And you say you never learn anything from this website...

Here you go:

How to make a wallet out of an old pair of Batman underwear!

(Found via the CBIA)

You're welcome!

Happy 87th, Ray!

That's right, today is Ray Harryhausen's 87th birthday. Thanks for all the cool memories, Ray!


And a tip of the hat to Mike B. for the heads-up!

DRAWERBOX™ Update!

Hey gang! We're getting more DrawerBoxes™ in shortly, along with a new innovation to stabilize your stacks of DrawerBoxes™... the Boxlox™! What is a Boxlox™? From the DrawerBox™ website:

For some time we have been working on a major enhancement that we think will take our DrawerBox concept to the next level. We know that many people have been doubtful about the usefulness of DrawerBoxes because they believed that they would tip forward when the drawer was pulled open, making them awkward to use. While this was never a problem except for the top box, now even the top box can be pulled open to its fullest extent without any concern about tipping.

How do we accomplish this? We are excited to introduce our Boxlox™ box anchoring system. This is a unique system of clips that are only available with DrawerBoxes. The clips attach the sides of the shells to each other, creating a unified bank in which each DrawerBox stabilizes the other. When a drawer on the top level is pulled open, it is held in position by the others without requiring something on top of it to counterbalance it. And when Boxlox are used on the lower boxes, the clips will provide more stacking strength by securing the sides of the shells to each other and keeping the sides of each level centered properly above the sides of the unit below. This ensures that the support sleeves create a column, transferring the weight of the stack to the floor.

Effective immediately, all DrawerBoxes, both longs and shorts, are shipping with the modification required to accept the clips. And each case shipped, through Labor Day, will also contain a sample set of clips to tie 2 DrawerBoxes side-by-side. Additional clips will be available through our website.

But we have not forgotten about the loyal customers that have already purchased DrawerBoxes in the past. Boxlox require heavier cardboard to work properly and DrawerBoxes have always been manufactured with heavier weight material to provide extra strength. Because of this, existing units can be easily modified to accept the Boxlox and we have templates we can make available upon request.

Boxlox™ will be available at both stores early next week! Thanks to everyone for making DrawerBoxes™ a required part of our inventory! I think they're great!

NEXT WEEKS COMICS TO SHIP ONE DAY LATE!

That's right, due to the Fourth of July holiday NEXT WEEK we will not be receiving our normal shipment of comic books and other neat stuff until

THURSDAY, JULY 5th!

You have been warned!

Oh, and Comix Connection-Mechanicsburg will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th, while Comix Connection-York will be open from 10AM-5PM on the Fourth of July.

Jojo's Graphic Novel Recommendation Vol. 1, Number 1

In April, Oni Press published Shenanigans, a romantic comedy of a graphic novel, of how far one guy will go to keep his girl and how he'll make all the wrong moves in trying to do so. If this book were a film its feel would be a wacky Billy Wilder scenario and script getting a punch in the dialogue department a la Kevin Smith.

It's a fun, quick read! But here's five other good reasons to pick it up:

1.) Because one of the coolest cats I got to know, during my art school days in Canada, Mike Holmes drew it, with writer Ian Shaughnessy (Strangetown -also by Oni Press!).

2.) It's a great read for anyone who loves a good comedy, but I discovered it's also a great comic us guys can pass onto the ladies in our lives who may not read comics -my wife read it, and it's the first comic she's enjoyed in a while outside of the last Andi Watson book I forced on her.

3.) It's affordable and it's published by Oni Press, so you know it's gotta be cool!

4.) It's got a hot blonde, a crazy Irish bartender, and a guy with a bit of an "identity crisis" on his hands. And we all know how wacky books with an Identity Crisis turn out, just ask that Meltzer guy!

5.) It's got the Comix Connection Stamp of Approval... or least, this guy's approval! So buy it! Read it! Love it! Let's make my buddy a comic book superstar!

Enjoy!

A Collected Sigh of Relief...

