I don’t like to play favorites, at least not where anyone can see, but this announcement has got me so jazzed I’m about to pee myself. Oops! It’s not so much that these 4 additions are any better than any other 4 additions, but I’ve been working hard on getting all of them, and they all sort of happened at the same time. Which reinforces my conviction that this year’s Indie Island–not to mention HeroesCon in general–is going to be the BEST CONVENTION OF ALL TIME EVER. And it’s going to be right here in sexy Charlotte, North Carolina! So, please join in the excitement:

SAMMY HARKHAM is an incredible cartoonist (Crickets, The Poor Sailor) in his own right, but he’s just as well-known as the editor of the Kramer’s Ergot anthology, which may be the most lauded comics anthology ever. He’s also one of my very favorite cartoonists, so you can imagine how stoked I am.

BUENAVENTURA PRESS, named presumably for its head honcho Alvin Buenaventura, is the publisher of the afore-mentioned Kramer’s Ergot, as well as the magazine Comic Art, which usually contains some of the best writing and most insightful dissertation on comics being done anywhere. I know that’s not saying a whole lot, but it’s SUPER smart stuff, trust me. Alvin also publishes a ton of incredibly well-made–often hand-made–books, prints, and posters, and his booth is usually the best-looking setup at any show he’s at.

KAZIMIR STRZEPEK is the author of the much-mentioned-by-me The Mourning Star, not to mention another of my favorite cartoonists–how did I get so lucky? I’ve said so much about him already, that instead of rehashing all that I’ll just redirect you to my Mourning Star review, which is long enough to choke Herman Melville. Enjoy!

BODEGA DISTRIBUTION, last but not least, is the publisher of not only the aforementioned Mourning Star, but also Brian Ralph’s Daybreak, and the distributor for a host minicomics and small press books, including most of what’s left of the now-defunct Highwater Books. They, like the other three, will be making their very first trip to HeroesCon, and hopefully will make so much money that they’ll be coming back every year afterward–but I leave that to you, dear reader!

You know who likes comic books? Nicolas Cage. There–you’ve got something in common with Nicolas Cage! If that’s not enough commonality, you can go see this movie for free–I’m sure Nic’s not paying either. And if you’re not really a Nicolas Cage fan, then this price is right for you: free! That’s right, sports fans: bring your free-movie-lovin’ keister into the store for a free pass (good for 2 people–the value doesn’t stop!) to a sneak preview of the movie this Wednesday, December 19, at 7.30pm! Don’t be late–these things tend to fill up pretty quick! Limit one pass per person!

What, are you kidding? I’m super-stoked to announce the addition to our HeroesCon Indie Island guest list of the following sweet peeps, half of whom I met at SPX and have been begging since, the other half of which I’ve never met ever! And all of which will be attending their very first HeroesCon next summer!

First of all, the ones I met: Liz Prince is another one of my favorite young cartoonists, and it was she who indirectly caused me to pick up Kaz Strzepek’s The Mourning Star, which I have missed no opportunity to mention. With a whole book under her belt (Will You Still Love Me If I Wet The Bed? from Top Shelf) and another on the way (Delayed Replays), plus a host of strips online through her many different web identities. Like Ziggy Stardust, this girl is the naz. Not long before I met her, I met Jim Ottaviani, the writer behind Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards, as well as a ton of others. Jim was chatting with veteran artist Doug Wheatley (Sandman, Star Wars) when I rudely elbowed my way into the conversation and started introducing myself left and right. Jim has chosen to overlook my lack of couth and attend the show anyway; we’ll have to see about Doug. He’s from Canada, and their manners are a lot better up there. I’ll let you know if he gets in touch.

Maris Wicks, pictured above at the right with Liz and their creation Duddits at SPX, I’ve never met. But sharp-eyed indie rack perusers will remember her from AdHouse Books‘ Project: Romantic anthology, as well as Superior Showcase. She also is someone with a large readership online, mainly through her excellent blog. I hope sincerely that when I meet her, she’s as longsuffering as Jim Ottaviani.

