It's Halloween!

Go scare up some fun! I'll be wearing my WELCOME BACK KOTTER costume:


Have fun and be careful out there!

Meet Mike Hawthorne, get a sketch!

That's right! Acclaimed comic artist Mike Hawthorne made the following offer in the "Comments" of THIS POST!

Hey, I'll do a free sketch for anyone who shows up in costume during the signing!

Best,
mike

Mike is scheduled the following times on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd, during our Big Halloween Sale:

10AM - 1 PM in York
and from 4PM - 7PM in Mechanicsburg

You do know about our big Halloween Sale, right? If you're clueless, CLICK HERE!

See you all there!

Uncle Scrooge's Money Bin!

Hey all you Disney comics fans! Check this out! I recently ran across this set of photos of a neat scale-model of Uncle Scrooge's Money Bin!

Click HERE to view!

Click for more info on Uncle Scrooge and Carl Barks.

Show Up In Costume, Snag 10 FREE COMICS!

That's right! In case you've not read our Halloween Sale flyer, if you show up wearing a costume on any day of the upcoming three-day Comix Connection Halloween Sale, you can PICK ANY TEN COMICS OUT OF THE BINS ABSOLUTELY FREE! C'mon, show us your best costume! Candy will also be made available for those so inclined.

The details:

Friday November 2nd

Saturday November 3rd

Sunday November 4th

All back issues in the bins ONLY 50¢ EACH!

All 2/99¢ comics now TEN CENTS EACH!

All OLDER back issues on the wall - 25% OFF!

All Graphic Novels, Books, Toys and Statues - 20% OFF!

ALL GAMES, from CCGs to Board Games - 20% OFF!

Artist MIKE HAWTHORNE will be making appearances at both Comix Connection stores!
See him on Saturday, November 3rd from 10AM - 1 PM in York and from 4PM - 7PM in the Mechanicsburg store...

Be there!

The Pick of the Week

is WORLD WAR Z: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE ZOMBIE WAR by Max Brooks.

From the Random House website:

FINALLY, THE WORLD WILL COME TO KNOW THE TRUE STORY OF HOW DANGEROUSLY CLOSE THE HUMAN RACE CAME TO ITS DEMISE

(snip)

WORLD WAR Z is Max Brooks's life work. Logging countless hours of travel to capture and preserve first-hand experiences from the Dark Years, Brooks records in great detail the one aspect that has been neglected in all previous re-tellings of this war: the extraordinary job we did in coming together to thwart our extinction and reign triumphant.

Since the end of official hostilities, numerous attempts have been made to document the Zombie War. WORLD WAR Z is the definitive account of the technological, military, social, economic, and political details as told through survivors' stories of how civilization went from the brink of extinction to a universal victory against the living dead.

More HERE and HERE at Wikipedia.

A must-have for all zombie fans! Available at Comix Connection, natch! RAAAAAAARRR!

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

I found this idea to be completely hilarious:

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

You must spend the entire day in costume and character. The only rule is that you cannot actually tell anyone that you are a time traveler. Other than that, anythings game.

There are three possible options:

1) Utopian/cliché Future- "If the Future did a documentary of the last fifty years, this is how badly the reenactors would dress." Think Star Trek: TNG or the Time Travelers from Hob. Ever see how the society in Futurama sees the 20th century? Run with it. Your job is to dress with moderately anachronistic clothing and speak in slang from varying decades. Here are some good starters:

- Greet people by referring to things that don't yet exist or haven't existed for a long time. Example: "Have you penetrated the atmosphere lately?" "What spectrum will today's broadcast be in?" and "Your king must be a kindly soul!"
- Show extreme ignorance in operating regular technology. Pay phones should be a complete mystery (try placing the receiver in odd places). Chuckle knowingly at cell phones.

