Whisperer sent you.  It won’t get you anything special, but it will sure make me feel good.

Berserkers - Solo Island is set in the 1950s.  To say this was a decade to remember would be selling it short;  the world was still recovering from WWII (which went from 1939 to 1945), the cold war (which went from 1947 to 1991) was just hitting its stride, Texas Instruments developed the first transistor radio (in 1954), and gas was 18 cents a gallon.

The focal point is Navy Ensign Alex Sands and his assignment; travel to Solo Island, (population 2,401) go to a decommissioned weather station, and “keep an eye on things.”  Certainly sounds innocent enough, right?  As it turns out there is a little more to it.

According to Sands’ C.O. ("Commanding Officer” for those of you not fluent in military acronyms) the island used to have a decent fishing and canning business that went belly-up.  Apparently, it also had an indian tribe that ran bootleg hooch operations there during prohibition (which went from 1919 - 1933 in the U.S.).  That went belly-up as well when the Treasury Dept. found out about it in 1931.

As I don’t want to spoil the book for you, however, let’s just say that...well...people died.  Lots of ‘em.  We’re talking mass grave numbers.

Concurrent to the rollout of the plot the cast of characters are introduced:

Ada Tremayne, Bookkeeper and Town Historian
Mayor Stansfield, he’s...um...the Mayor
Doctor Parke, from Woodham University
and
Jacques Ravel, who works with Doctor Parke

All of whom you can almost picture as characters in the game of ‘Clue’.  You know, Colonel Mustard?  Professor Plumb?  Never mind...

There are several things that make Berserkers - Solo Island a great read.

First, it has the look and feel of the times.  For instance, there is a sign in a military office that reads, “If you wouldn’t tell Stalin, don’t tell anyone.”  which brings to mind the old “Loose Lips Sink Ships” mantra.  The lack of technology sticks out like a sore thumb with the use of whiteboards and phones with cords. There is also the dramatic difference in what things cost back then.  When Ensign Sands needs to take a cab ride he is charged $1 and complains that it “seems a little steep”.   Last, the hairstyles and clothing are perfect for the era.

The second thing is the illustrations and the colors used throughout.  It is a very simple illustrative style that reminds one of the artwork found in the Hellboy/Abe Sapien series.  Very few lines with very big effects.  There is also a very limited color palette.  It’s almost exclusively earth tones giving the story an older look and feel.  So, either the colors were VERY well thought out or...I can’t think of a funny alternative, so let’s stick with the “very well thought out” theory.

The last thing that struck me was how very well planned out the island was in preparation for the story.  There is conceptual art by Bill Hawk in the back of the comic that shows a map of the entire island and where everything is.  The only drawback is that without the lens used in the Hubble Telescope it’s impossible to read the microscopic Key to see what everything is.  Fortunately, Amazon had such a lens on sale, so I bought it.

Berserkers - Solo Island is a suspenseful, extremely well drawn, and thoroughly thought out read.  You’ll find that, although not enough is revealed about any character for you to bond with them yet, there is enough of a taste that you want to learn more.  It’s clear that this isn’t just a story to those at Darkside Media, this is comic book engineering with painstaking detail...not unlike their other title, Lovecraft P.I.

My recommendation?  Buy it, Read it, Bag and Board it.  It has all the qualities of the TV show that everyone wants to see as it airs because everyone will be talking about it the next day.  If it’s not the type of series that pulls out all the stops for the preview, then let’s things slip as time passes, we’re all in for a big treat!

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The 3 Buyer “Types” at Any Given ComicCon

I got alot of feedback on the 3 Vendor “Types” at any given ComicCon so, by request, here are the 3 Buyer “Types” at any given ComicCon.

1.)  The “Bargain Hunter” Type:

This is the person that waits until the last day of ComicCon to make his purchases so that he can get everything he wants at deep discounts.

The Issue:

A vendor really does have it rough.  They buy a booth, show up at ungodly hours to set up, hope they sell enough to make the event worthwhile, and then pack up and drag what’s left home.  So, on the last day many vendors will deeply discount prices so that they can make a little money and not have to pack so much for their trip home.  So, bargain minded fans wait until that moment to buy.

The Bigger Issue:

In order for a vendor to come to a ComicCon it has to be worth their while.  The fact is, like any business they are there to make a profit.  Deeply discounting things may lighten the load on the way home, but it also reduces profits.  In order to maximize their income vendors will skip certain events if they have no history of making money there.  This can hurt the buyer in the long run.

