Archive for the ‘Discussion Group’

REVIEW PREVIEWS with SETH!!

March 05, 2019 By: Karla Southern Category: DISCUSS, Discussion Group, EVENTS, Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, Looking Ahead, NEWS, Now Read This!, Opinion, Other Events, Reviews, Spotlight on New Releases

SETH PREVIEW REVIEW 2019

The Current Issue of PREVIEWS is available in our store! Pick up a copy today!

A HEROES “PREVIEWS-REVIEW”
with SETH, March 14 & 16!

Are you a new reserve customer curious about some of the events and storylines coming to your favorite comics this summer?
Would you like to have a three month head start in seeing what you might want to buy before it sells out? 

Are you a longtime customer interested in seeing behind the scenes of how Heroes orders new comics?

Next week we aim to answer those questions and many more as we dive into the catalog of PREVIEWS!
Join Heroes’ Operations Manager Seth Peagler on Thursday, March 14th from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. or on Saturday, March 16 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. around the beautiful showcases in the back of our store for a fun discussion about what’s coming up over the next few months.

These are two free opportunities to learn how to make sure you get the comics you really want, and designed to work around your busy schedules.
You never know, we might even talk about the upcoming HeroesCon and some of the fun things we have planned for this year!

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HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP RETURNS THIS SATURDAY!

August 28, 2018 By: Karla Southern Category: DISCUSS, Discussion Group, Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, Master Class, This Just In

Black Hammer Vol 1

 

Ever finish a comic and wish there was someone to discuss it with? Now’s your opportunity, as we bring back an old Heroes favorite during this weekend’s Labor Day sale. Join us this Saturday, September 1 at 2:00 P.M. for a brand new chapter of the Heroes Discussion Group! After much deliberation over what book to discuss, we settled on a favorite of both our staff and customers: Black Hammer volume 1: Secret Origins.

If you enjoyed the first volume of Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s breakout superhero mystery, then be sure to stop on by the shop this Saturday for a lively discussion about legacy, rebirth, discovery and much more. This time around, the discussions will be jointly led by veteran discusser Andy Mansell and our well-read young staffer Samuel M. Reynolds-Oosting.

We couldn’t be more excited to share conversation about some of our shop’s favorite authors and illustrators with fellow customers and readers! It’s always a great part of our local comics community, and we hope you’ll join us for this discussion and some of the other exciting ones we’ll be announcing soon! Don’t forget, the discussion starts this Saturday at 2 P.M., but the Labor Day sale kicks off at 10 A.M. and runs all the way until 10 P.M. on Saturday, with Sunday and Monday’s hours both being 10 A.M. – 6 P.M. 

-The Heroes Discussion Committee  (also known as Andy, Sam and Seth)

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LABOR DAY WAREHOUSE SALE!! HEROES CELEBRATES ONE YEAR #UNDERtheWATERTOWER!

August 21, 2018 By: Karla Southern Category: DISCUSS, Discussion Group, EVENTS, Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, NEWS, Other Events, Sale!, Special Offers, Uncategorized

Seth-KOed---Warehouse-Sale-2018
This Labor Day weekend will mark the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Heroes opening in our new location at 417 Pecan Avenue! It’s hard to believe that what is now our new store was once our WAREHOUSE, and what better way to celebrate our anniversary than by throwing a  THREE-DAY WAREHOUSE SALE!

Back in 2013 we sold a staggering 300 long boxes, and over 100,000 comics, in just FOUR DAYS at our first official Warehouse Sale! To celebrate our first year in our new home #UnderTheWaterTower, we are once again purging our overstock of nearly 100 long boxes and selling them at CAN’T-MISS PRICES!!

Labor Day Anniversary Sale

We will offer extended hours on Saturday, September 1st from 10am-10pm and Sunday, September 2nd from 10am-6pm. Be sure to join us on LABOR DAY Monday from 10am-6pm when all sale books will be reduced to just 25¹!! Prices will start at $1 on Saturday and drop each day but, for the best selection, we hope to see you on Saturday!

Black Hammer Vol 1Speaking of “Blasts from the Past”, Saturday, September 1st at 2pm will mark the return of the HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP!
Our first discussion group since 2012 will find Heroes’ own Andrew Mansell and Samuel Reynolds-Oosting leading the talk as we probe the depths of the Dark Horse hit BLACK HAMMER VOL. 1 from writer Jeff Lemire, artist Dean Ormston and colorist Dave Stewart! We welcome any and all to join the discussion group, so if you are a fan of BLACK HAMMER like we are, please feel free to join us on Saturday, September 1st during the sale!

