CCL Messageboard

Okay, okay, relax! This isn't happening for a few years yet.

As some of you may know, I am not only a seller here at CCL, but am also an avid comic book reader. My lunch and breaks at work give me time to waste, which I like to spend reading comics. I will, however, be retiring at the end of 2027, wherein I will be spending most of my time doing other hobbies, like gardening, running, watching movies, traveling, and learning more about computer programming. I might pick up a comic every now and then, but to tell the truth I always have something else to do when I am at home and never seem to have the time or inclination to read comics there.

To that end, beginning today, I will be selling off my entire personal collection in a somewhat alphabetical order after first rereading them. Upon my retirement, I will likely list whatever lots that I still have on e-Bay and try to find a single buyer for the remainder of my inventory.

Without further ado, here are the first few additions from my personal collection which are now available to purchase at ComicVortex:

300 - The Frank Miller masterpiece which inspired the movie of the same name. While not 100% historically accurate, this series depicts how King Leonidas led 300 Spartans in battle against a massively superior number of Persians.

4 Kids Walk Into a Bank - Four childhood friends devise a plan to rob a bank in an effort to keep one of the friends' father from committing the same crime with some of his inept associates who were recently released from prison.

The Alcoholic - An autobiographical graphic novel recounting the early life of author Jonathan Ames which depict his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction as he grapples with his sexual identity.

Small update: Today I added Absolution and Absolution: Rubicon from Avatar Press. It is the story of a disillusioned city police officer with superpowers who decides to take on crime in his neighborhood by going on a murderous rampage against it's perpetrators.

This week from my private stash, I added Alex + Ada. Set in the near future, t is the story of Alex, who receives a lifelike android companion (Ada) as a gift from his grandmother in order to cheer him up months after his ex-girlfriend broke-up with him. Finding Ada lacking in personality, Alex seeks ways to make her seem more life like.

Hey, everyone!

I'll be going on vacation this weekend and just wanted to give everyone a chance to place orders before I do so. The store will be put on 'Vacation Mode' starting tomorrow at 6 PM PST. I will be gone for a little under 2 weeks.

Have a nice weekend!

Jeff

Have fun, Jeff!

You deserve it my friend!

Thanks, Howie!

We'Re BaAaCk!

Just got done adding a couple of sets that I enjoyed:

All Star Superman - Masterfully told by Grant Morrison and drawn by Frank Quitely, this series happens outside DC continuity and chronicles the end of life of an alternate Superman as he performs 12 final feats that he was tasked to complete by visitors from the future.

American Carnage - In this Vertigo title written by Bryan Hill, a disgraced, white passing, mixed race, former FBI agent gets a chance at redemption by infiltrating a the ranks of a white nationalist Senate candidate who is suspected in the murder of an FBI agent.

Added a few more series' from my private collection today.

First up: American Way and the follow-up Those Above and Those Below by screenwriter John Ridley. These two miniseries tell the story of a team of superheroes in the early 60s (early 70s for the sequel) recruited by the government to combat manufactured crises in an effort to pacify public fears during the Cold War. Introducing an African American hero during the Civil Rights movement inflames conflict within the group as a few Southern racists on the team take exception to their new teammate. The sequel happens about a decade after the first series.

Also added are some Batman Elseworlds and crossovers, including Batman/Grendel (1993), Batman/Grendel (1996), Batman/Hellboy/Starman. Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman, and Batman: Book of the Dead.

A couple more from my private collection today:

Batman: Three Jokers - Compelled by near simultaneous Joker sightings by Batman and his allies in different parts of Gotham, Batman investigates the possibility that there may, in fact, be more than one Joker.

Black Science - In the hopes of advancing medical discoveries, Grant McKay and his team of scientists discover a way to transport themselves to alternate universes where such medical advancements might have already been achieved. Various mishaps, however, cause the Grant, his family, and team to become lost and separated in the Eververse. This series follows Grant in his quest to reunite his family and return home, all while trying to not destroy reality as they know it.

Here are a few more sets that I added yesterday:

Batman: Haunted Gotham - In this Elseworlds miniseries, Batman tries to save the souls of his parents from being devoured by demons after their murder.

Big Man Plans - In this violent revenge fantasy, Eric Powell tells the tale of a little person, trained trained at the art of war, who seeks retribution for the death of his secret love.

Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities - Another grisly tale by Eric Powell. After being discovered by a carny of faking his own death, William Bonney (aka Billy the Kid) is coerced into helping find some missing friends of the carny that had recently disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Their search takes them to Darmstadt, a town in Germany overlooked by Frankenstein's Castle.

More today:

Batman: Last Knight on Earth - One of my favorite series from the DC Black Label line so far. Batman wakes in a dystopian future where everybody's minds are being controlled by an enigmatic tyrant. A handful of Batman allies have thus far resisted the effects, but time is running out, as the villain prepares to unleash a more powerful weapon that will enthrall even those few hold-outs that have thus far resisted the effects. Batman and his new sidekick, a disembodied Joker head, must find a way to stop this from happening before it is too late.