2.)  The “Haggler” Type:

This is the person who feels that the price tags are just for decoration and have absolutely NOTHING to do with what they have to pay.  So, instead of offering to pay full price they start every sentence with “Will you take______ for these?”.

The Issue:

Although I have seen this rise to ridiculous levels, this is how our current system of exchange started many moons ago.  Nothing had a price tag and everything was negotiable.  The fact is, however, we have evolved since then.  We now have a system of currency for the exchange of goods.

The Bigger Issue:

Haggling has caused an issue on both sides of the table.  As much as a buyer will offer a lower price, I hear many vendors, when seeing someone looking at the price tags, say, “I can do better than that.”  There are also those vendors who prepare for negotiation by raising prices so they can “haggle down” to a reasonable price.  The fact remains that people are there to make money and they won’t come back if they don’t.  So, although haggling can be good, it can also cause a landslide effect that is bad for everyone.

3.)  The “Thinker” Type:

This is the person who says that they will “think about it” and never do.  They are either too uncomfortable telling the vendor that they don’t feel good about the deal OR they just forget about it while walking around.

The Issue:

I haven’t seen any studies on it, but I would venture to say that 9 out of 10 people who say they are going to “think about it” don’t actually think about it.  There aren’t enough pages to speculate why a person can't just say, “I think I’ll pass” so I won’t even guess.  Needless to say, the words, “I’ll think about it” translate into “a lost sale” to most vendors.

The Bigger Issue:

It’s only polite to let someone know that you’re not interested or won’t do something.  For instance, how would it be if you took your car to a garage, and asked what it would take to fix your car and how much it would cost, and the mechanic said, “I’ll think about it”.  How about if you proposed and your significant other said, “I’ll think about it”.  You may argue that it isn’t the same because the car being fixed and proposal are more serious matters that require answers.  Hogwash.  The vendor’s livelihood is in what you are looking to buy.  If they offer you a deal they are trying to put food in their mouths without losing their shirts.  It’s a serious matter to them.  If enough people turn a deal down it may even force a vendor to change the price on a book and everyone wins.  They make a sale and the buyer gets a good deal.  Isn’t that worth the occasional, “I think I’ll pass?"

It’s actually funny.  After the first of these two blogs I got feedback that there were Vendor “Types” that I missed.  I also fully expect that there are Buyer “Types” that I missed...alas, those are for another day.

Suffice it to say that for every “I’ll think about it” or “Haggler” or “Bargain Hunter” there are those who will just be thrilled they found what they were looking for and pay the asking price.

I’d still like to see a study on all of this...

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The 3 Vendor “Types” at Any Given ComicCon

I have to admit, I have trouble buying comic books at a ComicCon.   It’s never WHAT to buy, it’s WHO to buy from!  There are 3 vendor types at any ComicCon:

The “Nice” Vendor

These are the vendors who don’t have any concerns about what they make or how high or low the price is compared to market value.  They just want people to like them and they want to be "good to people."

The issue (pun intended):

Comic book pricing is similar to the pricing of real estate and antiques in that it is based on other comparable comics.  So, if I have two of the same comic, in the same condition, they should have the same, or similar, value.  This isn’t usually the case with the “Nice” vendor.  They want to charge well below market value to be nice to people because “it’s just a side business anyway”.

The bigger issue: (this pun was not, in any way, intended)

Buying from them gets me a great bargain (I bought a “first appearance” comic for 25% of its market value).  But, if done in too big a number they can deflate the value of the comic.

The “Market Value” Vendor

These are the vendors that price everything by the “Overstreet Guide” or some other pricing guide.  So, if a Grade 9.2 is valued at $300 then it’s priced at $300.

The issue (this will be the same pun format as before):

Market values are created for a simple reason and that is to make sure that people have a basis for comparison for the item being sold.  For example, I am completely stupefied by the real estate market.  A house I think should be worth $1 million is worth $250 thousand and vice versa.  If it weren’t for a “Market Value Analysis” on a house that I want to buy I could pay way too much (if there are any real estate agents who will charge me way too little, give me a call).  So, a “Market Value” vendor uses the philosophy that they are selling it at what it’s worth and, if I want, I can look it up.

