Youse all fancy pants

Getcher FANCY PANTS! For those of you who got the super-cool GOON FANCY PANTS Volume 1, there's this from the Dark Horse Comics website:

The Goon: Fancy Pants Volume 2--The Rise and Fall of the Diabolical Dr. Alloy (limited edition hardcover)

Writer and Artist: Eric Powell

This special volume collects all the tales of one of The Goon's most nefarious villains-the diabolical mad scientist, Dr. Hieronymous Alloy-in one handsomely designed (and handsomely priced) signed hardcover. Chronicling the rise of the mysterious evil genius from his early days as a misunderstood visionary, to his status as one of the finest scientific minds in the world, and finally to his inevitable spiral into madness, this hardcover is a must-have for every serious fan of the Goon. What's more, every volume is signed by Powell himself. Buying this book should be like dodging a brick-a no-brainer!

* Copies of The Goon: Fancy Pants Vol. 2 hardcover will be printed to inital orders and is exclusive to the direct market.

* Signed by Eric Powell!

Format: FC, 136 pages, Ltd. Ed. HC, 7" x 10"
Suggested Price: $24.95

This will ship in January, but orders are due in September, so let us know if you want a copy. I'm sure all of you who got volume one two years ago will want one!

(I like saying FANCY PANTS. FANCY PANTS FANCY PANTS FANCY PANTS!)

Get your Comix Connection Geek Chic™ wear!

That's right, we just received a limited number of the new ultra-hip "Ramones-style" Comix Connection T-shirts, and boy are they swell! Available in any color as long as it's black, these newly -arrived shirts are sure to raise your "cool level" in even the eyes of the most discriminating of comic geeks. If you are interested in owning one of these great shirts for a measly ten bucks a pop, ask your friendly Comix Connection Counter Monkey™ to reserve one for you today!

(T-shirt design courtesy of Michael Moppin of Art Boy Products! You've helped me fulfill a long-held dream of mine, Mike... our very own mashing-together of the Ramones and Comix Connection! Brings a tear to this old punk's eye.)

My current favorite music video

Is this one by DANIELSON. I find this video incredibly creative. I just love the (all done-in-one-take) low-budget, high school play-feel of this video for the song "Did I Step On Your Trumpet?". Check it out:



While at Rutgers University,

(Daniel Smith) submitted the album as his final thesis (and received an 'A' grade) and performed, joined by his siblings, at the senior art show. Smith then sent the album out to several indie labels but only received a response from Tooth & Nail in California, who picked up the album and released it in 1994.

More info HERE and their MySpace page is HERE.

Oh, and here's where Daniel got the title of the song:

The song is called “Did I Step On Your Trumpet” and it is inspired by the time I got accused, by Billy, of stepping on his trumpet when he got up to go get a drink of water. It was 6th grade band practice and Billy had a special silver trumpet that was passed down through his family. When he got back the entire bell of the trumpet was completely crushed flat. He yelled at me in front of the entire band and I denied it immediately. I really do not know if I stepped on it or not. I feel like I may have.

So if you accidently offended someone, politely say, “I’m sorry, did I step on your trumpet?“

Spectacular cartoon!

Fantastic Phil sent me THIS LINK to a trailer for the upcoming WB cartoon SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN! Go check it out... it looks COOL!

Thanks, Phil!

OK, I just wasted an hour

flipping through old 1970s SEARS Catalogs at THIS SITE (found via Metafilter.)





Man, I used to have that and that and that and that! (OK, actually Karen had the Barbie kitchen thingie.)

*Sigh*

Remember these ads?

Pretty accurate on the predictions. Hard to believe they were from fourteen years ago, isn't it? I think I was online with my SCREAMING 1440K modem in 1993. Seems like a whole 'nother world.

Just thirteen days!

Until the ultra-cool Baltimore Comic-con! Click HERE for more info!

And once again, here is the AMAZING Guest list:

