Want to see a bunch of photos

of the places and faces of Comix Connection over the last 22 years? Why then just CLICK HERE and enjoy!

Feel free to comment and fan Comix Connection on Facebook if you haven't already!

LAST CHANCE TO SCORE BACK ISSUES FOR A BUCK

There's still time to partake of Comix Connection's 22nd Anniversary Sale and fill your boxes with One Dollar Back Issues!

That's right, all day today (Noon to 5PM) at both locations

ALL BACK ISSUES IN THE BINS are a paltry ONE DOLLAR EACH!

Get in today and stock up on the bargains! Free cardboard box with large purchase!

And THANKS EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FOR 22 GREAT YEARS of comical funnybook goodness! We really really appreciate it! THANKS.

One Million dollars

“It’s the single most important event in comic book history,” adds ComicConnect.com co-owner and COO, Vincent Zurzolo.

Well, it's finally come to this: An 8.0 copy of ACTION COMICS #1 featuring the first appearance of Superman has sold at auction for $1,000,000! Read all about it HERE! Guess I'll dig out my five copies I've been sitting on all these years. But of course I kid. Anyway, I would say that comic book collecting is doing pretty well as a hobby, even during these tough times. (This still doesn't explain that NEW MUTANTS #98 that just sold for $12,250.00!)

COMIX CONNECTION - YORK IS MOVING!

You've probably noticed the roof leaks at Comix Connection - York over the last month or so! It doesn't look like they're going anywhere but Comix Connection is!

COMIX CONNECTION - YORK IS RELOCATING WITHIN THE WEST MANCHESTER MALL! WE ARE MOVING TO THE SPACE RIGHT BESIDE GAMESTOP UP AT THE THEATER END OF THE MALL!

This will probably happen within the next week or so... don't be surprised when you show up at the old location and there's nothing there but Jared's sandwich and Jim's Mountain Dew can and a sign telling you that we

ARE MOVING TO THE SPACE BETWEEN GAMESTOP AND THE BON TON AT THE OTHER END OF THE MALL!

We will continue to be Central Pennsylvania's Ultra-Hip Pop Culture Mecca, so come on in and check us out!

The Art of Disney Animation

I recently ran across this amazing site of pre-production art for most of Disney's classic animated films... click HERE and browse to your heart's content.


Wonderful stuff - just an incredible wealth of material...


Go waste a couple of hours!

For all we have today, thank a veteran

Veterans Day

You honor us with your sacrifices.

Shel Dorf, founder of the San Diego Comic-Con has passed away

I recently got this email from my old pal Charlie Roberts:

As many of you know, Shel Dorf the founder of Comic-Con International (formerly The San Diego Comic-Con), passed away on Tuesday November 3 after a lengthy illness. Shel's brother Michael Dorf has asked Shel's long time friend Michael Towry to set up the "Shel Dorf New Talent Encouragement Fund" in Shel's honor. Michael Towry, along with Richard Alf and several other young comic collectors, were part of the original convention committee and helped Shel with the first several Comic-cons. Richard Alf was Comic-con Chairman in 1971 and Michael was Comic-con Chairman in 1972. If any of you reading this ever went to the San Diego Comic-con/Comic Con International, enjoyed Shel's many columns over the years in "The Comic Buyer's Guide", read the "Steve Canyon" comic strip which Shel lettered for many years, or just plain love comics and the graphics medium this would be a great way to say "Thank You" and help a most worthwhile charity in the process.

Donations may be sent to:

Shel Dorf New Talent Encouragement Fund c/o
Michael Towry
PO Box 232497
San Diego, Ca 92193

You might also enjoy checking out Michael's excellent Shel Dorf Tribute website:

WWW.ShelDorfTribute.com

Thanks for your time and consideration. Respectfully, Charlie Roberts

Sounds like a great idea! Do what you can folks!

Baltimore Comic-Con Panels announced!

1:30-2:30 Comic Rewind: The '70s
The 1970s were an exciting time in comics as a team of mutants gained new life, a muck monster rose from the swamp, fish laughed, mystic defenders faced trippy threats, a hunter of men met a bat, and much more. It was a time of amazing creativity and excitement. Join creators Chris Claremont, Steve Englehart, Walter Simonson, Len Wein, and Bernie Wrightson along with moderator Mark Waid as they take a look back at the comics of the '70s.

Check out the just-released schedule of panels at the Baltimore Comic-Con HERE! Looks to be a ton of fun!

