Lost City Explorers #4

This is why you go to the comic book store on Wednesday. I have been looking forward to reading issue #4 of The Lost City Explorers ever since I read the last page of issue #3. And it came out this Wednesday. But I get my comic books on Friday. And...The Great Escape had sold out. I had the title added to my Holds List as I checked out today, so THAT won't happen again, but the horse was already out of the barn, wasn't it? So I took the extraordinary step of stopping at a different comic book shop: The Destination. It's a nice little shop, and I've gone there a half-dozen times or so. Usually when The Great Escape is sold out of something I was waiting for but hadn't had the foresight to put into my Holds box. The Destination usually comes through. Not this time, though. Which, so far as my immediate area is concerned, only leaves The Zone...a store I frequented for several years...until it changed hands and the new owner proved himself to be an asshole. But I might could check it out today. Cause I really want to read that comic book. I could get it from Comixology, of course...but for some reason I want the paper copy of this one. 

Lost City Explorers has a pretty unique premise: Atlantis has been discovered...underneath the island of Manhattan. Now, tell me that THAT doesn't have something for everyone, eh? The story is written by Zack Kaplan, who looks to be a pretty young fellah, and who doesn't have a whole bunch of writing credits to date...but what he has written has been really good: Eclipse (premise: future world in which you have to wear protective gear if you go outside, because the sunlight will kill you; enter murder mystery) and Port of Earth (premise: Earth opens up a port for extra-terrestrial travelers; problems ensue). I bought, read, and loved all of Eclipse, and bought read and loved the first issue of Port of Earth. Dropping it was just a money issue...because at the time the buy list had gotten a little long toothed. I will probably go back and scarf up the issues I missed--which are now a mere $1.99 apiece on Comixology ($1.79 for Comixology Unlimited folks)...or a mere $7.99 ($6.29) for a collection of the first 4 issues, which gets your per issue cost down to a mere $1.57 for CUs. Since I already have the first issue, that wouldn't be the best deal for me, but still. It's a great deal for you. ANYway...the guy is a good writer. And the Lost City art? Well, it's by Alvaro Sarraseca, who also seems to be a Young Gun...I can only find a couple of references to his artwork...but he's good. Not flashy, nothing you'd go out of your way for, but competent--clear and crisp. That's a lot better than some of the shit you see, even from the Big Three. 

Meanwhile....

Well, I never did finish that entry. But in the process of writing it I started doing a little digging into (just) the facts (ma'am) on this Lost City Explorers thang, and I was more than a little bit startled at what I found out. Check out these sales figures:

The numbers on Issue #3 put it neck and neck with Teenage Mutant Ninja Cerebi, which I'm pretty sure only Dave Sim is buying. 1  So that's not good. I haven't seen the numbers for the fourth issue (as they haven't yet posted), but I'm guessing that we'll be talking about less than 2,500 copies sold. 




As for those other books written by Zack Kaplan.... there was a big sale on Image titles at Comixology, so:

Eclipse #9

$0.90

Eclipse #10

$1.79

Port of Earth Vol. 1 (Issues 1 - 4)

$3.15

Port of Earth #5

$0.90

Port of Earth #6

$0.90

Port of Earth #7

$0.90

Port of Earth #8

$0.90

= $9.44 for comics which would have cost me $39.90 if I'd bought them on the stands. Well, $33.92 with The Great Escape hold customer discount, Still, a substantial savings. And on my way to the Comixology check out, I ran across a non-

Zack Kaplan item called 

Centuries of Dust #1

Published By: Jake Ekiss

$0.99

which I had to look at, and it was really quite good. At first it seemed like a straight up rip-off of Dark Matter, but I don't think it is going that way. I thought it was a good little science fiction story, and I'm looking forward to the second issue.

Oh, this just in:

So September was the crueler month that I'd anticipated. But here's the thing: Lost City Explorers is a good comic book. It's not a rerun of a story you've read before. It's inventive and interesting. It really deserves a much bigger audience.

Try it, you'll LIKE it.






1  I am a gigantic Dave Sim fan, have read every issue of Cerebus at least twice, have purchased every issue in some form or another, and some two or three times--and every issue from 21 through 300 in single issue form...and have also followed almost all of Mr. Sim's other work, including--and I'm not proud of this--most of the issues of Glamourpuss...so you know where I'm coming from on that one. I've also met him, took part in a documentary about his work, and have several autographs and original sketches. So if my love for him wouldn't convince me to buy Teenage Mutant Ninja Cerebi...well. Y'know.


Breaking News: I just read an article that said Lost City Explorers is going to be coming to the small screen courtesy of Universal Television. Very exciting! I hope that this helps bring the audience numbers for the comic book up. Hell, even a minor success of tv would translate to a huge success in comic book world. More news as it happens.