Blog

Stephen’s So-Called Emo Life!

• Star Wars Temptation of the Force - the latest in the High Republic age, which I’m definitely even more clued into now with the Acolyte on the air.

• MLB The Show - if I can’t watch the Yankees put together a win streak in real life, I’ll go undefeated in my video game fantasies instead.

• Trying - an extremely heartfelt British show on Apple TV+ that I’m not sure anyone watches except for me & Carly.

• MaXXXine - Pearl and X were the perfect level of scary that me and the Mrs. can handle, so we’ll be going to see the final installment on the big screen!

The July 4th Buy 4 Get 4 FREE Sale on back issues, toys, and statues that I announced last week has kept us busy all morning here at the shop, and being are walking out with bags of books and action figures for next to nothing! We’re having so much fun, in fact, that we’re going to keep it rolling for the rest of the weekend!

In addition to all of the vintage toys that have been filling up any free space we had on the sales floor, we just picked up a collection of more than a dozen long boxes that will be replenishing the backwall, back issues bins, and pack boxes over the next couple of weeks, including a complete run of Spawn from #1-299!

Since you don’t want to miss out hearing about our Fourth of July Sale on the day next Thursday, we’re cluing you in a week early that all back issues and toys at Greensboro and Winston-Salem will be Buy 4, Get 4 FREE on Thursday, July 4th! We’ll also be open regular business hours 11 AM - 7 PM at both stores!

Is anyone else watching Star Wars: The Acolyte on Disney+ right now? Because no one is talking to me about it and it is bananas. No one is safe on that show in a way I haven’t seen since Game of Thrones!

If you’ve kept an eye out around the shop in the last few weeks, you’ll have noticed the display cases filling up with an assortment of vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, Batman Beyond, Batman Returns, Batman the Animated Series, and G.I. Joe figures. But that’s not all, as the backwall has also gotten a big boost thanks to another collection we picked up on Monday. These mega-keys are going fast (1st Black Panther & 1st Symbiote Costume are already gone), so stop by and see us this weekend and add a grail piece to your collection!

Colton and I have had a long day loading in for HeroesCon 2024, taking place this Friday, June 14th - Sunday, June 16th at the Charlotte Convention Center, but we’re all set to go with a completely revamped and doubled con stock and shining back wall that you can come by and shop at booth #428!

While you’re down here, stop by and see old friends like Chris Giarrusso, Gregg Schigiel, Michole Miller, and more that will be tabling throughout the exhibit hall!

I’ve been spending the afternoon pricing a collection contains about half of all of the G.I. Joe Classified figures that have come out in 2020, and between seeing figures like Profit Director Destro and hearing the buzz surrounding the G.I. Joe Compendium hardcover Kickstarter, it’s hard not to want to go all in on the Real American Heroes right now!

I also can’t believe that HeroesCon is right around the corner next weekend. Hopefully me and Colton will see you at the booth in the Queen City!

Stephen’s So-Called Emo Life!

• Hacks - if you haven’t tried the Max original about a Joan Rivers-style Boomer, over-the-hill comedian teaming up with a young, woke, Millennial to revive her career, there’s three seasons ready and waiting for you whenever you’re ready. It actually gets you in the feels more-so than it keeps you rolling in the aisles.

• Star Wars Living Force - it’s like wrapping myself up in a warm security blanket to dig into a new John Jackson Miller canon novel!

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - I was never as blown away by Fury Road as most of my friends to the point that I hadn’t seen it since the day it came out, but I thought Furiosa was possibly even better!

• Fix It Felix Jr. - we picked up an assortment of tiny arcade cabinets that are on display in our far-counter display case, and the Wreck-It Ralph tie-in has been my favorite to set high scores on during spare downtime at the shop.

I was inspired to do a Scott Pilgrim re-read this week after picking up the new Kyle Starks original graphic novel Karate Prom (with colors by my buddy Chris Schweizer), not that it takes me much to revisit one of my most favorite series of all time! Moving much faster than SP at just over 150 pages total, Karate Prom brings the same energy to a more adolescent audience, but I recommend it to anyone that dug Starks’ other work on Rick & Morty, Sexcastle, Rock Candy Mountain, and more.

Don’t miss out on your chance this week to get your hands on a FREE Spawn head sketch by Chris Giarrusso when you pick up the New Spawn U title Monolith (or Rat City if a 2099 Spawn is more your speed)! In addition to a new printing of his classic Mini Marvels and the brand new sequel to Office Clawsome: Lobster Cop, Crime Across Time, Chris also has a variant to Venom War on the way!

If you missed your chance to meet him at Free Comic Book Day two weeks ago, you can catch up with him at HeroesCon 2024, taking place June 14th-16th at the Charlotte Convention Center (and Ssalefish will be set up there, too)!