Out this week: SPIKE–OLD TIMES. Whad’ja think?

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

The current issue of “Rue Morgue” has a very positive review of the new “Spike” one-shot from IDW, written by yours truly. Whad’ja think?

PAD

59 comments on “Out this week: SPIKE–OLD TIMES. Whad’ja think?”

  1. Isn’t it dirty pool to be writing your own positive reviews? 🙂

    Ohhhhhh … the ISSUE was written by you. Gotcha.

    I didn’t realize it was out — my shop didn’t pull it for me. Grr. I’ll have to look for it later this weekend.

    TWL

  4. I don’t think it shipped this week as we ordered some and haven’t gotten them yet. It wasn’t on Diamond’s shipping list for Aug 10 and it’s not there again for the 17.
    I think someone lied to you, Peter.

  6. Well, IDW gave me the August 10 in-store date, and the book existed in finished form since the San Diego con, so I’ve no idea why it wouldn’t be in stores when it was supposed to be.

    PAD

  7. I didn’t get it at my shop, and I know I ordered it. Tell me it’s been delayed! I’d hate to think I got screwed on getting my copies. I have Peter David and Spike/Angel?Buffy fans who want that book.

    Matt Hawes
    COMICS UNLIMITED
    654-B E. Diamond Avenue
    Evansville, IN. 47711

  8. I just check Diamond Comics’s website’s shipping lists (the only real list you can go by), and it wasn’t listed for this week. I didn’t see it on the list for next week, either. Hmmm. Hopefully, it will be soon.

    Matt Hawes
    COMICS UNLIMITED
    654-B E. Diamond Avenue
    Evansville, IN. 47711

  9. Peter, I do not think it came out. comiclist.com did not list SPIKE as coming out last Wednesday and their weekly list of comics is pretty dependable.

    On the other hand, the latest issue of THE INCREDIBLE HULK came out. Very enjoyable. I will miss you when you leave this book.

  12. As of last Wednesday, Fourth World Comics in Smithtown didn’t have it.

    They told me it hadn’t been shipped yet.

  13. Glad someone made sure about the date because it didn’t show up at the shop I go to, and I’d be all manic if I didn’t get the PAD written comics!

  14. Didn’t ship to my LCS, either — and I was there helping fill subscriptions this week, so I’d have seen it. I also don’t see it on Diamond’s ship list for next week, but I didn’t see any other IDW titles, either, so it may be that they just don’t list ’em until Monday. In any event, I’m greatly looking forward to this. Hope it’s as big a hit as the SERENITY comic is turning out to be, with nationwide sellouts and second printings and insane demand.

  16. Well, Chris at IDW now tells me they just got in their copies at the office (the ones at San Diego were specially shipped in) and that typically it takes two weeks for them to show up on the stands once they’re in the office. Which means either the 17th (although it’s not on the Diamond ship list for then) or the 25th.

    Could someone let me know when they see the dámņëd book in the store?

    PAD

  18. have made a note to watch for it, with my trusty bluesclues notebook.
    hey don’t laugh, its bright, cheery and it can’t get lost very easily, plus it works darned well with dry erase markers!

  19. have made a note to watch for it, with my trusty bluesclues notebook.
    hey don’t laugh, its bright, cheery and it can’t get lost very easily, plus it works darned well with dry erase markers!

  20. have made a note to watch for it, with my trusty bluesclues notebook.
    hey don’t laugh, its bright, cheery and it can’t get lost very easily, plus it works darned well with dry erase markers!

  22. It’s definetly not going to be the 17th, since it’s not invoiced.

    But if Diamond has their copies now, it should come out next week (the 25th) for sure.

    On a related note, I’m not sure whats happened, but IDW used to be great about hitting dates, but the past 6 months or so, they’ve started slipping horribly, and now, are as bad as Avatar for many of their books.

  23. >It’s definetly not going to be the 17th, since it’s not invoiced.

    Since it was delayed from its original release date, it may show up this Wednesday. They don’t update the release list for this week until 5p.m. today. *Cross your fingers*

    Fred

  24. I have been waiting for this book for a while now, but it doesn’t look like it is shipping this week.

    Hopefully it will in on the shelves soon.

    Regards:
    Warren S. Jones III

  25. Ah, I was scared that I missed it. Not a big fan of Buffy or Joss Wheadon (as a writer of course, I’m sure he’s a great guy), but I am a fan of Peter David. It shall be purchased by me upon its eventual release.

    In other news, didn’t know quite where to post this, but I saw this on Warren Ellis’s webiste and wanted to spread the word. In Warren’s own words, Devner thinks he’s dirty.”

    -Amichai

  26. Fred,
    We receive our invoices on the Friday before the Wednesday releases and Spike was not there. Most likely, if the book is in motion, it won’t be around until the 24th.

  29. >>>It’s definetly not going to be the 17th, since it’s not invoiced.

    Since it was delayed from its original release date, it may show up this Wednesday. They don’t update the release list for this week until 5p.m. today. *Cross your fingers*

    Sorry, to clarify, I meant it wasn’t on my retailer invoice, which is 100% accurate of what is shipping to me. I get it on Fridays for the next week shipment. I’ll know this Friday if it’s shipping the 24th or not.

  30. >> which is 100% accurate of what is shipping to me. I get it on Fridays for the next week shipment. I’ll know this Friday if it’s shipping the 24th or not.

