The PCG v1

The end of the PCG...?

2020-06-27T17:56:00.000+01:00

Matt C: We've come a long way since the very first post appeared here back on 2nd November 2007, and we've written thousands of words on comics, comic book movies, comic conventions and more since then. We were the Paradox Comics Group to begin with, we abbreviated to the far more catchy PCG along the way, and here we are, twelve and a half years later, ready to say... goodbye?

We'll leave that unanswered until we get a few things out of the way. Or at least, until I've had the chance to say some things.

I started this blog with several aims: to promote Paradox Comics, to provide a wider platform for the members of our 'reading group' to wax lyrical about comics and to give me a creative outlet so I felt I was contributing something to the wider conversation about the medium. And, as this is essentially an extension of a hobby (it's not a paying gig!), it's often been a struggle to keep content coming on a weekly basis but, somehow, thanks to the support of my friends and colleagues, we've managed it.

The PCG has been witness to a lot in the last twelve plus years. The New 52. Marvel Now. The rise of creator-owned work, particularly from Image Comics. The birth and incredible success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The mainstream popularity of comic book properties, from the aforementioned MCU to The Walking Dead and beyond. Comixology's emergence, and the success of digital comics. The passings of such creative titans as Darwyn Cooke, Len Wein and the legendary Stan Lee. We've visited numerous conventions, from the sorely missed Bristol Comics Expo to Thought Bubble to the wonderful Melksham Comic Con. We've followed the careers of some breakout creators, now top tier talents, like Jonathan Hickman, Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire. Oh, and we also bore witness to our beloved Paradox Comics hosting various Free Comic Book Days, providing us with endless comic book delights and moving premises, the indomitable Andy Hine constantly working hard to keep us supplied with our weekly comic book fix. Basically, we've seen a lot, and we've done our best to pass on our thoughts and enthusiasms to our readers, many who've stuck with us from the beginning.

I couldn't (and wouldn't) have started all this without the green light from Andy, so I'm eternally grateful that he allowed my ramblings to be associated with his shop. But this was never intended as a solo venture, and I had plenty of help along the way, so a big thank you to the following excellent people: James Randall, Rob Nott, Stewart Ryder, Matt Tuffin, Dan Henry, Jo Sibley, Kenny Jeffrey, Simon McLean, Andrew 'The Butcher' Butcher, Tom Pike, Mike Smith, Billy Proctor, Mike Vincent, Ian & James Utley, Ann Luce, and, more recently, my sons Harvey and George (who were barely twinkles in my eye when the first post was published in November 2007!).

And now, in 2020, with the world sort of turned upside down, it feels like as good a time as any to say that we've done the weekly review thing now, we've done the comic book movie reviewing thing now... it's time to move on.

But no, it's not goodbye. Because we're moving to www.thepcg.uk!

Yes, we're still going to be writing, but having written about just comics for so many years, and considering our shared interests are far broader than that, we're going to be covering not only comics but films, TV, books and more. Maybe not to the same kind of routine schedule but hopefully with some reignited passion for things we love.

When will this new site go live? It already is! Click there now to see the start of something new and check back with us for lots of great articles in the future. This site will remain (we've invested too much time to close the doors permanently) but this is likely to be the last new post you see here.

So a very brief goodbye and we'll see you on the other side very soon...

Comic Book Arrivals 26 June 2020

2020-06-23T15:16:00.000+01:00

The following comics and graphic novels will be on sale at Paradox Comics from 26 June 2020.

DC COMICS:

Aquaman #60 £3.45
Aquaman Giant #4 £4.25
Batgirl #46 £3.45
Batman #93 £3.45
Batman and the Outsiders #13 £3.45
Batman Beyond #44 £3.45
Batman: The Smile Killer #1 £5.15
Books of Magic #20 £3.45
Catwoman #22 £3.45
Catwoman: 80th Anniversary 100 Page Spec £8.40
Daphne Byrne #5 (of 6) £3.45
Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 (of 6) £4.25
Detective Comics #475 Facsimile Edition £3.45
Dollar Comics: Batman #13 (2013) £1.00
Dollar Comics: Green Lantern #1 (2011) £1.00
Flash #754 £3.45
Flash #755 £3.45
Flash #756 £3.45
Flash Annual #3 £4.25
Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100 pg Spec £8.40
Green Lantern: Season Two #4 (of 12) £3.45
Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey #2 (of 4) £5.15
Hawkman #24 £3.45
John Constantine: Hellblazer #7 £3.45
Justice League #47 £3.45
Justice League Dark #23 £3.45
Low Low Woods #6 (of 6) £3.45
Metal Men #7 (of 12) £3.45
Nightwing Annual #3 £4.25
Plunge #4 (of 6) £3.45
Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage #3 (of 4) £5.90
Red Hood: Outlaw #46 £3.45
Strange Adventures #2 (of 12) £4.25
Suicide Squad #6 £3.45
Superman #22 £3.45
Supermans Pal Jimmy Olsen #11 (of 12) £3.45
Teen Titans #42 £3.45
Wonder Woman #757 £3.45
Wonder Woman: Dead Earth #3 (of 4) £5.90
Young Justice #15 £3.45

