New SUPERMAN RETURNS movie trailer!

Alert reader Jason R. sent me this:

CLICK HERE!

Oooooh... check out that bullet!
OK, I'm getting more and more excited about this movie...

A Golden Age comic book on Ebay for only 5¢

My old pal Charlie Roberts, the famous art and comic collector, sent me this link to me of his latest Ebay auction: A MORE FUN #33 from July 1938 for only FIVE CENTS!

HA! What would the grade of this be? 1.5?


PS: I think the goat on the cover is the culprit...

Do you like the anime Cowboy Bebop?

Then I know you'll LOVE COSBY BEBOP!

Just plain brilliant. Crack me up.

R.I.P. Alex Toth

Reader and occasional poster Brian Linnen forwarded me the news... one of the greatest comic book artists ever (and my personal number one favorite) Alex Toth has passed away today. He was 78 and apparently died at his drawing board this morning.

Alex Toth could put more body language and naturalistic expression in a drawing than any ten artists put together... he was a master of spotting and heavy black inks, his vivid portrayal of the interplay of shadow and light was intuitive and simply phenomenal. He could tell more story with ten lines of ink than all the hyper-detail-artists with their hundreds of tiny lines could, combined. He worked on all types of genres: Funny Animal, War, Western, Crime, Science Fiction, Superhero, and Romance comics, for nearly every major publisher from the 1940s to the present. He will be sorely missed and his legacy and body of work will live long after him.

"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. "
- Albert Pike

Rest In Peace, Alex, Rest In Peace.

HAIRPULLER!

Yeesh. Here's a doozy... FIRST ROMANCE #13 (May 1952, Home Comics):


Holy mackeral, that guy's a bit agressive, isn't he? HE'S PULLING HER HAIR! (What is up with these '50s bad guys and their hair-pulling?) Whatta man. Not cool, dude. Pepper spray's too good for him. I find that roughing up your date can lead to negative feelings and perhaps even some well-deserved jail time. Heck, I want to pop him one. Luckily Lancelot of the Porch is coming to her rescue...

Curt's Comix - A local cartoonist with an eye for the absurd

I have had a version of the following image hanging up in my living room ever since my friend Curt Pottiger gave it to me years ago. Check it out - Bill Wahl, seller of comic books, captured in a classic moment of excitement and enthusiasm for the medium he so loves:



You can just FEEL the thrilling energy that courses through every fiber of my being as I show the reader the wonder, amazement and joy that is the incredible world of Comic Books, can't you? (And the odds and ends for sale on the shelf are classic!)

HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW!

That cartoon was penned by one of our long-time friends and customers who I feel captures the whole essence and look of the Underground comic book movement in his quirky and hilarious cartoons... Curt Pottiger! Curt has his own website HERE. (Be warned: Some of his stuff is not safe for the kids to see!) Check out his "Rogue's Gallery" magnets of weird characters that are hanging on the door beside the Alternative Comics section of the York store for a good taste of Curt's work.


Curt is also an accomplished artist who specializes in illustration, cartooning, computer graphics and design, web design, greeting card art, and creative writing. If you need somebody with a unique vision, contact him at his website.

Oh, and read about his brain "tumor" - IF YOU DARE!

The WEEKEND Comics Chat Open Thread - the Vicious Killer Bunny Edition!

Here you go... tell us what you think was good this week - and what you think was El Stinko. I liked 52, but I was a bit uncomfortable with the gory violence perpetrated by Black Adam. Guess I'm gettng old.

And there will be no more talk of Oompa Loompas! Begone foul creatures!

Heh heh.

You can help with the upcoming IRON MAN movie!

I got the following email from reader Mike M.:

I chanced upon this news and thought I might share it with you for your website. It appears that director Jon Favreau (Swingers & Elf) is doing the new Iron Man movie and is seeking input from the comic geekdom regarding the movie...kind of cool! He has set up this discussion board for some ideas. Here is the link:

CLICK HERE!

Wow, that is pretty neat! UNLEASH THE GEEKS!

Local animator Michael Robinson presents his new short film

Animation artist Michael Robinson of Mechanicsburg will be presenting his award-nominated short film OOMPER OOMPER on Sunday May 28th here in Harrisburg... click on the image to read the details!


This looks really interesting, so come on out and give it a look!