 

LD-Warehouse-Sale-2018

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HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP :: PEANUTS VOLUME 7 :: SATURDAY MARCH 7th at NOON

February 12, 2015 By: Andy Mansell Category: DISCUSS, Discussion Group, EVENTS

discussion_groupIs Peanuts the greatest sustained work of comic art over the past 65 years? That is up for debate, but Charles Schulz 50 year run as sole creator is one of the most popular, endearing and recognizable comics of all time. The question for the Discussion group is why?

This will be the 3rd time we’ve tackled a bona fide comic classic; the other two were Tintin and Bark’s Donald Duck. At first we were going to have a vote as to which strip we would spotlight, but we quickly realized that if we are going to dive into the world of newspaper comic strips, Peanuts is unquestionably the ideal starting point.

As to why we’ve selected Volume 7 1963 – 1964 (Linus is on the cover!); it was the year when Peanuts grew into a phenomenon. Make sure you read the short introduction. It is worth the ten minute investment. But there are many more reasons why Volume 7 is crucial and we will mull that over throughout the afternoon.

bookcover_cpea07

So plan to join us on Saturday March 7th at NOON. As usual, we will meet at the store and repair to a local watering hole.

Topics will include:

  • The pacing of a daily-as well as the Sunday- strip as opposed to a comic book page
  • How reading a serialized strip in large doses changes the peanuts experience.
  • Does the reader identify with the characters or react to them.
  • Are they children or small adults and does it really matter?
  • Preference: The gag a day strips in comparison to Schulz week long story-line
  • Can you read the strip without identifying directly with the creator?
  • And how-about that daydreaming dog of the round-headed kid.

We have read the notorious and controversial Schulz and Peanuts a Biography by David Michaelis and we plan to introduce a few of the choicest and most polarizing talking-points to see if you agree with the biographers assessment of the man and his art.

As usual, Heroes is offering The Complete Peanuts Volume 7 1963-1964 with the special 10% Discussion Group discount, just remember to mention it to the clerk when you buy it.

We look forward to having Peanuts fans, devotees and perhaps even a detractor or two. You are welcome to join us even if you have not read Volume 7, but experiencing this wonderful tome is recommended. We promise this will be one of the most fascinating afternoons we’ve ever had.

See you on Saturday March 7th at NOON, you BLOCKHEADS.

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DISCUSSION GROUP :: FABLES: MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS :: DECEMBER 20th at NOON

December 10, 2014 By: Andy Mansell Category: DISCUSS, Discussion Group, EVENTS, NEWS

discussion_groupThe votes are in and the winner is March of the Wooden Soldiers, the 3rd Volume of Fables comics. In all honesty, this is the right choice. It is the storyline where a good series with a clever premise became a great series with legs strong enough to carry it for 150 monthly issues, two spin off series, a prose novel and three stand alone graphic novels.
march-fables
So plan to join us on Saturday December 20th at Noon (an hour earlier than usual) We know this is the busiest time of the year, but do yourself a solid by setting aside a few hours to break bread and talk comics.
March of the Wooden Soldiers collects Fables # 19-21 and # 23-27 along with the Prestige one-shot issue The Last Castle featuring perhaps the greatest swashbuckling hero of the last 40 years, Little Boy Blue. No, we are not kidding.
Thanks to the decree of our liege and manager Justinian, March of the wooden Soldiers is available at Heroes with the Heroes Discussion Group 10% Discount. Just remember to mention it when you check out.
Topics will include

  • The choices writer Bill Willingham makes regarding characterizations of very familiar characters
  • What sets Bigby Wolf apart from other popular feral characters…
  • And of course, Prince Charming….would you vote for him in the Fabletown Mayoral Election
  • Also, Why March of the Wooden Soldiers is (or perhaps is not) the ideal discussion choice.

We invite everyone-both new readers and devoted fans–to join us. We’d like to touch on later story lines as well as the Network TV ‘interpretations’ of the same concept: Grimm and Once Upon a Frozen Time, but if there are any discussioneers who attend and have not read beyond Wooden Soldiers we promise will tread lightly.
We will see you on Saturday December 20th at NOON and fair warning to the uninitiated, once you enter the world of Fables, it is tough place from which to escape.

