Well, the Heroes’ Discussion Group reunited with a bang.  We talked about Saga on and off for three hours and spent the rest of the time talking comics with legendary penciller Steve Bissette who stopped by with our friend Craig Fischer on a lark!  It was a tremendous afternoon—I was less a moderator and more of a plate-spinner with an itch between the shoulders.  We had a blast.  Thanks to all of you who attended.

Now we turn our sights onto Halloween.  In the past we’ve done Walking Dead and From Hell.  This year it is time we jumped feet first into the Mike Mignola-verse and talk about Hellboy and B.P.R.D.  The amount of consistent quality pages delivered by Mignola and team centering on everyone’s favorite earth-bound demon and his fellow bureau agents of Paranormal research and defense is legion.  So, we asked all of our Mignolaphiles which books we should tackle.  Based on a consensus over-seen by our own Seth Peagler (thanks Seth!) we have decided on the following trade paperbacks:

• Hellboy: Wake the Devil—an early complete Hellboy story arc
• Hellboy: The Chained Coffin—a really solid collections of shorter Hellboy pieces
• B.P.R.D.—The Dead—one of the best of the early B.P.R.D. extended stories.

Topics will include:

• The art by Mignola (Hellboy) and Guy Davis (BPRD) and how their different styles affect the storytelling
• The supporting cast (certainly one of the largest and most interesting around)
• The way Hellboy/BPRD is published—can new readers jump in anywhere?
• The use of comedy relief
• The consistency of the series
• And for any who are already well-versed with Mignola’s work: What should the new readers pick up next?
• And a whole lot more!  If you’ve been putting these series off—this is a perfect time to give it a try!

We hope you will join us for a belated Halloween on Saturday November 2^nd at 1:00pm.  As usual we will meet at the store and repair to either the Tavern or Bakery across the way.

As usual, Heroes is offering the 10% Discussion Discount on these three books.  But as a special incentive–if you purchase all three we are offering a 20% savings.  That’s 3 Trades for only 45.00.  Just remember to remind the clerk of the discount when you check out.  (The overwhelming and ever-present smell of Mylar is starting to get to us.)

Hope you’ll join us and Happy Halloween!

RICO’S PICK :: INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK SPECIAL #1: Mike Costa, Jake Wyatt, and Jordie Bellaire bring you this special issue which is part 2 in “The Arms of The Octopus” trilogy. Part 1, the All New X-Men Special illustrated by Kris Anka, was great and sucked me in like the superhero comics of my youth. I love Jake Wyatt’s art and can’t wait to read this issue! If you haven’t seen Jake’s new web comic Necropolis please check it out because it’s even better than this even though it’s only about 3 pages in.

Andy’s Pick :: The Sandman: Endless Nights: With the new series due to drop any week now, the comic world will be abuzz with The Sandman. And rightfully so, it is one of the most influential and arguably one of the best comic book series of all time. In my opinion this anthology, Sandman: Endless Nights is the perfect place for the uninitiated to sample Neil Gaiman‘s comic work. Sandman is Dream. He and his siblings known as the endless (Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Destruction and Delight/Delirium) are each featured in stand alone stories all written by Gaiman and drawn by P. Craig Russell (Death), Milo Manara (Desire–natch!), Miguelanxo Prado (dream– this is a story set long before Earth came into being) Barron Story and Michael McKean (Despair) Bill Sienkiewicz (Delirium) Glen Fabry (Destruction) and Frank Quitely (Destiny) Each time I read it, a different story rises to the top of my favorites.  Now The Sandman: Endless Nights is available in an affordable softcover, you can’t put off the inevitable any longer.  The Dream Story will knock the socks off of any DC comics fan. Oh, BTW– this was the very first comic periodical to debut on the NY Times Bestseller list. Give it a try!