An Update: Click HERE to peruse the full schedule of the 8th Annual ArtsFest Film Festival.,

And while I'm at it, HERE'S a link to Harrisburg's very own first-run Independent and Foreign film theatre, the fabulous MIDTOWN CINEMA! They are even showing ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, based on the comic by Daniel Clowes of GHOST WORLD fame. You really should be checking them out!

Spotlight on: TALENT #1

Here's a book that might be slipping below everyone's radar: TALENT #1 from Boom! Studios. Written by Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski, and drawn by rising star Paul Azaceta, this book's story starts with the crash of an airliner... with one passenger impossibly surviving. Is is a miracle? Or is it something else? A lot of people want to know, including the lone survivor himself. And then there's his newfound ability of having the skills of his fellow passengers, including a professional boxer, as if he has somehow absorbed their talents. Oh yeah, and someone is trying to have him killed!
Intriguing to say the least, fascinating in it's implications... I'll be waiting for issue #2...

From the Vault #315

I just ran across this nifty little item in my "catch-all junk box" that has all sorts of stuff, doo-dads and detrius that I've accumulated since I was a kid (like my fastest Hot Wheel car, a chartreuse Porsche 917 - no lie!)...

My MEGATON MAN pinback button!

Behold:



MEGATON MAN was a superhero parody comic book from 1984 (good lord has it really been that long ago?) from the fertile brain of comic creator Don Simpson that centered around the misadventures of a big doofus of a (very Marvel Comics-esque) super-hero - Megaton Man and his teammates and villians within the FIASCOVERSE! It was great stuff, and the book took delight in puncturing the pretensions and conventions of superhero comics in each classic era, with great humor.

I seem to remember that this button was supposed to be recalled at the insistence of Marvel Comics because of trademark violation... so naturally, I kept mine and wore it proudly!

Sadly, the comic is long gone, but apparently is available weekly on the web HERE!

Megs at his finest:

Homemade Stone Golem!

Check out this incredible costume made by some guys who are in a Live Action Role Play group... a STONE GOLEM! Click HERE for a way too short YouTube video.

From the link:

This Stone Golem was constructed using about 5 foam mattresses, over 50 sticks of hot melt glue, and 8 cans of grey and black spray paint. The foam is glued in large thick sheets (approx 20cm thick) to a fabric bodysuit, and the deep cracks are carved into the foam surface. The bodysuit has a zip up the back to allow the wearer to enter it, and the zip is concealed by abutting foam. The soles of the feet are made of corflute that has been sliced in half to expose corrugations that act as grip. The arms are about twice the length of the wearer\'s arms, and act as swinging weapons made entirely of soft foam. The golem took about 100 hours of work to construct, between 3 people. On its first appearance, the Stone Golem sent twenty bold adventurers into a hasty retreat without so much as touching them.

That is too too cool!

Noted horror author Brian Keene personally delivers books to Comix Connection so you really should buy some

Veteran horror novelist Brian Keene was recently in the stores to drop off a batch of his latest novel THE CONQUEROR WORMS, plus older goodies like TERMINAL, THE RISING, and CITY OF THE DEAD. They are all available now at both stores... check 'em out! If you like gripping suspense and horror, Brian's your man!





Brian is an old friend of ours and the classic "local boy who has made the Big Time"... according to his biography:

BRIAN KEENE is the Bram Stoker Award–winning author of The Rising, Fear of Gravity, City of the Dead, among other titles. He is also the fiction editor of Horrorfind.com and the popular Best of Horrorfind
anthology series.

All I know is that he's a down-to-earth great guy and only a little weird.

He also has a great website HERE, and even wrote a long piece about Free Comic Book Day and Comix Connection HERE! (WARNING: LANGUAGE... NOT FOR KIDS!)

So, if you want to read a densely-packed, tightly-written suspense/horror novel, pick up one of Brian's books today... you'll be hooked like a giant earthworm on a super-sized bass rig.



... Hey. Did you hear that? That weird sound coming from the basement? And what's that awful sickening fishy smell? Wait right here... I'm gonna go check it out.

I'll take this flashlight and be right back...

The WEEKEND Comics Chat Open Thread - the Hiding In Plain Sight Edition!

Well, here you go... the weekly Open Chat Thread. I'll start things off by reposting a question from a previous thread from craig box13:

"Anyone know anything about Steel's neice in 52? She looked cool and I was wondering if she was new."

