It’s Christmas and we’ve all once again secured our spots on the “Good List” (except for Heroes’ own Phil Southern, but that’s a story for another day..).

There’s only one thing better than Christmas morning and that’s a Christmas with presents purchased from Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find.

But what to ask for? The ideal gift should be something you’d not readily purchase for yourself on any given Wednesday.

But what if you asked a family member or friend for that same comics-related item and…what if Heroes was having a HUGE SALE …what if that sale was THIS WEEKEND????

Well, this is the season of miracles and here are some items for you folks (to receive or give!) who have been pretty darn good this year (excluding of course the aforementioned Phil).

Parker Martini Edition by Darwyn Cooke

This edition contains both of the Parker Graphic Novels, The Hunter and The Outfit plus a new short story plus 70(!) pages of bonus material including bits by Ed Brubaker, Tom Spurgeon, and Abby Westlake! The Parker books are as good as you’ve heard–they are as good as it gets.You absolutely MUST read them and this gorgeous Martini Edition looks great on any bookshelf or coffee table.

Just take a gander inside:

Sadly, my copy is no longer in mint condition due to my excessive salivating.

The Walking Dead Omnibus

I know what you’re thinking–560 pages of Zombie Comics–no way. When we scheduled this book for the Discussion Group, I felt the same way UNTIL I READ the first 12 issues.
And the only thing better than reading a lot of The Walking Dead is reading the comic and then watching the AMC series as an accoutrement. Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard have created a horror masterpiece.

Literary note: If you purchase more than one omnibus, you are allowed (by law) to use the word omnibi even though it is not really a word, but hey, these are zombies we’re dealing with here.

Bone 20th Anniversary Full Color One Volume Collected Box Set

You know you want it. It is the complete collection one of the most fun, exciting comic-reading experiences around. Get it for the kids– it is a perfect starter comic for both boys and girls or use the kids as an excuse and get it for yourself. It is just a stunning piece of comic story telling. I envy any of you that have yet to read it and can experience it for the first time. And this Box Set is the perfect way to read it.

MAD Fold-In Collection

Every dang time (pardon my french!) I go into the store, I have a stare-down with this mammoth two volume set that contains every one of the great Al Jaffee’s fold-ins which ran on the back inside cover of every issue of MAD since LBJ was President. Each fold-in is presented in a before-and-after state so you can enjoy the book without having to trash it!.

You must buy this–you will buy this. (see? if you folded in that last sentence, it would say “You must buy this”)

Gahan Wilson 50 years of Playboy Cartoons

This is one of the best books of the past year (or so). Gahan Wilson is the true heir apparent to New Yorker comic weirdo Charles Addams. His comics are twisted, macabre, beautifully rendered and above all–laugh out loud funny. This 3 volume set belongs in every serious comic fan’s library. It contains over 1000 cartoons – here’s just one example of Wilson’s genius:

Rather smartly, I’m not going to try to make a joke after the master has spoken….

75 Years of DC Comics

Winner of the 2011 Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Comics-Related Book of the Year!
We’ve all seen it in the back of the store; you know we all want it; and we all deserve it–even Phil!

Serving Suggestion: Author Paul Levitz not included

But wait….. there is still more!

STATUES! C’mon fess up– you know you want a statue, me too. And we all deserve a statue (Phil?–well, it’s a toss-up) and the statues will be discounted from 10 to 70 percent!!!! Shelton Drum (aka The Big Kahuna) loves to deal on these Sale weekends. Just don’t call him The Big Kahuna.These statues are priced to move — from the store shelf to under your tree.

If statues aren’t your thing (what –were you born in a barn??) howzabout Toon Tumblers. These terrific glasses will work for any potent (and non-potent) potables. Flavors include Superman,Teen Titans, Joker, Robin, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Captain America, Flash, Spider-Man, Deadpool and a JLA Pitcher.

So for goodness sake,visit Heroes this weekend–Saturday and Sunday December 3rd and 4th and if you buy a Toon Tumbler, for God’s sake use a coaster (unless you really were born in a barn, then, never mind!)

And have the decency not to mention coal around Phil Southern.

Be there…..

Celebrate the holidays with us THIS WEEKEND on December 3rd from 10 am to 9 pm and December 4th from 1 to 6 pm at our Annual Holiday Sale! Shelton has pulled out all the stops! We will have crazy discounts on back-issues, trades, manga and statues. In addition to that, Seth has been building a massive $1 stock of awesome comics. Plus, all new comics and trades will be at least 10% off! Shelley and the rest of the crew have been tirelessly cleaning and decorating in preparation for our big event and we will be ready to answer questions, help you locate items and give you recommendations. Be sure to stop by the store this weekend to stock up on presents for friends, family and yourself. You are not going to want to miss this sale!

Still not sure what to get that certain someone for Christmas? The holiday sale is a perfect time to pick up your 3-day pass for HeroesCon 2012! Still only $30, it makes a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for comics fan. We will be giving away an exclusive Neal Adams Green Lantern/ Green Arrow print with the purchase of a 3-day pass. We can’t wait to see you Saturday and Sunday!