SERGIO ARAGONES | Dick Ayers | Kyle Baker | Tom Brevoort | Kurt Busiek | Jim Calafiore | Jerry Carr | Tommy Castillo | C.B. Cebulski | Bernard Chang | Howard Chaykin | Sean Chen | Mark Chiarello | FRANK CHO | Steve Conley | Amanda Conner | Todd Dezago | Dan DiDio | Tommy Lee Edwards | Rich Faber | Al Feldstein | DAVID FINCH | John Gallagher | Ron Garney | MICHAEL GOLDEN| Jimmy Gownley | Randy Green | Cully Hamner | Dean Haspiel | Tariq Hasson | Marc Hempel | Adam Hughes | Chris Ivy| James Jean | Georges Jeanty | J.G. Jones | Joe Jusko | Ken Kelly | Leonard Kirk | Barry Kitson | Rich Koslowski | Adam Kubert | Andy Kubert | JOE KUBERT | Scott Kurtz | Greg LaRocque | Eric Larson | JIM LEE (Sunday only) | Norman Lee | John Paul Leon | John Lucas | Ron Marz | Sean McKeever | Mark McKenna | Bob McLeod | Pop Mhan | MIKE MIGNOLA | Mark Morales | Doug Murray | Scott Neely | Steve Niles | Phil Noto | Mike Oeming | Jimmy Palmiotti | Andrew Pepoy | David Petersen | Brandon Peterson | Keith Pollard | Paul Pope | Eric Powell | Tom Raney | JOHN ROMITA JR. | JOHN ROMITA SR. | Don Rosa | Craig Rousseau | Stephane Roux | Andy Runton | Alex Saviuk | JIM SHOOTER | Louise Simonson | Walter Simonson | Andy Smith | John K Snyder III| Chris Sprouse | Jim Starlin | Brian Stelfreeze | Paul D. Storrie | Karl Story | Mark Texeira | Herb Trimpe | Dean Trippe| Tim Truman | Billy Tucci | Tim Vigil | Dexter Vines | Neil Vokes | Mark Waid | Mark Wheatley | Ron Wilson | Kelly Yates | and many many more!!!

We will be set up in out usual booth there, wallowing in funnybook goodness! Join the party, Baltimore is just an hour away from York, an hour and 20 minutes from Harrisburg! We will gladly stow your stuff under the tables of our booth so you can walk the convention hands-free!

(My swell pal Marc Nathan, con organizer extraordinaire!)

And ask me about the awesome Light Rail!

New Frontier DVD Preview

I cannot wait for Spring of 2008!

Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Hb_d5Qnts

HALO UPRISING #1 is here!

Gamers! Get your comics on! After much delay...

From MARVEL COMICS' website:

The Eisner Award-winning team of writer Brian Bendis, artist Alex Maleev and colorist Matt Hollingsworth are back to bring you one of the most anticipated new series of the year—Halo: Uprising! Based on the hit video game series, but perfect for fans both new and old, Halo: Uprising #1 begins the tale of the heroic Master Chief's struggle to reach Earth before the evil Covenant's engines of war get there first! Set in the time period between Halo 2 and Halo 3, Halo: Uprising answers all those questions that fans have been asking for years, and introduces new characters into the Halo mythos!

CLICK HERE for more! Needless to say, this ultra-cool comic is fully stocked at both Comix Connection locations... get yours today!

Win STARRO!

Or at least the Heroclix figure of Starro! Here's links to our weekly 'Clix Events in the York store:

• DC HeroClix Look, Up in the Sky! (704607) on 9/1/2007
• HeroClix HeroClix Constructed Event (704608) on 9/8/2007
• HeroClix HeroClix Unrestricted event (704609) on 9/15/2007
• HeroClix STARRO Attacks!: Week 1 (707633) on 9/22/2007
• HeroClix STARRO Attacks!: Week 2 (707634) on 9/29/2007
• HeroClix STARRO Attacks! : Week 3 (709406) on 10/6/2007
• HeroClix STARRO Attacks! : Week 4 (709408) on 10/13/2007
• HeroClix STARRO Attacks! : Champion Event (709409) on 10/20/2007
• HeroClix HeroClix Unrestricted Event (709410) on 10/27/2007

(Click over on the sidebar to the right for the Mechanicsburg events.)

Join Heroclix Dave and the crew

EVERY SATURDAY AFTERNOON @ 4:00PM - 7:30PM

for some good old fashioned super-heroic stomping! It's FUN!

Superpowers?

Coming right up!

Apparently some Scottish physicists have reversed the Casimir Force, solving the puzzle of Levitation! From The Telegraph:

Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with moving parts that levitate But they say that, in principle at least, the same effect could be used to levitate bigger objects too, even a person.

Pretty amazing. Could actual super powers be far off? I'm holding out for INVISIBILITY:

Prof Leonhardt leads one of four teams - three of them in Britain - to have put forward a theory in a peer-reviewed journal to achieve invisibility by making light waves flow around an object - just as a river flows undisturbed around a smooth rock.

I should live so long.

For all your Bobblehead needs

Check It's YOU Small and BINKLEY CUSTOM PRODUCTS out!

You know, if you ever want to have some bobblehead dolls made of yourself.

For some reason.

I wish I worked in a cubicle

just so I could deploy THIS!

Even dogs can have superpowers!

This one can sing:



You're welcome.

Travel Day

14 1/2 hours one way.
2610 miles round trip.
The black ribbon of I-95 carried us to Florida and back. Thanks Ike! (A good defense is a good road network.)

