Seth’s Pick :: Building Stories: I think it’s safe to say that this is probably the book of the week in terms of design and presentation.  Like him or not, cartoonist Chris Ware deserves respect for his painstakingly-produced comics, and this is easily the most elaborate of the projects he’s produced thus far in his career.  It’s a box full of comics of various sizes and shapes, each contributing to a larger narrative, but one that can be read in any order.  The biggest selling point for me is that this enormous set of books is only $50, a price which pales in comparison to many hardcover collections with far less material than this one.  I had a chance to purchase an advanced copy of this a few weeks ago, and you can link HERE to read my review of what will surely end up being one of the books of the year.

KARLA’S PICK :: DR. MANHATTAN #2: If you’ve been following the new Before Watchmen series, you know that this is not just any prequel. The artist and writers working on these new titles are true fans of the characters they are bringing to life. That has never been more apparent than in the new Dr. Manhattan series by J. Michael Straczynski, John Higgins, and Adam Hughes. If you are a fan of Mr. Hughes’ artwork, this book will not disappoint. With Adam on covers and interiors, this book is not only captivating for its storytelling, but for its impeccable art as well. It’s a can’t miss for me.

Though I was among those who read Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in my high school and college days, I came to Sandman Mystery Theatre a little later.  Vertigo knowingly produced the Mystery title in hopes of not only capitalizing on the fame of Sandman, but also telling new stories about a preexisting property.  The Golden Age Sandman was a very ordinary man named Wesley Dodds, who inherited a fortune from his father and was also plagued by nightmares the way his father and forebears were.  Dodds had no superpowers, and his only real offensive weapon came in the form of a gas he’d use to render opponents incapaciatated.  The gas also acted as a truth serum of sorts, prompting confessions and admittances from crooks.  But other than the gas mask and gas gun, there was never much that separated Dodds from, say, The Crimson Avenger, The Green Hornet, The Shadow, or any similarly-clad avengers of the night.

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It’s no secret to readers of this blog that my husband/Heroes blogger Seth loves all things Hellboy, but he has been completely unable to get me to read anything outside of Hellboy Jr. and the Beasts of Burden crossover one-shot.  There’s no real reason for my stance on this.  I liked the Hellboy movies, but that’s more about my love for Ron Perlman in beastly make-up than any particular attachment to the Hellboy storyline.  (While we’re on Mr. Perlman, can we all have the warm fuzzies again about the Make-A-Wish kid and Hellboy story from this summer?) Anyhoo, back to comics…Seth has full shelves in our house dedicated to Hellboy and B.P.R.D., but they had been gathering dust where I was concerned until recently.

At this year’s HeroesCon, I stumbled into a conversation between B.P.R.D. artists Jason Latour and James Harren in which I mentioned that I had not read B.P.R.D. and I wasn’t sure it was for me.  Not daunted at all by my hesitation, Jason immediately suggested that I start with Plague of Frogs and assured me that I would like it.  August rolled around without me picking up any of the trades on our shelves until I had a week without many new comics in my reserve bag and decided to pull volume 3 and it give it a go.  Cut to about a week and half later and I am about to start volume 13. Read the rest of this entry →

RICO’S PICK :: THE NAO OF BROWN: Glyn Dillon has had quite a career in and out of comics, from being part of the gang of cartoonists who created the fantastic UK magazine Deadline (where he worked on Tank Girl among other things) to various storyboarding gigs for film and television (including Gorillaz) and a bit of work on some early Vertigo comics (Shade the Changing Man, Egypt, & Sandman). But forget about all that. In The Nao of Brown Dillon has created something on his own, rich characters, new worlds (at least 4 in this story that overlap and intertwine). This book contains breath-taking art and story in a beautiful package. I’ll stop before this turns into a full blown book review, this is my favorite book of the year, it’s amazing, you should get it.

There is a great interview between Glyn Dillon and Paul Gravett here if you’d like to read a bit more and see 2 exclusive pages.

HEATHER’S PICK :: FAIREST #8: Rapunzel takes the lead in this female driven Fables spin-off and brings along lots of baggage as she travels from New York to Tokyo in an attempt to put a mystery from her less than pristine past to rest.  With another gorgeous cover from Adam Hughes, this latest arc is an excellent point to start this series if you have not been reading from the start with the Tokyo storyline promising ghosts, talking cats, and scorned lovers!

We all have certain creators whose work we habitually return to that remind us why we love comics so much.  For me, Mike Mignola, Dave Stevens, Eddie Campbell and Jacques Tardi all fall into that category.  There is another name I need to add to that list – Chris Ware.  This one might surprise some of you, if for no other reason than the notoriously tedious nature of his storytelling.  It’s no secret that Ware’s books require some dedication from readers.  Still, it’s hard to deny the level of skill that Ware employs in his cartooning, and the equally astronomical level of respect he has for the craft and history of comics.  One of my personal highlights of attending last week’s Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland was not only meet Ware and buy an advanced copy of his latest book, Building Stories, but to also attend a panel where he discussed his latest magnum opus at length.  Here are some initial thoughts following my first reading of Building Stories.

