BLACK FRIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA SALE!

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!

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!

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!

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.

NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 10/27/10

Insane week at the store! Tons of new stuff and two incredible events!

Oh man, we are incredibly excited about the week to come. If you haven't noticed there are tons of new books coming out this week. Plenty of fan favorite titles including Avengers, Fantastic Four, Action Comics, Green Arrow, and many, many more will all be released this coming Wednesday. If that wasn't enough we are having our Zombie Prom / Walking Dead Party on Friday, October 29th and our Halloween Party featuring Spinal Tap on Sunday, October 31st. Both events will feature some food and drinks (feel free to bring some extra if you like!), special sales and other surprises so make sure you stop by. For more information on each event look no further, just keep reading!

There's still time to get involved in Picture Books Anonymous if you're still interested. Our first book is 100% by Paul Pope, we have some copies available and book club members will receive 25% off. Let us know if you're interested and for more information keep reading.

As always if you have any questions or comments on anything at all shoot us an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com or give us a call at the store - 718-448-1234. See you at the shop!

OUR TOP 5 PICKS FOR THIS WEEK:




PICTURE BOOKS ANONYMOUS
STARTING ON MONDAY!

It's finally arrived, come and join our new graphic novel club entitled Picture Books Anonymous! We'll be meeting once a month (one book per month) and our next meeting will be held on November 1st at 7:00pm. The first book is 100% by Paul Pope. Come down to see what the next book will be and join in on some great conversation. Any books that are chosen for that month will be discounted for book club attendees and we will also be offering a blanket special for book club members - buy any three trades, hardcovers and/or graphic novels and get the fourth one free. SO, with that said, if you are interested in being involved in the book club, send me an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com with your name and information.

ZOMBIE PROM NIGHT / WALKING DEAD
RELEASE PARTY



We are totally geared up and stoked for the premiere of Walking Dead on AMC this Halloween. The comic series is a store favorite (employees & customers alike) and we can't think of a comic that would make for better episodic television. If you haven't been reading it, then you've really been missing out! Anyway, in honor of the release and with Halloween right there alongside it we thought what better time then Friday, October 29th to throw the baddest Halloween Party around. Come down around 9pm for some extended hours eating and drinking, a special sale and a dance contest hosted by a certain DJ Socko Jones. Dress as a zombie, bring a date, bring a friend, bring whoever you like. We'll be having a contest for best looking zombie and all zombies will receive extra discounts on anything bought that night. DO NOT MISS THIS!

SPECIAL HALLOWEEN SHOW
FEATURING SPINAL TAP!



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.

CBJ SUNDAY SWAP MEET

Many of you always ask us if we buy old comics and as you probably already know, we don't. But, we decided that we would give you an opportunity to try and sell some of your stuff at the store in a once a month thing we are calling the CBJ Sunday Swap Meet. Ideally, we would like this to take place one Sunday a month. For those interested in selling there would be a $50 fee which gets you a table and some space to display all your stuff. Obviously we would promote the day and you are welcome to handle the rest in any way you see fit. This could be a great opportunity to unload some books you've been sitting on or if you're a buyer find some key back issues or other stuff at a friendly and familiar location! If you're interested in either buying or selling, send us an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com and sound off!

SHIPPING UPDATES

Avengers #7 - 11/17/10 (Old Date 11/10/10)
Avengers Prime #4 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)
Batman and Robin #17 - 11/24/10 (Old Date 11/17/10)
Batman Return Bruce Wayne #6 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 10/27/10)
Green Lantern #59 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)
Namor First Mutant #3 - 11/3/10 (Old Date 10/27/10)
Superior #2 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)
Uncanny X-Force #2 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)

NEWS & EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF 10/13/10

Insane week at the store! Tons of new stuff and two incredible events!