2) Dystopian Future - This one offers a little more flexibility. It can be any kind of future from Terminator to Freejack. The important thing to remember is dress like a crazy person with armor. Black spray painted football pads, high tech visors, torn up trenchcoats and maybe even some dirt here or there. Remember, dystopian future travelers are very startled that they've gone back in time. Some starters:

- If you go the "prisoner who's escaped the future" try shaving your head and putting a barcode on the back of your neck. Then stagger around and stare at the sky, as if you've never seen it before.
- Walk up to random people and say "WHAT YEAR IS THIS?" and when they tell you, get quiet and then say "Then there's still time!" and run off.
- Stand in front of a statue (any statue, really), fall to your knees, and yell "NOOOOOOOOO"
- Stare at newspaper headlines and look astonished.
- Take some trinket with you (it can be anything really), hand it to some stranger, along with a phone number and say "In thirty years dial this number. You'll know what to do after that." Then slip away.

2) The Past - This one is more for beginners. Basically dress in period clothing (preferably Victorian era) and stagger around amazed at everything. Since the culture's set in place already, you have more of a template to work off of. Some pointers:

- Airplanes are terrifying. Also, carry on conversations with televisions for a while.
- Discover and become obsessed with one trivial aspect of technology, like automatic grocery doors. Stay there for hours playing with it.
- Be generally terrified of people who are dressed immodestly compared to your era. Tattoos and shorts on women are especially scary.

Click HERE to read the whole thread!

Mark your (current) calendar! December 8th is PRETEND TO BE A TIME TRAVELER DAY!

Hallowe'en Fun!

Tom Hayes sent me this picture of his "cannibal pumpkin" that he made, along with THIS LINK, and this comment:

"I especially like his idea of using road flares and rolls of toilet paper soaked in kerosene as light sources. Take that, tea lights!!!" -- Tom

Kick the Hallowe'en celebrations up a notch!

Oh, and don't forget:

THE BIG SALE IS NEXT WEEKEND!

The Cardboard Tube Fighting League

Stolen from METAFILTER:



The Cardboard Tube Fighting League!

You're welcome.

A Useless Timewaster

Today's Useless Timewaster™ was brought to you by the makers of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs©:

20-QUESTION BREAKFAST CEREAL POP QUIZ, from the MentalFloss website!

What was your score?

Happy Birthday wishes to an old friend!

My friend Phillip Charles Massie turns 60 today, and we're throwing him a party at our house. Luminaries from all over the world are jetting in for the celebration, and we will be gorging ourselves on steamed shrimp and barbecue ribs (Old Wahl Family Recipe That My Mom Got Off The Back Of A Ketchup Bottle Back In The '70s)... and there might even be some adult beverages quaffed. I've learned a lot from my old friend (like how to sell old hand-painted men's ties $3.00 Each/3 for $10.00), and I kinda look on him as a mentor. Sixty years is a long journey... I'm glad you made it, Pal.

And just for fun, here's a couple of pictures of Phill and I from back in 1989 or so when we were trying to get on the David Letterman Show to play him in a game of TWIGGY! I sold Phill that blue 1961 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, which then peed radiator fluid all over his nice suit while driving to Baltimore. Good times.



(CLICK ON THOSE BIG STOOPID BLOCKS TO SEE PHOTOS... APPARENTLY THE IMAGES ARE MESSED UP, BUT THEY'RE ALL I GOT!)

Happy birthday, old stick.

More reader art!

The following art was submitted by Sam Miller, who writes "This one is Steeplejack from 'the Surrogates'":


Very cool, man!

Keep those cards and letters coming, folks!

Hey, how much for this silver ball thingy?

DON'T FORGET! In a mere thirteen days, it will be time for

Comix Connection's ANNUAL HALLOWEEN BLOWOUT!

Friday November 2nd Saturday November 3rd Sunday November 4th

All back issues in the bins ONLY 50¢ EACH!
All 2/99¢ comics now TEN CENTS EACH!
All OLDER back issues on the wall - 25% OFF
All Graphic Novels, Books, Toys and Statues - 20% OFF
ALL GAMES, from CCGs to Board Games - 20% OFF!

Show up in costume, pick any 10 Comics out of the bins FOR FREE!

A Selection of Delicious Candy will be available!