Have you seen the amazing Guest List? Highlights include: Jason Aaron, Mike Allred, Dick Ayers, Nick Cardy, Frank Cho, Chris Claremont, Evan Dorkin, Greg Horn, Adam Hughes, JG Jones, Robert Kirkman, Joe Kubert, Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, David Mack, Terry Moore, George Perez, Tim Sale, Marc Silvestri, Walter Simonson, Herb Trimpe, Mark Waid, Len Wein, Bernie Wrightson and many many more! HERE'S the complete list! It's crazy!

Oh and if you're heading to the Baltimore Comic-Con from up north here in Pennsylvania and don't feel like fighting Baltimore city traffic or trying to find an expensive parking space, try Maryland Transit's Light Rail! You just park your car at one of several lots along I-83, and for a small fee (something like $3.00 round-trip!), you can hop on the Light Rail Train, which takes you to a station RIGHT BESIDE THE CONVENTION CENTER! It's awesome! Click HERE to see where you can board the train!

And you can buy your advance tickets HERE!

Comix Connection will be set up at our usual booth as we have been for all ten years of the fabulous Baltimore Comic-Con. Stop by and get a FREE ONE DOLLAR BILL CASH AMERICAN by simply wearing your Comix Connection T-shirt! There may even be a special con-goers coupon for you to use at the stores when you get back home! Or just stop by and say "HI" to Bill and the Comix Connection Convention Monkeys. Crabcake sandwiches gladly accepted!

A great time was had by all at the Second Annual Creators Cookout at Comix Connection - Mechanicsburg

Mike Hawthorne and his magic spatula!

Many, many, many folks donated canned food for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank... you guys and gals filled this barrel! THANKS!

J.F. Gonzalez autographs his books for his avid fans!

The dust settles on the special ONE DOLLAR EACH back issue bins! It looked like a tornado hit them, so I guess a lot of you filled some of your want lists!

What are these folks waiting in line for?

To sample some of Mike Hawthorne's GREEK-STYLE PORK KABOBS and insanely delicious hamburgers, that what! Note the poor abandoned hot dog.

Horror novelist and comic book author Brian Keene takes a break from signing his books to grab some of Mike's delicious grub and chat with some fans.

J.F. Gonzalez, Brian Keene and Mike Hawthorne... thanks for making Creators Cookout 2009 a smash hit!

Many thanks to all of you who donated canned goods to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank!

And special thanks go out to the awesome Comix Connection Counter Monkeys -> Nicky (The CLAW!) , Tony (Baloney), Brian (fake Triple-G) and Manager Joe (The Continuity Kid) for holding down the fort! We seriously couldn't do it without you! Thanks!

And there are lots more photos HERE on the Comix Connection Facebook page!

Stuff left on the Moon

Stuff left on the moon via the Lunar Legacy Project.

I think that's where my remote is.

By the way

ARCHIE PROPOSED TO VERONICA!

Get your copy of ARCHIE #600 today and read what all the hubbub is about!

(And how does Betty feel?)

Looks like we have another winner(s)!

Wearing a Comix Connection Geek Chic Wear™ T-shirt someplace famous could win you a a coveted No(Yes)-Prize and a Comix Connection Gift Certificate!

Behold these awesome images I just got via email from Robyn and Sara Sitz:


"This one with both of us is of the Parthenon."


"The one with just Sara is the Erectheum - both are on The Acropolis in Athens. The Erechtheum is a temple to Athena, Poseidon & others - it marks the spots where Athena gave the city the 1st olive tree & Poseidon gave water." --Robyn

That is truly awesome! Thanks for sending these in! It's amazing how much you two travel. If you ever need a Porter, I'm your man!

Let's see...

Level of difficulty: 10/10

Creativity and imagination: 6/10

NEARLY ANGERING THE GODS: +10 POINTS

Your NO(YES)-PRIZE:

a FIFTY DOLLAR GIFT CERTIFICATE!

Thanks, twins!

Unfamiliar with the Comix Connection No(Yes)-Prize? Just CLICK HERE for all the details.

Alan Moore's SWAMP THING from the inside

I recently ran across THIS PAGE where artist Steven Bissette begins posting all the little bits of paper and details surrounding the creation of a true modern classic, Alan Moore and John Totelben's pivotal SWAMP THING #20.

If you're a fan, go and read it. It's fascinating.

Never read SWAMP THING? Well, check out the SWAMP THING sampler issue that DC has released in the wake of WATCHMEN... it's only $1.00 and reprints the classic Alan Moore-penned story "The Anatomy Lesson". Gripping, chilling stuff.

