COMIC BOOK JONES

MARLON BRANDO RETIREMENT CEREMONY AND NEW $5 & $10 COUPON INAUGURATION!

2012-01-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

His time was well served but there comes a time when one must step down. Marlon Brando, who once appeared on our $5 coupon and currently graces our $10 coupon will be officially retired on Friday, January 27th. We will raise his banner to the rafters and usher in a new celebrity. Who will it be!? It's one of the most guarded secrets of the store and everyone always has their say but there can only be one! So, join us on Friday, January 27th @ 9pm after regular store hours for some food, drinks and a special sale to commemorate the occasion. Be the first to see the Marlon Brando and the new $5 & $10 coupons! Everyone in attendance will be the first to receive the new $5 coupon with any purchase!

The Quest!

2012-01-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

I have been using the internet since well before the advent of web browsers, Google, Facebook or Hulu. I go back to the days when you had to drop your telephone into a special cradle in order to log on to various internet bulletin boards where you could do…not much actually. It was more the idea of being there than what you could do that drove a lot of first generation geeks to dip their toes into the antediluvian mire that was the internet. So you would think I’d be a little jaded by the experience of going online.

But no! I am still blown away by the sheer volume of …STUFF out there.
Case in point. During a slow moment today I casually entered “Stamp Day For Superman” into Google. This little known, little seen, never aired episode of “The Adventures of Superman” was made in 1954 for the US Department of Treasury to promote the sale of US Saving Stamps and was shown to grad school students during assembly (an ancient ritual where young students were herded into a large meeting place to be bored into a comatose like state. This function has since been replaced by Pokemon and Barney as well as the Twilight series).

But I digress!

Stamp Day For Superman is the perfect illustration of how so many things are easily available today. I got 170,000 hits! Including multiple links to this public domain video.
Now strap into your Legion Of Superhero Time Bubbles (US. Pat. Pending) and follow me into the mists of time as we travel back to

1977…1977…1977…1977……

(by the way, why does time have to be so…Misty? All that mist leaves a film on the Time Bubble!)

But I digress yet again!

Disco was king! Reggie Bars rotted our teeth! Hair was big! And skirts were (ugh!) long! Farrah was the female ideal and Ali was (still) The Greatest.
In other words perhaps the dullest decade….well…ever.

BUT, we didn’t have the internet as you younguns know it. Stamp Day For Superman had not been seen since the 1950’s and all that Superman fans like myself knew about it was that this was a “lost” episode of our beloved George Reeves portraying the Man of Steel! It became the “holy grail” of Superman episodes. I would track down leads in fanzines that promised grainy super 8 prints. I would go to Comic shows scouring dealers tables for a copy. I KNEW it existed. So did dealers. But no one had ever actually SEEN it! I even contacted schools to see if they had old prints in some janitor’s closet that had not been opened since the Eisenhower administration.

BUPKIS! NADA!! ZIPPO!!! I had an easier time getting DATES than finding that $%#@# superman episode.

And THAT was the fun of it! The hunt! The Quest! I was NOT easy to find and so getting it was an end in itself.

When I FINALLY tracked down a copy two years after my quest begun I was ecstatic! I held it in my hands. A single Super 8 reel of film in a yellowing envelope. It cost me maybe $50. Which was not cheap in 1979. But I didn’t care. Stamp Day for Superman! I don’t believe it!!!
And…it….was….MINE!

And…it…SUCKED!!! (well not really. It was just this 18 minute commercial for US Saving Stamps and geared to 8 year olds but George was his Super self!)

But it didn’t matter. I had seen my quest to the end and emerged victorious!
Not fast forward to…today. Google search. BOOM. Watching it on my desk top.
Convenient. I would not trade this accessibility for anything…

But sometimes I still miss the hunt.

That’s 30!

Mitch

The Almost End Of Batman

2012-01-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

Even the most loyal advocates of the Last Son Of Krypton (ie: SUPERMAN!), are forced to admit that it is Batman who is clearly DC’s most popular and visible character. (Sorry GL but that’s the way it is!). However, it may surprise you to learn that this was not always so. In fact there was a time that DC seriously considered canceling Batman and Detective altogether.

Batman’s early characterization as a creature of the night, a dark avenger had already been eroded by the introduction of Robin The Boy Wonder in Detective Comics #38 (1940).

It was thought that Batman needed something to make him more accessible to children (the core audience of comics at the time) and also give the writers someone that batman could talk to. In short order the covers depicting a grim and frightening Batman were replaced by a cheerful and swashbuckling character who more resembled Douglas Fairbanks’ Zorro than the Dark Knight. This was a radical departure from the core of the character but, despite this change, Batman remained extremely popular during the war years (1941-1945).

Batman would see his popularity erode in part as a result of the overall waning interest in Superhero characters after WWII. However he was almost destroyed by an enemy more dangerous than The Joker…Dr. Fredric Wertham.
Batman comics were among those criticized when the comic book industry came under scrutiny with the publication of psychologist Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent in 1954. Wertham suggested that Batman comics contained homosexual overtones and argued that Batman and Robin were portrayed as lovers. (it is hard to believe in these more enlightened times when Batwoman, a proud gay woman stars in her own popular book, that homosexuality was seen as a threat!)

Before

Wertham's criticisms raised a public outcry during the 1950s. DC’s response was to create a light hearted fantasy based Batman in the postwar years intensified after the introduction of the Comics Code. Batwoman (in 1956) and the Bat-Girl (in 1961) were introduced in part to refute the allegation that Batman and Robin were gay. Add Batmite, Ace the Bathound (I kid you not!), Vicky Vale and the stories were more of a copy of “The Superman Family” which had revitalized DC’s other franchise character. Batman spent more time in Sci-fi adventures than in Gotham. Obviously this break with the core character did not have the desired result and his popularity continued to decline.

By 1964 Batman had hit his low point and DC was left with a choice bring Batman up to date with the rest of the line or cancel the books entirely.
Editor Julius Schwartz was assigned to the Batman titles. He presided over drastic changes, beginning with 1964's Detective Comics #327 (May 1964), which was cover-billed as the "New Look". Schwartz introduced changes designed to make Batman more contemporary, and to return him to more detective-oriented stories. He brought in artist Carmine Infantino to help overhaul the character. The Batmobile was redesigned, and Batman's costume was modified to incorporate a yellow ellipse behind the bat-insignia. The space aliens and characters of the 1950s were set aside. Batman's butler Alfred was killed off and a new female relative for the Wayne family, Aunt Harriet, came to live with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.

and after

This new sleeker Batman, more grounded in a “real” world along with the runaway success of the Batman TV series gave Batman a short term spike in popularity which saw circulation of Batman and Detective peak at 900,000 copies a month. Once the Batcraze of the 1960’s subsided, so did the sales of the books. However Swartz and Infantino laid the groundwork that would lead to a gradual move back to the core “Dark Knight” of the 1940’s that began with the wok of Neal Adams and Denny O’Neil, through Marshal Rogers and Steve Engelhart in the 1970’s. Batman was returning to his roots...but...

Sales would continue to decline until a young Frank Miller dropped a bombshell on the comic book world. The Dark Knight Returns (1986) catapulted Batman into a popularity he has never relinquished. This portrayal of a 50 year old retired Batman in a dystopian Gotham City completed the full circle journey of the character back to his 1939 genesis. Miller would later re-imagine Batman’s origins along with David Mazzuchelli in Batman year One (Batman 404-407) and Brian Bolland along with Alan Moore would cement the slightly skewed reality of the character with 1988’s “The Killing Joke”.

These works would form the foundation of the modern Batman’s character and the world in which he moves. But those works might never have come to be if not for the efforts of Swartz and Infantino and the “New Look” Batman.

That’s 30!

Mitch

Proto-Comics and The Platinum Age

2012-01-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

When most comic collectors think about the “first” American comic books, they think about the “Golden Age” which began in June of 1938 with the publication of Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman. In fact the development of the American comic book goes back much further than that. All the way back to 1833!

As the late, great Casey Stengel would have said…”You could look it up.”
Various publishers had been releasing collections of comic strips for some time, the earliest known being The Adventures Of Obadiah Oldbuck which appeared in New York in 1842.

The first modern and truly popular character in American comics seems to have been The Yellow Kid who never actually spoke but communicated via messages that appeared on his night shirt. “The Yellow Kid In McFadden’s Flats is likely the first proto-comic . It first saw publication in 1897. This was a collection of reprinted comic strips that had appeared as early as 1896. The practice of reprinting popular comic strips in hard and soft bound collections (many of which were comic book like in structure) would be the defacto method of creating comic books until the advent of all new material that, along with Superman would signal the beginning of the Golden Age of Comics.

The first known example of a full color comic book was a Hearst produced publication called “The Blackberries”. It appeared in 1901. However, comic book publishing was intermittent and a regular monthly title, “Comics Monthly”, would not appear until 1922. As with earlier books, “Comics Monthly” was a collection of reprinted newspaper or magazine strips.

In 1929, Dell Publishing, released “The Funnies”. This was formatted more like a Sunday Newspaper insert than a comic book, but was sold as a stand alone product. It is also the earliest known example of a comic book that included original material. “The Funnies” ran WEEKLY for 36 issues and was released on Saturday through October 1930.

By 1933, Maxwell Gaines, sales manager of Eastern Color Printing began publishing “Funnies On parade” Like “The Funnies”, “Funnies On parade” more closely resembled a Sunday Newspaper insert. Unlike “The Funnies”, Gaines’ book published reprinted material such as Mutt and Jeff, Joe Paloooka and Skippy Eastern Color did not actually sell this periodical. It was sent it out free as a promotional item to consumers who mailed in coupons clipped from Procter & Gamble soap and toiletries products. The company printed ten-thousand copies for this promotion. This was so successful that Eastman produces several other promotional comics and this was, for a short time, the dominant form of comic book distribution.

Also in 1933, Eastern began publishing “Funnies On Parade: A carnival Of Comics”. This is considered to be the first “true” American comic book. It was 36 pages long. There is some dispute on whether this comic was sold or given away. However it is likely that both methods of distribution were used as copies have shown up with stickers on the cover hawking it for a dime, while other copies appear with no price tags.

“Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics”, eventually gave way to Famous Funnies #1 (cover-dated July 1934), a 68-page comic that sold for a dime. It was distributed to newsstands by the American News Company. News syndicates would become the major distribution arm for comics right up until the advent of the specialty comic shop and direct sales in the 1980’s. “Famous Funnies” was a hit with readers and ran for 218 issues.
When the supply of available existing comic strips began to run dry, small amounts of new, original material in comic-strip format began to appear. A comic book of all-original material, with no comic-strip reprints, debuted. National Allied Publications (later known as DC) released “New Fun” #1 in February of 1935. “New Fun” mixed humor and dramatic stories between the covers of the book. It would also feature early work but such creators as Seigel and Shuster, who would later create Superman. One of their creations was a proto-superhero known as Dr. Occult.

But this was created under their pseudonyms, Leger and Reuths.

By 1938, publishers were finding it absolutely necessary to gather original material as the supply of reprints had pretty much dried up. This opened the door for a whole group of very young creators with names like Kane, Robinson, Kirby, Simon, Seigel and Shuster etc. This influx of talent and invention of the Superhero would bring the “Platinum Age” to a close and usher in “The Golden Age Of Comics”

That’s 30!

Mitch

Thanks For The Memories

2012-01-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012! I am back (for good or ill) after a brief hiatus for the holidays. I do hope all of you had a wonderful and HEALTHY holiday season, and that Santa stuffed your stockings with all sorts of comic book goodness.

I was looking back on the last part of 2011 and two pieces of news arose that call for a moment of our time. In December lost two of the most influential comics creators in the history of the medium.
Joe Simon and Jerry Robinson.

When I say these gentlemen were two of the most influential creators in the history of comics, I am not engaging in hyperbole. These men were right there with the likes of Siegel and Shuster, Kirby and Lee, Bob Kane…any of them.

Joe Simon, passed away on 12/14 at the age of 98 from natural causes. His name is almost always spoken in conjunction with his long time partner, the King Of Comics, Jack Kirby. Together, they created one of the most iconic characters in comics history…Captain America. At a time of great uncertainty in our country and around the world Simon helped create a symbol of America that endures to this day. Most recently in a film and two monthly titles. Cap has been in print almost without exception since 1941. There was a brief hiatus but he was back in Avengers #4and has been going strong ever since.

If that was Simon’s ONLY contribution to the history of comics it would have been a great legacy. But he did so much more. As an artist, along with Kirby, Joe redefined page layout, often exploding action through panel borders creating a story telling language still being used to this day.
Joe was also the first editor of Timely Comics, which would eventually become Marvel.

A couple of years ago, I stood in line for over an hour just to meet him at NY Comic Con. I am not an autograph hunter or one given to waiting in lines, but for Joe, it was a privilege.

Joe Simon. He will be missed of course, but as long as Cap is still slinging his shield, Joe will be remembered and celebrated.

Jerry Robinson. What a sharp guy he was! I saw him speak at Comic Con in 2010 and he told some great stories. At the then age of 87, he looked in great shape and was having a ball with the fans and adulation that was so late in coming his way. For decades Jerry (along with Bill Finger) was one of the unacknowledged creators of Batman. While Bob Kane through contract and editorial policy was the credited creator of the Dark Knight, Batman was created by committee.

Jerry was instrumental in the creation of Robin The Boy Wonder and The Joker, as well as much of the Batman mythos. In recent years he received acknowledgement for his contribution and the accolades so long overdue.
Like Joe, Jerry was more than a one shot wonder. He was a prolific creator for many years. However his greatest contribution to comics was as an advocate for creator’s rights. During the mid 70’s Jerry was one of the key figures in championing the case of Siegel and Shuster in their decades long struggle with DC over their creation of Superman. Along with Neal Adams, Jerry helped win, not only financial compensation for the pair but creative credit for both Siegel and Shuster in all broadcast and published works containing the Superman character.

In 1978, he founded Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate/CartoonArts International which as of 2010 has more than 550 artists from over 75 countries.

They once asked Mickey mantle how he would want to be remembered. His answer was not to be remembered so much as a great player but as a great team mate. That is how, I think, Jerry Robinson will be remembered. That is a fine legacy for anyone.
Jerry passed away on December 7th, right here on Staten Island.

Joe…Jerry. Thanks for everything. We’ll miss you both.

That’s 30.

Mitch

Four Year Anniversary!

2011-12-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

4TH ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND SPECTACULAR!

This is it! Our favorite event of the entire year, the celebration of another year of our existence and this year we extended the celebration to THREE DAYS! Here's the skinny: It all kicks off on Friday, December 16th where we will be joined by the fine fellows you see on the flier above. They will be here signing, sketching and talking comics so make sure you stop by and say hello! Saturday, December 17th continues the signing tradition with even more comic creators! What's better than this? Well, EVERYTHING in the store will be 25% off on both days, including all the great books you can pick up from these fabulous creators!

Finally on Sunday, December 18th we'll be bringing the party to the Full Cup on Van Duzer St to kick back, have some drinks and provide some entertainment! There will be live music and DJ stylings of Socko & Tiger Jones! It all kicks off at 9:30! Be there!

Tis The Season…for comics!

2011-12-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas really snuck up on me this year! Maybe it is the mid 50’s weather, or maybe I am still decompressing from NYCC. Whatever the case, the holidays are just around the corner! To that end I am going to share some of my very favorite Christmas themed comic covers

Pretty sweet stuff. I don’t notice as many holiday themed covers on modern books but perhaps that is just a sign of our more politically correct times. I still say “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays”…so sue me!
SO here are MY picks for comic related items that would fit nicely in any house for ANY holiday:
1) DC Comics Archive Editions/Marvel Masterworks. These handsome hard cover collections with heavy stock, high gloss pages present the key works of the big two publishers to better advantage than the originals. It is a truly affordable way to add big runs of early issues to your library.
2) Vampirella Archive Editions – The Warren Publishing group originally owned Vampirella and along with Eerie and Creepy pretty much owned the horror genre back in the 60’s and 70’s. These editions present the early Vampi issues in their original size and format with nothing missing! Not just a collection of stories these Archive Editions present each issue in their entirety. I especially like the letters pages!
3) Walking Dead Collections –Hard cover or soft cover…GET these! The BEST comic on the stands deserves a place on your book shelf! Nuff Said.
4) DC Universe Online – The MMORPG based on the characters appearing in DC Publications is now FREE TO PLAY, and that includes the game software. The game is massive. The game is colorful. The game is Fun. PLUS the Flash runs on his cosmic treadmill. What could be better than that?
5) Movies…movies….MOVIES! This was the summer of the Superhero at your local theater and now those movies are all out on Bluray! Captain America! Green Lantern! Thor! Whether you get the DVD, Bluray or digital editions, just GET ‘em!
6) Maus by Art Spiegleman. If you have to ask you really NEED this one. Perhaps the single most important graphic novel/comic in the HISTORY of our hobby. Seems like a saw a few copies of the collected edition at Comicbook Jones! I need a new copy myself!!

7) An official Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time? Maybe not but if you don’t already own it get yourself a copy of Christmas Story. It’s a classic AND Ralphie can be seen slipping a comic book with a Red Ryder sales pitch into a copy of mom’s Look magazine.

I am sure other items will occur to me as the big day draws closer. I the meantime have to slip a copy of Previews news into my wife’s backpack!!
That’s 30!

Mitch

Alvin Hollingsworth…creator

2011-11-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

I have a soft spot for creators. Musicians, Actors, Writers, Artists….whatever. They don’t even have to be particularly GOOD creators. Just the act of creating has a value that cannot be calculated and adds immeasurably to our collective self exploration. Carl Sagan once postulated that we humans are one of the organisms through which the Cosmos knows itself. If in fact we are the “eyes of the Cosmos”, creators facilitate that sight by making the colors richer, the textures fuller and the music just that much sweeter.

As a comic collector I have a special fondness for the people who give us our comics. Of course we all know about the giants from the past like Jack Kirby, Curt Swan, Bob Montana, Seigel and Shuster, Joe Simon and so many more. Today we have the likes of Ed Brubaker, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee and an entire generation of creators who consistently push the medium to new heights of creativity.

I am always happy when I discover a new or forgotten creator. In this case it was the latter, His name was Alvin Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth drew comics in the 1940’s and 1950’s. He had a nice clean and very realistic style that was more along the lines of what you might have seen AFTER 1970. He often inked his own work. Alvin was definitely ahead of his times.
He worked on titles such as Wings, Rulah, Jungle Goddess, Master Comics, Witchcraft, Mysterious Comics, and Romance Comics such as Youthful Romances.

In fact after he retired from the Comic Book field, Hollingsworth became a renowned fine artist and taught as a college professor at the University of new York and Hostos Communtity College. His subjects included the civil Rights for women, Jazz, and dance among others.

Alvin left us in July of 200 at the age of 72.

Hollingsworth was African American.

I mention this because the Golden Age of comics was hardly “golden” if you were an African American. Like so many areas of American life, people of color were either excluded entirely or made use of only as a stereotype. It may be hard to believe today but it was not until 1948 that a black man was allowed to play Major League Baseball and it would be nearly another thirty years before an African American was hired to MANAGE a team in the majors.
Hell, it was not until 1968 that TV saw it’s first interracial kiss. And even then Kirk was only kissing Uhura under the command of an alien influence and doing his best to resist it! Now I don’t know about anyone else but *I* would not have to be coerced to kiss Nichelle Nichols!
In the world of comic books we did not see men and women of color as leading characters or heroes in comics until the late 60’s and early 70’s with the likes of The Black Panther, Luke Cage, The Falcon and Storm. Old prejudices die hard.

So back to the 40’s and 50’s and the world of Alvin Hollingsworth. African Americans were almost completely non-existent in comic books. When they DID appear it was in the most demeaning and stereotyped manner. Bug eyes, grotesquely large lips, and huge ears. These depictions in NO WAY resembled any person of color who ever populated this planet. Worse than that, African Americans were portrayed as lazy, superstitious and cowardly. All completely untrue and unfair stereotypes.

If that was how FICTIONAL characters were treated one can only imagine how many doors were closed to African American creators at the time. The odds were not particularly good.

But every now and then someone comes along who beats those odds. Hollingsworth was simply too talented to be denied.

And he also had the opportunity to portray African Americans as beautiful, dignified people in Fawcett’s experimental title Negro Romance.

Romance comics were coming into their own around 1950 as the Superhero wave of the Golden Age was going into decline. Fawcett’s other romance titles were selling very well and editor Roy Ald, a Caucasian editor by the way, decided to take a shot at targeting an African American audience made up largely of females! Ald had worked with Hollingsworth when the latter was a very young man and the two got along very well and became close friends. Ald actually wrote the book while Hollingsworth did the pencils. It is unknown whether or not Alvin inked this book but given the fact that he was also a capable inker it is likely that he did this as well. Hollingsworth and Ald portrayed African Americans in a far more complementary, if (you will excuse the pun) romantic, light than other comics. These were attractive, educated and desirable people. If the characters were somewhat sacirine, so were the white characters in Fawcett’s other romance books. (In fact MOST Fawcett characters tended to be a bit…bland. Captain Marvel lead the pack!)

It is not known if Hollingsworth did ALL of the artwork in Negro Romance but he did pencil a great deal of the book.

Although Negro Romance only lasted three issues the mere fact of it’s existence is remarkable and reflects the talent and sensitivity of the men who created it.

Of course I did not know Alvin Hollingsworth and have only ever seen a few pages of his work. But he was a man and like many men I HAVE known, Alvin overcame great odds and I am sure he paid a personal price for that. He left the world a bit richer and more beautiful than he found it. And he made a powerful statement without blowing anything up to do it.

Alvin Hollingsworth was a creator.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving

That’s 30!

Mitch

How...Human

2011-11-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you find moving and poignant moments in the places you least expect it

It was the last day of NYCC. And on a whim, on my way out my I suggested to my daughter Alyx that we might take in the retrospective on gene Colan going on in one of the side rooms. I have always been a great fan of the great Gene Colan. I always thought of him as more than just an artist.

I had always seen him as a consummate story teller. He did more with shadow and light to create the full range of human emotion than perhaps any comic artist in the history of the medium. For you younger readers who may not be familiar with gene’s work, I strongly urge you to check out any reprints you can get your hands on.

He was perhaps most famous for his work on Tomb Of Dracula, Iron Man and Daredevil but he was highly prolific and those titles represent only the tip of the iceberg. Along with Jack Kirby and Curt Swan, Gene was a giant.

But…

What really drew me to the panel was the fact that Don McGregor was speaking. I had always loved his work on Killraven in Amazing Adventures. He had created truly three dimensional characters with all the beauty and warts that flesh is heir to. His run on Amazing Adventures was very much ahead of it’s time and stands up today as a thoughtful and deeply textured science fiction epic. Frankly I wanted to see if Don was as…human…as his writing.

The panel was not crowded. There may have been 50 or 60 of us there. Mostly “old timers’ like me. A few younger fans were there as well. But that intimacy only added to what was to follow from a remarkable man.
I am here to tell you that Don McGregor may be the MOST human being I have come across in decades. He spoke for some time about his close friend, Gene Colan, telling more than a few funny stories. There was nothing maudlin or self pitying in his recollections. On the contrary, Mr. McGregor allowed those of us in the room to celebrate his friend’s life and work in a very intimate way. He gave us all a gift. Don made us feel as if we are also friends of Gene. I do know this. Mr. Colan was a very fortunate man to have a friend like Don.

It was impossible not to see the deep feeling Don has for Gene and if he was able to stay clear eyed, he was about the only one. Let me just say there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. In fact Alyx (jaded college student that she is) had a good cry with him after the presentation and he was genuinely moved by my daughter’s empathy.

So human.

As you start to get older you can’t get away from the fact that you are going to lose people who you love. There is no getting around this fact. It is one of the more bittersweet aspects of life I think. There is a special poignancy when it is the loss of a FRIEND. We choose our friends with great care, especially those we share a lifetime with. If you are lucky, you have one friend like that. I am doubly blessed that I have two.

Listening to Don remember his friend made me realize all over again just how dear my old friends are to me…and that one day one of us will be leaving that close knit circle.

So thank you Don.

Thank you for sharing your humanity and memories of your friend.

Thank you for moving my child to tears.

Thank you for reminding me of how precious my friends are to me.

And thank you for being so damned human.

Mitch

Some post NYCC observations.

2011-11-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

While NYCC has become a multi-media, multi-genre event ranging from live performance to movies, TV, Anime, Sci-Fi and more, for me it has always been about the COMICS. As usual I was very quickly reminded that big shows are generally not the places to shop for older comics if you are looking for a bargain.

YES there are MANY comic bargains at large shows such as NYCC. There are endless $1 boxes stuffed with GREAT reading. Modern comics tend to be heavily discounted and trade paperbacks/hard cover collections are slashed by over 50% by Sunday. You can even find decent prices on LOWER GRADED Silver and Golden Age Comics.

BUT if you are looking for higher grade or scarce Silver/Golden Age books steer clear. Even Mid Grade books tend to be over priced. The dealers are also less inclined to make deals at a big show than they are when I see THE SAME guys at smaller shows all year!

I went to NYCC with a very specific shopping list this year. I wanted high grade (VF or better) copies of Batman #227 and Detective #441, and a Fine copy of Laugh #61. I also wanted to get a copy of Vampirella #1 (1969) in VG or better condition. While I found all four books at the show, the prices on the first three were not only over Overstreet guide, but WAY over! Consequently I only purchased the Vampi at the show.

I will get into some of the reasons for the over pricing later in this column.

Now let’s talk about the Laugh, Batman and Detective comics, which I DID purchase from Ebay right after Comiccon.

Batman #227 is a highly sought after Neal Adams cover and has been going up rapidly in both demand and price. In VF the current OS Guide has it at $89 but that is a low price. I had been tracking it on ebay auctions and VF to VF+ copies were typically going for around $200. I saw an 8.5 unslabbed (not in a CGC case) copy at NYCC for $400! The dealer would not budge below $375 so I took a pass. That Sunday I put a bid down on this copy (below) on Ebay and got it for $218. When it arrived I was extremely happy with the condition (VF+) as it was every bit as nice as the NYCC copy I passed on.
Win for me!

The copy of Detective that you see below is in VF/NM condition. I got it for $20 on Ebay. It was selling for $100 at the show. FORTY PERCENT over the guide price of $60. This was even more egregious than the batman #227 because Detective comics in this issue range have been somewhat flat over the past few years. They DO go up in value but only by small increments. The dealer would not come down below $80. Ebay gave me another win!