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HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP :: FABLES POLL :: BATMAN REMINDER

October 31, 2014 By: Rico Renzi Category: Discussion Group, EVENTS

discussion_group

Don’t forget, Tomorrow at 1PM, BATMAN HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP!

It’s about time that the Heroes Discussion Group turns its critical eyes upon Bill Willingham’s Fables. The series will conclude in about six months when they complete their 150th regular season issue.

The challenge in front of Discussioneers United is… which volume should we select?
Keep in mind, in order to make things flexible for folks new to Fables, we’d like to pick a story arc that does not give away the big plot reveals especially the identity of The Adversary.

I spent the last few weeks re-reading the series and here are my recommendations:
The March of the Wooden Soldiers (includes The Last Castle one-shot)
1001 Nights of Snowfall (Yes, we did that at the con a few years ago with Mr. Willingham, but we spoke more about the over-all series instead of this wonderful GN)
The Great Fables Cross-Over
Fairest in All the Land GN
Babes in Toyland

All of these books are just bursting at the staples with story-points, terrific concepts memorable characters and enough sub-text to make for a truly satisfying afternoon. So please take a moment and cast a vote as to what book you’d like to see spotlighted (spot-lit?) Even if you aren’t sure you can make it, but feel strongly about the series, please vote. We’d love as much input as possible.

We will schedule at the end of November or beginning of December as soon as you’ve selected the book. If you’ve never read Fables, this is an ideal time to give it a try. If you have watched Once Upon a Time or Grimm, why not check out the far superior source material for these two network TV shows?

[poll id=”7″]

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HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP RETURNS with BATMANx3 :: NOVEMBER 1, 1:00pm

October 08, 2014 By: Andy Mansell Category: Discussion Group, EVENTS, Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, NEWS

discussion_groupWe’re back and we’re ready to make a few monthly deep dives into terrific comics. We appreciate your patience as we went on hiatus, but it is time to start reading again and get back into the fray.

Join us on Saturday November 1st at 1:00pm. As tradition demands, we will meet at the store and then repair to a local watering-hole for a couple of hours of great discussion along with food, drink (if you’re hungry or thirsty). It is a lot of fun to sit around and talk comics with a group of comic fans. Everyone’s opinion is welcome, we just ask that you read the books and bring an open mind.

We hope you will consider joining us for this fun and exciting afternoon. As we’ve mentioned before, you do not need to participate; if you just want to come by and listen, we’d love to see you!

We hope you’ll join us for the big return and what is bigger topic than Batman? How about 3 Graphic novels featured in The Batman 75th Anniversary Box Set which includes


75The Dark Knight Returns is a 1986 four-issue comic book mini-series starring Batman and set some 20 years in the future of continuity, written and illustrated by Frank Miller with Inks by Klaus Janson and colored by Lynn Varley. This is one of the most influential super-hero comics of all time.

Batman: Hush was published 2002-2003 in monthly installments in Batman #608-619 and was written by Jeph Loeb penciled by Jim Lee, inked by Scott Williams and colored by Alex Sinclair. A perennial best seller!

Batman: The Court of Owls was published in Batman Volume 2 #1-7 written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion. Certainly one of the most popular story line from the last few years.

(NOTE: If you already own one or more of these GNs, you are good to go but if find yourself Dark Knight Deficient, the 75th Anniversary box set is a beauty!)

And as usual Heroes will offer the special 10% discount on either the box set or any other editions of Returns, Hush and Court of Owls—but remember to mention the discount at check out!!

Suggested Topics for the afternoon? Okay how about


  • The three visions of the same characters.
  • How did the series influence each other?
  • The challenge (or necessity?) for continuity
  • Batman himself—what draws generations of readers to this odd, angry anti-social (but popular) character?
  • What other Batman storylines/GN deserve to be in the same company
  • And that is just the tip of the cowl ladies and gentlemen.

And what you may ask, do we have planned for the months ahead?

Late November— Fables –and we will let you folks choose which collection we will spotlight. Watch this space for further details!!

Down the road
.

Hawkeye

The Best Comics of the Year Anthology

The Complete Bone–(if you don’t already own this masterpiece, it is a perfect Holiday gift request!)

Gilbert Hernandez -we let you folks choose– Marble Season? Julio’s Day? Human Diastrophism? just to name 3.

A Comic strip showcase: Pogo, Peanuts or Barnaby—and again–you will make the call.

