What is it about Horror that compels so many of us? Why do we enjoy being frightened?

Far and away the best selling author for the past forty years has been Stephen King. Year in and year out, Horror movies continue to do consistently well at the Box Office. On television, The X-Files and Buffy are considered all-time classic series and remain influential to this day.
And then there is the fabulous, storied history of Horror comics, which reached new heights in the 1950s with the gruesome, trailblazing comic books published by EC Comics — books like Vault of Horror and Tales from the Crypt — that quickly invigorated a stumbling comic book business and then just as quickly came close to burying the entire industry for good. In the late sixties, Warren stepped up and produced their comic magazine line featuring Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. Marvel followed suit in the mid-seventies with their Horror line that spotlighted its keynote feature — Tomb of Dracula.

Today, the Horror trend is stronger than ever. For the past couple of years the media have been overrun with Zombies and sensitive Vampires — and comic books are right in the thick of things. We thought it would be fun to discuss a quality Horror feature for Halloween.  But which book– there are so many? The ideal choice was almost unanimous.  Robert Kirkman‘s best-selling Zombie Saga, The Walking Dead.

Please join us on Saturday November 6th at 1:00pm as we sit down to discuss the first twelve issues.

• We want to find out why this series is more effective than the other Horror comics on the shelf.
• We will examine the challenges creators have in creating and maintaining suspense on the comic page.
• How much of its success is based on Kirkman’s talent in creating memorable characters?

Since Horror works on a number of levels, we will also look at the strengths and weaknesses of both comics and film and how they are able to convey terror by comparing the comic to the new Walking Dead TV series on AMC.
So we ask that you read the first twelve issues of The Walking Dead — available in the first Walking Dead hardcover or the first two Walking Dead trade paperbacks.

As usual, these books are all offered at Heroes at the Discussion Group 10% Discount–please remember to mention the discount when you check out! We also ask that you watch the premiere episode of the Walking Dead on AMC on October 31th at 10 pm. We look forward to seeing you — this is going to be a real challenging discussion, so load up on brain-food before you arrive.  And be ready because I plan to really pick your brain!

(Note: Thank you to everyone who voted in our poll! It was a landslide win for Saturday, November 6th from 1 to 3 pm!)

I can’t believe that New York Comic Con has come and gone already! The Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find booth was busy all weekend. Sales were steady and our stocks were a huge hit with the crowd and with the dealers. We had a ton of people going though the new additions we have made to the Silver and Golden Age stocks. Shelton is constantly grading and pricing comics to add to that stock so next time you visit our booth at a show be sure to take a look through our books! We also networked and had some exciting talks with some exciting folks while we were there. Despite us being so super busy I manged to take a bunch of pictures and some of them even turned out pretty good. Check out the NYCC :: 2010 Photo Report on our Flickr page to view all of them, but for now I will leave you with my highlight from NYCC: getting to see Joe Simon and Jerry Robinson together at the Titan Books booth.

It’s an especially big week for new comics if you’re a fan of DC heroes, but there are plenty of other titles to choose from as well.  Here are just a few of the new releases that caught my eye leading up to Wednesday.

1) Strange Tales 2 #1

This is Marvel’s sequel to last year’s anthology, which, like the first volume features art from some of the industry’s top Indie writers and artists.  Included in this new three issue miniseries are contributions from the likes of Jeff Lemire, Frank Santoro, Kevin Huizenga, Kate Beaton, Nicholas Gurewitch, Jeffrey Brown, and Dash Shaw among others.  And check out that awesome cover to issue one from Rafael Grampa!  The first volume was a lot of fun, and with the aforementioned talent on board, this new series should be equally enjoyable.

2) Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #5, Bruce Wayne: The Road Home one shots

There are lots of Batman family books this week, so let’s get right to it.  This week’s issue of the Return of Bruce Wayne miniseries is worth picking up if for no other reason than to have another chance to enjoy the art from Ryan Sook.  DC did a great job of tapping Sook to illustrate this particular Grant Morrison-penned issue, as it features a noir version of Bruce Wayne as a private investigator.  Also this week are four Bruce Wayne: The Road Home one shots, including Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Outsiders, and Red Robin.  These single issues focus on how these specific characters deal with the impending return of their mentor.

3) Knight and Squire #1

This new six issue miniseries capitalizes on the recent popularity of these characters.  Grant Morrison is largely responsible for bringing these British allies of Batman and Robin back to the attention of readers, but it’s recent Action Comics scribe Paul Cornell who brings this series to life alongside artist Jimmy Broxton.  If you’ve followed any of Cornell’s DC work you know he’s got a knack for writing these particular characters, so this will likely be a series worth reading.  In the ever expanding Batman universe it’s nice to see some of the non-American characters getting their share of the spotlight.

