Wuxtry! Wuxtry! We have a limited number of free passes to a sneak preview of ROLE MODELS, which is a rated R movie, so be forewarned, family blog. The screening is scheduled for Wednesday, October 29 at 7.30pm, and each pass admits TWO people. Bonus! So come get your pass, then be sure and pick up your new comics this Wednesday before heading over to the theatre nice and early–they give out many more passes than there are seats, those tricksters.

Yo all my peeps! Now up on our increasingly massive (over 1100 photos now) Flickr photo site is a photo report on Friday’s AWESOME appearance in our store by Harvey Pekar (American Splendor) and Alison Bechdel (Fun Home). There’s plenty of description over there, but here are a few highlights to read before you click here to go to Flickr:

1) Harvey Pekar and Alison Bechdel are both very nice, personable, and fascinating people.

2) Alison very patiently answered a list of questions that our Discussion Group leader Andy Mansell sent me for her (he couldn’t make it because of a last minute work thing, to his utter chagrin). She was floored by some of the questions, but answered them all with consideration and enthusiasm. I think I have a little crush on Alison Bechdel now, which is problematic AT BEST.

3) The ImaginOn is a cool place.

Okay! Now go look at the pictures!

Every Wednesday we run down the 5 most interesting comics or graphic novels coming out for the week.

5. SUPERMAN NEW KRYPTON SPECIAL #1
Written by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and Sterling Gates; Art by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal, Renato Guedes and Wilson Magalháes, and Pete Woods ;
DC Comics
$3.99 | 48 pgs

Current Superman writers Geoff Johns and James Robinson team up with all the Superman artists for this one-shot special that acts as part 1 of a 9-part event that will be running through both Superman and Action Comics. Of course even though it’s considered “part 1” the story actually picks up where Action Comics #870 left off but if you read The Daily News last week or looked at just about any comics news site you probably already know which longtime Superman character got killed off in that issue. The story does also pick up on various story threads that have been running through the Superman titles for the last couple of years as well so I’m not going to say this is new reader friendly but Johns knows how to handle an event like this as evidenced by the highly popular Sinestro Corps War that ran through the Green Lantern books a while back. So if you’re looking for a way into the Superman books and maybe are feeling a little bit of withdrawal from All Star Superman having ended a couple of weeks back than this is probably your best bet for some Kryptonian fun.

4. UNKNOWN SOLDIER #1
Written by Joshua Dysart; Art by Alberto Ponticelli;
DC Vertigo
$2.99 | 32 pgs

Oh God, now I’ve got that weird song by The Doors stuck in my head. The Unknown Soldier is a classic DC property that got his start in an old Sgt. Rock story set in WWII. Garth Ennis rebooted him as an undercover CIA agent about ten years ago. Now, writer Joshua Dysart relaunches the series and sets it in strife-ridden Northern Uganda in 2002 with the bandaged hero being a pacifist doctor named Moses Lwanga. When Moses is attacked by local butchers he finds a voice in his head that unleashes a mysterious knowledge to kill that was hidden inside him.

Dysart went to Uganda for a month to research this project so you have to appreciate a comic writer going to such lengths for his story. Makes you wonder why Geoff Johns hasn’t been to space yet. Slacker.

3. SPIRIT FEMMES FATALES TP
By Will Eisner
DC Comics
$19.99 | 192 pgs

If you’ve seen the trailers for Frank Miller’s upcoming The Spirit movie then you won’t be the least bit surprised that the movie tie-in would contain a collection of classic Spirit stories that all focus around his various sexy antagonists: P’Gell, Sand Seref, Silk Satin, etc. There’s no telling how people walking out of the theater after Miller’s over-sexed take on these stories will rectify what they saw with Will Eisner’s still-seductive but slightly more quaint and of-its-time depictions of the Femmes Fatale here. Of course, let’s not overlook the fact that these are some of the great classic comics of the Golden Age and Will Eisner is arguably the most influential comic creator ever so I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with what they find here.

