That's the Spirit!

Wait. That's the Spirit?

You tell me:



So what do you think?

Many thanks to all of you who sent me this link! Keep those cards and letters coming!

(Who's the Spirit? Shame on you! CLICK HERE to learn some comic history.)

Please buy me this

Behold:


CLICK HERE to see this swell item on Ebay!

I'm not sure about that grade... what exactly is VERY FINE/NEAR MINT with (admittedly minor) RESTORATION? Seems to me that would put it in a "qualified VERY FINE", and at a substantially lower value. Notice also that the comic is graded by PGX, a newcomer to the "slabbed comics" field. HERE'S more info about them.

C'mon, one of you millionaires get me this for my next birthday! Pretty please?

(On a side note, did I mention that I got to see and nearly bid on a BATMAN #3, a BATMAN #5 and several other golden age gems last weekend at an auction in York County? Meh. All I walked away from that auction with was a lousy hotdog and a cup of Pepsi. So it goes.)

Have your favorite comic runs bound!

The other day longtime fan Jeff Bonham came by the store to show us something really cool... his custom-made softcover of the Jim Lee (adjectiveless) X-MEN run.

Behold:




This book was amazingly well-done and got me to thinking about all the obscure comic book series that I would love to have in a nice trade paperback or hardcover book to put on my shelf.

HERE'S binder David Banks' weblog with lots of additional photos of other volumes he's completed. Go check it out, it's very cool!

What runs would you like to have bound? I'm thinking ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, HATE, ALIEN WORLDS, TWISTED TALES and more obscure stuff like EYE OF MONGAMBO! And how about a classic hardcover of BROTHER POWER THE GEEK! I'd love that!

Incredible Winsor McCay movie from 1911!

Manager Jared sent me a link to this:



Yes, that's actually fabled newspaper strip artist Winsor McCay in a film about him making a short animated movie of LITTLE NEMO in 1911! Just incredibly cool. And if you've never read LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND or DREAMS OF A RAREBIT FIEND, what are you waiting for? We can getcha that!

Recent Arrivals: Silver Age Goodies!

We recently acquired a small pile of tasty Silver Age Marvel and DC goodies in the Mechanicsburg store! Included are short runs of DETECTIVE, BATMAN, IRON MAN, INCREDIBLE HULK, BRAVE & THE BOLD, DEFENDERS and TALES OF SUSPENSE (Featuring Captain America and iron Man)!

Behold:







We should have these available by the end of this week, so dust off your want lists! If anyone at Comix Connection - York would like to see these, let your friendly Comix Connection Counter Monkey know, and we will bring them down for your perusal.

Man, I get all giddy when stuff like this shows up! Great stuff!

Own Dave Cockrum's comics

Want to own comics from the personal collection of Dave Cockrum (who passed away in 2006)? Here's your chance. Of course you know who Dave Cockrum is, right?

From Wikipedia:

At Marvel, Cockrum and Len Wein (under the direction of editor Roy Thomas) created the new X-Men, co-creating such characters as Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus. These characters made their debut in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (Summer 1975), and then in a relaunched Uncanny X-Men (beginning with issue #94). Wein left after an issue and a half, succeeded by Chris Claremont, the team's primary writer from then on. Cockrum stayed with the title until 1977 (as main penciller on issues #94-105 and 107), when he was replaced by penciller John Byrne with issue #108.

(More info on Cockrum HERE.)

And HERE'S the link to the site where you can see the list of Dave Cockrum's comics that are for sale.

This one -> X-MEN King-Size Annual #1 VG/FN $28 would have been cool, but it's already sold!

The Greatest Christmas Song Ever

This has been my annual favorite ever since I found the album NATIONAL LAMPOONS'S GREATEST HITS in a record store 25 years ago. Behold:

KUNG FU CHRISTMAS, a hilarious Motown soul parody song from the National Lampoon Radio Hour in 1974, written by Paul Shaffer (of Letterman fame) and Christopher Guest.

Check out the song list from the Nat Lamp Greatest Hits album (it's all good) and also check out the performers:

Tony Hendra, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Christopher Guest, Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray,and John Belushi.

Any of those sound familiar to you?

(Oh, and Tony Hendra's John Lennon singing Magical Misery Tour is also an all-time great comedy recording, which is made entirely of words John Lennon actually spoke in a Rolling Stone interview around 1970. If you ask, I will send you a link to the song... it's way too foul-mouthed for this nice, family-friendly 'blog.)

Anyway, it's a little bit late but you can still have a Kung Fu Christmas!

If you live in York

You've heard this:



The New York Wire Company has a steam-powered organ that blasts an unearthly sound that resonates for miles.

