§ September 22nd, 2008§ Filed under UncategorizedComments Off on Mike’s draconian in-store dancing policies, and other topics of importance to the young student.
Sometimes the in-store staff meetings depart from the prepared agenda:
Me: “No, we can’t have dancing in the store.”
Kid Chris: “No dancing?”
Me: “Well…look, we can’t have anyone doing the ‘Cabbage Patch’ or the ‘Running Man.'”
Employee Aaron: “The ‘Running Man?'”
Me: “That’s right.”
(sees disappointed looks on the faces of Aaron and Kid Chris)
Me: “Oh, fine, if you need to, you can do The Swim.”
Employee Aaron: “Can we do the Hustle?”
Me: “The Hustle is permitted if…and only if…’The Hustle’ by Van McCoy is playing on the CD player.”
Despite the above, our store won Best Comic Book Store in the county for the somethingth-time in a row, according to a long-running local free weekly paper. Number two was a store in the next town over, and number three was the game store we rent space to. They carry Knights of the Dinner Table, you see. Yes, the #3 comic shop in our county is located within the #1 comic shop. I recently cleared some space over near the comic racks…maybe I can open a shop there and we claim all three spots next time!
All kidding aside, it does make us happy, and we get a snazzy framed award certificate we can hang up in the shop, so there you go.
More buttons from The Collection:
That Green Hornet button is an original, not a reproduction, far as I can tell. And, you know, I thought there were more comic-related buttons in this collection at first glance, but it seems to be mostly music-related or regional interest or buttons like “I’m A Killer Bimbo,” which I’m going to assume doesn’t refer to Betty Boop’s companion.
I thought this was an odd thing to make a button from:
…though I suppose it is kinda creepy, given the Hitchcock connection.
…And I’m still trying to figure this out:
I’m assuming it’s perhaps a sports mascot of some kind, but my sports knowledge, such as it is, and my Google-fu both fail me. Maybe one of YOU know what’s going on here.
If ducks in clothing disturb you, here’s a button of a presumably clothes-less, or at least shirtless, duck:
Not quite sure what’s going on there, either.
Some “blogging about blogging is a sin” business…I’m getting closer to beginning the “rotating title banner” function on the site, so that every time you visit a new banner will turn up at the top of the page. Here are details if you’d still like to contribute your own…when I start doing the rotating banners, I’ll have a link at the top of the page leading to a credits section, which will have links to contributors’ websites as applicable.
It’s about a month away, and I’m just going to start with a handful of banners at first, to make sure it works okay. So, if you pop by the site sometime in the next few weeks, and things have gone horribly, horribly awry (or maybe you just get this page)…I assure you, I’m working on it!
Came across this on Amazon:
Not a collectible card game, but just your standard card deck. Take a look at the Amazon page for more details, such as they are.
Girly cards are pretty far down my list of expected Star Wars merchandise. Perhaps right after the splayed-leg C3P0 tape dispenser.
And hey, I’m no dummy:
Speaking of Star Wars, I just had this brief exchange with the girlfriend’s 11 year old niece, as we were looking at a Star Wars toy catalog:
Niece: “I think I can name all these characters…that’s Yoda, that’s R2D2, that’s General Grievous, that’s Darth Maul, that’s Mara Jade….”
Me: “Do you know who Mara Jade is?”
Niece: “No.”
Me: “Just checking.”
Niece: “Who is she?”
Me: “She was a bad guy who was trying to kill Luke Skywalker, then later became one of the good guys and ended up marrying Luke.”
Niece: “Really? How do you know that?”
Me: “Um…I’ve read all the books and comics.”
Niece: “You have?”
Me: “Yeah. Don’t rub it in.”
There’s a lesson to be learned here, and that lesson is “Mike shouldn’t read so many Star Wars books.”
Came across this at the shop the other day:
The post-crash late ’90s comics industry bore some strange fruit, indeed.
§ September 21st, 2008§ Filed under UncategorizedComments Off on "Let us rub our external mouth tumors together to prove our love!"
So there I was, just cruising through the Grand Comics Database, looking at old photo-cover comics, when I came across the cover for Miss America Magazine Vol. 7 #11. And really, click on that link to see the cover at full size, because I don’t know if it’s the coloring on the cover, or just the scan or what, but those bubblegum bubbles (if that’s what they actually are) look really, really appalling.
I grossed myself out with the thought that’s in this post’s subject line, and now I’ve passed it on to you. No need to thank me.
§ September 19th, 2008§ Filed under big red cheeseComments Off on "Yours for old Shazam…."
