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@@marcuswai Out with the old, in with the new! The only way it’s possible!

He certainly gets heat directed his way, but he also sees dollars flow to his artists. That’s a win!

For the cover A, check out Original Comic Art Unboxing #27! ;-) Both A & B secured. I don’t think I need C and beyond!

Thanks Kavi, really felt like this was a striking example. I definitely tempered my expectations going into that drop, of course only pleased with the outcome!

Thanks Marcus, this is a stunner in person. They changed the eyes for publication but man do I prefer their more revealing and piercing nature of the original. I thought they pulled off each of these series nicely, achieved the goal of proper world building & Destro especially explored the dysfunctional dynamics within the eventual Cobra organization.

Much appreciated! Thanks for checking out the video & the comment! Riley really delivered on this one!!

Thanks bud! I went in with low expectations, can only be pleasantly surprised that way! #FreeLifeAdvice

Yeah, there was more there to mine story wise, but I did quite enjoy getting caught up with the present day. Whats interesting though is some of that felt rushed. Getting the Combaticons back together so quickly. This could’ve been a three issue story.

Thanks! The style definitely fit, even if it threw me in some regards. I came around though for sure. Absolute Batman was more of the same, not saying that’s a bad thing…and it did do some more Batman character development, but as I mentioned my favorite aspect of the book was that it was told mostly from Alfred’s point of view. I’m onboard for now, and enjoying it more than the other two Absolute titles.

Glad you enjoyed this one! It was a great week! I went back and reread Joe #1 and i enjoyed it even more. Duke’s struggles with leadership & then the events at the end of the issue, it all just carries such emotional weight. Preview pages of issue 2 drive that point home even further. Emotions aside, the mission comes first. Great start for this corner of the Energon Universe!

Keeping you on your toes!!

Thanks Rubén! I always tend to keep expectations low, can only be pleasantly surprised then if a sale goes through!

We collectors always like browsing, right?

I do like the opportunity to reevaluate where the collection is at. I don’t always sell a bunch but it does help me at least refocus if need be

@@CarlsCollection What is your current focus? I'm finding it a challenge to narrow down my collection or form a scope of what I collect.

I figured a pre-pre-cap last week was unnecessary!

@@Moonbase3 Thanks man! I’ve definitely gone down the Energon Universe rabbit hole for original art (with more on the way) and it’s honestly struck that wonderful balance of new art and characters I have such a strong nostalgic connection with. So for now, those are staying put because I am just having that much fun collecting them. It may down the line be a “trade up” type scenario if the art and stories continue to be as strong or stronger than they are right now. Never say never!

Thanks Rick! Worst case scenario is I end up keeping art I just took time to revisit and appreciate again. A win/win!

Thanks CJ! I had fun going through the portfolios to see what I might be ok with letting go. Great way to revisit everything in the collection!

Thanks Lance! It’s a fun exercise every six months!

While I can’t say I have super high praise for the first Absolute Superman issue, it certainly was interesting and it does succeed in setting up this particular Krypton & Kal-El’s connection to it (with seemingly other connections to be revealed). I just selfishly (and maybe impatiently) wanted more Kal-El development on Earth. Issue 2 will likely solidify my level of commitment to the series.

@@CarlsCollection I understand what you mean. I haven't read it yet but I can tell you that as far as the Superman mythology goes, the one thing I've never cared for and always found boring are stories that take place on Krypton. I'm only interested when Clark/Superman stories are set on Earth, which is why I'm not going to go into this with high expectations. I'll let you know what I think when I've read it!

Thanks Marcus, that was definitely my impression too but still curious to see what a younger reader says. Although, if I give it to my daughter and ask her what she thought, I imagine it will be the same answer I get when I ask her how her day at school was… “Good”

Happy to spread the word! It was a surprise to me too! I finally did some digging and it looks like it’s a 4 issue mini for now but plans for more if the sales are there.