Artist MIKE HAWTHORNE will be making appearances at both Comix Connection stores!
See him on Saturday, November 3rd from 10AM - 1 PM in York and from 4PM - 7PM in the Mechanicsburg store.

Krypto? Is that you, boy?

No, just a Whippet with a genetic disorder.

As long as it doesn't grow thumbs, we're OK.

I know what I'm making my super-hero costume out of.

d3o!



What is d3o?

d3o technology is a specially engineered material with intelligent molecules that flow with you as you move but on shock lock together to absorb impact energy.

Ooooooh, comic-booky! Imagine walking into a biker bar fully clad in this material and shouting "HEY, I JUST KNOCKED OVER ALL THE BIKES IN THE PARKING LOT... WANNA FIGHT?" and then just letting them pummel you. Good fun!

More info on the miracle material d3o HERE at the company website.

SNEAK PEEK at The BLACK DOSSIER!

Check this out! Entertainment Weekly has a sneak peek of the upcoming Alan Moore/Kevin O'Neil book The LEAGUE of EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: The BLACK DOSSIER!

Woot!

Click HERE for the full story!

I can't wait for this book to come out. Both previous League of Extraordinary Gentlemen books were top-notch, as we expect from Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil. This project has been delayed for over a year, which just increases my anticipation. Now we have the HEROES hardcover book (collecting the webcomics), plus the compilation of STEPHEN KING'S DARK TOWER and this... all expected to ship in November. Start saving those pennies.

Oh, and if you want a copy of this put on reserve for you, just email me at bill (at) comixconnection.com, or tell your friendly Comix Connection Counter Monkey that you want one... it will be in the stores on Wednesday, November 14th.

OK, this just cracked me up

Here it is! Absolute PROOF that Greedo fired first:



You're welcome. I hope that puts things to rest once and for all.

(Found via Metafilter)

Cool item on Ebay #285943

MegoSteve sent me this link a while ago, and I thought I'd put it up here on a slow Monday:


Batman Batmobile Arcade Carnival Ride On Coin Op Rare

$256.01? That's almost worth a trip to Colorado Springs!

Gemstone Publishing moves to York!

According to our pal Mike Bollinger, Gemstone Publishing, the publisher of the Disney line of comic books is moving to good old York, Pennsylvania (thus saving Mike and friends a long daily commute!) Operations will commence from the York location this week. Arriving along with Gemstone Publishing will be Diamond International Galleries, specialists in vintage comic books and related artwork, and Hake's Americana and Collectibles, the world's largest and most impressive catalog auction of all things pop culture related! Gemstone Publishing is one of the arms of the mighty Diamond Comics Distribution empire, where all comic shops in the US (and most of the world) get their comic books.

Welcome to York, guys!

HERE'S an article from the York Daily Record, and HERE'S an article from SCOOP.

Diamond Comics Distributor CEO Steve Geppi had this to say about York:

“York has an exciting dynamic to it. It’s definitely a city and a region on the move, and we’re excited to be a part of that. This is a terrific entry into a rich marketplace, both in terms of the history to be found and the collectors with a vibrant interest in it. I am personally very pleased to be able to create this opportunity.”

I guess that means all the good auction/flea market stuff within 100 miles of York will be all vacuumed up...

The Weekend Comics Chat Open Thread - the What Makes Grown Men Cry Edition

That picture just chokes me up... OH, THE BEERMANITY! (At least it's not Guinness.)

Anyway, what did you read this week?

I read UN-MEN #3, written by John Whalen with art by Mike Hawthorne and with a cover by Tomer Hanuke...

This is Mike Hawthorne at the peak of his form, folks... and here's a nice summary from the DC/Vertigo website:

"With Janus Sr. and Jr. brutally severed from each other, the Un-Men-produced reality show American Freak faces premature cancellation — until Cranius has a brainstorm (what else?). Meanwhile, Kilcrop comes face to face with the leaders of the gaff uprising, unaware he’s been betrayed by someone close to him, who he’d like to bring closer."

