Update on Amazon's comic book pricing.

If you listened to the latest episode of Kneel Before Pod, you would have heard about how Amazon had some strange pricing on some rather good comic book trades. I personally ordered three. Of those three, I have already received Wolverine: Old Man Logan and Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 3, both being hardcovers and a mere $15 each. I was hoping to pull a trifecta, but alas, it was not in the cards.

On Tuesday, I received the following email;

---

"Hello,

Our records indicate you recently ordered 'Criminal (Deluxe Edition)'. Unfortunately, due to a pricing error, we sold many more than expected. In fact, we completely sold out — we don't have any in stock right now, and we're not even sure if we'll be able to get more.

As a result, we've had to cancel your order. I realize this is disappointing news, and I'm so sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

You may want to check our website from time to time to see if this item is available. If anyone is selling it, you'll see a "More Buying Choices" box on the product detail page; if it's not available from any sellers, you might see an "Order it used" or "Alert me" link. "Order it used" allows you to place a pre-order for the item in case another seller lists the item for sale later. "Alert me" allows you to sign up so we can e-mail you when Amazon has stock available for purchase.

I'm sorry I don't have better news. We hope to see you again soon."

---

Of course I was slightly disappointed, but this is not where it ends. Wednesday afternoon I received another email from Amazon;

---

"Hello,

We wanted to follow up on a recent message we sent about the cancellation of your recent order.

To recap: Due to a pricing error, we sold many more graphic novels than expected. In fact, we completely sold out — we don't have any in stock right now, and we're not sure when we'll be able to get more.

We're sorry for any frustration the issue may have caused, and have applied a $25 promotional certificate to your account.

You can use it the next time you order an item shipped and sold by Amazon.com. You'll see your available promotional balance at checkout--this amount will be applied to your next order automatically without entering a claim code.

I hope this helps. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Sincerely,

Customer Service
Amazon.com"

---

So, apparently I am now getting $25 in credit for not spending $15. What it sounds like is that Amazon actually honoring the pricing it had for the comic books till they actually ran out of stock, then they actually started to cancel these orders.

Well done Amazon. You made a mistake and completely nutted up. A lesser company would have handled this completely the wrong way. You get a gold star today.

Episode 57: What the world needs now is more Swamp Thing

On this short episode of Kneel Before Pod we are joined by guest host Nate as we discuss the new business direction that DC is taking and how it might affect them as a business. We also talk about Conan O'Brien changing someone's life via twitter and a huge mix up at Amazaon.com.

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Comic Review: Old Man Logan

If you listen to the podcast, or even talk to me about Marvel Comics, odds are that you've heard me come down on Wolverine like a 10 pound hammer. It's not that I don't like the character, because I really do, it's just I'm tired of him. It's not his fault that in all the movies and newer comic books they make him the most important character of all time. A prime example is in the third X-Men movie. They literally kill one of the oldest and most important characters in the X-Men universe just to get him out of the way so Wolverine can be the romantic interest for Jean Grey. Not to mention as much as he shows up in the various comics of the Marvel Universe that the only logical answer is that he has at least four Skrull dopplegangers running about pretending to be him. It's nothing for him to be in five places at a time at any given point across all the Marvel titles. As a reader and fan, I simply got tired of this amazingly fun character. Clearly, I am in the minority on this issue, but it's just how I feel about him.

Now that I have my personal feelings out of the way, lets get to the point at hand. I'm not here to bash on Wolverine. Quite the opposite actually. I recently had the pleasure of reading something that has redeemed the character in my eyes. In June of 2008 Mark Millar and Steve McNiven started an eight issue arc of Wolverine titled "Old Man Logan." This story takes place around fifty years in the future and features a Wolverine that is now long in the tooth, but short of the claw. Things are bad. The villains apparently got their act together and defeated the super heroes of the Marvel Universe once and for all. The country has been divided up into different regions, each one answering to a powerful villain governor. To top it all off, there was some horrible event that has rendered Logan a shadow of his former-self, vowing to never again pop claws and fight.

