NEWS THIS WEEK - JANUARY 19TH

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!

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!

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!

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!!

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!

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

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