It's part of what I like about Christmas in York, PA...

Merry Christmas, everyone and thanks for making us Central Pennsylvania's Ultra-Hip Pop-Culture Mecca.

That Festive Holiday Spirit

is incomplete without this gem from The Ramones:



Merry Christmas, I Don't Want to Fight Tonight!

This one's pretty fun too, but the video is lackluster, so just listen to the lyrics, all you singles out there!



Happy Holidays!

A Christmas Story House

I'm sure you're all familiar with the modern classic A CHRISTMAS STORY, so there's no need for me to remind you of the adventures of Ralphie and his family at Chistmas in some indeterminate late-1930s/early 1940s America in some indeterminate middle-American town... author Jean Shepard really taps into what we all would imagine a purely nostalgic Christmas would look like. Anyway, I'm sure this'll be on again around the holidays and you can see all the familiar A CHRISTMAS STORY icons like the Old Man, The Furnace, The Bumpass's Dogs and of course The Lamp.

Well how about a visit to the actual HOUSE used in the filming? Yes, you can journey to that quintessential American Christmas icon, and maybe even meet some of the actors from “A Christmas Story”, like Randy, Flick, Scut Farkus, Grover Dill, Miss Shields, and the evil elves at FIRST ANNUAL “A CHRISTMAS STORY” CONVENTION on FRIDAY & SATURDAY, NOV. 23 & 24, 2007 in Cleveland!

Whadda ya say? Who's up for a ROADTRIP?

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!

A near-unanimous Pick of the Month?

Is it possible? Could ALL the Comix Connection Counter Monkeys be in unanimous agreement just this once? Behold the object of contention, quite possibly the most overlooked and underrated book of the year:



Originally appearing as an eight-part backup in DC's TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED, DOCTOR THIRTEEN: ARCHITECTURE AND MORALITY is writer Brian Azarello at his best... a delightful romp with forgotten DC characters battling The Architects (the four real-life writers of DCs universe-changing series 52), filtered through the sensibilities of the no-nonsense paranormal debunker, Doctor Thirteen. All delineated by the spectacular art of Cliff Chiang.

HERE'S a much better review/summary than I could hope to pen. Check it out, all in a snug trade paperback for a mere $14.99 and available now.

Ten Comix Connection Counter Monkeys agree: DOCTOR THIRTEEN: ARCHITECTURE AND MORTALITY is awesome!

(Did I mention the Nazi Gorillas? The VAMPIRE Nazi Gorillas? You can never get enough Vampire Nazi Gorillas.)

Guess who's the featured retailer at Rude Dude Productions?

That's right, Comix Connection is the featured retailer this month at Steve Rude's website. (Click HERE to view.) Steve Rude is of course the creator of the comic book NEXUS, along with writer Mike Baron. Nexus is back and it's like he never left the racks.

And all of you are reading NEXUS, right? Well, here's a handy-dandy summary from the Rude Dude Production's website:

The year is 2841. On the distant moon of Ylum, an enigmatic man is plagued by nightmares. He is forced to dream of the past. He dreams of real-life butchers and tyrants, and what they have done.

And then he finds them, and kills
them.

Thanks for the honor, Steve!

I met Al Feldstein today

Yep, I met the legendary Al Feldstein ytoday (Saturday) and had him autograph my battered copy of SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES #7 (cover by Al Feldstein!)


and my similarly-battered copy of the 1970's oversized hardcover book HORROR COMICS OF THE 1950s, right beside the autographs of Johnny Crag and George Evans. Click HERE for some background on Al Feldstein. I'm too tired to post anything else. What a great day to be a comic book geek! Back to Baltimore tomorrow!

Get your Comix Connection Geek Chic™ wear!

That's right, we just received a limited number of the new ultra-hip "Ramones-style" Comix Connection T-shirts, and boy are they swell! Available in any color as long as it's black, these newly -arrived shirts are sure to raise your "cool level" in even the eyes of the most discriminating of comic geeks. If you are interested in owning one of these great shirts for a measly ten bucks a pop, ask your friendly Comix Connection Counter Monkey™ to reserve one for you today!

(T-shirt design courtesy of Michael Moppin of Art Boy Products! You've helped me fulfill a long-held dream of mine, Mike... our very own mashing-together of the Ramones and Comix Connection! Brings a tear to this old punk's eye.)

Just thirteen days!

Until the ultra-cool Baltimore Comic-con! Click HERE for more info!