Another sweet artist I’ve never met, but who comes highly recommended by AdHouse Books: Jim Rugg is the artist behind Street Angel, as well as the monstrously funny and more than a little suggestive Afrodisiac. Chris Pitzer has been bugging me to invite Jim forever, and after reading Street Angel at the optometrist’s the other day, I was in complete agreement! Jim is known for drawing in a ton of different styles–all of them, I think–so he’s sure to be in high demand for sketches. You sketch jockeys are warned!

Not only that, but as I’m typing, I’m looking over at the minimum two more updates I need to get to for Indie Island, but couldn’t fit into this announcement. Seriously, next year’s Indie Island is going to be one of the biggest indie comics gatherings in the country, I think. Stay tuned!

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]!

This comes via John Hodgeman, the author of The Areas of My Expertise, and the guy who plays “PC” in those Mac Vs. PC commercials. Makes you wish you lived in NYC, eh? Click here or on the image to view pictures from the interior of the store, as part of the photographer’s (“silvertje”, by whom we may presume these pictures are copyrighted) Flickr photostream. NOTE 1: Just click “next” in the slideshow until you’re done. NOTE 2: I don’t know this Silvertje personally, so who knows what sort of other pictures might be on her site. We, of course, assume no responsibility. That’s just how we roll. Enjoy!

According to Baron Von Egidy, 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. In the interest of transparency, I’ll admit to being an adventure comics, super-hero reader. My picks are as follow:

Best Ongoing Series: Iron Fist
My theory on what makes a successful comic book comes down to two basic things:
1. Character
2. Plot
Go back and check your ninth grade English book for the literary theories behind the concepts, and you’ll see that Iron Fist has it in spades. Recent comics have tended to favor “superstar” creators who can’t wait to get to some great “moments”, or to explore interesting “themes and ideas”. At the end of the day they’re wrapping the “moments” in schlock, sturm und drang where the characters are shoe-horned in order to serve the story (this is ultimately what made Civil War so unfulfilling, and World War Hulk such a fun read), and the “ideas and themes” meander to nowhere. Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, like Claremont and Byrne before them, are able to produce a whole that is even more talented than their respective parts.

Best Mini-Series: 52
52 ended up being surprisingly good. At the end of the year I found it to be a fun read from start to finish.

Best Mature Series: Black Summer
I hesitate to call this book “mature”, but it is definitely for older readers. As with any of the great Warren Ellis comics, Black Summer is full of rapid-fire ideas, chain-smoking, raging substance abuse, political allegory, scientific techno-babble and hard-scrabble, world-weary cynicism. A well done paean to political dissatisfaction.

Best Collection: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World
After many failed attempts to represent the Fourth World family of titles, including The New Gods, Mr Miracle, The Forever People and Jimmy Olsen, DC’s latest attempt to collect Kirby’s storytelling experiment has also been its most successful. Previous attempts, including the Hunger Dogs graphic novel of 1984 and the early millennial reprints in black and white, were unsatisfying reads, at best. Finally, reprinted in the order of publication and (here I’m assuming) as the ideas and concepts evolved, this lush collection puts the whole saga in the correct context, not only with itself but with a greater DC universe. Further, the production values are spectacular, second only to that of Jeff Smith’s recent Shazam! collection. I can say, without reservation, that this is the best paper stock I’ve ever seen, with the stories printed on supple and creamy paper, allowing the old “four colors” to pop off the page with zest and zing!

Best Comic Book Movie: 300
Were there any other ones that were worthwhile? It was OK. I guess. Did Batman Begins come out last year?

