Well, it may be Black Friday over the rest of the country today, and we’re seeing tons of you guys coming into the store today… but we’re scheduling our huge annual sale this year to coincide with a sweet store signing! Coming up on December 12-13 will be our Annual Holiday Sale, with deals on pretty much everything in the store! From discounts on new comics and books, DEEP discounts on Shelton’s stock of marked-down trade paperbacks and hardcovers, toys, statues, and more.. it’s hard to think of something that WON’T be on sale.

Plus as usual we’ll have not only 50% off all regular back issues, but an enlarged, expanded, and untouched stock of $1 books courtesy of Seth Peagler. This has become one of the most popular parts of our events recently, and Seth works super hard on putting these stocks together and making sure there are tons of “gems” in there.

And we’ll be hosting a number of special guests, including Olympus writer Nathan Edmondson–Nathan will have advance copies of the Olympus trade on hand for you! Plus our buddy Andy Smith will be on hand, and we’ve got even more names to roll out over the next few weeks! So be sure and mark your calendars now–this will be a great opportunity to pick up some gifts for your comics-reading friends and loved-ones, and hey–we won’t argue if you want to pick up some things for yourself, too. Your secret is safe with us!

I wasn’t too blown away by writer Greg Rucka’s first story arc on Detective Comics (the one that stars Batwoman, that is).

Well, let me qualify that statement: I liked Rucka’s plot and script on the comic’s second feature, starring The Question, but I wasn’t in love with the Batwoman side of the book.
As far as I was concerned, the draw on Detective was J.H. Williams’ scrumptious art — probably the best in the industry right now — not Rucka’s confusing story line. In the last two issues, however, the writing on Batwoman has finally started to match the quality of the art.

In the latest editions of the series — No. 858 and 859 — Rucka has started to roll out the secret origin of Katherine Kane, and it’s an incredibly engrossing read. The book’s first arc was all about delving into the supernatural trappings of the Crime Bible and a whole slew of animal/human hybrid villains. Batwoman’s origin, on the other hand, deals with realistic issues of human loss, sexuality, discrimination, honor, politics and more — in other words, tangible things that I’m able to relate to and connect with.

Oh and the art’s still pretty, too. In fact, Williams shows some different twists on his style for this multi-issue tale. (And yes The Question backup still rocks.) Buy it.

Well Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! While this humble blogger WILL be enjoying some delicious turkey and other things that go with turkey later, along with the rest of his massive and very noisy extended family, he wanted to share this sweet HeroesCon 2010 Guest List update with you.

Brand new names you should be thankful for INCLUDE: studly inker Marc Deering (Blackest Night: Wonder Woman), Gene Gonzales (Cavewoman), Dwight L. MacPherson (Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo), and Michael Watkins (Sonic the Hedgehog). AND attending HeroesCon for the first time next year will be Mike Norton, artist on Green Arrow/Black Canary, Blue Beetle, and past artist on books like Queen & Country, Teen Titans Go!, Runaways and more! Super exciting to be welcoming new bros to the fold next year–I am so thankful! Until then, enjoy your holiday! WE are thankful for all YOU guys!

Where Shawn looks at the New Releases and lets you know which books she is most excited about!

1) Beasts of Burden #3

I highly recommend this book! It has the perfect mix of cute and eerie. That comment is not meant to be pejorative. The art and the storytelling are seemingly lighthearted but there is more going on beneath the surface than you initially realize. The stories are poignant and they resonate with you long after you put the book down. The writing surprised me because I am more familiar with Evan Dorkin’s work with Milk and Cheese which is stylistically very different. There is common thread of humor in both but is it far more subtle in Beasts of Burden. Jill Thompson’s art is playful yet haunting, which sums up this book. Oh, and speaking of Jill Thompson, she is going to be at Heroes Con 2010!

2) Powers #1

Powers and Brian Michael Bendis are what got me into comics, so I am excited that they are bringing Powers back. And from the few preview pages that I have seen it appears as though Bendis hasn’t cleaned up his potty mouth. Even though Icon is a Marvel imprint it does not appear that Marvel is trying to tame Bendis. Those with delicate sensibilities should probably avoid this book.

3) Fantastic Four #573

Johnathan Hickman’s run on Fantastic Four has been really, really fun. It is good superhero writing, plain and simple.

