You WANT to believe! If you’re an X-Files fan, we have a very limited number of passes for a special advance screening of the new X-Files movie. Each pass is good for TWO people, but they always send out many more of these than they have seats, so we suggest showing up early.

The showing is at 11.59 pm (let’s just say midnight already) on this Thursday, July 24! Strictly limited to one pass per customer! Each pass is good for TWO people, but they always send out many more of these than they have seats, so we suggest showing up early. Just drop by the store to pick up your pass while supplies last!

Only very slight plot spoilers below, but some discussion of stylistic elements–if you’re like me and would prefer not to know the weak parts to watch out for before you see a movie, then feel free to stop reading.

First of all, if you were thinking of taking your kids to this movie, I would not, unless your kids are made of some stern, nightmare-proof stuff.

Because that image of Heath Ledger as the Joker up above is just the start. This isn’t a Joker you would ever want to buy your kid an action figure of–this is a Joker you want to wipe out of your mind as quickly as possible. This isn’t a clever, wisecracking, somewhat psychopathic antihero–the Joker of “A Dark Knight” is a self-described “agent of chaos”, and makes good on his claim again and again.

I had no real intentions of seeing this movie, due in part to how incredibly creepy it is that Heath Ledger killed himself just weeks after shooting the movie. It’s hard to separate the real-world Ledger from his Joker; similar to Owen Wilson‘s portrayal of a man who’s just tried to commit suicide in The Darjeeling Limited, which was released comparatively soon after Wilson himself attempted suicide. Watching that movie was like waiting for the end of a joke you’ve already heard a slightly different version of before. A joke you already know is not funny, not even a little.

But unlike The Darjeeling Limited, where real world events distract from the faux world of the film, the sad circumstances of Ledger’s death, if anything, inform his portrayal of the Joker. Macabre, yes, I know–but again, this isn’t a sympathetic Joker, who you half want to win, dancing through the museum to a soundtrack by Prince. This dude is just murder on two feet: where Jack Nicholson as the Joker looked cool and suave, Ledger is tattered, filthy, and has teeth like cream-style corn. He’s the worst kind of clown nightmare, and it’s absolutely easy to believe that at any moment he will do ANYthing, and that whatever it is will be AWFUL.

Okay, enough about the Joker: but I will say that Heath Ledger is super fantastic in this movie. Holy Cow.

In fact, everybody is, almost without exception, incredibly good in this movie. Christian Bale is a great Bruce Wayne, especially Wayne-As-Playboy-Jerk. Morgan Freeman was surprisingly charming as down-home executive Lucius Fox, and Gary Oldman is so amazing as Jim Gordon that it was like he stepped right out of Batman: Year One. He’s so accomplished an actor that you have to look hard to see how great he really is: in a scene where he’s being told something awful by the Joker, the only sign of whatever inner turmoil must surely be raging inside of him is the twitching and flaring of his nostrils; far more convincing than a bunch of gasping and raiment-tearing.

But the real tragedy of the movie is Aaron Eckhart, who plays Harvey Dent. Not that he’s bad–he’s great, really great. He not only makes you like Harvey Dent–you LOVE him. You want him to succeed–in many ways, he is the hero of the movie, if not the titular one (although you can make a strong case in that direction as well). And this is the problem with the movie: there are too many eggs in this basket.

Director Christopher Nolan ambitiously–and correctly, with this subject matter–sets his movie up along grand themes of heroism, where the protagonist struggles against the dichotomy between his humanity and his iconic role within the story. The problem is that pretty much everybody in the movie is having this struggle on some level, whether it be Batman’s struggle with his role in Gotham as hero/antihero, Jim Gordon’s struggle with justice and the hard realities of his job, or Dent’s struggle between his “white knight” heroism and the inconstancy of everything around him: judicial system, city government, and a criminal that doesn’t operate under any rules at all.

While I wouldn’t say that The Dark Knight is necessarily crowded with too many heroes or villains, like some of its predecessors, I WOULD say that it’s crowded with too many great characters and performances. Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, and Christian Bale are a great tripod of actors–everyone knows that three is a magic number. But hugely, impressively, surprisingly, all three are completely outshone and upstaged by Heath Ledger’s Joker. I know it’s a weird criticism for a movie, especially a “superhero” movie–“those actors are too good.” But it’s distracting. Ledger is so good at being so terrible that the thematic struggles of Batman and Harvey Dent (and the somewhat glossed over struggle of Gordon), are only momentarily fascinating, and then instantly forgotten whenever the Joker comes onscreen.

