Please buy me this

I've never seen one of these:


Too cool.

(More info HERE!)

Not that I'd actually kill for something like that, but...

Manager Jared's Weekly Matchup Poll #26

Can the World Breaker break the Boyscout Breaker? Or will the Cape Killer finish the Gamma Bomber?

Doomsday's Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, healing and durability.

Hulk's Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability. Regenerative healing factor. Genius level intellect in later incarnations.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Don't forget to tell us why you voted the way you did in the comments section! Its easy, free, and commitment free!

(Descriptions of characters powers retrieved from Wikipedia.)

At some point soon

this Comix Connection website will be down for a day or two as we move it to a new host. Bear with us, we haven't gone anywhere. I'll keep everyone posted, and you can check us out by "fanning" us on Facebook!

This made me laugh my Yoo-Hoo all over my screen

Just watch:



Thanks for the link, Steve!

The Passing of a Legend

This sad news has been all over the many comic book news sites out there, but for anyone who may have missed it, comics legend, Dick Giordano, passed away early today.

This is the statement his old pal and fellow comic creator, Bob Layton, sent out to comic sources earlier today:

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

It is my sorrowful duty to announce that legendary artist/editor/entrepreneur Dick Giordano passed away today. Few could ever hope to match what he accomplished in his chosen profession, or to excel while maintaining great humor, compassion for his peers and an unwavering love for the art form. His unique vision changed the comic industry forever and all of those who work in the business continue to share in the benefits of his sizable contributions. I have been honored to call him a business partner, mentor and dear friend throughout the majority of my lifetime. We will not see his like again.

Regretfully,
Bob Layton

Giordano had more than half a century of contributions to the field of comic books, and his many roles over his years in the industry saw him work as an artist (Modesty Blaise and The Phantom) and most notably as an inker (for Neil Adams on Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman, for George Perez on Crisis), a cultivator of young talents that went on to become some of the biggest names in the industry(Byrne, O’Neil, Aparo, Chaykin, Layton, Starlin, Simonson amongst others), and let's not forget his trail blazing and influential stint as VP/Executive Editor at DC Comics during the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman: The Man of Steel, Watchmen, and Sandman. His earliest days were spent working as a background inker for Jerry Iger's studio before becoming a freelance artist in 1952 at Charlton Comics. By 1965, Giordano had been promoted to editor-in-chief of the company, where he fostered such new talents as Jim Aparo, Dennis O'Neil, and Steve Ditko, and oversaw the creation of characters like Blue Beetle and Captain Atom. Two years later he was hired as an editor by DC Comics Publisher Carmine Infantino, and left in 1971 to form Continuity Associates with Neal Adams. His return to DC Comics in 1980 was a fruitful decision for both Giordano and DC Comics. Giordano first served as editor of the Batman line, then promoted to managing editor and finally, in 1983, to vice president-executive editor, which was the position he held until his retirement from the company in 1993.

The man's influence and impact upon comics, both artistically and commercially was enormous, and his passing is certainly being felt throughout the community of creators and also fans today. Giordano, who suffered from leukemia, had recently been hospitalized in Florida, and he died due to complications from pneumonia. He was 77.

You know you've finally arrived when

YOU'RE BEING BOOTLEGGED!

Behold:



CLICK HERE to view the Ebay item in question.

Next up: Comix Connection Action Figures Series 1™ featuring Neddie™, Billy™, Jaredy™, Joey™ and Joshie™!

What accessories should these have?

(Comix Connection Action Figures Series 2 to include Jimmy™, Chadie™, TJ™, Triple-G™, Matty™, Paulie™, Tony™, and Kellen™. See specially-marked packages for information on the rare mail-in-only Nicky™ figure!)

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World trailer!

Behold:



And if you've never heard of Scott Pilgrim, we have all five volumes of these available at both stores:



GREAT STUFF.

UGLYDOLLS!

We got 'em!



And, MAN are they ugly. In a cute way.

Manager Jared's Weekly Matchup Poll #25

Only 11 more battles left before we start eliminations, which will have the best of the best facing one another! I already have those battles planned and it promises to be exciting for everyone who has been voting so far.