The End of an Era

R.I.P. Dragon Magazine. And Dungeon Magazine for that matter. I guess they finally missed that last Saving Throw.

It's been a LONG time since I played D&D, but still, there's something sad about the end of Dragon Magazine. There was a time when I read it cover to cover, just to get ideas for campaigns. A lot of issues also had neat inserts like player aids for playing D&D or a stand-alone mini-game. Oh well. It will still be available online. So it goes.

I've kinda been out of the loop lately...

So what have you read that's good the last week or two?


(I read a lot of menus and tourist brochures and the occasional map.)

The tallest lighthouse in Florida

Today Karen and Max climbed the tallest lighthouse in Florida: The light station at Ponce Inlet, Florida, a couplefew miles south of my parents house. Today I remained on the ground with my daughter Leni, as I have a bit of an aversion to heights. (Last year I climbed to the top of the lighthouse with Max, but I was too chicken to go out on the rickety wrought-iron balcony at the top. Just call me Coward Man!)


Leni and I hung around the gift shop at the base of the lighthouse and added to her collection of elongated pennies, something I used to collect ever since my mom found two from the 1934 World's Fair which she gave to me when I was about 12 years old. I actually used to belong to The Elongated Collectors, and we would buy and swap elongated pennies back and forth. I still have the original two and am now chasing these whenever we find a "penny squisher" so that we can add to my kids' collections. Any of you have any to trade?

The oldest city in the United States

Is St. Augustine, Florida. Named after Saint Augustine, founded in 1565 (the same year as Rio de Janeiro), the city of St. Augustine has a long history. It's been under many flags in it's time, which goes something like this:

In 1586 St. Augustine was attacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake. In 1668 it was plundered by pirates and most of the inhabitants were killed. In 1702 and 1740 it was unsuccessfully attacked by British forces from their new colonies in the Carolinas and Georgia. The most serious of these came in the latter year, when James Oglethorpe of Georgia allied himself with Ahaya the Cowkeeper, chief of the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe to lay siege to the city.

In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War and gave Florida and St. Augustine to the British, an acquisition the British had been unable to take by force and keep due to the strong fort there. St. Augustine came under British rule and served as a Loyalist (pro-British) colony during the American Revolutionary War. A Treaty of Paris in 1783 gave the American colonies north of Florida their independence, and ceded Florida to Spain in recognition of Spanish success during the war.

Florida was under Spanish control again from 1784 to 1821. During this time, Spain was being invaded by Napoleon and was struggling to retain its colonies. Florida no longer held its past importance to Spain. The expanding United States, however, regarded Florida as vital to its interests. In 1821, the Adams-Onís Treaty peaceably turned the Spanish colonies in Florida and, with them, St. Augustine, over to the United States.

Florida was a United States territory until 1845 when it became a U.S. state. In 1861, the American Civil War began and Florida seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Days before Florida seceded, state troops took the fort at St. Augustine from a small Union garrison (January 7, 1861). However, federal troops loyal to the United States Government quickly reoccupied the city (March 11, 1862) and remained in control throughout the four-year-long war. In 1865, Florida rejoined the United States.

Oh, and the fort at the top of the inlet, the Castillo de San Marcos, still stands. It's a pretty cool place to see.

Quote of the day: "Be reminded that the first child born in St. Augustine was 55 years old when the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620."

Where to go in Daytona Beach on a Sunday?

Why, the Daytona Beach Drive In Christian Church, naturally! This outdoor church is right down the road from where I used to live in Daytona... I thought it was the coolest church around, and they're still going strong after more than 50 years! Where else but Daytona can you just drive up, hook the speaker to your window and enjoy the benefits of church from the comfort of the front seat of your Coupe DeVille? Too bad they don't have carhops to bring you a nice cool beverage...

Look to the skies! No, really!

How many of you here have ever seen a "falling star" or meteorite? I've seen literally HUNDREDS of them because well, I LOOK. Now is your chance to see some too. READ THIS and THIS to get the inside scoop on one of the best chances to see a ton of falling stars. The meteor shower peaks Sunday night/Monday early morning, and this year there is little to NO moonlight interference, so get out there and look around. HERE'S some pointers... I especially like the last one. Seriously, get out there and LOOK. Go ahead.

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” - Oscar Wilde

What I like about restaurants in the South

I know this is gonna sound stupid, but here goes. When I eat a meal, I require a lot of beverage to go with my food. It's just one of those things... I drink a lot of liquids with my food. I am forever asking the waitress or waiter to bring me more soda/milk/tea/whatever as the meal progresses. In fact, when I order I ask for the biggest glass of whatever they have and tell them to keep it coming. This usually fails to supply my beverage requirements anyway, so I often default to ordering a pitcher of beverage to keep my thirst slaked.

