YAFQ: Do You De-Bone Your Comics?

Last week when I ranted about Marvel's extra ad pages I mentioned without explaining a process that I call de-boning. So what exactly is de-boning?

You know how your magazines usually come with one or two (or more) cardstock inserts (usually subscription cards) that bridge the saddle? I find it very hard to read with that cardstock flopping up, so I tear them out.

I do the same thing to my comics, and not just the occasional cardstock insert. I take out those bound-in eight-page advertainment comic-like things too.

When DC adds extra ad pages, it's usually in the form of an extra four-page signature that's bound in; it quite often is of a slightly different paper quality, and you can tell by the fact that each of the four pages has an ad. I rip those out too. I can slim a DC comic down to its natural 32-page size.

One of the reason why I hate it when Marvel adds extra ad pages is that hey do it in such a way that you can't be-done the comic without tearing out story pages; a sheet will have three ad pages and one story page on it. Boo.

I know that some people would be shocked and horrified at this, as the comic is no longer near-mint or whatever. I decided that I don't really care; I buy comics for reading, not collecting, and it's easier to read without extra ads in the way.

So, after that long explanation, my Yet Another Friday Question to you is this:

Do you de-bone your comics?

YAFQ: Final Crisis?

One of the big announcements at CCI last weekend was the creative team for DC's next big crossover, Final Crisis: Grant Morrison & J. G. Jones.

Given that DC's recent Countdown (and to an extent Amazons Attack) have pretty much sucked the momentum of excitement right out of their super-hero line, this creative team might be just the thing to get people interested again. Morrison is extremely popular amongst the super-hero intelligencia, and has shown that he can do big crossovers in the past with DC One Million. Jones is a highly regarded artist of capes; he has a reputation of being a bit slow, but it sounds like they;re giving him plenty of lead time.

So our Friday question to you this week is:

What do you think about DC's upcoming Final Crisis?

Are you looking forward to it, or are you all crossovered out?

YAFQ: Omnibuses?

Today's Yet Another Friday Question concerns the latest craze in trade collections: omnibuses, those massive collections of previously collected comics.

From Runaways & New X-Men hardcovers to Star Wars & Buffy paperbacks to massive Palomar & Locas hardcovers of L&R material, omnibuses are a great way to get a lot of material you like under one cover. Many people will even buy material they already own just for the convenience of having it in one place.

Our question for you all today is:

What new omnibus edition would you like to see published?

I'd like to see an omnibus collection of Matt Howarth's various Bugtown material. It's all one connected narrative, but it was published in so many disparate places and much (if not most) of it is out of print. I'd gladly slap down a wad of bills for a nice hardcover.

How about you?

Update: Both John Jakala & David Welsh recently addressed this topic!

YAFQ: Giant Squid?

(Warning: Spoiler of sorts for the end of Watchmen)

The origin of this week's Yet Another Friday Question is in a conversation I had a couple of days ago:

The conversation turned (as sadly a majority of my conversations do) to graphic novels. M mentioned that she had recently read Watchmen, only her third graphic novel ever (after Maus and Persepolis). She liked it, but didn't care much for the ending, specifically the giant squid. J and I--both long-time comic readers--said that we didn't mind the giant squid and thought that it worked. M said that she had done some unscientific polling and that people had one of two reactions: "Giant Squid? Really?" or "Yeah, Giant Squid!"; and that those reactions broke down along gender lines.

So our Friday question to you is this:

What did you think of the giant squid in the last chapter of Watchmen?

YAFQ: This Year's "Wow" Comic?

It's the return (for one week at least) of Yet Another Friday Question! This week's question is:

Has there been a "WOW" comic yet in 2007?

We're already more that halfway through the year. Has a comic come out that's really made you stand up and take notice? That you can't stop telling people about?

For me, not really. Don't get me wrong, there have been some very good comics: Jeff Lemire's Tales from the Farm; a new volume of Yotsuba&!; a couple of issues of All-Star Superman; Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #12.