Again, it’s a dumb criticism, for what was a really fun, absorbing movie. But a 150-something minute movie–I wonder if Christopher Nolan, with a toolbox of such great performances, didn’t give in a little in the editing room. While Ledger was definitely electrifying, I think that if he’d been used a little more sparingly, the other parts of the film would have had more chance to shine. It’s like carefully seasoning a dish to perfection, and then throwing black pepper all over the top of it. Ledger is utterly convincing as a deranged, capricious, and calculating psychopath, but so much so that he drowns out the more nuanced flavors of the rest of the movie.

All the same, wow–good comic book movie. Go see it soon, but honestly–leave those kids at home.

Well, it’s not exactly a secret, as we had a bunch of big ads in our HeroesCon 08 Program Book to this effect, AND have it listed under the “Coming Events” section of our weekly Heroes Hotline, but just so YOU, the loyal readers of our humble blog, know it, let us officially announce it:

On Sunday, August 17, from 2-5pm, Mark Millar and Tony Harris will be making a special appearance in our store, in support of their book War Heroes. We’ll be a part of an exclusive seven city “Tour of Duty”, and the ONLY stop between New York and Texas, so we expect to get a lot of out-of-towners for this event!

In case you’re not familiar with Mark Millar, he’s the super-popular writer behind The Ultimates, Wanted, and Fantastic Four, among a bunch of others. He rarely makes appearances on this side of the Atlantic Ocean (I believe he’s a Glaswegian, and definitely a Scotsman), so we’re pretty excited to have him in such an intimate setting. Even more excited because he’ll be here with our old pal Tony Harris, he of Ex Machina, Spider-Man: With Great Power, and Starman. Tony’s a perennial favorite at HeroesCon and one of our staunchest supporters, so we’re always excited to see him, no matter what the reason.

War Heroes #1 should be out any time now, but we’ll have a bunch on hand at the signing, as well as a tour exclusive you can only get at one of the 7 “Tour of Duty” stops. We’ll see you August 17 in our store!

Now that HeroesCon is behind us (at least for a few months, anyway), we wanted to increase the amount of good ole COMICS coverage here at the blog. With that in mind, presenting the first in a new series of “Minute Reviews”–little snapshots of books you should (or in some cases, maybe shouldn’t) be reading! We’ll all take our cracks at it, but I’ll go first:

BATMAN #678
If you bailed out on Grant Morrison during the first story line, come back–quickly– this is one fun book–a real page turner. It doesn’t feel like a cross-over gimmick. It feels like a very exciting story that should have been told YEARS ago.

Astonishing X-Men #25
Typical Warren Ellis excitement, but it is going to take me some time to get used to Simon Bianchi‘s busy dark artwork after the open vistas of Mr. Cassaday.

Fables #74
–what? Your not reading it?? Stop what you are doing and go buy a trade or two–skip the first one. It is as addictive as caffeine and sweet as a Frappichino.

House of Mystery #3
— very cool premise–half continuing story/half anthology–where is it leading? Beats me, but I am certainly planning on sticking around for the ride.

Legion of Superheroes #43
–Yuck! I’ve always loved the Legion because–like Star Trek TNG— it had a vision of the future that provided optimism for a happily ever after for humanity. Now, the book is a parody of corporate America with Lightning Lad as the besieged CEO–or is it Lightning Lad as the Editor-In-Chief of Marvel? Jim Shooter, you bitter, bitter man. It was fun for a few issues, but now the joke is old. The Legion as a corporation without a support staff?? I can suspend my disbelief enough to accept Matter-Eater Lad, but not a superhero group without an accountant.

Hi Guys,

In case you haven’t heard, my last day as a Heroes staff member will be Friday, July 18. Starting July 19h, I will be a full time student, pursuing my Master’s degree as well as returning to my former role as Heroes customer and booster. To that end, all remembrances and cash donations should be made in person on, or before July 18.