Finally there is this Golden Age copy of Laugh #61. Not as I have mentioned in other columns Golden Age Archie comics are VERY hard to find in any condition over VG. WHEN YOU CAN FIND THEM AT ALL! So I was more than willing to pay twice guide (Guide is $30) for this book. I found two dealers with the book. One was in VG and he wanted $100. Another had a copy in about the same condition as the scan below and he wanted $225. Again, the dealers were not inclined to make what I thought was a good deal. I found THIS copy on Ebay for a Buy It Now of $30. I did not even have to bid!
WIN! WIN! WIN!!

So why are dealers at large shows such as NYCC a) over pricing the books and b) showing reluctance to “deal”?

Two reasons.

First, a guide is ONLY that…a “guide”. A dealer, any dealer has every right to ask any price they like for a book. There is no rule here. A dealer will make a decision on the desirability of any given book. Often they sell BELOW guide because a given book simply won’t sell at the overstreet price. It is up to the COLLECTOR to determine if any given book is “overpriced” for HIS/HER collection. In my case, it was my determination that these books were over priced at the show. That judgement was confirmed by the prices I ultimately paid for these books online.

Second, a large show is VERY expensive for dealers to attend. Aside from the table fees, there is transportation, their time and the inevitable theft that comes with large crowds. The dealer must factor this into his prices or he does not stay a dealer for long.

Also, large shows tend to bring out casual colletors and impulse buyers who simply don’t know that it is perfectly acceptable to haggle (within reason) over the price of a book. In short, the size of the crowd creates a selling atmosphere in which the dealer does not HAVE to come down on his prices. I have purchased from many of the very same dealers at smaller shows in New Jersey and gotten a price they refused to give me at NYCC!

The next question I know is coming is “Isn’t buying comics from Ebay risky? How do you know the book is in the advertised condition?”

Valid question. In fact you Do have to be careful buying on Ebay. I NEVER bid on a book without large, sharp images in the ad. I often send emails to the seller asking for additional internal scans. However, given the feedback model used on Ebay, most sellers actually UNDERGRADE their books. They do not want to risk bad feedback. Typically the books I get are about a half grade BETTER than advertised. Also, keep in mind that dealers at a show display their high priced books to their best advantage. Often in Mylar which enhances the look of the book. You have to be careful with a LIVE transaction every bit as much as with an online purchase.

The really interesting aspect of all this back issue collecting is the fact that Overstreet does not take online auctions into account when they come up with the values they place on comics. Those values are determined by a board of advisors, many of whom are (guess what?) DEALERS! Now why oh WHY would they not want the actual price that collectors are paying to be the value used in the guide?

I wonder…espically when MOST of these same dealers sell and auction online at prices LOWER than those they use in live transactions. Again, they are entitled to charge anything they want to either online OR live. It is up to the saavy collector to get the best price.

Which is why I am giving you guys the heads up here!

By the way…I DID get my Vampirella #1 at the show (VG+) for a very nice price ($60 or 30% BELOW guide) so there ARE deals to be made at big shows. Just make sure to do your purchasing in the LAST hours of the LAST day when the dealers are more motivated to getting those last few sales before they pack up!

Again, let me emphasize that ther ARE tons of great bragains to be had at any big show. You just need to know where to look!

That’s 30!

Mitch

Digital Comics...The New "D.C."?

2011-10-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

This year at NYCC one of the hot topics for discussion was the growing popularity of digital comics and what they might mean to the future of the hobby. The question of whether or not Digital Comics would become part of the retail landscape has already been answered. They are here to stay. Look at the home page right here at CBJ and you will see a link to a digital comics vendor.

The question of digital comics breaks down into two parts, aesthetic and financial.

Let’s talk bucks first.

Digital comics make all the financial sense in the world. They are ridiculously cheap to produce and distribute when compared to their printed counterparts.

Both digital and print comics are created in the same way. Someone writes, someone draws, someone inks and someone edits. No difference.

However it changes drastically from there. Take print first:

Presses and press time needs to be secured and the comics must be physically produced at some cost per copy to the publisher. Press/printing time is NOT cheap.

Physical Comics are printed on PAPER. Again, not cheap.

Physical comics use INK.

Physical comics use staples.

They have to be broken down, packed in boxes, sealed, stored, inventoried,

shipped, and in some cases returned.

Some copies are damaged, destroyed or stolen in this process.

As someone who works in Logistics and transportation I can tell you that NONE of that is cheap. It’s why you pay so much for your copy of Fear Itself!

Another thing about physical comics…you have to leave your house to get them. For those of us who live close to a comic shop this is actually FUN, but for many collectors who do NOT have a shop readily available, collecting becomes a very arduous task. Those collectors have to travel around looking for their books, or subscribe to the comics they want. They generally won’t have the books on a Wednesday AND they pay shipping more often than not.

Physical comics take up a HUGE amount of space. Don’t believe me? Come by my house and I’ll give you a tour of the “dungeon”, IF you can actually fit down there! It’s wall to wall comic boxes with no end in sight. That ALSO costs me money as I pay for every square foot of my house just like anyone else with a mortgage.

I never ran the numbers but I would bet it costs me several hundred dollars a year to store my comics, between the above mentioned space, comic boxes, boards, bags, and shelves etc. I own upwards of 15,000 comics now and they are ALL bagged and boarded. If you want to make sure your comics STAY in good shape you need to do REPEAT this process for all of your books every few years. YOW!

Digital comics won’t deteriorate. They will look EXACTLY the same 100 years from now as they do the day they are created. The don’t get ripped. They don’t get musty. They don’t get water damaged.

Again, digital comics make all the financial sense in the world.
BUT, I’ll take print thankyouverymuch.

Why? If Digital Comics are all THAT why would I EVER want an archaic, nasty, soot ridden, (ugh!) PHYSICAL comic?

Here is why…

Physical comics are self contained. They ARE the app and I don’t need a gadget to read them.

You can HOLD a physical comic in your hands, turn the pages and lose yourself in other worlds on a lazy afternoon at the beach, or in the car, even on the POT! Anywhere.

You can fold it in half and put it in your back pocket.

You can carefully maintain it in mylar and proudly display your collection to your friends.

You can physically flip through your boxes of comics, reliving the halcyon days of yore (or mine) when you first obtained these multi colored beauties.
You can get your favorite creator to sign your physical comics….if you’re nice!

Yes the DIGITAL image may never fade while the physical one DOES, but the physical comic just looks better to me. Sort of how some people swear that vinyl sounds better than a CD or digital recording.

Physical comics are collectable. Someday you might sell them for a profit. Maybe not. But it is a lot of fun grading and pricing them!

I spent several happy hours yesterday putting my NYCC purchases into bags and boards and then nesting them in their proper boxes while taking another look at each and every one. Can’t do that with digital. I suppose you can create a new folder on your computer from time to time but it ain’t the same!

Same Day (when there ARE same day) Digital comics COST roughly the same as physical comics. Why would I spend the same money for a DC as a PC? (I suspect that, before too much longer, digital comics released the same day as their physical counterparts will cost a lot less than the hard copies.)
I do think that, for the foreseeable future that digital and physical comics will co-exist. Each format has it’s virtues.

Digital in particular means that ANYONE can publish, which is a wonderful opportunity for creators AND fans.

Physical comics have all the strengths, and flaws, of being tangible, which is actually a virtue in itself.

So fold your comic and stick it in your back pocket AND fire up digital on your iPad.

Either way…it’s COMICS!!

That’s 30!

Mitch

Requiem For The True Superman

2011-10-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

As this was “The Summer Of The Superhero Movie”, I was going to be writing about my opinion on the best ever SH movie. In my opinion that continues to be Superman-The Movie. The idea began to germinate in my mind when I went to see Captain America and found that it shared a quality with the earlier film that I think is essential in a great superhero film (or any film for that matter). The central character must be HONEST. The actor must take the subject matter absolutely seriously even when it is in the fantastical realm of science fiction or fantasy. This is especially crucial with an Iconic character such as Cap or Superman. Chris Evans was so successful as Cap because he was HONEST as an actor with the character.

Because HE believed, WE believed.

No one ever did this better than Chris Reeve as Superman. In fact he may have been the single most honest actor I have ever seen. Not necessarily the most talented, although he was certainly that, just the most honest. He respected Superman…was honest in his portrayal and never made light of the Man of Steel. And while his CLARK was over the top, he was also a very HUMAN being. Again, honesty.
As I mentioned earlier this WAS going to be a column about my take on Superman-The Movie but then I got to thinking that the anniversary of Christopher’s death was coming up. Sure enough when I looked it up the anniversary is October 10th.

So I decided that this column would be why I do believe that Superman was an absolutely REAL person.

In the final analysis you can best judge a person’s essential character when they are under duress. MOST people shine when things go well. But how does a person react when they have everything stripped away?

One can say that up until his accident, Chris reeve lead a storybook life. He was a major motion picture star, had legions of fans, a lovely wife and many causes that he supported. It must have been pretty cool to be Chris!
Then, in a blink the single most important thing he had was stripped from him. His health. He went from being a vital, athletic man to near total paralysis. Many people would have turned towards the wall, given up, or even turned bitter. Many people would have grown angry and lashed out at those around them. I am sure that Chris struggled with all of this.
But what he DID was become the real Superman.

He embraced his lifelong activism more than ever, championing the necessity for Stem Cell research. He became a spokesman for this cause, tirelessly working to get the message out.

Reeve was elected Chairman of the American Paralysis Association and Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability. He co-founded the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, which is now one of the leading spinal cord research centers in the world. He created Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to speed up research through funding, and to use grants to improve the quality of the lives of people with disabilities. The Foundation to date has given more than $65 million for research, and more than $8.5 million in quality-of-life grants.

The Foundation has funded a new technology called "Locomotor Training" that uses a treadmill to mimic the movements of walking to help develop neural connections, in effect re-teaching the spinal cord how to send signals to the legs to walk. This technology has helped several paralyzed patients walk again.

He never quit. He believed that, one day he would walk again. He never waivered from that belief for the rest of his life. AND he shocked his doctors by actually regaining some movement.

In 2000, he began to regain some motor function, and was able to sense hot and cold temperatures on his body. Reeve then moved his left index finger on command. "I don't think Dr. McDonald would have been more surprised if I had just walked on water", said Reeve in an interview.

Chris WAS going to win. I really believe that Superman was going to fly again.

He just ran out of time.

On October 10, 2004 Chris Reeve died from cardiac arrest after being given antibiotics for an infection.

But he never gave up.

And that was his victory.

There is a line at the beginning of the 1970’s Bio-Pic “Brian’s Song”. It goes: “All true stories end in death.”

Chris’s life was a true story so it could not end any other way. But I like to think more about how he lived than how he died. And I especially like to think about how he left…

ON HIS FEET.

STANDING UP.

I believe in Superman.

He’s my hero.

His name was Christopher Reeve.

That’s 30.

Mitch

Pre Comic-Con This N’ That

2011-09-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well NYCC is less than a month away and it looks like, once again it is going to be a blast! Attendees who purchased their tickets prior to the mailing this week should be seeing heir passes in a few days. I myself am posting my ever watchful dog Scully at the mailbox just to make sure there are no mishaps! Of course she DOES sleep most of the day so the “ever watchful” part is probably more like the “occasional glance”…and now that I think of it, the only thing Scully ever really looks at is her supper dish. Oh well, she IS furry and often wags her tail so all is not lost.
This year the Show is going to be over FOUR days, Thursday-Sunday October 13-16. For those of you who are going for the first time, prepare yourselves!

Below is my tried and true , well not actually TRUE true…more like semi true in the sense of not being exactly false…NYCC Survival guide!
1) Make use of the tools and schedule posted on the New York Comic Con Official Website. (www.newyorkcomiccon.com ). They have everything from floor maps to panel and show schedules, a list do’s and don’ts, booth locations for every dealer and show exclusives. This is all tied into an online show planner tool so you can print out your master plan! Trust me, you will NOT be able to attend every event at the Con. If you go in blind you will likely miss that ONE event you want to see most. So spending a few hours with the Show Planner is time well spent.
2) Arrive EARLY on the day of the Con. It is an absolute madhouse and it is very easy to find yourself still waiting to get in a good hour after the convention starts. Get into Manhattan early, have a BIG breakfast (you are going to need it! But more on food in a bit), and be among the first on line. One of the best times at the Con, for me, is chatting to people who are waiting to get into the show. It is a great opportunity to make new friends who share your passion for comics.
3) Bring a shopping “kit”. Believe me you don’t want to be walking around the floor with your swag dropping behind you. My kit consists of a good sized back pack with the following: two or three very sturdy shopping bags, a poster tube, bags and boards for any loose comics, Comic Book Price Guide, Folder with my show plan print outs, camera and extra batteries, and some snacks.
4) Ok, let’s talk food. You do NOT want to buy food inside the Javits Center. It is not bad by any means but it IS expensive and if you are like me, you have a limited budget. I for one would rather spend my dough on collectibles and not a $6 hot dog. Eat before you come in, slide a bag lunch or snack into your kit, and go OUT for dinner. There are several reasonably priced eating options outside the Javits Center. Believe me you ARE going to need to eat and refuel as NYCC will severely test your endurance!
5) We all know that one of the main reasons we attend the Con in the first place is to satisfy our UNBRIDLED AVARICE! When I look around at all that swag and all those dealers I feel like an Orange Lantern! Larfleeze Lives! MINEMINEMINE!!! BUT you can’t have everything so you need to maximize your bucks. Take the time to make a shopping list. What items are you aggressively hunting? Which are “nice to have” and which are low priority? Set a drop dead price for your items. Don’t over spend on a collectible. You may not get it at the Con but it WILL come your way down the road at your price if you are realistic in your expectations. Don’t go ANYWHERE without your trusty price guide. A CBG or Overstreet guide is a must in your kit. Second, shop around! Chances are that several dealers have the items you want. Don’t be afraid to bargain (just be polite and reasonable) and do your buying at the END of the day, preferably the end of the day on Sunday. Why? Dealers always give their best prices at the end of a show. Also anything you buy early, you are going to have to carry around for the rest of the day (unless you have a VIP pass and access to the VIP lounge).
6) FREE STUFF! Even if you don’t spend a DIME on a single comic or collectible you can go home with BAGS of free swag, from comics, to tee shirts, toys, posters…you name it. This should be your first hunter/gatherer activity because the best swag always goes FIRST. Hit the smaller companies first because they generally run out of give a ways before the big guys like Marvel and DC.
7) PACE YOURSELF. Especially if you are attending all four days you are going to need to take some breaks just to get away from the crowds. Breaks are the best time to find a quiet place and organize your swag/purchases to make sure they are not being damaged or lost. It is also a good idea to use breaks as a way to hook up with people you are attending the show with. Over the course of the day you WILL get separated so having a set time and place for a break will cut down on the “OMG!! I lost my little brother” syndrome.
8) Secure your personal electronics and your money. You are going to be sharing space with 100,000 people and on Saturday in particular you won’t be able to MOVE on the main floor. It is easy to lose your I-Pod, Cell phone or money if you don’t keep them secured properly. Plus, as much as we don’t like to think so, not everyone is honest. People WILL try to take your stuff if you tempt them by leaving it within easy reach. Keep your money in a front pocket and not in a wallet or purse. Think about living without your I-Pod (LEAVE IT HOME!)for the day and make sure your cell phone is secure on your person. Also, most of the transactions you will make will be in cash. While it is rare to find a dealer who will try to cheat you with change and such, they ARE handling so much money at the same time that it is EASY to make a mistake. It is ultimately YOUR responsibility to make sure you account for all of your change on purchases. COUNT it right there in front of the dealer before you leave the booth. A little vigilance will keep your weekend from being ruined by loss or theft.
9) One of my personal pet peeves is people dominating an autograph line. Nothing is more inconsiderate than bringing a BOX of items for a creator to sign. They have a limited amount of time to sign and if they burn up ten minutes of the hour on one person then other fellow collectors are going to go away disappointed. Don’t be a part of that problem. Three items or less is plenty and will help the line move along!
10) FINALLY make sure to tell everyone you meet that YOU shop at the very best comic shop in the world. Comic Book Jones! (Ok it’s a shameless plug but then I am a shameless guy !)
By now I don’t have to tell anyone that I am a die hard DC Universe Online NUT! Well if a wide open world full of DC goodness did not draw you in. If the addition of Green Lantern power sets and content wasn’t enough to get you to take the plunge. If the opportunity to join a league with ME (Coldfire!) didn’t grab you (Though that SHOULD have sent you running!), then how does FREE TO PLAY grab you??!!

(That’s ME above. ICONIC huh? :) )

Yup, coming at the end of October the good folks at SOE are making DCUO (DC Universe Online to you noobs!) free to play. Of course there are Premium and Legendary tiers that you can pay for but you can get into the world of DCU, play all the in game content and even join a League for NO bucks! I look at it as a great introduction to the game. A chance to dip your feet in and see if you like it. THEN you might decide to opt for a full access LEGENDARY plan that (among other things) allows you to have unlimited in game cash, 16 characters or more, free updates and full voice chat options. Both the PC and PS3 versions of the game will be going F2P!
NOW is the time for you to suit up and take down Brainiac!... Storming the inner Batcave to defeat brother Eye alongside SEVEN other team mates never gets old…and who would NOT want to become a member of the Justice League (you get THAT opportunity when you hit level 30!)?
And THAT’S 30!
Mitch

Remember

2011-09-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

It’s almost impossible o believe but it has been a decade since the Towers fell on 9/11. So much has changed since then. A generation has past and 9/11 has moved from “current events” to history. This week I am going to share a column I wrote a day or so after the attack. It was originally printed in The Staten Island Advance.
No pictures this week.

No videos.

Just a remembrance from those days:

I took the Staten Island Ferry to NY this morning, as I have countless days
from the time I was in High School, through my days at Hunter College and
for the past two decades working in the "city that never sleeps". In all
respects the trip was exactly the same as it has been every one of those
thousands of days...except it wasn't.

As I came through the turnstiles on the Staten Island side, I found myself
looking for faces. The familiar faces that we ignore every day, but are so
much part of the background of our lives. I didn't see many. Perhaps I will
see more tomorrow.

I stopped for my morning coffee at the Dunkin Doughnuts stand. The same
middle eastern man who always serves my coffee with a smile and a good
morning. Except he didn't smile today. He looked hurt. Maybe he'll smile
tomorrow. I hope so.

I took the very same seat on the boat as I always do. Usually I open my
coffee and bury my face in a book or read the sports pages. Today I didn't.
Today I took a minute to really taste my coffee. Funny...most days it has no
taste at all. This morning it was the best cup I ever had. I hope it tastes
this good tomorrow.

I continued to look for familiar faces. People who also take the same seats
every day. I did see one young lady that I "know". She usually travels with
her friend. She wasn't there today. Maybe tomorrow. I hope so.

I stood out on the foredeck as we passed the Statue of Liberty. Funny how I
never really noticed just how beautiful the old lady really is. Was she
standing just a bit straighter today? It must be my imagination...at least I
think so.

The cloud reaches out over the water this morning and I could smell it while
we were still five minutes from the dock. Everyone was looking at the naked
skyline, now barren of it's grandest symbol. The eyes of my fellow
passengers became very hard. Not anger...not fear...something else.
Something that told me that I wouldn't want to get into a fight with us. As
for me, I glanced over to the Empire State Building. She dominates the
skyline once more. How lonely she looks.

Walking up past Battery Park to Bowling Green Station, every eye was turned
up Lower Broadway. The Towers and the shade she cast downtown now gone. The
acrid smoke brought coughs from many people. We wore the coughs somewhat
proudly I think. It was sort of like doing penance.
Perhaps the air will clear tomorrow.

On the train a pretty girl smiled and said good morning to me. Normally
suspicion or shyness would have prevented that. Will she smile tomorrow? I
hope so.

My shoes still have the dust that collected on them last Tuesday when I
walked along South Street to the Ferry.
I noticed the shoeshine stand in Grand Central was back to normal. Several men were having their shoes shined. I'm not quite ready to part with my dust just yet.

Maybe tomorrow.

Stay Safe...and always remember

Mitch

Goodbye...Farewell and Amen Redux

2011-08-23T18:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite words in the English language is “bittersweet”. The expressions is wonderfully textured, promising sadness and happiness within the same experience. I often find this experience in music and film.

The final scene in Casablanca when Bogart sends Bergman off with her husband even though they both wish to stay with each other is bittersweet. The parting hurts but doing what they both know to be right is the sweetness that leavens the pain.

Sinatra at 50 in his seminal Reprise Album “September Of My Years” waxes bittersweet in such songs as “The Way You Look Tonight”
Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight

Final episodes of well loved TV shows can be bittersweet. One of the most memorable images I can remember on television is the final shot of the last episode of M*A*S*H* “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”

It is never an easy thing to say “goodbye” to things that are dear to you.

Friends, lovers….chocolate chip ice cream.

Saying “goodbye” can be very…

Bittersweet.

Just so we’re clear here…I HATE SAYING GOODBYE!

So how does this all tie out to comic books?

Glad you Poozers asked!

For a DC comics fan like MOI (or even just me) this last week has been especially bittersweet. A bunch of final issues have come down the pipe to make room for the new 52 coming the first week in September. Supergirl, Powergirl, Superboy, Justice League Of America, Batman and on and are all singing their swan songs.

Considering that there are very FEW things I dislike more than saying “goodbye” , I had a very bittersweet week.

I am going to miss Stephanie Brown. She came a long way as Batgirl but she never lost her Buffyesque take on life.

Connor Kent finally finds comfort in his own skin…but that “skin” is going to go through some pretty radical changes…so will Kara’s.

Clark and Bruce are going to have to rediscover a friendship that made them “World’s Finest”…if they rediscover it at all.

Saying goodbye to Oracle is going to be especially hard because she may just be the most remarkable hero in all of the DC Universe.

But here’s the thing…

In my experience, “goodbyes” are almost always balanced by some pretty wonderful “hellos”. For every actor who leaves the stage, another enters.
So it will be with…DC!

Oracle with go or change but Barbara Gordon will be reclaiming the title “Batgirl”

Kara Zor-El is still going to be Supergirl, though word has it that, most of the time, she will be a bit…cranky.

We are going to rediscover the wonder of watching a young man from another planet become the greatest hero of all time.

There is going to be a new, and from the looks of it, dynamic Justice League Of America.

Oh and Batman will be…Batman.

Some things never change!

I suspect that Johns and company at DC will stay very close to the core elements of all these beloved characters. Myths change with the time but the essential story is eternal.

I will miss my old friends, some of whom have been around since the last real DC reboot in the mid 80’s. Others we have picked up along the way.
It has been a wonderful journey.

And I have heard many fans who feel a bit betrayed by all of this. As if DC is just casting aside their characters AND their established fan base in an effort to engage a new generation of readers.

Yeah…it took me a couple of years to warm up to Captain Picard and “The Next Generation” but once I did, THEY became old friends too.
And here’s another thing…

Old friends, like favorite books never really leave us.
We can always visit with them again.

Farewell old friends….Welcome new friends. I am betting the new journey will be every bit as much fun as the last one!

That’s 30!

Mitch

Popcorn please!

2011-08-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

In days of yore (or mine as the case may be) there was a Saturday morning entertainment known as the Movie Serial. These films were chapter plays running between 10 and 20 minutes with a new segment being released each week.

These serials were also called "chapter plays". In essence they were motion pictures broken into a number of segments called "chapters" or "episodes". Each chapter would be screened at the same theater for one week. The serial would end with a cliffhanger in which the hero and heroine would find themselves in a situation from which there apparently could be no escape. Viewers would have to return in subsequent weeks to see the cliffhangers resolved and to follow the continuing story. To my knowledge no one ever actually “died” from hanging off the cliff.

Made on an extremely limited budget, using unknown or “C” list talent. Serials were quickly cranked out and fed into the movie theater chains of the day.

Movie Serials were especially popular with children. From the silent era and “Perils Of Pauline’ (1914) through the 1950’s, the chapter play was a Saturday staple. The advent of television would eventually spell the demise of this particular art form.

During the peak of their popularity, Movie Serials were dominated by Westerns, but virtually every genre from crime drama to horror was used in these chapter plays.

During the Golden Age of movie serials (1937-1945) the subject matter turned to what we refer to as “genre” sci-fi and of course Superheroes began to show up and eventually dominate the form. Both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers were especially successful and made a star of former Olympian Buster Crabbe.

The honor of being the very first comic book superhero, to appear in a serial was Fawcett’s Captain Marvel (although The Green Hornet who’s origins lay in radio appeared a year earlier). Made in 1941 this 12 part chapter play was produced by republic Pictures and starred Tom Tyler in the titular role. While Captain Marvel did not have the light hearted, humorous nature of the comic books, the Serial was very successful and is looked upon today as one of the very best sound era chapter plays.

With the success of The Adventures Of Captain Marvel, the flood gates opened. Batman, Captain America, Blackhawk and, of course Superman followed over the next few years. Superman and Atom Man Vs. Superman (1948 and 1950 respectively) were both quite popular and also just about the last gasp of a dying art form. The Superman serials starred former song and dance man Kirk Alyn in the titular role and an impossibly young Noel Neill as Lois Lane. (Neill would later replace Phyllis Coates on TV’s Adventures Of Superman and is the actress most connected to the role).

While Captain America and Batman bore little resemblance to their comic book counterparts. Captain America, in fact was originally a different character entirely and pretty much only the costume was changed. This made little difference, however to the millions of kids who flocked to the theaters each Saturday to follow the adventures of their favorite comic book heroes.

Yes, these comic book adaptations were crude and low budgeted. The scripts often bore little resemblance to the source matter. (Though the Superman serials WERE fairly faithful adaptations given the limitations of budget and special effects). The actors were strictly ham and eggers. BUT the super hero chapter plays did prove that comic book characters were marketable film properties and inevitably lead to the summer blockbuster films of today such as 2011’s Captain America and Thor.

That’s 30!

Mitch

Ok you Poozers, who thinks they have what it takes to join THE CORPS?!

2011-07-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

Like thousands of gamers around the world I have been playing DC Universe Online since launch…and having one HELL of a time. The MMORPG released by Sony Online Entertainment for the PS3 and PC, drops the player into the sprawling DC universe with a plethora of powers and skill sets available. The character creation is extensive, allowing you to customize everything from the color of your hair to the type of weapons you carry. The player can choose to be a flier, a speedster or even a Spiderman style acrobat.
On top of that, DCU Online is an ACTION RPG. Unlike most MMO’s where you click an option and wait for your avatar to carry out the action, in DCU you are mashing button combos like crazy. Which works perfectly in creating the frenetic atmosphere that is the daily life’s breath of your average meta-human!

