Buffy #54 should be on the stands today. It is the conclusion to the "Viva Las Buffy" arc that, IMHO, started out pretty good, but suffered a mid-arc slump. Will it finish on a strong note, or fall off the deep end?

Back from MegaCon, here's the news:

Fray #7 is finished and will hit the stands in April. #8 is almost done, and looks like it will make the cut in June. The plan from Dark Horse will be to release the entire run as a limited hard-cover collection first, followed by a trade paperback. No schedule on these.

Buffy will continue as a monthly for the time being, but they are waiting to see how things go once the show ends. There will be a mini-series or series of one shots titled Tales of the Vampires, written by writers of the show and focusing on past vampires in history, similar to Tales of the Slayers. Sales of those issues will help determine wheter they continue Buffy as a monthly, or a series of one-shots and minis. All in all, though, they figure they will be running Buffy comics in some format for the forseeable future.

Angel will unlikely ever be picked up again as a series or limited set.

Action figures were selling strong. I picked up a Giles figure (with book and axe as accessories) for $12. Most of the figures were $20. A "wolfy" Oz (still with guitar accessory) was $30. Anya in a bunny suit has now shot up to $60. Two more series of figures are due to be released; beyond that, the dealer didn't know what was going to happen.

In other comics news of note:

JLA/Avengers will be released in the 4th quarter of this year. George Perez himself said that he had the first two issues of the 4-issue set completed, and had the pencils finished of the 3rd issue and had that inked one quarter of the way through. This was confirmed by the DC panel.

Neil Gaiman has a hard-cover 128-page graphic novel called Endless Nights that has a raft of artist attached to separate stories dealing with each one of the Endless. He also has a Marvel series currently titled 1602 that the Wizard editor said looked comparable to The Sandman, but he could not offer any details, even what the project was about.

New issues of Planetary may actually hit the stores this summer.

Most of the show was dominated by the CrossGen group (they are just down the road in Tampa, so this is like their home ground). Most of their major announcements had to do with the deals they have in turning their seireis into movies and TV productions.

The convention itself seemed to go well. I think attendance was larger than last year. One thing I did notice was that anime and manga had a much larger presence than last year.

Most tempting item that I did NOT buy - LOTR:The Two Towers bootleg DVD for $25.

My best score of the convention - Complete three-issue Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comic book series for $3.

If I wanted a Spike action figure, where's a good place to get one? I don't care if it's mint or if it's a limited variant. I just want a Spike.

Good Luck!

(seriously, they are really difficult to get except by combing comic stores which might still have them. last time I looked on-line nobody had them)

I have one! It's mine... My precious... I'm a greedy miser...

You could try Newbury Comics, but it's a reach, because the figure's been gone awhile. I got mine an Electronics Boutique store that was clearing them out about a year ago.

Jon, I can check my local comic shop this Wednesday to see if they have any... we tend to be somewhat behind the leading edge of the trends out here in the hinterlands.

That would be awesome, Matt. Thanks. It would be a present for a friend. No, really!

Hey, you were there when I bought my Jesus action figure (with gliding motionTM!). I make no judgements.

Jon, I got mine on eBay.

Action figures were selling strong. I picked up a Giles figure (with book and axe as accessories) for $12. Most of the figures were $20. A "wolfy" Oz (still with guitar accessory) was $30. Anya in a bunny suit has now shot up to $60. Two more series of figures are due to be released; beyond that, the dealer didn't know what was going to happen.

I'll have to check the MAC site, but AtS season 2 figures (Wesley, Darla, and the Host) are due to be released this month. Shit. I have to preorder my case of Wesleys.

Closest thing we have to a comic thread...

Reality TV veteran Bruce Nash ("Meet My Folks") has teamed with comic book king Stan Lee to search for the next big superhero.

The mild-mannered duo will swing through town next week, pitching a fantasy-meets-reality show to the networks.

The project will begin with an open call, a la "American Idol," for contestants who have created their own idea for a superhero. Dressed as their creation, participants will be judged by a panel of celebrities who have played heroes in the past (think Lynda Carter ).

Full article here