If any fans of Marvel's Masterworks or Ominbus line of books are as frustrated as I am at the number of out of print volumes, I've got good news for you, True Believers! Marvel has announced for their July Marvel Previews offerings, fans will see the solicitation of the first of the back to press Masterworks, starting with Fantastic Four Vol. 5, reprinting #41-50, and Annual #3. Not a bad choice considering this volume features the first appearance of the Silver Surfer, the coming of Galactus, and the wedding of Reed and Sue! On the Ominbus side of things, fans will see back to press offerings of Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1, Fantastic Four Vol. 1, and Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1.

So if you're a fan of this stuff and wanted to pick up the Masterworks or Omnibus books, but were put off by all of the out of print titles, it looks like Marvel has recognised such concerns. Good news, indeed!

Bill's Fan Fascination #87

DENNIS THE MENACE #28, May 1958, Pines Comics

Don't try that at home!

More reader art!

Check out these great drawings from the talented Steve Sagar:




Great stuff! Thanks for sending it!

To all you artists out there: Email me your artwork and I will post it here on the Comix Connection website!

The Weekend Comics Chat Open Thread - The Daffy Girls On a Trolley Edition

So, what did you read this week? Did everyone get to read NEW AVENGERS #31? How 'bout THAT? Are you keeping up with WORLD WAR HULK? And did you get a chance to take a look at CAPTAIN AMERICA #27? Great stuff! I'm reading more Marvel superhero comics now that I ever have!

What's on your stack?

Get your orders in!

Hey everyone! A while back I posted about a "Ramones-Style" T-shirt that I wanted to get made, produced by the ever-creative Michael Moppin of Art Boy Products fame. Well, it looks like it's a GO! Or a HEY HO, LET'S GO! (I disavow all responsibility for that joke, as I stole it from Michael.) If you are interested in one of these rare, limited, hard-to-find, special-print-run ultra-cool Comix Connection GEEK CHIC WEAR™ Specials, let us know! Either call, email or inform your friendly Comix Connection Counter Monkey and we will fix you up. Available in BLACK TEE only with white logo, in sizes from SMALL to 5XL! Automatically doubles your Personal Cool Factor!

OK I'm sick of my music

Baby I'm bored indeed. I've probably listened to all my CDs a couple of hundred times each... and now I'm tired of all of them. It's tough playing music all day while reading comic books in a Hawaiian shirt. HAHAHAHAHA. But I'm kidding.

Anyway, I came up with an idea. I would like ALL OF YOU to make me a "mix CD" of stuff you like/are listening to, and I will GIVE you a coupon for FIVE DOLLARS OFF anything in the store. Please help an old man out! One parameter: Please remember that I will be listening to this stuff in the store, so nothing with curse words, OK? Other than that, bring it on! I'm serious, bring me what YOU like! As I receive disks, I will post the donor's name and a list of the songs, so please include the song titles/artists with the disks. Thanks in advance. Don't let me down, people.

Meet Joe Hare

Ladies and gentlemen, we present the new manager of Comix Connection - Mechanicsburg, Mister Joseph Hare!


(He's the one on the right. Although the one in the middle would do a good job keeping everyone in line...)

Joe worked for us years ago before fleeing to Nova Scotia. Upon recovering his senses, he returned to Central PA and managed a music store for the past few years, but his true passion is comic books as you'll discover once you meet him... he's not known as The Continuity Kid for nothing! He's also the guy who painted my bomber jacket, and I'm sure I've showed you that many times. He's a man of many talents and a welcome addition to the Comix Connection stew.
Welcome aboard, Joe!

I found it!

See, I knew I still had this around somewhere:


A true classic!

Bat-Pod?

A couple of you sent me this, so I'm posting it here for all to see.
Behold! The new Bat-Cycle -uh Bat-Bike -er- BAT-POD:



Don't ask me why it's called a "pod". I just work here.

Ned caught a tarpon!

While Ned was on vacation in Hilton Head, he snagged one of the premiere fighting sportsfish in the sea... a TARPON! He said an alligator kept trying to get all the fish he hooked, but he did bring in the Tarpon... see Ned for full details!

(I never caught a darn Tarpon!)