And once again, here is the AMAZING Guest list:

SERGIO ARAGONES | Dick Ayers | Kyle Baker | Tom Brevoort | Kurt Busiek | Jim Calafiore | Jerry Carr | Tommy Castillo | C.B. Cebulski | Bernard Chang | Howard Chaykin | Sean Chen | Mark Chiarello | FRANK CHO | Steve Conley | Amanda Conner | Todd Dezago | Dan DiDio | Tommy Lee Edwards | Rich Faber | Al Feldstein | DAVID FINCH | John Gallagher | Ron Garney | MICHAEL GOLDEN| Jimmy Gownley | Randy Green | Cully Hamner | Dean Haspiel | Tariq Hasson | Marc Hempel | Adam Hughes | Chris Ivy| James Jean | Georges Jeanty | J.G. Jones | Joe Jusko | Ken Kelly | Leonard Kirk | Barry Kitson | Rich Koslowski | Adam Kubert | Andy Kubert | JOE KUBERT | Scott Kurtz | Greg LaRocque | Eric Larson | JIM LEE (Sunday only) | Norman Lee | John Paul Leon | John Lucas | Ron Marz | Sean McKeever | Mark McKenna | Bob McLeod | Pop Mhan | MIKE MIGNOLA | Mark Morales | Doug Murray | Scott Neely | Steve Niles | Phil Noto | Mike Oeming | Jimmy Palmiotti | Andrew Pepoy | David Petersen | Brandon Peterson | Keith Pollard | Paul Pope | Eric Powell | Tom Raney | JOHN ROMITA JR. | JOHN ROMITA SR. | Don Rosa | Craig Rousseau | Stephane Roux | Andy Runton | Alex Saviuk | JIM SHOOTER | Louise Simonson | Walter Simonson | Andy Smith | John K Snyder III| Chris Sprouse | Jim Starlin | Brian Stelfreeze | Paul D. Storrie | Karl Story | Mark Texeira | Herb Trimpe | Dean Trippe| Tim Truman | Billy Tucci | Tim Vigil | Dexter Vines | Neil Vokes | Mark Waid | Mark Wheatley | Ron Wilson | Kelly Yates | and many many more!!!

We will be set up in out usual booth there, wallowing in funnybook goodness! Join the party, Baltimore is just an hour away from York, an hour and 20 minutes from Harrisburg! We will gladly stow your stuff under the tables of our booth so you can walk the convention hands-free!

(My swell pal Marc Nathan, con organizer extraordinaire!)

And ask me about the awesome Light Rail!

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!

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!

I found it!

See, I knew I still had this around somewhere:


A true classic!

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.

The Star Wars Holiday Special

in just five minutes:



You're welcome.

(Chewbacca's kids look like womp rats. And Beatrice Arthur scares me.)

Simpsons 400th Episode is Tonight! WooHOOO!

That's right, the milestone 400th episode of fantastically popular cartoon series The Simpsons will air tonight (check local listings for time.)

From ICV2:

The show is in its 18th year, the longest running comedy in television history, and is only two years from breaking Gunsmoke's record as the longest running scripted series ever.

I can't believe it's been 20 years since we first saw them on The Tracy Ullman Show:


Let's see... what else happened in 1987?

-President Ronald Reagan mired in Iran-Contra investigation.
-American Motors Corporation is acquired by the Chrysler Corporation.
-WrestleMania III is held at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, setting the North American indoor attendance record at 93,173.
-19-year-old pilot Mathias Rust, flies his Cessna airplane into Red Square, Moscow.
-Construction of the Channel Tunnel is initiated.
-Pennsylvania celebrates its bicentennial statehood.
-Square Co., Ltd. releases Final Fantasy in Japan for the Famicom.
-Prozac makes its debut in the United States.
-World population reached 5 billion people.
-Died: Andy Warhol, Liberace, Dean Martin Jr., Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, Jackie Gleason, Clara Peller, Lee Marvin, Lorne Greene, Peter Tosh, Woody Herman, Joseph Campbell.
-Born: Hilary Duff, American actress and singer.
-Median Household Income (current dollars): $26,061
-Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.22
-Snapple ready-to-drink bottled iced tea is introduced by the 15-year-old Snapple Beverage Co.
-U.S. microwave oven sales reach a record 12.6 million units sold.