Other Stuff:
Worst Trend 1: mega events. Remember when the new issue of Uncanny X-Men was the big event? Or the new issue of Amazing Spider-Man? I miss those days. Let’s put top notch talent on the flagship books, and make ‘em monthly.
Worst Trend 2: Inkers, and the lack thereof. Leinil Yu’s kinetic and frenetic pencils are what keep me reading New Avengers every month. The only thing that would make them more awesome would be a little polish. Can you imagine some Tim Townsend inks—woohoo!
Worst Trend 3: Computer painting. Just because you have access to 32,000 colors does not mean you have to use them every issue.
Best Licensed Book: The Star Wars relaunch. Good, solid comics.
Best Penciller: Jim Chueng. He draws the best Avengers I’ve seen in years. Classic, easily recognizable, beautifully drafted (Darwyn Cooke’s work on The Spirit is a close second, bumped only because he was my number one in ’04, ’05 and good ole ought-six)
Best Writer: He put Daredevil’s genie back in the bottle, killed Captain America out of his own book, made Iron Fist viable and made me buy Uncanny X-Men again. Good job Ed Brubaker!
Best Hero: Captain America
Best Villain: I couldn’t pick one. It was more about the event in ’07 than ever before. I can’t think of any story that put our heroes in genuine danger, that vicariously pulled me in. Better luck next year, bad guys.

Most importantly, what’s your best of?

As Elton John would say, Holy Moses! Paolo Rivera is only one of the most up-and-coming-est painters in the comics industry now, with a ton of covers under his belt, as well as interior art for titles like Mythos: X-Men, Mythos Spider-Man, and the Spectacular Spider-Man pictured above! In checking out his site, it’s plain to see that he brings his A-game to his con sketches and commissions, so you original art types out there be sure and bring plenty of cheddar next year!

And there are still more announcements waiting in the wings! Next up is a big Indie Island update, as well as some TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME Indie Island news. But I can’t say anything yet…

Mm, the holidays…very stressful. If only you could just walk into a place and spend ALL of your holiday money at once–but wait! What about your local comic shop?! Presenting a holiday gift guide designed for the comics proselytizer. At $10-$15 for the cheaper items, buying comics for everybody will cut down on your stress and give you something to talk about at all the family get-togethers you’ll be attending this holiday season!

Okay, let’s do this quick: I think Shawn already broke her holiday suggestions up by demographic, which I think is a great idea. Isn’t Shawn just the ginchiest? So I’ll copy that, which will save some of my own brilliance for rejoinders in the office with Todd. Begin!

FOR THE CHILDREN OF FRIENDS OF YOURS, OR THOSE OF FAMILY-MEMBERS:
I have a lot of these–my siblings all went crazy in the baby-making department, so I have (seriously!) eleven nieces and nephews. And my friends are playing beat-the-biological clock, so it’s just getting worse. Here are some suggestions for kids, as they say, of all ages
DRAGONBALL by Akira Toriyama — Forget how sick you’ve gotten of hearing about Dragonball Z. Dragonball is the adventures of young Son Goku, and they’re hilarious, and the art is IN-CRED-I-BLE! Maybe not for young kids–there’s a lot of peeping-type humor, and people’s butts are always getting exposed.
BONE by Jeff Smith — What can I say? It’s amazing! If it’s for a kid, get the Scholastic color reprints, which are up to something like volume 5 or 6 now, I think. For adults, get the “one volume”, which is awesome.
TINTIN by Herge — Tintin is just the sort of book you’ll read and then immediately wish you’d read it when you were 9 or 10 first. Lots of history, great adventure stories, incredible art. Be warned of occasionally iffy racial depictions, mainly WWII-era Japanese.
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson — I’ve been re-reading some of these lately. Future generations will put Bill Watterson up with Schulz and Caniff in the pantheon of newspaper strip legends.
MOOMIN by Tove Jannson— This is probably the weirdest thing on this list. Get it for that kid who is super-creative but maybe a little quiet. Moomin is an oddly engaging surrealist kids’ fantasy, but is packaged for an adult’s bookshelf. This is a gift that might perplex the giftee, but most kids like to be treated like adults.

