When I was growing up, you were either a G.I.Joe fan or a Transformers fan. I mean, you could read and collect from both franchises, but when it came down to brass tacks, you had to pick one or the other. I always fell on the G.I.Joe side of the discussion and still do to this day. A large part of the reason for that was, and is, the G.I.Joe comic books. The television ads for the comics were just so cool, how could you not want to run out and buy them? Plus, Larry Hama created not just a toy tie-in comic with the series, but a military soap opera with plotlines that went on for years and years. That and Storm Shadow is the shit, hands down. I would take him against Batman and Wolverine any day.

So when IDW relaunced the Marvel continuity Hama at the wheel, my inner 12 year old squealed with delight and I was reading G.I.Joe comic books again, something I never thought would happen.

Issue #175 is another fine example of why Hama is such a mastermind with these characters. The issue spotlights Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow as they go after the Blue Ninja Clan which is responsible for the killing of Cobra Commander’s son Billy (If you’re completely lost by that statement, read the trades. You will not be sorry). It’s a fun, action filled issue that shows why the two ninjas work so well together and are by far the most popular characters in the series.

When S.L. Gallant first came on board as penciller, I was lukewarm to him at best. His style just didn’t seem to fit the personality of the book. However, over time he has really come to get a grip on the cast and has improved with each issue. Now I honestly can’t picture anyone else drawing the book. His Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow look great and he does a fine job with all the military high tech equipment.

IDW’s current G.I.Joe books may have more splash and get the lion’s share of the attention, but for old school fanboys like me, the original is the only way to go. If you are over the age of 30, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Let the countdown to G.I.Joe #200 begin!

So what the hell happened at the beginning of this month that made me miss a handful of updates?

Honestly, it was a combination of my computer going completely batcrap crazy and a serious case of temporary burnout. Turns out I had committed to writing way more that I should have on Geekadelphia and some other projects that I had in the pipeline. As a result, I let my buffer of finished comics run dry, burned myself out and missed updates.

The good news is that I have cleared the decks, so to speak, and can now focus on New Book Day and try to do a better job of not taking on more than I can handle when it comes to writing. My priority is this comic (as it should be) and creating the best, funniest strips you ever read.

So, what’s the plan for 2012? Here’s a short rundown of what you can expect (hopefully).

The New Book Day Free Comic Book Day Special

On the first Saturday of May every year, comic book stores across the country give away free comics to the masses. This year, I’ve taken some of my favorite comics, put them together in an actual comic book and am going to give it away. The book will be available at both Brave New Worlds locations in the Philadelphia area and possibly on this site, if there is any interest.

The First New Book Day Annual

On the heels of that, I’m going to be putting out the first New Book Day collection. It will collect all the comics from 2010 and 2011, plus some new material and other stuff. I plan on debuting it at Wizard World Philadelphia in June and it will also be available on this site.

The New Book Day Podcast

I have been toying with the idea of doing a podcast for a while now. It would essentially be me talking about comic books, webcomics and the like. I’m still debating whether this is something that would work, so I’ll keep you updated.

There you have it. As things move along, I’ll let you know and I hope you all continue to enjoy New Book Day. See you tomorrow!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that there will not be a new comic tomorrow. New strips will resume on Monday

I realize I have missed a bunch of comics as of late and Tuesday you will get an explanation as to what is going on.

Thanks and see you Monday.

I just want to let everyone know that due to some massive computer issues (stupid Windows Vista), there won’t be any new New Book Day comics the rest of the week.

Hopefully (keep your fingers crossed), I can get everything sorted out and new comics will return on Monday, January 16th. And then I will get to work on building a buffer of comics so this NEVER happens again.

Thanks for you patience everybody.

When it was first announced that the characters that made up Vertigo (Shade, Swamp Thing, John Constantine) would be reintegrated into the DC Universe as part of the New 52, I was not a fan. How would somebody like John Constantine function in a Superman or Green Lantern comic? Or could you picture Swamp Thing costarring in Wonder Woman? I know I couldn’t.

Then I fell in love with Scott Snyder and his work on Batman. I was talking about this to my local comic shop guy when he told me Snyder was also writing Swamp Thing, a book I hadn’t read since the underappreciated Mark Millar/Phil Hester run. So of course I pick up a second print of issue one and boom, I fell in love all over again.

With issue #5, Snyder continues The Rot storyline as Alec Holland and Abigail Arcane face off against her brother and his undead killing machines. It also marks the return of Yanick Paquette to the art duties after a one issue break.

While Batman has been my favorite New 52 title since issue #1, Swamp Thing has been more of a slow burn. Hell, we haven’t actually seen the actual Swamp Thing since issue #1. Snyder has let the story slowly build and build, ratcheting up the tension as we go. Seeing Alec use the power of the Green to save Abby is a great moment and gives the reader the payoff they deserve. And the funny part is that this really does feel like a Vertigo comic. With fellow Vertigo alumni Animal Man, the two titles have cornered the market on creepy and scary in the New 52.

Paquette’s art is a perfect fit for a comic like Swamp Thing. He gives the visuals the weight they need while using some unconventional panel layouts to keep things interesting. Not all artists can do horror, but Paquette is proving he is more than capable. Plus his covers are just gorgeous. I really hope DC includes them in any future collected edition.

Swamp Thing should be on everybody’s pull list, no question. It’s a smart, scary read that any Vertigo fan will fall in love with.