Despite some early technical issues which are common to any new MMO, DC Universe Online is a hoot and has generated a rabid player base. But there has always been one thing missing…

Green Lantern powers! While there are missions where you fight alongside the Emerald Avenger and against Sinestro’s forces, the player (YOU) could not wield hard light powers.

That is about to change with DCU’s first expansion pack, “Fight For The Light”. While you will not actually become a Green Lantern yourself you CAN become a Corps reservist and your own shiny ring. And I am not just talking power beams here. Your GL ring will allow you to create CONSTRUCTS and chain them together creatively to unleash devastating attacks and powerful protection.

Sheild yourself with a huge baseball? Yup.

Wield a hard light chain saw? You got it.

Run over a villain with a green…FREIGHT TRAIN??!! You bet!

The reservists' ring is programmed with a greatest hits of the constructs that have been used in the core.

In addition to the POWERS, new worlds from the Green Lantern cannon will open up, including a jail break on OA and encounter with Atrocitus plus all new alerts, duos and challenges!

Fight For The Light will release later this summer at ONLY $9.99! This is a great jumping on point for anyone who has been thinking about playing the game. If you are a DC fan, a comics fan or an MMO player you will NOT be disappointed!

If you DO decide to jump into the world of DCU Online for PS3, look me up on the RELENTKESS server. My toon is Coldfire and their just MIGHT be a league invite in it for you!

That’s 30!

Mitch

DC Reboot? It’s Not The First Time!

2011-07-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

As just about anyone not stationed at the North Pole knows, DC Comics is planning a company wide reboot this fall. All of it’s mainline titles (52 in all) are getting a fresh make over. From Superman losing his underpants to the return of Barbara Gordon to the mantle of the Bat, it’s an all new DC coming your way.

To say that a lot of fans are up in arms over this turn of events is something of an understatement. Just surf the comic sites and you will see tons of forum threads castigating the “destruction” of the DCU. I have even seen reports about an organized protest at the SDCC!

I’m just not sure what all the hubbub is about…bub.

It’s not exactly the first time that DC has rebooted the DCU, chucking decades of back story and cannon.

Anyone here remember “Crisis On Infinite Earths” from way back in 1985? COIE was a 12 issue mini-series that essentially wiped out all of the DC continuity that had been built up since 1958 and the introduction of The Flash in Showcase #4.

And it was not a BAD thing.

Over the years DC had built up a convoluted and intricate continuity. So much so that, in order to hold it all, they had to create a multiverse of alternate earth’s to explain all of the inconsistencies that had built up over decades of story telling and editorial changes.

For long time readers this lush and textured universe was easy to understand and navigate. It was, however very off putting to new readers. It was just not possible to jump into a mainstream DC title in 1983 and “get” all the nuances and subtleties that had been built up in the various characters. Marvel, which was much younger simply did not have that problem…yet.

The solution that DC comics came up with was to wipe the slate clean and start all over. This was done in the dimension sweeping Crisis on Infinite Earths.

All of the alternate realities were wiped clean. Extraneous characters were done away with (including my beloved Superpets! *sniff!*). Iconic characters such as Barry Allen and Kara-Zor-El were killed off. When the dust settled there was just a single earth and a single DC Universe. Superman was once again the SOLE survivor of the doomed Planet Krypton, there was no Justice Society, No Golden Age Superman or Batman…no SUPERBOY!
At the time that COIE hit the stands a lot of fans were pretty upset about this. (sound familiar) They were SURE that the DC editors had betrayed their loyal readers. Many threatened to jump ship!

But a funny thing happened. The books were suddenly fresh and new approaches were actually GOOD. It wasn’t too long before fans forgot all about the Pre-Crisis DCU. Old timers like me still remembered the stories but the NEW DCU had been embraced by the fans. Sure, we still missed Barry and Supergirl, and Barbara would wind up as Oracle, but the stories were good and the DCU continued to turn.

Over the years many of the story elements that had been done away with returned. Even Krypto came back! Supergirl returned, The Justice Society did too, and all of a sudden we are 30 years removed from the last reboot.

In short we have reached a Flashpoint.

It’s time to start again.

What fun!

Comics should always belong to the younger generation of fans coming in, just as they belonged to all us “old timers” whether we came in during the Golden Age, Silver or Bronze ages…even the “modern age”. Maybe we will come to call this new generation of comics “the Diamond Age”.

And we can ALWAYS go back and enjoy all of the great stories that came before. They are no less valid or “real” they are stories. And good stories, like old friends can be visited again and again.

So I for one plan to give DC a chance, even if they did rob Superman of his underpants.

That’s 30!

Mitch

Oh and here's a treat! The trailer from DC Animated's newest release. Coming this fall...

Batman Year 1!

Upcoming Events!

2011-07-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

CAPTAIN AMERICA TAILGATE PARTY!

Here it is, the BIG ONE! Everyone's been waiting for this movie and it's certain to be the big blockbuster superhero movie of the summer. Bigger than Thor and Green Lantern combined, I'm sure of it! It all goes down on Thursday, July 21st, starting at 9pm. Grab your ticket to the midnight showing and head down to the store for some snacks, drinks and a super special sale where you can save anywhere from 15% - 70% off everything in the store! We're expecting it to be pretty packed so get here early!

M12 CORE SET RELEASE TOURNAMENT

This will be taking place on Friday, July 15th and will be a $25 sealed tournament. It starts at 4pm and like the pre-release there will be special release promos specific for that day. This day we'll also have plenty of merchandise for the new set including booster packs, sealed boxes, intro packs and fat packs. It's like Magic Christmas!

BACK ISSUE BLOWOUT SALE!

Hit the bins! We'll be ending the month of July in style with a big bad Back Issue Sale! It will start on Monday, July 25th and run until Sunday, July 31st. Here's the deal, every day that goes by the more of a discount you'll get. We'll start with a 10% discount on Monday and increase it 10% every day until we culminate with 70% off all back issues on Sunday, July 31st! For anyone who might be confused:

Monday, July 25th - 10% off all back issues!
Tuesday, July 26th - 20% off all back issues!
Wednesday, July 27th - 30% off all back issues!
Thursday, July 28th - 40% off all back issues!
Friday, July 29th - 50% off all back issues!
Saturday, July 30th - 60% off all back issues!
Sunday, July 31st - 70% off all back issues!

Upcoming Events!

2011-07-08T10:55:00.001-07:00

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION SALE!
SUNDAY, JULY 10TH!

On Sunday, July 10th we will be holding another Customer Appreciation Sale because we love you! There are a couple of different ways to save and you have an opportunity to get a bigger discount just for doing something insanely simple. So, everyone gets a 20% discount off everything in the store just for showing up! There's much more though:

Some of you may know about our other business - helping people save money on their gas and electric bills. Come in, bring your utility bills and allow us to show you how you can save money on your bills. It's real easy! If you bring in one of your utility bills (either gas or electric) you'll receive 25% off everything! But, bring in both your gas and electric utility bills and you'll receive an additional 10% off for a total of 30% off everything in the store!

BUT, there's even more! If you decide to become a customer (it's absolutely free and you're guaranteed to save money on your monthly bills, we'll tell you how), you'll get even more of a discount on Sunday. Become a customer with either your gas or electric and receive 35% off everything in the store or with both your gas and electric and get 40% off everything in the store!

There's even more added incentive for bringing in your bills. Everyone who brings them in and becomes a customer will receive a ticket which will guarantee you a prize of either a $40 gas rebate card, 3-day/2-night getaway, free Companion airfare ticket, 7-night vacation or an Apple I-Pad! Winners will be announced on the spot.

So, here it is again: Just for coming in you get 20% off everything in store. Bring in one of your utility bills (either gas or electric) and receive 25% off everything in the store. Bring in both and receive 30% off . Become a customer with either your gas or electric and receive 35% off everything in the store or sign up with both and receive 40% off everything in the store plus a ticket to win one of the prizes mentioned above!

HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS PT 2
CBJ TAILGATE PARTY!

Potter fans unite! The long awaited conclusion of the Harry Potter series is finally here - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows Part 2! Grab your ticket to the midnight showing (or one of the many late night showings they have) on Thursday, July 14th (technically Friday morning) and then come down to the store starting at 9pm for a special Potter-inspired tailgate party! We'll have food, drinks and a special sale where everything in the store will be between 15% - 70% off! At our last tailgate party everything in the store was 45% off!

Feel free to bring your own booze if you like, we do tend to run out. Also, many showings of this movie have already sold out so we suggest you get your tickets ASAP! See you there!

Deconstructing Captain America

2011-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

It is only a few weeks until Captain America will make his major motion picture debut! I know there was an earlier movie, a TV pilot, The Merry Marching Marvel Society and various animated appearances but THIS is the big time. An “A” list picture with all the fanfare that goes with it.

I’ve enjoyed Thor and Green Lantern this summer but THIS is the one I’ve been waiting for. My hope is that Cap will have the sort of debut that Superman had back when Chris Reeve first authored the part.

The early buzz is certainly encouraging, and every trailer I’ve seen sucks you right in!

As is the case with every major Superhero movie, interest in the character goes up as we get closer to the release date. With that in mind I thought I might take a swing at deconstructing captain America for those of you who may be new to the character. Bear in mind that this is only MY take on Cap.
To understand the essential core of the character it is important to have a feel for the time in which he was created. Cap first saw print as we were about to enter WWII.

It is easy today to overlook the fact that, in 1941, there was a real sense that The Third Reich would indeed last 1000 years. Hitler’s Germany had already conquered most of Europe, forged an alliance with Imperial Japan and a non-aggression pact (that they would eventually violate) with Russia. There seemed to be little that would even slow down the Nazi juggernaut. It was this threat that slowly pulled the United States from it Post WWI isolationist stance and transformed us into a player on the world stage. Part of that transformation required…symbols. Iconography for people to rally around. Patriotic songs, films, frankly racist imagery portraying the enemy as sub human and close censorship were all vital parts of that propaganda machine.

What better iconography could there be than a red, white and blue avenger decked out in the American Flag, socking the Nazi paper hanger square on the jaw? Thus was born Captain America. At his core Cap is the idolized image of America’s ultimate protector.

In all the years since his debut that essential fact has not changed.

Cap remains the protector of the American Idea.

HOW he protects it has changed many times.

During WWII he was the physical antithesis of the Nazi Ubermensch.

In the early 50’s it was Captain America “Commie Hunter”

During the Viet Nam Era it was Captain America as a man out of his time still fighting the good fight.

POST Viet Nam Cap articulates for the first time that he is not the protector of any single administration, party or political belief. He is instead the protector of the core IDEA that the Founding Fathers based this country on…liberty for all people. This revelation comes at a time when, so disillusioned by the corruption in government, Cap drops his red white and blue trappings for the personality of Nomad.

Most recently, Cap has been out of uniform filling the shoes of Nick Fury but that has not felt right either to Cap or anyone else.

In the latest issue of Fear Itself, Cap dons his uniform again and is simply, Captain America protector of THE PEOPLE.

In all of his incarnations going back some seven decades Captain America has been the idolized icon of American strength and virtue. He has at times reflected the extreme jingoism that periodically sweeps any nation. At other times he has been a counter culture champion.

His very iconography, the American Flag, labels him to friends AND enemies of America so he is by definition polarizing.

All of these facets make Cap endlessly fascinating to read and I imagine, fascinating to create.

For all of these things though, it important to remember one thing…

Cap is the hero by which all other Marvel heroes are measured. He is the example.

Captain America….HERO.

That’s 30!

Mitch

2011-06-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

By now you have all read the spate of negative reviews on Green Lantern. Over the past several days I have also heard a lot of comic fans chiming in their disappointment. As with all things reviewable one opinion is as valid as the next. So for all of those who disliked the film, I am here to present the loyal opposition!

For me Green Lantern was a classic Saturday afternoon pop-corn eater. While it certainly was not the Godfather, or even Iron Man, GL was a healthy dose of Sci-Fi Superhero fun. The action was well paced and the cast was likeable.

Most of all, the movie stayed true to the basic character of both Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps.

When DC first revived their Golden Age Superheroes (GL, Flash, Hawkman, Atom etc.) they made a decision to modernize . To revamp the character origins and motivations from a more magic based mythology to something more akin to Science Fiction. Thus The Flash got his speed from a lab accident, The Atom was a scientist who invented a shrink ray, and Hal got his powers from a highly advanced form of technology.

Jordan in particular was modeled after the Mercury Astronauts like John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Gus Grissom as well as the legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager, who was the first man to break the sound barrier. His adventures were hell bent for leather space operas. Along with Mystery In Space, Green Lantern was DC’s most space spanning title.
In this area the film is absolutely faithful to the GL mythology. It’s big…with aliens…and space ships…galaxy spanning fights…and lots of green construct goodness.

Right in the middle of all this is Ryan Reynolds, all thumbs up and envelope pushing in the truest 1960’s NASA tradition. He has that sort of “what the hell” quality that when leavened with the humility and post 80’s angst that we expect in our Superheroes, makes his Hal Jordan accessible to the audience.

Who can complain about any movie that has Kiliwog and Tomar Re, OA and the Guardians, a VERY creepy Hector Hammond and an equally leggy Carol Ferris?

PLUS can anyone say they DIDN’T get just a SMALL lump in their throat when Reynolds says the Oath?!

My only complaint is that we did not get nearly enough Mark strong as Sinestro. He dominated every second he was on the screen. And here is the big weakness of the film. Sinestro is Hal’s arch nemesis, not Parallax. Parallax, quite frankly always struck me as a bit “second tier” in the bad guy department. However, since this was an origin flick, Sinestro is still a Green Lantern and NOT a bad guy.

One can only hope he goes to the “Yellow Side” for any sequel.
Green Lantern may not be The Godfather, or even The Dark Knight, but is sure is a lot of fun and well worth a viewing!

Oh and by the way, make sure to check out the GL ANIMATED SERIES this fall!!

That’s 30!

Mitch

The New DCU Line Up!

2011-06-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well here it is boys and girls! The complete launch list of 52 titles for the coming DC Comics Reboot. It looks like DC will be running up some horror titles in their main line. For the most part horror titles have been regulated to the Vertigo line. This is hardly surprising given the fact that horror and Vampires in particular are enjoying widespread popularity at the moment. I am kind of bummed that Powergirl is noticeably absent. Also no Justice Society, but on the other hand who wouldn’t be excited about Frankenstein Agent Of Shade. I don’t even know what that one is about ! But it SOUNDS cool!!!

While I am going to miss Stephanie Brown as Batgirl and I would have been happier had Superman kept his under ware, I AM going to give this reboot a fair shot and I HOPE that I am blown away by the all new DC comics line.

Action Comics
All-Star Western
Animal Man
Aquaman
Batgirl
Batman
Batman and Robin
Batman: The Dark Knight
Batwing
Batwoman
Birds of Prey
Blackhawks
Blue Beetle
Captain Atom
Catwoman
DC Universe Presents
Deathstroke
Demon Knights
Detective Comics
Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE
Green Arrow
Green Lantern
Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern: The New Guardians
Grifter
Hawk & Dove
I, Vampire
Justice League
Justice League Dark
Justice League International
Legion Lost
Legion of Superheroes
Mister Terrific
Nightwing
OMAC
Red Hood and the Outlaws
Red Lanterns
Resurrection Man
Sgt. Rock and the Men of War
Static Shock
Stormwatch
Suicide Squad
Superboy
Supergirl
Superman
Swamp Thing
Teen Titans
The Flash
The Fury of Firestorm
The Savage Hawkman
Voodoo
Wonder Woman

And for those who have never seen it. This is the opening cinematic from DCU Online. What a movie THIS would make!

That’s 30!
Mitch

Some Stuff!

2011-06-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

It was with some trepidation that I went to see X-men First Class this past weekend. After the very successful and GOOD X-Men the franchise steadily declined into mediocrity. I’m pleased to say that this movie returns the series to it’s former top flight status.

I realize that purists will have some issues with the way the origin stories and timelines were shuffled around a bit. I won’t deny that the film makers played loose with cannon. But as a MOVIE I thought First Class was entertaining and accessible to audience members that may not be comic book fans. And what can be wrong with that.

In particular I got a big kick out of the not so subtle homage to such early James Bond films as Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger! The film being set mostly in 1962 made it a natural for this type of film style. About the only thing missing was opening “Bond credits” with a hit song and an Aston Martin for Professor X to drive. I was not surprised to see that the film was shot at Pinewood, the home of Bond. In fact I would be delighted to see Michael Fassberger take up the mantle of 007 after Daniel Craig is through with it! Not only did he do a great job as Magneto, Fassberger is a legit action/adventure type in the mold of Matt Damon. James McAvoy was spot on as Charles and Jennifer Laurence was surprisingly touching as Raven.

Kevin Bacon was an interesting choice for Sebastian Shaw and I thought he carried it off quite well. Bacon is a tremendously talented actor and added a lot of nuance to what could have been just another two dimensional villain.

There were some great cameos for long time fans but I won’t spoil that for those who have not seen it yet.

So DC is rebooting their entire line. I am never opposed to a reboot! Cleaning cannon every now and then allows new readers to come in and not have to pick up on a decade or more of back story. It doesn’t render previous stories invalid. It just allows for a fresh take on familiar characters.

Having said that I AM a bit concerned over Barbara Gordon taking up the Batgirl mantle again. Not because I did not enjoy her in that role. It is just that ORACLE is such an important character on so many levels that I have to wonder if we won’t ultimately lose more than we gain by this. Watching Barbara overcome her paralysis to become such an integral figure in the DCU has allowed her to grow into, perhaps, THE preeminent hero in comics. Batgirl has, after all, always been a secondary character. Sort of the utility infielder of the Batman family. I just wonder if she isn’t being demoted here. PLUS I think Spethanie Brown is just great as Batgirl!
Well…as with all things new, I’ll wait to see how they execute this change before passing judgment.

James Arness, known to generations of fans as Matt Dillon from the classic TV series Gunsmoke, passed away at age 88 of natural causes. Arness was well known to Sci-Fi fans as the creature in the Howard Hawks Classic “The Thing From Another World” and also from the post atomic “Them!”.
Arness portrayal of Matt Dillon cemented the iconic square jawed Western hero in the American TV audience consciousness just as John Wayne had done for movie goers. In fact the opening of the very first episode of Gunsmoke was introduced by “the Duke” in which he predicted that Arness and the show would be a success.
How right he was. Gunsmoke ran from 1955 through 1975 and an incredible 635 episodes and James Arness was recently voted #6 in the top 100 all time TV heroes.

That’s 30!

Mitch

Since I Haven't Done A Gellery For A While....

2011-06-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't posted a gallery in a bit I thought I'd share some new Tomb Of Dracula Slabs including a #1! And also a really nice VF copy of Archie #45! Golden Age Archies in higher grades are VERY hard to come by so if you have ANY high grade Archies from the 1940's, 50's or 60's HOLD ON TO THEM! (And also shoot a scan to CBJ or sholmes202@gmail.com) and we'll include them in future galleries!

Oh and here is an unsollicited plug...RUN! Don't walk!!! Go See X Men First Class NOW!!! STAT!!! IMMEDIATELY IF NOT SOONER!

(OK I liked it!)

That's 30!

Mitch

Simply The Best

2011-06-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

When you go to the Comic Book Jones Website you might notice the small blurb that says the store was voted #1 by Dark Horse fans. You may also be aware that the store is up for ANOTHER very prestigious award, the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award. Heady stuff indeed!

So what does this all mean? Well these awards are driven by customer nominations and THAT means people are taking time to communicate to the comics community that CBJ is a pretty special place!

Now I will admit that I just MIGHT be a bit biased…(I can tell you’re shocked!) but I concur, Comic Book Jones IS a pretty special place.

Now before I expound further let me point out to those who don’t know. Even though I have been penning this column for some time I am not employed by CBJ, I related to any of the staff, nor has anyone from CBJ bailed me out of jail…recently. I’m a customer just like most of you reading this. I just happen to be a customer who likes to shoot off his (virtual) mouth on any number of subjects, so my opinions are my own! Add to that my basically misanthropic nature and getting compliments out of me is sort of like pulling adamantium from a stone!! I mean I’m the guy who said of Sinatra “nice voice but needs some seasoning!”.

Now that my disclaimer is finished...

What makes a comic store a special place to visit? I mean aside from the fact that most, if not all comic stores are stuffed with all sorts of fascinating items. These days you can buy just about anything you want with a mouse click and there are thousands of specialty shops to choose from, (Staten Island has at least three that I know of) that all have more or less the same items. So unless you happen to live within walking distance of a particular store, why pick one over another? Only one reason that I can think of…

The people.

Comic Book Jones has some pretty amazing people. The people who work there…the people who shop there…the wonderful gifted creators who visit there on a very regular basis…all of them (you) are the reason why people come to CBJ and why the store is so widely regarded as special.

It must have been only a few months after Comic Book Jones first opened that I decided to give it a try. I live in Tottenville and had been shopping at a store elsewhere on Staten island, about the same distance from my house as CBJ. On a whim I decided to give this new place a try. I figured if I didn’t like the place I could always go back to the other joint!

On my first visit I was hooked. Not by the merchandise but by the atmosphere. From day one I was met by people who actually SMILED, who took the time to chat, to know MY name…in short where I was treated more as a FRIEND than as a customer. Nor was I any exception. I quickly saw that the staff treated EVERYONE that way. In fact the FIRST thing Socko asked me after getting my name was if I wanted a cup of coffee! You see there is always a pot of fresh hot Joe for the asking. There are also chairs and couches where customers are ENCOURAGED to sit down and BROWSE. I talked comics and the hobby with the staff and some of the customers in the store for over an hour before I even began shopping! By the end of that first visit I felt as if I had been there for years. Now here is the thing that really sets CBJ aside…when I returned a week later no one had to ask my name or what I might be interested in reading. Socko, Tiger, Waffle…ALL of the staff remembered. The reason they remembered was that they all took the time to actually listen the week before. I can’t tell you how rare that is. And how welcoming. One week in and I was part of the “family”.
Over time I became more interwoven in the community of CBJ and Socko and Tiger asked me if I might like to write an occasional column for the site. They know a HAM when they see one but I think they got more than they bargained for! I think I’ve written over a hundred of these now! (can’t get me to shut up!) And never once was I asked to modify an opinion or change a word. That’s pretty special treatment let me tell you.

Now there was anything wrong with the other joint. It is a nice store and the people are polite. But that’s about it. No reason NOT to shop there, but no reason to go to VISIT. CBJ gives you a reason to visit. It’s not the events (though they are GREAT), not the books or statues or toys…

It’s a cup of coffee on a Saturday when you aren’t even shopping…it’s a long conversation with people who you never met but just happen to be in the store…it’s Gore taking the time to suggest a book you MIGHT like…it’s Waffle putting a variant on the side because he knows you will like it…it’s Tiger who is the may just be a bigger Yankee fan than I am…it’s Socko who absolutely MELTS when he gets around small children…and everyone who I failed to mention but who make coming into CBJ one of the best parts of my week.

It’s people

Onward to San Diego!

That’s 30!

Mitch

They are all 10's!

2011-05-25T16:40:00.001-07:00

I have always liked strong, independent female characters. Whether in film or TV, OR in comics. I have never cared much for those eye candy, damsel in distress types as they tend to make for stereotyped role models. While Hollywood has sadly gone backward in this area, both TV and comics are replete with powerful, EMPOWERED female characters. From Scully to Buffy…from Starbuck to Nikita, the roster of strong women continues to grow. With that in mind I thought I would offer up a few words each about my personal favorite female comic book characters. In no particular order, here are my top ten.

Power Girl –Not only is she at superman levels with her powers, she is also a natural leader (JSA All-Stars). Karen is gutsy, decisive and smart. She is someone you believe that other very powerful men and women would willingly follow into battle.

On top of saving the world on a regular basis, PG is also the head of her very own company and has friends who DON’T necessarily dress up in spandex. As we all know Karen Starr tends to “stand out” in a crowd and the way she deals with the way the men around her are distracted by her *ahem* assets is funny, charming and surprisingly real in tone. I get a huge kick out of PG because she does come off as a “real” person with all the foibles and pratfalls we are all subject to.

Of all the characters on this list PG would the most fun on talk radio!

Sue Storm – Of all the female characters on this list, I think sue has come the farthest. As originally constructed, the “Invisible Girl” had a pretty wimpy power, spent her time as a) a hostage and b) mooning over Reed. Well Sue of today sure isn’t your daddy’s Invisible Girl. Today she is clearly the most powerful member of the FF AND co-leader along with Reed Richards. Sue has some serious Force Field Mojo that gives pause to all but the most powerful opponents.
On top of THAT Suzie is also wife, mother and mentor to quite the brood. From her two gifted children to DRAGON MAN, Sue Storm is the rock that holds the group together. Reed may be the brains but Sue is the heart and soul of the FF. A remarkable person.

Of all the characters in this list, PG is the one you’d like to go to a comedy club with!

Batwoman – Kate Kane is just plain TOUGH. Physically…mentally. She could give the big bat himself a pretty fair fight. Her personal code of ethics forbade her lying about her sexual orientation even though it effectively ended her military career. She went through some tough times after that but came out on top. She overcame. Together with her dad acting sort like her personal version of Oracle, Batwoman gets the job done efficiently and professionally.

Of all the characters on this list Kate is the one you want to teach you tactics and military theory.

Supergirl – How would you like to slap a big red “S” on your chest and try to live up to the mantle of Superman himself? How hard would THAT be? Now try doing it as a teenaged girl! A teenaged girl from out of town….WAY out of town.

Now I have been a Supergirl fan since the 1960’s so I am not even going to pretend to be unbiased here. But this version of the Girl of Steel shows a wonderful mix of courage and vulnerability. Kara regularly faces challenges that would give her legendary cousin pause. She does this even though she is not sure she will ever live up to Superman’s example. She overcomes even when she’s afraid. Now THAT’S courage.

Of all the characters on this list Kara is probably the most likely to listen attentively to your problems.

Witchblade – Sara Pezzini is Dirty Harry only TOUGHER. Plus HOT. And that’s not even counting her connection to one of the most powerful forces in the universe. She was seriously bad ass BEFORE that. Sara is regarded as one of the best cops on the force, even though her perps more often than not come in various states of disrepair. Pez is completely no nonsense and that INCLUDES her relationship with her (semi?) sentient weapon. As near as anyone can tell Sara is the first keeper of the blade to share even equal control over the relationship. In my opinion her most admirable character trait is her sense of duty. She has often wanted to relinquish the Witchblade and all the weirdness that goes along with it. But she sticks because she knows there is a job to be done and that she is the best person to do it.