4) Invincible Iron Man #20

This issue begins a new story arc and I am super excited about what is going to happen next. The conclusion to the World’s Most Wanted arc was fantastic! And if you don’t know what I am talking about then do yourself a favor and read Invincible Iron Man #19.

5) Blackest Night #5

I would be remiss to not mention anything about DC’s blockbuster title and all the related issues that are coming out Wednesday. Along with Blackest Night #5, you can expect Green Lantern #48, Justice League of America #39 and Teen Titans #77. I am continually shocked at the interest and enthusiasm that this series has generated. The main series has been strong and so have the minis and tie-ins. Green Lantern Corps #42 was chock full of action and I am curious to see how those events will play out in the coming months (*cough* Kyle Rayner is going to be a white lantern *cough*).

Well, I sort of gave it away in the post title, didn’t I? Okay, pretend you’re surprised: just added to the HeroesCon 2010 Guest List are returning champs Guy Davis (B.P.R.D) and Roger Langridge (Muppet Show)! These are two of the sweetest dudes in comics, I think I’m going to sit them next to each other this year and watch them fight to see who’s sweeter. Oh oh and today’s Guy’s birthday! I think for his birthday I’ll name him Sweetest for the day. Don’t worry Roger–your day will come.

But wait there’s more! Attending their very first HeroesCon this year are husband and wife team Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier, co-writers of the X-Men: Misfits manga from Del Rey and Marvel Comics! You may also know them from Raina’s hit Babysitter’s Club series and Dave’s series Astronaut Elementary and long stint as comics editor at Nickelodeon Magazine. I met these guys at SPX and they are both really amazing people, so wear your good clothes when you meet them next summer!

The holiday season is upon us! Thanksgiving is next week and then before you know it Christmas followed closely by New Year’s. So here is the run down on when the store will be open/closed and when new books ship!

Thanksgiving:

Store Schedule: The store will be open with normal business hours Wednesday and Friday but we will be closed Thanksgiving Day.

Shipping Schedule: Books will ship normally the week of Thanksgiving, however the week of November 30 books will ship Thursday, December 3.

Christmas and New Year’s:

Store Schedule: The store will be closed Christmas Day and we will be open “Sunday hours” on New Year’s Day. We will close early Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. We will definitely be open until 6 pm but how long we stay open after that depends on traffic. If you want to get some last minute Christmas shopping done after 6 pm it would be a good idea to give us a call before stopping by just to make sure we are open!

Shipping Schedule: Books will ship normally the week of Christmas, however the next week will be a “skip week”. As it stands right now, new product will not ship the week of December 28. This is subject to change so stay tuned for details about the “skip week” and possible events taking place that week. Shipping returns to normal the week of January 4 with new books arriving in stores on Wednesday, January 6.

I’ve always loved the Justice Society of America, but I haven’t been in love with the team’s ongoing monthly title for a hot minute.

The once great series started to kinda suck near the end of writer Geoff Johns’ run — during the way-too-long “Kingdom Come” story line. And, so far, I’m not totally sold on the new JSA creative team … or the idea that we need a whole ’nother JSA title (the upcoming JSA All-Stars).

At its best, the JSA focused on a core crew of legendary and legacy characters and excelled at getting to the heart of heroes that others thought of as lame. These days the book is filled with too many members — and many of them (like, uh, Magog) haven’t been adequately developed.

All that being the case, thank goodness for JSA vs. Kobra. A standalone six-issue limited series, it was probably one of the best JSA adventures in a while.

Sure the title was packed with a dozen or so superheroes, but Mr. Terrific and Power Girl took the spotlight in — as the title suggests — the team’s war against a new incarnation of the classic villain Kobra. On top of that, several other JSAers were given cool moments, offering them a chance to shine as well. The story is chock full of action and mystery, and mines new territory for the book’s good and bad guys.

Oh and the highly detailed art is by former JSA penciler Don Kramer, so flipping through the book is sort of a stroll down memory lane.

Anyway, take my word for it. If you’re anything like me, you’ll dig this new addition to the adventures of DC’s first super team.

Carlton Hargro is the Editor-In-Chief of Charlotte’s Creative Loafing free weekly newspaper. You can read more of his reviews on the magazines Comic Proportions blog.