    Well, only sometimes it’s 100% accurate, at least for my store. Usually, it is very close.

    Dave
    Reader’s World

  32. Well, we got them in here at the IDW offices late last week. So, they’re on their way – probably the 24th in retail stores.

    And, they look and read great by the way.

  33. { jennifer: Is the review online anywhere? }

    that would be a © issue jen.
    gotta read the magazine for now sweetpea.

    I did spot an IGN article from May that enlisted some of Peter’s comments about the book, but no one is posting the rue review as of yet.

  34. In case anyone checks here or cares, just checked my shipping invoice for next week (The 24th) and Spike–Old Times is on this invoice. So in the middle of the country we are getting ours, so I expect everyone else to be getting them as well.

  35. that would be a © issue jen.
    gotta read the magazine for now sweetpea.

    Not if were published online by the author or on the magazines website – which is what I meant.

  36. BTW, I got my copies of the comic today and its quite good. Halfrek still isn’t my first choice for a storyline with Spike, but I think PAD did a good job of capturing Spike’s voice.

  37. On a semi-related note (that of PAD playing in one of Joss Whedon’s sandboxes), while reading Serenity #2 today, I noticed the add for the movie novelization, which also mentioned a forthcoming series of original novels.

    Something you might be interested in pitching for, Peter? (Yeah, like a li’l ol’ reader can offer a pitch meeting. But, hey…if the folks at Mutant Enemy react favorably to the Spike one-shot, is it really unthinkable that they might recommend New York Times-bestselling author Peter David to the publisher?)

  38. Are you going to write a 4th Apropos? Because if you are not, how you ended the last page was cruel. I have loved Apropos for 4 years and have gotten 10 others to read and love him. I know that we would all love to see him come back.

  39. I just finished reading Old Times and I loved the ending…

    I have a question about continuity…does this event occur before or after the series finale of Angel NOT FADE AWAY?

    Either way I really enjoyed this comic. Its nice to see William the Bloody back in action.

    Kudos.

    Regards:
    Warren S. Jones III

  40. I really liked it. The ending was great. Very “Whedonesque”. But like others, I also wonder about the time frame. It MUST take place before the Angel series finally because Halfrek has been dead a year when that episode takes place. I would say that it also must take place before the Buffy Season Six episode “Older and Far Away” because their meeting in “Old Times” seems to be their first since he was vamped. In “Older and Far Away” they recognize each other as Spike and Halfrek instead of William and Cecily. However, it must take place AFTER the Buffy Season Four Episode “In The Harsh Light Of Day” because he had to be with Harmony already. If I had to pinpoint it, I’d say that it takes place right after that, after the Angel episode “In The Dark”, where Spike is in LA trying to get the Gem of Amara back from Angel. If that’s the case it would be a little out of character for him to help a human because he doesn’t have a chip or a soul. Though I guess it makes sense because he was just trying to piss Halfrek off. (God, do I sound like an uber-nerd or what?) All in all, I give it a thumbs up. Great job.

  41. Not bad, but not great. Peter, you’ve been successfully reversing people’s expectations for so long that I, for one, have come to expect the reversal. As soon as I read that dudestein would be fine if he survived past midnight, I knew that he would be dead just past midnight.

  42. My store never received a copy, so they’re trying to back order it. Hopefully, that won’t prove difficult.

    Rick

  43. I thought that Halfrek actually mentioned Dawn’s birthday party in this issue…is that right?

    My shop’s copies were all damaged, so I read it there, but have to wait until the replacements are sent.

  44. My store was shorted to the extreme, receiving only 2 copies, not even enough for those actually preordered by customers. I was fortunate enough that a worker gave me his copy. A bit beat up, since Diamond seems to have it in for comic dealers or at least mine. Haven’t had a chnce to read it yet, but hope that the shortage isn’t a nation-wide dilema… sadly, sounds like it might be. What is the reason for this, any ideas?

    Fred

  47. I liked it, overall. A little more comedic than I expected it to be, but that’s not really a bad thing.

    It’s pretty tough to pin down when this would have occurred. The book mentions Dawn’s birthday party (which was actually Buffy’s birthday party) as having happened already, which puts it after the season 6 episode Older and Far Away. Halfrek was killed in season 7’s Selfless, so it must take place late in season 6 or early in season 7 (unlikely, since Spike is still pretty crazy from getting his soul back at that point).

    Maybe Spike swung by L.A. to cause trouble on his way to Africa…

  48. I enjoyed it, the art and story was quite nice. The thing I liked most about it was all the variations on Halfrek’s name Spike used. I know it’s a bit from somewhere– it’s on the tip of my tongue but I can’t put my finger on it (don’t those metaphors mix so well together?). I want to say Monty Python, but that’s not it. I want to say Looney Tunes, but that’s not it. I want to say Marx Brothers, but that’s not it. Gah.

    Still, it was a nice meditation on the nature of vengeance and pointlessness of such. Oh yeah, I enjoyed the Billy Idol gag. Ironically, seeing Spike in comic book form brought up shades of John Constantine heh.

  49. I have a chance of getting it in about week, but every online thing I go to has it sold out.

  50. My store doesn’t even seem to know it exists.

    Tomorrow i have to go to Suwanee and there’s a better stroe there.

    I have also mentioned the new “Fallen Angel” series and intimated i hope they’ve ordered it, and the reaction varies from : “Huh?” to “What new ‘Fallen Angel’ series?”

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