2. WE CAN STILL BE FRIENDS
By Mawil
Blank Slate Books
$14.99 | 64 pgs

German cartoonist Mawil releases an English translation of his autobiographical tales of romantic disasters, We Can Still Be Friends, through the new publisher Blank Slate Books. If you’re a guy and you’ve ever fallen hopelessly for a girl and then proceeded to mess up your chance with her really badly then you’ll love this book (OR it will bring back some seriously painful and embarrassing memories. Yay!) Mawil’s stories will connect with all of us wannabe Casanovas due not only to the relatable nature of his lovelorn stories but to his charming cartooning style. Fans of the work of both Jeffrey Brown and Lewis Trondheim will want to give this a try I’m sure. You can read a quick little preview here.

This one won’t be in the shop today but put in your order here by placing a comment if you’re interested.

1. HEAVY LIQUID HC
By Paul Pope
DC Vertigo
$29.95 | 240 pgs

Paul Pope’s early Vertigo series Heavy Liquid gets the recoloring treatment as well as some extra pages in this new hardcover release. Set in New York City of the late 21st century, Heavy Liquid is about a private detective named “S” who is hooked on a drug/art form called Heavy Liquid. It’s a sci-fi detective story with ruminations on art and love and draws parallels to Philip K. Dick and Dashiell Hammett. Pope is comic’s rock star right now whose appeal is currently breaking out of the comics world and into the New York art and fashion scene as witnessed by DKNY’s recent clothing line based on his work.

Of Pope’s oeuvre, I’m not sure that this would be considered his best work but I also don’t think you can go wrong with any of his books.

AND THERE’S MORE...

FINAL CRISIS #4 and SECRET INVASION #7
If superhero event books were about finishing first with your regular artist intact than Marvel’s Secret Invasion would be on its way to a clear win. Only one issue to go there while delays have slowed down DC’s Final Crisis and seemed to have cost us the work of JG Jones who is replaced by Carlos Pacheco this issue.

NORTHLANDERS TP VOL 01 SVEN THE RETURNED
Brian Wood’s new series of angsty 20-somethings who just happen to also be Vikings living in the 11th century get collected in a nice, affordable $9.99 trade.

WARREN ELLIS AETHERIC MECHANICS GN
A new Ellis book from his “Apparat” line. It’s an early 20th century detective story set in an alternate universe.

FRENCH MILK GN
An auto-bio comic by American cartoonist Lucy Kinsley about living in Paris and going shopping with her mom or something. Ah to be young and in Paris. Actually this has gotten some very good word of mouth.

TRAINS ARE…MINT
This is another book from new publisher Blank Slate Press and was up for an Ignatz award. It’s also been nominated in my own awards show for Book Titles That Make Me Smile. This is a travelogue book set in Northern England. This one also won’t be in the shop today but place an order. The reviews on this one are very good.

If you’re like me, then you might NOT have read this past Sunday’s Charlotte Observer, which apparently featured a front-page article on tomorrow’s appearance by Harvey Pekar and Alison Bechdel. Okay, so the article is focused somewhat more squarely on their lecture at the ImaginOn, BUT, we get a little mention as well. If you’ve already covered your bird-cage bottom with Sunday’s paper, never fear: the Internet is here to help you. See you tomorrow, first here at 4 for the FREE book-signing, then at the ImaginOn for the lecture. While our event is free, we are helping sell tickets to the ImaginOn lecture ($15), which you can get in the store no problem!

Last week we asked you to write in with the comics creators you’d most like to see as guests at next year’s HeroesCon. And boy, did you. After careful consideration, some heated debate, and a lot of behind the scenes dealmaking, we have chosen to bail out the big Wall Street banks a winner.

While there were a number of GREAT suggestions (including great ones by the Galvans, “Schmakt”, and “Eric”, not to mention pretty much everybody else), we’ve decided the best one was by “Lyle”–this is what he wrote:

“All right, I;ll be honest, my pick for Heroes COn ’09 is a selfish one. Very selfish.

I would LOVE if John Romita Sr. would attend. I’ve long loved this man’s artwork, and I would kill to meet him….

