I bought the 3-D version. Very good 3-D effects, although the art was still muddy at the beginning of the book. I'm actually glad I bought this version, because it does serve the story in its own weird way.
Tom Bondurant | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 4:58 am | #

Hasn't Mr. Name Not Mentioned Here ever noticed that many archives & trades have prefaces by people not directly connected to the reprinted material by anything but a love of the contents?
Man, I love a lot of Mr. B's work but sometimes I think he has his head so far up his arse he can watch the sun rise over his bridgework.
Larry E | Email | 07.06.07 - 5:48 am | #

I got the 3D version... it gave me a head ache...I had to pop a couple of tylanol afterwords...
A good issue...but damn it the 3Dness...
looked really cool when i was reading it though
yonatan bryant | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 5:56 am | #

my local 7-11s carry Marvel's line of books made esp for them, and even some of the DH Star Wars books!

i always buy them just to financially support the whole idea. why DC isnt doing this, i have no idea.

i really hope i find the Simpsons books, thats awesome!
rob! | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 6:02 am | #

Non 3-D. I actually forgot all about the 3-D version (and um, everything that was going on with this storyline), and just bought what was in my pull already.

Was the whole thing 3-D, or just those weird in the Phantom Zone first few pages?
caleb | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 6:18 am | #

Isn't there an actual Kirby quote to this effect--to paraphrase: that people who wish to follow in Kirby's footsteps would be better served making up their own ideas than rehashing his? I remember reading it years ago, but I can't find it now.
Cole Moore Odell | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 6:31 am | #

Mark Evanier's piece in the book paraphrases Kirby's idea that to do something like him was to set out on your own and come up with something fresh and exciting. I don't think he uses the term "bat shit crazy" directly.
Aardsy | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 6:42 am | #

The larger, drive-up, stand-alone, older 7-11s in Chicago carry 7-11's. I haven't seen any of the newer, downtown 7-11's carrying them, however.

The one I visited the other day had a couple issues of She-Hulk (not the most recent), Marvel Adventures, and some other Marvels in kind of beat up shape... in considerably worse shape than the magazines they keep behind the counter, anyway...
g23 | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 7:06 am | #

uh... that should read carry "comics." not 7-11's carrying "7-11's"

where the hell's my coffee?
g23 | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 7:06 am | #

In honor of Harry Potter Summer, can we refer to Mr. Name-Not-Mentioned-Here as He Who Must Not Be Named? Or maybe You-Know-Who?

Or maybe Dumbledore's right, and not using his name just increases his power of fear, so we should call him what he is: JOHN BYRNE.
Matt | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 7:08 am | #

Heck, I forgot about the 3-D issue too - would've bought it if I'd remembered (or maybe my shop didn't have it?)

On the Flash series, the impression I got (when I noted with surprise that it was still up in the 40,000+ range) is that DC saw the monthly drop rates (plus very poor critical reception, perhaps?) as indicative of a death spiral, with those numbers unsustainable without a big change of some sort.
David C | Email | 07.06.07 - 7:21 am | #

Radically off topic, but Mike's article for Cracked.com is being linked on imdb today. Way cool.
anon e muss | 07.06.07 - 7:27 am | #

We've sold more of the Fallen Son based on the news stories than I expected, but I've had to explain to every one of those people that the death issue came out two months ago and what they had heard about was his funeral.

"Y'all get thet comic book whar Captain dies?"
"Yes, sir. Two months ago when it came out."
"Whut!? But the news just said he died."
"Two months ago. We have some second printings of that in stock, as well as the funeral issue that came out today. Let me go grab you those."

The worst part is, I've had that exact conversation with more than on person holding the AP wire story clipped out from the newspaper. Apparently, reading really is fundamental.
Verbatim | Email | 07.06.07 - 8:06 am | #

How come I'm the only person that doesn't see anything wrong with what JB wrote about Morrison's introduction? I swear to God, I want to hate JB as much as the next person but I don't need to take a statement such as "the first volume has an introduction by Grant Morrison, who is, of course, well known for his association with these characters" and turn into some kind of full-blown attack on Morrison's work like everyone else seems to be doing.

