The Solitaire Rose Experience: Comic Books: Threat or Menace!

Like Cory can afford comics after wasting all his money on opium and cat toys.

Solitaire Rose Productions

Come on, it could be worse. Cory!! could expound upon his theory of how the TV networks are controlled by hyperintelligent squirrels who want to dull our intelligence so that they can take over the world and force us to work as their slaves. It's just a page about cool funny books!

Newest Sales Figures

They aren't here yet. They take a while and a lot of other people cover them, so we're figuring out what to do with the information, but we have lots of other things for you to read.

Comics Q and A:

Cory!! has been reading comic books for most of his life. Many people would say that was a huge waste of time, but rather than listen to them, Cory!! has decided to start answering questions about comic books for people who send them in. So, you can read through the old columns and then thoughtfully ask a question to be answered, or you can just ask your question and be told it's already been answered. Your choice. The good thing is, these columns were written for PWIPop AND Comic Geek Speak, websites that are damn happy to get whatever crumbs we send their way. However, the archive is here.

Comics Q and A 1
Comics Q and A 2
Comics Q and A 3
Comics Q and A 4
Comics Q and A 5
Comics Q and A 6
Comics Q and A 7
Comics Q and A 8
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Comics Q and A 10
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Comics Q and A 12
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Comics Q and A 14
Comics Q and A 15
Comics Q and A 16

ComicDrones

As you can tell if you've read anything on this site (and if you haven't, get to work. This is an assignment, not a free-for-all) Cory!! has opinions. Just as he has opinions on politics, human behavior and what the hell that Three Toed Statue is on Lost, he has opinions about comic books. Here is where the archive of those columns will be in a few weeks.

Background on Comical Books

You’re prolly thinking to yourself, "What is a witty, intelligent, urbane, man of the world like Cory!! doing reading comic books? Aren't they for people who don’t have the social skills to be a Star Trek fan and sub-literates?" If you are, don’t tell me about it because I will come to your house, open up your refrigerator, stick your head in the door and slam it on you a few times. Comics are like any other art form. Most of it is crap, and you have to dig hard for the good stuff. The problem with comic books is that they are no longer a mass medium.

In the 30’s and 40’s when comics first showed up, people read everything. Novels, pulp magazines, and comics sold in huge numbers, because it was before television invades the homes of America and made us a bunch of fat losers who want to get out entertainment intravenously from a big cathode ray tube. In the 50’s the coming of television, combined with parental groups who were upset that little Johnny was reading comics about vampires and criminals, drove comics into a sort of long twilight. Sales went into a huge tailspin, and aside from a few upward blips during certain crazes (the Batman TV show, investment mania of the mid 80’s and again the in mid 90’s) they have been sliding slowly down ever since. I think right about now, Mom and Dad would be happy if little Johnny could read anything other than the lyrics to the latest rap CD that give instructions on how to kill your parents.

Comics are pretty much only available in comic book stores, which are owned by comics fans...ok, super-hero comics fans, who order and push the kind of comics they like. Which is why most comics read like some sort of odd fan–fiction for super-heroes. There are a few innovative things coming out, however, despite the sorry state of affairs. The few good books that show up only goes to show that art will out. In any medium there is potential for brilliance, and I’m going to point them out. If you read comics and don’t read these books, What The Flaming Blue Hell Is Your Damn Problem? This stuff is worth your time and money, buy it. If you don’t read comics, some of these books are reader friendly and do not perpetuate the "Super-Hero Soap Opera" method of storytelling which is strangling comics in their sleep.

If you don’t want to sample what’s good, why the hell are you reading this? Go away before we have to lay the smack down on you. I swear, you people are going to drive us to drink. Of course, in our case, we don’t need to drive, since it’s just a short walk to Cory's beloved liquor cabinet.

A brief e-mail interview with Serena Valentino, writer of GloomCookie

Archive of sales figures and opinions

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Comics aren't dead yet, but they don't look all that good and probably should go see a doctor.