….but that’s not why I want him to attend Heroes Con.

He is a legend, a MASTER of the pencil, and has drawn some of the most legendary arcs in Marvel history…

…but that’s still not why I want him to attend Heroes Con.

I want him to attend because I have a book I want to get signed. The book is “The Death of the Stacys” Hardcover. I got this for my daughter, Gwen, before she was born. It is already signed by Stan Lee (thanks STAN!!), and I would love to see it signed by John Romita…I’d even throw in for a head sketch. This book is going to be put up for her, and, one day, she can see this book, and see that two comic greats signed this book just for her.

I know it’s sappy, but that’s my pick, and that is the reason why.”

GREAT request, Lyle, and apparently one that pretty much everyone is behind on one level or another. Both of the Romitas (Sr. and Jr.) have been guests in the past, but I think the last time might have been in 96 or so, which would have been my very first HeroesCon as a member of the staff! Jeez, I’ve been working here too long! It’s hard to find a Spidey fan bigger than Shelton, and I know he’s constantly bugging those guys to come back, but we’ll see if we can get the stars to align for you next summer, Lyle!

In the meantime, you are the proud future owner of a 3-disc DVD! If you’re in the Charlotte area, you can drop by the store and pick it up; otherwise, drop me an e-mail through my little blog idea (there’ll be an e-mail link there–if I type it in here my junk mail will double overnight), and we’ll work out some shipping arrangements.

And thanks to everyone for voting! We love to hear from you guys on ANYTHING, so don’t be shy about posting here on the blog!

I did the Marvel portion of this months and months ago and now that I have a little time , it’s time I think to do the DC portion of things. By DC I mean the mainstream stuff; not the Vertigo stuff which will be its own fantastically-written-by-me article. Recommending beginner stuff for DC is a little weirder because of there constantly shifting continuity and universe-bending Crises. But this sorta thing is my bag so I got this.
Best place to start is with Superman and Batman cause they’re the most well-known characters in comics.

SUPERMAN: A lot of people doubt Superman and his relevance and the relative quality of Superman stories, but our Superman section of the rack says differently. All-Star Superman is the best place to start for anyone looking to get into the character or anyone questioning the validity of the character. Superman: Red Son takes a different slant on the character by having his rocket crash-land in the Soviet Union and making him a Communist. To get a little bang for your buck pick up the first Showcase: Superman for 500 plus pages of Superman having really really trippy adventures in the 1950s. Worth the 10 dollar cover price for the issue where Superman wears an Alfred E. Neuman mask to teach Lois not to judge people by their looks. Other notable collections include Superman and the Legion of Superheroes, Last Son, Birthright, Up, Up, and Away and the Man of Steel collections.

BATMAN: There are five key stories to be well-versed in the Batman universe: Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, and Arkham Asylum. Yeah this section is a lot shorter than the Superman but there’s nothing really left to say about these books that hasn’t been said by other people.

GREEN LANTERN has been a fantastic book since Geoff Johns has taken over so I recommend picking up Green Lantern: Rebirth and picking up the other trades or hardcovers written by him especially the Sinestro Corps War hardcovers.

Series like Grant Morrison’s JLA, Gotham Central, and soon Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing are being collected into Deluxe Hardcovers and are all definitely worth picking up.

DC excels at epic storytelling and books like DC: The New Frontier, Kingdom Come, and The Golden Age are the best of the best of said epics.

Where DC definitely beats Marvel is in having a more diverse stock of characters so look into books with characters like Sgt. Rock (war), Jonah Hex (western) , Adam Strange (sci-fi), Warlord (fantasy), and House of Mystery (horror).

If you’re looking to get into the wider, current DCU I recommend Identity Crisis, 52, Justice League of America: The Tornado’s Path, and Justice Society of America: The Next Age.

More to come!

Every Wednesday we run down the 5 most interesting comics or graphic novels coming out for the week.