Doesn’t matter if she’s happy with it. It’s her job and she does it.

Of all the characters in this list, Pez is probably the one you’d most want to have a beer with.

The Magdalena – I am about the current Magdalena (Patience) here. I LOVE this character. Here we have a direct descendant of Christ himself and the latest in a long line of divinely empowered holy warriors who DOES NOT TRUST THE VATICAN! And with good reason. They see her merely as a weapon while Patience wants a life AND a reason for what she does. She is not content to merely take orders from the church. Patience wants to know WHY she is being aimed at her foes. She sees herself as a person and a warrior, NOT a tool. Talk about conflict. I mean she trusts Vampirella more than the Vatican!

Of all the characters on this list patience is the one I want to get my back in a barroom brawl!

Wonder Woman – Diana inspires. She inspires just by the example she sets every day. Like Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman is so much more than just her powers and skills. She’s one of THE BIG THREE. Other heroes want to live up to her example. At her very best Diana is both Warrior and Diplomat. She is an emissary of peace…just sometimes with a sword.

In comic book history and popular culture Wonder Woman is the very embodiment of female empowerment. Just ask Denny O’Neill what happened when he tried to depower Diana!

He took away Wonder Woman's powers, exiled her from the Amazon community, and set her off,sans costume, into international intrigues with her blind mentor, the dubiously-named I Ching. These changes did not sit well with Wonder Woman's older fans, such as Gloria Steinem.

Of all the characters on this list Diana is the one I’d most likely become tongue tied with!

Catwoman – You can never tell whether or not Selina is a hero or a villain. She IS the best thief in the DCU though. What makes her so appealing to me is how free she is. Selina follows no rules but her own. She goes where she will, does what she wants and loves at her own discretion. Catwoman is also extremely loyal to her friends and those she cares about. She is SO loyal that even though she knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman she has never betrayed that secret.

Of all the characters on this list I would most want Catwoman with me in a fox hole.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Funny, sardonic, super powered, independent AND well dressed? Buffy may just be the coolest hero EVER. Now I won’t talk about Buffy the movie or TV character. Just the comic book hero. What a journey she’s been on! Season Nine has seen her at the head of a Slayer Army, experimenting with her sexuality AND crashing through a mountain whilst having sex with a super powered Angel. Oh and her sister was a centaur and also a Giant. Makes me tired just thinking about it! On a more serious note, Buffy is perhaps as nurturing as Sue Storm. The Scubbies are not just her allies and friends. She sees them as family. When Buffy commits to someone, it’s forever. She even love Faith like a sister, though she’d never admit it.

Of all the characters on this list I would be most likely to invite Buffy to Thanksgiving Dinner.

Oracle – Started out as Batgirl. Shotgunned by the Joker and put in a wheelchair for life and THEN became truly dangerous to criminals as Oracle, hacker supreme. Every time Oracle appears on the comic book page she shows us what true courage is. She is an example of the indomitable spirit that all people are capable of. Plus she is also UBER hot! Barbara single handedly held no Man’s Land together in the early days after the big Quake. She also demonstrates that intellect is a far greater weapon than muscle.

Of all the characters on this list Barbara is the one I would want to coach my little league team!

So that’s my personal top ten. I wanted to squeeze Batgirl in here as I find Stephanie brown one of the most delightful characters in comics but she JUST missed the cut. Make her a solid 10A!

And that’s 30!

Mitch

This N' That - Post Smallville Edition!

2011-05-18T16:28:00.001-07:00

Now for something totally random....

In 1942, a company called Tim Publications, Inc. used to print small, 6" x 9" booklets in black with a single color as promotions to help sell their line of children’s clothing. These booklets were issued monthly, and the stores created clubs for the kids.

The club you belonged to was age specific with Superman-Tim being dedicated to the younger set.

The first issue of Superman-Tim was published in 1942 and ran through 1950.

The Superman-Tim comic had three purposes: First, to sell items in the Superman-Tim clothing line, second, to build moral character and teach social responsibility, and third, to create hours of fun for grade-school boys.

The Superman-Tim comics didn't feature traditional stories. They were od an activity book along the lines of the widely distributed “highlights” magazine for elementary school students.

Over time Superman-Tim began to feature short stories outside the mainstream Superman universe. These stories generally had a lesson for young children
involving Superman and Tim having adventures together. These 16-page stories were all produced by the Siegel/Shuster Studios.

A combination of low print runs and spotty distribution make these books VERY rare. In addition the book’s contents usually consisted of single-page features intended to be torn out of the comic and either solved or assembled so most copies were actually destroyed.

Superman-Tim comics in VG or better condition are highly-prized collector’s items and go for hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

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Witchblade is FIFTEEN years old! Image Comics and Top Cow Productions are celebrating the 15th anniversary of Witchblade with an oversized stand-alone issue by Witchblade team Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic.
Witchblade #144, is available NOW.

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Get ready for Superman to enter the beyond Universe!
The Man of Steel stars in a spin-off from the Batman Beyond comic. Superman Beyond #0 will bring Kal-El back into action to stop an immensely powerful foe, even as his own Kryptonian powers begin to fade.
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Smallville may be gone but the DVD’s live on. This fall the entire 10 year run of Smallville will be available in one big package! I am all OVER this one!

(Source: Warner Home Video)
After 10 incredible seasons, Smallville: The Complete Series will arrive on DVD this fall. This ultimate collector’s set for the ultimate fan features over 192 hours of content – including all 218 episodes, over five hours of newly added special features such as an unaired, never-before-seen Superboy pilot from 1961, a 90-minute series retrospective with all new interviews, the 2010 final Comic-Con panel and more!

In addition, exclusive printed materials include a Daily Planet newspaper, written by DC Comics, that highlights the important storylines developed during the 10-year run of the show and an episode guide with never-before-seen production art (storyboards/sketches) and behind-the-scenes photos. Smallville: The Complete Series is presented in highly collectable new packaging consisting of two lay-flat picture books that hold 62 discs.

“It’s been an unbelievable 10 season run for Smallville, still one of the most popular series on television and one of our best-selling titles on DVD,” said Rosemary Markson, WHV Vice President, TV and Special Interest Marketing. “The fan base for the franchise is not only huge, but loyal and they’re going to love this ultimate collector’s edition.”

Soaring toward the end of its 10th and final season, this modern retelling of a hero’s legendary origins blends realism, action, heart and humor as Clark Kent completes his epic journey by claiming his birthright as the world’s ultimate hero – Superman.

I wonder if we’ll see a BluRay version!

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Speaking of BluRay here are some details about the forthcoming STAR WARS collection(s). All I can say is WOW!

(Source: Lucasfilm)

Bring home the adventure and share Star Wars with your whole family – when Star Wars: The Complete Saga comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment! To be released beginning on September 12 internationally and on September 16 in North America, the nine-disc collection brings the wonder of the entire Saga direct to your living room, where you can revisit all of your favorite Star Wars moments – in gorgeous high definition and with pristine, 6.1 DTS Surround Sound. Dive deeper into the universe with an unprecedented 40+ hours of special features, highlighted by never-before-seen content sourced from the Lucasfilm archives.

The comprehensive collection also features numerous deleted, extended and alternate scenes, new documentaries and a cross-section of the countless Star Wars spoofs that have appeared in pop culture over the past three decades. Marking the first time ever that the full Saga is available in one complete collection, Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-Ray also features a coveted peek into the making of the Saga with vintage documentaries, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, prop and costume turnarounds, retrospectives and more.

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Entertainment Weekly reports that NBC has passed on picking up David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman.
Reasons for their refusal are unknown, although speculation is that it was a combination of mixed reviews of the pilot during the test screenings, the fury online over the new costume, and just general reluctance to give an action-based show with a female lead a chance.

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Which forces me to point out once again that…..

The Tick is STILL $%#@#$% Cancelled!!!! Is there no justice for the greatest (and most clueless) hero ever known???!!!

And…

That’s 30!

Mitch

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY IS THIS SATURDAY!!!!!

2011-05-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY - SATURDAY, MAY 7TH!

Some would argue this is the best day of the year in the world of comics. We couldn't agree more. Put simply, if you've never experienced a Free Comic Book Day before, NOW IS THE TIME! The date - Saturday, May 7th. What is it? Are they really free? YES! Every publisher puts out a free comic or two for this very special day once a year. All you have to do is come in and pick out what you want! We'll also be joined by some artists and writers in the comic book industry to do sketches and talk comics so make sure you stop by! More info on our guests to be announced soon!

Truth… Justice…All That Jazz!

2011-05-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

You knew I was going to weigh in on this one, right?

Last week, Action #900 hit the stands. A milestone not only for Superman but for the entire comic book industry. It is a 96 page spectacular that features several stories. One in particular touched off no small amount of controversy, not to mention news stories.

The story that caused all the ruckus is “The Incident”, written by David S. Goyer. In the story , The Man Of Steel takes part in a non-violent protest in Iran, which mirrors closely events happening in the real world. People all over the Middle East are crying out for their essential rights to Truth, Justice and Freedom. In solidarity Superman plants himself like a tree, not moving or speaking but letting his presence serve as a personal statement.

What could be more AMERICAN than that?

Of course when Superman returns to the US he is confronted by a presidential aide who lets our guy have it with both barrels:

“So what purpose did your showboating serve? Your actions have created an international incident. The Iranian government is accusing you of acting on the President’s behalf. They’re calling your interference an act of war.”

Superman agrees that his act WAS foolish, which is why he is going to inform the UN that he is renouncing his American Citizenship. He is tired of having his actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy.

In short The Man Of Tomorrow believes that “Truth, Justice, and The American Way, it’s not enough anymore”

Superman wants to be a hero and a symbol to ALL the people of the earth. He wants to do everything to bring freedom to people who are lacking it.

What could be more American than THAT?

So a bunch of news reporters who probably never read the story , tab Superman as a “traitor”.

First of all, Superman is not a person. Superman is a JOB. Clark Kent is the real person and HE is not renouncing anything, so Tea Party members can relax and go back to polishing their framed Joe McCarthy photographs.

As to Superman he simply has recognized what ANY thinking person in the 21st century should know. We are a GLOBAL community.

The phrase “Truth, Justice and the American Way” was made famous by the introduction of the Adventures Of Superman with George Reeves. A show I grew up loving, but also a show produced at the HEIGHT of the Cold War. It was a time when jingoism ran rampant through our country, A time when we blacklisted people who we only SUSPECTED had communist leanings.

Those days are gone. It is 2011 now, and the character reflects the sensibilities of THIS generation, not necessarily mine.

Superman wants to serve that global community AND protect his country from political blowback. Those are not the acts of a traitor. They are the acts of a patriot.

This sort of thing is hardly unprecedented in comics. We have seen the Justice League Of America become Justice League International and just plain Justice League.

Back in the 1970’s Steve Rogers renounced the mantle of Captain America and became Nomad because he found that serving the American Idea and serving any single administration were not necessarily the same thing. He only picked up the Shield again once he was able to make it clear that he was serving the American WAY as opposed to a political reality.

Superman…Clark is a quintessentially AMERICAN individual. Like many immigrants he has embraced the American Idea even more fervently than a native born person. He understands that freedom, justice, individual rights, all at the CORE of the American Idea must extend to ALL people or they mean nothing. At the heart of this concept is President Lincoln’s observation that as long as ONE person is denied freedom, no one is really free.

What could be more American than LINCOLN?

So calm down!

Whatever label he chooses to wear…Human, Kryptonian, World Citizen of The World

…Superman will always fight for

Truth

Justice

And YES,

The American Way

(And can we get a Superman Cap team up? Just for me??!...please?)

That’s 30!

Mitch

Hackers are NOT Heroes

2011-04-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Many hardcore comic collectors are ALSO hardcore gamers. I know that I am! In recent weeks I have had the pleasure of combining both hobbies through the playing of DC universe Online.
This is the first MMORPG that is not only available on the PC but on the PS3 as well. Console MMO’s if successful will revolutionize the genre and bring in millions of new players! Very exciting stuff.

Readers of my posts know my take on the game so I won’t rehash that here. Instead I would like to discuss the ongoing issue with the Playstation Network.

For those of you who don’t know, Sony was the victim of an external intrusion into their system on or about Wednesday of last week. This prompted Sony to take the network off line which lead to a suspension of all PSN related services such as online game play and access to the Playstation Store.

Sony has been very tight lipped as to who might be responsible for the attack. (Though it is widely believed the hacker group known as Anonymous is responsible, though they deny this allegation) Sony is also not saying whether or not sensitive user data such as credit card information has been compromised. There is also no timetable for when users can expect PSN to be back online as the outage nears one full week.

So, here is what PSN users are faced with,

1) Suspension of Services

2) No online play

3) Possibility that their personal information is now in the hands of criminals.

Yes…criminals. That is what hackers who violate a closed system are. Even though we tend to romanticize Hackers, they can cause a great deal of damage EVEN WHEN THEIR INTENTIONS ARE BENIGN. The simple fact is that once a hacker breaks into a closed system he/she has blazed a trail for anyone who happens to be hacking THEM. And of course not all hackers are good guys.

They ain’t all Neo!

Sony has become a target for suing tech heads who have done what is referred to as “jail breaking” their PS3 systems. This Jail breaking allows a user to do anything from running a new OS on the hardware to running homebrew applications like game emulators. Taken to the extreme jail breaking can enable a user to pirate a PS3 game.

You may not like Sony as a corporate monolith.

They may be arrogant in their dealings with the customer base.

They may not always pay attention to the voice of the online community.

BUT

They are completely within their rights to bring suit against people who make fundamental changes to their intellectual property. That does not mean they are right in their argument but that is for the courts and NOT hackers to decide.

Because of the emergence of the online Console network and cloud computing the argument of what you can do with your personal electronics takes on a whole new dimension. Where do your rights end and the rights of the community begin?

Is changing a device that you purchased but use on a network accessed by millions the same as making a back of a DVD that you purchased legally as a hedge against damage, or ripping your CD collection so you can play the songs on your iPod?

Do you have the right to change your PS3 in a fundamental way that COULD compromise the network and expose another user’s information to intrusion? Does a hacker even KNOW he is exposing the network to this sort of thing when he/she enables the console to run homebrew?
I can tell you this. Whenever you hook ANY computer into a network (and the Ps3 is a very powerful computer) there is the potential that any vulnerabilities inherent in that box COULD compromise the network.

How does Sony or for that matter Microsoft hedge against this vulnerability?

They create a CLOSED OS. It is the only way they can reasonably protect a network of 70 to 100 million users. Even with a closed OS and static hardware configuration, a network is vulnerable to attack. Imagine how much MORE vulnerable that network is when you have millions of consoles all with different configurations.

It seems to me that there IS a certain amount of responsibility to the larger community and that you do not have the right to change your system in any way that might compromise the security of other users. In any event that is a question for the courts and not a bunch of self important Hackers with delusions of bringing down the Matrix.

That’s 30!
Mitch

The Sexiest Superhero You Never Heard Of!

2011-04-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

From time to time I will bring you Golden Age or Silver Age Heroes that you may never have heard of.

Phantom Lady!

She was a Golden Age super hero that you probably never heard of!

Phantom Lady first appeared in Quality's Police Comics #1 (Aug, 1941), an anthology title the first issue of which also included the debut of characters such as Plastic Man.

Phantom Lady was really Sandra Knight, the beautiful daughter of Senator Henry Knight. This first story already had Sandra established as Phantom Lady. It was not an origin story. Her origin would not be established until decades later when DC Comics came into ownership of the character, which was altered several times to give Sandra a more active role.

DC changed the origin of Phantom Lady established in Quality's Police Comics, so that she now belonged to the Knight family of Starman fame.

Her costume, what there was of it, was eventually explained as a deliberate tactic to distract her usually male foes.

Sandra Knight assumed the identity of Phantom Lady in a costume consisting of a green cape and the equivalent of a one-piece yellow bathing suit. She used a "black light projector," which allowed her to blind her enemies and make herself invisible. (It also worked well on those funky 1960’s black light posters of Elvis!) She was assisted by her fiance, Donald Borden, an agent of the U.S. State Department.

After Quality stopped publishing the adventures of Phantom Lady, Iger Studios believed it owned the character and gave it to Fox Feature Syndicate. The Fox version which premiered in Phantom Lady #13 (taking over the numbering of Wotalife Comics) is far more famous among comic fans than the Quality books because of the art of Matt Baker. Baker altered her costume by changing the colors to red and blue, substantially revealing her cleavage, and adding a very short skirt. A classic example of “Good Girl Art (GGA)

Baker's cover for Phantom Lady #17 (Apr, 1949) used in Seduction of the Innocent, the 1954 book by Dr. Fredric Wertham denouncing what he saw as the morally corrupting effect of comics on children.

Today we just like to think of Matt Baker as our friend!

That’s 30!

Mitch

25% OFF EVERYTHING IN THE STORE ON FRIDAY, APRIL 22ND!

2011-04-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hooray, it's Socko's Birthday and you know what that means! Join us at the store all day long on Friday, April 22nd for a nifty 25% off discount on everything in the store! Comics, graphic novels, collections, apparel, toys, statues, back issues - EVERYTHING will be on sale. It's been awhile since we had a sale so be sure not to miss it!

By the way, this is definitely my favorite store flier by far.

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

2011-04-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

WHAT UP WORLD!!
So, back again for another exciting dose of rants and raves by yours truly. So I'm sure everyone was excited with the past couple of weeks worth of comics. Between all the major companies gearing us up for their respective summer events and some sweet sweet new books dropping from everyone and every genre.

For those of you in the not so know, I suggest if you're as big a horror movie buff as I am, you do yourself a favor and go get your hands on two comics right the "F" now and get caught up because the train has left the station.

First up is Clive Barker's amazing property that's been whored around more than.. well a hooker. HELLRAISER is back and going to blow your friggin mind. Barker has been in the process of trying to find a way to finally finish all the movies without all the b.s behind production and studios, etc.. so he's done us all a giant favor and decided to finish up HELLRAISER and kill off Pinhead once and for all in easiest and best way to do it..in COMICS!
Now, I know what your probably thinking to yourself.."I don't know anything about this movie/story/comic" or "I've never ever heard of this because I get scared easily." well, let me assure you faithful reader, this is by far my favorite story and cast of characters ever in any medium. I have HELLRAISER tats because I love it so much and with that said, I would never steer you in the wrong direction. Luckily for you as your tour guide through the puzzle box, Boom Studios! who is releasing all this awesome stuff is putting out the original EPIC Comics, HELLRAISER stuff in an all new set of Trades, so those of you interested can catch up on all the madness that's been unleashed in the name of Leviathan. Do yourself a favor and at least watch the first movie, tell me you didn't like it and you don't want to learn more about the series. Read the "Hellbound Heart" by Clive Barker to really appreciate this series.

Onto some OLD/NEW stuff!

I've been raving about this mini-series finally seeing the light of day after the one-shot came out so long ago. If you've never had the pleasure of reading "68'" then I really feel bad for you and cant wait for you to check it out and get as hyped as I am for the "68'" mini coming out this month from Image.
"68'" is the tale of a small squad of soldiers in Vietnam who meet the zombie plague in the middle of fighting the Vietcong. Not only is it just an awesome story, it's also written and drawn by some of the most amazing creators in the horror genre; Mark Kidwell, Jay Fotos and Nat Jones. This time around, not only are they on the project but they have Tim Vigil and Josh Medors in on the fun. If you're as huge a horror buff as I am or just like really great stories and some amazing "wanna steal this for a tattoo" artwork, this make sure you check out "68'" when it drops!

So, Marvel dropped "Fear Itself #1" this past week and does anyone else feel the looming feeling of being overwhelmed and broke in the near future? I love a great Marvel Event/Crossover as much as the next comic fan,,maybe a little more but still I can't shake this feeling that with the 10 billion tie-ins that Marvel's dropping bannered with "FEAR ITSELF" that it's either going to be so overwhelming the story is going to get lost and misdirected or that it's just going to lose people because not everyone can afford to buy all the tie-ins or has the pleasure of sitting down and just reading them all.
The first issue of the series was pretty decent. I'm still waiting for something over the top to really hit. I mean the big things in this issue were The Asgardians leaving Earth (Finally) and Sin becoming the Avatar for the Norse Goddess of Fear; Skadi.
Not a bad first issue but not the greatest. The thing I really like the most about the concepts behind this series are they almost mirror the real world in so many aspects. The fact that Fear binds us to our daily lives and that it guides us into the directions we choose based upon such simple things of "If I don't go to work, I fear I'll get fired." Matt Fraction really takes this simple concept and does it up right in the Marvel U. The riot in the beginning of the story really sets the tone for the story and most people didn't even get that. The idea of fear makes people do things they normally wouldn't do and makes some people do the things they do. I'm rather excited to see how the concept of fear is going to be "exploited" and used not only as springboard but as the platform and main direction of the story as well as the characters. What's Steve Rogers going to do when he's afraid of tomorrow? The man has outlived his peers, his loved ones and HIS TIME-PERIOD, yet he still manages to stay on top and leads the other heroes without a second thought, what happens when the head honcho can't move because he's afraid of the outcome and it's effects on other things and people.
I think that we as readers should obviously pick and choose what we like and what we want to read and shouldn't feel overwhelmed with all these books coming out but don't be closed minded to checking out something dealing with this series that you know nothing about (Alpha Flight) because for all we know that could be the one book you skip that's the best of the bunch.

This N' ThaT

2011-04-07T15:05:00.001-07:00

This N’ That!

Last time around we wished Captain America a happy 70th birthday, and now marvel is celebrating by re-launching Captain America with a brand new #1 and continuing the original run with Captain America And Bucky starting in issue #620

“Two Marvel icons fight side-by-side once more as Captain America becomes Captain America And Bucky with issue #620, co-written by Eisner Award winners Ed Brubaker and Marc Andreyko with art by Chris Samnee for only $2.99! From the trenches of Nazi-occupied Europe to the halls of Avengers Tower, Bucky Barnes has seen it all! Now, learn the whole truth about this life spent in the crosshairs – and the secrets of a future primed to explode like a powder keg.” (source – Marvel Comics) to another level. She’s an amazing talent and I couldn’t be happier with the pages I’ve seen from her so far.” And… Marvel Entertainment is proud to announce Captain America #1, the first issue of an all new ongoing series premiering in July from two of the comic industry’s most acclaimed creators—writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve McNiven! Steve Rogers is back as Captain America, but when a mysterious figure from the past returns with the Sentinel of Liberty in his crosshairs, deadly secrets will surface and send shockwaves through the lives of everyone Cap holds dear. An all-new, high octane Captain America series begins here, just in time for the First Avenger’s highly anticipated feature film from Marvel Studios.( Source – Marvel Comics)

I for one am thrilled that Steve is taking up the shield and mantle of Cap once again!

Here is some news about upcoming DC Animated features!

The origins of the ultimate intergalactic police force are revealed across six interlocking tales of the legendary Green Lantern Corps in the all-new Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, the next entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Building up to the release of the highly anticipated live action film, Green Lantern, in theatres June 17, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights arrives on Blu-Ray™, DVD, On Demand and for Download June 7, 2011 from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length animated Green Lantern: Emerald Knights will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD. The film will also be available On Demand and for Download. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights weaves six legendary stories of the Green Lantern Corps’ rich mythology around preparations for an attack by an ancient enemy. As the battle approaches, Hal Jordan mentors new recruit Arisia in the history of the Green Lantern Corps, telling tales of Avra (the first Green Lantern) and several of Hal’s comrades – including Abin Sur, Kilowog, Laira and Mogo. In the end, Arisia must rise to the occasion to help Hal, Sinestro and the entire Green Lantern Corps save the universe from the destructive forces of Krona.

And hold on to your hats for this one.

The NEXT DC Animated feature is going to be the adaptation of the critically acclaimed Batman YEAR ONE!!!!

For those of you who, like me are addicted to DC Universe Online, the newest update was released earlier this week and includes a HUGE list of patches and content additions. Listing them all would take forever but I WILL let you know that: A Two Face/Penguin Quest has been added Mxyzptylk is now available in the Watchtower for goofy quests that reward you with new items to buy. An Intergang Quest that teams you with The Question and Batwoman has been added A Green Lantern Duo has been added! As for me I am looking to establish a COMIC BOOK JONES LEAGUE on the RELENTLESS Server! Imagine Socko and Tiger’s troops laying a big can of SMACK DOWN in the DCU! Anyone who wants to team up, send me an email at sholmes202@gmail.com and we can put it all together!

Now I am a HERO in DCU but if we have enough CBJ VILLIANS out there we could have TWO leagues and one heck of a TURF WAR!!! Dare I say it? Together we could RUUUULLLL EEE THE WORLD! (sorry I got carried away there for a minute!) And… That’s 30!

Mitch

Happy Birthday Cap!!

2011-03-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

Captain America turned 70 this month! Marvel celebrated the occasion with a freshly colored reprint of that very first story, and with the coming feature film, this looks to be a banner year for the Star Spangled Avenger.

But Cap is far more than just any comic book character.

Along with Superman, Batman, Spiderman and Wonder Woman, Captain America is iconic. He is much more than just another superhero.

How does a character created as a World War II adventure hero, wrapped in the American flag no less, remain relevant and vital to audiences seven decades after his creation? By changing with the times. If Cap had STAYED a Nazi fighter bordering on Jingoism, his relevance would have ended in 1945. In fact the WWII years were replete with flag draped adventurers who did NOT survive after the war because they remained stagnant.

And to be sure Cap WAS a casualty of the decline in the popularity of the Superhero.

He was also one of the first to make a comeback in Young Men #24 – 1953. In his first reincarnation he was a force against Communism, reflecting the national attitude of the times. Later this 1950’s Cap would be retconned as a separate character, but at the time he WAS the original Steve Rogers and so this Cap is rightfully placed in the lineage of the mythos.

Then Avengers #4 (1964) hit the stands and Steve Rogers was back for good. Over the ensuing decades he would reflect the ever changing American Condition as a man out of his time, an ANTI War figure, a secret agent, and as an elder father figure to a new generation of heroes. He’s the hero to other heroes!

But Cap’s appeal is as much about what hasn’t changed as what has. The quality about Cap that has never changed is that he represents not the American reality but the American idea. Captain America is not beholding to any administration or government. His mission is to embody all that is good about America. Freedom, the rights of the individual, teamwork and sacrifice.

These are qualities than no one can dispute whatever their individual politics. Those are the ideals that Cap embodies. Like Superman, Captain America is a true hero, not an anti-hero. He is not morally ambivalent. There are no shades of gray. Cap knows right from wrong and acts accordingly.

