It's tuesday and the first thing on my agenda is a nice little rant on comic book advertising.  I don't know what it is with the industry itself, but hardly anyone is capable of hitting their target audience.  Two "I rather you didn't" regarding advertising are:

1: Using pop culture references... because they're always irrelevant by the time you use them.

and

2: Using internet memes.  Nothing pisses off an internet user then seeing some 40 year old douchebag editor try to "talk down to their level."

First on my "list of shit" that broke rule number one is DC's new solo run for Raven.  I like the Teen Titans and Raven's a favorite, but look and behold the utter shit that is the front cover.



Not a bad illustration, but look on the left.  Yeah, that's right.  FINALLY in her own EMO series.  My God, DC.  My God.  Did anyone tell you that emo is used as a pejorative and not the shorthand for emotional?  Did you guys know that 'flaming faggot' is rarely used to mean "a bundle of sticks on fire?"  Did you anyone tell you that calling something 'gay' doesn't necessarily mean it's 'homosexual?'  I want to meet the editor that tacked on that piece of shit tagline and punch them square in the balls. 

Coincidentally, the comic can be found at Hot Topic's across America.

I'm sure these two faggots enjoyed it.

Next is an "amerimanga" (let's just call it weeaboo) advertising shown in the back of the latest issue of The Prince of Heroes (which is also pretty terrible and leads to the question "How the fuck does Rod Espinosa draw 500 comics a year?"). 



Once again, lead your eyes to the lower left.  Yeah, "Made of win and awesome" I.E. common internet meme quotes.  I don't know what this comic is about, but seeing a half naked spikey haired teenager hanging out with equally half naked generic anime babes is NOT made of win and awesome.  I can already guess this series is about love and friendship and one of those females is a total bitch but warms up to the protagonist over time.  NEXT.

ENOUGH NEGATIVE, HOW ABOUT SOME POSITIVE?

Jeff Smith released the first issue of his new series RASL.  For those of you who've been living under a rock the past 15 years, Smith was the sole creator (with publishing help from his wife) of Bone, a massive fantasy epic collected in a single cinder block sized book.  The story is about a dimension hopping art thief who works for some mysterious collector.



Unfortunately for our leading man, he hops into the wrong dimension and finds himself assaulted by a hitman. 



While it's only the first issue, Smith proves his mastery of storytelling.  An atmospheric and mostly silent first issue, the gist of the story is told in an exciting fashion and the pacing of the story continually elevates from quick and rapid to calm and steady.  Definitely worth a look.

Finally, we have the long awaited issue 3 of 6 of Mouse Guard: Winter 1152.



It continues the bond between Lieam and Celanawe (with a little foreshadowing of either character's death) and it features some of the "darker" secrets of the old wars revealed and ANOTHER conspiracy within Lockhaven.  Yeesh, someone should just kill that bitch Gwendolyn already.  MIDNIGHT WAS RIGHT!

Alright, that's it for this week.  Next week will be an ANIME MANGA EXTRAVAGANZA as I return from Seattle's Sakura-Con.  It'll be my first anime convention so I'm training by eating pocky and doing Naruto jutsu hand signal thingies.  Expect lots of cosplay pictures and otaku dorks being otaku dorks.  There's even going to be a Smash Bros. tournament while will probably end up attracting those massive faggots who spend months calculating the exact frames of every move.