Galactic Comics and Video

Tomorrow is the day we all have been waiting for. The best adaptation of an Alan Moore graphic novel arrives on DVD. V for Vendetta is one of Alan Moore's best work and the movie is amazing.

The movie takes place in the year 2020 in fascist England. Most of the Americans are dead from a Virus. Hugo Weaving wears a grinning mask of Guy Fawk. Guy was hanged in the 1600's for trying to blow up parliament.

Hugo was a victim of a concentration camp that left him disfigured. He gets the help of Natalie Portman when he rescues her from being raped by the British Police.

The Movie is an incredible blend of stylized action, and political paranoia. Many are willing to give up their freedoms for the government to keep us "safe".




Alan Moore wrote this comic in 1981. It is very Orwellian, and for those who have enjoyed "1984", "Fahrenheit 451", or anything by Alex Huxley, this is a must read.

The movie is a relatively faithful adaptation, though it did turn up the action.

Some of Alan Moore's other must read works are the Watchmen, From Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Swamp Thing.

A man came in the shop a few weeks back and started saying that the problem is that there are no good horror comics anymore. I immediately showed him a copy of 30 Days of Night, and said that this is the book all horror fans should be reading.

Written by Steve Niles, and painted by Ben Templsmith, 30 Days of Night tells of a small Alaskan town called Barrow. In the winter time, the sun sets and does not rise again for 30days. In that time the evil comes out and it becomes the vampire hot spot. This is the perfect set up for a vampire story.

Steve Niles writing and characterizations, are superb. Mr. Templesmith's artwork
is beautifully dark, disturbing, and gloomy.

Today a book containing 3 more tales from Barrow arrived. I have it sitting next to me and after the sun goes down, I eagerly await to dive into it.

30 Days of Night is going to be turned into a movie. Anne Rice only wishes that
she had come up with it.

The man who I showed it to, didn't actually buy anything, but I'm thinking he wasn't really looking to. If I really thought he was interested I would have started
blabbing away about another one of my favorites , "The Walking Dead".

Batman #655 arrives this week under the helm of the great Grant Morrison (Invisibles, All Star Superman), and artist Andy Kubert(1602, Ultimate X-men). This is a great starting point and I know it will be great as he was the master behind Arkham Asylum.

Benchwarmers is like Revenge of the Nerds meets the Bad News Bears. Rob Schneider, David Spade, and John Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) challenge the little league teams to baseball games when they get tired of the jocks picking on the nerdy kids. Billionaire John Lovitz puts up a stadium for the prize. Craig Kilborn is the rival teams coach. Funny, Funny Stuff.



In Final Destination3, a girl and her friends escape death when she has a premonition that the roller coaster is going to crash. It seems though, you can't
escape your fate as death will always try to track you down.

No wimpy PG13 Ratings on the Final Destination films. This franchise knows that
as long as you can keep finding new innovative ways of killing teenagers, the
target audience will be happy. You will also never go to a tanning salon again.



In Red Dust, Hilary Swank is an attorney defending a black man who was brutally tortured in a
South African prison. The officer responsible looks for amnesty as it was during apartheid ruling. The movie reminds us how racism is still alive and Apartheid is not ancient history. This is probably the best political thriller since the
Constant Gardener.

These Great Movies are available on DVD tomorrow, Tuesday July 25.

If you have been a comic fan at all in the last 20 years, you undoubtedly have heard of Gilbert Hernandez as being one of the co creators of the critically acclaimed series "Love and Rockets". Being into comics and not knowing the Hernandez brothers is like being into movies and not knowing the Coen brothers.

Gilbert Hernandez new book "Sloth" is one of the best books I've read in a long time.
In a small quiet town, Miguel is a bored teenager who willfully slips into a coma. One year later, he awakens but now he moves kind of slower. He thinks the same but somehow he is just not up to speed as everyone else.

He's in a band called sloth, and his girlfriend Lita is really into urban legends.
Many of these urban legends seem to be associated with the lemon groves. His friend and band mate Romeo plays a significant part.