I think this quality is particularly resonant today because it is in fact a time of great moral ambivalence and many people feel inspired by a hero who is solid in his beliefs. In short you can always count on Cap. Finally, the image of Cap is something special.

Maybe I am just old fashioned but the iconography of the American Flag is a very stirring image. The proud carriage, the shield, the red, white and blue. They can bring a lump to the throat for sure.

Happy Birthday Cap!

Here’s to 70 more!

That’s 30!

Mitch

You Can keep you Vampire Diaries and Sip All the TrueBlood You Like. Make Mine BUFFY!

2011-03-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

This may come as a big surprise but I am a huge fan of all things BUFFY. I can see you are all shocked (and awed) but it’s true. Give me Some Buffy and Willow with a side of Xander, some Angel Soup and Spike(d) tea and I am in hog heaven.

It may seem like yesterday but YESTERDAY BTVS (Buffy the Vampire Slayer to you neophytes) celebrated the FOURTEENTH anniversary of it’s original Television Premier. Yup, nearly a decade ana half ago we began the saga of slayage, Whedonspeak, brooding soul encrusted Vamps, and hot chicks with superpowers. For seven seasons Buffy and the Scooby gang saved the world…a lot

In my opinion Buffy, and the Spin off Angel are still so completely superior to any of the plethora of Vampire centric shows out there that a conversation is pointless. Let’s just say you’d never see Spike worrying about his “Diary” and leave it at that.

AND the Buffy saga did not end with the last televised episode. For the last few years, under the aegis of Joss Whedon , “season eight’ has played out in the pages of Dark Horse Comics “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” .

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight (which is considered to be canonical by the way) has been nominated for an Eagle Award. Joss Whedon's graphic novel continuation of his classic TV show has been nominated in the category of Favorite American Comicbook

"Introduced in 1976, the Eagle Comic Awards are the comic industry's longest established awards, acknowledged as the pre-eminent international accolades."

It is a significant honor for Buffy Season Eight to receive a nod from the Eagle Awards, and it would be even better if the series won. The Eagle Awards receive international acclaim, and recognize the finest comics from around the world each year.

The final round of voting for this year's Eagle Awards opened on, March 14th.

It’s great that the series has been recognized with a nomination. Buffy has long had a home in comics going back to when the show was still on the air. One could argue that, aside from Star trek, no TV property has ever had a successful life in comic books as Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
And it’s not over yet as plans for a “Season Nine” run of books are well in the works! I don’t know about anyone else but *I* intend to be onboard for that so “if the apocalypse comes…beep me”.

That’s 30!

Mitch

So You Wanna Date Wonder Woman?

2011-03-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ok…let me say this right up front. I have never been one for online gaming. I have heard all the horror stories from server outages to late updates and even players who become SO addicted (*cough* World Of Warcraft) to their game that they are never heard from again!

But the bottom line is that I just have a problem paying for something I have already bought! It seems to me that $60 bucks for a game should be enough. Subscription fees just make me want to skip it entirely.

Still….I knew that EVENTUALLY someone would come up with an MMORPG that I would have to try. They (and who are “They” anyway) almost got me with Star Trek online but I dodged that one deftly by copping to all the bad reviews. I thought I was safe.

And then I saw the trailer for DC Universe Online. I was immediately sucked in by the idea that I could play alongside such luminaries as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The Beta reviews were mostly enthusiastic AND it was coming out for the PS3 so it would be very convenient. Plus a free month of playtime.

I figured I would shell out the $60 for the game and play the hell out of it for a month and get my money’s worth that way. I have played many an RPG and a month is about the lifespan they can enjoy before I have played every square inch of whatever world I am in. Then I lose interest and trade them for something new.

So much for plans. I have been playing DCU for ONE week and I have already signed up for the monthly subscription. The game is thoroughly engaging, beautiful to look at and so BIG that I am not likely to lose interest anytime soon. I admit that I am hooked! With that said, here are my impressions of the game.

Cinematics/storyline – The opening movie and the cut scenes between major missions are great looking and have a style that never lets you forget the roots of this game… DC Comic Books. There is a heavy Jim Lee influence in the look of the game. The back story (which is being fleshed out in the bi-weekly comic *CBJ SALES PLUG!!!*) has Lex Luthor in the future (you know, the bald guy who is covering up a sever man crush on Superman through evil deeds) teams up with Brainiac to destroy all of earth’s Meta Humans. Yes, Lex finally succeeds in killing Superman.

But as they say, there is no honor between megalomaniacs and as soon as Lex wipes out the last hero, Brainy turns on him and reveals that he is going to go all V’Ger on earth and digitize old Lex himself.

Luthor realizes that he has been sort of a dufus and hot tails it back to the past where he spills his guts to the not dead Justice League. He lets loose with the exobites, stolen for Brainiac and which give everyone POWERS. With so many new heroes created all at once, just MAYBE the future can be averted.

This is a very nice jumping off point for the game which takes place in the present. Not so much story as to bog you down, but enough to give the player a feeling of direction. It also has the nice dividend of being very open ended because we don’t know precisely WHEN the apocalypse is coming down.

(Oh and speaking of the Apocalypse, how can you have one without Buffy and the Scoobys?)

Character Creation - This might be the single best feature of the game. There is almost NOTHING that you cannot customize all day long. You WILL find yourself redesigning your look throughout the game.

During the character creation you have the choice of being a hero or a villain. You choose a “mentor” like Superman, Batman, Lex or the Joker among others. These mentors give you your early missions.

You can choose to be anything from a Superman like powerhouse to a Batman type Dark Avenger, and anything in between. The power selections cover a very wide range of options. While you can’t play AS an existing DC character, you CAN create one who is just like your favorite. (I just wish they had the rights to a Tick template!).

Gameplay – If you have ever played Marvel Ultimate Alliance or Marvel Vs. Capcom, you will be right at home. This is a real time combat game and is completely optimized for a console controller.

You can ALWAYS find a fight, even without a mission because the bad guys (or good guys if YOU are a bad guy) are everywhere. Just head over to any Brainiac incusrsion zone and wail on some robots for fun!

But there are missions aplenty and they are easy to find. They come in several flavors. There is the standard find this, protect that and fight the boss mission, there are PVP Arena and Classics missions. There are cooperative missions that send you with other players into places like Gorilla Island or Area 51. You will NOT run out of things to do.

Just exploring the various areas can fill several long gaming sessions. I am playing in Gotham and have not explored HALF of the city. EVERYTHING from the GCPD building to Ace Chemicals, to Crime Alley has been recreated for the game.

The Watchtower took me hours to explore!!

Tech Issues and Load Times - When you first pop the game into your PS3 or computer be prepared…to sit back. Because it will take a few HOURS to download the files and updates you need to get started. However subsequent up[dates only take about 15 minutes to a half hour to download and install.

Load times are pretty dreary but not excessively so and the splash screens during loads are great. Who gets bored looking at a wide screen high def Power Girl I ask you?

As I am just at level 12 (the cap is 30) I have just scratched the surface of the game. I have not even made a trip to visit my buddy Clark in Metropolis yet! So these are my very early impressions. But I can say that if you are a DC comics fan, a first time online gamer (like me), or a grizzled veteran of the MMORPG wars, there is a lot to like about DC Universe Online.

That’s 30!

Mitch

Some upcoming events for this month!

2011-03-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

MTG MIRRODIN BESIEGED GAME DAY

On Saturday, March 5th we will be holding our first ever Game Day event for the newest Magic set, Mirrodin Besieged. The entrance fee is $10 and all players will receive special Game Day promos while top 8 in the competition will receive a special promo. Prizes will be awarded to the winners and the overall winner gets a spot on the Magic the Gathering plaque we have near the register. That's right folks, earn your place forever engraved on the walls of CBJ! Wow! See you there!

MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 3 CBJ TOURNAMENT

Are you a fan of Marvel vs Capcom 3? Think you're good enough to take on the best of the CBJ crowd? Then come down to the store on Friday, March 18th after regular hours at 9pm for a MvC3 Tournament! We'll have an Xbox 360 and a TV ready to go for you to test your skills on. There will be prizes for the top competitors and a special sale for all of those in attendance. Drinks will also be served! Fun will be had! What's not to love about playing video games in your favorite comic shop?

CBJ SUNDAY SWAP MEET
SUNDAY, MARCH 27TH ALL DAY!

Our first Comic Book Jones Swap Meet will be taking place on Sunday, March 27th all day long! We'll be having a few tables set up with different vendors selling a variety of comics, statues and other great items. The only way to find out what will be here is to show up! This might be a great way to find that long out of print book or statue you just can't seem to find. If you're interested in having a table yourself feel free to e-mail us at comicbookjones@gmail.com to find out all the details. Tables will be provided and you can share if you like. We all hope to see you there.

One Thin Dime Anytime

2011-03-03T14:57:00.001-08:00

If you pick up any of the current DC titles you will see the price of $2.99 in BOLD characters along with the slogan “Holding the Line at $2.99”. Good for DC as they pulled their average price down by about 30%! But it got me to thinking about the first time that the price of comic books jumped.

Return with me now to the halcyon days of yore…or anyway 1961 when Comics got their first price bump!

From their inception in the mid 1930s’ Comics had always sold for a dime. The earliest books could go from 64 to 100 pages. That is a LOT of four color goodness for one tenth of a buck let me tell you! Or as DC might put it today “One Thin Dime Anytime!” That is a price that would remain unchanged for nearly thirty years. In order to keep the cost of comics at a dime comic book publishers gradually cut the page count until it reached a standard 32 page format. Larger page count books, known as Annuals or giants, had an 80 page count but they cost twenty-five cents.

Some companies held the price at a dime by going from a four color to a TWO color process or even including some stories in black and white! Check out some early issues of Action Comics and you will see those techniques in practice. It was NOT pretty!

Still, as time went by, cost cutting measures could no longer offset rising costs and the industry, led by DC Comics made the move from 10 cents to 12 cents in December of 1961. A raise in cost of a WHOPPING 20%!!! In November you could get TEN comics for a buck and in December it was down to 8.3 ..and who buys .3 comic books anyway! This was a big deal in kiddom let me tell you. We were up in arms and ready to storm the Lexington Ave Offices of National periodical publications (which we kids knew was just an alias for DC.)

However those editors at DC did not have grass growing under their feet and in a masterful preemptive strike, they actually EXPLAINED the reasons for the rise in price. And on official letterhead too! Every DC comic that came out that December had theis letter printed on the inside cover.

Basically they chirped about the cost of trees and mailing and who can argue with official leterhead anyway. So with a grumble we began to fork over the extra two cents a book. For many of us it marled the loss of innocence. I mean if you can’t count on the guys who publish SUPERMAN what’s left?

All kidding aside, the industry HAD done a great job holding their price for so many years and the 12 cent price would go on for almost 20 years as well. Since the seventies however, the price of comics have risen steadily to the current average price of $3.99 with DC at the lower $2.99.

Then again back in 1961 you could buy a new car for $1600 and a new house for $12,700!

(Plus you can’t actually READ a car or a house!)

So you know what?

Comics are STILL a bargain!

That’s 30!

Mitch

And now some items the “Collecting 101” archives….

2011-02-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

(A side note here. The “Collecting 101 Archives” are actually stored in a secret government warehouse just two shelves over from the Lost Ark, but as we have misplaced the Ark, it is unlikely that the Archives will surface any time soon.)
First up – The “Keys” to collecting.

If you have been collecting for more than about 20 minutes some other collector, dealer or publication will refer to a certain issue of a certain comic as a “key” issue. A key issue can be:

1) A first appearance of a character (Superman, Spiderman etc.)

2) The first issue of a new book (Avengers #1, FF #1 etc.)

3) The death of a significant character (Gwen Stacy, Johnny storm etc.)

4) A significant change in the direction of a book, character or universe. (Crisis On Infinite Earths, Civil War etc.)

5) The beginning of a run for a creator or creators who make a big impact. (Neal Adams on Green Lantern or Frank Miller on Daredevil etc.)

Not all books that meet this criteria can be considered keys of course. While Daredevil #1 certainly IS a big time Marvel key, one could hardly say that about The Human Fly #1 . The “key’ word to keep in mind is SIGNIFICANT. If the event does not make a big change, it can’t be considered a key.

There are two compelling reasons to keep track of key issues. First, these are landmarks in the evolution of your favorite book/characters and generally have long term impact on the universe they “live” in. Second, keys tend to increase more in value as collectibles than non-keys.

To the second point, there has been a tendency over the last couple of decades to label marginal or obviously insignificant events “keys”. Why? Because it generates a short term spike in the “value” of that book on the back issue market.

My personal favorite of the non-key, keys is the numbering snafu. Every now and then a company will put a book on hiatus and then restart at #1. This is done to reignite interest in a given book or character and to bring new readers into the fold. Sound marketing strategy to be sure. But that does not make the new Iron Man #1 the actual Iron Man #1, especially when the company will, sooner or later revert to the original numbering. You will see dealers at shows bump those books up a few bucks. Beware. They almost always come back down in value. Renumbering does not generate keys.

Variants are not keys. While they are very nice and I collect a lot of them myself, variants are just a different cover. Even variants that are short printed only rarely hold elevated value, and in any event are more in demand because of low print runs. Not because they are keys.

So there you have it. Key issues are fun to collect and will broaden your appreciation of your comics and it’s history, but they are not nearly as plentiful as we have been lead to believe.

Now for something truly mind numbing!

Have you ever gone online to buy a back issue and seen the following…

“Action #242 – VG Solid Grade (CFO,CVR CRS, AD)” and said to yourself…HUH?

Well then you have been exposed to Comic Collector Abbreviation Hell! Few who enter can ever expect to come back alive…unless they have my handy dandy cheat sheet.

Now if that Action #242 ad had actually been written in English it would have said:

“Action #242, Very Good Solid Grade (Center Fold Out, Cover Crease, Arrival Date on Cover)”

That’s a lot clearer BUT also a lot more typing. However those facts might directly effect your decision to buy so you really need to know those abbreviations or it could cost you MONEY!!! With that in mind here are all the abbreviations you will ever need!

ad = Arrival date
bc = back cover
bndry = bindery
brc = bottom right corner
brttl = brittle
bttm = bottom
chew = chewed
chp = chip
cfo = center fold out
cl = cover loose
clr chp = color chip
coa = certificate of authenticity
ct or clr tch = color touch
cnr = corner
crs = crease
cvr = cover
cvrlss = coverless
dst shad = dust shadow
dtch = detached
ext = extra
fc = front cover
fd = faded
fxng = foxing
gl = glossy
grs pncl = grease pencil
int = interior
lft = left
lt = light
lt sub crs = light subs. crease
mnr = minor
mrvl chp = marvel chip
mssng = missing
owp = off white pages
pc = piece
pg = page
pll = pull
r = restored
reinf = reinforced
restpld = restapled
rll = roll
rstd = rusted
slvrfsh = silverfish damage
smll = small
splt = split
spn = spine
stckr = sticker
stmp = stamp
stn = stain
stpl = staple
sub crs = subscription crease
tn = tan
tny = tinny
tp = tape
tr = tear
wp = white paper
ws = water stain
wtr dmg = water damage

YOWTCH!

By the way – P=Poor, G=Good, VG=Very Good, F=Fine, VF=Fine, VF/NM=Very Fine/Near Mint, NM=Near Mint and M=Mint (good luck with that last one!)

That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

2011-02-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

WHAT UP WORLD!
This week I bring to you a giant rant of reasons why everyone should be reading a few comics that I think are fantastic and deserve some more love than they're being given.

First up is an oldie but a serious goldie..

HELLBLAZER!

Most people are familiar with the character of John Constantine thanks to the so-so movie staring Keenu Reeves. If you've been living under a rock in the comic world or just avoid comics that have been going on for a long time and don't think it's a good idea to just jump into a book then you need to rethink that mind frame and check out HELLBLAZER and quick.
John Constantine is the best anti-hero; hero that's ever graced the comics page. John has battled cancer, The Devil and has newly taken on his biggest challenge yet; Marriage!
In the 276 issues that comprise Hellblazer, some of the greatest artists and writers have created some of the most memorable and outstanding stories on the written page.
Such greats as Jaimie Delano, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis and Peter Milligan, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Simon Bisley and Steve Dillon are just a few that you'll know right off the bat.
I myself have been an on again off again fan of the series for the past 10 years. I've jumped on when the stories were great and jumped off when money was tight. Recently, I've been reconnecting with this great book and rekindled my love for Constantine and his grim outlook on the world. The series is mostly based in England, where John lives and the stories vary from dealing with low level "magicians" to full scale demonic invasions. I strongly suggest if you've never read the series or if you've fallen off reading it for whatever reason, you get back into it and quick because it just gets better and better with each issue.

HACK/SLASH!

I've been shouting at the top of my lungs for a long time about this awesome book. Recently picked up by Image after being dropped by Devil's Due Publishing, Hack/Slash is the book that any comic fan can dig. The premise of the story is simple and to the point, Cassie Hack and her partner in crime Vlad, hunt down real life Slashers. (for those of you unaware of what a slasher is, Freddie Krueger, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees just to name a few)
The series has been around since 2004 with a slew of one-shots and short miniseries by writer and sometime artist Tim Seeley. It finally became an ongoing in 2007 until it was canceled late last year. Thankfully, Image comics recently picked it up and released the aptly titled miniseries "My First Maniac" chronicling Cassie's first mission as a slasher killer.
The comic has been an underground hit and even had some mainstream crossovers with The Suicide Girls, H.P Lovecraft's character Herbert West from Re-animator, Chucky from Child's Play and my good buddies The Living Corpse.
Everything about this comic is awesome. From the fact that the main character is a girl who's not afraid of things that go bump in the night to the ever growing mythology behind the villains and heroes.
I really think that everyone should pick up the 3 Omnibi that Image has released containing everything up until this point to get caught up and snatch the new #1 issue of the new ongoing that came out recently.
This book is great and great under appreciated as far as I'm concerned.
Fans of any horror comics, strong female characters and over the top blood and guts need to get on this book and stat!

THE LIVING CORPSE

Speaking of The Living Corpse, you all need to get on this comic and now!
Created by two awesome friends of mine, this is another underground hit that really needs to see some mainstream love. The book was on Zenescope Comics until they were awkwardly neglected which prompted the guys to take their book and move on. They've come out with 6 issues and an annual featuring Cassie and Vlad of Hack/Slash. Sadly, there was never a trade for the issues but thankfully they'll be coming out soon enough. Luckily if you go on the official Living Corpse website, you might be able to grab all the issues and get some sweet variants or signed copies.
The premise of the story is pretty simple, John Romero was killed and reanimated as a zombie but quickly was given the task of watching the graveyard and keeping all the nasty things that go bump in the night in check. The series was abruptly ended with Zenescope before Buz and Ken could really get the meat and potatoes of the story out. Luckily, the series has been picked up by a yet unnamed publisher (I know who and I'm not telling..haha) and getting the revamp treatment. Also, The Living Corpse Movie is coming out soon and in 3-D! So you really need to do yourself a serious favor and get on this book stat. Like I said if you've never read the series, we have all the issues here at the store or you could try the official website.

With that said, you need to go out and check out these books or else!!!

Great Silver Age Firsts!

2011-02-20T13:12:00.001-08:00

This week we have some great DC "Firsts! Afterall comic collectors LOVE those first time events or #1 issues and these are some of my favorites from my collection!

Flash Annual #1

JLA #21 and #22 the very first "Crisis" and the first JLA/JSA crossover

And Superbou Annual #1!

As always feel free to send YOUR scans to sholmes202@gmail.com for future galleries!

That's 30!

Mitch

Legion Of Superheroes Gallery!

2011-02-13T17:24:00.001-08:00

This week I am showing some of my very favorite comics! These are the great Silver Age Adventure Comics featuring the Legion Of Superheroes!!!

The LSH had actually made it's debut in Adventure #247 and soon were guest starring in titles all across the DC line. However it was not until Adventure #300 that The Legion got it's own title! The LSH would be the lead feature in Adventure for over 80 issues!

#300
#338

#337

#338

I have been tacking on issues from this run for a few years now and it is always fun to see the great Curt Swan covers!

As always please feel free to send scans from YOUR collection to sholmes202@gmail.com and I will include them in future galleries!

That's 3o!

Mitch

Memoir Signing this week!

2011-02-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

MEMOIR IN-STORE SIGNING WITH
WRITER BEN MCCOOL & ARTIST NIKKI COOK

We're extremely pleased to announce an in-store signing with two of the industries biggest up and coming creators. This Wednesday, February 16th, artist Nikki Cook and writer Ben McCool will be here in support of their new book Memoir which has done exceptionally well here at the store and in comic shops around the country. The book is awesome, we have a bunch of copies of issue #1 and issue #2 will be released that day! This book is really awesome it has become a staff favorite and we're sure you'll really dig it. They'll be here from about 5pm - 9pm so be sure to come in, grab a copy and meet two of the friendliest people in the biz!

Being Dead Just Ain't What It Used To Be!

2011-02-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have no problem at all coming up with ideas for my weekly column here at the CBJ website. But this week I have had all sorts of problems. I tried EVERYTHING!

I paced, brooded, ruminated, contemplated, pontificated, disseminated, and played 75 hours of Dead Space 2.

STILL nothing.

And then it hit me.

It was Happy Hour! Time for drinks and hot wings.

I ordered delivery from the local choke and puke, and poured my own special martinis (made in 20 oz Superhero Tumblers. This week I was drinking from my ROM glass, hence a Romtini , so I would not be driving under the influence of booze and hot sauce.

When I was fed and VERY well oiled I STILL had nothing. So I said to myself….”Self, I’m DYING here”

Instant inspiration (and several other alliterative exclamations!)

I’ll just write about dead guys (and girls). More specifically I am going to write about dead guys (and girls) in comics.

Not undead, mostly dead, comatose, zombified, ossified, or just plain drunk….

Not Walking Dead, crawling dead, Generation X Dead or “The Cape Dead”….just…
DEAD!

Now this might seem like an easy subject but it really isn’t. I mean just how many characters killed off in comics have had the good taste to STAY dead? You see my dilemma.

Superman died but got better.

Batman not so much dead as Time Tunneled.

Martian Manhunter is now formerly dead, as is Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Nick Fury, and Green Arrow, The original Torch (who is actually an android so not exactly ALIVE), Toro who is NOT an android but also torchy, and Norman Osborne (among MANY others).

Captain America AND Bucky came back (they got a two for one deal)!

Hell! Even DEADMAN isn’t dead anymore. I mean if you can’t count on Deadman to be…well… dead, who can you trust anymore?

And what do we call him now any way? “Alive Man”, “I Don’t Feel Well Man”, “The Artist Formerly Known as Deadman”?

Buffy died TWICE...

And don’t even get me STARTED on Spock!

Johnny Storm JUST died so the body isn’t even cold yet. (Would The Torch get cold?) Don’t bet on HIM staying dead. (He always WAS a pest!)

Gwen Stacy stayed dead but she always was a good girl.

The Manhunter, Paul Kirk, stayed dead. I suspect he COULD have come back but is just trying to prove a point. When he’s done pouting I am pretty sure HE’LL come back too….

And I know that some of you out there, CAT! , will take great glee (the emotion, not the show) in giving me a list of characters who stayed dead. All I will say to that is one word…BUCKY! Do you really want to bet on any of them staying dead?

Didn’t think so.

The villains are no help either because THEY have been coming back since the 40’s!

I mean how can I write about dead comic book characters when they just keep coming back??!!

About the only thing you can expect to “die” and STAY dead these days is the Mets!

My path was clear. I needed to find someone to blame!

Who started all this “back from the dead” stuff?

THREE WORDS…

Arthur
Conan
Doyle!

You got it. The venerable creator of one of the most beloved characters in literature, Sherlock Holmes. HE did it. And why? Why else?

MONEY! And I’m not even talking Madoff Money here (Fortunately Holmes was to smart for THAT scheme, and are you listening here Mr. Wilpon?)

Doyle first introduced the great Consulting detective back in 1887 in “A Study In Scarlet” but by 1891 the old boy was becoming tired of Holmes and wanted to become a fulltime spiritualist (you could look it up!).

So he decided on a climactic battle between Holmes and his arch nemesis Professor Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls in “The Adventure of the Final Problem”. Both Holmes and Moriarity would die so…

”No problem” for Doyle and he could go off chasing ghosts.

Well it seemed like a good idea to Arthur at the time but the readers of The Strand were ready to throw HIM over the falls for bumping off Sherlock. So a couple of years later he revived Holmes in “The Adventure Of The Empty House”. His explanation?

Holmes didn’t REALLY die that day. He just went on a two year walk about.

So there you have it.

The Man Of Steel was saved by “Superman’s Pal, Arthur Conan Doyle”

Now I think I have a couple of wings left in the fridge….

That’s 30!

Mitch

Fab Firsts Gallery!

2011-02-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hey There Scan Fans!,

This week I am posting some "firsts" from my collection! As you all know comic collectors are OBSESSED with first appearances. So much so that The Overstreet Guide notes first appearences SO osbcure that no one ever even heard of them! But they were FIRSTS and that's what counts. So here are some of mine.

First we have the very FIRST Star trek comic!

The first apppearance of Mon-El in Superboy #89

The FIRST Neal Adams issue if Green Lantern (#76). I even got it autographed by the great one himeslf!!

Here we have my copy of Action #252 which is not ONLY the first appearance of Supergirl but ALSO the first appearance of the villian Metallo!

And finally a VERY tough book to find in any condition, here is a solid copy of the first appearance of Braniac (also Kandor!) from Action #242!!!

There you have it scan fans. Just a few firsts from my archives!

As always (or for the FIRST time anyway) feel free to send YOUR scans to sholmes202@gmail.com (that's me!) and I will make sure to include them in future galleries!

That's 30!

Mitch

Star Trek Began In a City On The Edge Of Forever

2011-02-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

“A question. Since before your sun burned hot in space, and before your race was born, I have awaited…a question.” – The Guardian of Forever

“One day soon, man is going to be able to harness incredible energies, maybe even the atom... energies that could ultimately hurl us to other worlds in... in some sort of spaceship. And the men that reach out into space will be able to find ways to feed the hungry millions of the world and to cure their diseases. They will be able to find a way to give each man hope and a common future. And those are the days worth living for.” – Edith Keeler

One can make the case that not only was “The City On The Edge Of Forever” the finest Star Trek episode ever but that it is also one of the best episodes of any television show ever, period, exclamation point!

Star trek was largely through it’s first full season on April 6th, 1967 when “City” first aired. It was when I fell in love with the show and characters. More than any other episode, “City” defined the essential relationship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. A relationship that in turn would define Star Trek.