Popular Music:

1."Open Your Heart" ... Madonna
2."Livin' on a Prayer" ... Bon Jovi
3 ."Jacob's Ladder" ... Huey Lewis and the News
4."Lean on Me" ... Club Nouveau
5."Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now" ... Starship
6."I Knew You Were Waiting" ... Aretha Franklin & George Michael
7."Died in Your Arms" ... Cutting Crew
8."With or Without You" ... U2
9."You Keep Me Hangin' On" ... Kim Wilde
10."Always" ... Atlantic Starr

Popular Movies:

1. Beverly Hills Cop III
2. Dirty Dancing
3. Dragnet
4. Fatal Attraction
5. Full Metal Jacket
6. La Bamba
7. Lethal Weapon
8. The Living Daylights
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street
10. Outrageous Fortune

Most Popular Television Shows:

1. The Cosby Show (NBC)
2. Roseanne (ABC)
3. A Different World (NBC)
4. Cheers (NBC)
5. 60 Minutes (CBS)
6. The Golden Girls (NBC)
7. Who's the Boss? ( ABC)
8. Murder, She Wrote (CBS)
9. Empty Nest (NBC)
10. Anything But Love (ABC)

-The Beastie Boys become the first act to be censored by American Bandstand.
-Nirvana formed.
-Twisted Sister disbands.
-"Walk Like An Egyptian" by The Bangles, "Why Can't I Be You?" and "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure are all hits.
-Superman turns 49
-Comix Connection one year away from being founded!
-Some of you weren't even born yet, were you?

Man, I'm old. Anyway, congratulations, Simpsons people! The show doesn't show any signs of slowing down, so I figure they're well on track to break the record in a couple of years... and it would be very cool that the longest-running show in the history of television might be a cartoon!

Happy Birthday, Aquaman creator Paul Norris!

I just got this email from my great friend and noted art collector Charlie Roberts. I will reprint it here in full for your enjoyment:

PAUL NORRIS BIRTHDAY PARTY A ROUSING SUCCESS (NO CAKE LEFT!)
Article and photos compliments of Charlie Roberts (who ate most of the cake!)

April 19, 2007 found some 14 friends of the noted Aquaman creator and long time Brick Bradford comic strip artist celebrating an early surprise birthday party. Paul will be 93 on April 26. The event was held at "Grandma's Hilltop Cafe" near Oceanside California. Notable attendees included legendary Archie comic book writer George Gladir, San Diego Comic-Con Golden Age panel organizer David Siegel, Southern California Cartoonists Society (SCCS) past Presidents Jim ( Jimbo) Whiting and Matt (Matt-Man) Lorentz, cartoonist Paul Gringle, and others. David Siegel flew in from Las Vegas just for the event, and used his cell phone to call Shelly Moldoff (Bob Kane's 1st assistant on Batman in 1939 and creator of "Hawkman") in Florida and Ramona Fradon in New York so they could personally wish their friend Paul all the best. Jim Whiting designed a special card, and good food and laughter were a staple of the party. No alcohol was served, so (thankfully in most cases) no one took off their clothes! We hope to make this an annual event, and YOU are invited next year. Free cake for all (but arrive early!)

Photos are as follows: Most of the group, Matt Lorentz with special card he designed for Paul, David Siegel and George Gladir, Paul Gringle with Paul Norris and Jim Whiting.

Looks like a fun time was had by all! Thanks for sharing these great photos with us, Chollie! Oh, and HI JOAN!

QUICKSAND? You gotta be kidding me.

(OUR ARMY AT WAR #149, DC Comics, Dec 1964)

Only Sgt Rock could find quicksand in the desert.

Go read this, from How Stuff Works.

OK? Notice that for there to be quicksand, there has to be WATER present. Sheesh.

When I was a surveyor in Florida, we once ran across some real quicksand... it was about the size of the York store and was only about 8-10 inches deep. The sand was suspended in the water, so it looked like it was only half an inch deep when I stepped in it. Weird, but far from lethal. There was a time when we were in some tidal mudflats where my right leg sank into muck all the way up to my pockets... it took me about 20 minutes to get out of that and I almost lost my boot to the suction. I guess if I had been stuck longer and the tide had come in I might have been in trouble. But quicksand in the desert? No way.

Maybe Sgt. Rock was crazy from the heat.

Have you ever read...?

Have you ever wanted to try

• DEADMAN
• JACK OF FABLES
• SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER
• INVISIBLES
• DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING
• HUMAN TARGET
• BOOKS OF MAGIC
• THE LOSERS
• EXTERMINATORS
• SWAMP THING
• HELLBLAZER
• DOOM PATROL
• TESTAMENT
• AMERICAN VIRGIN
• LOVELESS
• TRANSMETROPOLITAN
• DMZ
• SANDMAN
• PREACHER
• 100 BULLETS
• Y THE LAST MAN
• or FABLES?

FOR FREE?


Well, now you can! Thanks to the fine folks at DC/Vertigo, you can now download and read the first issues of all the above comics... for free! Go HERE to check it out. If you were ever curious about ANY of these title, what are you waiting for?

EC Comics cover galley!

Once again, reader Mike B. comes through. Check out this incredible resource of all the great covers of the fabled EC line of shock/horror/war comics from the 1950s... enjoy!