Blog

Starting out with a very happy birthday to my new, first niece Ellie Adeline (middle name from my maternal grandmother)! Born on New Comic Book Day, a very good omen, she was 6 lbs 12 oz and 20.5”. It feels a little weird that she was born a Midwesterner, as Miranda and Dave had moved to Chicago back in July, but nevertheless I can’t help but to smile every time I see that thumbnail image.

MANIFESTED! My life, where fantasy becomes reality, apparently! It's a pretty big deal for me to cross the street. I basically only ever read Marvel, and just picked up my first Batman book. It feels similar, it's still a comic, still 32 pages, reading left to right, top to bottom. But it feels wider, richer, deeper, too. It's cool. It feels like I'm 15 again, alone in my room, figuring things out.

I'm writing today, a day earlier than usual, because I just can't wait to make this announcement any longer (and because I'm going to be sequestered in the warehouse for the next two days getting things ready for Greensboro Comicon [tickets on sale now here at the shop]): We'll be getting our very own exclusive variant cover to Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion #1 in October!

I've been on a Venture Bros. deep dive. The only thing I can trace it back to is thinking about heading up to New York Comic Con in October, where five years ago I saw the best panel I've ever attended, Let's All Smoking, hosted by show creator Jackson Publick and his main man Doc Hammer. Whatever it was, I've been rewatching the whole series from the beginning (if you don't like that episode, you don't like one of my all-time Top 5 moments of TV), reading all of the behind the scenes junk on every episode in the Go Team Venture art book from Dark Horse, and completing my 8" Biff Bang Pow figure collection.

Whelp, I wasn't planning on it when I got up yesterday morning, but I bought a new car last night! Don't let the small size fool you, I can get 14 long boxes in the back!

That comic is a perfect representation of my favorite kind of humor, and makes me extremely wistful to revisit the Perry Bible Fellowship (not always safe for work) and Wondermark. I can't believe I had completely forgotten about this interview I did with Nicholas Gurewitch at HeroesCon in 2008 (check out my LG flip-phone on the table as back-up/ for optimal audio fidelity)!

I had the pleasure today of having lunch with my old friend Joe Scott, proprietor of Geeksboro Battle Pub, formerly Geeksboro Coffee & Beverage Company, formerly Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema, now located across from Target at 2618 Lawndale Drive. Sampling the Lady Vengeance (tatter tots, teriyaki tri tip steak, sriracha), the pimento beer cheese with homemade pita chips, and the big ol' bacon wrapped meatball, and everything was spot on!

Thanks to everyone for all of the birthday wishes yesterday, and in particular to one of our customers, Josh, who did just as Instagram suggested and brought me an iced coffee! Most importantly thanks to you guys that took part in the sale and made it a great New Comic Book Day!

As usual, there's a LOT going on this week! Jay & I made a house call this Sunday and ended up buying 3 long boxes or trades and hardcovers, a dozen statues, and over 5,000 comics! We've been posting several pictures of the books on our Instagram & Facebook pages, and the statues are already in the cases and graphic novels are out on the shelves, but it's going to take us weeks to completely process everything, from the backwall down to dollar books.