Now when I eat in restaurants in the American South, it seems that "bottomless Iced Tea" is required by law. It's on every menu, no matter what type of restaurant it is or how high the class of clientèle. And they don't fool around... usually the glasses are small barrels of 20 ounces or more, because hey it's HOT down here and people just might be thirsty! Well, tonight at dinner just underscored what I like about restaurants in the South. Not only did I get my giant barrel o'tea, but the waitress scrupulously filled the darn thing TWICE, when it was perilously close to being only one-third full! And then when we were ready to go, the waitress asked me "Would you like a tea to go?" With a tear in my eye, I said "Yes, ma'am." She brought me a giant fresh iced tea in a styrofoam "to go" cup topped with a huge lemon wedge. Just so I had something to take with me. It's the simple things in life, isn't it? Oh, and I love the South. And iced tea.

A Visit to the Fountain of Youth

Here's where we were today: De Leon Springs in Deland, Florida, the fabled "Fountain of Youth". Or one of them, anyway. Water temperature year-round is 72 degrees, which is nice because it was 102 today. That certainly made me feel very alive for a moment, as I dropped into the (seemingly freezing cold) crystal-clear water.

The 90th Shuttle launch

We got to see this yesterday... pretty cool. That sucker moves FAST. Cape Canaveral really IS "Spaceport USA"!

Our Aquatic Friends

Saw some of these guys and gals today...

That is all.

Comic Retailer a killer?

Weird. I just ran across this story about a Pittsburgh-area comic retailer who is being held for suspicion of murder in a 17-year-old murder case.

Read about it HERE.

And a bit more HERE.

Bill and his family are here

Normal blogging will resume shortly.

Thank you for your patience.


Now where's my adult beverage with the umbrella in it?

It's that time of year

'Nuff said.

Laterz.

Only 35 days until my favorite Comic Convention!

That's right, it's only 35 more days until the BALTIMORE COMIC-CON 2007!

WOOO HOOOOO!

I love the Baltimore Comic-Con. It's in one of my favorite cities, it's easy to get to, and show promoter Marc Nathan keeps the focus on comic books and comic artists. Check out this year's guest list:

SERGIO ARAGONES | Dick Ayers | Kyle Baker | Tom Brevoort | Jim Calafiore | Tommy Castillo | C.B. Cebulski | Bernard Chang | Howard Chaykin | Sean Chen | Mark Chiarello | FRANK CHO | Steve Conley | Amanda Conner | Todd Dezago | Dan DiDio | Tommy Lee Edwards | Rich Faber | Al Feldstein | DAVID FINCH | John Gallagher | Ron Garney | Michael Golden | Jimmy Gownley | Cully Hamner | Dean Haspiel | Tarig Hasson | Adam Hughes | Chris Ivy| James Jean | Georges Jeanty | J.G. Jones | Joe Jusko | Ken Kelly | Leonard Kirk | Barry Kitson | Rich Koslowski | Adam Kubert | JOE KUBERT | Scott Kurtz | JIM LEE | Norman Lee | John Paul Leon | John Lucas | Ron Marz | Sean McKeever | Mark McKenna | Bob McLeod | Pop Mhan | MIKE MIGNOLA | Doug Murray | Phil Noto | Mike Oeming | Jimmy Palmiotti | David Petersen | Brandon Peterson | Keith Pollard | Paul Pope | Eric Powell | Tom Raney | JOHN ROMITA JR. | JOHN ROMITA SR. | Don Rosa | Craig Rousseau | Stephane Roux | Andy Runton | Alex Saviuk | Andy Smith | Louise Simonson | Walter Simonson | Chris Sprouse | Jim Starlin | Brian Stelfreeze | Karl Story | Herb Trimpe | Tim Truman | Billy Tucci | Tim Vigil | Dexter Vines | Neil Vokes | Mark Waid | Mike Wieringo | Ron Wilson and many many more!!!

WOWIE! Sounds like a blast! See you there!

For more info, click HERE!

Holy smokes! Do NOT try ANY of this at home!

Want to know what CHRISTMAS LIGHTS look like when you microwave them? Raw eggs? Marshamallows? A football? Breath mints? Yeah, me too! Just click HERE to see all sorts of stuff put to death by microwave oven. Sheesh, I hate to clean the microwave after Ned heats up a burrito, so I can imagine what this looks like.

DO NOT TRY ANY OF THIS AT HOME.

I merely posted the link in the interest of SCIENCE. You're welcome.

Simpsonize yourself!

Does that look like me at all? I made it HERE on the SIMPSONS MOVIE website, and then I popped up all over the place, like at Moe's and at the carnival.

Pretty cool.

(But it wouldn't let me put my BIRTHMARK™ on. Bigoted CLEARSKINS!)