Now, I’m sure all of you have wondered at some point in your lives: just how awesome is it, being a bona-fide member of the Heroes staff?

The answer is . . . very.

I can’t say enough about Shelton and my co-workers. For me, they have been a deep well of support–both professionally and personally–as well as a constant source of laughter. Most importantly, they’ve been my family for the last five years. Please, be gentle with them for the next few weeks. I’m sure my stepping down will leave them emotionally vulnerable for a while, perhaps even irrevocably scarred. I don’t think flowers, a sympathy card, or even just a hug would be remiss–especially for Dusty, who I know for a fact just loves hugs. So if you see him, give him a squeeze and tell him you’re thinking of him.

Also, to those who continue to support Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find week in and week out: you help make what has been such an important part of my life possible; thank you. Next time you see me, I’ll be browsing the racks right alongside you. It won’t be exactly the same, but that’s ok; once you’ve spent some time at Heroes, no matter what side of the counter you might find yourself standing, you are–and always will be–part of the family.

But you already knew that, didn’t you.

As many of you know, the comic book industry lost, in my humble opinion, one of the brightest stars in the business recently. Michael Turner (4/21/71 – 6/27/08 ) passed away of complications from bone cancer. At only 37, he left an unmistakable imprint on the scene, and I thought it odd, that his death didn’t seem to get too much press coverage. His body of work was breath-taking.

The one example that instantly pops into mind is the Justice League of America # 10 cover that was swirling in controversy for some reason. If I remember correctly, most people were complaining about some silliness called “proportion”, and using crazy words like “reality”. Little hint here people…it’s a comic book. If you want proportion or reality look at a book of photographs! It was a beautiful piece! And not just in the way you think I’m talking about! I LIKE the exaggerations in his art. It made it fun to look at!

My favorite piece has to be the four alternate Fathom # 4 covers. I have those framed, and hanging under my surfboard, and I must say, they are B-E-A-U-tiful! For a guy with so many other extreme talents/distractions, he seemed so focused on his art. For an award winning water-skier, martial artist, and avid video game player, he just seemed like the total package.

But regardless of how anybody feels, I think the man was a genius, and will be missed! RIP Michael Turner.

This month’s topic: Sandman Volume 4: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman and various .

The voting was close (and heated) but Sandman wins over Shazam by a nose. We are guaranteeing another exciting discussion this time around!

Potential topics will include:
• Is Sandman/Neil Gaiman over-rated?
• The concept of Hell and the devil as presented
• How well does the book hold up after two decades on the shelf
• Does the use of multiple artists enhance or detract from the storyline
• Who are the Endless– the two page spread in the first collected issue alone could fill two hours.
Example: What did Death look like in the Sixties?– what would she look like now? Why did Delight become Delirium?

The last three discussions were absolute love fests for the books we chose. we have a feeling this discussion will be a bit different. Whether you are a defender or detractor, please set aside some time to read (or re-read) Season of Mists and then plan on joining us in the back of of the Heroes store from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. It is your DESTINY to attend!

And just up over at the Rescued By Nerds blog, an interview by our own Rich Barrett, with ME, and an occasional chime-in from Dustin! All about the Heroes Discussion Group! Check it out!

I thought it would be fun to hear about interactions you’ve had with guests over the weekend. Okay, so you stood in line for an hour to meet Frank Cho, and beaming you try to explain the excitement of the experience to your co-workers or your spouse: “Oh, that’s nice, dear…now how much of Junior’s college fund did you blow through?”

Let’s hear those stories: ME FIRST!!

Al Feldstein— I was proud to carry the man’s bags (his oversized, 50 lb portfolio) for him. I told him he was a GOD. He looked at me and said, “Hey, I was just trying to earn a living!”
I pointed out that he–along with Monty Python and Saturday Night Live have shaped the comedy in this country for three generations. He didn’t argue with that!! What a guy!!

Colleen Doran–for the first time, I kept my composure and did NOT propose to her. I think she is this/close from having the restraining order against me lifted.

Jaime Hernandez–all I could mutter were thankful ramblings about his consistent body of work for 25 years. He was very down to earth.

