20 Questions with a Comix Connection Counter Monkey

Another exciting entry in this series with a guy who needs no introduction, a guy many customers know and love, veteran employee Josh (Joshie) Strouse!

So without further ado... the Q&A!

1.) What's your name?

Well, I know it starts with a “J” because I work in York. It’s Jim….no wait…I’m Josh. Joshua ADAM Strouse (props right back to Jared for the middle name emphasizing).

2.) Any nicknames, codenames, etc?

Well, Bill has been known to call me Jared or Jim.

3.) Store of Operations?

Who knows? It’s always changing, but for now I am frequenting the York store.

4.) Favorite thing to do on a day off?

Homework! 2nd favorite thing to do though is hang with my favorite fiancé (I do only have one these days, but I keep forgetting)

5.) Any hidden talents or uncanny abilities?

Does being awesome count?

6.) What’s the best part about being half carney?

Free carnival rides and not being a rube.

7.) Favorite kind of Pop Tarts?

Burnt in the Mechanicsburg microwave. I have a feeling this question was just waiting for me to answer it.

8.) Favorite customer?
I love them all. You’re all so great, but if I had to answer honestly I would say…me.

9.) Favorite fictional character?

Jerry Wolf

10.) Top five favorite video games?

Root Beer Tapper, Root Beer Tapper, Root Beer Tapper, Root Beer Tapper, and Pong.

11.) Top five favorite band-aids?
There’s more than one? Um… Batman, Superman, Spidey, Pooh bear, and balloons

12.) Top five favorite television shows?

The Office, Heroes, Scrubs, most Adult Swim, and Ninja Turtles.

13.) Top five favorite Comix Connection employees?

I love ‘em all. Don’t you? Have you visited lately? We miss you!

14.) Top five favorite comic books that should be made into a movie?

Dark Knight Returns, Sandman Mystery Theatre, Superman:Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, Civil War, more Tales from the Crypt

15.) Top five favorite characters that actually haven’t been resurrected?

Azrael(had to get that in here somewhere), Superboy, Impulse( that’s right, not Kid Flash), The original Sandman of the JSA, and Ch’p of the Green Lantern Corps

16.) What canceled or finished comic book series should be revived?

I’m going with the crowd because I give in to peer pressure and am going to have to vote for Young Justice too. That and Sandman Mystery Theatre, that was some good stuff and I want to be the Sandman when I grow up.

17.) When and how did you discover comic books?

I had had a few as a kid but it was in 5th grade when a couple of my friends were reading them. I then decided instead of continuing to read medical journals in my hopes of being a world class surgeon, I would read Batman instead.

18.) What appeals to you most about comic books?

It’s like Christmas every Wednesday, there’s always something new and exciting to look forward to!

19.) Earliest memory of Comix Connection?

My very first comic purchased at CC was Armageddon 2001 #1 back in 1991 because it was the book that contained the most superheroes on the shelf at the time. That and being yelled at for sitting on the floor and reading.

20.) Anything interesting we should know about you?
I’m pregnant. Oh wait, that’s some other (kind of) guy. I faked being a hero once and made the front page of the paper and then a few weeks ago my sister-in-law made the front page for actually being a hero (as an EMT).

20 Question with a Comix Connection Counter Monkey

Remember this series of posts? I've been too busy to continue it and since I haven't gotten any answers to the questions lately... c'mon Josh!... you guys are stuck with me for this installment.

1.) What's your name?
Joseph Barrett Hare

2.) Any nicknames, codenames, etc?
Joe, Joey, Jojo... I answer to anything.

3.) Store of Operations?
Mechanicsburg

4.) Favorite thing to do on a day off?
Watch old movies, read, draw, paint, go shopping, see friends or family.

5.) Any hidden talents or uncanny abilities?
Hmmm... I memorize a lot of facts really easily - song lyrics, comic book details, most of our subscribers names and box numbers.

6.) If you could live off only one food or beverage what would it be?
Chocolate and coffee!