Long gone are the days of snikt and being the best as what he does. Logan has settled down with his family in the ruins of what used to be California on a farm that looks to be something straight from a Steinbeck novel about the depression. Things are apparently hard all over as Wolverine is having problems paying the local gang their rent money. He ends up taking a job from an old friend and ally from his superhero days. What ensues is a heart wrenching story about the limits of the hero spirit. When it is finally revealed what could be so horrendous that would actually make Wolverine give up the job he's been good at for so many years, you find yourself completely invested in the story. It's a masterwork that will make people with even the most jaded opinion of Wolverine as a character rethink and revisit their stance on this classic character.

Recently released in a hardcover trade paperback, Old Man Logan is an epic read for even those that are not typically readers of Marvel Comics. Check it out and thank me later.

Rating:
Carl - 5/5

Episode 51: Kneel Before 2009

It's that time of year again. We are all a little fatter and we all think that within a couple of days, everything will be different because it's a new year. While this might not always be true, one thing about New Years is for sure, it sure does make for a proper time to do a year in review show!

In this wrap up episode, we pick our favorite video games, movies and comic books. So sit back and enjoy this fond look back at the past 365 days.

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Episode 48: Kneel Before Spider!

In this episode we discuss one of the greatest comic books of all time, Warren Ellis' "Transmetropolitan." So pull up a chair our filthy listeners and get ready to browse your news feeds for the truth!

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A couple different things

First off, I have been doing a lot of reading at work. I have been buying trade paperbacks like a madman. With my new shift, when we're slow I have seen downtime as long as 45 minutes. So, here are some of the comics I have been reading.

• Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas


• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
  


• Kingdom Come
  


• Transmetropolitan Vol. 01: Back on the Street
  


• Transmetropolitan Vol. 2: Lust for Life
  


• Preacher Vol. 2: Until the End of the World
  

I've also ordered some more and have some in my "to read pile." I also plan on re-reading Watchmen. So, I have that too look forward to.

I went to the Columbus Crew home opener yesterday. Had a pretty good time. Since I had to go straight to work afterwards I didn't get to have any beer or anything, which does make a little difference but far from ruins the night. It was a really good match. Both teams looked great and Columbus really should have won, but unfortunately, a bad bounce led to an own goal against The Crew which tied the match up. I have to say, overall, the MLS as a league is looking a lot better. Seattle is looking like a team that has been around for years, The Crew is still in great form, Toronto is looking amazing... I could go on for awhile. The short is the MLS is finally starting to look like a top tier league and I think in a few years, might start catching up with the leagues in Europe.

Expect a full video review of the T-Mobile G1 in the next week or so, I also have some breaking news that will have it's own post and hopefully I will have an announcement regarding some interviews that might be upcoming.

David Jaffe's video

We mentioned a youtube video by Mr. Jaffe during last episode. I posted it in our news ticker, but in case you missed that...

From the boards...

So, John (aka rogueleader2448 on our forum) asked an interesting question:  What comics do we read?  

I know I've talked about it a bit on the show, but that was hardly a comprehensive list.  I'm doing you all a disservice with that little bit of auditory teasing.  So, here it is...a list, in alphabetical order, of what I read every month (no links to the Wiki because seriously, that's a lot of work) with a little synopsis if I can do it briefly.

