As you can see, we had a ton of people show up for our 15th Anniversary, and the whole thing went off without a hitch.  We've got to give mad props to everyone who helped us make this event such a success.  Cuppy's Coffee was out there with some coffee for the people waiting in line that morning and supplied us with some free coupons for our gift bags.  GameStop ran that cool Guitar Hero III tournament in the back that drew so many people.  Peter Jurasik and Tom Fleming were great guests; they were genial, accommodating, and incredibly easy to work with.  The Rockin' Roller Salon provided us with some cool prizes for our drawings and stuff.  93.7 The Bone ran a live remote from the store that was much appreciated, and they brought some pizza from Hungry Howie's for the folks there to enjoy.  We really appreciate all the support we got from so many people, including our customers, that made this event a great success.  If I forgot anyone, it's probably because my brain barely functions as it is.  Sorry!

Here's to another 15 years of Fanboy Comics!

Maybe you met Tom Fleming at our Fanboy Comics 15th Anniversary event.  He's a heck of a nice guy and a great artist to boot.  If you were one of the first 50 people through the door on Saturday, you got a copy of the latest Heavy Metal (shown at right) featuring one of Tom's pieces on the cover.   It's a pretty awesome piece, too.

Well, if you're interested in more of Tom's work, you should definitely look around our store, because we have prints of his for sale.  We also have a bunch of copies of that latest Heavy Metal magazine he did the cover of.  He also has a ton of other work we don't have available in the store, but you can find much of it at his two websites: www.flemart.com, which largely features prints of illustrations he's done, and www.flemingeditions.com, which focuses more on his fine art prints.

If there's something of his you don't see at Fanboy, you can order it online and pick it up at Fanboy Comics so you don't have to worry about shipping costs or damage or anything like that.  Just contact Tom through one of his websites to work out the details, and we'll be more than happy to act as a middleman.

So, we ust picked up huge collection of over 30 boxes. Most of them are modern age comics, but there are maybe six boxes or so of Silver and Bronze Age stuff. We haven't done a ton of it yet, but keep an eye out for some sets of 80s and 90s comic story arcs and other stuff from that collection in this recently acquired section. Also, we've been putting out a bunch of 70s and 80s indie comics, so look for those around the store too. Anyway, here's a list of the most recent stuff we've put out:

G.I. Joe (Marvel Series): #1
Howard the Duck Magazine: #1
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.: #1
Tomb of Dracula: #28
Amazing Spider-Man: #121 (Death of Gwen Stacy), 122 (Death of the Green Goblin)
Conan: The Ravagers of Time (Marvel Graphic Novel)
X-Men (First Series): 36, 44, 69, 82, 84-86, 94 (New X-men Team Begins, Early 2nd Apperance), 102 (Origin of Storm), 108 (Byrne Art Begins), 109 (1st Appearance of Weapon Alpha/Vindicator), 110 (Phoenix Joins Team), 111-119, 120 (First Appearance of Alpha Flight), 121 (First Full Appearance of Alpha Flight), 122-129, 130 (First Appearance of Dazzler), 131 (First Appearance of the White Queen), 132-136, 137 (Death of Phoenix), 138-140, 141 (Days of Future Past Storyline), 142 (Death of Future Wolverine, Storm, Colossus), 143-157, 158 (First Appearance Rogue), 159-160, 161 (Origin of Magneto), 162-170, 171 (Rogue Joins Team), 172-180

$19.99

Honestly, if this had been in continuity and the last Silver Surfer story ever told, it would have been satisfying.  It's an amazing story with amazing art.  I don't know what I can say about how good this book is, other than that it would probably win my award for this past year's best limited series if we decide to do year-end awards this year.  Honestly, I didn't think that you could do something this amazing with a character this mainstream.  Seriously.

$10.00

If you can't enjoy Owly, then you are too jaded to be allowed to live.  When this book says all ages, it seriously means all ages--ranging from one to one hundred.  (That's right six-month-olds and people who are like one hundred and ten years old--you're NOT ALLOWED.)  There are no written words in the book, but writer/illustrator Andy Runton makes the story easily the equal of anything else you will read on an emotional level.  Not only that, but it actually deals with some fairly important themes that everyone can relate to.  Seriously, this is probably my favorite comic book of all time.