JUSTIN’S PICK :: BUZZKILL #2 : This is a concept that, in incapable hands, could be dreadfully rote: a guy derives superpowers from drug and alcohol abuse. Not necessarily a wholly original premise, but the creative team’s approach elevates the proceedings beyond the mundane. Donny Cates’ characterization of the main character is sympathetic and believable, without making a sappy sob story out of it (truth be told, he’s kind of a jerk, but a likable jerk). Geoff Shaw’s art inhabits a comfortable space somewhere between the likes of Tradd Moore and Matteo Scalera, with Lauren Affe punching things up quite beautifully in the color department. Issue one ended on an ingenious cliffhanger; I’m clamoring for issue two. If you missed this Dark Horse offering in the shuffle, pick #1 up along with #2, and save yourself the agony of turnaround.

Shelton is on the road again! He’ll be at the New York Comic Con all 4 days this weekend starting Thursday. He’ll have great Golden, Silver and Modern Age comics as usual. Follow Shelton and Heroes on Twitter for updates and special offers during the show!

Our next 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 one or both of these shows!

HEATHER’S PICK :: COFFIN HILL #1: The weather’s getting cooler and a chill is setting in that will soon be welcoming Halloween and all manner of spirits into the season.  Jump into the mood with a wonderfully creepy tale from Caitlin Kittredge and Inaki Miranda.  Coffin Hill is the story of Eve and her transplanted from Salem family of witches.  Eve has tried to escape her wicked past, but a workplace injury sends her back home.  With dark magic and haunted woods, this new series from Vertigo is sure to be a scary good time.

Fall is here but we’re already getting ready for next Summer, June 20-22, 2014 to be exact! Check out all these awesome creators joining us for HeroesCon next year! Tickets are going on sale soon!

CLIFF CHIANG :: Artist: Wonder Woman, Beware the Creeper, Human Target

MARC DEERING :: Inker: Supergirl, Legion

EVAN DORKIN :: Cartoonist: Milk & Cheese, DORK, Beasts of Burden, DC Nation

SARAH DYER :: Writer/Color Artist: DC Nation, Beasts of Burden, House of Fun, MAD

FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA :: Cartoonist: Black Beetle, Afterlife with Archie, Captain America

MARIS WICKS :: Cartoonist: Primates, Yes Let’s, Adventure Time, Batman

JUSTIN’S PICK :: GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS : This is comics. Unbridled imagination and compulsion. [adult swim] without the brackets. I can’t really tell you exactly what Ryan Browne‘s God Hates Astronauts is “about”; I can tell you it is one of the most wildly entertaining (and therefore endearing) books I’ve read in some time. This is the comic that that Axe Cop kid would make if he had access to an unsecured Internet connection and a time machine. GHA falls vaguely under the “superhero” umbrella, and while it may have a parodic tone, it’s not taking the piss. Rather, it’s a love letter to a vilified sub-sub-genre, much like Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca‘s exemplary Afrodisiac. This will not please readers of extreme indie or mainstream bias, as it’s a Frankenstein’s Monster of the two, but fans of humor and creativity will be delighted. I mean, the cast includes a character called King Tiger Eating a Cheeseburger. If that doesn’t entice you, I’d suggest you stop reading comics altogether and take up a more meditative hobby, such as soap making, or maybe carp farming.

SETH’S PICK :: SHAOLIN COWBOY #1: On the surface, Shaolin Cowboy might seem an uncommon staff pick from the likes of me.  There’s not much depth by way of story, its violence is downright gratuitous, and character development is eschewed for visual antics.  Yet, I find myself frequently including this book among my favorites.  Geof Darrow is undoubtedly a master of the form, capable of drawing expansive single paneled pages and highly detailed action scenes with multiple characters.  That’s undeniable, but is really just a part of why I love this book.  Darrow imbues each page with joyous energy.  Even if it’s a bloody scene, Darrow seems to relish the opportunity to put his silent protagonist through the ringer, confident that somehow they’ll both live to see the tale’s end.  As a result, the book feels like Darrow is drawing exactly what he wants, giddily following his muse wherever it may lead.  In this way, Shaolin Cowboy feels like the work of a seasoned jazz improviser soloing at the front of the stage.  But like any experienced jazz musician, you know Darrow laid the groundwork for his solo with years of practice and discipline.  This is the kind of book that makes me happy to have the opportunity to write about comics for this blog.