• 100 Bullets - What would you do with 100 untraceable bullets?
• Action Comics - Superman's home book
• Amazing Spider-Man
• Avengers: The Initiative - The adventures of up-and-coming heroes.
• Batman
• The Outsiders - A special team Batman put together to take care of the things the JLA can't/won't.  A little more proactive.
• The Brave and the Bold - Team-ups in the DCU you never thought you'd see!
• Cable - Former leader of X-Force jumping through time, Lone Wolf and Cup style.
• Captain America
• Captain Britain and the MI13 - Britain's superhero team, focusing more on the occult.
• Criminal - Wiki this one.  I can't describe it well enough.
• Daredevil
• Dark Avengers - *spoiler* After Secret Invasion, Norman Osbourne is given the keys to the kingdom.  First job?  Make his own Avengers team...
• Deadpool
• Detective Comics - Batman's home book.
• Doktor Sleepless - Warren Ellis.  I'm not going to say any more.
• Ex Machina - Former superhero-turned public servant.  Politics has never been better
• Fables - Imagine all those stories you read growing up were actually real.  And now they live in our world.
• Fantastic Four
• Green Arrow / Black Canary - Olliver Queen and Dinah Lance kicking ass and taking names.
• Green Lantern
• Green Lantern Corps
• Hellboy
• House of Mystery
• Immortal Iron Fist - Was really surprised at how much I liked this book.
• Incognito - A supervillain in witness protection gets his powers back.
• Invincible - A really good teen-age superhero story.
• Iron Man
• Jonah Hex
• JLA
• JSA
• Northlanders - It's about dirty, violent, cursing Vikings.
• Runaways - Group of kids learn their parents are supervillains, so they...
• Superman
• Superman / Batman
• Teen Titans
• The Boys - A realistic look at what superheroes would really be like, and the people forced to deal with them.
• The Dark Tower
• The Flash
• The New Avengers - Taking down Norman Osbourne, one wacko at a time.
• The Spirit - Much better than the movie.  Promise.
• The Walking Dead
• Thor
• Thunderbolts - Another of Norman's teams.  Was supposed to take down unregistered heroes, but they ended up fighting with each other instead.  No idea where it's going after SI.
• Ultimate Fantastic Four
• Ultimate Spider-Man
• Ultimate X-Men
• The Ultimates
• Uncanny X-Men
• War Heroes - Soldiers with superpowers...what would you do?
• Wolverine
• Wolverine Origins
• X-Force - Cyclops' black-ops team.
• X-Men

Is that enough?  I think so.  Get to Wiki-ing!

Digital Comicry

Remember the Webcomics Worth Checking Out reboot I promised? It's still going to happen. Promise. In the meantime, take this in it's place. Naked.

There are many different ways to get your comic fix. You can get a newspaper and read the "funnies" (most are available through their distributors' website), go to your local comic book store and throw down your hard-earned cash, or put on your eyepatch and pirate your favorite titles. But there are also webcomics, which are strips on the intarwubs, and Marvel recently started a digital service for their titles.

I'll be honest, I have pirated comics in the past. New titles, older things that I wanted to check out, other various things. It's obviously less risky than plunking down money for something you might hate. But, it is illegal. All the major publishers have registered complaints in the past, and some sites have been shut down because of it. But that's digression.

What I want to talk about is: Is Digital the way for Comics to go?

I think, possibly, yes. Here's why.

First off, as I said, you can read basically every newspaper strip online for free. No need to page through pointless news just to find a half a page block of grainy pictures that you can't even email to the other people in your office. If I read newspaper strips, this is how I would do it. But I don't. Because they are lame.

Instead, I read webcomics. A bigger selection of topics, better art, and the creators can do whatever they want. Also free. Everyone wins.

Now, Marvel's Digital service. I was intrigued at first. But the price, among other things, pushed me away. Here's what they offer, basically...

• Certain special issues, like first appearances or very good runs.
• New issues, like 6 months ago.
• Online exclusives.

The price isn't bad. Annually it's $59.88, or $9.99 a month. Not bad, really. I'd be onboard if the newest issues were instantly available. But they aren't, and I like my shit on time. That's the biggest drawback for me.

Pirated comics are similar, except they are free, you can keep them forever, and they are on time. If you don't care about legitimacy and have some free hard drive space, then this might be the way for you to go. I'm not going to list any of the sites that are available here on the blog, but meet me out back in a couple hours and I'll hook you up.

If Marvel didn't charge for their service, would I use it? Yes. Why not?

Should other publishers follow Marvel's lead and offer similar services? Or, go through a third-party that would offer all of their titles through a similar program? I think so.

Publisher's make the bulk of their money, I would assume, from physical sales. That money covers printing, distributing, and paying the creators. The digital versions obviously don't need to be printed or distributed, so there's money saved right off the rip. The $$$ they make off the digi-program would probably be split between site maintenance and the creators. I think we all can agree that maintaining a website, for a company like Marvel at least, is probably cheap. But what do I know?