4) Superior #1

This year we’ve seen writer Mark Millar offer up his twist on the Batman archetype with his Marvel book Nemesis.  Now, in collaboration with artist Leinil Yu we see what looks to be his take on the Superman archetype in this new Marvel series.  If you’re a fan of Millar’s violent work on Kick-Ass, Ultimates, or Nemesis, this is definitely the book for you this week.  It should also be interesting to see Yu’s take on a creator owned property, his first such work in several years.

5) Untold Tales of Blackest Night

You really thought Blackest Night was over?  Well, technically it is, but this week DC brings us a one shot of untold tales.  Including work from Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi, Ethan Van Sciver, and Ivan Reis, this issue focuses on characters whose stories might not have been told in the initial Blackest Night series.  Wonder what Ragman, Scarecrow, Donna Troy, and Animal Man were up to when they weren’t on panel during the Black Lantern fiasco?  Pick this one up and find out for yourself.  In a week so heavy with Batman titles, don’t forget about this one if you’re a big fan of the Lantern stories.

> Bonus picks of the week: Dark Horse brings back Scary Godmother in a hardcover collection which collects four previous books along with early character designs.  It’s long overdue to have these books collected, and it happens just in time for Halloween!  Also this week be on the look out for Shadowland #4, New Avengers #5, the popular and kid-friendly Johnny Boo HC vol. 4, and Star Wars: Knight Errant #1.  As always I’ll remind you all to take a look at our New Releases page to ensure you don’t accidentally miss out on something worth reading.

A sampling from the most recent Previews catalog of what looks like a winner in the month of December! All books are available for pre-order at your local shop (that’s us)!

B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs V.1 HC- 408 Pages for 35 dollars is a heckuva deal, especially with material as high quality as this.  It is the equivalent of the first three B.P.R.D. paperbacks and an attempt to make the library for the first round of stories (now named Plague of Frogs to the second rounds Hell on Earth title) smaller and more affordable.  Pg. 27

Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1- Good Christmas-y fun with the break out star of the different colored Corps.   Nothing wrong with Christmas-y fun. Pg. 82

Jonah Hex #62- Jonah Hex is ALWAYS good but Eduardo Risso of 100 Bullets is providing the art this month and his expressive, shadow-laden, minimalist work is always worth a gander. Pg. 93

Noche Roja HC- A dense, tasty crime story with a sweet coating of Jason Latour artwork.  Stands to be the breakout hit of the Vertigo Crime line. Pg. 118

John Byrne’s Next Men #1- I was listening to a podcast interview with John Byrne that was from 2006.  In it he said, and I’m paraphrasing, that he would bring Next Men back when the market was in good shape and could support it.  This is John Byrne saying everything is okay now. But seriously, Next Men was pretty darn good so give this a shot. Pg. 140

The Sixth Gun Vol. 1 TPB- You can really tell how much fun Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt have making this comic and man, that really shines through in the work.  The first six issues of their mythological western mash-up are in this volume and comics made with this much love should always be supported. Pg. 297

Thor-  Okay, so:

A)     Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus- All 48 issues worth, all 1,192 pages of Walter Simonson’s Thor run in a single book.  This has to be the biggest Omnibus to date. This thing is the definition of EPIC.  This is like The Lord of the Rings or the original Star Wars trilogy of Superhero Comics.  You can’t spend $125 better. Marvel Previews Pg. 91

B)      Thor, the Mighty Avenger Vol. 1 TPB- But if you only have $14.99 you can’t spend it better than this.  Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee’s all-ages Thor book is really, really, really charming. Like if Frank Capra did Thor. Marvel Previews Pg. 104

I sat down yesterday to read the Life section of USA Today and was pleasantly surprised to see an article about Mike Mignola‘s return as both writer and artist of Hellboy and the first page of a new eight-page story called Hellboy: The Whittier Legacy. You can read the story exclusively on USA Today‘s website by clicking here! It is part of Dark Horse’s DH:HD program that features exclusive content through USA Today and is presented by Toshiba. Comic Book Resources did an informative article about the program when it was announced at NYCC this past weekend.

If you like what you read check out our huge selection of Hellboy comics and stay tuned next year for Hellboy: The Fury a three-issue miniseries that wraps up Mignola and Duncan Fegredo‘s epic Hellboy story arc. If that isn’t enough for you then you can make plans to come to HeroesCon 2011 where you can meet Mignola for yourself!