Walking through the halls of SPX with my new copy of Building Stories in tow, I felt not unlike I do whenever my wife wants to go to Ikea.  I usually end up carrying a box the size of a small table of something or other under my arm, and I know it’ll take some time to construct the piece, but it’ll end up being some form of functional furniture.  It’s really not until you crack Building Stories open that you really start to grasp the breadth of this project.  It’s a box full of various sized comics in numerous forms.  There are a few small folded strips, a larger hardcover (which reprints the original Building Stories found in Acme Novelty Library #18, a full newspaper full of comics, a folded game board complete with full diagrams of the building of the title, several large folded comics, and something that looks like a Golden Book that tells the building’s story in the building’s voice.  It’s even worth pointing out the beautiful design work on the box front and back.   I’m sure I left some items out, but needless to say it’s a lot of comics.  When we unpacked the box Sunday night, it took up the entirety of our king size bed.

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JUSTIN’S PICK :: V FOR VENDETTA BOOK AND MASK SET: Just in time for Halloween, you too can don the mask of everyone’s favorite anarchist dandy (just don’t wear it into the gas station). And to sweeten the deal, you get a copy of Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s masterful tale of poetic terrorism in totalitarian Britain. If you’ve only seen the film adaptation, you’re doing yourself a great disservice; V is truly one of Moore’s greatest accomplishments.

ANDY’S PICK :: V FOR VENDETTA BOOK AND MASK SET: Need a Halloween costume? Need to read one of the best graphic novels ever written (you heard me–EVER!!)?  Well then, look no further and do all your shopping with a single gift set. Vertigo is offering said gift set that includes V for Vendetta the graphic masterpiece written by Alan Moore and gorgeously drawn by David Lloyd along with a beautifully rendered Guy Fawkes mask just like the one worn by Vendetta’s main character V as he attempts to save a future Britain from itself.  Explosives sold separately. The time (to buy) is October 3rd. This is the voice of FATE. Heroesonline prevails!

The Heroes Pop Swap is back! Buy! Sell! Trade! Saturday, October 27th 10AM-4PM

We had so much fun with this event last time that we had to do it again! The Pop Swap is a great place to find a loving new home for your old collectibles that are taking up too much of your space. It’s also a great place to find great items for yourself or a unique gift for a friend! Since Pop Swap takes place right before Halloween, this is also a prime opportunity to test out your costume! Click the image to apply for space to sell your items and we’ll see you on Saturday, October 27th!

Click here to reserve your space today!

Heroes Head Honcho Shelton Drum on the creation of the Heroes Pop Swap from 2011:

Heroes Pop Swap is an idea that I had on the way back from a recent road trip. Before Heroes Convention and the Charlotte Mini-Con and even the Heroes store, local comics fans would gather and trade comics and talk about our hobby. It was usually something like a sidewalk sale put together by a local bookstore and/or newsstand. I remember going to similar events in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh and the famous Murray Brothers’ backyard and basement gatherings in Durham during the latter half of the 70’s. None of us “old-timers” were official dealers yet. None of us had stores. We just shared a common interest in collecting as well as buying and selling comic books and related stuff.

We thought we’d try to bring back that feeling from those events with the Heroes Pop Swap: Charlotte’s Pop Culture Swap Meet. For a nominal fee anyone can reserve space and sell items from their personal collection to other fans who are sure to give that item a good home. We are also encouraging local artists and artisans to come and sell their art, pop-culture related crafts and comics.

There will be no professional dealers. Professional will be defined by me personally. If you buy and sell comics regularly either at conventions or online you will be excluded from setting up, but I encourage you to come shop! I anticipate a lot cool items being offered.

We want to limit this event to local creators and comics and pop culture enthusiasts who have interesting items from their personal collections that they are willing to sell and self-produced comics and related products. People who are purchasing space are encouraged not only to bring comics but any items falling under the pop culture umbrella. That could be toys, games, music, movies and more.

Reservations are 1st come, 1st served. Click here for the application.

You can reserve 4 ft ($10)-6 ft ($15)-8 ft ($20) space.

We can provide a limited number of tables, if you have your own table you are encouraged to bring it. You will still be charged for the space.

We will provide chairs if needed while supply lasts and you are welcome to bring your own as well.

Set-up starts at 9am, please plan to stay set up until at least 4 PM but you are welcome to stay later if things are going well for you!

Since this event is so close to Halloween don’t be afraid to come in costume. Trick or treating will be part of our advertising for this event, please consider bringing a treat of some sort for the kids (candy, button, stickers, comics etc..).

We think this will be a fun event for everyone involved and if it is successful we’d like to make it something we do few times a year.

Thanks! I look forward to bringing back some of the “old school!”

Shelton Drum

Seth’s Pick :: Everything Together GN: If  you’ve ever seen a copy of the excellent anthology Kramer’s Ergot in the store, you have editor Sammy Harkham to thank for it. Not only is he adept at bringing together some of today’s greatest cartoonists for that book, but he’s a fine cartoonist in his own right.  Everything Together collects all of Harkham’s short stories, including must-reads like Poor Sailor and Somersaulting.  There are also bits of satire and musings on Jewish mysticism alongside Harkham’s observations of his life as a cartoonist. I picked this one up when it debuted at the Small Press Expo a few weeks ago, and it definitely warrants a look from you this week.  It’s a fine example of strong storytelling all around.