Oh, and as noted in theWiki entry for Swamp Thing, "Saga of the Swamp Thing was the first mainstream comic book series to completely abandon the Comics Code Authority and write directly for adults."

Seems like it was only yesterday that a major publisher would take that step, proving that more comics were being sold in specialty stores than the usual outlets, as newsstand sales dwindled. It's all part of the '80s rebirth/renaissance of comic books that we are still enjoying today.

HAPPY EASTER!

All things Pysanki!

Two April Fools

04/01/1991:


Happy 18th Anniversary, my Sweetie!

A Mortal Blow?

Midway Games, the producer of such classic games as Tron, Ms Pac-Man, Spy Hunter and the recently-released two million-selling Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe looks like it may be soon entering bankruptcy. More HERE. Midway Games was founded in 1958 and has a long and storied history, including introducing Space Invaders to the US market. They have until February 19th to pay back creditors $150 million. It doesn't look promising.

Germans

(This has absolutely nothing to do with comic books, but still.)

I am of German heritage (Mom was naturalized a US citizen in 1971, Dad's dad came over to America in the 1920s, they're from opposite ends of Germany), and I am always fascinated by the German language of which I speak a little and understand more. One of my favorite things about the German language is the seeming ability of the Germans to mash a couple of words together to make a new word when one is needed. And like the French language, the Germans have words for stuff we didn't know we needed.

One of my favorite German words is this:

"Schadenfreude", or a pleasurable emotion resulting from the misfortune of others

Of COURSE the Germans would have such a word! I'm sure it comes up all the time. Strangely enough, we Americans use it a lot too.

Recently I discovered a new German word:

"Backpfeifengesicht" - a face that cries out for a fist in it

Yes, that seems very German too, doesn't it! Crack me up.

Oh and the (second) longest German word, made of mashing a bunch of smaller words together when they needed a new one?

Behold:

"Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhaupt
betriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft" which of course means Association for subordinate officials of the head office management of the Danube steamboat electrical services

I sure love those compound nouns!

You're welcome.

Stan Lee recognized by President Bush

From an article in The Washington Post:

Stan Lee, who helped create hundreds of comic book superheroes, including "Spider-Man," and Olivia de Havilland, 92, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1939 for her portrayal of Melanie Hamilton in "Gone With the Wind," were among the recipients of the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal at the White House yesterday.

CLICK HERE to go to the official White House site.

Stan Lee once again proving he is indeed... THE MAN!

Drawings by a seven year old boy from the 12th Century

I found THIS ARTICLE utterly fascinating.

I can barely even imagine what it was like growing up in Medieval Novgorod, but this collection of drawings by a little boy who lived then and there gives me some insight. Thanks for doodling, Onfim.

The History Was Thick.

I was able to attend the York Book and Paper Fair yesterday and it was a great experience. I worked our booth from 9 A.M. till closing at 4 P.M. Looking out over the stacks of wonderful ephemera I was anxious to get out there and rifle through all the cool possibilities hidden amongst the great cover designs of books and must-laden paper product. In the meantime Bill found a surprise when he opened a Bible to pray for an end to the rain that plagued the outside world.



Once allowed to wander I visited our neighbors booth and found two comics I was looking for. Intro to Absorbing Man and the beautifully illustrated Silver Surfer #1



Also I found an amazing compass ring. This allowed me to claim that my super power is to tell directions (The Compass Corps) which everyone unanimously agreed was...'LAME', as they put it.



While roaming and mingling with the veterans of the event I could tell these people loved what they did. I fell into it, the sounds of old vinyls spinning and crackling, the smell of books born way before me, and the feeling that the attendees history was thickening.

One week from today

is the BALTIMORE COMICON 2008! CLICK HERE FOR GUEST LIST!

I can hardly contain my excitement. Joe, Josh and I are slowly gathering all the stuff we need to set up our super deluxe booth at the Baltimore Con... see you all there, right?


I think the one person I'm looking forward to meeting the most is DC artist Ramona Fradon, who worked on my favorite childhood comic book METAMORPHO (The Fab Freak of 1000-and-1 Changes!) I don't think Ramona Fradon makes too many convention appearances, so this will be a real treat for me!


My son Maxwell will be joining us behind the tables on Saturday... it's his first comic book convention and he's pretty pumped up about going. The one person he really wants to meet? None other than Jeff Kinney, creator of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID! Max an I both loved his books, which are told in diary form, by -well- a wimpy kid! They're hilarious!