IMAGE:
Birthright #44 £3.45
Dead Body Road: Bad Blood #1 (of 6) £3.45
Die #11 £3.45
Family Tree #6 £3.45
Gideon Falls #22 £3.45
Hardcore Reloaded #5 (of 5) £3.45
Heart Attack #6 £3.45
Ludocrats #2 (of 5) £3.45
Middlewest #17 £3.45
Mirka Andolfo: Mercy #3 (of 6) £3.45
Monstress #28 £3.45
Moonshine #18 £3.45
Nomen Omen #6 (of 15) £3.45
Outer Darkness / Chew #3 (of 3) £3.45
Redneck #27 £3.45
Savage Dragon #249 £3.45
Sex Criminals #29 £3.45
Spawn #307 £2.60
Tartarus #3 £3.45
That Texas Blood #1 £3.45

MARVEL:
2020: Rescue #2 (of 2) £3.45
Captain America: Marvel Snapshots £4.25
Empyre: Avengers #0 £4.25
Immortal Hulk #34 £3.45
Iron Man 2020 #4 (of 6) £4.25
Spider-Ham #5 (of 5) £3.45
Thor #5 £3.45

MORE:
2000AD #2180 £2.99
2000AD #2181 £2.99
A Man Among Ye #1 £3.45
Angel & Spike #11 £3.45
Dark Ark: After the Flood #4 £3.45
Death to Army of Darkness #3 £3.45
Dying is Easy #5 (of 5) £4.25
Firefly #16 £3.45
George RR Martin: A Clash of Kings #4 £3.45
GI Joe: A Real American Hero #272 £3.45
Gung Ho #5 £3.45
Hotell #2 (of 4) £3.45
Lady Zorro #1 £3.45
Man Who Effed up Time #3 £3.45
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #50 (Foil) £5.15
Mirka Andolfo: Unsacred #6 £3.45
Old Haunts #1 £3.45
Once & Future #8 £3.45
Power Rangers / TMNT #5 £3.45
Red Agent: Island of Dr Moreau #5 (of 5) £3.45
Red Border #2 (of 4) £3.45
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #4 £3.45
Resistance #2 (of 6) £3.45
Sleeping Beauties #1 (of 10) £3.45
Sonic the Hedgehog #28 £3.45
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #105 £3.45
TMNT: Jennika #3 (of 3) £4.25
Transformers #20 £3.45
Transformers vs. Terminator #2 (of 4) £4.25
Vamperonica: New Blood #4 (of 4) £3.45
Wicked Things #2 £3.45
Year Zero #2 £3.45

GRAPHIC NOVELS:
Against Hope Tp £17.99
Angel Vol.2 Tp £11.99
Ascender Vol.2 Tp £14.99
Batgirl Vol.7: Oracle Rising Tp £16.99
Catwoman Vol.3: Friend or Foe Tp £14.99
Daredevil by Chip Zdarsky Vol.3 Tp £14.50
Doomsday Clock HC Part Two £22.99
Farmhand Vol.3 Tp £14.99
Gideon Falls Vol.4 Tp £14.99
Iron Man Epic Collection: War Machine Tp £35.99
Morbius the Living Vampire Omnibus HC £89.99
Primer Tp £8.99
Silver Surfer Omnibus Vol.1 HC £89.99

On The Pull: Lockdown Edition 3

2020-06-09T14:26:00.001+01:00

Matt C: DC's announcement last week that they're severing ties with Diamond was a shocker (although not totally unexpected) but until then Diamond are currently the sole distributor to the UK and deliveries are currently on a fortnightly basis while the Covid situation continues. So that means there are new comics this week available from Paradox, and the complete list is as follows...