“The City On The Edge Of Forever” was penned by Sci-fi great Harlan Ellison and edited by Gene Coon, D.C. Fontana, and Gene Roddenberry among others. This re-writing lead to much controversy and carping on the part of Ellison, but even he would be hard pressed to say that this was not a classic screenplay. The plotline, largely Ellison’s was GREAT sci-fi and still one of the best treatments of time travel and the consequences involved in changing history. It was Roddenberry, Coon and Fontana who added the character touches that made it “Star Trek”.

For the one or two of you who have not actually SEEN “City”, here is a brief plot summary
The Enterprise is in the process of investigating temporal disturbances that take the form of destructive waves in space time centered on a nearby planet. Mr. Sulu is injured when a console explodes when the ship hits an unexpected temporal wave. McCoy is summoned to the bridge and injestc the helmsman with cordrazine. When another temporal wave causes the ship to shake violently McCoy accidentally injects himself with an overdose of serum, causing him to become violently paranoid. He flees from the bridge and beams down to the planet. Kirk takes a landing party down to the planet to retrieve the Doctor.

Once on the planet, Spock finds that the source of the time distortions is an ancient stone structure When Kirk asks a question to no one in particular the structure comes to life, identifying itself as the "Guardian of Forever". It explains that it is a sentient time portal that can access any point in timespace, and displays periods of Earth's history in its portal opening. The team soon locates McCoy, but he runs away and leaps through the portal before anyone can stop him. Suddenly the landing party loses contact with the Enterprise. The Guardian informs the landing party that history has just been altered and that, as a result, the Enterprise no longer exists. McCoy has somehow altered the past.

Kirk asks the Guardian to loop the history images again and he and Spock to jump through to a time just before McCoy entered, in the hope that they can correct what he has changed. Kirk and Spock leap through at the correct moment and materialize in New York City during the 1930s Great Depression era. Their uniforms and Spock's ears shock a passerby, so Kirk steals some clothes he spots hanging on a fire escape and the two hide in the basement of a nearby building. There they meet a woman named Edith Keeler. She is a social worker who runs the 21st Street Mission. They apologize for trespassing and offer to work for her. Intrigued by the pair, she allows them to stay.

Spock begins to construct a crude interface for his Tricorder and uses it to find out what part of history McCoy has altered.

Touched by her world view, Kirk soon begins to fall in love with Edith.
McCoy materializes in an alley, still under the influence of the cordrazine, and, after an encounter with a homeless man, stumbles into the 21st Street Mission. Edith sees him and takes him to rest. Kirk and Spock are not aware of his arrival.

Meanwhile, Spock finally finishes the interface and he and Kirk analyze the data. It reveals that Edith was supposed to have died shortly after in a traffic accident but that, having been spared this fate on account of McCoy's actions, she instead went on to form a pacifist movement whose influence delayed the entry of the United States into World War II; this delay in turn gave Nazi Germany time finish their heavy water experiments and develop the Atomic Bomb before the United States. The world falls to the forces of Hitlerism and ultimately tears itself apart trying to throw off Nazi rule. Kirk must face the fact that if Edith does not die as she is supposed to, history will be altered forever. Starfleet, Spock, McCoy…everything that he knows will cease to exist.

Edith nurses McCoy, who tells her who he is and where he is from. Edith does not believe his fantastic, but tells him that he would fit in nicely with her eccentric new boyfriend who will later be taking her to a Clark Gable movie. She is surprised to find that Bones has never heard of the star.

Later, as Kirk and Edith are walking to the movie house, Edith is surprised that Kirk also never heard of Clark Gable . She says "Doctor McCoy" said the same thing.

“McCoy? LEONARD McCoy??”

Alarmed, Kirk emphatically tells Edith to "Stay right here" before dashing across the street to get Spock. McCoy emerges from the mission right in front of them. Edith crosses the street to join them, does not see a truck which is approaching. Instinctively, Kirk moves to pull Edith out of the way but freezes when Spock yells out.

"No, Jim!". McCoy then tries to save Edith but is held fast by Kirk; the truck hits her and she is killed. A shocked McCoy yells.

"I could have saved her...do you know what you just did?". Kirk pushes him away, speechless, and Spock says quietly,

"He knows, Doctor. He knows."

History reverts to its original timeline and Kirk, Spock, and McCoy return to the Guardian's planet to find the rest of the landing party where they had left them. The Guardian makes an offer.
"Time has resumed its shape. All is as it was before. Many such journeys are possible. Let me be your gateway."

Uhura indicates that the Enterprise is ready to beam them back up and the devastated Kirk responds.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

I get a lump in my throat just writing the summary!

I have seen this episode dozens of times over the year and it never loses it’s power. It is as fresh today as it was over 40 years ago. “City” is still the benchmark for Star trek and “the origin” of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy relationship. Even the recent reboot acknowledges that these three, and particularly the relationship between Kirk and Spock are the HEART of Star Trek.
When Spock asks Edith where she thinks he and Kirk belong she actually defines their friendship in one simple statement:

“[to Spock] You? At his side. As if you've always been there and always will. [to Kirk] And you... you belong... in another place. I don't know where or how... I'll figure it out eventually.”- Edith Keeler

Back at the beginning of the episode Kirk does not send someone else after McCoy. He and Spock , without hesitation, take that mission upon themselves. They don’t think twice about being lost in time if it gives them even the smallest chance of saving their friend.

In “city” we really get out first glimpse of Spock’s “human” side. And it is almost all in the form of empathy for Kirk’s dilemma.

“Save her. Do what your heart tells you to do, and millions will die who did not die before” – Spock

How do you tell your brother that he has to sacrifice that which he loves most? The “Vulcan” Spock might not be able to do it. The “Human” Spock might not be able to do it. But SPOCK, both human and Vulcan, found a way.

When he makes the statement to Jim that “Edith Keeler must die” we can see how much Spock feels for his friend. This was a defining moment in the development of Star Trek’s most beloved character.

It is a direct line from this episode to Star Trek II- The Wrath Of Khan when Kirk observes that:

“Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most…human”
We would not have had that moment in Star Trek II without “City”.

The complete understanding between Kirk and Spock was born in this episode.

This is also a defining moment for Kirk as well. Perhaps it is THE defining moment in the development of the character.

We learn that Jim is not just the hell bent for leather, womanizing adventurer that he sometimes leads us to believe. Edith is in fact his one true love and he has the briefest of time with her. Now he has to face all the rest of his life without her. “City” shows us just how LONELY Kirk is.
We also learn that, as McCoy put it in the third season episode “The Tholian Web”, Jim Kirk is “ a hero in every sense of the word”.

The ability to make the sacrifice he did in order to restore history took more courage than facing down a Gorn or a Klingon warship. Despite his personal anguish, when the moment came, he did not hesitate. Kirk made the impossible choice and went on with living with the consequences.

For those of you who have never seen “City”, go see it now. For those who have, give it another view. Because Star Trek REALLY began in…

“The City On The Edge Of Forever”

That’s 30!

(Oh and Live Long And Prosper!)

Mitch

End Of January Gallery!

2011-01-30T07:54:00.001-08:00

As you all know by now who bit the cosmic big one in the last issue of FF, I thought I would pay homage to the fallen hero by putting up some scans of my favorite Fantastic Four comics from my own collection. Will the fallen one be back one day? Marvel says no, but you can never tell!

And this last image is from a long thought "lost" Star Trek episode. Can you tell who the guest star is? !!!

As always please feel free to send YOUR scans to sholmes202@gmail.com for inclusion in the gallery!

That's 30!

Mitch

Mirrodin Besieged Pre-Release & Release!

2011-01-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

MIRRODIN BESIEGED TOURNAMENTS

Pre-Release Tournament
Alright boys and girls, Magic players far and wide, the new set is almost upon us. On Saturday, January 29th we'll be holding our Pre-release Tournament for the upcoming set, Mirrodin Besieged at 1:00pm. Entry for this sealed style event will be $25. All entrants will receive 3 Scars of Mirrodin booster packs and then choose between the two warring factions of Mirran and Phyrexia. Based on your choice you will receive a specific card promo, card box and three additional booster packs. The two different packs will only contain cards associated with the chosen faction.

Prizes will include boosters, faction packs, and promos. Also, the first 10 players to enter will receive a special promo poster. In addition we will be debuting our level up program for all Magic players. Definitely not an event to be missed!

Release Tournament
Inevitably the Pre-Release is followed by the Mirrodin Besieged Release Tournament! This will take place next week - Friday, February 4th at 4pm. It will be a draft format and have an entry fee of $15 per person. As always there will be tons of prizes, promos and other goodies to grab so make sure you come by. On this day we'll also be able to sell you packs, boxes, intro decks and fat packs for the new set. We will also have buy-a-box promos on hand.

Level Up Program & Gaming Mailing List
This week we are also debuting our Level Up program which gives Magic players the opportunity to earn points based on how often they play, what they purchase, etc. More info on this will be given in-store and you can find out more about it in the coming week online via our new Gaming Mailing List. To join just send us an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com stating just that! In the weeks to come it will contain any information on gaming events at the store as well as any related news.

$1.00 BACK ISSUE SALE RETURNS!

That's right folks! Stop in this Sunday, January 30th for a look at a new set of long boxes featuring tons of back issues all for just $1.00 a piece. We will leave them out until Friday afternoon so make sure you stop in and go through them for some sweet deals!

The Day I Flew With Superman

2011-01-25T15:04:00.000-08:00

It was in the summer of 1966 that I flew with Superman.

It was an experience that I will never forget.

Like millions of 10 year old kids at the time I planted myself in front of the television every day at 3 PM to watch The Adventures Of Superman on channel 11, towel firmly tied around my neck and dream of being The Man of Steel . Or at least flying with George Reeves who was still very much alive in the imagination of one particular 10 year old boy.

I was vaguely aware that I myself was NOT Superman, but I was determined to FLY with him one day!

To tell the truth I was never much like Superman as a kid (or for that matter as an adult!). I was actually more like another fictional character…Charlie Brown. At least when it came to flying kites. Like Charlie, my kites ALWAYS ended up finding a vicious kite eating tree. This was no small feat since I lived in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn where there were not many trees period, much less the kite eating variety! I can’t begin to tell you how many times I had VOWED never to touch a kite again only to be drawn in by the thought that maybe THIS time I might actually get the thing into the air.

It was on a particularly clear Saturday in late August. I was already all too well aware that school would be starting in a couple of weeks. There was already the barest hint of the coming fall because while it was still very warm, it was also becoming more and more breezy.

Hmmm….heat and wind. Could the fates be aligning for me?

Saturday was ALSO my allowance day. I am pretty sure that kids today do not have this traditional stipend given to them by their parents. At least MY kid never had an allowance. I just signed the back of my paycheck and handed it to her every week. It was a great time saver. But I digress. MY liquid cash amounted to $2.00 a week plus whatever I could wheedle out of my parents during the course of the week. Usually about another sawbuck as I recall. In any event, with two crisp one dollar bills burning a hole in my pocket I crossed the street at 102nd Street and Flatlands Avenue and went into Izzy’s Candy Store.

Of course my first stop was always the comic book rack. As I plucked the latest copies of Superman and Batman, my eye was drawn to an item that Izzy had placed on top of the spinning rack. My eyes grew wide and I did a double take, shook my head but it was still there. It was Superman himself!

Well it was a Superman KITE anyway.

There on a background of white plastic (most kites were still made of paper in those days) was emblazoned the image of The Man of Tomorrow in flight. AND it was not just any image. Not some hack artist who never actually drew a comic. It was a CURT SWAN drawing of Superman.
In all the annals of kitedom, THIS was the Mona Lisa of Kites! If Michelangelo had put a kite inside the dome if the Sistine Chapel this would be it!!! A masterpiece.

I knew it had to be mine!

With sweat beading on my upper lip, a quiver of adrenaline coursing through my veins, I pointed to the kite and asked Izzy what it cost.

.99¢…with another .15¢ for string that made $1.14. Quickly I brought all my third grade math to bear , channeled my inner Mr. Spock, and subtracted my comics and a couple of candy bars from my two bucks and …and….I still had $1.25!!! BINGO!

Presently I was back in my house, ripping up old bed sheets for a tail and assembling my prize…
Cross the sticks…tie the joints with extra string for strength…now…carefully…CAREFULLY attach the skin…the skin with SUPERMAN on it…run a string across the cross stick and gently make the bow…THERE!

I held it up for inspection. Never had I constructed a more perfect kite! I was sure the boys at NASA, if they saw this would immediately put me on the Apollo design team. If they only knew the aerodynamic skill that was…me.

But no time for such mundane endeavors as the Space Program. There was a kite to fly. Superman must take to the air. And I must fly with him! (from the ground anyway.)
Without hesitation I bolted from my front door, to be joined in mid stride by my Robin, my Sancho, my Regis Philbin…none other than my (also 10 year old) cousin, and the toughest kid on the block…Cindy.

Running side by side she asked…”where we goin’?”

I held up the kite as an answer and she let out a sigh…

“Not again.”

But I could sense that no $%#@#$ kite eating tree would DARE chomp on Superman. Even kite Superman should be invulnerable to K.E.T.s!

Without another word we dashed into the alley that separated East 102nd and East 103rd Streets. That alley was the Sanctum Santorum for the kids in my neighborhood.

Photo supplied by SKHS (Superman Kite Historical Society)

Our eyes locked and with absolute trust I handed the kite to my faithful companion and she held fast as I began to run down the alley…letting out several yards of string…waiting for just the right amount of lead and then…

“LET HER GO!”

And then a remarkable thing happened.

The kite actually went UP. And when I say up, I mean UP! The wind caught it just right and very soon the 100 ft of string was all played out! Cindy dashed off for more string and pretty soon we had used all of THAT up too!

Superman was flying! And I was right there with him. Presently I tied the string off to a nearby fence and we watched the Man of Steel soar some 300ft over Canarsie.

I never felt so safe.

As morning passed into afternoon, the kite flew in lazy circles taunting the kite eating trees. I could swear I could hear them grumbling in frustration. Soon other kids joined in to watch The Last Son Of Krypton fly under my control.

There was Mark who was a Spiderman fan and didn’t count.

There was Eddie and his faithful pooch Hasbro. (Eddie loved toys).

There was Steven who would claw his way to middle management in later life.

There was girly, kootie filled Margaret who even then liked boys A LOT! (It was kinda creepy to a 10 year old let me tell you but some years later when Margaret had magically gotten LESS creepy I took her off to “fly kites” all by ourselves!)

And finally there was Henry…Henry my nemesis. My Luthor! Henry who always seemed to be there when my kites crashed…always with a taunt on his lips. His “HA!” was a killer. Now his humiliation was complete! (well almost. Some years later he would lose a fortune when the 8 Track tape market collapsed.)

The whole GANG was there. We were all having so much fun, except Henry who was even then plotting his next move in our never ending battle…that ummm actually ended five years later when I administered a knuckle sandwich after catching him “flying kites” with Margaret. (that girl LOVED kites!)

But all good things come to an end and all days come to an end. As the sun began to set I was left with a problem.

What to do with Superman?!

He was WAY up there! It would take me hours to gather up all that string and pull him down. PLUS he’s likely crash into a roof , or WORSE, a kite eating tree on the way down. I looked over to Cindy and she must have read my mind because my faithful sidekick had run off and returned with a pair of scissors. Our eyes met in perfect communication. Superman should fly free. A silence gathered over the gang and with a quiet reverence they witnessed as Cindy handed me the scissors.

A single tear trickled down her cheek and she nodded to me.

I cut the string.

We watched as Superman flew off…further and further until we lost sight of him.

I’ve always been glad we did that because as far as I know, Superman is still up there over the skies of Canarsie.

That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

2011-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

WHAT UP WORLD!!
This week I got the chance to check out two new Stephen Lindsay books before they hit the shelves!! Buck #1 and Warriors of the Dharuk #1

BUCK #1 (OF 4)

This book is Stephen's epic "Sci-Fi Channel movie" story. It takes place in Pititchuu, Washington. The story is based around The Sheriff, his daughter Hanna, The Deputy; Mike and his scientist wife Diana and the waitress at the local diner Carla McMerchant.
A giant deer has suddenly shown up in the north woods and has already killed a full grown black bear. The story centralizes around the characters thus far building relationships and giving a typical "Sci-Fi Channel" love story within a terrible situation. The artwork is very basic and nothing to really write home about. It may actually turn some people off at first glance but once you actually read the story and see that it's meant to be simplistic and very basic for a black and white book with blood red being the only color, you'll actually appreciate it and kinda dig it.
Stephen does a pretty good job of making a go at his first over the top sci-fi story. This first issue reads really fast and leaves you wanting more. At first I thought it was just a one shot and I was really pissed because when you get to the last page, you feel cheated because nothing really happened, then I realized that it is in fact a four issue mini and that this was just the tip of the iceburg.
As I said, at first glance Danny Kelly's artwork may throw people off and they might just dislike the book because of how simple the art is but once you actually read this first issue, you just may find yourself coming back for seconds, thirds and fourths.

4 out of 5

WARRIORS OF THE DHARUK #1

I really liked the idea of this comic long before I actually read it because it involved Stephen's son Ayden being the real mastermind behind the project. Any creator who actually takes the time to pick their kid's brain and use their ideas for a story is a-ok in my book, I mean look at Axe Cop and how cool that comic is.
That being said, this first issue is a homerun. It starts off with a young warrior being attacked and saved by an armadillo. I don't want to spoil the fun of actually reading the issue but I highly suggest picking this book up when it finally hits shelves. Not only is it a solid story that leaves you wanting more but if the book does well Stephen is going to get Ayden an I-Pod touch (which I think he already got him for Christmas..) or something sweet for doing such a good job.
Fans of Stephen Lindsay's will love this book and fans of Mice Templar and Mouseguard will enjoy this book just as well. So do yourself a favor and check this ish out!

4 out of 5!!

This Week's Gallery - The Ever Lovin' Marvel Tales!!!

2011-01-23T08:31:00.001-08:00

This week I am posting up some of my very favorite comics from my collection! Issues #1-4 of the 25 cent Marvel Tales! These were repring books that started back in 1964, only THREE YEARS after the debut of the Fantastic Four ushered in The Marvel Age Of Comics. Many of the stories in these early issues had never been reprinted before! I STILL pull these books out from time to time just to read them again! I hope you get as big a kick out of the covers as I do.

As always you can send scans of books from YOUR collection to sholmes202@gmail.com and I will be happy to include them in future galleries!

That's 30!

Mitch

TONIGHT! FRIDAY, JANUARY 21ST!

2011-01-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

DON KNOTTS & BARRY WHITE
RETIREMENT CEREMONY
(AND THE NEW $5 UNVEILING!)

Those of you who have been with us for awhile know that every year we change the person who adorns our $5 coupons that we give out. Well, for the first time ever we will be having a special ceremony on Friday, January 21st to commemorate their service to Comic Book Jones by retiring our old friends Don Knotts and Barry White. As you see in many sports arenas, we'll be raising a banner to the rafters for each of them, retiring them from service forever. We will also be unveiling the celebrity to grace our brand new $5 bills for 2011. Attendees will have the honor of being the first to get our new $5 bills. Refreshments will be served, we'll have a special giveaway to attendees and who knows, we may even do a special sale. Join us for this momentous occasion!

This N That!

2011-01-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

We haven’t done a This N’ That lately so here goes!

Two nice pieces of casting news relating to the next Batman Film entitled “The Dark Knight Rises!

Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs) will be playing Selina Kyle and Tom Hardy (Inception/Band Of Brothers) has been cast as Bane!
Does the appearance of Selina necessarily mean that Catwoman will also be in the movie? Stay tuned!

Dark Knight Rises will hit Theaters in the Summer of 2012!

As anyone who has not been vacationing in another universe knows, BIG things are happening in Fantastic Four. Well #587 hits the stands this week in a BLACK POLYBAG and the Logo here might just give you a clue that things are going to be very different for the first family of comics. You MIGHT want to pick up an extra copy of this one. I know *I* will!

How about THESE cool shots from X-Men First Class?

Michael Fassbender is Magneto, Rose Byrne is Dr. Moira MacTaggert, January Jones is Emma Frost, Jason Flemyng is Azazel, Nicholas Hoult is Beast, Lucas Till is Havok, Zoe Kravitz is Angel Salvadore, Jennifer Lawrence is Mystique, James McAvoy is Professor X.

X-Men First Class is due to hit theaters on June 3rd, 2011!
Speaking of Marvel Superhero Movies, Thor is slated for a May 6th, 2011 opening!

AND it’s just going to be a HUGE summer for Merry Marvel Marching Society alumni as Captain America The First Avenger is set to release in JULY of 2011!!!

Soooo we have a major Marvel Movie release in May, June and July! Tail Gate Party much???!!!
Oh, and just so to round things out DC has a Superhero Movie of their own releasing on June 17, 2011…GREEN LANTERN!!!! Ryan Reynolds will star as the titular character and Mark Strong as his arch enemy Sinestro!

Well that sure IS a lot of THIS and even more of THAT!
That’s 30!

Mitch

TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN....

2011-01-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring back to you...

TALES FROM THE BACK ISSUE BIN!

What's happening Ladies and Gents, I'm your host Gore Jones and I'm proud to announce that I'll be bringing back this fine blog every week live from Comic Book Jones..well at least I'm writing it at the store right after I read the back issue that I'm speaking about. This first edition of Tales from.. comes from the M section of the back issue bin. The first book in that section is none other than..

THE MAGDALENA/VAMPIRELLA ONE SHOT

Back in 2003, Top Cow/Image Comics and Harris Comics brought together two of their occult heroines in a one shot that in my honest opinion really wasn't worth any shot.

The two are both chasing a a long thought dead menace of France known as "Le Demon Boucher De Bourgogne", The demon butcher of burgundy. A demon who was thought to be unkillable until he was burned at the stake and dismembered. His bones were spread throughout The Catacombs underneath Paris, only one rib was put in a secret Vatican vault underneath Vatican City in Rome.
Vampirella and Magdalena are in pursuit of this "Demon Butcher" as his victims continue to show up throughout the city, devoid of flesh and mutilated. Evidence points them both to the underground Catacombs, where after a brief battle between themselves they quickly dispatch the Demon.
It's a very short and to the point issue with no real value as far as story is concerned. The artwork is really good, thanks to Joe Benitez (current artist and creator of Lady Mechanika). Aside from the artwork, like I said this issue really isn't that good and really shouldn't have happened as far as I'm concerned. It's really very lack luster and does nothing for either character aside from an attempt to basically steal $2.99 from us simple comic fans.
Do yourself a favor though and check out the current series of both woman, respectively titled "Vampirella" and "Magdalena" if you want to read some quality stories about these awesome female characters.
On a scale of 1-10 in the awesome factor, this back issue gets a
2 out of 10 AWESOMES! only because Joe Benitez does some great splash pages and good gore scenes.

Archive For Mid Jjanuary

2011-01-15T18:12:00.001-08:00

Some nice slabbed Tomb Of Draculas from my collection and a couple of early Silver Age Superman as well! I get a big kick out of posting my books for all of you to look at! Don't forget you can send YOUR scans to sholmes@gmail.com for this Archive posting!

That's 30!

Mitch

NEWS THIS WEEK - JANUARY 19TH

2011-01-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

Retirement Ceremony on Friday and new $5 coupon to be unveiled!

Another great week of comics is ahead of us! DC continues their wave of sleek white covers and this week you can expect the latest installments of Batman, Brightest Day, Green Lantern Corps, Supergirl and many others. Marvel isn't holding back either with the new issues of ASM, Avengers Academy (so underrated, please read if you haven't!), Wolverine, X-Factor, X-Men Legacy and Invincible Iron Man #500 on the way! That's just a small taste of the quality all around this week.

Anyway, a quick recap of this week and then on to bigger and better things. Our first Tuesday delivery went smoothly. All the books, toys and everything else in between were out on the shelves and pull lists were packed and ready to go when we opened the doors on Wednesday morning (even with the snow!). Not too shabby. This week we also had our first tailgate party of the year for Green Hornet. Some pizza, beer, soda, and a 30% off everything sale complimented the event. A pretty good week if I do say so myself.

This week we'll finally be unveiling our new $5 coupon for this year and retiring some old favorite at the Don Knotts and Barry White Retirement Ceremony here at the store. We'll be raising their banners to the rafters. The festivities will be held on Friday, January 21st kick starting at 9pm. Refreshments will be served, we'll have a special giveaway to attendees and who knows, we may even do a special sale. Join us for this momentous occasion!

This week we are also starting a huge $1.00 back issue sale! Tons of our back issues will be priced at just $1.00! We have tons of long boxes to get rid of so make sure you come by and check out our stock. It all starts this Sunday, read more about it below.

And don't forget, to close out the month we will be celebrating the release of the newest Magic the Gathering set, Mirrodin Besieged with a Pre-Release Tournament on Saturday, January 29th! We have tons of prizes and promos to give out so make sure you come down. For all the rules and additional information keep reading below.

Also, a couple of things you may have missed. Any special orders from Previews (the catalog we order from that comes out every month) are always 10% off. A new edition comes out at the end of every month and there's a ton of stuff to choose from so take a look if you haven't. Also, we have the ability to order any statues and other collectibles from Sideshow Collectibles so if you see something you like, make sure you ask us about it!

As always, if you have any questions on anything feel free to call us at the store (718-448-1234) or e-mail us at comicbookjones@gmail.com.

OUR TOP 5 PICKS FOR THIS WEEK:

DON KNOTTS & BARRY WHITE
RETIREMENT CEREMONY
(AND THE NEW $5 UNVEILING!)

Those of you who have been with us for awhile know that every year we change the person who adorns our $5 coupons that we give out. Well, for the first time ever we will be having a special ceremony on Friday, January 21st to commemorate their service to Comic Book Jones by retiring our old friends Don Knotts and Barry White. As you see in many sports arenas, we'll be raising a banner to the rafters for each of them, retiring them from service forever. We will also be unveiling the celebrity to grace our brand new $5 bills for 2011. Attendees will have the honor of being the first to get our new $5 bills. Refreshments will be served, we'll have a special giveaway to attendees and who knows, we may even do a special sale. Join us for this momentous occasion!

$1.00 BACK ISSUE BLOWOUT SALE!

For the next couple of weeks starting this Sunday, January 16th we'll be giving you the opportunity to purchase many of our back issues for just $1 a piece. We have a bunch of overstock that we just want to get rid of so here's how it's going to work. In the front of the store we'll be setting up a table with a bunch of long boxes, everything in those boxes will cost just $1.00 per comic! This is a great chance to check out some stuff for cheap or fill some holes in your collection! We'll be rotating the boxes every few days so check back for new stuff often!