ADDED PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE:

The tarpon:



The hungry alligator who was eating the fish right off the line:



And for wearing your COMIX CONNECTION T-shirt, we're gonna send you a nice $5.00 Gift Certificate! Enjoy!

Testing my new digital camera

Shots from yesterday's trip:

Maxwell gets his name translated into hieroglyphics.


King Tut eats a street pretzel.

(Looks like I figured out how this camera works, and you know what that means... more candid pictures from the store! Look out!)

New Batsuit

Longtime fan Brian Linnen sent me this pic:


Meh. I kinda prefer Batman wearing a "costume" as opposed to "body armor", but it's all a matter of taste I guess. Remember that short film that some guy made with an "Alex Ross-looking" Batman fighting an Alien and a Predator in an alley? That was the look I liked. Boy, it would be cool to see a big-budget film that had that kind of Batman in it wouldn't it?

Off to see King Tut

No, not that guy. This guy:

(Though I don't think he was quite that pale.)

Today Karen, Max and I are off to the city of my birth, Philadelphia, to take in a little culture. That's right, we're headed to the Franklin Institute to see the Egyptian King Tutankhamen relic exhibit. I love the Franklin Institute due to it's focus on technology rather than natural history, but I actually haven't been there since I was a kid. I distinctly remember hand-cranking an Edison light bulb to life, and being fascinated by the huge Foucault Pendulum (video HERE) by the staircase. Maybe they'll even have some electric fans!

The gift shop is loaded with Tut goodies... I was thinking maybe THIS would be nice to have. What's that? HOW MUCH? Never mind. Maybe some of this $40 a pound chocolate? Nah. My torso is bloated enough as it is. Waitaminnit! I gotta have THIS! Yep, that's just the thing. I can wear it while blissing out on THIS. See what you learn by going to museums? I didn't even know that the ancient Egyptians had recording devices. Too cool. Sounds like a plan. See you all later.

The Weekend Comics Chat Open Thread - The Spider-Camel Edition

I have no idea what that picture means.

Anyway... what did you read this week? WORLD WAR HULK #1 was great, but the real surprise book was NEW AVENGERS #31. If you've been following the Marvel Universe at all the last year or two, you're in for a shock. Things may not be what they seem... This issue opens up ALL KINDS of possibilities and the implications are enormous. Trust me on this one, it's a keeper!

Be advised that any comments MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

So what do you think?

YouTube find

Check this out... Steam Trek: The Moving Picture!



That was pretty cool, wasn't it? It's amazing the stuff you can find on YouTube!

A place for your MEGOs

Need a nice display for your MEGO action figures? Check these out:




Uber-toy collector MegoSteve sent me THIS LINK recently... Scott C. Adams of Oakland, California and his company Dida Displays makes these colorful modular custom display units to give your Megos something to do besides stand around in a display case! Pretty cool! Go poke around both the Dida Designs site and this Mego Museum site... they're pretty amazing!

He's back, and BOY is he -uh- peeved!

That's right, WORLD WAR HULK #1 comes in to the stores this Wednesday... are you ready?

Plus, NEW AVENGERS #31 is coming in too. Rumor has it that the last page of this issue sends shockwaves through the Marvel Universe and sets the tone for the next year or two... looks to be an interesting summer heating up in the comic world!

Today I am 46 years old

So I'm not doing anything except quaff beverages with umbrellas and slices of fruit in them...

Cheers!

No Post

I got nuttin'.

Michael Turner's Supergirl Action Figure

A while back DC Comics released a set of action figures based on the artwork of Michael Turner. They certainly represented Turner's style, but didn't translate well into three-dimensional objects in my opinion. Then the other day Jason Resh and I were talking about how freakishly weird the Supergirl figure looked, when he said

His women remind me of that actress, whatshername? She was in Sin City...

Uhhh...

Brittany Murphy!

That struck me like a thunderbolt because here's the action figure in question:


And here's a photo of Brittany Murphy:


Weird, huh? Thanks, Jason!

Reader art!

HeroClix Tournament Master Dave Shiffler sent these drawings along for the website... check 'em out!