Oh man, we are incredibly excited about the week to come. If you haven't noticed there are tons of new books coming out this week. Plenty of fan favorite titles including Avengers, Fantastic Four, Action Comics, Green Arrow, and many, many more will all be released this coming Wednesday. If that wasn't enough we are having our Zombie Prom / Walking Dead Party on Friday, October 29th and our Halloween Party featuring Spinal Tap on Sunday, October 31st. Both events will feature some food and drinks (feel free to bring some extra if you like!), special sales and other surprises so make sure you stop by. For more information on each event look no further, just keep reading!

There's still time to get involved in Picture Books Anonymous if you're still interested. Our first book is 100% by Paul Pope, we have some copies available and book club members will receive 25% off. Let us know if you're interested and for more information keep reading.

As always if you have any questions or comments on anything at all shoot us an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com or give us a call at the store - 718-448-1234. See you at the shop!

OUR TOP 5 PICKS FOR THIS WEEK:




PICTURE BOOKS ANONYMOUS
STARTING ON MONDAY!

It's finally arrived, come and join our new graphic novel club entitled Picture Books Anonymous! We'll be meeting once a month (one book per month) and our next meeting will be held on November 1st at 7:00pm. The first book is 100% by Paul Pope. Come down to see what the next book will be and join in on some great conversation. Any books that are chosen for that month will be discounted for book club attendees and we will also be offering a blanket special for book club members - buy any three trades, hardcovers and/or graphic novels and get the fourth one free. SO, with that said, if you are interested in being involved in the book club, send me an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com with your name and information.

ZOMBIE PROM NIGHT / WALKING DEAD
RELEASE PARTY



We are totally geared up and stoked for the premiere of Walking Dead on AMC this Halloween. The comic series is a store favorite (employees & customers alike) and we can't think of a comic that would make for better episodic television. If you haven't been reading it, then you've really been missing out! Anyway, in honor of the release and with Halloween right there alongside it we thought what better time then Friday, October 29th to throw the baddest Halloween Party around. Come down around 9pm for some extended hours eating and drinking, a special sale and a dance contest hosted by a certain DJ Socko Jones. Dress as a zombie, bring a date, bring a friend, bring whoever you like. We'll be having a contest for best looking zombie and all zombies will receive extra discounts on anything bought that night. DO NOT MISS THIS!

SPECIAL HALLOWEEN SHOW
FEATURING SPINAL TAP!



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.

CBJ SUNDAY SWAP MEET

Many of you always ask us if we buy old comics and as you probably already know, we don't. But, we decided that we would give you an opportunity to try and sell some of your stuff at the store in a once a month thing we are calling the CBJ Sunday Swap Meet. Ideally, we would like this to take place one Sunday a month. For those interested in selling there would be a $50 fee which gets you a table and some space to display all your stuff. Obviously we would promote the day and you are welcome to handle the rest in any way you see fit. This could be a great opportunity to unload some books you've been sitting on or if you're a buyer find some key back issues or other stuff at a friendly and familiar location! If you're interested in either buying or selling, send us an e-mail at comicbookjones@gmail.com and sound off!

SHIPPING UPDATES

Avengers #7 - 11/17/10 (Old Date 11/10/10)
Avengers Prime #4 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)
Batman and Robin #17 - 11/24/10 (Old Date 11/17/10)
Batman Return Bruce Wayne #6 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 10/27/10)
Green Lantern #59 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)
Namor First Mutant #3 - 11/3/10 (Old Date 10/27/10)
Superior #2 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)
Uncanny X-Force #2 - 11/10/10 (Old Date 11/3/10)

OFF WITH THE TOP OF MY HEAD!!

WHAT UP WORLD!

Another week goes by and another GIANT stack of comics hits the shelves. A lot of really great stuff came out this week. I really have no complaints. There's so much to talk about in such a small space I really don't even know where to begin. I'll just take a stab at it and see how it goes...