RETURN OF THE RAFFLE!

The raffle is returning this week after a bit of inactivity. Starting from now until Wednesday, January 26th we will be selling raffle tickets for $1 a piece for a chance to win the JLA Trophy Room Superman Cape & Belt Prop Replica! This bad boy is numbered, comes with a certificate of authenticity and retails for a price of $294.99. With tickets at only $1, you can take this home for next to nothing. The raffle is effective immediately and you can purchase as many tickets as you like!

MIRRODIN BESIEGED PRE-RELEASE TOURNAMENT

Alright boys and girls, Magic players far and wide, the new set is almost upon us. On Saturday, January 29th we'll be holding our Pre-release Tournament for the upcoming set, Mirrodin Besieged. Entry for this sealed style event will be $25. All entrants will receive 3 Scars of Mirrodin booster packs and then choose between the two warring factions of Mirran and Phyrexia. Based on your choice you will receive a specific card promo, card box and three additional booster packs. The two different packs will only contain cards associated with the chosen faction.

Prizes will include boosters, faction packs, and promos. Also, the first 10 players to enter will receive a special promo poster. In addition we will be debuting our level up program for all Magic players. Definitely not an event to be missed!

PICTURE BOOKS ANONYMOUS
FEBRUARY'S TITLE - JIMMY CORRIGAN

Come and join our graphic novel club - Picture Books Anonymous! We meet once a month (one book per month) and our next meeting will be held on Monday, February 7th at 7:00pm. Our next book is Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware. Come down and join in on some great conversation. We have a great group and are always looking for more people to ignite lively discussion. This is a fantastic way to get into comics you wouldn't normally read and we cover a huge range from obscure to popular titles.

The book chosen for each month will be discounted for book club attendees (25% off) and we will also offer a blanket special discount for all book club members - buy any three trades, hardcovers and/or graphic novels and get the fourth one free. If you are interested in being involved in the book club, send an e-mail to comicbookjones@gmail.com with your name and information or just pop in!

Here Comes The DC Rollback!

2011-01-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

For those of you who do not already know, DC has rolled the price of their standard comic back to $2.99. This is a full buck off the competition! Can Marvel be far behind? DC is marking the occasion with these great white background covers so they are EASY to spot on the store shelves.

The new price point makes this a perfect time for non DC readers to give the granddaddy of comic companies a try. You may be surprised to find that, right now, DC offerings are superior in almost every way to Marvel. Art, stories, cross-over events, you name it.
Even the price point.

DC is POUNDING Marvel these days.

Oh and before all those Marvelites start chomping at the bit I want to point out that I myself am a Marvel collector from WAY back and still read a bunch of marvel titles. I suspect that if I missed an issue of Spidey or Cap I might spontaneously combust!

But this is not to criticize Marvel. It is to celebrate DC! There has never been a better time to read DC comics. From Brightest Day to Superman’s “walkabout”, to Batman Incorporated, to Wonder Woman’s new look and direction, the company is BRIMMING with new ideas and concepts. The art has never been better and the writing throughout the line is just first rate.
And speaking of writing, DC also boasts comic’s very best writer in Geoff Johns who has successfully rebooted both Green Lantern and The Flash.

DC has even reinstituted the LETTERS PAGE!!!

So at $2.99 a book, what are you waiting for?

Give the best line of comics on the stands a try!

( And yes, I still love Marvel too! )

That’s 30!

Mitch

Events in the coming weeks!

2011-01-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

Green Hornet Tailgate Party this week & big announcement involving our weekly shipments!

January is looking to be an awesome month already. We've got some great books, statues, figures and other wonderful things coming at you this week as per usual but we've also got some big announcements!

First off, we are extremely delighted to inform you that starting this week we'll be getting our shipment of books in on Tuesday afternoon (for sale on Wednesday) instead of Wednesday morning. What does this mean for you? Well, when we open at 10:00am every new release will be on the shelves and ready for you to pick up. No more waiting to put everything out! Also, all the pull lists will be done and ready to be picked up as soon as we open. Happy days are here again!

This week also marks the return of our movie tailgate parties. We'll be having the first one of the year for Green Hornet this Thursday, January 13th. Awesome! Don't forget to grab your midnight movie ticket and come down for some free refreshments and special sales, read more about it below.

We've also announced the date for our Don Knotts and Barry White Retirement Ceremony where we'll be raising their banners to the rafters and unveiling our new $5 coupon for the year. The festivities will be held on Friday, January 21st kick starting at 9pm. Again, keep reading below for more information!

Finally, at the end of the month we will be celebrating the release of the newest Magic the Gathering set, Mirrodin Beseiged with a Pre-Release Tournament on Saturday, January 29th! We have tons of prizes and promos to give out so make sure you come down. For all the rules and additional information keep reading this here newsletter.

If you have any questions feel free to call us at the store (718-448-1234) or e-mail us at comicbookjones@gmail.com.

GREEN HORNET TAILGATE PARTY

It's our first tailgate party of the new year! Join us on Thursday, January 13th as we celebrate the release of Green Hornet in theaters. Grab your ticket to the midnight showing and come down to the store starting at 9pm for some free refreshments and nice sale where everything in the store is between 10% - 70% off. Wow! We'll also be running specials on all Green Hornet comics (and there's a lot of them) so be sure not to miss it.

DON KNOTTS & BARRY WHITE
RETIREMENT CEREMONY
(AND THE NEW $5 UNVEILING!)

Those of you who have been with us for awhile know that every year we change the person who adorns our $5 coupons that we give out. Well, for the first time ever we will be having a special ceremony on Friday, January 21st to commemorate their service to Comic Book Jones by retiring our old friends Don Knotts and Barry White. As you see in many sports arenas, we'll be raising a banner to the rafters for each of them, retiring them from service forever. We will also be unveiling the celebrity to grace our brand new $5 bills for 2011. Attendees will have the honor of being the first to get our new $5 bills. The date for this is still in the works but it will be within the next couple of weeks so sit tight and keep your eyes open for updates!

MIRRODIN BESEIGED PRE-RELEASE TOURNAMENT

Alright boys and girls, Magic players far and wide, the new set is almost upon us. On Saturday, January 29th we'll be holding our Pre-release Tournament for the upcoming set, Mirrodin Besieiged. Entry for this sealed style event will be $25. All entrants will receive 3 Scars of Mirrodin booster packs and then choose between the two warring factions of Mirran and Phyrexia. Based on your choice you will receive a specific card promo, card box and three additional booster packs. The two different packs will only contain cards associated with the chosen faction.

Prizes will include boosters, faction packs, and promos. Also, the first 10 players to enter will receive a special promo poster. In addition we will be debuting our level up program for all Magic players. Definitely not an event to be missed!

Archive Of the Week!

2011-01-08T08:16:00.001-08:00

This week I thought I would throw in a mix of things from my collection!

First we have a nice and saucy copy of Archie #45!

Here we have my pre slabbed copy of Superman #109

And finally my copies of DC The New Frontier 1-3. All in 9.8! Interestingly there are very few CGC slabbed copies of this ground breaking series. I am having problems finding 4-6! I may have to get my own copies done!

Well that's it for this week. As always I invite you to send YOUR scans to me at sholmes202@gmail,com and I will include them in future galleries! Until next time...

That's 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

2011-01-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

WHAT UP WORLD!!
Happy New Year and welcome to 2011 and with that statement "The Comic Companies War" begins!
What the hell am I talking about you ask? Well if you didn't notice this week DC comics basically called Marvel Comics out in "The Unspoken War" for our hard earned cash.

First with their triumphant effort of catching readers eyes as they passed the shelves this week with these sweet "Icon" covers that showcase the respective book's character or characters.

Secondly, DC's new campaign poster utterly blasts Marvel for continuing their standard $3.99 price tag for the majority of their titles, where DC is putting most if not all of their titles back down to $2.99, in a very strong attempt to raise sales numbers and to keep loyal readers reading their favorite DC books.

Thirdly and this is something I truly miss in comics across the board is DC IS BRINGING BACK LETTERS PAGES IN EVERY SINGLE TITLE!! They've named it "MAILSTORM".
How awesome is this! finally instead of feeling like your voice is lost in an electronic storm of forum posts, you can actually see your written voice in the back of your favorite DC comic bashing or praising the writers, artists, inkers, colorists, etc.. as well as having our questions answered directly from the source like it used to be and how it should be.

As a avid reader of both companies and everything in between, I'm really excited to see what else DC has in store for us and I can't wait to see what "retaliation" Marvel's going to come back with. Thus far, they don't have any sort of advertisments or anything concerning price changes or any changes within the company as far as we're all concerned at all. I know Marvel aren't punks and they're not going to take this lightly. I really can't wait to see what they unveil to entice more readers and to maintain us monthly junkies coming back for more aside from awesome stories and well loved characters.
As far raising the bar and out doing each other, both companies in my opinion are at the top of their respective game. Marvel is steam rolling along with "The Heroic Age" and DC is building up to a grand finale for "Brightest Day". Both companies maintain excellent work with very few complaints.
It's a new year and an amazing time to be a comic fan and it's only January!!
This is just the beginning, for all we know, Dark Horse, Image, Zenescope and the zillion other great comic companies might join in this "Unspoken War" between companies to keep long time fans and grab new readers along the way.
Again, these are just the first shots fired, let's see what happens when push really comes to shove.

For the Parents!

2011-01-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

This one is for the parents of YOUNG comic collectors. Those under the age of 13.

A primer for YOUNG comic fans and their parents.

I first came to comic books at about the first grade. Back in the dark ages of 1962 you did not start reading until then! Of course back in those days the vast majority of comic books were GEARED to children between the ages of 6 and 12. Today it is very different. MOST comics are geared to ages 16-Adult. This change in the demographic means that a bit of care and planning between you and your children is necessary to make sure that the experience of reading comics is as much fun for younger readers as for the old salts!

Here is the good news. Comic book reading and collecting is a GREAT hobby for younger kids.
First and foremost it encourages them to READ. Illiteracy in our country is shockingly high and even among those who do read, a huge number don’t read WELL. Comic books are typically written at a higher level than say, the NEW YORK TIMES. (I was dropping words like “ironic”, “invulnerable”, and “conceivable” in my writing in the first grade. All words I picked up from comics!)

Comics are NOT a substitute for reading novels, history books, short stories etc. On the contrary, they merely whet one’s appetite for reading EVERYTHING. I know many comic readers who were exposed to Sherlock Holmes, The plays of Shakespeare, science, and history who voraciously read the originals.

Comics are also a great playground for the imagination. They can take you from Riverdale to Asgard! There is literally nothing you can imagine that cannot be created on a comic book page. Comics are filled with great stories and art that exercise our creative side in a way that no other media does. I have been reading comics for 45 years and have NEVER been bored with them.
Now here is some more good news. Since there is so much material out there that is geared towards older readers, it is going to be up to YOU as parents to determine which books are age appropriate for your children. Why is this a good thing? Because now YOU have an excuse to read comics too! In fact you may even find that a book that is a bit too adult for your child is just right for you!! Yes, many comics have a “rating” on the cover but I can tell you from experience with my own child that the ratings are very vague. In fact some books marked “mature” like DC’s Vertigo line may actually be more age appropriate for your kid than books marked for “teen” readers. It depends on YOUR sensibilities. So get in there and sample some of the comics your children are reading. I can practically guarantee you’ll have fun doing so while you guide your children to books that are not only age appropriate but will be more enjoyable to them.
Comics are a great hobby and one that YOU can share with your child! There are a lot of ins and outs regarding the care of your child’s comic collection. How to bag and board them, what to collect, collectible values etc. I detail all of this in a guide called Comic Book Collecting from “Aquaman to Zatanna”. It is ABSOLUTELY FREE and I will be happy to send it to any parent who is curious about the basics of comic book collecting for their children. It is geared to the younger collector and based on a lot of trial and error over the years. The team at CBJ will be posting it for download! look for it!!

That’s 30!

Mitch

Farewell Anne Francis

2011-01-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

She was known to most of us as “Altaira” in Forbidden Planet and as TV’s Honey West in the groundbreaking 1960’s series. The beautiful and wonderfully talented Anne Francis passed away today at the age of 80 due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

She will be missed. Especially by people of my generation who grew up with her during the 1950’s and 60’s. Anne was the first crush for many a young boy or as Steven Spielberg once said in an interview about Forbidden Planet, “I wanted her to be my babysitter”. She just had that sort of way about her. Beautiful but in no way distant or off putting. I had the good fortune to correspond with Ms. Francis a few times in the last couple of years and that was her in real life too. A truly lovely person.

Artists though, have a strange sort of immortality. They leave a piece of themselves behind in their body of work. She entertained and touched generations of fans. And she will find new fans who get to see her work for the first time. I envy them the discovery of this special person.

Anne left the world a bit richer than when she got here. That’s a fine legacy for anyone.

Mitch

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-31T11:55:00.000-08:00

We cannot wait for the new year! What can you expect from us? More awesome comics, crazy events, lots of ridiculous sales, superb customer service and simply a place to hang your hat and call us home for a few hours. Thank you guys for an awesome year and we hope to continue the trend and improve upon what we've accomplished so far.

Here are some things that you can already look forward to:
1) A price drop by DC Comics to $2.99 on all their books.
2) Fear Itself: Marvel's first GIANT event since Secret Invasion.
3) Don Knotts & Barry White Retirement Ceremony
4) Our first tailgate party of the year: Green Hornet!
5) Our first signing of the year this January! (More info to be released soon)

OUR TOP 5 PICKS FOR THIS WEEK:

DON KNOTTS & BARRY WHITE
RETIREMENT CEREMONY
(AND THE NEW $5 UNVEILING!)

Those of you who have been with us for awhile know that every year we change the person who adorns our $5 coupons that we give out. Well, for the first time ever we will be having a special ceremony to commemorate their service to Comic Book Jones by retiring our old friends Don Knotts and Barry White. As you see in many sports arenas, we'll be raising a banner to the rafters for each of them, retiring them from service forever. We will also be unveiling the celebrity to grace our brand new $5 bills for 2011. Attendees will have the honor of being the first to get our new $5 bills. The date for this is still in the works but it will be within the next couple of weeks so sit tight and keep your eyes open for updates!

GREEN HORNET TAILGATE PARTY

It's our first tailgate party of the new year! Join us on Thursday, January 13th as we celebrate the release of Green Hornet in theaters. Grab your ticket to the midnight showing and come down to the store starting at 9pm for some free refreshments and nice sale where everything in the store is between 10% - 70% off. Wow! We'll also be running specials on all Green Hornet comics (and there's a lot of them) so be sure not to miss it.

Holiday Hours!

2010-12-30T15:30:00.001-08:00

Hey there! Here are our hours for this weekend:

New Year's Eve - 10am - 7pm
New Year's Day - CLOSED!

Normal store hours will resume on Sunday. Have a safe holiday weekend!

Happy New year Gallery

2010-12-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

For this week's New Years Gallery I decided to show you all some books that I picked up during 2010. There are some SWEET keys here including a great copy of X-Men #137, the Death Of Phoenix and HG copies of Batman #232 and #234 (1st Ras Al Ghul and 1st SA appearance of Two Face). I also included a scan of Superman #138 and Detective #437 the first appearance of Manhunter!

As always you are more than welcome to send YOUR scans to sholmes202@gmail.com for inclusion in future galleries! We all want to see what YOU got!!!

That's 30!

Mitch

This Week's Gallery - Vintage Newsstands!

2010-12-22T17:02:00.001-08:00

This week I thought I would eschew comic book covers in favor of some vintage photos of Newsstands from the 30's through the 50's. See if you can pick out the books!

Also notice that I used the word "eschew" in a sentence!

That's 30!

Mitch

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

2010-12-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

Well here we are. Christmas 2010 is only days away and the end of another year is upon us. I certainly hope that it has been a healthy and productive year for all of you and your families.

I should also add that you are all on Santa’s NICE list simply for reading the ramblings that I have been tossing over the fence all year. Talk about HEROES! Sheesh!

It certainly has been a GREAT year for our hobby!

Batman is back!...and Xeroxed! In fact there promise to be SO many Batmen that you will need a score card to keep up!

DC has rolled back the price on their regular comics to $2.99 which is welcome news!

Daredevil certainly made a mess of Hell’s Kitchen and is off on sabbatical as we speak!

The X-Men are still so plentiful as to be…confusing…BUT entertaining!

Hell!...even ARCHIE is getting a lot of play in the media.

And NEAL ADAMS is BACK!!!!!!!!

Marvel has been teasing us with a bunch of one line …ummm…TEASERS for the coming story arcs among their major characters. Can this truly be THE DEATH OF SPIDERMAN? All I can say is if Superman, Batman, Captain America, Green Lantern, Spock, and Buffy can die (Buffy died TWICE by the way) than so can Spidey. Though rumor has it that it is the Ultimate Spidey’s demise that is in the offing. Stay tuned.

Superhero and comic related TV and film rocked again this year with Iron Man 2, Kick Ass and Jonah Hex on the big screen and Walking Dead (which has been picked up for a 13 episode season two in 2011), Smallville on TV. Not to mention Superman/Batman Apocalypse and Superman/Shazam on DVD! 2011 promises even more video goodness with Thor, Green Lantern and Captain America, Green Hornet and X-men: First Class all releasing in the months ahead! Personally I think the real plumb of 2011 COULD be the animated version of All Star Superman! The footage at NYCC looked GREAT. All Star Superman releases direct to video in February so watch for it!

The new MMORPG DC Universe Online is set to release in 2011 and the advance buzz is so positive that I may just have to subscribe myself!

2011 promises to be a banner year for comic fans, that’s for sure.

And now for some random thoughts:

For those of you who are DC and/or Marvel only readers only may I recommend giving Witchblade a try? I picked it up this year and was hooked from day one. In fact that entire universe is very interesting and there is a massive tie in among the major players called Artifacts happening right now. You won’t be disappointed!

Not that I am NOT a great fan of Jeanty’s art on Buffy Season Eight but let’s try drawing some actual FACES in more than half the panels! Having said that I am absolutely looking forward to the finale of “season eight” and the new “season NINE” books. You DID know Angel is leaving IDW for Dark Horse didn’t you?

I see where Batman is now “incorporated”. Can the public buy stock? Voting or non voting shares?

I have come to the conclusion that being a Green Lantern has to be the best superhero gig. Not only do these space cops have great powers, they have their own CLUB of other Green Lanterns! Plus I hear they get free donuts in five different space sectors.

How many titles does Wolverine appear in these days? The poor guy doesn’t have enough time to go to the bathroom!

You really CAN’T screw up more than Matt Murdock did in 2010 can you?

If you are interested in “fast” girls, you may want to check out Velocity! Tell ‘em Mitch sent you!
When in the name of Odin will I be able to pick up my Superman vs. Muhammad Ali Statue!!! …the word is SOON!

I never knew that Jim Kirk’s dad was the God Of Thunder. Cool.

Finally thanks to all the great people at CBJ, the creators of the comics that give me so much joy and to you, my fellow hobbyists for giving me people to share it with. Have a flagon of mead and a heaping bowl of GagH on me.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a pleasant Ragnarok to you all. I’ll see you all on the other side of New Years!

That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

2010-12-20T09:28:00.001-08:00

WHAT UP WORLD!
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and those of you who made it down to the store for the three year anniversary had a good time. I know I did. I would like to thank all the creators for coming down and chilling with all of us and having a blast.
This week in comics was nuts, so many good comics to talk about I don't know where to start...

John Byrne's Next Men #1 (31)

Back in 1992, John Byrne "finished" his creator owned book Next Men but never actually finished it. This week he jumps back into the series and does an awesome job of recapping the story and continuing it. A quick recap of what the "Next Men" saw in their VR stations brings new readers up to speed as far as what's happened in the series up until this point and then BAM! you're right back into the thick of it, hungry for the next issue. I'm a huge John Byrne fan and I'm so happy to see him finally back on this book, let alone any book for that matter. I highly recommend this to anyone. If you've never read the series, you should pick up the beautiful hardcovers IDW put out. They're gigantic oversized "coffee table books" as Byrne quoted on his website.

5 out of 5!!

BLACK PANTHER THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR #513

In the wake of Shadowland and Doomwar both Matt Murdock and T'Challa are broken men without a cause who both need a chance at redemption. Matt ask T'Challa to watch over Hell's Kitchen while he heads off on his own quest. He accepts and has Foggy Nelson get him a fake name and identification. Now without any money or powers, T'Challa runs a restaurant in the heart of Hell's Kitchen to get an idea of the people he's protecting.
At the same time, with Shadowland and The Hand defeated there's a fight for control of Hell's Kitchen amongst criminals. Introducing, Vlad The Impaler, a Romanian gangster who was an unwilling participant in the Romanian super soldier program. He hid his powers from the government and now has the ability to charge up and item with kinetic energy..Gambit anyone?
Needless to say, he's now headhunting this new vigilante that's prowling Hell's Kitchen.
I'm glad to see The Black Panther as the new guardian of Hell's Kitchen considering the fact that he and Matt now share the same stories of being on top of everything just to watch it crumble in their faces due to poor decision making. It's nice to see someone link these two characters because I wasn't too happy with the end of either story arc and for them now to both be on a journey at redeeming themselves is just smart writing. I think everyone should check this book out because it's the beginning to a great new story and a new life for both of these characters.

5 out of 5

MASSIVE AWESOME #2

I reviewed issue one when it came out and I honestly didn't care for it. I thought Stephen Lindsay could have done a better job as far as a first issue was concerned BUT now that I've had the chance to read issue two, I officially get to eat my words. Issue two was super funny, over the top and just plain funny. Bacon and Pickle head to Ireland to find out who sent the killer robots after them last issue to find out that Bacon's former buddy, Shamus El Ganador, the worlds smartest, and most dangerous Scottish Luchador. After a quick and funny battle, Bacon comes to find out that Dr. Sexysauce is the one who's really after him.
I love these characters now. Pickle's ridiculous rambles and "conversations" with Bacon are just so silly that you can't help but laugh out loud and ask for me.
I gladly eat my words and can't wait for the next installment of this buddy-action comedy.

5 out of 5!

FUBAR!!

I reviewed this book a couple of months back but after this weekend I can't help myself but tell you about it again. 16 stories all based around World War 2 with a zombie twist. This book is nothing short of awesome. Between the artwork and the masterful storytelling, you need this book on your shelf. Jeff McComsey and company really turned this out like no other. Independently created and produced, it's already sold out at Diamond of the distributor level. I highly suggest you get a copy as soon as possible. I have a feeling this book is going to be going for some serious bucks in the near future.
Jeff McComsey, Stephen Lindsay, Steve Becker and Dominic Vivona were here at the store this past Friday doing a signing and hanging out for the 3 year anniversary and let me tell you it was probably one of my favorite signings. They not only brought their A-game as far as doing sketches but they also brought the FUBAR TENT! chock full of pins and Zombie Target Posters.
These dudes, love comics and hanging out. If you ever get the chance to catch them at a store signing or a convention, do yourself a favor and go check them out. Seriously cool guys and a ton of fun to just hang out and b.s with.
head over to their site and pick up some stuff and drop them a line!

http://www.zombiefubar.wordpress.com/

5 out of 5!!

A Christmas Gallery

2010-12-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

This week's gallery is not from my collection,,,though I wish it WAS!

Just some nice Christmas themed scans for you to enjoy!

Don't forget that you can get YOUR comic image posted by sending it to sholmes202@gmail.com (that's me!)

Enjoy!

That's 30!

Mitch

ICONS ALL!!

2010-12-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Superhero comics Comic Books in the form that we recognize them are now some 72 years old if we make the 1938 debut of Action #1 as the jumping off point. In all that time and with all of the thousands of characters that have graced their pages, comics have produces exactly FIVE truly iconic characters. And only ONE character created in the last 50 years could be called iconic.

They are:

Superman

Batman

Wonder Woman

Captain America

And of course….

Spider-Man

Five in all those years. No more than that. I know that I a lot of you are already saying…What about Wolverine? Green Lantern? The Flash?

Nope…nope and NOPE.

Being popular, perhaps from time to time even more popular than the core five does not make them iconic.

Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali were both GREAT heavyweight champions and wildly popular, but only one is iconic (with all due respect and affection to Smokin’ Joe).

So what DOES make a character iconic?

First – The IMAGE of that character must be instantly recognizable to people who have never read a single comic book or seen a super-hero TV show. In other words the image (such as Superman’s shield) must be a part of the cultural vernacular. An example of this is the expression “Beam me up Scotty”. People who have never seen a single episode of Star Trek use this phrase all the time. It is part of the vernacular.

Second- In the case of a comic book superhero, the origin must be simple and essentially unchanging. Despite all the flourishes Spidey was bitten by a radioactive spider, cap was a 4F who took a super soldier serum, Wonder Woman was a gift from the Greek Gods to the Amazons etc. And like the IMAGE, the ORIGIN must be well known even among people who never read comics or see the shows.

Third – An Iconic character must be timeless. By that I mean that these characters must have the ability to be FRESH to a new generation of readers. Superman was originally a crusader against social injustice. During and after WWII he was reinvented as a figure of American dominance on the world stage. In the 60’s he became a symbol of the optimism of “New Frontier” and so on.

Which leads us to …

Fourth – Longevity. In order to be iconic, a character has to have been around long enough to cross several generations. In the case of a comic book superhero I would say that 40-50 years is necessary for this to be the case.

Given this definition of “Iconic” we see that only five characters fit the criteria.

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and Spider-Man (No bloody A, B, C OR D!)

Of course that is just one man’s opinion. Who would YOU say should be added to the list? Should any of the above be demoted?

That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

2010-12-07T08:51:00.001-08:00

WHAT UP WORLD!!

Wow, what can I say, The Walking Dead huh..does anyone else who reads the comic feel completely cheated and really wish that the show stayed a lot closer to the comic instead of going off into la-la land?? Yeah, me too. I'm a huge fan of the book, to the point that I have a Walking Dead tat on my right hand, that's devotion. I had really high hopes for this show as well as serious concerns that the show wasn't going to live up to the name, not just the comic and it's history. After watching every episode every Sunday night faithfully, I sat down and re-watched the entire series from start to finish with the hopes that being such a huge fan and with the mind frame that it only shares the name of my favorite comic, that I might actually enjoy it as a zombie series and be able to look past the changes and new scenarios that were created for the series... Wrong!
I'm sorry but even as a television series, the show lacks that punch that the book delivers. The lack of fear of the unknown as well as the drama of surviving in a world without hope instead of constant action and reaction sequences makes the show lose all it's luster. I can sit here and bash the show for hours, I'm not going to impose my slighted view of the series on you. If you enjoyed it good for you, if not, then let's hope and pray that next season sticks closer to the book or gets a better writing staff, since they were all fired before this season ended.