We here at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find couldn’t wait to let you know who is coming to HeroesCon 2011 so we are updating our guest list one more time this week! There isn’t much I can say about these creators that hasn’t already been said before. They are the cream of the crop, the best of the best and their reputations precede them so I will keep their bios short and sweet.

Guy Davis first made a name for himself with his work on his creator-owned Baker Street. He continued to solidify his place in the industry with his work on Sandman Mystery Theatre and The Marquis, but he is probably best known as artist on BPRD.

Todd Dezago is renowned for his work with Mike Wieringo on The Sensational Spider-Man and Tellos. Currently, he is pleasing audiences with Marvel Super Hero Squad and The Perhapanauts.

Steve Epting continues to astound and amaze, especially with his current work on Fantastic Four. His career spans nearly 20 years and he has worked on some of the best books around including Avengers, Captain America and The Marvels Project.

Just when you think that Matt Fraction’s name can’t get any bigger he goes out and writes Thor. He first came into prominence with  Casanova, which is currently being re-colored, re-lettered and reprinted through Marvel’s creator owned imprint, Icon. He is also writing Invincible Iron Man and Uncanny X-Men. Fraction was just announced as the winner of the 2010 PEN USA Literary Award for Graphic Literature. To top it all off, he is a former employee of Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find!

Jonathan Hickman first broke into comics only a few years ago with Nightly News but quickly established himself as a premiere wordsmith by writing such acclaimed books as SHIELD, Secret Warriors, Fantastic Four and Pax Romana. With an already impressive catalog, I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us.

Mike Mignola got his start on superhero books like Cosmic Odyssey and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, but Hellboy is where his art and writing style found a home. He will soon return to doing art on Hellboy after the current epic storyline is completed. He is also currently writing Baltimore: The Plague Ships which is a mini-series based off of characters in his novel Baltimore.

Don Rosa is THE Uncle Scrooge artist (next to Carl Barks of course). His humor comes through as he breathes life into the character. Uncle Scrooge is over sixty years old yet when you read a story by Rosa the character feels fresh and new. His stories are classic and timeless.

Craig Rousseau is the co-creator and artist of The Perhapanauts, along with previously announced Todd Dezago. He has also worked with Dezago on Impulse and Tellos. His recent work includes Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Iron Man & The Armor Wars and Her-oes.

Richard Thompson writes Cul de Sac which is one of my favorite comic strips. I am not alone in saying that it rivals Calvin & Hobbes in quality. Simply put, it chronicles the foibles of a suburban family. He also does Richard’s Poor Almanac which appears in the Washington Post.

Bernie Wrightson began his career working on horror anthologies like House of Mystery and House of Secrets and he has continued scaring readers with his distinct style. Some of his past work includes co-creating Swamp Thing with Len Wein and illustrating Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. More recently he has been teaming up with Steve Niles on such popular titles as Dead She Said and The Ghoul.

Quite frankly if these were the only guests coming to HeroesCon 2011 I would be thrilled to be there and meet these incredibly talented creators. With eight more months to go and already a guest list is this huge, I can’t wait to see what other tricks we have up our sleeves!

We have a plethora of new comics for you this week to coincide with this weekend’s New York Comic Con.  While some of our staff will be in attendance, the rest of us will still be in Charlotte to make sure you get your books.  With a week as large as this one, make sure you don’t forget to check the full listing on the new releases section of our site.

1) Richard Stark’s Parker: The Outfit HC

Writer/artist Darwyn Cooke returns with his second adaptation of Richard Stark’s classic noir character.  The first volume (Parker: the Hunter) provided some of Cooke’s most interesting work to date and went on to appear on numerous ‘best of the year’ lists.  With this being the second of several planned volumes, expect more of the same craftsmanship as Cooke continues to work on one of his dream projects.  Parker is noir at its most pure, and Cooke’s understanding and appreciation of the simplicity and directness of the form comes across in every page.  Sure to be one of this year’s top books, make sure you pick this one up early!

2) Uncanny X-force #1

Rick Remender and Jerome Opena begin their highly anticipated run on X-force this week.  Featuring fan favorite characters like Wolverine, Deadpool, and Psylocke, the new title brings the black ops mutants into conflict with Apocalypse.  The combination of these characters seems like a natural fit for Remender’s writing, and Opena’s previous work on characters like Moon Knight and the Punisher suggests he’ll bring a welcomed dose of grit to this darker X title.