Also, new comics will arrive Wednesday as usual this week with no holiday delay! Check the new releases list here.

We’re wishing everyone an early Happy Thanksgiving and letting you know that new books will be shipping on schedule this Wednesday. So make sure to drop by the store for your pre-Thanksgiving comic book shopping needs! Check out the New Releases page to see what we’ll have for you (Fantastic Four #600! Wolverine and the X-Men #2!).

We will be closed on Thursday, November 24th for the holiday and the store will open at it’s normal time on Friday at 10 am, and observe its regular hours for the duration of the holiday weekend. If you have some out-of-town family visiting and need to get out of the house, bring them over, we’d love to meet them!

Keep an eye out for details concerning our great BIG holiday sale in December! Seth has been working hard on a brand new dollar stock and more to debut at the sale. We’ll be posting full details here on the blog for you soon!

The Heroes Pop Swap :: Charlotte’s Pop Culture Swap Meet takes place outside our store on Saturday, October 29th from 10 AM until at least 4 PM. There will be local artists selling their arts and crafts as well as local collectors selling great items from their collections. Available items include original art, comic books, graphic novels, hardcovers, novels, magazines, t-shirts, records & compact discs, video games, Star Wars toys, Transformers, action figures, statues, wooden carvings, and lots of other collectibles! Trick-or-treating and costumes are encouraged!  This is a fun Halloween event for the entire family and a great place to do some early Christmas shopping!

Local Artists in attendance include:

• Dustin Harbin
• Cassie Hart Kelly
• Dan Willner (Spandex Splinters)
• Jared Moraitis (Beast Wreck Shirts & Stuff)
• Bradd Parton
• Brandon Padgett
• Henry Eudy
• Jason Folkes

Free comics to kids in costume while supplies last!

We hope you’re having a great holiday! To celebrate, Heroes is opening our shiny new web store for you, our loyal blog readers. Click the image above to visit the store now. Today we are offering items that were previously only available at HeroesCon 2011! Why not purchase a Fighting American T-Shirt for yourself or a friend to celebrate our nation’s independence? Check it out, let us know what you think, and please let us know if there are other items you’d like to see in the web store. Have a good one and don’t blow your fingers off people!

It’s time for Free Comic Book Day 2011! If you’ve been to Heroes for FCBD in the past you know it’s one of our biggest events of the year, and this year is no exception!  We’ll be open at our regular time of 10 a.m. and will have tons of Free Comics for you to pick up including a special HeroesCon Green Lantern Special Edition.  Take a look at all of this year’s free comic offerings!

2000 AD, Amazing Spider-Man, Atomic Robo & Friends, Avatar Last Airbender & Star Wars Clone Wars, Baltimore & Criminal Macabre, Bongo Comics Free For All, Captain America  & Thor, Civil War Adventure, Darkness 2 Prequel, Darkwing Duck & Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Deadliest Sharks & Prehistoric Predators, Elric: Balance Lost, Geronimo Stilton & Smurfs, Green Lantern Flashpoint, ICE & Loose Ends, Inspector Gadget, Intrepid Escapegoat & Stuff of Legend, Jake the Dreaming, James Patterson: Witch & Wizard, John Stanley Summer Fun, Kung Fu Panda & Richie Rich, Locke & Key, Misadventures of Adam West, Mouse Guard & Dark Crystal, MTG Path Planeswalker II Preview, Oni Rated Free For Everyone, Overstreet Guide to Collecting Comics, Pep Comics Betty & Veronica, Silver Scorpion, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spontaneous, Super Dinosaur Origin Special, The Tick, Top Shelf Kids Club 2011, Walt Disney Mickey Mouse, Worlds of Aspen, Young Justice & Batman: Brave and the Bold Super Sampler.

This year we’re also happy to be one of the few stores to offer the first ever Sketch Charlotte: Free Comic Book Day Anthology!  This anthology features contributions from many of our talented local friends and customers. Sketch Charlotte’s own Eraklis Petmezas and Bridgit Scheide will be on hand to sign the anthology and some of their own quality books! They are just two of the talented creators that will be in attendance along with:

Chris Brunner – Co-creator of the FCBD offering LOOSE ENDS from 12 Gauge Comics. Artist on Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, cover artist on Boondock Saints and Nola

Ian Flynn – Writer on Sonic the Hedgehog including the FCBD issue and the upcoming Mega Man from Archie Comics

Sanford Greene – Creator of 1000 and Rotten Apple. Artist on Wonder Girl, Method Man, and Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man

Cully Hamner – Co-creator of Red. Artist on The Question, Blue Beetle, Batman: Tenses, The Ride, Daredevil, and Green Lantern: Mosaic

Jason Latour – Co-creator of the FCBD offering LOOSE ENDS from 12 Gauge Comics. Artist on Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Fist, and Daredevil

Laura Martin – Color artist on The Rocketeer, Astonishing X-Men, Planetary, Secret Invasion, Thor and The Stand

Eraklis Petmezas – Creator of Mr. Lune and Last Cigarette

Rico Renzi – Color artist on the FCBD offering LOOSE ENDS from 12 Gauge Comics, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Wolverine, Frenemy of the State, and Captain America. (I’ll mostly be making sure the real guests stay hydrated!)

