JUSTIN’S PICK :: UNCANNY AVENGERS #1: Another Marvel relaunch destined to inspire endless diatribes of Internet nerdsnark. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see a new iteration of the Avengers’ Unity Squad. Including a historical Avenger like the Vision on the roster only deepens this group’s significance, and throwing in a left field B-lister like Dr. (Brother) Voodoo is super cool (70s genre Marvel is kinda my jam). Also, Rick Remender and Daniel Acuña play well together, so let’s check the cynicism at the door and have a little fun, shall we?

ANDY’S PICKS :: Classic comics old and new……

BATMAN SILVER AGE NEWSPAPER COMICS HC VOL 02 1968-1969| $49.99
(W) Whitney Ellsworth (A) Joe Giella, Al Plastino (CA) Peter Poplaski
The second half of the comic strip run of Batman that rode on the coat-tails of the popularity of the infamous albeit hilarious TV Series. Sure, It’s a relic but it’s also a riot and it features guest-stars Superman and Aquaman. Same Bat strip, same Bat creative teams.

BPRD PLAGUE OF FROGS TP VOL 02| $24.99
(W) Brian Augustyn & Various (A) Guy Davis & Various (CA) Mike Mignola
An ideal and inexpensive way to dive into the Mignolaverse. Collects B.P.R.D.: The Dead, B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame, and B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs. Plus the storytelling mastery of Guy Davis!

FABLES #148| $2.99
(W) Bill Willingham (A) Mark Buckingham & Various (CA) Nimit Malaviae o
Rose Red learns the truth about her mother, herself and her sister Snow White. As NFL Coach Dennis Green might say at a Post Fables press conference “They’re AREN’T who we thought they were” . There are only 2 issues left. The tension is getting pretty thick.

GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #01| $3.99
(W) Mark Evanier (A/CA) Sergio Aragones
It’s a year long series. Each month spotlights a supportive character whose life gets repeatedly destroyed by everyone’s favorite bungling Barbarian. This first issue features Captain Ahax. Things will get wet.

MMW UNCANNY X-MEN HC VOL 09| $75.00
(W) Chris Claremont (A) Various (CA) Paul Smith
Even though the earlier John Byrne era made The X-Men stars, it is this volumes era that sent the mutants and their scribe Chris Claremont into the stratosphere.Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN #168-175- artist Paul Smith became a star, Rogue became a hero, Cyclops became a husband and Professor Xavier became a Jerk. Also included is the MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #5 “God Loves, Man Kills” a true mainstream high water mark and WOLVERINE #1-4. Featuring art by rising superstar Frank Miller. Last and certainly least, THE UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL #7 perhaps the single worst comic book in BRONZE AGE  history. If you think I’m exaggerating, look at the last two pages. POP And POPsicles….yuck.

RUN LIKE CRAZY RUN LIKE HELL HC| $19.99
(W) Jacques Tardi, Jean-Patrick Manchette (A/CA) Jacques Tardi
Following the success of West Coast Blues and Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot (both highly recommended) Jacques Tardi third collaboration with famed crime writer Jean- Patrick Manchette is by all accounts, the best of the bunch. Hard boiled noir action, dark humor and page after page of Tardi. Tres Bien!

Bring a non-perishable food item and register here for FREE admission!
https://clt-minicon2015.eventbrite.com/

Charlotte’s longest running comic convention!

Featuring great vendors and comic creators!

Complete 2015 Charlotte MiniCon Guest List (so far)

NATALIE ANDREWSON
PAUL AZACETA
AL BIGLEY
CHRIS BRUNNER
J CHRIS CAMPBELL
JOEL CARROLL
RICH CASE
BRIDGIT CONNELL
JOEY ELLIS
SANFORD GREENE
CULLY HAMNER
SANDY JARRELL
JASON LATOUR
KEVIN MELLON
DREW MOSS
STEVE NILES
BUDD ROOT
ANDY SMITH
BRIAN STELFREEZE
ROBERT ULLMAN
MATT WILSON
KELLY YATES
AND MANY MORE!

ZAQ’S PICK :: IVAR, TIMEWALKER #1: My pick for this week is a doozy, especially given how much time has passed since my last pick. Speaking of “time” I give you, “Ivar, Timewalker”! Published by Valiant, & the brainchild of writer Fred Van Lente and artist Clayton Henry. This book is about time travel, well, more about saving existence from time travel…? Our hero, Ivar, is like an eastern block Constantine. Nuff said!

Join us today to celebrate the release of Star Wars #1 written by our pal Jason Aaron (Thor, Southern Bastards, Wolverine, Scalped) and drawn by John Cassaday (Uncanny Avengers, Planetary, Astonishing X-Men). You may have also heard about the variant covers for this first issue, there are a bunch of them and we have some of them available in store for you today PLUS the 501st Carolina Garrison will be here for photos with customers.

We have also listed 8(!) sets of Star Wars #1 variant covers on eBay. Check the listings for all the details of which books are in each set. Of course in true Heroes fashion we’re not only selling comic books. If you win one of the variant sets, you will recieve a 3-day pass to HeroesCon 2015.

But wait, there’s more.

If you are able to attend HeroesCon 2015, you will be invited to a catered BBQ lunch with series writer Jason Aaron! At the lunch you will have the opportunity to get your books signed by Jason and certified (at a discounted rate) by CBCS! Don’t miss this rare opportunity!

Place your bids HERE!