Anyone? Bueller?
-

Airing the Linnen: My Top Four Games - #2

Guest post by Brian Linnen


Ranking these last two games was really difficult because both of the titles are true classics; however, I'm awarding the Silver Medal to Rio Grande's "Carcassonne." There's no shame in coming in second...remember that!

Anyway, this is a fantastic game which never plays the same twice, the reason being, you build the game board with tiles as you play. By playing random tiles on each turn, you create a map of cities, roads, cloisters, and fields which you can claim for points. The bigger you build, the more points you earn. But remember to keep your eye on your opponents to ensure that no one mooches their way into your city, road, etc. If they do, you end up sharing your hard-earned points, and that's no fun!

This is an incredibly popular product which has won over many a non-gamer. It may not have the most exciting box you have ever seen, but I'm betting you'll return to "Carcassonne" time and time again.

Next time: Brian's pick for Best Game!

Now this is just plain cool

Josh sent me this image done by one of our regulars...

The VENUSIAN as imagined by local artist Kurt Windish:


WOW! Very very cool!

Star Wars... nothin' but Star Wars

OK, here's some random STAR WARS news...

First, HERE'S a brief article about an upcoming Star Wars live action TV show from the ICV2 website. Sounds GREAT!

And, good news for all the Star Wars purists out there (myself included): They will be releasing STAR WARS on DVD this fall that includes the ORIGINAL CUT without all the added gooey computer-generated junk (like Greedo firing first)... YAYYY! Check out the article HERE. It's about time.

Photos from Free Comic Book Day at Donegal Springs Elementary!

Check this out... Librarian Cheryl Swisher from Donegal Springs Elementary School in Mount Joy, PA sent along these great photos from the Free Comic Book Day display that was set up in the school library (sponsored by Comix Connection):








Looks like everybody had fun and got some great free comic books! (I'm a big fan of AMELIA RULES! myself. Ooooh and ARCHIE. And the SIMPSONS. And OWLY is very cool too.)

If any of you readers out there would like YOUR school district to partner with us for next year's Free Comic Book Day (or for any event for that matter), please feel free to contact me via the website! We will gladly donate comics and provide flyers and whatnot to give new readers a taste of delicious comic book goodness!

GODZILLA FAN Club meeting follow-up

Here's a couple of pics from last week's Godzilla Fan Club meeting...

The gang's all here... a shot of the area's biggest Godzilla Fans!


Godzilla Fan Club founder Evan Stultz being interviewed for Centrtal Penn Magazine...


We are in the midst of a GODZILLA MODEL KIT PAINTING CONTEST, and there is still time to enter. There are a few kits still available, so come on in and get yours now! Stop by to check out the contest entrants that are on display in the front showcase...

Godzilla RULES! RAAARRRR!

Any age can enter and will be judged on earnest creativity and imagination. Winner will be announced at the next GODZILLA FAN CLUB MEETING on Sunday, June 4th...

Photos from Free Comic Book Day 2006 in the York Comix Connection!

It was so incredibly crazy busy on Free Comic Book Day that poor Comix Connection Counter Monkeys™ Ned, Josh, Phil and Ryan only had time and presence of mind to take these few photos... enjoy!





Wowie! What a day! Thanks again, everyone!

The WEEKEND Comics Chat Open Thread - the Ralph Wiggums says 'Have some delicious paste!' Edition!

So, did anyone read 52 this week or CIVIL WAR last week?

Heh heh. Discuss away!

The X-Men cometh!

In case any of you missed it, HERE'S A LINK to the trailer for X-MEN III: THE LAST STAND! Looks great, can't wait!

Also, the REGAL HARRISBURG 14 Theatres will be screening the new X-MEN III movie when it comes out, and they have some cool contests to whet your appetite:

X-MEN COSTUME CONTEST

-$5.00 Entry Fee (Due the day of the contest), Donated to the Stars of Hope
- All costumes welcome from the X-Men Universe
- Contest held MAY 26 & 27 1PM-9PM
- Voting begins May 28 and ends June 4
- Win X-Men Prizes!