About half way through, it gets kind of "David Lynch like" with a goat man and body switching. This is one that you will definitely want to turn on to all of your friends.

Alright, the comic about the genetically mutated Elephants and Hippos arrived
today. This is the sequel to Hip Flask. Come in and buy "Elephantmen #1" or I
just won't shut up about it.

This years academy award winner for best foreign film has just arrived on DVD. Tsotsi
which translates to "thug" or "gangster" tells of young man and his hoodlum friends in
the slums of South Africa. They do their daily "jobs" of robbing and occasional killing. When Tsotsi carjacks a woman, what he finds in the back seat will change
him forever. This gripping story was based on a novel by Athol Fugard.




After Tsotsi, why not watch something a little lighter and fun. Amanda Byrnes
stars as Viola who love to play soccer. When the girls soccer team is cut, she
pretends to be her twin brother to play on the boys soccer team. Many misunderstandings are the result. Also stars David Cross as the principle.






Former N-synch member Justin Timberlake is a reporter who discovers a
money laundering ring in the new movie "Edison Force". When targeted for
assassination, Justin teams up with Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Spacy. This
great new Dirty Cop movie also stars LL Cool J.

Here is the one that made the media go wild. Katherine Kane is being reintroduced
in "52" #11 this Wednesday as the new Batwoman. This is the series that is telling in "real time" a
year without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. This is the one issue not to miss.

The book I'm looking forward to the most this week is "Elephantmen", a futuristic
tale of genetically altered hippos. It's kind of a sequel to "Hipflask". I love it.

Oh, and don't forget, Civil War #3 comes in as well.

I have to admit that the first time I saw the New Pink Panther, I thought it was
funny but kept thinking how great Peter Sellers was in the ones written and directed
by Blake Edwards. I now have watched the new one many, many times and it has grown increasingly funny with every viewing. It must have taken time for Steve Martin to grow on me as Inspector Clouseau just like it takes time to get accustomed to a
new James Bond.
All I can say now is how much I love this movie now which was directed by
Shawn Levy (Big Fat Liar, Just Married). I kept noticing new things with each
viewing that I missed the first time such as when he hits the bicyclist with the
car door and then looks up as if the bicycle fell from the sky.
When Beyonce is interrogated by Jean Reno, Steve Martin says "stop browbeating her, can't you see she's sexy!"
Warning: After you watch this film, you will have stuck in your head for weeks
to come "I would like to buy a hamburger".
Kevin Kline is also priceless as Inspector Dreyfus.

Please also watch the alternate animated opening of the 3-D pink panther. They decided to go with the more traditional 2-D and the directors commentary will
explain why.

Fables brings all the classic fairy tale characters like Snow White, Jack(the one who bought the magic beans), Cinderella, Wolf, Prince Charming, and many others ; and puts them in a modern day setting.

There was only one Prince Charming from all the stories you've read. He was a
real womanizer. That's why Cinderella Divorced him.

In the current issue Cindy is running around on a diplomatic mission and trying
to get a treaty signed with the United Cloud Kingdoms. It's definitely more work
than she bargained for and why does everything take 3days?

Galactic Comics has all the Fables Trade Paperbacks 1-7 currently in stock if
anyone needs catching up on this fun series.

After almost a decade, Johnny Blaze (a.k.a. Ghost Rider) returns in his new ongoing
monthly series. We owe this largely in thanks to Garth Ennis for the extremely
popular mini series recently. They are also currently working on the movie which
is scheduled for a February 2007 release staring Nicholas Cage.

The new series is written by Daniel Way (Wolverine Origins) who hooks you in
right from the beginning. Ghost Rider with the help of a little demon, tunnels
out of hell and returns to earth through the sea. The problem is that the sea then
gives up its dead and Lucifer is bound to follow.

That's right everybody. Sharon Stone returns to the role she was born to play as
Catherine Trammel. She is the best selling author, and seductress who has
relocated to London. Wherever she goes, the bodies tend to pile up.