Yikes! UN-MEN really captures that mid-1970s DC horror comic feel for me... I love it! Check it out while we still have copies, and have artist Mike Hawthorne himself sign your copies when he visits the stores on Saturday, November 3rd! See the Comix Connection Counter Monkeys for details!

Today's top news -> CAPTAIN AMERICA RETURNS! But who is this guy?

Many of you have sent me links to this, so I figured I better post it to free up some space in my IN-box.

Behold:


Hmmmm... Cool Alex Ross art, great costume and... WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? A GUN? And a KNIFE? Who is this guy?

(Though I guess Captain America IS a soldier after all, so a gun isn't that far-fetched. But a dagger?)

Click HERE at ICV2, HERE at the Marvel website and HERE at Comic News I for articles about the latest development in the history of a favorite long-running character... CAPTAIN AMERICA!

(Oh, and thanks by the way to all of you who sent this... keep those tips coming!)

Radd joins Comix Connection - Mechanicsburg crew, Parker transfers to York

That's right, Norrin Radd himself has taken up permanent residence at the Mechanicsburg Comix Connection!

Behold:



Thank you very much for thinking of us, Cinema Center of Camp Hill! We promise to take good care of him!

And also of note, Peter Parker has been transferred to Comix Connection in York:



Please stop in and make them feel both welcome! (NO TOUCHING. Heh.)

(Completely awesome webbing, Phantastic Phil! Thanks!)

Fear the Discount!

Yes, it's that time of the year again... time for

Comix Connection's annual HALLOWEEN BLOWOUT!

Friday November 2nd
Saturday November 3rd
Sunday November 4th

All back issues in the bins ONLY 50¢ EACH!
All 2/99¢ comics now TEN CENTS EACH!
All OLDER back issues on the wall - 25% OFF
All Graphic Novels, Books, Toys and Statues - 20% OFF
ALL GAMES, from CCGs to Board Games - 20% OFF!

Bonus:
Show up in costume, get any 10 Comics out of the bins FOR FREE, your choice!

(There is the distinct possibility that there will be candy treats available, perhaps Goldenberg's Peanut Chews. For free. We're like that.)

In addition, artist extraordinaire MIKE HAWTHORNE will be making appearances at both Comix Connection stores. See him on Saturday, November 3rd from 10AM - 1 PM in York and from 4PM - 7PM in the Mechanicsburg store. Come on in and check out Mike's awesome work from the DC/Vertigo horror series THE UN-MEN, currently on the racks... it's so good, it's SCARY!

I love the internet

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but I thought I'd share.

I have a 2000 Ford Windstar van (*sigh* - gone are the Old Cadillac Days) that is a pretty tough and reliable workhorse... it suits my needs for hauling the comics once a week from the UPS hub and commuting to the stores, plus it's nice and comfortable enough for The Four Wahls to take on vacation down to Florida every year. Well anyway, last fall the front heat and defroster stopped working at the same time a strange muffled thumping noise started emanating from the dashboard. It got pretty interesting during that big stupid blizzard in February when I closed the Mechanicsburg store at 5PM and began what ended up being a 3 hour trek home to York. No defroster or front heat means your breath immediately condenses on the windshield. Not good. I considered running a dryer vent hose from the rear heat (which worked fine), but never got around to it.

Winter turned to Spring, Spring to Summer, and Summer to Fall... and I remembered my heat didn't work. One night a couple of weeks ago I aimlessly typed into Google's search engine "ford windstar heater thump" ...and there it was! Multiple threads about taking your Windstar to the shop for a $6-$800 repair OR spending $34.00 and REPLACING THE BROKEN BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR by yourself. Well, armed with info and part numbers plus step-by-step instructions, I ordered the part (plus a radio-removal tool for $5.00), got them last week and
I FIXED MY DEFROSTER/HEATER ALL BY MYSELF.

Sure my knuckles are busted up and I have a cramp in my chest muscles(!) from contorting my bloated torso around the center console, but hey, all that will heal.

This winter, I'm running that heat full-blast with the windows down!

Because I can.


The internet is a wondrous thing.

Check out Mike Hawthorne's new website!