DARK HORSE:
Butcher of Paris #5 (of 5)     £3.45
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #6   £3.45
Frankenstein Unbound #2 (of 5)     £3.45

DC COMICS:
Action Comics #1022      £3.45
Amethyst #3 (of 6)      £3.45
Aquaman #59       £3.45
Batman #92       £3.45
Batman Secret Files #3      £4.25
Batman / Superman #9      £3.45
Batman: The Adventures Continue #1 (of 6)   £3.45
Batmans Grave #7 (of 12)     £3.45
Birds of Prey #1      £8.40
DC Classics: The Batman Adventures #1    £1.75
Detective Comics #1022      £3.45
Far Sector #6 (of 12)      £3.45
Harley Quinn #73      £3.45
John Constantine: Hellblazer #6     £3.45
Joker: 80th Anniversary 100 Page Spec    £8.40
Justice League #46      £3.45
Justice League Dark #22      £3.45
Justice League Odyssey ##21     £3.45
Killadelphia #6       £3.45
Last God Sourcebook #1      £4.25
Legion of Super-Heroes #6     £3.45
Lois Lane #11 (of 12)      £3.45
Nightwing #71       £3.45
Scooby Doo, Where are You? #104     £2.60
Shazam #12       £3.45
Superman Giant #3      £4.25
Supermans Pal Jimmy Olsen #10 (of 12)    £3.45
Swamp Thing Giant #4      £4.25
Wonder Woman #755      £3.45
Wonder Woman #756      £3.45

IMAGE:
Adventureman #1       £3.45
Bitter Root #8       £3.45
Decorum #2       £3.45
Die Die Die #10       £3.45
Ice Cream Man #19      £3.45
Nailbiter Returns #1       £3.45
Postal: Deliverence #8      £3.45
Reaver #8       £3.45
Sonata #10       £3.45
Stealth #2 (of 6)      £3.45
Undiscovered Country #6      £3.45

MARVEL:
Black Cat #11       £3.45
Daredevil #20       £3.45
Deadpool #5       £3.45
Excalibur #10       £3.45
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #17     £3.45
New Mutants #10       £3.45

MORE:
2000AD #2178       £2.99
2000AD #2179       £2.99
Alienated #3 (of 6)      £3.45
Boys: Dear Becky #1      £3.45
Buffy: Every Generation #1     £6.75
Cimmerian: Red Nails 1#      £3.45
Cobra Kai: Karate Kid Saga Continues #4    £3.45
Dejah Thoris #5       £3.45
Faithless II #1       £3.45
GI Joe: A Real American Hero #271    £3.45
Go Go Power Rangers #32      £3.45
James Bond #5       £3.45
Jim Hensons Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #8   £3.45
Kill Lock #5 (of 6)      £3.45
KISS: Zombies #5      £3.45
Mountainhead #4 (of 5)      £3.45
Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys: Death of Nancy Drew #1   £3.45
Ragnarok: Breaking of Helheim #5 (of 6)    £4.25
Red Mother #5       £3.45
Something is Killing the Children #7    £3.45
Vampirella / Red Sonja #8     £3.45

GRAPHIC NOVELS:
920 London Tp       £15.99
Mephisto: Speak of the Devil Tp     £35.99
Paul is Dead OGN      £14.99
Red Mother Vol.1 Tp      £10.99
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed Tp     £14.99
X-Men by Jonathan Hickman Vol.1 Tp    £15.99

On The Pull: Lockdown Edition 2

2020-05-26T17:48:00.001+01:00

Matt C: Things are far from getting back to normal yet but they seem to be heading in the right direction at least. So that means that - yes! - new comics are arriving this week.

Some of you will be aware that, during the period that Diamond closed its doors, DC used the services of a couple of newly set up distributors to get comics to places that could take them in the States, meaning there will be a bit of catching up to do on these shores (hence two issues of Justice League). Marvel are taking a more cautious approach with their scheduling.

The below will be available from Paradox Comics this week but bear in mind the shop isn't officially open for business so make sure you get in touch directly if you need any of the below.