X-MEN COLORING CONTEST

- Ages 1-15
- $1.00 donation to Stars of Hope
- Pick your favorite X-Men picture to color at theatre (or pick up at the Mechanicsburg Comix Connection) and hand it in at theBox Office with donation by May 25th
- Voting is May 26-28

X-MEN TRIVIA CONTEST

- Pick up a Trivia Page at Theatre Box Office (or pick up at the Mechanicsburg Comix Connection)
- Fill out Page and hand it in at the Box Office with $1.00 donation for the Stars of Hope by May 28th

DANGER ROOM OBSTACLE COURSE

- Come in to the Theatre and have fun playing in our Danger Room, starts May 26th
- $1.00 per Activity or $5.00 for all Activities, donated to Stars of Hope


That's at the

Regal Harrisburg 14 Theatres
1500 Caughey Drive
Harrisburg, PA, 17110
(717) 526-4980 BOX OFFICE
(717) 526-2140, extension 488 SHOW SCHEDULE

Man, it's gonna be a great year to be a comic book geek!

Keeping track of the INFINITE CRISIS dead and keeping up with the weekly 52!

Alert reader Mike B. sent me THIS LINK to a Wikipedia listing of all the known and suspected dead characters who gave their all during the INFINITE CRISIS... and on a related note, HERE'S A LINK to a site that DC put up that will be tracking the events of 52, the year-long, weekly series that catches us up real-time with the huge changes wrought by the Infinite Crisis.
From the article at ICV2:

Throughout the year as the 52 comic book series chronicles the fate of a world without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, 52thecomic.com will function as an Internet newsmagazine granting readers access to the headlines and stories of The Daily Planet including sports and weather information. In addition to this straight narrative function, the Website will also provide visitors with a "meta" service by providing interviews with the writers of the 52 comic, Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid as well as behind-the-scenes storyboards by 52 breakdown artist Keith Giffen.

That's a pretty cool idea.

You can't keep track of the players without a scorecard!

Bill's Fan Fascination #6

How did we get back down here? Back in the dark creepy recesses of Bill's Fan Fascination? Dunno. Must be the cold medicine.
Anyway, here's the latest from America's Premiere Collection of Comic Books With Electric Fans On The Covers™... I give you BATMAN #129 (DC Comics, February 1960):


Wow. Staggering in it's electricfanitudinosity, isn't it? Witness the plight of Batwoman as she is tied to the blade of a GIANT FAN by some lame villain named The Spinner!

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER, BATMAN, OR I'LL TURN THE FAN TO FULL SPEED-- AND BATWOMAN WILL BE DOOMED!"

he shrieks maniacally! (This cover is a FAN-boy's dream by the way... actually using an electric fan to torture a superhero! I'm getting chills!) Waitaminnit. "Doomed"? To what? Having all the blood rush to her head? To having her hair stand straight up? Losing all the contents of her pockets? Having her face turn an embarassing shade of beet red? Getting nauseus? (Hey, Mister Operator, stop the ride, I'm gonna be sick!)

Anyway, Batman solves the dilemma by throwing a giant (pitch)fork into the electrical control panel of the fan... thus teaching the kids that if you want to stop an electrical appliance, just jam a fork in the outlet!

Gotcha, Old Chum. And that's exactly what you'll be... a bucket of old chum.

Is it hot in here?

Some photos from the Mechanicsburg store's FREE COMIC BOOK DAY...

THE FIRST CUSTOMERS:


GETCHA FREE COMIC BOOKS HEYAR! Oooo, nice Cadillac!


HAVE SOME DELICIOUS CAKE!


THE FREE COMIC BOOKS!


THE BACK ISSUE BINS ARE MERCILESSLY ATTACKED!


THE TALENTED MR. JIMMY GOWNLEY OF AMELIA RULES! FAME!

MORE SCENES OF BACK ISSUE FEEDING FRENZY!

SUPERGIRL OF EARTH-PRESCHOOL™ MAKES AN APPEARANCE!


JIMMY GOWNLEY'S RENDITION OF THE CUTEST SUPERGIRL EVER!


SO THIS STUFF IS EXTRACTED FROM THE ACTUAL PINEAL GLANDS OF REAL MONSTERS?


BILL CHEERFULLY EXPLAINS COMIX CONNECTION'S "NO MALE TOE CLEAVAGE" POLICY TO AN ERRANT CUSTOMER...


HERE VE SEE ZE FABLED COMIX CONNECTION COUNTER MONKEYS™ IN ZHERE NATURAL HABITAT:


Well, there you go... hope you had as much fun as we did! Thanks again, everyone!