The bigger issue:

A comics value is only what the buyer will pay, not what is in a pricing guide.  Going back to the real estate example, the house could be worth $1 million but no-one in their right mind would pay that price.  Look at what happened when the real estate market bubble burst...lotsa people owing more than what their house is worth.

The “Comic Books Will Get Me Rich” Vendor:

These are the vendors that take advantage of a passionate marketplace by pricing comic books well above what they will ever be worth because someone will pay that price...eventually.

The issue:

This is the exact opposite of the issue with the “Nice” vendor.  If enough of a certain edition sell way beyond market value it can falsely raise the price of a comic or collection.  Then, when the bottom drops out of the market, all sorts of things can go wrong.

The bigger issue:

With people buying at a fevered pace at a ComicCon, and the threat that “if you decide to walk around and think about it, it may not be here when you get back”, people pay ridiculous prices.  At the most recent ComicCon I saw the same comic, in similar conditions, differ in price by almost  $100.  A quick glance at eBay, right now, shows Daredevil #131 (the first appearance of Bullseye) selling as low as $49 and as high as $1,999 (supposedly in the same condition).  I promise you that there will be a buyer for both of them.

So, who do you buy from?  The answer is simple:

There are no “right” or “wrong” vendor types.  In the end it’s you who are responsible for making an informed decision on a comic book purchase and a comic is only worth what you are willing to pay.  Do your homework as you would with any purchase and set limits for yourself as to what you will, and won’t, spend.

Oh, and one more thing;  Go ahead...walk around and think about whether you want to pay that price or not.  I guarantee that if it’s not at that particular stand when you get back it will surely be at another.

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ComicCons Aren’t Events, They are Happenings.

It seems like everyone has at least one story where they talk about a thought that sounded great in their head but sounded ridiculous when they said it.  This is a story of something I was positive I knew in my head UNTIL I went to say it.

Before we dive into this story, I should point something out.  Despite my love for all things comics this was the first time that I put any significant thought, or money, into cosplay.  As you can see below, The Winter Soldier was nominated to be my alter ego during ComicCon.  I was told that any costume that contributed to covering up my entire face was preferable.  (I could only assume they meant that too many people recognizing me would cause massive outcries for my autograph and private photo sessions.)

But I digress...

I think you will agree that a ComicCon is not just a place that you go or a thing that you do...it’s a living, breathing organism.  Whether you are there to meet the cast of Sons of Anarchy, to explore the many iterations of “Doctor Who”, to dress up as a character who can snuff a planet with a sneeze, or to spend your child’s college account on all the variations of Spider-Man #700, you are with at least one other like-minded person.  How and why that happened was clear in my head until that fateful moment I was asked to explain it to someone.

picture wavy lines and “time traveling” music to signify that I am thinking back in time....

It was during the above photo session that my daughter and I were queried by a woman with a list of questions that, really, seemed to be one big question.

“Why do people do this type of thing?  There are alot of them right?  I mean, what’s the fascination with people coming here and playing dress-up?  What’s the draw of it all?”

There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm or nastiness in her voice.  She was completely sincere.

Ummmmmmmmmmm...what?  Is this a trick question?  Who are you here with and didn’t they explain any of this to you?  

I mean, I knew the answer but I had never been asked to verbalize it before.  I didn’t know there’d be a pop quiz!  I was never good at those things!  That’s why I cheated all the t.... (never mind all that, stay focused on the story)   Looking back, that probably wasn’t the right thing to tell her.  If I could go back in time to that very second and answer it all over again, this is what I would tell her:

A ComicCon is not an event, it’s a happening.  

It’s a gathering of thousands of people who believe that the time for heroes isn’t over, because it never ended. 

They are filled with individuals who don’t question why you’re different, nor are they bothered if you’re the same, they just want their photo taken together.

Are there alot of ComicCons?  Yes, there are.  But when you look at them close enough you realize that one is merely a continuation of another with a small pilgrimage in between for a change of scenery.

They are happenings where the words “stranger” and “introvert” are never used because there aren’t any there.

They are where there are loud flourishes of creativity through ideas, costumes, pencils, and pens...not through sub-committee meetings and majority votes.

Where a signature adds hundreds of dollars to the value of something already priceless.

Where the Joker and Harley Quinn get along and Bucky is fine with, or without, Cap.

It’s where geeks and nerds are only different because they sit at the top of the food chain.