@@Deadman1957TEB Nice! Agreed, the Krypton stuff was very interesting! Also, I’m not surprised in regards to Void Rivals, I do think that series is intentionally being set up as a slower burn with the connections to the Transformers lore being slowly revealed. If i remember correctly, you’re also not really a TF fan so even those connections likely wouldn’t be of the greatest interest to you. Can’t read and love it all right? Thanks for your insights!

@@CarlsCollection That's right, I did try with the mini-series that ran along side with Void Rivals, mainly to understand what some of the live channels I listened to were talking about, as they were of the age of Transformers and knew that particular Universe, where as when that arrived on television, I worked for wine sellers that started at 9am and closed at 10pm, so not a lot of tele watched in those years! I was enjoying the AWA Universe plus their other mini's and one shots, but that particular Universe seems to have imploded now! DC seem to be producing stuff I like reading at the moment, very bronze age with a little silver thrown in. Then we have the great Ghost Machine books that have yet to disappoint, so like you say can't read them all, but can give it a bloody good try, lol!

It’s an interesting choice for a name for sure. The Skin Police is the nickname for agents of the Duplicate Identification and Capture Division or DIC for short. So, basically some somewhat unfortunate name choices which can give the impression that this story is something that it’s not. Unless I am completely missing some level of satire. 😂

Thanks JD & right? What a cool bonus that signature is! Very cool & graphically interesting…oh and a really cool page too!

I almost have to purposefully break the streak just to save myself from a never ending quest! 7-13…that’s good enough right? We’ll see! 😂 I definitely loved this sequence especially since it merges what the Energon Universe is at its core, a shared universe! All that and some cool imagery! I think Vol 2 comes out next week, time for you to get caught up! I have some pages from issues 11 & 12 coming eventually. You’ve been warned! 😂

@@CarlsCollection In all seriousness, I always say that as long as you're spending responsibly and not putting your family in any sort of financial dire straits, keep collecting! Just be careful that you don't end up finding yourself doing what I've done in the past, which is keeping streaks going just because you let it become all about the streak, rather than an actual desire to own the art itself. Don't worry about your next unboxings. I've already had other people spoil things from Transformers by posting art. It isn't enough to tell me what's going on in the story, so it's not really spoiled for me. But thanks for the warning!

Much appreciated!! Can’t seem to get enough of these hits of 80’s based nostalgia!!

See? Always coming through with a book nowhere near my radar! I love it! I’ll have to check it out, thanks!! Hey, issue 14 is right around the corner…more pages will be available!

Thanks Marcus! Bang for the buck page for sure!

I think even when I posted a video with my reactions to issue 13 I didn’t quite know how to articulate my thoughts on the art. He is definitely a good fit, but I think my gut reactions were to a happy story being told and it threw me initially. Plus, I was (and still am) quite high on Jorge Corona and I would be fine if he drew every single issue from now until forever! I still think Howard would be great on a Joe story arc, especially if some TF characters are peppered in there. So lots of competing internal thoughts but ultimately, I do quite like the work he turned in for issue 13, (even moreso after holding an original) & am very much looking forward to next weeks #14!

@CarlsCollection Well said! Can't wait to see his work next week on issue 14. And G.I. Joe #1 drops the same day! Nice to have some good things to look forward to.

@@Moonbase3It’s going to be a great comics week! Did you see they released a preview today for issue 15? That was a nice surprise!

@@CarlsCollection I did see the preview - there was a lot of really exciting stuff crammed into that short teaser! And, of course, it's exciting to see Jorge Corona return. I'm excited for issue 14, but not gonna lie, the preview for issue 15 has me way more amped up for that one!

⁠​⁠@@Moonbase3I was so stoked to see that preview. Indeed, so much crammed in there, I didn’t even notice Rumble in there until a friend pointed him out! Bottom line, there is so much fun stuff to look forward to starting with next week & then beyond!! Bring. It. On!

Thanks brother!

