Biff’s Bit: 39 years of ACE Comics
Happy New Year!
This year marks 39 years of ACE Comics. A time for reflection and a sign of old age when I say “Where did all the time go?”
I have seen chains come and go – Beatties, Toymaster, Toys R Us, Borders Book stores, Woolworths, Andy’s Records and Athena to name a few – some even came and went while I have traded on. I’ve seen customers grow from children to teenagers to adults, start families and now they are sending their own children off to university or into the wide, wide world of the university of life.
Times are tough now, but at least our inept politicians seem to be moving to sort out the mess that has been left from the past three years. I do detect a general lift in people’s attitudes, a relief that something is now being done. So make this a year of positivity. If we stay negative then nothing will get done. Roll those shirt sleeves up and let us get Britain moving again!
On to my picks from April’s Comic Solicitations…
DC Comics
DC: Event Leviathan: Checkmate
I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing, intrigue and art of the previous series. The team are back with the follow up as our valiant heroic ‘spymasters’ attempt to infiltrate Leviathan and regain control of the world as they know it.
The Joker: 80th Anniversary 100 Page Super Spectacular
There will be many 80th anniversary events this year – too many to buy into them all – however, this one, The Joker, is a must for me. What could be better than 96 pages of madness and mayhem by our current masters of the comic medium?
Marvel Comics
Empyre
This year’s first multi-part crossover from the behemoth that is Marvel is Empyre. The Skrull and Kree are as one race now, past enmity set aside. They consider their real enemy is Planet Earth, and who could blame them? The core miniseries is six issues long and since it is written by Al Ewing, whose work on the Immortal Hulk is both sublime and horrific, I have high hopes and will look forward to all issues. To be honest, I am not so sure about the slew of miniseries and one-shots that are all part of this massive epic as worlds go to war. To follow them all would mean losing touch with some of my other favourites, so I am just in for the main series. It will be a blast.
Dynamite
The Boys: Dear Becky
Can it really be 13 years since The Boys first appeared? Fan-favourite Garth Ennis is on another roll. He’s back on Punisher: Soviet, and the Preacher TV series just wrapped up a strong run, with The Boys still smashing up the TV world as we speak. Now he returns with a look at an underused character – Becky Butcher. Expect the usual satire, violence and emotional story telling.
Mission for the month:
If you have Mary Jane to your Peter Parker, don’t forget Valentine’s Day!