Yes, if I could speak to that woman again it would be completely different and it would include a “thank you” for reminding me not to take things for granted.


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A Note of Thanks To The Artists at the Hartford ComicCon

I have always found it remarkable how people don’t understand how truly talented they are.  Everyone reading this has a talent which is admired by someone.  The problem is we are never told how much we are admired and when we are we tend to shrug it off.

Why is it that we would love to be complimented then when we are we say, “Oh, it’s really nothing.” or “Anybody can do what I do”.  It’s an odd trait that we all have.  That trait was never more obvious than at the Hartford ComicCon this past weekend.

It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that I have my own group of favorite artists, writers, etc.  We all do.  But it’s rare to find many of them in one spot on one day and you can meet them all.  This is what happened to me.

With the risk of leaving anyone out my personal favorites are:

Paul Ryan:  Iron Man, Squadron Supreme, Thor and the Thing to name a few
Mark McKenna:  Listed on more than 500 comics and inking over 8,000 pages
Mark Texeira:  Jonah Hex, Ghost Rider, the original Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few
Steve Orlando: Midnighter and Eisner Award Nominated Outlaw Territory to name a few
Kurt Busiek:  Astro City, AutumnLand, Trinity and Avengers to name a few
Chad Hardin:  Harley Quinn, Traveler, The Warlord to name a few
Ray Fawkes:  Batman Eternal, Constantine, Gotham by Midnight to name a few

They are all incredibly talented and I got to meet all of them except Kurt Busiek and Steve Orlando.

The thing that I noticed about all of them, though, was their incredible modesty.  The art that they have created is amazing and all of them were almost surprised at how much of a fan I was.  None of them asked me to pay for the autograph, although two did ask for a small donation to a special cause they were supporting which I gladly donated to.  On top of that several of them did something special for me as a fan.

Mark McKenna was extremely kind and more than willing to sit and talk.  Although he was drawing a custom picture for someone he told me how he much preferred speaking to the fans over drawing custom pics.  Since I did want a custom pic he offered to draw something special and personal if he could draw it at home and I pay a nominal fee (which is well worth it).

Paul Ryan took the time to talk about the cause to which he was taking donations.  He spoke with my son and I like he knew us forever and gladly signed autographs.  Not once did he ever make us feel rushed or that we were just another fan.

Mark Texeira was someone who enjoyed his work and it showed.  He was even surprised at how much we loved his work.  The thing about Mark was that he gave more than you asked for.  He not only signed my comic but he also drew a picture on the comic.  He didn’t stop there, though, he asked for the plastic that we kept our comics in and drew a picture on them!  I now need a plastic sleeve for my plastic sleeves.  He also asked for a modest donation to a cause and I gave him more than he asked for.

Chad Hardin was the first person I got to interact with and he was also incredibly friendly.  Although I did have a Harley Quinn comic for him to sign he was also selling a special Harley Quinn comic of which there were only 1,000 made.  For a nominal fee I bought the comic and he drew a picture of a zombie Joker on the front cover.  For those of you who follow me you know that I asked Neal Adams, at a previous ComicCon, to draw me the world’s only zombie Joker.  It was nothing short of awesome.  But Chad Hardin’s zombie Joker easily matched it.  The Joker he drew looks like it is actually part of the cover.

Ray Fawkes had a funny reaction to us coming to his table.  I was looking all over for him and simply could not find him.  It turns out I must have walked by him and his table 10 times and not seen him.  The reason?  Ray had no backdrop of his work, no fancy signs introducing him like the others had and was very modest.  When I told him we were looking all over for him he said, “For me?” as if he has never done anything worth talking about.  Ray was kind enough to take a picture with me and talk a little about his work.  He told me he was working on a really cool project that was being launched soon but said he couldn’t give any details.  Ray took my award for best dressed artist.

The bottom line is this;  ComicCons all over the world bring together some of the top comic artists together under one roof.  One would think that there would be a lot of big egos all fighting for the right to be the best, but there was no sign of that.  What I found instead were a group of absolute professionals, with a modesty like I’ve never seen.  All acted humble when I complimented them, most were surprised that I like them and their work (who doesn’t?), and all of them went the extra mile to make me feel like I was the only fan they had.  It could not have been a better day.

A note to Steve Orlando and Kurt Busiek, I hope to meet you face to face soon.

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