Looks like it's gonna be a hoot, so make your plans to attend today! (I'm serious, don't miss out on all the fun. What else do you have cooking that weekend?)

Primordial Surfing at Daytona Beach, 1930s

I thought this was a great article in the Daytona Beach News- Journal:

CLICK HERE!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled comic book nerdity.

Superman's Canadian Heritage?

Okay... so Superman's not Canadian, but one half of the famous pair that created him was from Toronto, and that creator's sur name, much like Eisner's, was adopted to address the award for Canadian accomplishments in the field of comics. Of course, I'm talking about Joe Shuster!

The child of poor Jewish immigrants, Shuster worked as a youngster as a newspaper boy for the Toronto Daily Star and in his spare time devoted himself to his favourite hobby of sketching. At the age of ten he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, met a fellow student at Glenville High School by the name of Jerry Siegel, and the pair began collaborating together on a science fiction fanzine. Years later, they began working for National Publications on a book called New Fun, created some original characters like the musketeer swashbuckler "Henri Duval" and the supernatural crime-fighter strip Doctor Occult, both of which debuted in the October 1935 issue of New Fun #6. From here they kept re-tooling their original comic proposal of a "strong man in tights", who was originally dismissed, but fortunately after a few revisions, National editor, Vin Sullivan, chose it as the cover feature for National's Action Comics #1 which hit in June 1938. And well the rest is comic book history...

If you'd like to know more about this early part of the genesis of the granddaddy of all super-heroes I recommend the new all-ages picture book from Random House, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman!

Written by Marc Tyler Nobleman and illustrated by Ross MacDonald, this book tells "the true story of the events leading up to two teenagers' creation of a character that would change the course of popular culture".

Now to get back to that part about Superman's Canadian heritage? This is the commercial about Shuster from Canada's Heritage Commercial Series. I used to see this all the time on TV, and while it's been argued that it is a little off in its portrayal of events, I personally enjoyed seeing it each time I'd catch it during some show. As an American living in Canada for a time, these commercials taught me a lot of interesting tidbits about figures and events in Canada's history. The one about the Halifax Explosion was of particular interest to me.

So check out the commercial, and definitely take a look at Boys of Steel. It's a beautiful book, and it's in stock now!

Joe Shuster BATMAN drawing!

Via an orphan emailing, I was sent to the Noblemania blog, the home of Marc Tyler Nobleman, author of "Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman" (a book which we should be getting shortly), and that astonishing picture of perhaps the only known drawing of The BATMAN by SUPERMAN co-creator Joe Shuster! Find the whole story HERE!

I am almost speechless.

It's moments like this that really make me appreciate the internet. An amazing find.

ADDED: (Am I crazy? Has anyone else ever seen a Shuster Batman drawing?)

Original art to AMAZING FANTASY #15 donated to Library of Congress!

A couple of you sent me this several weeks ago, but I've only recently had the opportunity to post it. An anonymous donor gave the Library of Congress ALL of the original art to Marvel Comics' AMAZING FANTASY #15, which includes the very first 8-page Spider-man story by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee!

“Spider-senses” all around the Library were set tingling when we learned that the Library had just acquired 24 pages of original 1962 drawings from “Amazing Fantasy #15,” which marked the first time the world’s most famous web-slinger, Spider-Man, would appear in print anywhere. The Spider-Man origin story in “Amazing Fantasy” was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko; the pages are Ditko originals, complete with pencil erasures and white-out opaquing fluid.

Check out the article on the Library of Congress blog HERE!

There remains some question of ownership, as there is a possibility these were originally stolen...

Free Comic Book Day 2008 photos from the York store!

Sorry it took me so long to put these up... my Computer-Fu is fairly weak. Behold, pictures from Free Comic Book Day 2008 in Comix Connection - York:

The line formed at 10:00AM!

Two happy fans!

Raiding the back issue bins! ONE DOLLAR EACH?!

Ned and Senior Comix Connection Counter Monkey Josh!

Manning the con.

What a great day! Thanks to all of you who came out and sampled the freebies and partook of the big sales. See you next year!

IT'S FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

What are you doing sitting there reading this! Get to the stores right away for your FREE COMIC BOOKS!

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!

Our American heritage

While perusing the American Heritage website I ran across this cool article on the rise of early comic strips and illustrations:

A Revolution in the Funnies
By Christine Gibson

Katzenjammer Kids? They can't hold a candle to Max und Moritz!

German kid's stories are SCARY!

See also: Der Struwwelpeter!


And, yes, I had these read to me as a child... which may explain some things.