7.) Favorite kind of Pop Tarts?
Strawberry with the frosting and sprinkles

8.) Favorite monster?
The Creature From The Black Lagoon

9.) Favorite fictional character?
Top five comic faves would be...
Hal Jordan, Green Lantern
The Spirit
Captain America
Jack Knight, Starman
Hellboy

10.) Top five favorite video games?
I don't really play video games. My experience with video games involves Dance Dance Revolution, Extreme Karaoke Revolution, and a PC game called Movies where you can build your own film studio, create your stars, and make mini movies. It's great fun!

11.) Top five favorite bands?
This is almost too hard to answer... there's so many bands I love!

The Smiths
Sleeper
The Divine Comedy
Pulp
Belle & Sebastian

12.) Top five favorite television shows?
The Office
Flight of the Conchords
Black Books
Spaced
Twin Peaks

13.) Top five favorite films?
Another question almost too hard to pair down to five choices!

Casablanca
The Great Dictator
Roman Holiday
Jules et Jim
Les quatre cents coup ~ The 400 Blows

14.) Top five books you read that were not in comic book form?
Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland ...best book ever recommended to me!
Best Known Works of Oscar Wilde, ...specifically The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Portable Dorothy Parker ...ah, for sour times.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ...such a tale of want and ruin, love it!
Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir ...a primer for the existentialist in you!

15.) Top five favorite comic books?
DC: The New Frontier ...thank you, Darwyn Cooke!
Current Green Lantern series ...thank you Geoff Johns!
Starman by James Robinson, Tony Harris, & Co. -still amazing!
Madman ...fun, fun stuff by Allred in every series so far!
Hellboy ...Mignola has kept this character interesting since the beginning!

16.) What canceled or finished comic book series should be revived?
Xenozoic Tales, Sandman Mystery Theater, the Rocketeer -although it wouldn't be the same without Dave Stevens

17.) When and how did you discover comic books?
I loved to draw as a kid, so my dad gave me a bunch of his when I was about five years old. My first comic was a copy of Superman #115, with the logo stripped from the top of the book. I still have that book and I hope I always will. He also gave me a lot of other silver age DC and Marvel super-heroes, war comics from various publishers, specifically I remember a lot of Fightin' Five. Also my mom gave me a few DC romance comics she had, and I remember using these a lot to learn how to draw women.

18.) What appeals to you about comic books as an art form?
It's kind of the last bastion for work and creativity for illustrators today. The golden age of newspapers and magazines going to artists is past, so comics is by and large the best avenue for illustrators, I think. The art form allows for various styles and various subject matter, and exposes an artist to an audience that could potentially be world wide. Comic books are a cocktail of the aspects of literature and art, and even film really, into a book based art form. There's so much that can and could be done in this medium!

19.) Earliest memory of Comix Connection?
I had come in and opened a box, and signed up for a title called Golden Age Men of Mystery, and asked Bill if he had any comics or books with artists like Alex Toth, Mac Raboy, Reed Crandall, Noel Sickles, etc... Bill's response was "What... no, hell, who reads that stuff these days?" I left a little disappointed, but the next time I picked up my box there was this bundle of stuff with a note that said "could you use any of these?", and there were like twelve books full of reprints of old comics from the 30s and 40s and an issue of a magazine called Nemo. I was speechless! He found exactly what I was after and introduced me to a magazine I didn't even know had existed full of classic comic strip artists!

20.) Anything interesting we should know about you?
Well, a year ago today I became the manager in Mechanicsburg, and it's been a pleasure doing this job of running the store and serving our customers as well as I might. I don't get everything right all the time, but I'll try even harder now in year two! I have enjoyed getting to know more and more of our subscribers, and this job has really made what would have been one of the worst times in my life this past year with my divorce much more bearable for me. I thank Bill and Ned for giving me an opportunity to do this job, and for all the extra help when I really needed it the most. These guys are really two of the best guys to have in your corner when life's knocked you down. I am thankful to work with such a great staff, and again our customers really make this place, so I thank all of you too!