Now with that said, I'd like to move on to reviewing some comics.

Generation Hope #1&2

I had really high hopes for this new X-series since the build up to it has been nothing short of awesome. Hope has grown not only in age but as a character, from a scared little girl lost in time to a serious soldier with a mission. The lead in issues of Uncanny X-Men were great, almost very similar to the same build up to one of my favorite books of the 90's; Generation X.
Now comes the series itself and I'm sad to say that I'm really not digging it. The team is out and about collecting the "Five Lights", five new mutants that need Hope to help them get that last push toward unlocking their latent mutant abilities. Thus far Hope has helped four out of the five and now the team is on their way to Tokyo to gather up the last mutant who has already hit mutant puberty. The big shock is this character is pretty much AKIRA!
I was caught off guard at first and I didn't know what to make of it but then with the second issue, I really came to the conclusion that I really am not digging this series so far and I think that Kieron Gillen must have recently read or watched AKIRA and thought "gee that would be a great mutant for my new book.."
The past two issues have been dealing with this one mutant, his destructive nature and his twisted insight into his artwork. At this point, I'm hoping that they either figure out that this kid isn't meant to become a member of the team and they stop him or help him get his "Akira powers" under control and move on, there is so much potential for this cast that sitting still, so to speak, for two issues instead of jumping in and grabbing a new member of the team or not, like the others, just seems silly and wasting time. I'm not looking for instant gratification, but I am looking for a quick progression into the team dynamic and moving along into what these teens mean to the mutant species as a whole and what their sudden arrival really means.
Overall thus far, I'm disappointed with this series and I hope with issue three, Kieron Gillen picks up the ball and runs for the goal. The characters are great and the possible scenario's are there, now it's just a matter of making it happen.

2 out of 5

I'm curious to know what you think of my reviews and rants..hit me up and let me know what you're thoughts on the books I talk about are.. hit me up or come catch me at the store hanging out sucking down coffee.
GoreJones@gmail.com

Weekly Collection Gallery! YOU can show off your stuff!!!

2010-12-05T11:28:00.001-08:00

Face front ya Gold Brickin' Yahoos!

I thought I'd start something new here on the goold old Comicbook Jones Site. Each and every week I'm going to post five scans from my colelction just because I like to show off!

But! Here is where YOU come in! If you send me scans of YOUR favorite books I will bump my scans and show yours instead! Here are the rules:

1) Send your scans to sholmes202@gmail.com
2) They can be back issues or new comics. ANYTHING that you want to show off from YOUR collection!
3) If you give me your name or user ID I will include it with your scan!

It should be lots of fun.

THIS Week - Some scans from my Golden Age Archie collection with covers by the great Bob Montana!

Now get in there and SCAN you (aforementioned Gold Brickin' Yahoos!!!)

That's 30!

Mitch

December Events & Other News!

2010-12-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND!

Folks, this is the big one! Our anniversary celebration is the biggest event we have at the store every year and it's being extended to two full days! Come join us at the store for two full days of celebration of all things comics. We'll be having a ton of different creators at the store and they'll be accompanied by a 25% off everything sale. It all goes down on Friday, December 17th and Saturday, December 18th. After all the good stuff during store hours we'll be having a huge party starting at 9pm featuring food, drinks and some live music so make sure you come by and stick around. This event is for you, a celebration of all things comic related and a special thank you for your years of support, so come by and make it memorable with us.

TRON LEGACY TAILGATE PARTY

It's that time once again for one of our famous Tailgate Parties. They aren't held in the back of a car or truck in the freezing cold but rather in the warm cozy confines of your favorite comic shop. This time we'll be celebrating the midnight release of Tron Legacy and it's extra special because it's kicking off our Three Year Anniversary Weekend! Here's the deal: pick up your ticket for the midnight showing of Tron Legacy for Thursday, December 16th and then come down to the store starting at 9pm for some snacks, booze and our special sale where everything in the store is between 15% - 70% off. Yes, everything. See you there!

ALL FIRST ISSUES AND FIRST VOLUMES ARE NOW 20% OFF PERMANENTLY!

We are very pleased and excited to announce that from now on every first issue of any series (that is, every #1) will now be 20% off every day of the week! In addition to this, every Volume 1 of a paperback of hardcover will also be 20% off! Pretty great, ain't it? Use this new found opportunity to try something new.

HOLIDAY WRAPPING AND GIFT BAGS

This holiday season we will try and make your holiday shopping a little easier by offering in house gift wrapping for only $2 per item (or deeper discounts depending on the amount of items wrapped).

Also, if you have a big list of stuff that you need to get that we carry just drop the list off at the store (or e-mail it to us) and let us gather it all for you. We'll put it all together for you, wrap it if you want us to and give you a healthy discount depending on the amount of items on your list. If you're interested just come by the store, give us a call or shoot us an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com and we'll be happy to get it all ready for you.

Huh?

2010-11-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

This question still comes up all the time, even among seasoned collectors of vintage back issues:
What is this comic “worth”?

Since even the aforementioned seasoned “pro” collectors struggle with this one I thought it might be a good idea to chew on this one for a few lines.

So… FACE FRONT YA GOLD BRICKIN’ YAHOOS!

I love saying that! When I was a kid in school and the teacher asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” my response was always “A Gold Brickin’ Yahoo M’am!” I am happy to report that I have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams and am in fact THE Gold Brickin’ Yahoo of all time. But I digress….now what was I talking about?

The Tick still being cancelled?...no

(and may I add a hearty GRRRRRRR! Over THAT!)

Caprica being cancelled?...no

(Cylons have come a LONG way baby!)

Jessica Alba…well no…but now that I think of it!

(You can NEVER go wrong posting a photo of Jessica I say!)

Oh yes! The value of vintage back issues!
Recently I saw the following online offers for various books :
1) Action #252 CGC Signature series 3.5 – asking $25,000
2) PEP comics #76 CGC 9.2 – asking $1700
3) Fantastic Four #1 – RAW unslabbed VG/F – Asking $5500
4) Superman #53 – RAW unslabbed VG- - Asking $450

These books all have some things in common.

1) They ALL originally sold for a DIME.
2) They are all relatively rare in high grades.
3) They are all 50 years old or more.
4) They are all being offered up by people who sell vintage back issues for a living.

Also, with the exception of Superman #53, they all have asking prices OVER the current Overstreet value in grade.

So what are the books worth?

The simple answer is…A DIME or less given the deterioration of each book.

Of course the answer is never that simple. In fact it is downright complicated. It keeps sellers and collectors up nights trying to figure it out.

Bear in mind the difference between YOUR value and MARKET value. The first being what YOU will be willing to pay for a book and the latter, the “going rate” in the market place for the same book.

First, despite what you read anywhere else, a CGC or third party graded book has NO MORE INTRINSIC VALUE THAN A RAW UNSLABBED book. Socko, Tiger, or even myself can give you a grade that is every bit as valid as any you will get from a third party grader. So why do “slabbed” books command a premium?

Well, in fact, they don’t always. It is only for the very rare book OR books graded 9.8 or better that you see a real separation in value. What you DO get from a third party grader is a standard that is becoming more accepted in the marketplace where amateurs sell their raw books online with inaccurate grades. The “slab” lets a buyer know that he is essentially getting what he pays for. If you do consider buying a slabbed book take that premium into account. Are you willing to pay extra for the service/ Do you trust the seller of the “raw” book to grade accurately, and in the case of modern age books does “slabbing” actually over price the books. (I give that last one a resounding YES!)

Second. A collectible is ultimately only worth what YOU think it is worth to YOU. Sometimes I pay over guide and sometimes under guide depending on what I think the book is worth.
Why not just stick with “the guide”? Because MY (or YOUR) judgment on that value is the ONLY ONE THAT COUNTS! We have to live with the purchase and only we can judge how much that book means in our personal collection.

The key sticking point with three of the books I use for examples is the fact that they ARE selling over guide . This means that should you decide to resell those particular books down the line you risk taking a loss. On the Superman #53 there is a good chance that you could resell at a profit. Of course there is always the chance that the books priced over guide could increase in demand over time. BUT none of that matters if you have no intention of reselling your books.
See what I mean here? It is all a very personal judgment call. When I over pay on a book it is always because I have no intention of reselling down the line. I don’t speculate on comic books. Speculators are better off with gold. 99% of all Comics are far too volatile to count on as long term investments. Sure , books like FF#1, Superman #1, Batman #1 and Action #1 are nice steady performers. They increase at a steady rate and almost never decrease in market value. But for the most part comics are poor investments if you are looking to send the kid to college.

I hope that clears things up for you…as for ME I am even more confused than I was at the beginning of this rant!

Have a great Thanksgiving!
That’s 30!

Mitch

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

2010-11-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

WHAT UP WORLD!!

Oh man, so much stuff going on and happening in the world of comics, its a great time to be a fan. First and foremost, I hope everyone has been keeping up with Disney XD's new series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. It's an awesome adaption/retelling of The Avengers and their adventures. Being a huge Avengers fan, I'm like a kid in a candy store every Wednesday night @ 8:30. In my honest opinion this show is really giving Justice League Unlimited a real run for the money. The animation and voice actors are amazing and the storyline thus far is fantastic. The mix of new and old is just right. Any fan, new or old will love this show and if you don't come talk to me and I'll set you straight.

Another new series courtesy of AMC is none other than Robert Kirkman's ongoing zombie drama THE WALKING DEAD. This show is amazing. Another series that I'm a die hard fan of, that i was worried wasn't going to live up to the comic, completely surpasses all expectations. Just about everything about the show is outstanding. The actors are spot on as well as the zombies and gore. It's not a direct adaptation of the comic, which is expected considering that for a television series they need to broaden the story and make it more accessible to a bigger audience. The added characters and conflicts thus far do nothing but add a whole new level to an already awesome story. Sunday nights were boring since TRUE BLOOD wrapped for the season but now THE WALKING DEAD fills the void and then some. The thing I like most about this show is the amount of conversation it's sparked amongst long time fans and newcomers. People are curious if what happened on last night's episode was in the book and if so did they change it. That's what really makes good television in my mind, the fact that people who normally may have nothing in common can come together and share something that neither one thought the other would like.

Now, with that said, I've got some comic books I'd like to talk about..so here we go.. I've got something to say!!

OSBORN #1 (OF 5)

Since the end of SIEGE, Norman Osborn has been under lock and key at the maximum security prison, The Raft. Norman has been bidding his time as the authorities decide what exactly to do with him. The country as well as his fellow prisoners are split down the middle. Half siding with Norman, stating that what he did and what he was doing was the right thing and that he's a real American hero as the other half think he's a raving madman who talked his way into a position of power and deserves to rot in a jail cell for the rest of his days. While this is going on, his "believers" in prison have begun an almost cult like gang and made Norman their messiah, sporting Green Goblin tattoos.
Norah Winters, the journalist from Front Line who broke the story of Norman Osborn not being "cured" and still being a raving madman in a place of power (back in the "American Son" story arc in ASM) is tasked with doing a follow up story. She's very torn about writing about Norman Osborn in general because the last time she barely escaped being killed while investigating the original story.
The Senate subcommittee of human rights and law meet and their topic of discussion is the one and only Norman Osborn. The committee talk about what exactly they plan on doing with Osborn because he still hasn't been charged with anything officially because his military status and the status of H.A.M.M.E.R still haven't been decided. If Norman is held any longer he can petition for Habbeas Corpus and actually get set free on a technicality. While all this is going on, Norman sets a plan of his own into motion and gets himself transferred to a secret prison that is currently holding four individuals whom the military have no idea what to do with and they all have something to do with The Spider.
I've been waiting for this series since it was announced. I couldn't wait to see what exactly was going to happen with Norman since his capture and incarceration. I really hope this mini-series sheds some light on what exactly Norman's being doing with his time in prison, a more in depth look into this new "Goblin Cult" and it's members and just who the hell these four new characters are and what they have to do with Norman Osborn.

5 out of 5!!

SPIDER-GIRL #1

Spinning out of the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man story arc "The Grim Hunt", comes this new series staring Anya Corazon formerly known as Arana, now known as Spider-Girl. After the events of "The Grim Hunt" story arc, Anya, now wears Julia Carpenter's old Spider-Woman costume, She's been de-powered since her spider amulet was destroyed but being trained by some of the greatest heroes in the world helps make up for it. Anya and her father move into a new apartment. He has stuff to do over at City College and just so Anya's not alone in the new apartment by herself, he made plans for her..a night out with Sue Storm. The two girls walk around and talk about how The Fantastic Four know her father and just talk about nothing special, when there's a big emergency and Sue gets called into action. Anya doesn't just go home and watch her new friend battle whatever on t.v., she puts on her costume and goes into action. She eventually makes her way to City College where her father is supposed to be but she isn't sure because he isn't answering her text messages. She arrives on the scene and finds her father amidst the rubble of the library. Just as she's about to get him out of there, there's a problem..a big red problem. The Red Hulk battling The Fantastic Four.
I was really looking forward to this book because after re-reading Amazing Fantasy volume two and Arana:Heart of the spider, I really think they've grown Anya into a really great character. She's the female equivalent of Peter Parker. I can't help but be a sucker for a pretty girl and teenage super-hero drama. This series has a lot of potential and considering that Anya doesn't have powers anymore, I'm curious to see her attempt to go toe to toe with any sort of Super-Villains without the help of any other heroes like in the now canceled "Young Allies". Spider-Girl has so many possibilities and a real deal twitter account, so who knows what's going to happen.

4 out of 5!

Batman: The Return
&

Batman Incorporated #1

I've kept my mouth shut as far as this whole Bruce Wayne returning goes but now that he's back, I finally have all my thoughts on the topic and I can really say what's on my mind. This whole SCAM was B******T! Grant Morrison killed off Bruce Wayne to have him come back and "out himself" not as Batman but as Batman's sugar daddy??!!! Why?! Does he want someone to crash Wayne Manor and kill him and Alfred? To top it off not only does he do that but he also creates "Batman Incorporated", a new form of fighting crime globally. Isn't that what the Justice League is? Isn't that what Checkmate is?? I mean come on, Bruce is going to travel the world now and seek out potential candidates to become Batmen in different countries? I find this idea just silly and recycled! Morrison is taking the idea of The League of Batmen and expanding it globally when in fact their are already Dynamic Duo's in different countries fighting the good fight. It's bad enough Bruce said he was funding Batman but now he's going to walk into another country and out himself to someone he doesn't even know and include them into the family. I really don't like this idea at all and I think that it's a turn for the worse as far as Batman and company are concerned. I'm a huge Batman fan and I've been reading it ever since I was a kid. I've been humble with my words when people ask me what I thought about what was going on in the book but now that everything's come to a head and it's all out in the open, I really don't like it and I wish there was some reset button to push so that Bruce Wayne could either stay dead or just go back to being the brooding, miserable super-hero we've all loved.
I love the idea of Dick and Damien being Batman and Robin. The two work so well with one another. Dick has been trained his whole life to fill the shoes of Batman, whether he likes it or not and Damien is a mirror reflection of Dick with the roles reversed. Bruce's death just set this into motion sooner than expected. Bruce being back and also running around as Batman is almost silly. What are they going to do have a "Brave And The Bold Team-up" featuring Batman and Batman?? In my opinion, Bruce should have come back and acted more like Steve Rogers, give up the mantle to Dick and act more like the General rather than be the leader and one of the grunts. I almost wish Bruce had kept the "Outsider" costume and identity and just left Batman alone. What's next "The Batmen Army"? Batman controlled police states? I mean really, what's to say one of these candidates that Bruce chooses as a member of Batman Inc turns into another Jason Todd and uses all of Bruce's tech and knowledge to become a bigger and badder villain than say The Joker. I, as a fan understand the progression of a story and it's characters. Batman is one of the big Three in the DCU and the need for change in the twenty-first century is crucial to expand the ever growing reader populace but to do something so drastic and over the top, there is no coming back after what's been done. Jean Paul Valley isn't going to give Bruce back the mantle of Batman and go away, Bruce isn't going to traverse time and basically write his home lineage again. What's done is done and that's it.
Again, I really don't like what Grant Morrison has done but I, like so many other people out there who I'm sure share the same feelings, just have to sit back and continue reading and hope for the best.
In all honesty, I would recommend you check out these books and everything else involved in this "Batman Inc" era and make a valid decision on it for yourself.

3 out of 5.

BLACK FRIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA SALE!

2010-11-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

BLACK FRIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA SALE!

We will be open bright and early at 7am so make sure you get down here as soon as you can! There will be savings throughout the entire day but the earlier the better. To curb the flow of people we will be giving tickets at the door with the percentage of whatever time it is. Here's the breakdown:

7am - 9am = 40% off everything in the store
9am - 11am = 30% off everything in the store
11am - 12pm = 25% off everything in the store
12pm - 9pm = 20% off everything in the store

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and we'll see you nice and early!

BLACK FRIDAY EDH MAGIC TOURNAMENT

On Black Friday we'll also be running a special rare EDH Magic Tournament. EDH stands for Elder Dragon Highlander and is a rare tournament with rules and synopsis that can be found here. It'll start at 4:00pm on Black Friday, November 26th with an entrance fee of $5. The prize structure will be the same as normal except Waffle is also going to be giving out rares from his own collection. Old ones. It will be one-on-one style with a starting life of 40. Because of this different and rarely played format new players can jump in without a problem.

The Greatest of ALL Time!

2010-11-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Greatest of ALL Time meets …The Greatest of All Time!
That really is the only way you could bill Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali when it was published in a treasury sized edition in 1978! Of COURSE it had to be in that oversized format because no NORMAL comic could hope to contain Ali, Superman AND the art of Neal Adams!!!
And now, for the very first time this great graphic novel has been reprinted in both the oversized and standard format. Trust me. This is one you MUST have.

Neal Adams, in the introduction of the new edition says, with some humility, that Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali may be the best graphic novel ever done.

I say he is being modest. There is no “may” about it. What’s that? How could something as silly as a boxer against Superman be better than Watchman? How could it be greater than Dark Knight Returns?!...How can it be more amazing than Howard the Duck???!!!

Well with all due respect to Howard, The Comedian and the slightly psychotic Batman just the ART depicting Ali would make this book hard to beat. Neal Adams is simply, like Ali and Superman, The GREATEST (comic artist) of ALL time! He and Dennis O’Neil (who had the original story idea and was Adam’s partner on the iconic Green Lantern/Green Arrow books) captured the essential Ali, a man who is in every sense of the word a hero. They teamed him up with the greatest fictional hero of all time, Superman and together they overcame not only the villain of the piece, but their own limitations and weaknesses.

Below is the official plotline:

Rat'Lar, the maniacal leader of a species of aliens called the Scrubb, demands that Earth's greatest champion fight the greatest fighter of their world. If Earth refuses, the Scrubb and their huge armada of spaceships will destroy it. Superman and Muhammad Ali each come forward to volunteer. However, Ali argues that Superman is not really of Earth, and has an unfair advantage in his many superpowers. In typical Ali-style verbiage, he puts himself forward as the obvious choice.
Intrigued, Rat'Lar decides that Superman and Ali should fight one another to see who really is Earth's champion. To make the fight fair, he decrees that the match should take place on his home planet, Bodace, which is orbited by a red sun (which temporarily robs Superman of his powers). The winner would simply be the best boxer. To make the most of the battle, the match will be broadcast on intergalactic television to thousands of other worlds (with Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen acting as broadcaster). The two would-be champions decide that Ali will train Superman in the finer points of boxing. They journey to Superman's Fortress of Solitude to have his powers temporarily deactivated.
When the real match begins, it soon becomes apparent that in battling with more or less equal strength, Ali is the superior fighter. Superman takes a serious beating, but somehow refuses to drop; he stays on his feet all through the beating. Finally, Ali stops the fight, urging the referee to call for a technical knockout. Superman then falls face-first on the canvas, making the knockout more than technical.
Thus Ali is set to face the Scrubb's champion, the behemoth Hun'Ya. The alien leader then asks Ali to predict at what round the fight will end. After some chiding, Ali predicts that he’ll knock the alien out in the eighth round. Once the match begins, however, Ali quickly starts to suffer from fighting the super-powered Hun'Ya.
Meanwhile, Superman's great recuperative powers have enabled him to make a speedy recovery. Disguising himself as Ali cornerman Bundini Brown, he steals into the Scrubb command ship and sabotages their space armada. In his brave showdown with the armada, however, Superman is again badly hurt, and is left drifting in space.
Miraculously, Ali gets a second wind. In the predicted eighth round, he not only knocks the alien champion out, but out of the ring as well. Yet after witnessing Superman's decimation of his invading forces, the Scrubb leader cries foul and decides to invade the now helpless Earth anyway. Just as Rat'Lar is about to give the go-ahead to his backup forces, his own champion Hun'Ya becomes enraged at Rat'Lar's dishonorable tactics and deposes him. There will be no invasion. Earth is saved.
Superman is rescued and once again revived. Hun-ya, the new Scrubb leader, makes peace with Ali, Superman, and all of Earth. The very end of the book shows Ali and Superman in a private moment. Ali reveals that he discovered Superman's secret identity as Clark Kent, but implicitly vows to keep it secret. The book ends with the two champions embracing and Ali proclaiming, "Superman, WE are the greatest!"

Great space opera but also a story about how true champions go the distance.
Add to that the fact that in 1978 Ali was still a very controversial figure both as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War and for his conversion to the Nation Of Islam. And though it seems silly from the viewpoint of 2010 but back then a black protagonist in comic books was rare if not unheard of.

This was a book about inclusion. This was a book about heroes, real and fictional.
And you cannot overstate enough the inclusion of the one and only Muhammad Ali.
Ali was and is a very personal hero of mine. Superman was and is a very personal hero of mine. I learned a lot about personal courage from watching Ali in and out of the ring. This was a man who jeopardized his career and millions of dollars for his personal and religious belief that Vietnam was an unjust conflict. Whether one agrees with that or not (and many at the time din NOT) there is NOTHING more American than standing up for what you believe regardless of the consequences. Remember, from Ali’s point of view at the time he was facing jail and financial ruin. He could not foresee the day when he would not only be vindicated but beloved by people all over the world.

Of course he had to get his title back in the ring. Which he did just a year before this book was created when he defeated the “unbeatable” George Foreman in “The Rumble In The Jungle”. In fact I met Big George some years later and HE said that not only was Ali the greatest heavyweight of all time but that he was a true hero for standing up the way he did when everyone else said he was wrong. How’s THAT for an endorsement?!

As for Superman. Well the world would certainly be a poorer place without him. He may not be as “cool” as Batman or as “edgy” as Wolverine. He has more in common with Captain America than with Green Arrow. But he is a hero for one reason. It’s the right thing to do. Alex Ross captured the essential Superman in Kingdom Come when the Man of Steel observes “there is a right and a wrong and it’s not hard to tell the difference”. For the rest of us right and wrong can get confusing but not for Superman. I find that very comforting even after nearly 50 years of reading his adventures.

Ah! You say to yourselves. “He’s just “Geek The First Generation” and sentimental over a washed up superhero and some old boxer.”

Maybe.

But buy a copy of the reprint and then tell me you don’t smile at the end…or even get just a bit misty.

I am thrilled that this book is getting it’s long overdue attention. It is a landmark. It is great fun. And Neal, it IS the greatest graphic novel of all time.

That’s 30!

Mitch

The Blob is Coming!...or maybe it's just your comics!

2010-11-02T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hi fellow collectors of all things pop! I have been on a hiatus for the past few weeks fueled largely by work, the Yankee collapse and the flu. But (perhaps to your horror) I’m BACK now! So let’s talk living space, or lack thereof.

If you collect comics long enough, you WILL reach critical mass in terms of storage. There is no getting around this simple fact. At some point your collection will threaten to dispossess you, your wife and children…and the dog. It is not unlike the 1950’s horror movie, The Blob, in which a growing bowl of cherry Jello tries to eat an entire town. Even Steve McQueen was hard pressed to stop the jiggling dessert from gulping down the whole municipality…and he is not available to save you from your comic collection!

Rest assured, left unchecked, your entire living space could fall victim to the next Marvel or DC 17,000 issue cross over event!

So what to do about the creeping comics of death? Is this a hopeless cause? A Kobayashi Maru scenario??? ( I had to get a Trek reference in here somewhere!)

No…or even HELL no! There are steps you can take to control your ever growing collection of multi color goodness.

First, maximize your storage space and efficiency. If you don’t already have your comics stored (bagged and boarded) in acid free comic boxes, do it NOW. Not only are these boxes designed to hold 250+ bagged and boarded comics, they also help protect them from the ravages of time and silverfish as well. These boxes are stackable to four high before they begin to buckle (so don’t go higher than that). IF you need to go UP though, there are comic box filing towers that can be purchased (though they cost more) for this purpose. I even know some collectors who have constructed wooden cabinets deep enough to hold comic boxes on sliding shelves.

In short…BOX your books!

However, no matter how efficient you are eventually you WILL run out of room. At some point you ARE going to have to bite the bullet and part with some of your books. This is not as bad as it sounds when you realize that when you pass, say the 10,000 book mark, it is highly unlikely that you will ever actually READ those books again. And when you can actually find a place to SIT again, you will be glad you made the hard choice.

How to liquidate? There are many ways to ship your excess books but first you need to take stock. Split out your truly valuable books, your cheap “can’t sell for a penny” books , and your sentimental “I am going to be buried with these books”… books.

Before you do ANYTHING else, find a good place for your sentimental favorites. Even if they are of low value you would regret parting with them, so KEEP ‘em!

Sell your more valuable books online or to a comic shop for cash or store credit (for MORE books! It NEVER ends!).

For your low value books (see ROM/Transformers etc) consider donating them to a non profit organization and taking a tax write off that you can use for…more BOOKS !
Trust me, when you see the smiling faces of your family, lost for years among your Howard The Duck collection, you will know it’s all been worth it!

That’s 30!

Mitch

Halloween Party on Sunday!

2010-10-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

This will quite possibly be one of the most ridiculous events we've ever held. Right off the heels of our Walking Dead Party we'll be showcasing the baddest cover band around playing Spinal Tap songs. Yes, Spinal Tap. We can't wait! The Spinal Tap cover band will be joined by Morning Starlett. The festivities kick off on Halloween, Sunday, October 31st at 9pm. There will be food, drinks, a special sale and a costume contest so come in your best costume! As a quick note, if you've never seen Spinal Tap you really have no excuse at this point - watch the movie before you come.