Just a quick word of congratulations to our buddy J. Chris Campbell (seen above at right, with Rob Ullman) on the news that his number of children is about to double. Wait–does he have just one? Or more? I think just one. I hope just one–anyway, he’s having another! Hooray! Feel free to congratulate him in person at next week’s Charlotte Minicon. The baby is scheduled for some time in June, which may mean that J. Chris is going to have to make a hard choice, vis a vis his attendance at HeroesCon 08, which–have you heard?–is scheduled for June 20-22. With luck, his wife and future child will forgive him. Congratulations, JCC!

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE:

The week of Christmas we will be receiving new books on Friday, Dec 28th; bring your Christmas money!

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE:

The week of New Year’s, we will be receiving new books on Friday, January 5th; bring your New Year’s money!

THAT IS ALL.

[Apologies To John Hodgeman.]

Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find will be hosting its very first Manga Night on January 14, 2008, from 7-9pm! This is sure to draw fans of manga and anime from all over the Charlotte metro area–come out and meet others that share your passion for manga! There’s sure to be a ton of discussion, not only of existing mangas, but hot new upcoming titles. And not only that but just to sweeten the pot we’ll be:

– offering 10% off of ALL regularly priced mangas in stock (15% for reserve customers)!
– making available our giant stock of half-off and $2 mangas!

ALSO, we’re instituting a new policy for ordering mangas. From now on, Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find will offer 10% off to anyone pre-ordering a manga through us! This only applies to books that have not initially shipped yet–whether you order it through Previews, or just tell us you want a copy of the new Naruto that ships next week or whatever; we’ll give you a coupon you can redeem for 10% off that item when it comes in!

AND FOR ITEMS THAT HAVE ALREADY SHIPPED, if we don’t have it and you want us to order it for you, we’ll give you 5% off that item! This is not only our way to say “thanks” for buying your manga with us, but also to expand our audience out into the city a little bit–so tell your friends! From now on, it’s cheaper to buy manga at Heroes!

SO LET’S SUM UP these two big develops for readers of manga:
1) We’re holding a special Manga Night on January 14, from 7-9pm, where all the manga will be on sale, there’ll be a ton of deep-discounted manga available, AND you’ll be able to meet and discuss manga with fans from all over the region!
2) We’re instituting a new policy, effective immediately, that saves you 10% off any manga you preorder with us, and 5% off any manga you reorder with us.

Dō itashi mashite [You're Welcome]!

2007 is at an end, so now it’s time to take a look back at some of the groovy grooviness that was this year.

Best Ongoing Series: New Avengers
It’s really hard to pin down why this series is so enjoyable, especially post-Civil War. I know that it’s not the best series on the racks but…it’s just really really fun. It just revels in its tongue in cheek humor without undercutting its dramatic moments. Whenever I’m done reading it I have a big grin on my face and can’t wait for the next issue which is what one really wants from their comics.

Best Mini-Series: 52
52 was an amazing series both in terms of story and the fact that it all shipped on time. Even better was the fact that it had pretty much a perfect ending. When it was done I think the fans, the writers, and everybody in between felt proud to have been part of this series.

Best Mature Series: Scalped
This series is a combination of The Departed and The Sopranos set on an Indian reservation. It started out pretty average but by the third issue this series hit its stride big time and is becoming an epic tale of crime, redemption, and regret. Catch this one while it’s still in its early stages.

Best Collection: Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus
This was hard to pick, especially with the Fourth World Omnibus and Ed Brubaker’s Captain America Omnibus out as well. But it’s a massive book, with the entire Lee/Ditko run. Spidey at his best, man; Spidey at his best.

Best Comic Book Movie: 300
This movie was like getting punched in the face in a good way. Where you spit out a tooth and say “Yeah, I’ll have some more of that and some figgie pudding please.” That’s how you feel like 10 minutes in.

Other Stuff:
Best Crossover: Sinestro Corps War
Best Single Issue: Sinestro Corps Special
Best Comeback: All-Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder (this series is twisted)
Best Licensed Book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8
Best Hero: Iron Fist
Best Villain: Iron Man (The jerk store called, they said they were out of him!)

While my work at Heroes usually keeps me in the warehouse, I’ve been a loyal customer for over 17 years and have been turned on to great books by the staff over the years. So I thought I’d share some of my suggestions for not only the holidays, but also items worth checking out at our upcoming sale (December 1-2 for those who may have forgotten). Similarly to my Heroes colleagues, I thought I’d break down my suggestions into groups and focus on specific genres.

For fans of crime fiction, there’s definite worth in checking out any of the “100 Bullets” storylines or trade paperbacks. High on my list is volume 5, “The Counterfifth Detective,” my favorite storyline thus far. Also recommended is “Scene of the Crime: A Little Piece of Goodnight.” This one’s especially a good idea for fans of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark‘s current run on Daredevil, as they both collaborate on this book from a few years ago.

For fans of cosmic superheroes, I’d recommend the recently completed “Silver Surfer: Requiem” series. Brought to life by J. Michael Straczynski and Esad Ribic, this mini series follows the pattern of “The End” books that Marvel Comics has released in recent years. Though never overtly called “The End,” the story follows the last days of the Silver Surfer and reminds us of the character’s greatness and nobility.