20 Questions with a Comix Connection Counter Monkey, Installment #4

Here we go... another fun entry in our "Know Your Counter Monkeys" feature! Mechanicsburg staff takes center again with Mr. Matt Horne.

20 Questions for the Staff:

1) What's your name?
Matt Horne

2) Any nicknames, codenames, etc?
Mattsquatch, Hornedog... hard to keep track of them all and let's be honest, some I can't repeat here.

3) Store of Operations?
Mechanicsburg, the cultural mecca of Central PA

4) Favorite thing to do on a day off?
Take in a Senators game, read my new stack of graphic novels, crank the tunes, and watch an Al Pacino movie. Maybe all at the same time.

5) Any hidden talents or uncanny abilities?
I am getting to be a pretty good cook. Other than that, nothing that can be discussed in a family forum.

6) If you could live off only one food or beverage what would it be?
Shrimp with cocktail sauce

7) Favorite kind of Pop Tarts?
Frosted cinnamon

8) Favorite monster?
Dracula, King of the Vampires

9) Favorite fictional character?
The first and best superhero, the Man of Steel, Superman!!

10) Top five favorite video games?
John Madden Football, Star Wars Episode III, Spy Hunter, Superman Returns (yes, there is a game), and Pitfall.

11) Top five favorite bands?
Led Zeppelin, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Scorpions, and Black Label Society

12) Top five favorite television shows?
Smallville, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, NYPD Blue, and Seinfeld.

13) Top five favorite films?
Heat, JFK, Last of the Mohicans, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, and Airplane!

14) Top five books you read that were not in comic book form?
Crossfire: The Plot that Killed Kennedy, Eastwood by Richard Schickel, The Last Days of Krypton, Scarface: The Beginning, and The Shining by Stephen King

15) Top five favorite comic books?
Action Comics, Captain America, Green Lantern, Moon Knight, and JLA

16)What canceled or finished comic book series should be revived?
ROM: Spaceknight!!! I seek closure!!

17) When and how did you discover comic books?
A friend gave me a copy of Origins of Marvel Comics which reprinted all the first issues of Spider-man, FF, and The Hulk. The rest as they say... is history.

18) What appeals to you about comic books as an art form?
Comics is a great visual medium that I think is undersold in many circles. It can draw in kids (and even adults) who are reluctant to read. It can also act as a springboard to developing a more vivid imagination which certainly helps when graduating to reading novels. Another great thing about comics is the world around us. Really hard to find heroes in the world today so what's the harm in turning to fictional ones?

19) Earliest memory of Comix Connection?
Wow, this place is awesome!!! Who are those two spooky guys behind the counter? (turned out it was Bill and Gregg... lol)

20) Anything interesting we should know about you?
I was born in Union, SC, raised in Reading, PA, and am a die hard metalhead!! (much to Bill's chagrin).

That's all folks... our next post should cover one of the monkeys from York, so stay tuned!

20 Questions with a Comix Connection Counter Monkey, Installment #3

Okay... it's that time again... another entry in the "Know Your Counter Monkeys 20 Question Survey"! This time we're back with the Q & A from one the Mechanicsburg guy, Shawn Skvarna.

20 Questions for the Staff:

1.)What's your name?
Shawn

2.)Any nicknames, codenames, etc?
Anything that Bill comes up with each time he sees me... "Shawn Shawn Shawn auf der Autobahn!"

3.)Store of Operations?
Mechanicsburg

4.)Favorite thing to do on a day off?
Spending time with my girlfriend, hang out with friends, read, draw, play guitar or Guitar Hero, check out some DVDs, sleep

5.)Any hidden talents or uncanny abilities?
Playing guitar (it's not like I can take it with me everywhere), drawing, writing...

6.)If you could live off only one food or beverage what would it be?
I could probably be happy with Subway subs, since I'm already surviving off of them

7.)Favorite kind of Pop Tarts?
Probably the strawberry kind. I don't really eat them too often.

8.)Favorite monster?
I love the old Universal monsters. Growing up I thought Dracula was the scariest.