And just before HeroesCon we will finally feature
.. Miracleman (assuming Marvel stays on schedule # 1 thru 15 should all be available)

We hope to see you on November 1st at 1:00pm and if you enjoy the afternoon—believe us—you will!!!—plan to join us for more scheduled Discussion Groups down the road!

 

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DISCUSSION GROUP RECAP :: YOUR TURN

December 19, 2013 By: Andy Mansell Category: DISCUSS, Discussion Group

discussion_group

What a day!  What a group! What a great idea!  So, the Heroes Discussion Group met for our holiday session over at the Sunflower Bakery (yum!) and had a solid two hours of fun and revelry.

Here is a breakdown of the books that each Discussioneer brought to the Table:

Andy Mansell selected Peanuts 2000 and passed the book around so everyone could read the final Charlie Brown/Lucy/Football kick Sunday strip.

Then we moved –clockwise of course– around the table to Matt Plummer—aka Manga Man—and he selected the 70 volume One Piece and thrilled us all with the reasons it is one of the best-selling and beloved weekly comics in Japan.

2013-hd-one-piece-wallpaper

MOMBcast-069-EnigmaDana Lynch brought a few books by the great Norwegian cartoonist Jason, but selected as his discussion choice the 8 issue mini-series Enigma from writer Peter Milligan and artist Duncan Fregredo. This is a book that has dipped below the radar in recent years and Dana explained why it was such an important book for him as a comic reader.  The discussion morphed into a roundtable of our favorite Milligan books—X-Force and Shade the Changing Man were mentioned.

Next up was Discussion Group regular Charles Skender and he pulled out his two runners-up Fables March of the Wooden soldiers and Miracleman: Olympus.preacher2_prev2  But he settled on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s tour de force Preacher. He described Preacher as his gate way book into more challenging comic fare.  We also mentioned that it is high time we did Fables for a future discussion and insisted to everyone that they need to give Miracleman a read in the next few months.

Then newbie Chuck Harris offered up Manhattan Projects as his #2 and presented us with his current fave, the All ages book Cowboy—A Boy and his Horse.  Passing the book around the pastry-laden table, we were all smitten with the art.  The group recommended Bone, Snarked and Herobear and the Kid as kindred spirits of Cowboy and ideal follow up books.

Mark Sullivan aka Mr. Vertigo—whom you can read at mrvertigocomics.wordpress.com was 75_52344_0_Hellblazer27HoldMeup next. His runner-up was Daytripper by those boys from Brazil Ba and Moon.  We had spotlighted this series a few years ago and agreed it is a multilayered gem.  Mark’s choice for favorite was Hold Me–the classic issue of Hellblazer from Gaiman and McKean.  What a moving choice.  I can’t speak for the rest of the group, but I had to re-read that beautiful story later that same day.

Joe Rauch—one of HeroesCon’s budding Panel Moderators selected a favorite story arc from his early teen years—Waid and Larroque’s The Flash: Return of Barry Allen.  This got the ball rolling as we talked at length about the appeal of super hero comics and how certain books become embedded in one’s subconscious.

Flash-Return of Barry Allen

A perfect segue for the choice of Laurel Phillips who showed us some of her favorites: Hellboy-Wake the Devil and Soulfire but selected as her go-to book Waid and Ross’ Kingdom Come along with Robinson and Smith’s The Golden Age.

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Superman_All-Star_Superman_001Alex Ramirez was up next and presented our band of sweet tooth readers with Shazam: Monster Society of Evil (which was quickly recommended to Chuck), Sandman World’s End and The Golden Age.  But his favorite was the Morrison/Quitely gem of gems All Star Superman.  This was the topic of our second Discussion Group back when the world was young.  It was an ideal place to finish up since this 12 issue min-series encompasses a love for comics.

As I said, what a great time we had, I was barely able to mention my choice for best book—The Cartoon history of the Universe by Larry Gonick.cartoon-history-part-2-pb-c-700x874  But one thing is for sure, we have to do this kind of discussion again.  It was a blast and most importantly, I wanted to get home as quickly as possible and read some comics.  And isn’t that the point?  Merry Christmas to all!!

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HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP :: YOUR TURN!!!–Saturday December 14th at 1:00pm

November 15, 2013 By: Andy Mansell Category: DISCUSS, Discussion Group, EVENTS

discussion_groupWell, we made it!  50 discussion Groups with hardly any injuries and downright few fatalities.  With the December holiday season looming over our heads like the Savage Sword of Damocles, we thought it would be nice to give our Discussioneers a break. (That’s what we call you behind your backs). Originally we were going to select an expensive comic strip collection, but darn it all to heck, this is the holidays and we’ve all designated a portion of our hard earned comic money to spend on those pesky loved ones.  So we thought we’d all save our money for a few months (hint!) and do something a little special for ourselves.