SHADOWLAND #4 (OF 5)

With this mini series almost over and the fate of NYC and Daredevil coming to a climax, our favorite Man without fear is now completely consumed by the entity known as "The Beast". He's already called martial law on the streets with a curfew for the citizens of the city and has lifted his law of "no killing". Things are really out of control and with everything in dismay, now is the time for our heroes to make their move and see what the final outcome will be. The Punisher, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Master Izo, Shang-Chi and Elektra make a last ditch effort to either save Daredevil and defeat "The Beast" or to kill Daredevil and damn his soul. All while this is going on The Kingpin and Lady Bullseye are making moves of their own. Kingpin has diligently been waiting for everything to basically fall apart so that he can walk in a reclaim his place atop NYC.
The cover throws you off because you think that Bullseye is going to resurrected but Elektra and company thwart the ceremony and stop him from coming back..Thank God, I was excited to see Bullseye come back but with the amount of characters returning from the dead I'm glad he HASN'T come back YET.
This series has been nothing but stellar from start to near finish up until this point. My only gripe is that Marvel leaked that Daredevil is going to die and that The Black Panther is going to be taking over his book as the new "Man Without Fear". I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that but we'll see in due time.

5 out of 5


SUPERIOR #1

Simon Pooni was a normal kid until he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which is a very horrible and debilitating disease. He lives an average life and makes the best of his situation. His favorite superhero is Superior. One night Simon wakes up to find a strange monkey in his room who grants him one wish..his one wish is to be Superior.
Another Mark Millar masterpiece all set to be turned into a film just like the rest of his creator owned projects. This story is very simple and to the point, as a first issue it nailed everything on the head from the get go. There's nothing to complain about at all. The mystery of the monkey and his "one wish" powers is/was great. I can't wait to see what happens next and of course I strongly suggest that everyone goes out and cops a copy of this book now before it disappears and becomes worth some serious dough to get a hold of.
Leinil Yu's artwork is awesome as always. His tones and facial expression really make the book that much more interesting to read.
Overall I really have high hopes for these characters and this story.

5 out of 5


UNTOLD TALES OF BLACKEST NIGHT

I must say, when I first heard about this book I wasn't too impressed, I just kinda felt like DC was milking Blackest Night for one more story and it would have some outrageous secret to Brightest Day. WRONG! This comic was Awesome! It gives the background stories behind what happened to Ragman during Blackest Night, it tells us what really went on after Donna Troy was bitten by her "zombie" son, it tells us how Scarecrow got his yellow ring and last but certainly not least, it tells us what went on with Animal Man during the whole event.
Every story was really fun and enlightening. It picked up at a point where we the reader had no knowledge as to what was going on in the these particular characters lives during Blackest Night and just filled in the blanks up until they showed up in the Blackest Night series itself.
I personally loves the Scarecrows story not only because the story itself was beefy and really gave you a sense of just how much he longs to be afraid and that in his twisted mind, he's not really doing what he does to scare or kill people but to really put fear back into himself. The best thing about this story though was Brett Booth's amazing artwork. I've been a fan of his for years and seeing him rock the crap out of The Scarecrow was really a treat and thrill. I hope he gets more work for one of the big two and gets put on a monthly already.

5 out of 5


Edge Of Doom #1

This issue reminded me of the movie "The Pit". It's a story about a man who gets attacked by little demons who creep up out a whole in his yard. The story is simple and to the point yet enjoyable and pretty laughable. Steve Nile and Kelley Jones really rock together and I'm glad to finally see them working together again on something good..(Batman: Gotham after midnight..2 thumbs down!)
Any fan of horror and a good story should really check this out.

4 out of 5



X-MEN #4

I'll be honest, I lied when I said I didn't have anything to complain about..I do. This storyline sucks and I'm not just saying that because it's a Vampire story. This story so far has been boring and really uneventful. "The Death Of Dracula" one shot was really good and very well composed..this "tie in" I guess you would call it, stinks. Wolverine and Jubilee have both been turned into Vampires and now Xanus is trying to compare Mutants to Vampires. Yes, they are both on the verge of extinction and yes, people hate and fear them but those are the only similarities that they share. Overall, I really feel like Marvel is trying to cash in on another pop culture fad with this storyline. I'm sorry..how do you go from Messiah War to this nonsense and still attempt to keep readers.
Overall I suggest you either tough it out and see what happens or wait for the trade or even better just skip this storyline altogether.

1 out of 5