3) Batman: Hidden Treasures

One of DC’s top offerings this week has to be this long lost story featuring art from the legendary Bernie Wrightson.  The Solomon Grundy focused story was written by Ron Marz and also features inks from Kevin Nowlan.  While the talents of Marz and Nowlan are noteworthy, the most attractive element of the book is the fact that each page is comprised of a single full panel from Wrightson.  Fans of the classic artist should enjoy this one, as should those who are interested in the prospect of reading a lost Batman story.

4) Palookaville HC vol 20

Genius Canadian cartoonist Seth finally brings his lauded Palookaville series back, this time in a hardcover format.  For those unfamiliar with this talented artist, check out some of his previous works like Wimbledon Green, George Sprott, or Clyde Fans.  This week’s new Palookaville volume includes a new chapter of the continuing Clyde Fans story, some of Seth’s first autobiographical comics in many volumes, and a sketchbook section.  Seth is a rare artist who has managed to combine a knowledge of comics history, humor, craftsmanship, and long form storytelling in a way that is both original and entertaining.  Don’t miss this one if  you want to see one of the industry’s top creators at the peak of his craft.

5) Klaws of the Panther #1

This new Marvel miniseries fills in the gap between Doomwar and the upcoming Black Panther: Man Without Fear as the new Black Panther, Shuri, faces the classic villain Klaw.  In an era when we’re seeing all types of character reworkings, the Black Panther has the potential to be one of the better ones.  Not only does the reckless Shuri have to bear the burden of the mantle of ‘Black Panther,’ but she has to protect her fellow Wakandans at a time when they’re more susceptible to outside forces than they may have ever been.

> Bonus picks of the week: SHIELD #4 and Ultimate Comics Thor #1, both from recent Heroes guest Jonathan Hickman, Brightest Day #11, Hellboy TP vol. 11, Baltimore: the Plague Ships # 3, Incorruptible #10, Disney Fairies HC, a new printing of James Jean’s Fables Covers HC, JSA All Stars #11, and Marvel’s new cosmic story begins with Chaos War #1.

Superheroes are the backbone of the comic book industry.  Sure, in the last few decades, comics have progressed by leaps and bounds, encompassing an impressive variety of genres, even portending to literary status in some instances.  The ambitions of comic book artists grow loftier and grander, and that’s constructive.  But regardless of taste or intention, it’s impossible to deny that the capes and tights sustain our beloved medium.

I have a love/hate relationship with superhero comics.  They’ve changed radically from what I grew up with.  The structure of the writing – which tends to favor sweeping, epic arcs that comprise multiple series – and the predominant art direction – hyper realistic with heavy color rendering – are a far cry from the comics I was raised on.  I might love Spider-Man as a character, but I don’t care to read many of the new comics that feature him.

That’s where Savage Dragon comes in.  Savage Dragon is not only the one superhero book I ardently purchase and read, it’s also the longest running book I’ve kept up with.  I’ve bought every issue since its debut, and I am still as enthusiastic about it as I ever was.  There have been dips in that enthusiasm, I’ll admit, but even when it’s seemed time to throw in the towel, a few issues later, series perpetrator Erik Larsen throws out something that makes me realize what a fool notion that had been.

The current arc running in Savage Dragon is Emperor Dragon, and it’s a compelling take on the “good guy gone bad” plot device.  Mark Waid’s running this riff over in Irredeemable, also, but in Savage Dragon, it’s a bit more effective.  We’ve got 150+ issues of the title character being a hero and winning the day.  We’ve got his mysterious origin coming back around to play a crucial part in the proceedings.  Waid trades on tropes and conventions in Irredeemable; with Emperor Dragon, Larsen subverts them.

Larsen himself has said of Savage Dragon on the FAQ page of savagedragon.com, “It’s the missing link between Marvel and Vertigo. More mature than Marvel–less pretentious than Vertigo. The kind of comics I want to read. This book is REALLY self-indulgent.”  I couldn’t say it any better myself.  While it carries a whiff of nostalgia that would appeal to any comic fan, it is also decidedly modern, utilizing “real time” – whereby events are contemporary with the times, and characters age as you and I.  Characters die and are rarely resurrected.  Pregnancies are often the most dramatic revelations in the book.  When something major happens, it has real, lasting impact.  It’s not going to be retconned, or revealed as a dream, or any other such Big Two ballyhoo.

And that’s the biggest perk of reading Savage Dragon, the security.  There’s no worry about a new hotshot writer taking over and wrecking things.  There’s no chance of an artist not befitting of the material putting pencil to page.  Larsen is in for the long haul, so provided you enjoy his style, his kinetic take on the Kirby tradition, then you can rest assured you’re going to get your fix, issue in and issue out.