Picturebox– Dan Nadel, Frank Santoro, Tim Hodler— these guys are the cutting edge of comics, publishing challenging and format busting work. I was expecting some really over-intelligent guys, but these are three guys that LOVE all comics and were a joy to talk to. BTW– Every comic strip aficionado should own Art Out of Time— it is THAT good and that essential!

Okay, your turn– Dustin was working me like a dog and I missed talking to almost everyone– (except when I was shoo-ing them to their panels) — so…

Let’s hear it!!!!

Our convention brings in lots of new business, whether that is people brand new to our jolly little industry or people who have been out of the loop for a while. The staff is always happy to help people find their way into comics whether you’re a Marvel guy, a DC guy, an indie guy or (like me) someone who likes a bit of each. With that in mind here’s a handy dandy guide of fantastic collections and series on the book racks and then I’ll give you some things to be on the lookout for in the coming summer and fall months.

MARVEL:

Civil War: Customers come in and frequently inquire about this series, the necessity of the crossovers and what they need to read. If you get the main trade paperback collecting the 7 issues then you’ll be set. This series is the pivot which the Marvel U moves around even a year after its finale. The crossovers aren’t necessary but they do add layer and subtext to the main series and a lot of them are quite good. Out of the whole lot I recommend the Wolverine, Punisher War Journal, and Warren Ellis Thunderbolts trade.

New Avengers: Marvels biggest seller since its inception, New Avengers is probably Marvel’s flagship book at the moment. There are currently seven New Avengers trades, the Avengers Disassembled and Secret War trades which occur before New Avengers starts but are written by NA author Brian Michael Bendis. The House of M mini is also collected and features the New Avengers and X-Men and acts a follow up to Disassembled. All of these things have been leading to this summer’s Secret Invasion event.

Annihilation: This series of mini-series collected into three trades revamped Marvel’s space heroes completely making them viable and important and really really cool again. The likes of Nova, the Super-Skrull, Ronan the Accuser, and the Silver Surfer band together to defeat the Annihilation Wave and unstoppable bug army from the Negative Zone. Millions of lives are lost and it’s only a matter of time before the Wave reaches Earth. This doesn’t have the immediate weight that New Avengers and Civil War had but it is arguably a better story and definitely a lot of fun.

Other quite notable things from the House of Ideas include much beloved Immortal Iron Fist, collected into two fantastic trades and with a new writer coming on in the next issue. Fraction assures me that readers should stick around after he’s gone and I’m gonna take him at his word. Captain Britain and MI: 13 was a huge surprise. This book breathes new life into Marvel’s British characters with crisp and emotionally honest writing and clean vibrant art and lots and lots of action. Invincible Iron Man intentionally or not is the best place to start with the character if you loved the movie. Incredible Hercules comes out of World War Hulk and is a lot a more clever than it has any right to be.

Seeing as how short punchy articles tend to get more comments on here I’ll leave you with that and next time I’ll cover the DC side of things.

I don’t normally talk about myself; well, that’s not really true, but I rarely talk about not-work at work. That combined with a little party we were pretty busy organizing for the last 6 months or so kept me from even mentioning that last month my first ever published comic book story came out. Through the good offices and kindness of my man Chris Pitzer at AdHouse Books, I have a 12-page story at the end of the recent Superior Showcase #3.

It’s a terrible story, rushed, too long, and amateurish, but it was enormously educational, and has filled my head with ideas for more comics and improvements, and I’m super thankful to Chris for giving me such a primo opportunity. FORTUNATELY, for the scant $2.95 cover price, you also get two other stories, both of much higher quality, one by the excellent Jim Rugg, and the other by the exceptional Laura Park. Talk about good company for a debut!

While we initially ran out before the convention, I bought a ton of these for the store from Pitzer, so we’ve got them if you want them. Any customer who buys one in the store is welcome to a free sketch in theirs by me if they like–just ask. And if you live outside of the Charlotte area and are unfortunate to not have a quality comic shop that carries AdHouse’s books, you can always order it direct from AdHouse itself. Although it would be more cost-effective for you if you also bought the recent acclaimed Skyscrapers of the Midwest hardcover at the same time. I’m just saying. You can mail order it from us as well: supply your own “bigger ticket item to justify shipping cost”, although my suggestion one of the few signed Scott Campbell Indie Island prints we have left.