Pictured above is a Mary Marvel Fan Club card from 1946, acquired in that collection I’ve been scanning ‘n’ photographing from all week. It came in an envelope along with a merchandise sheet and a “welcome to the club” letter ostensibly from Mary herself, plugging the merchandise, reminding folks of the paper drive, and giving fashion tips:
Speaking of Mary, here’s a column by Customer Jim reminiscing about the Mary Marvel of old, and lamenting her treatment of late.
In other news:
More news from the Beanworld: Larry Marder has posted the solicitation information for two Beanworld projects: the first Beanworld hardcover, reprinting issues #1 through #9, and the all-new, all-color Beanworld Holiday Special! Go see Larry for more info and art samples!
“SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING BOOK ONE HC Written by Alan Moore Art by Stephen Bissette, Dan Day and John Totleben Cover by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben Writer Alan Moore’s seminal horror series is now published in hardcover for the very first time — including the never-before-reprinted SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #20, in which Moore wraps up the previous storyline and sets the stage for the groundbreaking tales that were to come. Collecting SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #20-27, this first volume features the stories that put Moore on the comics map in the 1980s thanks to his unique narrative style and deconstructive storytelling. Created by a freak accident, Swamp Thing believed he was once scientist Alec Holland — but when he discovers his true nature, it shatters his universe and sends him on a path of discovery and adventure.
“Featuring the art of Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, this groundbreaking work features mind-blowing, genre-defying stories starring the rich, complex character that Neil Gaiman called ‘The No. 1 New Classic Monster’ in Entertainment Weekly.”
At long, long last, we’re getting a reprint of Alan Moore’s first Swamp Thing issue, left out of previous reprintings due to its being more of a wrapping up of storylines from Marty Pasko’s run than a beginning for Moore’s own story. (And hopefully the new hardcover will restore the missing caption from the last page of Saga of the Swamp Thing #24, which isn’t in the most recent softcover edition.)
Tom Bondurant, in his own DC solicits examination, wonders if I know why there haven’t been any Showcase Presents reprintings of the entire first Swamp Thing series (including the never reprinted in their entirety, at least in the U.S., post-Wrightson #11-#24) and the pre-Moore Saga of the Swamp Thing by Pasko, Tom Yeates, and the first ST work by Bissette and Totleben. I don’t know, aside maybe from royalties issues, or maybe a feeling that non-Wrightson, non-Moore/Veitch ST sales wouldn’t justify reprinting. I really have no idea.
The black and white Showcase books would be an okay solution…as Tom says, the first series would fit in one volume, and a second volume could cover all the pre-Moore stuff (though instead of including the early Moore issues to fill the rest of the book, I’d go after the Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents stories…and maybe somewhere there’d be room for Swampy’s star turn in those Challengers of the Unknown comics).
That initial 13-issue story in Saga of the Swamp Thing by Pasko and Yeates, et al, ain’t too bad. (And 14-19 are pretty good too, actually…I’ll write more about those some other time.) It’s a bit overwritten, captions and word balloons overwhelming the art at times to the detriment of the story, but it still holds together as a fine example of modern horror. It’s been mostly lost in the large shadow cast by Moore’s run, but still deserves some attention. And hell, it’s cheap…even if it’s never collected, you can pick up those issues for a couple of bucks each, by and large.
But if any of that early Swamp Thing can be reprinted, especially in color, I’d like to see those Nestor Redondo issues from the original ’70s series on nice paper, finally. His style was quite a bit different from Wrightson’s — a little more polished and slick, maybe — but still quite beautiful and moody and, again, hidden in the shadow of a more famous and highly-regarded run in the same series.
And I’d like a cheap, full-color reprinting of Sugar & Spike…you know, so long as I’m wishing for things I’m not going to get.
§ September 18th, 2008§ Filed under UncategorizedComments Off on Cute as a….
So I’ve been going through the box o’buttons from this recently received collection, and there aren’t a whole lot of comic-related buttons…mostly they’re music or sports or TV/movies, what have you. But there are a few, and I thought I’d lay a handful of ’em on you today.
I swear this button reminds me of a dial on a rotary phone…what a cool-looking phone that would have been, huh?
Yeah, yeah, I know, “what’s a rotary phone?” Get out of here, kid, you bother me.
Whoops, the button’s a little lop-sided in this scan…just tilt your head a bit:
Just a manufacturer’s mark on that button, no copyright info.
Presumably this button means that they saw Superman art at the museum, and not just some guy wandering the halls in a Superman costume:
…but it was the Bicentennial year, and people were doing all kinds of crazy things, so who knows? A quick Googling turned up no historical info on the event, but I’m assuming it was a show of original comic art.
