Thanks to everyone who has already pre-ordered a HeroesCon 2013 Rocketeer t-shirt featuring art by the great Lee Weeks (We should mention Lee’s last issue of Daredevil: Dark Nights comes out today!)!  These shirts are at the printer and ready to go but we thought we’d give any stragglers one last chance to order. If you’ve already ordered a shirt, yours will be on its way to you in the coming weeks. We will overprint by a little bit and have some available in our store and online but pre-ordering is the only way to be sure you get the size you need. So this is it, last chance, order your Rocketeer shirt today!

SETH’S PICK :: WINTER SOLDIER VOL. 4 TPB:  After writing and drawing books for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Vertigo, and 12 Gauge, our friend and neighbor Jason Latour landed the task of taking over writing duties for Ed Brubaker on Winter Soldier.  Alongside artist Nic Klein, Latour offered a smart and funny take on the man formerly known as Bucky. The pair also introduced memorable new cast members like Robards and Electric Ghost, both of whom further defined the Winter Soldier and his world.  Latour and Klein’s run received due acclaim, and though the series was ultimately cancelled (you know Marvel will relaunch it closer to the next Cap movie), their work was a fine addition to the character’s storied history.  This collection gives you an idea of what can happen when like minded creators get paired on a book that makes perfect sense for them to collaborate on.  It’s also, more importantly, an example of good and entertaining comics.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: BURN THE ORPHANAGE #1: This is the inaugural issue of a miniseries with the overarching title Born To Lose. Between the titular references to disparate pop songs, and the familiar aesthetics of 90s side-scrollers, this is a book I’ve been looking forward to for some time. Sina Grace’s art is charming and disarming in S. Steven Struble’s Lil Depressed Boy; here Grace is stepping up his game, exhibiting a versatility he only hinted at in last autumn’s underrated Not My Bag. Conceptually, this book sounds like your basic quest for vengeance, but simple plots yield simple pleasures…Burn the Orphanage is tailor-made for trash culturists.

“Why don’t you guys ever have a warehouse sale?”  It’s something we’ve heard from countless customers over the years, and it’s finally happening over Labor Day weekend!  The sale will take place over four days from Friday, August 30 – Monday, September 2.

“What exactly makes this a warehouse sale?”  As you know, we buy comic collections all the time, and we’ve bought so many in recent years that we just don’t have the space to keep them anymore.  With multiple warehouses overflowing, it’s time to let our customers pick through what we’ve accumulated.

“What can I expect to find at the sale?”  For starters, we’ll have nearly 100,000 comics under tents in front of the store ready for you to dig through.  Do the math – that’s nearly 300 long boxes of comics!  As the sale goes on prices will get lower, but the selection will be smaller. We’ll have big deals right from the start, but as usual, the more you buy, the cheaper the cost.  We’ll also have a plethora of trade paperbacks on sale, reduced prices on HeroesCon prints through the years, and more!

“What are the hours for the sale?”  It will officially kick off Friday evening around 6 p.m. and go until MIDNIGHT!  Saturday it will begin at our normal opening hour of 10 a.m. and go until MIDNIGHT!  Sunday we’ll open three hours early at 10 a.m. and go until MIDNIGHT! And Monday, we’ll open at 10 a.m. and go until dark, or until everything’s gone, whichever comes first.

We’ve had lots of sales over the years, but trust me – you’ve never seen one this big.  Start getting your back issue list together and get ready for this gargantuan event!

Just for the sake of reminding you, here are the times for the sale:

Friday, August 30: 6 p.m. – MIDNIGHT

Saturday, August 31: 10 a.m. – MIDNIGHT

Sunday, September 1: 10 a.m. – MIDNIGHT

Monday, September 2: 10 a.m. – DARK (or until everything’s gone!)

Come celebrate the holiday with us, and pick up some great deals in the process!  See you Labor Day weekend!

It’s been almost 2 months since HeroesCon and all of the pressure, excitement and stress that brings to Heroes and to me personally. The volume builds for months before the show every year and takes some time to settle down afterwards. The one aspect of HeroesCon that I regret every year is that I don’t get to spend enough, if any, time behind my table selling and trading comics with attending fans. I love old comics. I love handling and talking about old comics. I love buying and selling old comics.

My long-time friends and associates in the Charlotte comic-collecting community Rick Fortenberry and Dave Hinson are holding their Charlotte Comicon this Sunday at the Crown Plaza Executive Park Hotel (formerly the Marriott) off of Tyvola Rd and I-77. I love this show! I’ll tell you why. I can go set up my stock of comics and spend a whole day immersed in old funnybooks and talking to local collectors. Many customers are old friends and the war stories and tall tales are fun to recount, but I always meet new fans and collectors every time this show is held. This con is like a day off for me and I can’t wait.

Come join us this Sunday for a full day of fun, collecting and reminiscing about the comics and characters we all love.

http://www.charlottecomicon.com/

*photo by Todd Lacey

We are ecstatic to welcome award-winning writer/artist Mark Schultz to our HeroesCon 2014 Guest List! Though he’s best known for Xenozoic Tales (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs) and SubHuman, his lush illustrations have also appeared in Mythmaker, a deluxe collection of Robert E. Howard’s original Conan stories. Mark is a great storyteller who has also written scripts for Superman, Star Wars, Aliens, and Predator and he’s presently writing the legendary Prince Valiant strip.  This will be Mark’s first visit to HeroesCon, so please give him a warm welcome!

JUSTIN’S PICK :: TOM STRONG AND THE PLANET OF PERIL: It’s been a few years since we’ve been treated to the exploits of the Strong Family, and writer Peter Hogan promises to put them through the wringer. Tesla Strong is with child and in mortal danger, necessitating her father and husband – subterranean royal Val Var Garm – travel across the stars to the alternate world of Terra Obscura! Terra Obscura was one of the more interesting concepts that Alan Moore introduced into his ABC universe, blending the standard “evil twin” archetype and metafiction to fan-favorite results. The stalwart art team of Chris Sprouse and Karl Story assures this book will be a thing of beauty, indeed. Their collaborative efforts always offer clean lines and clear storytelling, cutting through the din and clutter with economic vitality. It’s nice to have the band back together.

RICO’S PICK :: MARK SCHULTZ’ XENOZOIC COLLECTION & CARBON ARTBOOK: Mark Schultz is getting the Flesk Publications treatment next week with TWO great looking books. One is a new collection of Schultz’ Xenozoic Tales (Cadillacs & Dinosaurs). Dystopian future, dinosaurs, sweet cars, shotguns and Hannah Dundee, if you are asking for more you are a greedy so-and-so. Luckily for you there is more..

Flesk is also delivering a new Mark Schultz art book this week. The vast majority of the art was completed over the last two years, with most of the fifty-plus pieces being published here for the first time.