Our store manager, all around great guy, and capable cartoonist (if we say so ourselves) Justin Crouse recommended we do the following:  invite everyone to bring their favorite comic (single issue or trade paperback) and provide participants with a 10 minute platform to explain to the group why this is a particularly important story to them.   Then we’d spend a few minutes discussing their choice before moving on to the next person.  This way, we can enjoy all the camaraderie and comic discussion without rupturing our wallets in this leather-stretching time of the year.  Think of this as your opportunity to have 10 uninterrupted minutes to talk about one of your all-time favorite, desert island comics – the one you turn to every year or so for rereading.09-0829_d-group_all

An example:  I think of my five favorite books—the ones I will without fail re-read every few years–the ones by which I measure any new books I read.  For the sake of example, I might select the Post War Spirit Comics from 1947 to 1952.  I’d bring along one (or two) of the volumes in the Will Eisner Archive Series and try to explain succinctly why I find the work indispensable.  I would cite Eisner’s growth as a story teller, the development of the modern splash page, the way Eisner used his superhero hook to tell a variety of stories crossing into a variety of genres.  Any questions?  And now it’s your turn.

SAVE THIS DATE: Saturday December 14th at 1:00pm.  We will meet at the store and then head over to the bakery (they serve good food and cocktails too– God bless ‘em!).  All we ask is that you bring along a copy of  the book you want to discuss.  We suggest you have an alternative on the ready in case  someone else already mentions your choice.  And if you want to join us for this discussion but are uncomfortable talking aloud — there is no pressure to participate. Just come for the food and the fun.

The idea is to offer an hour or two of vacation–an escape from all the stressful Holiday social obligations.  This is ‘ME’ time; this is comic book time!!!  So join us and let’s have some fun! See you on Saturday December 14th at 1:00pm.

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HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP :: HELLBOY/B.P.R.D. :: Saturday, November 2nd

October 17, 2013 By: Andy Mansell Category: Discussion Group, EVENTS

Hellboy_BPRD

Well, the Heroes’ Discussion Group reunited with a bang.  We talked about Saga on and off for three hours and spent the rest of the time talking comics with legendary penciller Steve Bissette who stopped by with our friend Craig Fischer on a lark!  It was a tremendous afternoon—I was less a moderator and more of a plate-spinner with an itch between the shoulders.  We had a blast.  Thanks to all of you who attended.

Now we turn our sights onto Halloween.  In the past we’ve done Walking Dead and From Hell.  This year it is time we jumped feet first into the Mike Mignola-verse and talk about Hellboy and B.P.R.D.  The amount of consistent quality pages delivered by Mignola and team centering on everyone’s favorite earth-bound demon and his fellow bureau agents of Paranormal research and defense is legion.  So, we asked all of our Mignolaphiles which books we should tackle.  Based on a consensus over-seen by our own Seth Peagler (thanks Seth!) we have decided on the following trade paperbacks:

  • Hellboy: Wake the Devil—an early complete Hellboy story arc
  • Hellboy: The Chained Coffin—a really solid collections of shorter Hellboy pieces
  • B.P.R.D.—The Dead—one of the best of the early B.P.R.D. extended stories.

Topics will include:

  • The art by Mignola (Hellboy) and Guy Davis (BPRD) and how their different styles affect the storytelling
  • The supporting cast (certainly one of the largest and most interesting around)
  • The way Hellboy/BPRD is published—can new readers jump in anywhere?
  • The use of comedy relief
  • The consistency of the series
  • And for any who are already well-versed with Mignola’s work: What should the new readers pick up next?
  • And a whole lot more!  If you’ve been putting these series off—this is a perfect time to give it a try!

We hope you will join us for a belated Halloween on Saturday November 2nd at 1:00pm.  As usual we will meet at the store and repair to either the Tavern or Bakery across the way.

As usual, Heroes is offering the 10% Discussion Discount on these three books.  But as a special incentive–if you purchase all three we are offering a 20% savings.  That’s 3 Trades for only 45.00.  Just remember to remind the clerk of the discount when you check out.  (The overwhelming and ever-present smell of Mylar is starting to get to us.)

Hope you’ll join us and Happy Halloween!

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