Batman: Manbat - When an eco-terrorist steals a dangerous compound from a biological lab and ends up missing, Batman is called in to find her and retrieve the stolen bio-weapon. Unbeknownst to him, she is being held captive by a family of human/bat hybrids. The patriarch, Man-Bat, is set on releasing his own biological weapon into the world.

Black Monday Murders - A police officer is called back from his suspension to solve the mysterious murder of a powerful financial executive. In the course of his investigation, he uncovers a secret cabal of wealthy individuals who have been manipulating markets for generations and worship Mammon, the incarnation of money and power. A must read for fans of Jonathan Hickman!

Got some more goodies listed. Have a look:

Batman: The Dark Prince Charming - In this hardcover duology, Bruce Wayne is confronted by a woman that claims that he is the father of her young daughter and seeks to gain millions of dollars in child support. When the woman is hospitalized after the Joker crashes into her car and kidnaps the child, Batman sets out to find her and bring the Joker to justice. Written and beautifully illustrated by Enrico Marini, this pair is a must for any Batman fans.

Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham - In this Lovecraftian Elseworlds tale penned by Mike Mignola, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham from a 20 year self-imposed exile following the murder of his parents. Unbeknownst to him, he brought back an ancient evil with him. As Batman, he must face a myriad of foes brought forth by this otherworldly being, many of which include some of the Dark Knight's rogues gallery re-imagined as their 1920s horror counterparts.

Batman: Year 100 - Set in a dystopian police state set 100 years after the introduction of Batman in Detective Comics #27, police hunt for a mysterious figure who was framed for the murder of a federal agent. Detective James Gordon quickly reaches the conclusion that the elusive fugitive they seek is none other than the Batman, long thought to be modern folklore. In order to clear his name and find the real culprits, Batman and Gordon must team up in this futuristic Elseworlds series.

Black Summer - After a former member of the defunct supergroup The Seven Guns assassinates the President and Vice President of the United States, the government sets out to exterminate the entire group as possible national security risks. This series follows the team members as they reunite in order to better defend themselves against the coming attacks and try to figure out how to bring their wayward former teammate to justice (if they even CAN). Written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Juan Jose Ryp.

My girlfriend and I will be away for the weekend, so I will be placing the store on Vacation Mode for a couple of days starting Thursday evening.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Below are a few notable series' which I have added in the past few months:

100 Bullets - Imagine your life is in the dumps and a mysterious stranger approaches you with a briefcase Inside is a gun, 100 bullets, and irrefutable evidence that proves who it was that ruined your life. Furthermore, he claims that you have carte blanche to eliminate said person with the gun and bullets provided.

100 Bullets tells the tale of the mysterious stranger, Agent Graves, and his soldiers, the Minutemen, who are 'activated' based on what course of action they take after being handed a briefcase full of retribution. Together they seek to confront The Trust, an Illuminati-like organization for which the Minutemen were once enforcers.

Briggs Land - After Jim Briggs, the leader of a separatist alt-right cult, has been sentenced to life in prison, his wife Grace must run things in his stead still by his orders. This series and it's sequel, Brigg's Land: Lone Wolves, is the story of how Grace tries to separate herself from Jim and the chaos which ensues as she tries to maintain control in a heavily misogynistic organization.

The Bunker - Several friends go out into the woods to bury a time capsule only to discover an underground bunker that already exists in the spot which they have chosen. Closer examination reveals that the names of the five friends have been etched into the door of the bunker. They soon discover that the bunker was built by future versions of themselves who traveled back in time in order to change events which will lead to a global plague that kills most of mankind in their future.

Buzzkill - Ruben gets superpowers from taking all manner of drugs, including alcohol and cigarettes. Problem is, he often loses control and this interferes with his relationships. Ruben must ultimately decide if he will stay clean or use his powers to save those that he cares about.

Calexit - After California cecedes from the union and declares itself a sanctuary state, the federal government invades and tries to force it back into the fold.

The Cape - This stand-alone comic and it's sequel, The Cape: Fallen, are about an emotionally disturbed man named Eric who possesses a magical cape which enables him to fly. Written by Joe Hill, the genius behind Locke & Key. The Cape: 1969 is a prequel which tells the origin of the cape and Eric's father, a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War.

Chosen - This series is about a 12 year old boy who miraculously survives being crushed by a semi which fell on top of him from an overpass above without sustaining so much as a scratch. The people around him see this as a miracle and claim that he is the second coming of Jesus. Soon, he begins to manifest powers which seem to confirm these claims. Along with American Jesus: The New Messiah, these two are the first in a triad of connected series, the third of which has yet to be released.

Coventry - Written and illustrated by Bill Willingham, this short lived series, though not connected at all to, is thought to be a precursor for his long running epic Fables.

Criminal - This crime noir is the first series in the long running saga written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Sean Phillips. Each story arc follows one character as it explains their role in this grand intertwined epic.