Dr. Michael Glass (David Morrissey) is a psychiatrist who is drawn into her web
of lies, and deceit. "Even when she's telling the truth, it's a lie."

This long awaited sequel has finally arrived on DVD in a special unrated
extended cut that was way to hot for theatres.

It's great that it has Jerry Goldsmith's masterful music score that helped
make the first one of the most popular thrillers ever.







If you like the opening scene in Basic Instinct2, be sure to see the movie
Crash - 1997 David Cronenberg film (not last years academy award winner)

Everyone seems to have become a J Michael Sracynski fan with his current run
on Amazing Spider-man. Spider-Man has been the most exciting it has been
in many years with this whole Civil War going on. After revealing his secret
identity to the world, siding up with Tony stark and going up against Captain
America, Fans just can't get enough of the webslingers action.

Now most people know that J Michael Stracynski was creator of the Great TV
show Babylon 5, but some might have missed out on a couple of his earlier comic
book creations that should have been on everyone's must read list.





Rising Stars tells of a 113 children born after being in the vicinity of a
large meteor falling to earth. Each of these "specials" have extraordinary
abilities. When the "specials" start getting killed off, it is soon realized that
after one is killed, the others become increasingly powerful.



Midnight nation starts of what seems to be an ordinary detective comic.
lieutenant David Gray investigates what appears to be a gang related
homicide, but by the end of the first chapter, his soul is stolen by the "men"
as he slips through the cracks(this is the alternate world where those forgotten
end up). David has a year to get his soul back with the help of the mysterious
Lauren and the transients who have also been forgotten. If he fails, he will
become one of the dark ones himself.

Both these books are a great summer read.

Sea Monkeys have arrived again at Galactic Comics and we have all the newest
sets. These miracles of nature will give years of fun and excitement.


Come in and see the ocean zoo, Sea-monkeys on mars, Sea-Monkey city, or
the new Sea-monkey Hang 10 set which has a beach scenerio with a surfboard and
more.

First a reminder that new books will be arriving Thursday this week. A day late because of the holiday.

Now here's some great stuff that I want to make sure that nobody misses out on.





1) Eternals #1 is now back in stock. Having just came out 2 weeks ago, Neil Gaimen fans flocked to the store for this one. A retelling of Jack Kirby's classic series, this six issue series tells of a 100 immortals who walk among us and are here to see things go ok. There memories are erased from time to time so they have to relearn who they are. If you're a big Sandman fan you definitely don't want to pass this one up.




2) The Oldboy comic is now translated into English for the time. A man is kidnapped and imprisoned for 10 years without knowing why. Then he is suddenly released and searchers to find out who did this to him and why. One of the best
revenge stories ever this is a must read and this Asian cinema masterpiece is also available on DVD here as well.




3) Follow the adventures of Buddy Bradley in the New Hate Annual. Peter Bagge keeps us waiting a year now for these so a new one is always reason to celebrate.
We also still have a few of the Buddy Bradley dolls still in stock and be sure to also get Peter Bagge's "Apocalyptic Nerd" mini series going on now.

Three Great New Movies Released on DVD July 4.

1) Johnny Depp is brilliant in LIBERTINE. He plays John Wilmot, a cruel and drunken poet in 17th century England. Also stars Samantha Morton (Everyone saw her in "In America" a couple years ago I hope.) and John Malkovich.


2) MATADOR is probably my favorite Pierce Brosnan movie ever. Sure he made a great James bond but here we see him as a hitman who goes from being an arrogant jerk to
someone you actually feel sorry for as he goes through a nervous breakdown.

3) STONED is a must see for any music fan. The tragic story of founding Rolling Stone member Brian Jones. Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll.

Hello,

Welcome to the first Blog of Galactic Comics and Video located in San Diego, California. We are San Diego's Best Comic and Video Store. We've been in business for over 12 years now in Ocean Beach.
My name is Ed. I'm the owner. I will use this blog to keep you up to date on all the most exciting news about the best comics and movies that arrive to us each and every week.

Be sure to check this blog daily so not to miss a thing. Please visit my store often for the best service and selection in San Diego.