I never eat December snowflakes. I always wait until January.
-Lucy Van Pelt
So here are some ripe ones:

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 9 LIBRARY HC VOL 01| $29.99
(W) Joss Whedon (A) Georges Jeanty
Okay, so Buffy Season 8 was a bit of a let down, but with Season 9, the Creative-Scoobies really got it together. Our world is a world without magic and a new menace arrives–zombie Vampires! Willow is working overtime to bring the magic back to our earthly realm while Buffy has a serious personal crisis. This entire run is a blast. Collects Buffy Season 9 Volume 1 and Volume 2 in an oversized format; plus an Expanded sketchbook by the talented Messer. Jeanty.

FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #01| $3.99
Reprinting Vertigo’s first-ever digital-first series, FABLES: THE WOLF AMONG US which is a comic adaptation and expansion of the video game. This is an official prequel to Bill Willingham’s FABLES! With the series in the hands of Matthew Sturges (JACK OF FABLES) along with fellow scribe Dave Justus (HOUSE OF MYSTERY), and featuring art by Stephen Sadowski (JSA), Shawn McManus (FABLES/FAIREST), and Travis Moore (JSA ALL STARS) this looks like a solid offering to help fill our Mundane void.

LETS DANCE SNOOPY 65 YEARS OF PEANUTS TP

For those who can’t budget for the complete Peanuts reprint from Fantagraphics or for folks who want to let their kids read the adventures of the greatest daydreamer in comics history and want to keep their collected volumes from excess stickiness, this is a perfect single issue sampler. It’s not just the dog; it’s the WWI Flying Ace, it’s that gad about the Quad, Joe Cool, it’s the greatest unpublished novelist in America, it’s the world famous attorney, it’s the tennis partner of the terrifying Molly Volley.
It’s all Snoopy and it’s all great.

SETH’S :: ANT-MAN #1: You have to give Marvel a little credit for some of their recent publishing strategies. Since they were acquired by Disney and their films became one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood, Marvel has gotten increasingly better about publishing new comics that have a more obvious correlation with some of those t.v. and movie projects. Just a few weeks ago they published a new SHIELD comic, and this week we see two new series that will hopefully appeal to new readers. Operation Sin #1 sees an Agent Carter comic just in time for the new show, and Ant-Man #1 arrives just in time for the first film trailer. Ideally, such cross-promotional efforts will translate into more people walking into comic shops.

I’m particularly excited for the Ant-Man comic. Whereas most of the other Marvel Film properties have had multiple comics series over the years, Ant-Man is a relatively unexplored character. He’s one of those characters who has been a go-to guest star in the past, but hasn’t really had much by way of his own series. Marvel wisely tapped Nick Spencer to help define Ant-Man before the film. He’s coming off an acclaimed run on Superior Foes of Spider-man, and should do a nice job developing the criminal turned tiny hero. Ramon Rosanas provides the art, and while I’ve not seen much of his previous work, the previews suggest his cartooning is a good choice for this series. Wrap it all in one of the nice covers by Skottie Young or Chris Samnee, and you have a fun read for the week.

HEATHER’S PICK :: UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #1: Confession time, I had never heard of Squirrel Girl until a Free Comic Book Day a few years ago when a local cosplayer, Amberle, showed up in a most amazing costume.  A bigger confession, until someone told me that she was a Marvel character, I thought Amberle just really loved squirrels.  This week I will be able to start learning all about Doreen Green and her best squirrel friend, Tippy Toe.  Doreen is leaving her secret apartment in the attic of Avengers Mansion (I seriously love that little detail and all of the fun things that are stored up there) and heading off to college to study computer science.

Written by Ryan North, adorably rendered by Erica Henderson, and colored by Heroes’ very own, Rico Renzi, this all ages tale is sure to thrill.  I for one can’t wait to have another female centric book from Marvel to read.  Did I mention there’s an awesome Skottie Young variant cover and an Art Adams variant as well?!? Don’t be a nut and miss out on this great new book!

Since 1980, Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find has been here providing comics for our community and beyond. Here’s how you can help us celebrate Heroes and owner Shelton Drum’s 35th Anniversary all year long in 2015. To find out about the great events we have planned, all you have to do is keep up with us on the social media platform of your choice. The best way to stay current with our events is to subscribe to the Heroes Hotline. We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr too.

For our 1st event of many celebrating our 35th Anniversary, we’re kicking off 2015 with 35% off for subscribers who come in and clear out their reserve bags! Whether you are here every week or haven’t been in over the holidays, we want to thank you and reward your loyalty. If you purchase everything in your reserve bag, the 35% off will extend to all new comics on our shelves as well. The sale starts this THURSDAY, we’ll be open from 1pm-6pm. The sale will end when we close at 9pm on Tuesday, January 6, 2015.

So, thank you! We have the best customers and we can’t wait to tell you about all the great things we have planned for 2015. Get plugged in and let’s celebrate our 35th Anniversary year together!

Celebrate the holidays with us THIS WEEKEND on December 20th from 10 am to 9 pm and December 21st from 1 to 6 pm at our Annual Holiday Sale! It’s a little late this year but we have been busy! Shelton has pulled out all the stops for this one. We will have crazy discounts on pretty much everything in the store. Shelton will be in the store wheeling and dealing so if there’s something you’ve had your eye on, make him an offer! Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be ready to answer questions, help you locate items and give you recommendations too. Be sure to stop by the store this weekend to stock up on presents for friends, family and yourself. You are not going to want to miss this sale!

Still not sure what to get that certain someone for Christmas? The holiday sale is a perfect time to pick up your 3-day pass for HeroesCon 2015, it makes a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for comics fan.  You can always follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with the latest Heroes news!