COMIC FANS! Tickets for Heroes Convention 2014 are on sale now!

CREATORS! 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!

JIM AMASH – Artist: Alter Ego magazine, Jughead, Sonic Universe, Archie and Friends
DAVE ELLIOTT – Publisher/Editor/Writer: A1, Atomeka, Tundra, Deadline
SCOTT HAMPTON – Artist: Hellboy: Sleeping and the Dead, Batman, Sandman
TIM TOWNSEND – Inker: Wolverine and the X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man, New Avengers
DAVID WILLIAMS – Artist: X-Men: First Class, GI Joe, Incredible Hercules, Hulk & Power Pack
BERNIE WRIGHTSON – Artist: Dead She Said, Swamp Thing, Frankenstein, Batman: The Cult

CREATORS! 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!

Well, we made it!  50 discussion Groups with hardly any injuries and downright few fatalities.  With the December holiday season looming over our heads like the Savage Sword of Damocles, we thought it would be nice to give our Discussioneers a break. (That’s what we call you behind your backs). Originally we were going to select an expensive comic strip collection, but darn it all to heck, this is the holidays and we’ve all designated a portion of our hard earned comic money to spend on those pesky loved ones.  So we thought we’d all save our money for a few months (hint!) and do something a little special for ourselves.

Our store manager, all around great guy, and capable cartoonist (if we say so ourselves) Justin Crouse recommended we do the following:  invite everyone to bring their favorite comic (single issue or trade paperback) and provide participants with a 10 minute platform to explain to the group why this is a particularly important story to them.   Then we’d spend a few minutes discussing their choice before moving on to the next person.  This way, we can enjoy all the camaraderie and comic discussion without rupturing our wallets in this leather-stretching time of the year.  Think of this as your opportunity to have 10 uninterrupted minutes to talk about one of your all-time favorite, desert island comics – the one you turn to every year or so for rereading.

An example:  I think of my five favorite books—the ones I will without fail re-read every few years–the ones by which I measure any new books I read.  For the sake of example, I might select the Post War Spirit Comics from 1947 to 1952.  I’d bring along one (or two) of the volumes in the Will Eisner Archive Series and try to explain succinctly why I find the work indispensable.  I would cite Eisner’s growth as a story teller, the development of the modern splash page, the way Eisner used his superhero hook to tell a variety of stories crossing into a variety of genres.  Any questions?  And now it’s your turn.

SAVE THIS DATE: Saturday December 14^th at 1:00pm.  We will meet at the store and then head over to the bakery (they serve good food and cocktails too– God bless ‘em!).  All we ask is that you bring along a copy of  the book you want to discuss.  We suggest you have an alternative on the ready in case  someone else already mentions your choice.  And if you want to join us for this discussion but are uncomfortable talking aloud — there is no pressure to participate. Just come for the food and the fun.

The idea is to offer an hour or two of vacation–an escape from all the stressful Holiday social obligations.  This is ‘ME’ time; this is comic book time!!!  So join us and let’s have some fun! See you on Saturday December 14^th at 1:00pm.

ANDY’S PICK :: SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP #1: As a young’un way-back-when before our creaky old country passed its 200th Birthday, we’d all huddle around the old TV set and watch the NEW Scooby Doo Movies! Not only were these episodes an  hour long and even more old coots would have gotten away with it without those meddling kids, each week we were treated to an animated guest star as well. And here is the roster of  A-Listers Hanna Barbera invited along: Cass Eliot! Sandy Duncan! Jerry Reed! Phyllis Diller, The 3 Stooges (yay!) featuring Joe DeRita (boooo!) The Harlem Globetrotters! and best of all Batman and Robin.  Well now the good folks at DC/WB/TW are reseeding this once fertile ground with Scooby Doo Team Ups #1 featuring our slobbering Great Dane with the dynamic duo. And the first villain is Man-Bat!   Who is it behind the mask? (And I just mean which Robin will they use?)  And more importantly–what other characters will team up with Scoob?  The Powerpuff Girls?  Billy and Mandy? The Corinthian?  The mind reels as the wallet opens!

RICO’S PICK :: SUPER GRAPHIC: Our store rarely carries a book that isn’t a true comic or art book. When you see Super Graphic by Tim Leong you’ll understand why we made an exception. It’s filled with beautifully executed infographics that will often illicit a chuckle or a belly laugh from the most jaded superhero comics fan to a person with even a casual awareness of comic book culture. Super Graphic is a fun visual guide to the comic book universe that no coffee table should be without.

SETH’S PICK :: HIP HOP FAMILY TREE GN: Astute readers of the Heroes Blog will remember that I interviewed cartoonist Ed Piskor about this very book back in May.  If you missed it the first time, you can find that HERE.  As I noted in that interview, I’m not a huge fan of Hip Hop, nor do I have a great deal knowledge of its rich history.  I am, however, a fan of great cartooning, and of the possibilities that exist when combining the seemingly disparate arts of comics and music.  Having finally seen the book in person, I can tell you that I haven’t encountered another musical chronicle quite like it in the realm of comics.  The strength of the book isn’t merely represented by Piskor’s authoritative knowledge of the music’s history, but in how his art puts you right in the middle of the lives of the artists who were breaking new musical ground.   Whether you’re a fan of Hip Hop or just curious about its varied history, this first of a several volume series from Piskor is a comic deserving of your time, money, and enthusiasm.  This is honestly one of the most significant new graphic novels I’ve seen this year.  Give it a look and I’m sure you’ll agree with me.  

