Friends-

Issue 22 of CWR is here, and this time out, we have something a little different: a look at the nation’s economy and how it affects comics buyers… and creators. Here's what we’ve got for you:

Rob Osborne interviewed! The writer and artist of 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION, SUNSET CITY, and THE NEARLY INFAMOUS LORD ZANGO discusses the pamphlets vs. trades phenomenon and how the financial crunch has put his self-publishing plans on hold:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/robosborne.html

Reviews of ALAN’S WAR, CITY OF DUST, LABOR DAYS, GOTHS CAGE, LOVE AND ROCKETS and more:
http://reviews.comicswaitingroom.com

New CWRtv! Elliott Serrano hits the airwaves with a bombardment against some Marvel madness:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/cwrtv.html

Matt Maxwell says “not so fast” about $4 comics meaning doom. After all, IDW and Boom have been pricing themselves there and continuing to grow along the way:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/fullbleed31.html

Marc Mason says it’s time to give up on the floppy format:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/mason22.html

Avril Brown says that comics show us the way we should be treating strangers, and that’s with kindness:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/avril22.html

Vince Moore is saddened by the Prop. 8 mess in California:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/vince28.html

Bryan Miller wonders if price increases will lead to a homogenization of the product on comics stores shelves:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/miller3.html

Jocelyn Saddler looks at FINAL CRISIS and wonders if it was specifically designed to bankrupt the fanboy set:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/bb2.html

Jess Blackshear finds hope for the American dream in the form of her Canadian father-in-law:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/jess14.html

CONTEST: Do you think you can BE Alan Moore? Prove it and win a copy of the MINDSCAPE OF ALAN MOORE DVD:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com/toc.html

All wrapped in the usual, excellent, Elliott Serrano-designed cover, featuring a Rob Osborne drawn monkey hanging off of the economic cliff:
http://www.comicswaitingroom.com

Remember: If you read something at CWR that you like, pass it on to friends and blogs. Enjoy the reading!

Marc Mason
Editor-in-Chief
Comics Waiting Room