9.)Favorite fictional character?
In novels I'm a huge fan of Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files series. In comics, I'm a fan of Superman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Firestorm, Spider-Man, Daredevil and Colossus

10.)Top five favorite video games?
Spider-Man 2, Guitar Hero (any version), Justice League Heroes, and the Lego Star Wars games

11.)Top five favorite bands?
U2, The Beatles, Better Than Ezra, The Killers... beyond that I'm into songs more than bands

12.)Top five favorite television shows?
Doctor Who, Torchwood, Smallville, Supernatural, Chuck

13.)Top five favorite films?
Casablanca, Arsenic and Old Lace, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Hot Fuzz, The Rocketeer

14.)Top five books you read that were not in comic book form?
The Dresden Files books, at the moment I'm up to book 4 in the series soon to be on book 5

15.)Top five favorite comic books?
Green Lantern, The New Frontier, old school X-Men from the 80s, Y The Last Man, Superman: Birthright

16.)What cancelled or finished comic book series should be revived?
I'd love to see Ronnie Raymond Firestorm make a comeback somehow.

17.)When and how did you discover comic books?
When I was very young my parents used to get them for me at the 7 Eleven near our house in Baltimore. My mom loved comics growing up and it just carried over into me I suppose.

18.)What appeals to you about comic books as an art form?
The combination of compelling stories, characters that readers can either identify with or wish they could be, and various styles of art to help bring the story across. There's a little bit of something out there for everyone and it's also good to see that other genres can keep going in comics, such as Serenity, Buffy and others.

19.)Earliest memory of Comix Connection?
I remember one of their first locations in the Delco Plaza. When I moved up to PA in the late 80s my parents let me go and check it out and it blew my mind that there was an entire store that was full of comics to be bought. I was hooked from that moment.

20.)Anything interesting we should know about you?
Ummmm... I'm not sure because I don't think of me as interesting, but I will put in a mention for one of my all-time favorite single issues of any comic I've ever read: Action Comics #800. It's a retelling of the Superman story but going to overlooked moments in his history, like how the Kents decide to keep Clark or meeting the mentor that took Clark under his wing that led to his career as a reporter. There are little vignette stories sprinkled throughout of people's impressions of Superman or just their love of him as a character. That book says all I'd ever need to about Superman and I loved it.

And that's that! Another installment on it's way soon!

20 Questions with a Comix Connection Counter Monkey Part 2

Time again for another installment of questions and answers with one of the elite staff members of Comix Connection. This time with Jared, the Manager of our York Store. For those that already know him, he's young man that requires little introduction, especially if you know the fine job he does taking care of C.C. York or you've been following his weekly comic strip, Strife of Antiquity. If you're not properly acquainted with this guy, here's twenty with Jared... he'll tell you what you need to know!



1.)What's your name?
Whats yours? (That was for you Joshie!) My name is Jared CODY Wolf.

2.)Any nicknames, codenames, etc?
Jerry, The Wolfman, The Cherokee kid, cutie (thats what everyone calls me!)

3.)Store of Operations?
Prince of Yorkshire, Sire!

4.)Favorite thing to do on a day off?
Eat watermelon and read comics (separately) snuggle with my girl!

5.)Any hidden talents or uncanny abilities?
NO!!!

6.)If you could live off only one food or beverage what would it be?
Watermelon (the perfect blend of food and beverage!

7.)Favorite kind of Pop Tarts?
S'mores!

8.)Favorite Turtle?
Michealangelo!

9.)Favorite fictional character?
Clare Huxtable!!!! (Promethea, Clare Huxtable as Promethea!!! Boooya!)

10.)Top five favorite video games?
This kid don't play games!

11.)Top five favorite b(r)ands?
Lucky Charms, Honey Chex, Frankenberry, Raisin Bran Crunch, Cap n' !!!

12.)Top five favorite television shows?
Cosby Show, The Office, The Today Show, Quick Draw McGraw, Deadwood!

13.)If you could have a super power what would it be?
A HERO dial boooooy!!!

14.)Top five favorite books not in comic book form?
zzzzzzz....what oh, books about comics! HA HAAAA! oh and CATS, books about cats!