But think about e-readers, like the Kindle, for a second. Their size is similar to that of a comic book, with zoom and scrolling functions. Imagine they start having color screens, with much higher resolutions. What if you could access these digi-comics on your e-reader all the time, like you currently can with your physical library? If the comics were up to date, with a full library, and available from all the major publishers, then I'd totally be on board for that too. If I had this future-Kindle, that is.

Episode 18: The day it all goes wrong....

We really tried today. I swear. About 2/3 of the way through the show we noticed everything sounded strange. After a bit of looking around, we found out that the webcam's mic had been recording everything. We crossed a line on content, which forced the first ever editing of the show. After a issue with our recording software, we thought we might have lost the whole show. Then to top it all off, Ryan accidentally gets drunk because of an energy shot we did before we started recording.

Overall, we actually had a lot of fun doing this episode. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as we did.




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Episode 17: Comic Book Movies -or- Seriously what is up with X3?

In this week's episode you will find talk about comic book movies and... stuff.

Seriously, what was up with X3? I mean, Juggernaut is not a fucking mutant! Get the fuck out!



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Episode 13: Villainous Favorites -or- Why do girls love the Bad Guys?

New episode kids! In this one we tackle our favourite comic book villains (spoiler, my #1 is spelling). We share some listener feedback, some news and talk briefly about a new Bioware game.



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Episode 12: Why We Don't Have Girlfriends

So... Here is the top 5 comic book heroes of all time. It is kind of important that you keep in mind there aren't really our favourite, but who we think are the greatest. We also talk some general great characters and some comic news.



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Reaction: Heroes Season 3 Premiere

So it has finally arrived. Season three of "Heroes", which to those in the know might think of as the second half of season two. Yes, poor, poor Heroes. You were were making so much ground. You were helping people like myself bring comic books into the mainstream and making Sci-fi sexy. Then the writers strike came and took you away.

I'm the first to admit that Season Two might have been missing some of the magic of Season One, but I was still enjoying it. The characters and stories were a little awkward at times, but you had some good stuff going. Season Three seems to be back into it's stride though with essentially two episodes under it's belt. Claire, who seemed neglected at times in Season Two, is showing potential for a lot of growth and evolving beyond being a victim that can recover from anything you do to her. Peter as always has us guessing what and who he is. Sylar is back and in black.

Hiro is again the stand out so far this season, as he is really settling in as the first true superhero of the bunch using a combination of his powers and his resources. He's the head of a billion dollar international company with boundless cash and technology at his finger tips. Yeah, that sounds like a couple comic characters I could name off. I think it is safe to say that if there is going to be an organization of a legit Superhero group during the run of this show, Hiro will be the one that arranges and supports it.

This season wastes no time introducing new characters into the mix. I'm sure that some will be a throw away, but I really hope that some of them stick around. One of those characters is Daphne. She shows up in the first episode of the season and quickly shows that she will be a qualified nemesis for one of our main characters. One nice little thing they did with the show is that she refers to herself as a "Speedster", which is a nice nod to the comic book characters that share her skill set and are often referred to as such.

Overall, I think this might be the season we have been wanting for awhile. Ever since what some could argue as a slightly anti-climatic season one finale, Heroes seems to have been treading water. They now seem to be heading towards a solid plot and story arc with Phelps-like speed and technique. This might turn out to again be one of the shows to watch this seasons. Nuff said.

Episode 4: Top 5 World Creators -or- Two Jerks Running Off at the Mouth...

In this episode I lay down the gauntlet for posting on our blog and we list our top 5 Fictional World Creators **Spoiler - L. Ron Hubbard is not on the list**. From there, we pretty much talk about some things that Ryan found interesting on our RSS feeds including iPhones and "The Watchmen."



Tune in next week as we List our Top 5 Animated Shows both international and domestic!

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Episode 2: Batcast or Robin hand me the Batlist!

As promised, here is our Batman themed episode. In this episode we talk about the Top 5 Batman Moments, some things that Ryan didn't like that happened with Batman and how Christopher Nolan might have painted himself into a corner with the current run of Batman movies. We knew it was going to happen so we just decided to bite the bullet and dedicate a whole episode to The Dark Knight himself.



Stay tuned for next week when we talk about the Top 5 TV shows (Past and Present) we would like to Guest Star on.

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