JUSTIN’S PICK :: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES VILLAINS MICRO-SERIES #7: IDW’s Turtles ongoing has been a commendable mix of old and new, blending elements of the Mirage books with the 80s animated series, all while adding its own twists and flavors. Now, this supplemental series does something no Turtles book has dared to do before: introducing Bebop and Rocksteady to mainstream continuity. Despite being fan favorites for those of us who grew up with the show, B & R remain a sharp reminder of the commodification of a beloved indie success story. Regardless, such politics are moot in the presence of quality entertainment, and I, for one, am super-excited to see these mutant marauders brought into the stapled fold.

Check out all the FREE COMICS we’ll be giving to kids who dress up for the Pop Swap! Let us know we’ll see you tomorrow on our Facebook page! Tell your friends!

And don’t forget, Heroes will be in 2 places at once this weekend. We’ll be in Greensboro at Comic Book City Con with our famous selection of great comics! This show is also a great opportunity to meet Jonathan Hickman, Mark Waid, Hope Larson and tons of other great comic-making people!

Heroes Pop Swap: Charlotte’s Pop Culture Swap Meet is happening this Saturday! Bring the whole family for great deals on collectibles both old and new! Pop Swap is also a great time to give your Halloween costume a test drive, we’d love to see it! We will have free comics for kids (under 12) in costume. This is a free event so please tell all your friends and we’ll see you at the store on Saturday!

HEATHER’S PICK :: HELLBOY: THE MIDNIGHT CIRCUS: Young Hellboy joins the circus.  That sentence alone should be enough for you to pick up this hard cover graphic novel.  Just in case it’s not, let me elaborate and mention the minds behind this story-Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo.  Admittedly, I haven’t read a lot of Hellboy standalone books (I’m a B.P.R.D. girl, after all.)  Some of my favorite vignettes in the B.P.R.D. mini-series year books (1947, etc.) have featured young Hellboy.  Give me stories of Hellboy playing with his black lab and getting pamcakes any day.

 I couldn’t be happier to get a full graphic novel all about young Hellboy and his misadventures when he runs away to join the circus.  Of course, this isn’t just any circus but an evil one.  It’s particularly interesting that the tale of Pinocchio is intertwined with Hellboy’s story.  Mignola’s writing and Fegredo’s art combine to create a delightfully creepy book just in time for the Halloween season.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: MARVEL NOW WHAT #1: Marvel Comics have a pretty decent track record of self-parody, from Not Brand Echh, to the wonderful send-ups by Fred Hembeck, on through to Chris G’s Mini Marvels. The tradition continues with Marvel Now What #1, an anthology guaranteed to tickle the McRibs of many-a Marvelite. The Skottie Young cover alone is worth the price of admission, but you can rest assured that the House of Ideas has plenty of yuks lurking in these pages. Now, can we just get a third series of Strange Tales? Please?

ANDY’S PICK :: FABLES ENCYCLOPEDIA: There are few in fandom as detail oriented and obsessed as the living legend Jess Nevins.  He is the man who annotated every single panel from every volume of Alan Moore’s detail oriented work with League of Extraordinary Gentleman Companion (highly recommended!).  (Why is that car in the back ground on page 4 panel 2?  Whose car is it and what about the license plate?)  Once Nevins embarks on a project he never sleeps until all is explained. Now Vertigo and Bill Willingham have unleashed the very hard working and very focused Mr. Nevins on the expansive Fables Universe.  Fables Encyclopedia is just brimming with fun facts and anecdotes about this popular long running VERTIGO series.  Trust me, if there is minutiae to mined, Mr. Nevins is our man.  This coffee table book features illustrations from cover artists James Jean,  Joao Ruas, Adam Hughes, as well as contributions by the regular series art team of Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha.  Enjoy!!!

SETH’S PICK :: SAMURAI JACK #1: I’m not often drawn to comics based on animated shows, but I felt obliged to write about Samurai Jack this week.  It might be one of those cult classics, but even if you’re not all that familiar with the show, you’ll find the subject matter easily accessible.  There’s something to be said for the simplicity of a story centering on a samurai lost in a world ruled by a demon.  Cheers to IDW for translating a popular animated property into what very well could be a successful comic book.  Additional cheers to them for enlisting creators like writer Jim Zub (Skullkickers) and artist Andy Suriano (who happened to work on the animated show) to bring the character to a new medium.  Wednesdays are supposed to be fun for comic readers, and books like this epitomize that potential. 

RICO’S PICK :: PACHYDERME GN: Swiss cartoonist Frederik Peeters’ award winning graphic novel is making it’s way to the US thanks to excellent publisher Self Made Hero. From what little I’ve seen, this story takes place in beautiful yet sinister world similar to the ones the characters of Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch inhabit. It also features a foreword by late master cartoonist Moebius.

Our next road show will be Comic Book City Con sponsored by ACME Comics on Saturday, October 26th & Sunday, October 27th at the Empire Room in historic downtown Greensboro, NC! We hope to see you all at this one!

HeroesCon 2014 will be our biggest and best show yet. We’ve announced a few of our fantastic guests already here. If you’d like to exhibit at a true comics-focused comic convention now is your chance! Artists Alley tables are on sale now! These spaces are available on a first-come-first-served and they usually go fast! Reserve your space today!