Received goods 5/17/11

It’s a funny thing about this line of work: when I’m really busy I’m making lots of money (hopefully) but don’t even have time to spend it. Daydream, maybe, for a minute here or there, but not to shop. Then when I have some time, part of me thinks “I haven’t had a lot going on, should I be spending money?”

Fortunately after a while one sees the logical problem, and (again, hopefully) finds a prudent degree of spending which fits in-budget.

So then, what do I have this week, arrived in this rain-dampened box?

It would appear to be numerous splendid examples of the sequential art, from the good people at Lone Star Comics. Hooray! Being a repeat customer of this fine enterprise, I’m used to their “bomb proof” packaging of course, but today I was puzzled by the unusually-large box. Why didn’t all this fit into the smaller box which I’m used to? This would seem to be the explanation…

That’s right, I decided to go crazy and purchase a copy of the legendary, unfinished Big Numbers comic by Alan Moore. Two issues were published, and a third turned up online a few years back; as it’s been close to twenty years since the project collapsed it’s likely that Big Numbers, like The Ballad of Halo Jones, will remain forever incomplete.

But, another well-known British author was once asked about the value of reading what does exist of the series, and he replied basically “get ’em.” So I’ve had issues one and two on one of my many lists for years, and now I’m halfway there.

In any event, this is a big-looking book; I should have put a scale of some sort in that photo but the cover is 10×10″. No taller than a standard comic book, but the square shape makes this thing look giant. It has a definite record-album quality, probably intentional given some of Moore’s comments on that subject. That aside, the front cover isn’t exactly dazzling. But, check out the flip side:

Unlike the front cover, I find myself just staring at the above. Weird. And the inside front-cover is pretty coolo too:

At some point of course I’ll have to actually read the thing. Though, to be honest, I’ll probably get to it last. I mean, I expect to be impressed, but 1) it’s lasted this long and 2) it isn’t like I can read the ending of the story. Still, awesome.