FOR OLDER GUYS, GRANDFATHERS, AGING UNCLES, WIDOWERS, ETC.:
MARVEL MASTERWORKS — We hear this a lot: “I want to get my dad something nice; I know he read Spider-Man when he was a kid.” Boom! Marvel Masterworks! For $50, you get ten consecutive Spidey issues, in living color, and in a high-quality format that’ll look great on his bookshelf.
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN VOL 1 by Curt Swan and various — These aren’t nearly as high end as the Masterworks or Archives, but you get over 500 pages of hilariously fun Superman comics from the fifties for ten bucks! Good for an old dude you don’t know that well–maybe a crotchety neighbor or soon-to-be-downsized gaffer at your work. NOTE–also works for ironic college students and Grant Morrison fans, who will laugh at how weird most of these plots are.
SPIDER-MAN: THE ICON by Steve Saffel — Okay, this is really a fine gift for any fan of Spider-Man, not just your uncle, but I wasn’t sure where else to put it. This is a high-end coffee-table book that’s chock full of pictures of Spider-Man from across his history, and across the world. If you read this blog, you probably heard us talk a lot about it when Steve appeared in our store to celebrate its release.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS, INCLUDING PRECOCIOUS PRE-TEENS AND DOWNRIGHT SNOTTY TEENAGERS:
SCOTT PILGRIM by Bryan Lee O’Malley — You get double points for this one because a) it’s kind of a manga, a little bit, and b) there are a ton of video game references. Plus it’s one of the most surprisingly great books I’ve read this year.
MADMAN VOLUME ONE by Mike Allred — I’m always surprised by how many people have NOT read this incredibly good book. I’m not a big fan of where the series went after this volume, but that’s okay because it begins and ends, and that’s all you need!
BATMAN YEAR 100 by Paul Pope — Think of this like a hip sci-fi Batman. You don’t need to know anything about all the different histories of Batman, just the basics–Bruce Wayne, Commissioner, Gotham City, etc. Fast paced and fun.
PLANETARY by Warren Ellis & John Cassaday — This is a really great sci-fi story that will out-sneer ANY teenager. Seriously, Warren Ellis has isolated the holier-than-thou teenager attitude and extended it into a pretty impressive career of writing.

FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO COMICS, AND WHO YOU’RE WORRIED WILL READ THE WRONG THING AND QUIT FOREVER
This is a real danger–what if your boy or girlfriend bought their first comic, but it was Youngblood? Eww! Don’t let this destroy the possibility of your friends enjoying comics!
WATCHMEN by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons — What can you say about this classic that hasn’t been said a million times already? I’ll tell you what to say–warn them that the pirate sub-story can get a little boring. Otherwise, just say “this is like a superhero comic for smart people” and you’ll have them.
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely — This is maybe the best mainstream superhero comic ever, right after Batman Year One. How Grant Morrison has made an eminently fun Superman comic–that is also somehow one of his most elegant and cerebral works–is beyond me, but I think it has a lot to do with how amazing Frank Quitely is.
BATMAN YEAR ONE by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli — My favorite comic book ever. Great for everybody. Enjoyable even those who’ve never EVER read a comic or even heard of Batman. For those who can’t even read, the art is incredible. Also buy one for yourself: you deserve it.
HELLBOY by Mike Mignola and various — Another movie tie-in. Hellboy is just a great adventure story, with a ton of folk tales and supernatural flavor thrown in. Anything that uses Baba Yaga as a villain is alright by me. And woo! the art! Occasionally humorous, but much less-so than that movie.
THE TRIAL OF COLONEL SWEETO by Nicholas Gurewitch — Whether your giftee has or hasn’t read the super-popular Perry Bible Fellowship webcomic this reprints, they’ll LOVE this book. Laugh-out-loud funny. Warning: Lots of tee-tee ca-ca language and situations. Not for kids or animals.