Our old pal and supreme artistic talent Mike Hawthorne has gone and got himself all gussied up... Look no further than HERE at thinktankcomics.com for all your delicious Hawthorne goodness!

He's putting up his HYSTERIA one page at a time HERE!

And I can't believe he's actually selling THIS! Be the first on your block to own one!

Way to go Mike, looks great!

Oh yeah, and HE'S ALSO MAKING STORE APPEARANCES FOR OUR BIG HALLOWEEN SALE! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS!

All the cool people are wearing our shirt

The latest winner of our Comix Connection No(Yes)-Prize is none other than Joe Keatinge, IMAGE COMICS' Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator! TOO COOL! We met Joe at the recent Diamond Retailer Summit in Baltimore and head a great time yakking with him. He expressed an interest in our latest Comix Connection Geek Chic Wear™ T-shirt, the supremely awesome "Ramones-Style" one, so I sent him a black one and asked if he would forward me a picture of him wearing it... and he sent me the following:

Writing to you during the Shaky Hands soundcheck at their second show with The Shins. Attached is a picture taken in the dressing room mere moments ago.

Joe, that's completely cool. You do indeed ROCK! If there's anything we can getcha, just let us know. I figure you have about $12.00 in store credit coming to you! Enjoy!


(HERE'S an interview on Comic Book Resources with Joe!)

The Weekend Comics Chat Open Thread - the I'm Just Gonna Leave the Keys to Your Van Here On The Kitchen Table 'Kay Thanks Bye Edition

So, what did you read this week? What was enjoyable? What wasn't worth the paper it was printed on? Tell us!



My pick this week was GUY RITCHIE'S GAMEKEEPER #5 (final issue) by Andy Diggle and Mukesh Singh. What a great book. If you like good crime/suspense stories like Brubaker's CRIMINAL, you'll love this. A cool finish to a tense read.

And here I thought I was a giant nerd

I have absolutely NOTHING on these guys! Think you know all the characters in the Marvel Universe because you read every issue of the HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE? Think again. The folks at The Appendix To The Handbook Of The Marvel Universe have attempted to list EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER EVER appearing in a Marvel (or Atlas) comic. Did you have a minor role in seven-page backup story in a pre-hero Atlas suspense comic? You're listed here. It's just amazing. I started by randomly perusing the letter "M" and suddenly three hours were gone. (That's my super-power, by the way... I can make time disappear.) Go check it out. Poke around and see what you find. It's the ultimate Marvel Comic Nerd reference.

So I hear they're making SNAKES ON A PLANE 2 starring Paul Reubens...

Behold:






Ha-HA!

Just kidding.

HE HAS ARRIVED!

Puzzling evidence:


What is this?


Could it be?


Stop in the Mechanicsburg store and see! (And check out the York store too... they've also acquired a new addition!)

Officer Lefevre snags a CRIMINAL at the Mechanicsburg store!

A copy of CRIMINAL VOLUME 1: COWARD that is. Know your enemy, eh Brian?

Get your copy today before Officer Lefevre runs you in!





(I am not going to make any donut jokes. I promise. I'm sure very few police officers actually eat donuts, as it would interfere with their ability to run down miscreants. Yep. No donuts.)

This makes me happy

I loved Scott McCloud's ZOT! when it was coming out in the 1980s... and now there's some great news. According to THIS ARTICLE over at Publisher's Weekly:

Acclaimed comics artist and theoretician Scott McCloud will see his classic comics series, Zot!, republished by HarperCollins as an original trade paperback edition in July 2008. One of McCloud’s earliest extended works of fiction, Zot! is a seminal work that reflects the influence of both manga and the emerging alternative comics scene on McCloud’s comics. The book was also instrumental to the creation of Understanding Comics, his groundbreaking theoretical work on the comics medium.

But this makes me sad: I already own the first three of four ZOT! hardcovers... and it looks like they are never gonna publish the fourth and final one. Boo on that. (And you know what? It's high time I re-read this!)

Anyway, CLICK HERE to the Wiki for ZOT!