Come to Richmond, Virginia this weekend, November 21-22, and support the Virginia Comicon! Our good friends Brett Carreras and Guy Rose are pulling out all the stops promoting Richmond’s first two-day comic convention in over 25 years! The guest line-up is fantastic, several cool exclusives will be available, and tons of great comics, old and new, will be available for sale to add to your collections. Including our rather impressive stock I might add.

I’ve been on the road a lot this past year, especially this Fall, and everywhere I’ve been, Brett has been there too, promoting the heck out of this show. The VA Comicon boasts a heavy-hitting line up of comic creators including Larry Hama, Chris Claremont, Chuck Dixon, Billy Tucci, Randy Green, Mike McKone, Budd Root, Andy Smith, Alex Saviuk and many more. There will be a full schedule of programming including a panel with Marc Nathan, the owner of the Baltimore Comic-Con, Brett and ME, talking about our comic conventions and how we do what we do.

Up to the minute info and announcements will be made.

Randy Green has produced an exclusive holiday themed cover for the VA Comicon edition of Witchblade #132. The first 1000 paid admissions get a copy of this “Sweet Christmas!” variant for FREE! There will also be a extremely limited sketch variant cover produced as a thank-you to the attending exhibitors and guests. I’ll be giving my copy away to some lucky customer before the show is over. Just print out the attached 20% off coupon and use it at my table this weekend to be entered into the drawing for this hot collectible.

I can’t wait for this weekend! I’m going to have a blast and I know you will too!

I’ll see you all in Richmond!

Where Shawn looks at the New Releases and lets you know which books she is most excited about!

1) Dr Horrible One Shot

Remember way back when there was a writer’s strike and there wasn’t tv? It was a scary time. But one positive to stem from that was Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. Joss Whedon and friends got together and created a three act short film for online distribution. It really took the internet by storm in no small part due to its humor and pathos. This one shot, written by Joss’s brother Zack Whedon, takes you back to the origin or Dr Horrible. It is part of Dark Horse’s new One Shot Wonders promotion. Dark Horse is taking some of its best characters, writers and artists and creating self-contained comics that are great jumping-on-points for new readers.

2) G-Man Cape Crisis #4

Chris Giarusso is probably best known for his Mini-Marvels strips. This book has a similar feel in that it is fun and light-hearted and the art is cartoony without being dumbed down. This is another example of the superb kids comics that are coming out nowadays. Also, there are some really cool extras in the back!

3) Viking #4

I have been digging the Golden Age size Image books (King City and Cowboy Ninja Viking) especially Viking. I love the moody and atmospheric art. It fits the storytelling perfectly.

4) Amazing Spider-Man #612

The Gauntlet begins in this issue of Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel is re-vamping Spidey’s classic villains. Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta are first up to re-introduce Electro to us Spidey fans. Waid has been writing some of my favorite Spider-Man stories as of late. He did a two-part story with the Shocker that was awesome! What I loved about it was that it was a simple, good storytelling: Spider-Man triumphs despite the odds being stacked against him.

5) Adventure Comics #4

I think this book snuck in under a lot of people’s radar because I haven’t heard people talking about it like they should be. Superboy is back and he is struggling with his identity. He wants to make sure that he becomes like Superman and not like Lex Luthor. Plus this book contains a Legion back up. But wait, there’s more! This book is tied into DC ring promotion. Buy a copy and you get a free Blue Lantern Corps ring. Also, if you get Outsiders #24 you get a free Violet Lantern Corps ring.

With the digital ink hardly dry from our big HeroesCon 2010 Guest List announcement on Wednesday, today we’ve added even more names already to what promises to be a monolithic list by the time of the convention itself, next June 4-6, 2010!

Joining up today are our new buddy Eric Canete (The End League), and our old buddies Keron Grant (Iron Man), Sanford Greene (Method Man GN), Tony Harris (Ex Machina), and Dexter Vines (Wolverine). Not to mention two returning buddies, the influential Rick Leonardi (Spider-Man) and the painter/cartoonist extraordinaire Jill Thompson. Jill’s new book Beasts of Burden, with co-writer Evan Dorkin, has been a big hit and we’re excited to welcome Jill back for her first HeroesCon since… hmmm. I think it was the second Trilogy Tour maybe? 98 or 99? Shelton has a better memory than I do for this stuff. ANYway, her and Rick will be returning to Charlotte in 2010, along with a ton of others!