Till then there are some really big characters coming up in the next couple battles that I haven't used yet. We'll have battles featuring The Flash, Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Robin, The Atom and many more!


AND 2 more special "Just for Fun" battles! So stay tuned!

The Contender's Abilities:

Hawkman's Abilities: Nth metal allows for flight, enhanced eyesight, temperature regulation, limited physical regeneration, reincarnation enhanced strength and is a component of Hawkman's artificial feather wings and archaic weaponry.


Iron Man's Abilities: Genius-level intellect, a Cyberpathic link with powerful armored suit, Superhuman strength, Supersonic flight at Mach 3, Energy repulsors, Missiles, Durability and regenerative life support but sometimes powered by solar power.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Don't forget to tell us why you voted the way you did in the comments section! Its easy, free, and commitment free!

(Descriptions of characters powers retrieved from Wikipedia.)

Forty days until FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2010!

SATURDAY MAY 1st 2010
FREE COMICS
BIG SALES
NEAT STUFF
MAYBE CAKE, I DUNNO
BE THERE

Another useless timewaster via Jeremy

From our friends at Armor Games... DEMOLITION DUDE! (Click on that to burn precious minutes of your too-short life.)

Thanks Jeremy!

Exploring the Multiverse

is the BEST COMIC BOOK-RELATED PODCAST OUT THERE. Because they drink beer. Oh AND discuss comic books. And they're funny.

Go watch some of the hijinx HERE.


Great stuff, guys!

(WARNING: Contains a bit of adult language and some adult beer drinking.)

Yes, we actually used to play stuff like this

And yes, we are old. *PLBBBBT*


(Stolen from Dark Horse's Tweet)

The Death of Print

There is always debate swirling around the ability of physical print products to survive in an burgeoning electronic world and that debate has been ongoing for a long time. Ned and I have been in this business so long that we no longer even flinch when we hear the latest expert proclaim the death of print and Comic Books and predict that they will be supplanted by electronic readers Real Soon. I'm so old I will probably never switch to electronic readers exclusively and if comic books go away, well, I have plenty of them around here to keep me company. I suspect that comics (and books and newspapers and magazines) will always be around, at least for the next several decades.

With that in mind, I really enjoyed this short video... watch it all the way through:



There you go.

See also: Movies killed radio, television killed movies, VHS tapes killed television, the Internet killed home recording, etc., etc., etc.

My mind is officially blown

Look at this:

That's a real person painted to LOOK LIKE A PAINTING!

Artist Alexa Meade has this to say:

"I paint representational portraits directly on top of the people I am representing. The models are transformed into embodiments of the artist's interpretation of their essence. When captured on film, the living, breathing people underneath the paint disappear, overshadowed by the masks of themselves."

See the rest of the pictures HERE!

Incredible! This is what I love about the internet... seeing all the creative work that's out there that I probably would never have seen before. (Found via writer Ivan Brandon on Facebook.)

Comics for Kids!

Did you ever wonder which comics would be good to start kids out on? Did you ever wonder what is available for kids in all genres of comic books? Well wonder no more... now there's the kidscomics.com website!


From the Diamond Comics website:

Diamond is pleased to announce the launch of a new website and comic shop locator aimed at directing kids and parents to kid-friendly comic shops across the United States and Canada.

The new site at kidscomics.com features a variety of news, info, and fun activities on comics and graphic novels geared directly to kids ages 4 to 11 — and older fans who are kids at heart!

“The long-term success of the comic book industry lies with getting kids excited about the medium of comics and making it a contemporary choice alongside video games, online activities, movies, and books," said Dan Manser, Diamond’s Director of Marketing. “Our hope is that kidscomics.com can help promote the comics medium to kids and help them and their parents find a comic shop that caters to their needs.”

Check it out, and if you have any questions, we'll be glad to help you out! Oh, and we will have PLENTY of kid-friendly comics available on Free Comic Book Day (Saturday, May 1st) of course, so you can start the little ones out absolutely FREE!

Manager Jared's Weekly Matchup Poll #24

BRUCE WAYNE BATMAN VS. STEVE ROGERS CAPTAIN AMERICA!


GO!

Online Surveys & Market Research

TWILIGHT GRAPHIC NOVEL TO BE RELEASED TOMORROW!