Good suggestions for those enjoying comic strips or archival reprints are Drawn and Quarterly’s “Walt and Skeezix” compilations. These reprints of the long-running “Gasoline Alley” comic strip feature great art from creator Frank King, and offer an accurate glimpse of day-to-day life in the 1920′s. It’s also important to point out that this series takes place in real time, so characters age and progress as anyone would over time, something rare for comics and comic strips.

Horror fans should consider looking at “Baltimore,” the recent illustrated novel from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and co-writer Christopher Golden. Mignola has long been known for incorporating elements of folklore and classic horror into his work. This novel is no different, and effectively puts a new twist on vampire lore and vampire hunters, while still retaining the gothic tone tone of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”

Western fans are wise to find “Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex,” DC’s black and white reprints of the early appearances of their famous western hero. Featuring work from comic legends Gil Kane, Joe Kubert, Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams, among others, this affordable collection gets you over 500 pages of classic comics for under $20.00, a deal hard to pass up for any fan of westerns.

Those preferring their comics a little more psychological should seek out Grant Morrison’s run on “Doom Patrol.” Written before his runs on “JLA,” “New X-Men,” “Seven Soldiers” and “All Star Superman,” “Doom Patrol” follows bizarre characters with strange powers (or situations) as they face threats with names like Mr. Nobody and the Brotherhood of Dada, among other odd creations.

Fans of indy, or non-superhero books might enjoy Alex Robinson’s “Box Office Poison,” the recent reprints of “Love and Rockets,” or any of Chris Ware‘s excellent offerings from “Acme Novelty Library.” While each of these series are very different, they all deal with humans who are neither super nor powered, but all the more interesting because of that fact.

Those are just a few brief ideas for the holidays. Enjoy.

Okay, so I’m not sure how many of you out there know about this, but it’s double-definitely worth checking out. Sam Hiti–whose book Tiempos Finales I recently reviewed–does a thing on the side called Fistacuffs, which is a gladiator-style cartoonist-on-cartoonist tournament. Basically, cartoonists whip up completely original characters and pit them against each other anonymously, with participants and some viewers voting on the outcome. Some pretty big names have contributed fighters in the past, including Guy Davis, Paul Pope, Kagan McLeod (one of my favorites!), and a TON of others. The fight is totally anonymous, so it doesn’t turn into a popularity contest, and everything is kept PG, so it’s even okay for your kids to look at.

ANYway, the fourth tournament is now going on: this time it’s a 3-on-3 team tournament. I can’t tell you which team our staff member is on; heck, I don’t even want to tell you which staff member, just in case. But regardless, go check it out. You can even vote for your favorite team, but I’m pretty sure you have to have a valid Blogger profile, and your profile has to link to a valid blog or sweet website, to keep cheaters at bay. All those voting rules are on there, if you scroll down a little. But even if you don’t vote, it’s just a cool thing to look at! Enjoy!

The following is the holiday shipping schedule from Diamond, as well as our store hours surrounding these major holidays:

The week following Thanksgiving, books will ship on Thursday, November 29.
Our store will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

The week of Christmas, books will ship two days late, on Friday, December 28.
Our store will close as early as 6pm on Monday, December 24, depending on business. We will be closed on Christmas Day (Dec. 25).

The week of New Year’s Day, books will ship two days late, on Friday, January 4, 2008.
We will most likely close early on New Year’s Eve, and possibly on New Year’s Day. We will announce that schedule near the end of December.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find!

Kudos to customer Frank “Shades” Guzek (okay, so I’m the only one who calls him “Shades”) for bringing in the latest copy of Wired! Magazine, featuring a very interesting article on manga! The feature takes a look at not only the huge presence of manga in Japanese culture, but also at the role and impact of dojinshi, or nonprofessional self-published manga. (Think fan fiction that’s actually published and sold alongside the title it’s based on). It takes an in-depth look at how the professional manga market and the basically illegal dojinshi market coexist and feed into each other. It also questions whether a similar concept might work for the American publishing world.

Along with the fascinating article, there’s a sidebar looking at how manga finally invaded American culture, from the days “Astro Boy” hit U.S. airwaves all the way up to the present day. What’s cool about this, though, is that the 10-page article is presented through manga-style art and is even published in the magazine back to front, right to left, just like traditional manga!

Given the huge interest in manga these days, I thought many of you might be interested in both this cool history lesson and look at the illegal-but-that’s-okay world of dojinshi. So pick up that new issue of Wired, or read the article online. The manga-style sidebar is also downloadable to read as a PDF file.

Thanks again for the cool info, Frank!

I know I mentioned it in my long-winded con report below, but I thought I’d put a dedicated posting up, just for archiving purposes. So: hey, check out these rad photos I took of the three of us and our friend Steve Saffel tearing it up in Baltimore! Wooo!

Hooray!! Our buddies Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick have produced their most awesome collaboration to date, in the person of young master Henry Leo DeFraction! The proud parents demonstrate their utter lack of respect for traditional naming conventions, true to form. We applaud! Congratulations to Matt and Kelly Sue: let us all hoist a glass at our very next opportunity.

Photo by (I believe) Laurenn McCubbin, which I swiped from Warren Ellis’ site, which I was directed to by Tom Spurgeon. And correction of my grossly erroneous posting of young DeFraction’s real name courtesy of K. Thor Jensen: his new son’s name is Henry Jared Llewoh Jensen. It takes a village. Congratulations to the many people involved with all of these babies!