Do we really need to stretch that hard to hate on Mr. Byrne these days?
Spencer Carnage | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 8:42 am | #

I got the 2D version. It all came down to the question "would the 3D comic still be readable if I lost the 3D glasses?" From a quick glance, the answer seemed to be "no." Of course, the 2D art was muddy and hard to follow for the first third of the issue anyway, but at least it didn't give me a headache when I read it with my *normal* glasses.

Of course, I have to admit to wishing I could at least see how the 3D effects looked. But I'm probably not gonna spend another $3.99 to find out.
Jonathan Miller | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 8:46 am | #

Spencer, Byrne has been known before no to be a fan of Grant Morrison, so in that context it's hard to read it as anything other than a sneer in Morrison's direction.
Martin Wisse | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 10:19 am | #

I didn't even realize there was a separate 3-D issue; guess it explains my confusion over Ray Zone's credit.

Now if only someone other than Donner and Johns had "written" the issue, they might have had something.
Dave Sikula | Email | 07.06.07 - 11:01 am | #

Martin,

I know Byrne is no fan of Morrison's work, however he wanted to diss Morrison, he would of. I'm just not seeing it. Its just so amazing how everyone immediately starts launching counter-attacks over nothing. Then again, it is the internet.

Not judging anyone, just completely baffled is all.
Spencer Carnage | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 2:07 pm | #

Haven't seen a copy yet, but I do know that Tone Rodriguez was drawing the story for that 7-11 Simpsons issue. So it should look fiiiiiine!
Nat Gertler | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 3:27 pm | #

Spencer,

I understand what you're saying. Yesterday I was just irritated and rose to the bait. Most days I would have seen it, shrugged and moved on.

I do think that in the context of both Byrne's post and his history of open disdain for Morrison/British writers, that his comment can only be read as disparaging--that Morrison had no business writing the intro. Whereas I can't think of a more appropriate choice, outside of Mark Evanier. I don't think my inference is implausible, although I may well be just another Internet crazy person.
Cole Moore Odell | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 3:45 pm | #

Nat - That at least tells me there's some new material in the book!

Spencer - I don't know how, given the context, JB's comment can be seen as anything but disparaging towards Morrison. I mean, honestly. (That's certainly how JB's parade of sycophants interpreted it in the subsequent message thread.)
Mikester | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 4:08 pm | #

Well, it's sitting right here, and you want to know, so...

The contents of Radioactive Man #711:

The True Origin Of Radioactive Man -
Bill Morrison - script
Tone Rodriguez - pencils
Andrew Pepoy - inks
Nathan Kane - colors
Karen /bates - letters

The Amazing Radioactive Spider (from RM #4 May 1953)
Batton Lash - script
Michael DeCarlo - pencils
Robert Smith - inks
Nathan Kane - colors
Christopher Ungar - letters

Planet Of The Strange-O's (from ?)
Jesse Leon McCann & Robert L. Graff - story
Hilary Barta - art
Nathan Kane - colors
Christopher Ungar - letters

plus 2 full page ads for Krusty Snak Kakes & Krusty Smith & Co. House Of Novelties and 2 more real ads, a Bongo House ad and a 7-11/Simpsons ad.
Phill | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 4:31 pm | #

Ah, someone beat me to it. I just got back from 7-Eleven with my comic (they only had one more left on the shelf -- cover price $3.99 by the way) and a six-pack of Buzz Cola ($2.99).
Nat Gertler | Email | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 5:41 pm | #

I'm willing to believe that the Bart Allen series was planned as finite, but here's a question worth asking:

What if the early issues of the series had actually been GOOD, and sales hadn't dropped the way they did? Would DC still have been willing to cancel a Flash title consistently selling 100,000+ copies a month, in order to bring back the old Flash with the old numbering?
Loren | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 6:05 pm | #

Loren - I think if the Bart Allen series sold over 100,000 an issue, I think DC's stance would have been "Wally who?"

It's a peculiar situation no matter how you look at it. If the longterm plan was to bring back Wally and the old series numbering, then the Bart series was launched under the assumption that it wouldn't do enormously well and could easily be replaced. OR that if the Bart series DID do well, DC would simply continue it and not worry about Wally. OR they would bring back Wally, restart his series, and convert the Bart series into another title. OR they would fold the Wally and Bart characters into the same title, like Flash Squad -- in Color or something.

Honestly, I have no idea what DC's strategy was.
Mikester | Homepage | 07.06.07 - 9:07 pm | #