5. ENDER’S GAME: BATTLE SCHOOL #1
Written by Chris Yost; art by Pasquel Ferry
Marvel
$2.99

If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like to read many novels and prefers to wait until they get made into films or comic books then this is your day. If you’re a fan of Orson Scott Card’s immensely popular 1985 sci-fi novel, Ender’s Game, you’re also very lucky. Having much success with translating Stephen King’s Dark Tower novels into a series of comics, Marvel is at it again with the first part of an adaption of Card’s futuristic story of a brilliant 8 year old who may be Earth’s last hope against a potentially devastating alien invasion.

If you prefer to wait for the movie, there’s no telling when that will happen though Card has said that this comic is the first step to moving this story to a visual medium and you could do worse than having artist Pasquel Ferry on board for that.

4. POHADKY
By Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek
Drawn & Quarterly
$13.95 | 128 pgs

This week’s thing of beauty might very well be this illustrated “folk tale” from two artists, one Ukranian and one from the Czech Republic. Both pull on elements of their culture’s rich artistic history to create a collection of sad, lower-case-“g”-grim fairy tales. Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek are artists that reside in Toronto and work in the animation industry as the studio known as Tin Can Forest. You can get a taste of their work by perusing their website.

3. SULK #1: BIGHEAD AND FRIENDS
By Jeffrey Brown
Top Shelf
$7.00 | 64pgs

Jeffrey Brown is known mostly for his touching, very personal memoir comics like Clumsy and Unlikely but he’s also got a very weird sense of humor and a willingness to use his crude, DIY artistic style to tackle any sort of genre that strikes his fancy. In his new pocket-sized graphic novel series, Sulk, Brown starts off with a superhero story featuring the very emo Bighead – a superhero more likely to get taken down by his own feelings than by a super villain. This new anthology style series will take on more than just the superhero genre in future issues. Look for Jeffrey Brown’s take on mixed martial arts in issue #2 and future issues will try out the fantasy genre as well as meditate on the comics form itself.

Preview the story of Bighead here.

2. IMMORTAL IRON FIST VOL. 3: THE BOOK OF THE IRON FIST
Written by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Roy Thomas, Len Wein; art by Travel Foreman, Leandro Fernandez, Khari Evans, Gil Kane, Russ Heath, and more
Marvel
$24.99

Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction’s relaunch of Immortal Iron Fist has been one of the most enjoyable books Marvel has put out in the last couple of years. What makes the book so great, among other things, is the idea they’ve presented that over the centuries there have been sixty-six different men and women who have carried the mantle of Iron Fist. Throughout the present day story of current Fist, Danny Rand, we’ve seen intriguing flashbacks to many of these previous Fists. The third hardcover volume collects issues #7 and #15-16 which focuses on some of these Iron First of old like Wu Ao-Shi, Bei Bang-Wen and fan favorite Orson Randall, the Iron Fist of the WWII era. There’s also some one-shots collected here like Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death and The Origin of Danny Rand featuring some classic 70s-era stuff.

1. THE MAN WHO LOVED BREASTS
By Robert Goodin
Top Shelf
$4.00 | 32 pgs

No, no, I haven’t started dipping into the Eros catalog or anything. The Man Who Loved Breasts is a one-shot comic by a guy who has worked on such wholesome TV programs as Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys, for crying out loud.

This short story, published by Top Shelf (ahem), is about a man stuck in a job he hates who decides to pursue a living in a field that speaks more to his heart. You can see where this is going. Or maybe you can’t, which is where it gets interesting. Either way, it sounds like a story with universal appeal.

Robert Goodin’s comic work has appeared in various anthologies like Mome, Typhon and McSweeny’s and his fluid linework, full of character and energy, is definitely a product of his animation experience. See for yourself.

Okay! I’m back from SPX–I posted a photo report over on my personal blog, which you are free to enjoy if you like. But I can save you some time: it was great! SPX is pretty fun if you’re into indie comics. If you’re not, you might as well quit reading and go about with your business!

The bad thing about driving to SPX is that it takes forever and wastes the best part of 2 days. But the good thing is that there’s room in the car to bring back a bunch of new stuff for the store, which I did. I’ll be adding these items to the New Releases page, but just so you know, the following items are either BRAND NEW (they have an * in front of them) or back in stock after a long time. I only got one or two of most of the books, and 2 or 3 of the minis, so jump on these badboys if you want them–they won’t last long!