That's right, TWILIGHT fans! Volume one of the two-volume hardcover set of TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyer will be on sale in both stores tomorrow! Behold (from Diamond Comics' listing):

TWILIGHT MANGA GN VOL 01 (OF 2)
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP USA

(W) Stephenie Meyer (W/A) Young Kim
When Isabella Swan moves to the town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, she believes that her life is over. The town is gloomy beneath perpetual rain clouds, the high school's social cliques annoy her. In class, she meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen and her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret. Based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling romance about star-crossed lovers, with new and expanded scenes, this beautifully rendered first installment of the two-volume Twilight: The Graphic Novel is a must-have for every reader of the novels and fans of the blockbuster films.

Get your copy Tuesday!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2010 is coming!

Mark your calendars, cats and kittens!

SATURDAY, MAY 1st is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2010!

EVERYONE GETS TO PICK THREE ABSOLUTELY FREE COMICS FROM OUR WIDE SELECTION! (Click HERE to see what the publishers are offering this year!)

For each can of food donated to the York Rescue Mission and the Central Pa Food Bank (in Mechanicsburg), get one extra Free Comic Book Day comic; bring in one can, get FOUR FREE COMICS, bring in two cans get FIVE FREE COMIC, bring in three cans get SIX FREE COMICS, etc.!

Free Heroclix figure of War Machine to first 200 people at each store!Free Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, the official snack food product of Comix Connection!

Free Blackest Night rings while they last!

20% OFF GRAPHIC NOVELS, COLLECTED EDITIONS, BOOKS, POSTERS, T-SHIRTS, STATUES, TOYS, GAMES & GAMING ITEMS... everything except collecting supplies, gumballs and gift cards!

25% OFF OLDER BACK ISSUES ON THE WALL!

ALL BIN COMICS $1.00 EACH!

ALL 2/99¢ COMICS 10¢ EACH!

In Mechanicsburg - Come out and meet official Star Wars costume characters from Garrison Carida of the 501st Legion from 10AM - 2PM - bring new toys for donation to the children's charities they support!

There is always the possibility of cake!

(Sorry, sales prices cannot be combined with other coupons or discounts!)

The deal of a lifetime

slipped through our fingers:

The base of this auction consists of 4 millions comics, all checked for condition (VF 8.0 to NM) and 5-bagged. The selection consists of 30-40% Marvel and DC with the rest comprising of Image, IDW, Dark Horse, Crossgen, Valiant + other Indy titles. The titles cover the years 1988-1995 with a smaller selection from 1996-2005.

FOUR MILLION COMICS!

How long would it take to sort, bag & board 4 million comics? I don't think we've sold four million comics total in 22 years...

Lava Lamp Centrifuge!

Would a Lava Lamp work in a high-gravity environment such as Jupiter? Would the wax still rise to the surface? Would the blobs be smaller and faster? With broad disagreement on the answers, I built a large centrifuge to find out.

Read the whole story HERE!

SCIENCE!

Awesome original Star Trek photos

Check out THIS SET of rare and unseen photos from the original 1960s STAR TREK!

Very cool, and found via Metafilter.

Too funny

Stolen from Metafilter - GALACTICA SABOTAGE:



It's a scene-for-scene recreation of one of the greatest music videos of all time, the Beastie Boys' SABOTAGE, with all images coming fromt the TV show BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Here they are side-by-side:



I love the Internet.

Manager Jared's Weekly Matchup Poll #23

Street level and both a little bit crazy, the Joker and Daredevil bounce around testing each others sanity. Who will get the last laugh?


Daredevil's Abilities: Superhuman senses, including a "radar" sense; excellent athlete, boxer, and martial artist.

Joker's Abilities: Master criminal whose characterization has varied from that of a violent psychopath to a goofy trickster-thief.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Don't forget to tell us why you voted the way you did in the comments section! Its easy, free, and commitment free!

(Descriptions of characters powers retrieved from Wikipedia.)