15.)Top five favorite comic books?
Avengers, JSA, Green Lantern, Fantastic Four (Millar only!) Captain America, All-Star supa dupa man!!!
Bendis, Millar, Brubaker, Ellis, Morrison, Moore, Johns~! All time fav is Illuminati one-shot!!!

16.)What canceled or finished comic book series should be revived?
I agree with Nicole, Young Justice...KAMANDI!

17.)When and how did you discover comic books?
In my dad's attic immediately after he told me not to find them there! Musty Black garbage bags filled with Kamandi, Tor, and old gold key stuff!

18.)What appeals to you about comic books as an art form?
Escapism!

19.)Earliest memory of Comix Connection?
RED finger tips and mean viral mouth frothing counter monkeys four feet above me staring and snarling at me as though i was nine, and i was!

20.)Anything interesting we should know about you?
Huh uh, no i don't think.

And there you have it.

20 Questions with a Comix Connection Counter Monkey

Do any of you remember a month and a half ago there was a post here on our site gathering ideas for a series of questions that would then be set to each of the members of our elite staff here at Comix Connection? Well, this it the first post in this series today. So because no one demanded it, here's our first entry in the "Know Your Counter Monkeys 20 Question Survey"! And because chivalry is not entirely dead, let's allow ladies first and present answers from Nicky.



1) What's your name?
Nicole

2) Any nicknames, codenames, etc?
Nicky, Rogue Two

3) Store of Operations?
Mechanicsburg

4) Favorite thing to do on a day off?
Read/Draw

5) Any hidden talents or uncanny abilities?
The ability to find any hole or bump in any given expanse of flat ground that could conceivably be tripped over, and then doing so dramatically.

6) If you could live off only one food or beverage what would it be?
Chocolate

7) Favorite kind of Pop Tarts?
Apple Cinnamon

8) Favorite monster?
Dragons

9) Favorite fictional character?
Boba Fett

10) Top five favorite video games?
Knights of the Old Republic, Morrowind, Jedi Academy, and...umm, I think that might be it, I haven't played many, actually.

11) Top five favorite bands?
Kamelot, Cursive, Hungry Lucy, TaTu, Tartan Terrors...although any list of music I like fluctuates pretty widely.

12) Top five favorite television shows?
Battlestar Galactica, Thundercats, Firefly, Stargate: Atlantis, Avatar: The Last Airbender

13) Top five favorite films?
Star Wars, The Good The Bad & The Ugly, Thelma & Louise, Casablanca, Lord of the Rings

14) Top five favorite books not in comic book form?
Good Omens, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Star Wars: Republic Commando, Terrier, Lord of the Rings...at the moment. There's really too many for me to choose!

15) Top five favorite comic books?
V for Vendetta, Castle Waiting, Star Wars: Legacy, Lucifer, Green Arrow & Black Canary

16) What cancelled or finished comic book series should be revived?
Young Justice

17) When and how did you discover comic books?
Late elementary school, in Toys 'R' Us, there were a few packs of comics next to the X-Men action figures.

18) What appeals to you about comic books as an art form?
The combination of art and writing; the best of both of the best things ever! With both prose and visuals, you can get the best story possible.

19) Earliest memory of Comix Connection?
"What do you mean there's a store nearby that sells these? Why didn't anyone tell me this before? Curse my un-girlie ignorance of the local malls!" ...Or words to that effect.

20) Anything interesting we should know about you?
Umm...beware the CLAW? According to Bill, at any rate... ;)

Know your monkeys!

Counter monkeys, that is... I thought it would be fun to interview each of the friendly staff memebers at Comix Connection York and Mechanicsburg to see what kinds of things we like and dislike or just generally enjoy or detest and share it with our website audience. York's manager, Jared, and I have come up with some questions, and I'm putting it out there to anyone who frequents the site to contribute some too if you'd like. So if there's anything random or fun you'd like to ask the counter monkeys, post all comments this weekend and I'll add them to the mix! Posted results should begin then next week.

Have a great weekend everyone!