DARK HORSE:

(Nothing this week)

DC COMICS:

Basketful of Heads #7 (of 7) £3.45

Batman Beyond #43 £3.45

Batman Giant #4 £3.45

Books of Magic #19 £4.25

Daphne Byrne #4 (of 6) £3.45

DCeased: Unkillables #3 (of 3) £4.25

Dollhouse Family #6 (of 6) £3.45

Dreaming #20 £3.45

Harley Quinn #72 £3.45

He-Man & Masters of the Multiverse #6 £3.45

Justice League #44 £3.45

Justice League #45 £3.45

Justice League Odyssey #20 £3.45

Lois Lane #10 (of 12) £3.45

Low Low Woods #5 (of 6) £3.45

Metal Men #6 (of 12) £3.45

Our Fighting Forces Giant #1 £4.25

Plunge #3 (of 6) £3.45

Red Hood: Outlaw #45 £3.45

Suicide Squad #5 £3.45

Teen Titans #41 £3.45

Terrifics #27 £3.45

Wonder Woman Giant #4 £4.25

IMAGE:

20XX #4 £3.45

Birthright #43 £3.45

Deadly Class #44 £3.45

Farmhand #15 £3.45

Ludocrats #1 (of 5) £3.45

Mirka Andolfo Mercy #2 (of 6) £3.45

Outcast #45 £3.45

Outer Darkness / Chew #2 (of 3) £3.45

Savage Dragon #248 £3.45

MARVEL:

Amazing Spider-Man #43 £3.45

Avengers #33 £3.45

Marauders #10 £3.45

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1 £3.45

Venom #25 £5.15

MORE:

2000AD #2175 £2.99

2000AD #2176 £2.99

2000AD #2177 £2.99

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #14 £3.45

Disaster Inc #1 £4.25

Doctor Who: 13th Doctor Season Two #4 £3.45

Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides #3 £3.45

Five Years #9 £3.45

Ghosted in LA #10 (of 12) £3.45

Go Go Power Rangers #31 £3.45

Goon #10 £3.45

Jim Henson Storyteller: Ghosts #2 (of 4) £3.45

King of Nowhere #2 (of 5) £3.45

Marvel Action: Captain Marvel #5 £3.45

Mirka Andolfo Unsacred #5 £3.45

Red Sonja #15 £3.45

TMNT: Urban Legends #23 £3.45

Vengeance of Vampirella #7 £3.45

Year Zero #1 £3.45

GRAPHIC NOVELS:

American Jesus Vol.2: New Messiah Tp £8.99

Anti Hero Tp £8.99

Batman / TMNT Vol.3 HC £22.99

Bog Bodies OGN £11.99

Family Tree Vol.1 Tp £8.99

Five Years vol.1 Tp £14.50

Gotham High Tp £14.99

Snotgirl Vol.3: Is This Real Life? Tp £14.50

On The Pull: Lockdown Edition

2020-05-07T22:04:00.000+01:00

Matt C: As you'll probably be aware, comics due for release in the UK on 26th March have been sat in a Diamond warehouse since before that date, waiting for the first signs of life to spark back into the industry after it all came to an abrupt but inevitable standstill.

Well, the wait is finally over as those comics have now left the warehouse, are in circulation, and have arrived at our very own Paradox Comics!

Rumours are that something approaching normal service (or a new definition of normal) will resume at the end of May, with Marvel beginning to revise their shipping schedules.

In the meantime, we've got new issues of personal favourites like X-Men, Far Sector and Lazarus: Risen within our grasp and no amount of lockdown is ever going to kick the comics habit for those of us in it for the long haul.

It's worth remembering that, especially in times like these, comic shops need cashflow to keep going, so get your orders in and make sure that money changes hands as soon as it's possible to do so (they have digital financial transactions these days, don't you know)!

The PCG remains in 'quiet mode' for the interim, but our passion for this medium remains undiminished!

DARK HORSE:
Hidden Society #2 (of 4) £3.45
Stranger Things: Into the Fire #3 (of 4) £3.45
Tomorrow #2 (of 5) £3.45
Witchfinder: Reign of Darkness #5 (of 5) £3.45

DC COMICS:
Action Comics #1021 £3.45
Amethyst #2 (of 6) £3.45
Basketful of Heads #6 (of 7) £3.45
Batgirl #45 £3.45
Batman Beyond #42 £3.45
Batman: Curse of the White Knight #8 (of 8) £4.25
Batman / Superman #8 £3.45
Books of Magic #18 £3.45
Detective Comics #1021 £3.45
Dollar Comics: Justice League #1 2011 £1.00
Dollar Comics: Justice League of America #1 £1.00
Far Sector #5 (of 12) £3.45
Flash #752 £3.45
From Beyond the Unknown Giant #1 £4.25
John Constantine: Hellblazer #5 £3.45
Justice League Dark #21 £3.45
Last God #6 £4.25
Legion of Super-Heroes #5 £3.45
Red Hood: Outlaw #44 £3.45
Suicide Squad #4 £3.45
Supergirl #40 £3.45
Wonder Woman #754 £3.45