But nothing that's really Wowed me. Nothing on the order of Fun Home or We3 or Ganges yet.

Of course there's still 5 and a half months left in the year. And with all the comics coming out these days, I'm sure to have missed something really good.

So tell me: Has a comic come out this year that's Wowed you?

YAFQ: How Do You Read YACB?

The return of Yet Another Friday Question:

How do you read Yet Another Comics Blog? Do you have it bookmarked? Do you follow a link on your or someone else's blog? Do you use a feed reader?

I'm just curious...

YAFQ: Create an Anthology

Yet Another Friday Question:

What kind of comics anthology would you create to attract a newsstand audience?

Archie have their digests, Disney & Nickelodian have occasional comics-only issues of their magazines, and Viz have done very well with their Shonen Jump & Shojo Beat anthologies. But still there is not much of an effort by comics publishers to target the newsstand--and by extension non-regular comics readers--with a thick value-priced anthology.

My recommendation would be for DC to put together an anthology for kids. They have a lot of reprint material to draw on from the past 10-15 years: Scooby-Doo, Bugs Bunny, Cartoon Network, and the animated Batman/Superman/Justice League. Add into that classic Sugar & Spike comics and they could easily put together a 128-page color monthly anthology in the $5-$6 range I should think.

Any other ideas out there?

YAFQ: The Ten Best Ideas in Comics

Yet Another Friday Question:

This one is Kevin's fault.

He recently claimed that the three best ideas in comics are:

1. Sole survivor from a doomed planet
2. Gorilla with a jetpack
3. A Nazi made out of bees

My question for you all on this Friday is:

What other ideas would you nominate to be in the Top Ten Best Ideas in Comics?

I've previously made claim to one that I think should be in the Top Ten: A giant ape with Kryptonite eye beams.

So, what are your nominations?

YAFQ: Fire!

Yet Another Friday Question:

There's a fire at your place of residence. You of course have first made sure that your family members, loved-ones, and pets are safe, and have already rescued your picture albums, heirlooms, and important documents. You have time to grab just one more handful of things before it finishes going up in flames, so which comic books do you grab to save from fiery destruction?


Me, I'm saving three things that are nearly irreplacable: the Flex Mentallo mini; Tales of the Beanworld; and my Curt Swan original Superman art pages.


How about you: which comic items would you save from the flames of fate?

YAFQ: Are You Spending More or Less?

Yet Another Friday Question:

Are you spending more or less on comics these days than you have in the recent past?

For me, my monthly orders through DCBS had been going down; I was spending about 20% less than I was a year ago. But for this month's orders it shot way back up, mostly due to several high-ticket items.

What about you--are you spending more or less on comics these days?

YAFQ: Favorite Non-Super-Hero Comic Movie

What is your favorite comic book-based movie that is not super-hero related?

For quality I'd opt for American Splendor, but for sheer entertainment value it would have to be Josie and the Pussycats, which took the Archie comics property and turned it into a funny, biting satire of the music industry.

What about you: which non-super-hero comic book movie is your favorite?

YAFQ: Uncollected DC

Which uncollected DC comics do you think should be collected?

At the top of my list would be 'Mazing Man, the short-lived mid-80s series from Bob Rozakis & Stephen DeStefano. Had the Blogosphere been around at the time, it would have been the highly-lauded and rarely bought series of its time.

I'd also like to see Sugar & Spike-- a Showcase Presents Sugar and Spike collection would be perfect--I mean c'mon, they're doing one for The Haunted Tank!

And #3 would be Finals, the overlooked Vertigo mini from Will Pfeifer & Jill Thompson.

What about you--which uncollected DC comics do you think deserve a second life in trade?

YAFQ: What Comic Haven't You Read (Yet)

What comic have you always intended to read, but haven't yet gotten around to reading yet?

For me it would be Love & Rockets. I have both Palomar and Locas on my bookshelf, but they're both such massive tomes that I haven't gotten around to digging into them yet. I think they intimidate me a little...

What about you? Which comic have you always heard good things about, but haven't yet read?