*CHRISTINA & CHARLES GN $10.00
*DANNY DUTCH AND THE KING OF THE ALIENS $2.00
*DAYBREAK GN VOL 3 $10.00
*ESCHEW #1 $4.00
*FART PARTY TP $13.95
*FIGHT OR RUN #1 $3.95
*FINE TOOTH COMICS $4.00
*FLEEP $6.00
*HOT BREATH OF WAR TP $13.00
*INKWEED TP $16.00
*NATURAL WORLD $4.00
*POCKET PARTY $3.00
*TINDERBOX $10.00
*VICE PRESIDENT SHIPPING & DISTRIBUTION OFFICE MACHINES COMPANY $2.00
*WINDY CORNER MAGAZINE #2 $10.00
CRICKETS #2 $4.95
DOGS AND WATER HC $19.95
MOOMIN VOL 1 HC $19.95
OPTIC NERVE #9-11 $3.95 each
OR ELSE #2 $5.95
WHAT IT IS HC $24.95

We received TWO free copies of the new unrated 3-disc edition of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” on DVD. Shawn has taken one of them, which leaves one for you, if you think you can handle it (NOTE: If you are below the age of 18, you cannot handle it, at least in the eyes of the law, which is plenty for us. Don’t even try; thank you).

Here’s what to do: between now and next Friday at noon, tell us in the comments section below who YOU would most like to see as a guest at next year’s Heroes Convention! We’d REALLY like to hear about people who haven’t been here in a while or ever. Tell us who you’d like to see and WHY, and be creative! Also, be clean: this is a family blog, so don’t be rude (thanks in advance). We’ll pick the best entry and give you the DVD free! If you’re from out of town, we’ll charge you some shipping probably, but it won’t be too bad.

Okay let’s hear it!

Man, our boss Shelton Drum is fighting the national economic crisis virtually by himself, by driving all over the country doing conventions. Last week he went to the Baltimore Comicon, which he was seriously glowing about upon his return. Apparently they really knocked the ball out of the park this year, so congratulations to our buddy Marc Nathan and his staff for putting on such a great convention.

But not happy with one super-long drive in a week, Shelton’s going for round two this weekend when he travels to the Mid-Ohio Con, going on Saturday and Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. He’s bringing his new super-stock that good ole Seth has been working night and day to put together over the last few weeks. Apparently it sold like crazy in Baltimore, so congratulations to Seth and Shelton on that one. This is so far a highly congratulatory blog post, and I suspect more congratulations are in the offing. Anyway, if you’re planning on being at the Mid-Ohio Con this weekend, be sure and stop by the Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find booth and slap high-fives with Shelton!

But if it’s indie comics that floats your boat, it may be MY supple, largely uncalloused hand you’ll be high-fiving. I’ll be driving up to Bethesda, Maryland tomorrow (along with our buddy and frequent HeroesCon guest J. Chris Campbell) for this year’s Small Press Expo. This is one of my favorite shows of the year, if not THE favorite: it’s really fun, totally laid back, and has a chummy vibe very similar to our own famously chummy vibe.

And even more exciting this year: not only will I be appearing in my recurring role as Creative Director for the store and convention, pimping HeroesCon and selling tickets and small press tables, BUT I’ll for the first time ever be appearing as a guest! I’ll have copies of my brand-new (literally, I was working on the cover during my lunch break) minicomic DHARBIN #1, as well as a limited edition print I did. I would link to something showing these items, but said link does not exist. Hey, I’ve been busy. But come slap my hand at SPX: I’ll be at the AdHouse Books booth with Chris Pitzer, Josh Cotter, and Jim Rugg!

Okay! So congratulations to Shelton and I for being road warriors, although I whine about all the driving a lot more than he does, so maybe more congratulations to him. And if you’re in Columbus or the D.C. area this weekend, come say hi to one or both of us!