FOR DISCERNING READERS, OR NEWBIES WHO LOVE TO TALK A LOT ABOUT WHATEVER THEY’RE READING:
You know the type: yada yada yada. A lot of these were made into movies that are nowhere near as good as the books (surprise!), so appeal to their snobbier side by pointing out how Hollywood just can’t get anything right.
SIN CITY by Frank Miller — A lot of people liked this movie, but I didn’t. However, a lot of people have forgotten what a total stud Frank Miller is when he’s hitting on all cylinders. Give this to anybody who likes violence and interior monologues–it’s really, really good.
PALOMAR by Gilbert Hernandez — Great for college professors. This is arguably one of the most critically acclaimed works ever in the world of literate comics–I enjoyed it so much I would only read it in little chunks before bed each night, so I could think on it throughout the day. Great book, and worthy of all that praise.
EPILEPTIC by David B. — The fact that humans speak different languages is a great crime. If we didn’t, then all of David B.’s prolific body of work would be available in a language that I am able to read. But it isn’t. Epileptic is an INCREDIBLE memoir by an EXTRAORDINARY artist, and is one of the very few books to really employ the comics language to make something new and amazing, rather than just tell a story with some pictures. Also very sad. Give to people who prefer the really bitter Starbuck’s coffee–they’ll love it!
ICE HAVEN by Daniel Clowes — I’ve been reading Eightball for a long time, but it wasn’t until this issue that I really got excited about it. Ice Haven reprints Eightball #22 or #23 in a nifty little book–it’s a complete story that’s unrelated to anything else. If they saw Ghost World and liked it, then this is a shoo-in. Really work the “Hollywood-Sucks-But-This-Doesn’t” angle, if they didn’t like the movie.
LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN by Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill — I don’t want to give the impression that I think all comics-based movied are terrible, but this one really makes it hard. So a reader of the book will be pleasantly shocked to find that it is incredibly literate, surprisingly subtle, and all-in-all one of the more enjoyable comics out there. Alan Moore, as always, is the master of his doman, and his doman is comics, whether he likes it or not.

EXCELLENT FOR RABBIS, OR ANYONE STUDYING THE TALMUD:
THE RABBI’S CAT by Joann Sfar — This is a great book, although as someone who was raised Baptist, a lot of the Talmudic humor and references goes over my head. But you have to love anything with this level of ambition. I also really loved all the France Vs Algeria stuff; which, again, is what makes this book so beloved of journalists writing “BIFF! BAM! POW! Comics Aren’t Just For Kids!” articles for the New York Times.

FOR ENTHUSIASTS OF NEWSPAPER STRIPS, OR JUST REALLY INCREDIBLE COMICS THAT CAME OUT A LONG TIME AGO–SEE “OLD PEOPLE” ABOVE:
PEANUTS by Charles Schulz — more than anything else, I think Peanuts is the comic most deserving of the incredible praise it receives. Never has someone seemed so obviously decanted to be a cartoonist. The hardover collections from Fantagraphics are INCREDIBLE!, both as an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and as a gorgeously well-made ornament for any bookshelf.
POPEYE by E.C. Segar — This one, of all the books on this list, is the most overlooked. I heard for years how incredible the old Popeye newspaper strips were, and poo-pooed the idea, thinking of the so-so animated cartoon. Wow! Volume 2 of the new Fantagraphics reprint series–which are HUGE!–is easily the book I’m most excited about for all of 2007. I mean easily, too–way out.
WALT & SKEEZIX by Frank King — While these strips lack the pure power of Peanuts, and the rollicking adventure of Popeye, they are singular in that they’re incremental: finishing a volume of Drawn & Quarterly’s beautiful reprints of the complete original Gasoline Alley strips is like saying goodbye to an old friend who’s been in town the last couple of days for Thanksgiving.

I’ve left out a ton of stuff, but I think this is plenty long–feel free to add or argue in the comments section. And Happy Holidays to everyone!

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!)

As promised, here is the first in a series of HeroesCon 08 Guest List additions! We’re super-pleased to welcome back to HeroesCon Georges Jeanty, penciller on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8; plus Ex Machina alums JD Mettler and Jim Clark; and first-timer Kody Chamberlain, artist on 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales and Beowulf. Georges, JD, and Jim are old chums–hopefully they’ll be nice to Kody, and not razz him or give a lot of painful noogies and so forth. But they probably will–so much for Southern hospitality.

And that’s not all, remember–look for another big announcement later in the week, not to mention some big developments outside of the Guest List! Very exciting stuff–HeroesCon 08 is going to be the biggest one ever!