I understand it can be intimidating to pick up a book with such a high issue number, but we all started somewhere, right?  It’s not like every X-fan started with X-Men #1, is it?  And in this day and age of bargain back issues and reprints, it’s not so hard to catch up.  Matter of fact, as of December, the bulk of the series will be available in three black and white volumes ala Marvel’s Essentials and DC’s Showcase: Savage Dragon Archives (volumes one and two are available NOW, three ships in December).  And I’ll admit a tinge of jealousy for those of you who can start reading now with Emperor Dragon, and subsequently go back to fill in the blanks for yourself.  When it comes to comic books, that’s something of a Holy Grail.  And you get to do it with my favorite superhero book.  Lucky dogs!

Welcome Cliff Chiang to the HeroesCon 2011 guest list! Chiang is an awesome artist whose recent credits include Brave and the Bold #33, Birds of Prey #3, cover artist for Justice League: Generation Lost and Neil Young’s Greendale. He made his mark in the industry with his work on Human Target and  Green Arrow/Black Canary. Earlier this year he did some Star Wars posters for Acme Archives which were amazing! Also, I was super excited to hear that he will be doing the art on Zatanna #8!

Artist Francesco Francavilla is blowing up these days so you better stop by his table early to get on his commission list! He will be doing the Jim Gordon co-feature starting in Detective Comics #871. And recently announced he will be doing the art for Black Panther: The Man Without Fear where Black Panther will take over for Daredevil following the events of Shadowland. Francavilla also maintains several blogs which are definitely worth checking out. His Pulp Sunday blog is currently running Halloween-themed posts based on classic horror movies. He also has a sketch blog that he updates regularly with concept art and illustrations. He is also a regular contributor to the Comic Twart blog. This leaves me wondering, when does he have time to sleep?

New to the guest list but not new to HeroesCon is Buddy Prince! He is a long time friend of the store and a super great guy! He is probably best known for his work on Night published through Jester Press Comics. Recently he has been busy as a Marvel Sketch Card artist, specifically on the Marvel 70th Anniversary and Marvel Heroes and Villains lines. He is also a Moonstone Maximum Sketch Card artist.

We are proud to add the talented Chris Roberson to our guest list! He is the writer for iZombie, the fabulous new series he created with artist Mike Allred. He wrote Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love and it was just announced that he will write the sequel, Cinderella: Fables are Forever. He developed and is the writer for the new ongoing series Starborn for Boom! Studios which he co-created with Stan Lee. He is also the writer of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep: Dust to Dust the prequel to Philip K. Dick‘s novel. In addition to all of his comic work, he is a prolific science fiction novelist and the publisher of MonkeyBrain Books along with his wife, Allison Baker.

I have the pleasure of adding several guests to the HeroesCon 2011 Indie Island guest list today! First up is Tyson Hesse who is a webcomic artist and Savanna College of Art and Design graduate. Both of which are having an increasing presence at HeroesCon. Hesse is the force behind the digital-animation-infused webcomic Boxer Hockey which updates every Sunday and Wednesday. He also has a new book out called Diesel which follows the futuristic adventures of a young girl as she travels on an airship garage.

I am pleased as punch to announce Roger Langridge as a guest to HeroesCon 2011! It is no secret that he is one of my favorite cartoonists and with his work on The Muppet Show Comic Book, Thor: The Mighty Avenger and Fred the Clown I know I am not alone! The Muppet Show Comic Book recently won a Harvey Award for Best Publication for Young Readers. Welcome him to the show by stopping by his table and checking out some of his mini-comics especially Mugwhump the Great and Frankenstein Meets Shirley Temple!

Next up is Ed Piskor who first made a name for himself with his collaboration on American Splendor: Our Movie Year with Harvey Pekar. He also worked with Pekar on Macedonia and The Beats: A Graphic History. Piskor is currently working on his webcomic, Wizzywig, which he has self-published into three volumes, so far. It is about Kevin “Boingthump” Phenicle who is a phone phreaker and computer hacker. He two updates his site twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday.

Newcomer Mitch Rogers is the writer and artist of the mini-series The Boger. Currently he is working on a new book called Raw Nerve which will debut around the time of HeroesCon. He has been steadily publishing new material since the release of The Boger #1 and I am excited to see what he will bring to the table with Raw Nerve!

It has been a few years now since Rich Tommaso was a guest at HeroesCon and we are happy to welcome him back! He has been in the industry for over 15 years and his recent work on Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow with James Sturm garnered him much acclaim. You may know him from his other work like 8 1/2 Ghosts, The Horror of Collier County or Clover Honey. His website is full of some amazing artwork so I can’t wait to see what he brings to HeroesCon!