Yeah, you know you’re right. Not entirely sure why I said that it was a light week. I guess since two of the issues came out last week for some reason it made me feel like this week was light but it was still 4 new issues. Who knows what I was thinking! 😂🤷🏻‍♂️

Thanks for watching!! Much appreciated! Redcoat has been really fun, very much in the vein of a National Treasure style adventure if the main character was an immortal Han Solo type. Wolverine has been fun, even though I feel as if I’ve been a bit hard on it! Horizon titles seem intriguing, but I don’t love that there isn’t a promise of second issues. Cool ideas, but makes it harder to fully commit.

@CarlsCollection Yeah, that is a bit of a bummer about the Horizon stuff. I mostly want to check out Wolverine for the Capullo art haha! Redcoat is probably the highest on my list out of all of them. I'm very intrigued by the premise.

I largely agree with you here, it was certainly more formulaic in its structure, but I did enjoy some of the differences in the origin. My takeaway, and it’s only gotten stronger since reading and recording the video, is that it felt like a fun prologue to a movie that has the likelihood of not holding my interest. There wasn’t much there to drive me to pick up the next issue. It’ll end up on the DC digital app in a few months and that is likely when I may revisit future issues. One thing I forgot to mention, and I think it played a bigger part in my visual enjoyment of the issue was the incredibly strong color work, especially in those horizontal DPS’s. Not something I typically single out but I very much should’ve in my review. Truth be told, Dark Victory…i need to reread that as I really can’t remember anything about it outside of Robin being introduced. I also remember not enjoying jt as much as Long Halloween. I’d probably find more enjoyment revisiting that than I will continuing Last Halloween.

@@CarlsCollection It felt like "a fun prologue to a movie that has the likelihood of not holding my interest."? You're a riot! But yeah, there was nothing in it that made me think I need to come back for the second issue. At least Batman intrigued me enough, for more than one reason, to make me want to see what happens next. I agree that the colors were pleasant. The art was very "indy" and not great looking all over, but I found had some nice moments is spots. I appreciate the thoughts on Dark Victory. The more I think about it, the more I feel there's no need to read it. Which after all, is pretty much how I've always felt about it.

Walsh art had me curious and man am I glad I picked it up! I do like the idea & the swings they are taking, but it will likely depend on the art for the other titles. Pretty curious to find out what a reverse Indiana Jones is. Someone who buries & hides ancient artifacts? 🤷🏻‍♂️

@@CarlsCollection They described it as someone who steals artifacts from museums and stuff and returns them to the proper owners/people of origin.

@@newellturner7778Sounds fun, but now I want to read about a Squirrelly looking fella burying priceless artifacts around the world! 😂

I had a hard time locking into the story because the change in artist was what I kept focusing on. Might be a better read in a trade eventually.

It was the one thing I’ve always wanted for the collection room & probably my favorite thing in there! I love seeing all my favorite comics & i often shuffle them around for fun!

…I’m calling to check to see if you have a plan to vote on Tuesday and to make sure you know where your polling location is…

@@CarlsCollectionalready dropped off my ballot before machete guy could get there. I hope they don't set my ballot on fire. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

I’m very much looking forward to you being able to catch up. Jorge’s work has only amplified my enjoyment of the series! I definitely didn’t expect to own this one so soon, I only intended to open a dialogue & congratulate the owner. Wasn’t pushy, and wasn’t expecting anything other than chatting about a cool page with a fellow collector (while of course expressing interest in it for down the road). Thrilled how it worked out!

Thanks man!

Agreed! It’s a beautiful exterior page with some great intimate character moments. Mike’s colors really set the tone brilliantly as well! Jorge has been able to follow DWJ & keep telling a visually heartfelt story that is the true lifeblood of this action packed series (…which you of course know! I’ve really enjoyed your analysis of the EU books. Keep up the great work!).

@CarlsCollection Thank you! I appreciate that, and I'm enjoying listening to your insights about the continuity as well. :)