Looking Forward to Looking Back Vol. 16

Good morning! It's good to be back in the Mechanicsburg store after the crazy week of relocting the York store and share the good news on a new collected edition project due out this summer from Titan Books! The project is The Simon and Kirby Superheroes, and Titan is boasting that this book is going to be a massive 480 page omnibus and will be printed at a special 11″ x 7-1/2″ over-sized format, thus reproducing the comic book pages in their original printed Golden Age size. This book is the first follow-up to Titan's The Best of Simon and Kirby, the first volume in The Official Simon and Kirby Library, and for this sequel, Titan owner and publisher, Nick Landau promises that "aside from their work for Marvel and DC, this will be all of the superhero stories Joe and Jack wrote and illustrated together from 1940 through 1960. It's a massive undertaking, but our team is ready to take it on."

I think the efforts of the Simon and Kirby Library publishing initiative are important to honor these men's achievements and contributions to the art of comics. The creative output of these two men in the span of two decades did so much to take the very young medium of the comic book and advanced it to the state of a true art form. These guys weren't just creators of comics, they were pioneers of comics. They were some of the earliest artists to bring a bit of the "cinematic" to comic books by expanding their storytelling beyond simply employing the standard comic strip format which was often applied to a comic page at that time. It was understandable the comics looked that way in their inception as a comic book was initially just a reprint collection for comic strips, but Simon and Kirby broke new ground in using center spreads to expand a scene. These techniques and their use of dynamic perspectives and exaggerated forms in action became the signature trademarks of Simon and Kirby's work! The pair started together on a science fiction story, but throughout their time together they'd work on books creating numerous adventure and super-heroes, they contributed early work to the horror genre of comics with their title, Black Magic, and the pair are credited with the creation of the romance comic with their title, Young Romance. They also produced many fine examples of crime and detective, western, and war comics during the time of their partnership.

Simon and Kirby had both gotten into comic book work in the late 1930s, but their paths didn't cross until Kirby got work at Fox Feature Syndicate where Simon had been serving as an editor. Simon recalled to panelists at the 1998 San Diego Comic-Con(Jack Kirby Collector #25) "I loved Jack's work and the first time I saw it I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He asked if we could do some freelance work together. I was delighted and I took him over to my little office. We worked from the second issue of Blue Bolt." After working on Blue Bolt #2 and then The Champion #9, Kirby followed Simon from Fox and to take a better paying gig at Timely Comics, a comic book publishing arm of pulp magazine publisher, Martin Goodman's Timely Publications Company. Goodman was interested in venturing into comic book publishing and after the hit he had with Marvel Comics #1, Goodman began assembling an in-house staff, hiring writer-artist Joe Simon as editor, making Simon the first official employee of the new Timely Publications. Simon negotiated Kirby's move to Timely and their wages at the company, and they quickly demonstrated their worth by creating Captain America, the seminal patriotic hero of the 1940s. Captain America #1 arrived on newsstands in 1941, sold out in days, and the second issue's print run was set at over a million copies. The title's success established the team as a notable creative force in the industry and the first issue's success established Kirby as the art director at Timely. Oddly enough, these years at Timely also set the stage for the second great creative collaboration of Kirby's career, as Joe Simon hired a young wannabe writer, Stan Lee, to serve as his office assistant. The fabled Marvel Age of comics laid its foundation not only in the characters which emerged from Timely publishing but also in the assemblage of its creative staff. Working with Simon was pivotal in Lee's creative development as he's stated "Lucky for me, when I entered comics Joe Simon was my mentor. In script, art, and editing he was the master."

While time at Timely was good for Simon and Kirby, their working relationship was not just forged in the Timely bullpen but also through the freelance work they produced outside the company as well. One such example of this work is their work on The Black Owl for Prize Comics. In fact, it is with that mysterious costumed hero that this edition of the Simon and Kirby Library will commence their Superheroes collection. This upcoming volume will also include the big-top swashbuckler known as Stuntman, the Runyonesque adventurer The Vagabond Prince, the entire run of the cold-war patriot The Fighting American, and The Fly and Private Strong—whcih were the final Simon and Kirby collaborations before Jack Kirby made the move to help launch the Marvel Universe.