JUSTIN’S PICK :: SABERTOOTH SWORDSMAN HC : Maybe I belabor the point a bit too much, but comics’ real strength as a medium is that it can embrace concepts that other mediums simply can’t. This is evident in the fact that filmic special effects took thirty years to catch up with what Jack Kirby was laying down with a piece of graphite in the 1960s. But that, now, makes for some stiff competition. So, books like Dark Horse’s Sabertooth Swordsman are vital and welcome entries into any library. Morphing and bending genre conventions into a mutant whole, this is a dash of Avatar the Last Airbender, a little Chronicles of Narnia, undercut with the tried and true sidescroller formula. A humble farmer is called upon to rescue his wife and his village from the machinations of the malevolent Mastodon Mathematician. By the power of the Cloud God of Sasquatch Mountain, the farmer is imbued with the power of the Sabertooth Swordsman, and embarks on his sacred quest. Aaron Conley’s art is dynamic and stylized, tastefully shaded, with clear storytelling. Conceptually, writer Damon Gentry has conjured a premise that is at once original and familiar, and I look forward to experiencing the pair’s effort. Along with Tobin & Coover’s Bandette, this is a good week for artful action/adventure.

COMIC FANS! Tickets for Heroes Convention 2014 are on sale now!

CREATORS! 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!

RAFAEL ABUQUERQUE :: Artist: American Vampire, Animal Man, Blue Beetle, Batman Writer: Batman Black & White

DENIS KITCHEN :: Cartoonist, Publisher, Author, Art Agent, Righteous Dude: In 1969 Denis Kitchen founded Kitchen Sink Press and for 30 years published many of the most prominent and innovative creators in the comics field. An accomplished cartoonist himself, Kitchen also exclusively represents Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, and Al Capp. We can’t wait to get this man on one of our panels at HeroesCon in June!

BRANDON PETERSON :: Artist: Age of Ultron, X-Men, Ultimate Vision

JOE QUINONES :: Artist: Captain Marvel, Batman, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Spider-Man

DON ROSA :: Cartoonist: The Life and Times of Uncle Scrooge, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories

WILFREDO TORRES :: Artist: The Shadow: Year One, Lobster Johnson, Aliens

Heroes Convention takes place June 20-22, 2014. Click here for our full guest list so far. We are adding new guests all the time. Follow us onFacebook and Twitter for the latest Heroes news. Better yet, sign up for the Heroes Hotline and get all our news sent right to your inbox. Thanks!

ANDY’S PICK :: THOR WARRIORS THREE TP COMPLETE COLLECTION: Superman has his robots, Batman had his Batman of All Nations, Green Lantern has an entire alien police force. All are descendants of Captain Marvel and his three Lieutenant Marvels.  Speaking of Marvel, the FF has the er…. the FF, a newly-thawed Captain America had Rick Jones and the Jones boy had his Teen Brigade who in turn practically invented the internet by way of ham radios. Iron Man has Tony Stark’s Entourage (even the Stark PR director had his own spotlight issue!).  My favorite of all the fill-in/substitute-teacher type hero groups is without a doubt Thor’s reliably violent chorus-The warriors 3!! Fandral the well groomed, Hogun the Grouchy and Volstagg the Menu that Walks like a Man.  These three Asgardian stalwarts always make for  solidly sustained sub-plots which in turn makes for really fun comics.  This new TP collects all the Warriors 3 most important adventures and is sure to be a hoot for everyone except for Hogun, who is–alas– rather Grim.

Collecting : THOR ANNUAL #2, INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #102, MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #30, MARVEL FANFARE (1982) #34-35, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) #-1, WARRIORS THREE #1-4 – and material from TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #101; MARVEL FANFARE (1982) #13 and #36-37; THOR (1966) #400, #410 and #415-416; MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #66; THOR ANNUAL #17; and MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (1990) #15.

HEATHER’S PICK :: AMAZING X-MEN #1:  Jason Aaron has jumped up to my favorite writer in comics and has filled my reserve bag with X-Men titles.  Wolverine and the X-Men was my gateway to all things mutant. Given how much I loved the bamfs in his stories, I cannot wait to see how those little critters help lead to the return of fan favorite, Nightcrawler.  If that wasn’t enough, it appears from previews of #1, there is a pirate story line! I’m really looking forward to reading how Nightcrawler makes the return from heaven to earth in this new series.  

ANDY’S PICK :: VIP: THE MAD WORLD OF VIRGIL PARTCH HC: Throughout the 40s, 50s and early 60s, Virgil Partch was one of the most popular magazine panel cartoonists in the country.  His madcap–often bawdy and even a little naughty– style was immediately recognizable and oft times laugh out loud funny.  In the last phase of his career, he produced a daily newspaper panel (and Sunday comic) called Big George.  Although it was a funny consistent strip, it focused on standard suburban family homeowner jokes.  the Beast had been tamed for a wider milder audience.  This month Fantagraphics offers VIP: THE MAD WORLD OF VIRGIL PARTCH, a career long retrospective of a comic genius that is long overdue.  Check it out.