The 300 looks like one of those movies that critics either love or hate. Sigh. Well it's not like I'm not going to see it. But the negative reviews seem to be more about the political or social message of the movie than the quality of the movie making. Pretty strange; if I like the movie, does that mean I agree with throwing deformed babies over cliffs? That I love war?

The one criticism I've seen that is inherent to the movie is that it is too perfect, almost sterile. O.K. I see how that might be a problem. But I'm not exactly going to see the 300 for the subtleness of the emotions, anymore than I went to see the Sin City. Its the style, baby. Maybe I'll come back from it hating it, but I suspect the visuals are enough to get me.

Interestingly, those critics who hated the movie went out of their way to praise Frank Miller's graphic novel, as if to say, they ain't snobs. But the message in the graphic novel is the same as the message in the movie, if maybe not quite so visceral.


Captain America is still dead. They're going to do an autopsy in the next issue. Eeeww.

There's outrage among my fellow retailers that we were caught off guard. And it is pretty useless not to have any copies for sale when we need them. But the flack wouldn't have happened if word had leaked out, and it was pure luck that it was a slow news day. Completely unpredictable. So my 15 copies went onto the shelves of people who pre-ordered it. None left over, and no decisions to make about who gets it. I'm just as glad; takes the decisions out of my hands. Some of it was my bad, because there was enough warning to take action. But Marvel has an unfortunate tendency to hype just about EVERY comic, so it's hard to weed through that.

Reorders are supposed to show up, though I'm confused about how that is going to happen. Marvel is telling me that I can make 'direct' reorders this 'evening' so that we'll have copies available next week when it might do us some good. But all those who put in regular reorders will have had almost 2 1/2 days to make regular reorders (that would show up in two weeks when the demand is probably gone.) What to do. What to do. I've already reordered 18 copies, and I'll make another 20 copies reorder tonight, but I suspect I'm going to eat some of these, or not get them.

My theory. Lots of readers were pissed off that the bad guys seemed to win. Tony Stark, authoritarian figure wins over champion of freedom, Captain America. But this could be a starting point to an interesting story. Captain America is not dead (duh.) and he will be leading the opposition (the insurgency, if you will.) I doubt Marvel has the guts to follow the political ramifications all the way through, but it could get interesting.....

Meanwhile, we also got our Dark Tower 2, gorgeous, gorgeous comic; and Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness, which sounds like a fun read.