Series editor, Steve Saffel wants readers to know Titan Books has "got some amazing surprises in store” with this project. For example, Restoration wizard Harry Mendryk will take the groundbreaking 1953 adventures of Captain 3-D and convert them to their original line art. These classic stories also feature artwork by Mort Meskin and a young Steve Ditko–who went on to co-create The Amazing Spider-Man at Marvel–and will be published in full color for the first time. “Plus, with a little help from our friends, we’ve located a bunch of never-before-published pages starring Stuntman,” Saffel revealed. “Many of the pages are in the hands of private collectors, with others coming directly from the Joe Simon archives. As a result, we’ll be able to pull together nearly the entire story, 'Stuntman Crowns a Jungle Lord,” and offer up other exciting features for the readers.”

If you'd like to learn more about Titan Publishing efforts to bring the Joe Simon and Jack Kirby Library to new readers, learn about this new upcoming volume, and Titan's plans for future volumes focusing on their work in horror, detective, and romance comics, please visit the project's official website!

Thanks for reading!

Done - Comix Connection - York

is open for business at the new location!






Come see us! (Too tired to be witty. Must sleep.)

Oh, and THANKS to Jared, Joe, Josh, Jim, Mike, Ian and Kel... you all worked very hard and for that we thank you!

Almost there

Weird scenes inside the new Comix Connection - York location:

The temporary sign goes up... eventually the neon signs will rule.

Manager Jared, pensive.

There you have it folks... photographic evidence of Ned Senft actually preforming WORK. I know. It's crazy.

JOEWOLVIESPIDEYJARED

Mysterious visitor... Clam Face?

Anyhoo, the way things are going, we should be open normal hours (12noon - 5PM) tomorrow (Sunday) at the new location. Come and see us!

Even more photos of the new Comix Connection - York

A break between dumping ceiling dust on their scalps.

Spidey, help us move that wall!

The most important item is successfully installed... the music playing machine!

A private moment of unbridled passion.

Mall Maintainence Guy Rex will be removing this gunk from the windows, and then all will be revealed!

Manager Joe pooped, Spidey still going strong.

We really are. Believe it. (I have no idea why that was written on the bathroom wall by the previous tenant...

Anyway, the Big Opening Day will probably still be on Sunday at Noon! Here's hoping everything goes well...

More photos of the new Comix Connection - York

I realize this doesn't look like much, but it represents new slatwall hung, all slatwall painted, broken/stained ceiling tiles replaced, edge coping installed, all dead lightbulbs replaced, bathroom cleaned and water hooked up, heating/cooling hooked up and checked, weird telephone tower equipment removed from back room, back counter installed, back issues and back issue bins placed, new cool slatwall racks placed, Manager Jared activated.

Still to go: replace ballast of one florescent light fixture, remove coating from giant windows, find more track lights, clean back rooms/mop floors/install shelving, super vacuum the carpet (that stupid glitter is EVERYWHERE), then move the entire contents of the old store two hundred yards east!

We're targeting the big move for early in the morning this Sunday, and we should be open in the new location on Sunday during normal hours. Fingers crossed.

I thought it would be fun to post

some BEFORE pictures so that we can compare them with photos AFTER we move Comix Connection - York, so here you go:






I will try to post more as we progress so stay tuned!

By the way...

CLICK ON IMAGE TO EMBIGGEN!

JUST COMIX CONNECTION - YORK, FOLKS!

Want to see a bunch of photos

of the places and faces of Comix Connection over the last 22 years? Why then just CLICK HERE and enjoy!

Feel free to comment and fan Comix Connection on Facebook if you haven't already!

COMIX CONNECTION - YORK IS MOVING UPDATE #2

Hey everyone! If everything goes well, the YORK STORE should be moved by MONDAY, MARCH 8th.

Comix Connection - York will probably be closed on SUNDAY MARCH 7th to do the actual moving!

Please bear with us during the move. We will try to provide our usual impeccable service, but we may be a tad preoccupied. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. (Of course, this is barring any unforeseen things popping up. Fingers crossed!)

WE ARE MOVING THE YORK STORE WITHIN THE WEST MANCHESTER MALL! WE WILL BE LOCATED UP AT THE THEATER END BETWEEN BON-TON AND GAMESTOP!

(Comix Connection - Mechanicsburg isn't going anywhere. Just so you know.)