KARLA’S PICK :: CRIMINAL MACABRE: THEY FIGHT BY NIGHT (ONE-SHOT): Cal McDonald is back, just in time for the elections! What monstrous mayhem will Mr. McDonald encounter in this one-shot by one of my favorite writers, horror/mystery aficionado, Steve Niles?? Who knows?!?! Rest assured, Niles will give you a story you can sink your teeth into, and Cal McDonald is always worth checking in on…even if you’re not a Criminal Macabre junkie!

My, how time flies! Can you believe that the Heroes Discussion Group is celebrating it’s 50th (that’s right, 50th!!) meeting already?!

The history of comics is brimming with mysteries and enigmas.  Did Alex Raymond kill himself? Why did DC cancel the Jack Kirby penned Fourth World series so early in its run? Is it really a true story that Gwen Stacy’s death got published because Stan Lee was out of the office for the month and couldn’t stop it ? Why did Jack Cole take his own life when he seemed to have everything he’d ever wanted?

Happy Halloween! We have some not-so-scary news for you! Charlotte MiniCon 2013 will be taking place on Sunday, January 20, 2013. This year we bid a fond farewell to the cozy Palmer Building and instead will be holding the show at the Grady Cole Center. This means more space, more creators and more exhibitors!

A few of our friends have already let us know they’ll be joining us at this year’s MiniCon, among them are J Chris Campbell, Sanford Greene, Kevin Mellon, Andy Smith, and Rob Ullman! We have many more guests to announce in the coming weeks! This will be our biggest and best MiniCon yet!

If you’d like to exhibit at this year’s MiniCon please give us a call!

Two of my favorite underground comics are Justin Green’s Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary (1972) and Sacred and Profane (1976), and I’ll sing hallelujah praises for both, but only as a means to celebrate Green’s lesser-known, humbler, but still uproarious Show + Tell (1973).

Justin Green, from BINKY BROWN.

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SETH’S PICK :: JOE KUBERT PRESENTS #1: Comics lost another of its true legends earlier this year when Joe Kubert passed away.  Thankfully, this week offers us an opportunity to further celebrate his life and work with this, his final project, Joe Kubert Presents.  The highlight of this anthology will inevitably be Kubert’s return to Hawkman.  Everybody knows Kubert helped to define the Silver Age Hawkman, but I’m among those who think that no one since him has really captured the character’s essence quite as successfully.  In addition to Hawkman, it’ll be fun to see the return of Angel and the Ape (from Brian Buniak) and U.S.S. Stevens (from Sam Glanzman).  Comics will never produce another Joe Kubert.  Pick up this book this week and celebrate the man and his art.

Over the past several years, writer Matt Fraction has produced a varied body of work, ranging from big company events like Fear Itself, to smaller, character driven books like Immortal Iron Fist.  Let’s not forget he also managed to write fifty-plus issues of Invincible Iron Man and still maintains creator owned projects like Casanova.  Fraction currently reunited with Iron Fist collaborator David Aja on the critically acclaimed Hawkeye series, and is taking over Fantastic Four and FF as part of the Marvel Now event.  Plus, Image announced that he’ll be working on even more upcoming creator owned titles for them in the near future.  With all these irons in the fire, Matt still found time to answer a few questions, and I appreciate it.

Seth Peagler (SP): First off, congratulations on what ended up being a long and successful run on Invincible Iron Man. Have you had a chance to reflect on your tenure? Read the rest of this entry →

JUSTIN’S PICK :: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ANNUAL 2012: Old school Turtles fans rejoice! This oversized annual features a rare treat, a solo Kevin Eastman story starring Raphael and Casey Jones! If you’ve been missing Eastman’s contribution to IDW’s main Turtles ongoing, this’ll tide you over.

Bonus mention: If you’re a Turtles fan and haven’t been checking out the main title, now’s a great time. HeroesCon alum Andy Kuhn is providing the art, and anyone that read the Michelangelo micro-series issue knows, that man can draw a mean Ninja Turtle. For those already familiar with Mr. Kuhn’s fantastic work, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention he ALSO drew up the latest issue of Secret Avengers, so wander on over to that superhero side, genre people!

HEATHER’S PICK :: LOT 13 #1: Just in time for Halloween, a creepy new series from Steve Niles and Glenn Fabry that follows the cross country move of a family into an old apartment complex.  Based on the premise about their chances of surviving the night, it seems like there’s lots of horror in store for both the family and the readers.  I bet this is going to be hard to read while peeking through my fingers.