Ssalefish GSO First Look #217 for 6.30.21
This week’s unexpected nonsense included the worst leaks we’ve ever had in the shop. Obviously, ideally, this would never be something we would have had to deal with, paper and water don’t mix after all. However, the hailstorm in early May damaged the 20+ year old roof of the shopping center beyond repair and things have been escalating with every drizzle, dew & downpour ever since. Tuesday morning, as I was sorting the Lunar & Diamond shipments, the skies opened up. I described it to Jay & Bret as sounding like a shower was running in the back room (the second picture above is the ruined stack of $400 worth of T-mailers, and the 6th is where I collected more than 3” of water in just over an hour). The plastic sheeting that had been put over the spots in the ceiling where tiles had already collapsed became water balloons that filled to bursting and then splashed down onto the Pops and New Release Wall. And all over, either real or imagined, we heard tell-tale plunking above the back issues, the Backwall, the register, everywhere. It kind of felt like when our 4th of July Sidewalk Sale was monsooned out in 2019, except there was no shop to run to for cover.
We’re all healthy and safe personally, we never had to close to the public, and all-in-all we didn’t lose enough product to even make it worth filing an insurance claim. A new temporary roof sealant has been put into place and we’ll soon get a new permanent covering. On Monday, demolition will start to replace the ceiling, which will become white instead of black to the delight of Ultimate Comics owner Alan Gill who has always said that was the only dark mark on our image (pun intended), and the floor that Jay & I put down ourselves over a grueling two days in 2017. It’s going to be a bumpy few months, but if there’s anything we’ve learned over the last 15 months, it’s how to be adaptable, and I had already been thinking about ways we can glow-up for our five year anniversary, so this is the kick in the pants we needed!
The following titles are scheduled to ship on Wednesday, June 30th (Tuesday, June 29th for DC) excluding some re-orders and providing nothing changes by the time the final invoice arrives on Monday:
Autumnal #8
Avengers Mech Strike #4
Avengers TP vol. 8
Barbaric #1
Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries Extravaganza #1 - reprinting the first two issues of the hit all-ages series!
Batman by John Ridley HC - presenting all of his material from Future State Batman #1-4, Batman Black & White, and Batman: Joker War Zone!
Batman White Knight Presents Harley Quinn HC
Beta Ray Bill #4
Black Cat Annual #1
Black Knight Curse of the Ebony Blade #4 - Stephanie Hans variant available!
Black Widow #8 - Davi Go “Spider-Man Villains” variant available!
Blade Runner 2029 #5
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tea Time #1
Cable #11
Canto & the City of Giants #3 - final issue!
Catwoman Annual #1
Chained to the Grave #4
Crossover #7 - Donny Cates gets a break from his monumental mish-mash series and hands over the reins to Daredevil and Stillwater writer (and Sex Criminals artist) Chip Zdarsky for a special issue!
Daredevil #31 - Greg Land “Spider-Man Villains” variant available!
Darling #1
Department of Truth #10
Eniac #4 - not sure if Bad Idea is counting the day before the first Wednesday of July as their release day for the month, or if they’ll have even more in store for us the week after!
Eternals #5
Far Cry Rite of Passage #2
Freak Snow #2
Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man Chameleon Conspiracy #1
Girls of Dimension 13 #3
Godzilla Rivals vs. Hedorah #1
Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular #1
Heavy Metal #307
Honor & Curse #12
Infinite Frontier Secret Files #1
Kaijumax Season 6 #2
Kane & Able TP
King in Black TP
La Muerta Retaliation #1
Made in Korea #2 - this one took me by surprise, and I’m disappointed more people didn’t check out the first issue. It was kind of like a twist on Jonathan Luna’s Alex & Ada, except instead of a girlfriend for a lonely bachelor, a couple unable to give birth to children of their own bring in a simulacrum kid.
Marvel Action Spider-Man #3
Marvels #3
Mighty Crusaders The Shield #1 - Rob Liefeld brings the energy that only he can provide to Archie’s superhero universe!
Money Shot #12
Monstress #35
Mystery of the Meanest Teacher Johnny Constantine TP
Parasomnia #1
Power Rangers Unlimited Edge of Darkness #1
Previews #394
Red Room #2 - even reading this first issue in the privacy of my own home, I felt like I was doing something wrong. Vertigo Comics used to bill them selves as “dangerous”, but I don’t think I ever read anything from the DC imprint that felt nearly as on the edge as this!
Redemption #5
Shang-Chi #2
Space Jam New Legacy TP
Spawn #319 - building off Spawn Universe #1!
Specter Inspectors #5 - final issue!
Star Trek Year Five #21
Star Wars Adventures #5 - Padme has to rescue her beau-in-distress, Anakin, during the Clone Wars!
Star Wars Adventures Weapon of the Jedi #2 - final issue!
Star Wars Doctor Aphra #11 - “War of the Bounty Hunters” tie-in and the first full appearance of Deathstick, with Chris Sprouse “Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary” and Jan Bazaldua “Pride” variants available!
Star Wars High Republic #6
Star Wars Insider #203
Street Fighter Sci-Fi Fantasy Special #1
Teen Titans Academy Yearbook #1
That Texas Blood #7
Transformers Beast Wars #5
Transformers/ My Little Pony II #3
Turtle in Paradise TP
Two Moons #5
Under the Air TP
Undone by Blood Other Side of Eden #4
United States of Captain America #1
Usagi Yojimbo Bellow Conspiracy #1
Vampire the Masquerade #9
Vampirella #21
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #7
Witchblood #4
Witcher Witch’s Lament #2
X-Factor #10 - “Hellfire Gala” tie-in with Russell Dauterman “Connecting”, David Baldeon “Character Design”, and Phil Jimenez “Pride” variants available!
You Promised Me Darkness #3