Man, everyone is so much more talented than me! Very cool, Dave! (Now is that the pre-WORLD WAR HULK Hulk, or the post-WORLD WAR HULK Hulk?)

And I think Zombie Hulk would totally kill HELLBOY.

OK, you win Josh

I recently got the following email in my inbox from long-time comic fan Josh Neiderheiser:

Bill,

You're going to want to give me free comics for a year after you see these pics. LOL Because I am the "coolest" guy ever, I took my Comix Connection t-shirt with me to LA for Star Wars Celebration IV. Needless to say, you have some great pics attached to this email.

Now if they uploaded in the proper order you will have:


Mr. David Prowse, Darth Vader himself with the CC shirt.



Followed by Boba Fett, Jeremy Bulloch.



Then Shannon McRandle who portrayed Mara Jade in pics and role playing games.



Fourth is Randy Martinez who may be the best Star Wars artist who never worked on a movie.



Then the Dark Lord of the Sith supports Comix Connection.



Finally, so do vile giant gangster slugs.

I have plenty more pics of CIV, but that's it with the t-shirt. I should mention that David Prowse wasn't posing for pictures but graciously held up the CC shirt for me.

Thanks,
Josh N.


Josh, what can I say? I am (nearly) speechless! Wow. Just WOW. Let's see...

Level of difficulty: 9/10

Creativity and imagination: 7/10

Hey, is that last picture the Future Bill? +10 points

Representing Comix Connection at STAR WARS CELEBRATION IV +100 points


Your NO(YES)-PRIZE:

a THIRTY DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE!

I'll let the Counter Monkeys know that you have it coming! Great stuff! I wonder if David Prowse or Jeremy Bulloch remember us? Nahhh.

ENOUGH with the cowbell already

OK, here's the Best. Cowbell. Ever. for reasons which will become obvious once you watch...

Now wasn't that fun?

Yardwork Day

Yeesh. This place is a dump... gotta go do some stuff around the yard that I've been putting off for too long. Time to spruce things up. Nothing comic-related to add today... sorry about that.

Ahhh... suburbia!

ADDED: OK, I found this cool photo of the MACH 5 from the upcoming SPEED RACER movie:


Now that's a sweet ride!

Speaking of T-shirts...

here's the actual color choices for the upcoming batch of the standard logo Comix Connection shirts:


This is for the plain logo Comix Connection T-shirts, not the "Ramones Logo" ones... those will all be in black with white ink, naturally.

By the way, Michael Moppin is our stellar T-Shirt Guy... if you need anything like this from him, GO HERE to visit ART BOY PRODUCTS! Check his site out... he does GREAT work, and is a very talented artist!

Prototype Comix Connection Geek Chic

So.... what do you think of this design?


(Thanks to T-shirt Man Extraordinaire, Mike M.!)

More importantly, do you want one for (probably) ten bucks?

The Weekend Comics Chat Open Thread - The Where Pork Rinds Come From Edition

Soooo... what did you read this (short) week? I didn't read anything yet (except last week's EX MACHINA, which I somehow totally missed.)


I did try a tasty DUFF "BEER" energy drink, and it tasted like all the other energy drinks which means it tasted like SMARTIES spit. But they all taste like that to me... must be a generational thing. OK, I'm exaggerating... it actually has a pretty good orangy flavor. Try one today! Available at both stores!

And I would be remiss in not reminding you all to GO SEE THE RIPOVs TONIGHT AT SMALL'S IN HARRISBURG:


That is all.

A Musing #452

So I was just sitting here thinking...


Wouldn't it be great if somebody remade THIS SONG? It completely rocks and the lyrics are cool and have a decent hook:

When I look all around
I can't believe the things I've found
Now I need to find my way
I'm lost I'm lost find me
Living in the Land of the Lost
Living in the Land of the Lost

Imagine the RAMONES doing this song! Or how about BAUHAUS? Or the THERMALS? Or INTERPOL? Heck, even THE BEATLES!

Wouldn't that be cool?

I think that would be cool.