Budd Root - Creator of Cavewoman

Bridgit Scheide – Creator of The Kindle Kind and Brother Nash

Chris Schweizer - Creator of The Crogan Adventures

Andy Smith – Artist on X-Men: Legacy, WWE Heroes, and Superman Confidential

Brian Stelfreeze – Artist on Wednesday Comics, Jonah Hex, Batman: Shadow of the Bat, Matador and Domino

Matt Wilson – Color artist on the FCBD offering CAPTAIN AMERICA/THOR: THE MIGHTY FIGHTING AVENGERS, Y the Last Man, Phonogram, Thor the Mighty Avenger, and Wolverine

Please remember to be respectful of these folks! They are taking time out of their schedules and time away from their paying jobs to be here for all of us!

In addition to the talented artists who will be on hand to sketch and sign their work we’ll have lots of great bargains available for you on Saturday.  If you’ve been to our store in recent weeks you’ve noticed our fancy new redesign which moved the art books up front where the manga formerly was, and vice versa.  Instead of putting our overstock of this great manga collection in storage, we will be selling them outside at ridiculously low prices!  We also have over 100 long boxes of books that we’ll be selling for $1 and 25¢!  That’s over 25,000 comics to pick through and find books you might be missing from your collections!  Join us this Saturday for great comics, artists, and bargains!

Our sale was a huge success and we have all of you to thank! We greatly appreciate your patronage and support. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking advantage of the terrific deals. We had a ton of fun and we hope you did too. All of us at Heroes wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season! I took a few pictures and have posted them on our Flickr page. Check them out here! If you missed the sale, fear not! The store is open throughout the month of December for all you present needs (though you will have to pay full price). We are happy to help you find that perfect gift for that special someone.

Join us THIS WEEKEND on December 4th from 10 am to 9 pm and December 5th from 1 to 6 pm as we begin the holiday celebration with our widely popular annual holiday sale where we discount nearly everything in the store! Shelton has pulled out all the stops! We will have crazy discounts on back-issues, trades, manga and statues. In addition to that Seth has been building a massive, brand-new $1 stock loaded up with awesome comics. If you have had the pleasure of digging through our previous dollar stocks you know that we go to great effort to pack them full of quality books. Plus, all new comics and trades will be at least 10% off! Shelley and the rest of the crew have been tirelessly cleaning and decorating in preparation for our big event and we will be ready to answer questions, help you locate items and give you recommendations. Be sure to stop by the store THIS WEEKEND to stock up on presents for friends, family and yourself. You are not going to want to miss this sale!

Still not sure what to get that certain someone for Christmas? The holiday sale is a perfect time to pick up your 3-day pass for HeroesCon 2011! It makes a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for comics fan. We can’t wait to see you Saturday and Sunday!

We’ve been hinting at it for weeks but now we are finally ready to divulge the full details of our huge annual two-day holiday sale! Join us December 4th from 10 am to 9 pm and December 5th from 1 to 6 pm as we begin the holiday celebration with our widely popular annual sale where we discount nearly everything in the store! Shelton has pulled out all the stops! We will have crazy discounts on back-issues, trades, manga and statues. In addition to that Seth has been building a massive, brand-new $1 stock loaded up with awesome comics. If you have had the pleasure of digging through our previous dollar stocks you know that we go to great effort to pack them full of quality books. Plus, all new comics and trades will be at least 10% off! Shelley and the rest of the crew have been tirelessly cleaning and decorating in preparation for our big event and we will be ready to answer questions, help you locate items and give you recommendations. Be sure to stop by the store next weekend to stock up on presents for friends, family and yourself. You are not going to want to miss this sale!

Still not sure what to get that certain someone for Christmas? The holiday sale is a perfect time to pick up your 3-day pass for HeroesCon 2011! It makes a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for comics fan. We can’t wait to see you next Saturday and Sunday!

This is a reminder to all of you true believers out there that books will be shipping on schedule this Wednesday. So make sure to drop by for your pre-Thanksgiving fix! And check out the New Releases page for a look at all the terrific stuff that’s coming out this week. However, keep in mind that next week there will be a holiday delay and books will be in the store on Thursday, December 2nd.

But don’t forget! We’ll be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday the 25th. Don’t worry though! The store will open at it’s normal time on Friday at 10 am, and observe its regular hours for the duration of the holiday weekend (which would be a perfect time for all of you regulars to baptise your cool little cousins, nieces and nephews in all the Heroes-y radness).

And keep an eye out for details concerning our great BIG holiday sale in December! Seth has been working hard on a brand new dollar stock to debut at the sale. As if that isn’t enough, we’ll be posting full details here on the blog for you to explore soon enough.

Until then, have a safe and super-rad Turkey Day!