Let me say before you READ this review that I DO NOT own this book. I have not read it.However, I WANTED to read it. This is the story of how I drove to my LCS today (a Monday) of all days to obtain my copy of BOTH covers of Captain America #600 and left with NOTHING but an empty feeling.
Captain America #600 is the
STEPPING STONE to
CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBIRTH #1, which is the controversial return of Steve Rogers, the Captain America killed a couple years ago. This issue was SUPPOSED to be made available today for fans and collectors. It also gave shops the ability to generate interest and have more of an idea on how many issues of
CAP: REBIRTH to buy, which many retailers complained about when Cap died.
If you don't believe me, here's the NEWSARAMA article that talks a little about it:
http://www.newsarama.com/comics/060915-Cap-Reborn.html
I drove to
3 different shops and the following are
loose but close to accurate interpretations of the conversations when I asked to purchase Captain America #600:
SHOP #1 - "New comics come out on Wednesday. If the UPS truck didn't bring it, we didn't get it."
STRIKE ONE.
SHOP #2 - "New comics come out on Wednesday. Did you call earlier about this? No? Let me call our other store. *CALLS* They said they have it, but it's only available to people who paid extra to get it today.
STRIKE TWO.
SHOP #3 - "New comics come out on Wednesday. No, I haven't seen or heard anything about a press release."
STRIKE THREE.
Incidentally, I called SHOP #4, the store that was selling them for extra.
SHOP #4 - "No, that book won't be out until Wednesday. Oh, the other manager told you he talked to us and we had copies for more? (laughs) Well, we don't have them, and won't have them until Wednesday."
Now, I could be mad at the retailers involved. Don't get me wrong, I'm
disappointed in them.
ALOT. But I find it really really sad that MARVEL couldn't get it together on a
poorly-executed promotion to try to get people in the shops to buy this book on Monday, June 15th, 2009. But what do I know, right? I'm just the guy that
MARVEL was trying to REACH in their promotion in the first place.
In short, this is to vent frustration. Hopefully the book, written by Ed Brubaker (who is AWESOME) will live up to the confusion I've had trying to get the book today.