Direct from 1966:
I really really really want to replace that Iron Man image with the picture from this cover. You don’t even need to click the link…you know which cover it is, since I link to it every opportunity I get.
Not comic-related, but amusing enough to share:
I say, that’s hard cheese. Who doesn’t like “Louie Louie” (“said Mike, moments before his comments section filled with people decrying the song’s existence”)?
In other news:
Internet pal Andrew, that smart feller what’s responsible for one of the smartest and best-written comics blogs in existence, has just opened the doors on his new site Pronounced Woo-Bin. It’s a celebration of things Bostonian…specifically, that fabulous accent that Andrew himself demonstrates in his own voice with choice audio clips. Seriously, it’s fantastic.
Say, you remember that Ian Brill chap, don’t you? Tall guy, glasses, wavy black hair, pegleg, eyepatch? He has a story in Zombie Tales #5, illustrated by Jason Ho. It’s out this week, so ask your retailer for “that comic with Ian Brill in it…no, not those Warhammer ones, the ones with the shambling dead,” and he’ll go “Oh, why yes, of course, that zombie comic with the story by young Master Brill,” and he’ll pass a copy right over to you, surely.
Pal Nat has unleashed upon an unsuspecting world The Licensable Bear™ Big Book of Officially Licensed Fun!, reprinting Licensable Bear™ strips and appearances and columns and merchandise images and oh, so much more. Ask for it at your local funnybook emporium.
If that’s not enough Licensable Bear™ for you, have a new informative video from our beshirted ursine consumer expert!
§ September 17th, 2008§ Filed under UncategorizedComments Off on And now, some tiny ads blown up good ‘n’ big.
Well, I haven’t yet found the ad for the Marvel coins that feature the silver and gold versions, but I did happen upon the ad for the Star Trek coin I featured the end of this post:
That’s twice the price of the Marvel coins. Trek don’t come cheap. (Though the sculpt on the Trek coins was a tad more elaborate, admittedly.)
On the same page was this terrifying ad:
“Eat, laugh, talk, receive scorn when you say it’s supposed to be a ‘Planet of the Apes’ mask.” I’m sure we all remember the swollen red lips the apes had. Well, okay, maybe in the remake:
§ September 16th, 2008§ Filed under UncategorizedComments Off on "Within each of us, oftimes, there dwells a mighty raging fury."
So I’m sure some of you remember seeing this ad, which ran in mid-1970s Marvel comics:
I’ve seen it plenty of times myself, but it wasn’t until this past weekend, with the arrival of that large collection of miscellaneous collectibles, that I’ve seen the actual coins themselves. They measure about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and they look a little something…like this:
The coins’ backs:
I don’t know why the progression of Banner-to-Hulk on the back of that Hulk coin makes me laugh, but it just does. Also, I should note that the serial numbering mentioned in the ad are etched on the coins’ edges.
You could buy the coins just on their own for $2.50 each (with a generous discount if you buy in quantity), or you could buy a variety of accessories:
There were several coins in this collection we acquired, but alas, no belt buckle or bolo tie were to be found. However, we did have several in the convenient “neck chain” setting, such as this Conan coin:
And we had a set of three silver variations of the coins in the lucite holders…interesting that the lucite holders cost nearly as much as the coins themselves. Here’s the Hulk one:
I don’t have information on the silver versions of these coins, as they’re not noted in the ad I’ve found, and I haven’t gotten around to tracking down any follow-up ads yet. I’m reasonably certain I remember seeing the silver coins (and gold versions, too!) advertised, so if any of you happen to remember what those other coin types cost originally, feel free to drop that info in the comments.
Also, there were a couple of these in the collection as well:
§ September 15th, 2008§ Filed under UncategorizedComments Off on I’m not ready to start dealing in collectible swimwear.
[SETTING: Saturday at the comic shop. Mike is sorting through some recently received boxes filled with magazines and very miscellaneous collectibles. Pal Dorian arrives on the scene….]
Me: “Hey, Dor, look what was in this collection of stuff we just got…Avengers kid’s swimtrunks!”
Dorian: “Um….”
Me: “Don’t worry, they appear to be brand new and unworn. So, whaddya think? Are they me?” (jokingly holds swimtrunks at about waist level, like he’s sizing them for himself)
Dor: (pulls out camera)
Me: “Oh no, no, no, no, no.”
Dor: “What? I just want to take a picture of you holdi….”
for more details, such as they are.