$19.99 Each

Do you like your women 6 inches tall and made of plastic?  Well, have I got the product for you!  This series of action figures has all your favorite varieties of Wonder Woman: the white leather bodysuit Wonder Woman, the non-Diana-Prince Wonder Woman who died or something wearing some sort of cool romanesque armor Wonder Woman, and the traditional Wonder Woman.  There's also Circe, who has purple hair!

$24.99

Oh man, this book is so much fun.  It's a team-up book with a seemingly random set of characters each month, except it also has an awesome overarcing plot.  Check out Batman teaming up with Hal Jordan, Supergirl teaming up with Lobo, and, heck, even Batman teaming up with the Legion of Super-Heroes.  This is the way team-ups should be, and any afficianado of DC comics can't help but enjoy seeing a ton of their favorite characters' personalities bouncing off each other.  Oh, and I think there are pencils by some dude named George Pérez.  You may have heard of him.

$19.95

So, hey, while Brian K. Vaughan was writing all of his fancy Ys the Last Mans and Ex Machinas and Prides of Baghdads and what have you, he also wrote this little Escapists miniseries for Dark Horse that kind of flew in under the radar.  Personally, I only read a few issues of the book before I lost track of it, largely due to seven million issues of whatever huge event DC or Marvel was running at the time.  Still, those issues left a good enough impression on me that I've preordered the book and am eagerly awaiting my copy to arrive tomorrow.  Heck, it's Brian K. Vaughan.  I don't think the dude has written a bad comic yet.

As part of our ongoing mission to help you, the customer, give us your money, Fanboy Comics has assembled a little guide for all of your holiday gift-giving needs. Each week, leading up to Christmas, we'll try to put together a list of a few items that might be a good buy for your favorite Fanboy customer. This week, we're going to run down a few items that might be a good gift for your Everyday Comic Fan. The items are categorized by price, so that way you can hopefully find something in your price range with minimal trouble. I've tried to select stuff that fit three criteria. One, it's something that not every comic fan has. Two, it's something that most every comic fan would like. Three, and probably most important, it's something that I would like, if I got it for Christmas. Those are hard criteria to fill, but I think I've found a few items that aren't bad.

The Absolute DC: The New Frontier
$75.00

The thing about this item is that, while many comics fans (particularly DC comics fans) own DC: The New Frontier in trade paperback format, fewer of them likely own it in Hardcover format. And, it's such a huge, beautiful item that it shouldn't be too hard to find out if the person you're shopping for already has a copy. This is a great gift on a few levels. For any DC comics fan, this is the king of DC comics stories. It features nearly every character from the storied history of DC comics, and it's an amazing story that bridges the gap between the Golden and Silver Ages of DC. Even if a person has already read and owns some other format of this story, the Absolute Edition is worth owning. Heck, I own both! It has a ton of extras, annotations by Darwyn Cooke himself, and even sixteen pages of deleted content! Oh, and it's all printed at extra-large archival quality. Seriously, any DC comics fan who doesn't already own this could stand to. It's that good.

The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
$99.99

This is the gift that's great for any Marvel comics fan you feel like spending a hundred dollars on. In fact, it's just one of many Omnibus editions Marvel has put out, but, of all of them, this is probably the best general gift for a Marvel fan. (Though, if you can specify their tastes, there are a few other Omnibus editions that might better serve them!) The best thing is that this is the only way to read these issues in a full-color format short of buying the issues, and, when you consider that the first appearance of Spider-Man (featured in this volume) is worth well over $1600 in terrible condition, this book starts to look like a straight-up deal. It's a piece of comics history that you don't have to seal in a bag and never touch, and any comics fan could appreciate that.

Tom Fleming Prints
$25.00 ($20.00 unmatted)

Tom Fleming is a local artist who does some amazing work, and we've got a great number of his prints in the store. If you can pinpoint a specific comic book character that's a favorite of whoever you're buying the gift for, then you can probably track down a Tom Fleming print of them. They're reasonably priced, and they make a nice gift that's any comic fan can appreciate.

