Hey, Folks!
Just short note today, mostly because I have some stuff to catch up on this week and I want to get started before I lose any steam. And by “steam” I mean before the pot of coffee I swilled this morning wears off.
There’s not much new to report this week although I can finally assure everyone who buys D.C. Comics that my new account with Lunar Distribution has FINALLY been approved. It has taken me a bit to navigate the twists and turns of their approval process, but I have leveled up, as it were. The problem was getting a specific piece of paperwork to them that I didn’t need when I applied for our account UCS. You see, Lunar wanted a tax exemption certificate and I kept confusing it with the vendor’s license which I thought was the same thing. My confusion was fueled by the fact that all I needed for UCS was the vendor’s license. Well, after e-mailing back and forth a couple of times, I finally just called my accountant and she e-mailed the form she though I needed. Well, I was a little surprised that all I had to do was fill out the form and confirm that I can purchase things at wholesale because I am a retail business reselling the product to my customers and was collecting sales tax from them for it. I went back to their website and followed the link to upload the form, but because of the confusing way the form website is set up I managed to upload the form without answering a questionnaire at the same site. I then received another e-mail from Lunar telling me to go back and fill out the questionnaire and was also told that the form I uploaded still wasn’t what they were looking for. So, nearing the point where I just snap and start crying and repeatably stabbing myself in the leg with a butter knife, I filled out a second form which had the exact same information on it as the first form and then answered their questionnaire which also asked for the same information as both previous forms. I then e-mailed them and said, “Well, you now have my vendor’s license, two different tax exemption certificates, and I filled out your questionnaire. Please let me know if you need a human sacrifice as well and I will get right on it.” Apparently that did the trick as ½ an hour later I received an e-mail saying my account has been approved. So…YAY, me! Of course, I haven’t been on their website to see whether or not my status has been changed on there yet, but I am living in a world of hope.
Before signing off for the week, I want to quickly mention that I have read two great new comic series in the last month and both of them are from Image. Department of Truth by writer James Tynion IV and artist Martin Simmonds is on issue #2, but I am mentioning it now because I finally got second printings of #1 in this week after a quicker than expected sellout. It is a terrific start to a series that is essentially “anti-X-Files” and follows a government organization dedicated to investigating and quashing weird conspiracy theories. In this universe consensus reality is a major thing and some of these increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories need to be rooted and ended before they inadvertently change reality. The art by Simmonds is clearly inspired by Bill Sienkiewicz (and, yes, I did have to look up at how to spell his name…lol) so it may be turnoff to some, but I think it is perfect at portraying the shadowy conspiracies these folks are fighting against. Tynion may be known to you as the guy currently doing a bang up job on Batman, but this titles shows he has more going for him than just the long underwear crowd.
The other title is Crossover by writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw. Now I am the first to admit that I am not a huge Cates fan, but I’m also willing to cede that it may mostly because the characters he tends to write are not personal favorites. This title, however, really surprised me! The basic setup is that the real world has been suddenly and inexplicably been invaded by the comic book fictional universes during one of the Summer blockbuster events. Unfortunately, this sudden intrusion of the fictional on the real destroys Colorado and creates a backlash against super heroes not seen since Alan Moore’s Watchmen. This is terrific stuff and the final page is certainly an eye opener and I can’t wait to see how Cates handles referring to Marvel and D.C. Comics’ characters without trampling all over trademarks and copyrights. Usually I like to wait for an issue or two before I really decide whether or not I like the book, but this time I was so intrigued by the ending that I am giving it a premature thumbs up!
Also, I’ve been getting a lot of questions here in the store about it so I will let everyone know right now that we will see the second printing copies of TMNT The Last Ronin #1 on 12/2. That’s two weeks before the second issue ships. Hopefully there will be plenty to go around this time. I will include the 2nd printings on the subscription form the week they ship so you don’t miss out!
I hope that everyone has a great weekend and I will talks at ya again next week!
Eddie