IMAGE:
Analog #10 £3.45
Death or Glory #10 £3.45
Heart Attack #5 £3.45
Killadelphia #5 £3.45
Lazarus Risen #4 £6.75
Lucy Claire: Redemption #4 £3.45
Monstress #27 £3.45
Old Guard: Force Multiplied #4 (of 5) £3.45
On the Stump #2 £3.45
Protector #3 £3.45
Rat Queens #21 £3.45
Sex Criminals #28 £3.45

MARVEL:
2020: Force Works #2 (of 3) £3.45
Amazing Spider-Man #42 £3.45
Black Panther #22 £3.45
Falcon & Winter Soldier #2 (of 5) £3.45
Fantastic Four Marvels Snapshot #1 £4.25
Giant-Size X-Men: Nightcrawler #1 £4.25
Hellions #1 £4.25
Immortal Hulk #33 £5.15
Incredible Hulk #182 Facsimile Edition £3.45
Jessica Jones: Blindspot #6 (of 6) £3.45
Marvels Avengers: Black Widow #1 £3.45
Punisher: Soviet #6 (of 6) £3.45
Ravencroft #3 (of 5) £3.45
Revenge of Cosmic Ghost Rider #4 (of 5) £3.45
Road to Empyre: Kree / Skrull War #1 £4.25
Scream: Curse of Carnage #5 £3.45
Star #3 (of 5) £3.45
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #2 £3.45
Tarot #4 (of 4) £4.25
True Believers: Empyre – Lyja #1 £1.00
True Believers: Empyre – She-Hulk #1 £1.00
True Believers: Empyre – Vision #1 £1.00
Wolverine #2 £3.45
X-Men #9 £3.45
X-Men / Fantastic Four #3 (of 4) £3.45

MORE:
2000AD #2174 £2.99
Angel & Spike #10 £3.45
Animosity #27 £3.45
Blade Runner 2019 #7 £3.45
Catalyst Prime: Seven Days #6 (of 7) £3.45
Cimmerian: Queen of the Black Coast #2 £3.45
Dying is Easy #4 (of 5) £3.45
Eve Stranger #5 (of 5) £3.45
Folklords #5 (of 5) £3.45
Gears of War: Hivebusters #5 (of 5) £3.45
George RR Martin: A Clash of Kings #3 £3.45
Ghostbusters: Year One #3 (of 4) £3.45
Grumble: Memphis & Beyond the Infinite #1 £3.45
Jim Henson Dark Crystal - Age of Resistance #7 £3.45
Judge Dredd: False Witness #1 £3.45
Kill Lock #4 (of 6) £3.45
Killing Red Sonja #1 £3.45
Marvel Action: Avengers #1 £3.45
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #49 £3.45
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #88 £3.45
My Little Pony: Canterlot High March Radness £5.15
Omni #6 £3.45
Once & Future #7 £3.45
Quantum & Woody #3 (of 4) £3.45
Red Sonja & Vampirella meet Betty & Veronica #10 £3.45
Rick & Morty #60 £3.45
Sonic the Hedgehog #27 £3.45
Strangelands #7 £3.45
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #104 £3.45
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Jennika #2 £4.25
Transformers: Galaxies #6 £3.45
Transformers vs Terminator #1 £3.45
Usagi Yojimbo Color Classics #3 £3.45
Van Helsing vs League of Monsters #2 £3.45
Wolvenheart #6 £3.45
X-O Manowar #1 £3.45

GRAPHIC NOVELS:
Absolute Carnage Tp £14.99
Absolute Carnage vs. Deadpool Tp £11.99
Canto Vol.1: If I Only Had a Heart Tp £17.99
Doc Frankenstein: Post Modern Prometheus HC £39.99
Doctor Doom Vol.1: Pottersville Tp £14.50
New Mutants by Hickman Vol.1 Tp £14.50
Once & Future Vol.1 Tp £12.99
Thor Epic Collection: Into Dark Nebula Tp £35.99