SALE! SATURDAY/SUNDAY, DEC. 1-2!

Yes, Lord! Showing again why he’s the boss on his recent trip to NYC, Heroes Owner-In-Chief Shelton Drum has secured superstar artist Frank Cho to appear next year at HeroesCon 08! You can’t drop a cup of coffee in our store without splashing two or three books Frank’s worked on over the last few years, including Mighty Avengers, Ms. Marvel, Jungle Girl, and of course his own Liberty Meadows. Frank Cho might be the top of our most requested creators, so this is a HUGE announcement for attendees of the show, both new and old. Whew–next year is looking CRAZY! And it’s still NOVEMBER!

I was sitting down to breakfast this past Sunday with The Charlotte Observer when an article in the Arts & Living section caught my eye. The headline reads “The Magicians of Muzak.” I thought, “I know a guy who works there. He’s a regular at Hereos.” And sure enough I looked up at the picture and saw Steven Pilker, “audio architect” extraordinaire for Muzak.

The article is about what Muzak does and how hip and edgy they are. Seriously. Yes, that Muzak. The elevator music people. They are the people responsible for most of the background songs you hear playing at stores. It is an interesting article. I was surprised to find out that the main headquarters is in Fort Mill, South Carolina. You can check out the entire article here. We here at Heroes already knew that Steven is hip and edgy and we are glad that he is getting the recognition he deserves. That leaves me pondering, “Does hanging out with him make me hip and edgy by association?”

I like to think it does.

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.

Whoa! Comics power-couple Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor are two of the most prolific creators working in comics, not to mention two of the most popular guests at conventions. Most of the stories I hear from shows end with, “…and then Jimmy showed up and laughter ensued…” Jimmy’s an old buddy of Shelton’s too, but it’s been SO long since he’s been to HeroesCon, so we’re pretty jazzed to have him and Amanda next summer! Shelton got to hang out with them some on his trip to NYC last weekend, where he bulldogged them into being part of the HeroesCon 08 Guest List.

You’re probably well aware of their extensive resumes, but just in case: Jimmy is associated with, I think, all the comics out there, but most recently he’s worked on Jonah Hex, Countdown, and the upcoming Terra miniseries. Besides that, he’s also written for numerous TV shows, including Painkiller Jane, which he created with Joe Quesada. Amanda is the artist behind The Pro, the Power Girl origin in JSA Classified, and the upcoming Terra, as well as a gajillion of others stretching all the way back to the late 80’s. This is one prolific pair, so fans of theirs may need to load up a special dolly for all the books they’ll need to get autographed.

Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements after the Thanksgiving holiday, as Shelton was a busy beaver in NYC last weekend!

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!

I love Christmas! It is by far my favorite time of the year. Not only do I get to gorge myself on pie and turkey, but I get to buy presents for all of my loved ones. Here are just a few suggestions for your loved ones. I have broken my list down into convenient, if not slightly random, categories:

Young Fans: There are tons of books for comic fans that are less than four feet tall. And I’m not talking about myself. Sonic, Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures, Naruto, Avatar, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and (my personal favorite) Owly. All of these books are $10 and under and with Sonic and Sabrina you can choose between single issues and collections.

Old Fans: Our selection of Marvel Masterworks and DC Archives always amazes me. These reprints wonderfully collected in hardcover form. And at $50 to $55 they are considerably more affordable then buying the single issues. And even if you do have the issues it is nice to have a copy you can read without worrying about damaging anything.

Fans of all ages: Shazam! And The Monster Society of Evil. This is my favorite book of the year. It has something for everyone. It is easy to follow for people who don’t read comics. You are given the back story and you don’t have to worry about 40 years of continuity while you are reading this. And it has the feel of an older comic which appeals to fans who’ve been reading for years. It is fun for both young and old. And if you look hard enough you might even find a Shazam! hardcover signed by Jeff Smith himself.

Spidey Fans: Spider-Man: The Icon. I’m sure you’ve heard us go on and on about it, but that’s just because it is awesome. Jason calls it a “massive tome of Spider-Man knowledge.” I think he read that some where on the internet.

Buffy Fans: Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Long Way Home TP. This trade collects the first 5 issues of the new series. I have been enjoying the heck out of this book. It picks up where the season left off. And this new story arc just keeps getting better and better.

Indy Fans: Exit Wounds, Pride of Baghdad, Mouse Guard, The Three Paradoxes and Apollo’s Song. It has been a great year for comics, especially independent books. I mean just look at that list.

Comic Strip Fans: Little Nemo in Slumberland, Peanuts, Modesty Blaise, Dennis The Menance, James Bond. If you haven’t checked out our strip section you should. There are some really cool things hiding out in the back of the store.

Robot Fans: Omega The Unknown. I have no idea what is going on in this comic, but I like it anyway. But what I do know is that there are robots. Lots of robots.

Your girlfriend who you want to get into comics: Kabuki, Y: The Last Man, Fables, and Runaways. Chicks dig these books. I speak from personal experience.

Your boyfriend who you want to get into comics: Preacher, Loveless, Criminal, Scalped, Immortal Iron Fist, Thor. The list goes on and on. There are plenty of books for guys who have never picked up a comic and guys who haven’t picked up a comic in years.

Stocking Stuffers: Jason already mentioned Minimates, but we also have the Classic Marvel Figurines. You can get most of your favorites. Spidey, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Shadow Cat, Doc Octopus, and many more. But be warned: they are made of lead. So don’t lick ‘em! (I never get tired of that joke, even if everyone else is.)

If anyone out there in the blog-o-sphere has any suggestions for books we should carry in the store let me know. I need all the help I can get keeping the store fully stocked.

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!

Heroes’ owner Shelton Drum will do what he has to in order to sell comics, and this weekend he’s up in Manhattan for the Big Apple Comicon, a long-running NYC show. If you’re up there this weekend, make sure you stop by and give Shelton a high-five and some money! You can find out all about the show here, and try here for a list of their comics-related pro’s.

Man, I think I’ve stressed that whole Indie Island metaphor to the breaking point. If I’d known I’d run out of good material this soon, I would have chosen a different name way back when. But that’s not what I’ve called you all here to talk about.

What I want to talk about is the two SWEET additions we’ve just made to Indie Island! Firstly, cartoonist and animator Chris Harding, who does the thrice-weekly web comic WE THE ROBOTS, as well as some pretty slick animation. WE THE ROBOTS is still fairly new, so you should definitely jump on the bandwagon early, which is really going to make you look cool when it breaks big-time.

But that’s not all! Also brand new is Tugboat Press, the publisher of Papercutter, the shockingly well-made anthology out of Portland, OR that’s published future big-names like Aaron Renier, Alec Longstreth, Liz Prince and Kazimir Strepek. I met these guys at SPX, and I’m super-jazzed that they’re making the trip all the way from the West Coast to be part of their first ever Indie Island! It’s also exciting because it means our cred is getting pretty big, if publishers are choosing to make a transcontinental trip just to be here! Still more names to come as well, as I work out some details. Plus, with Shelton up in NYC this weekend for the Big Apple Comicon, there’s sure to be more big New Yorkers added to the list soon!