Death of Superman Collector's Set
$29.99

The Death of Superman is back en vogue thanks to the recent animated feature, but it's still a fairly big event in comics history. This collector's set has the trade paperback of the Death of Superman, which is probably fairly commonly owned in some form or another among collectors, but it also has these cool action figures of Superman and Doomsday which are probably less common. Even if your Fanboy already has the trade, they can wrap it up and give it as a gift for that family member who you haven't bought anything for yet and don't see until after Christmas! It's the perfect solution for everyone!

Marvel Essential and DC Showcase Collections
Cost Varies; Usually Between $15 and $20

If you want to give a piece of comics history without spending the large chunks of cash that omnibus and archive editions cost, these are a great way to do that. While some might consider the black-and-white presentation on cheap newsprint to be a minus, I think it's a plus, because it means these make great bathroom readers. Also, it means you get hundreds of pages of comics for a great cheap price. Both DC and Marvel have their own lines of this particular collection format, and they both have great stories from the history of comics that are nearly impossible to find anywhere else. If you're looking for a fairly inexpensive gift that's unexpected but won't be unwelcome, these are the way I would go.

The Classic Marvel Figurine Collector's Magazine
$12.00 Each

NOTE: While these are small and colorful, they are made of LEAD, and therefore NOT FOR CHILDREN. Please, don't give this to anyone who would put it in their mouth or to any Daxamites.

With that warning out of the way, I think that these figures make a great gift for people who will not put them in their mouth. They're cool little collectibles, and if you separate the magazine from them, they can easily be wrapped and slid into a stocking. Of course, be sure to give the magazine your giftee because it has a ton of cool information about the particular character.

Dont' forget that Gift Certificates (newly redesigned and fancy) also make a great gift!

BONUS: All-Purpose Home Remedies!

SYMPTOM: Coughing, lethargy, and headache.
REMEDY: Suck it up, weakling. If your grandfather's generation had whined like this, you'd be speaking German now.

As usual, a great many comic books have been pushed back to a later date. This news is so shocking that we are now developing a weekly section where we announce comic delays, so you can better know when your favorite books are coming out. Or when the next delay announcement will be, whatever. We'll also include other schedule announcements, like different products coming back in stock, second printings, and the like. But this is the comic industry, and we all know which type of announcment we will see the most.

Changed Release Dates

	OLD DATE	NEW DATE
Fathom: Kiani #4	11/28/07	12/19/07
Shrugged #7	11/28/07	12/12/07
Punisher #53 (MR)	12/12/07	12/26/07
Onslaught Reborn #5	12/12/07	12/19/07
Hellblazer #239 (MR)	12/19/07	12/26/07
Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Secret Files #1	12/19/07	12/26/07
Marvel Zombies 2 #3	12/19/07	12/26/07
Ultimate Iron Man II #2	01/09/08	01/16/08
Punisher #54 (MR)	01/09/08	01/23/08
Powers HC Vol. 02: Def. Coll. (RES) (MR)	01/09/08	01/30/08
Ultimate X-Men #90	01/16/08	01/23/08
Annihilation: Conquest #4	02/13/08	02/06/08
Pathfinder #4: Runelords Fortress o/t Stone Giants	N/A	12/19/07
Pathfinder #5: Rise/Runelords Sins o/t Saviors	N/A	12/19/07

 

This is Sam.

Sam is a young, growing boy who has but one dream.  To engage in a drinking contest with Fanboy Comics owner Thomas Gilbert.

Some people might think that if Sam directly challenged Thomas to a drinking contest say, this past Saturday at Fanboy Comics' 15th Anniversary Party, then his dream would be fulfilled.

Those people would be wrong.

You see, Thomas--in a fit of what can only be described as "extreme cowardice"--turned down Sam's challenge.  And so, Sam's dream goes unfulfilled.

You can help, though.  For just pennies a day, you can harass Thomas about this until he wishes that you, myself, and Sam were all dead.  Then maybe--just maybe--a boy's dream can be fulfilled.