After exhausting all the options in my area and for miles around I've come to the realization that I'm only ever going to own Dead Air if I order it online. Tonight with that realization fresh in mind I logged on to a certain anonymous, reliable e-store, ran a search, and paid a distant bookstore for their copy which should arrive at the Jonathan-Cave by next week. The instantaneous disappearance of my patience was shocking but not unexpected.

I look forward to reading through Mike's first graphic novel. I'm hoping that the inspiration I found in the pages of Grafik Musik will also be present in the pages of Dead Air. Why can't next week be now?

Has anyone else read through it? Without spoilers can you give me your impressions?

I don't have the whole thing, just what I have from issues 1 and 2 of GM. But I love older material like this that lets me observe someone's artistic process, it's quite inspiring.

I definitely agree, sir. Looking through anyone's early material is like looking into who they are as a creative talent. It's like seeing the man behind the curtain. The raw energy and the inexperienced vibe are what I find the most fascinating about older works.

Whenever I need a boost of inspiration or an example of how possible success is from simple beginnings I look to my favorite creator's first pieces. I tend to find these far more entertaining and enriching than their later works, though. What Mike calls his "Fat Elvis"-period I call his "I just blew your mind and am now doing wheelies with your Mom's bike"-period.

When I first read through Grafik Muzik I was floored. Sure the style was a rough version of what I'd been reading in Madman Comics but it was still so incredible. It's this feeling I hope to experience again in Dead Air!

Between "Dead Air", "Grafik" and "Graphique" I find that I enjoy "Dead Air" the most. Maybe because it has an end, whereas the others felt like more of an abrupt ending. I could see stuff in "Dead" that he'd use on "Grafik" and "Graphique" and even a few touches in the original "Madman" 3-issue mini. It was really enjoyable to finally get a hold of when I got it and I hope you enjoy it when it arrives.

I found a site with some images of the artwork and story. It definitely looks spiffy. I'm anxious to find the package waiting for me.

How difficult was it for you to find both runs of Grafik/Graphique?

I picked up Graphique all in one lot.

Grafik took a little doing. Seek out issue #3 and #4 first. They're the hardest to find... especially #3.

Did you find them locally or did you have to look online?

Strictly online. The only shop near me that could possibly have had these didn't (in Memphis).

The shop here in town is the pits, so I do ALL my buying online now. I'd love to support local, but when they're poopheads, I'll support non-poop heads someplace else.

It sucks when the closest comic shops to you are limited in their selection and unable to order anything cool. If I ran a small shop I'd go for diversity and then I'd worry about customer focus. By starting out with a foundation of varied genres, titles, and styles in stock one could build a terrific store. It doesn't matter if most of what you sell are Big 2 titles as long as you maintain an alternative library just in case. I get the idea of space equal money, but from my experience some of the oldest, most successful stores have been willing to stock anything and everything.

Here in Grand Rapids, a town I'd expect to have nothing (because it lacks in many other things), there are actually three great stores with diverse titles, older books, alternative press titles, and, of course, all the new books every week. Each of these stores has been in business for at least fifteen years. If a store hopes to survive, unless the customer base is simple enough to only demand the popular, Big 2 titles, it needs to do more than have new book racks and nothing else.

Then again I don't know what your local store really looks like. I'm just assuming poophead store = poorly stocked, poorly focus comic book shop. I hope a cool store opens near you soon!