Oppan "Free Comic Book Day 2013" Style

I did the "walking tour" again through NYC this year for Free Comic Book Day - the promotion that entices people who usually never visit a comic book store to visit comic shops and get free books (maybe).

With each year, I find that my interests lie less in the free swag and more in sales and discounts (20%? Wow! That's sort of like a dollar off!...40%? Well, that's a little bitty bit better, I guess), especially from shops that have begun a dance (I remember the days when Midtown Comics used to have all the FCBD offerings available - this year, just 3) or decided to stop offering any free stuff (Forbidden Planet used to offer a hodge-podge/grab bag of miscellany, but they didn't have any this year, which, coincidentally, marks the 1st year at their new location a few doors down). I didn't bother with St. Mark's Comics this year - that store is like the old friend who you start to miss after a long break, then regret running into at the supermarket. i didn't check out the new Jim Hanley's Universe, either, because the line would have kept me from checking out Manhattan Comics, formerly known as Cosmic Comics - under new management (maybe). Hanley's is the only shop I know that manages to stay equidistant to the past site of each location it moved from (first it was at A&S Plaza - now shrunken into the Manhattan Mall, then it moved out an behind it on 32nd, then it lasted over a decade at 33rd & 5th - near the Empire State Building, and now it is on 32nd, between Park and Madison. phew!). Neither shop allowed a chance to pick up all the items offered, but at Manhattan Comics, it was o.k. to browse. Here are my findings:

- a lot of parents kept asking about the free Sesame Street comic, but when I flipped through the issue, I saw that it was just a partial reprint of the 1st issue. If you want something badly...

- DC's Superman comic was odd. It was a reprint of the 1st issue of Richard Donner and Geoff Jones' arc from several years ago. That's a little too far back to ballyhoo, isn't it? I suppose the real highlight was an interview with Scott Snyder about Superman Unchained, but where are the preview pages for that?

- the best offering? World of Archie Digest. That's right - nearly 100 pages of comics featuring a recognizable old stalwart...for free!! Now, that's the way to do it! Bravo, Mr. Andrews, Bravo.

- the biggest disappointment? No Disney comics. I had gotten used to seeing a FCBD offering featuring the Disney stock company (Mickey, Donald, Scrooge McDuck) since this event began, particularly when Gemstone was printing Disney comic books. last year, Fantagraphics offered a "Donald Duck Family" oneshot to promote their current hardcover "facsimile" (there's no better word for it - they're reprinted in the style of the ancient DELL Comics they appeared in, four-color process and all) reprints of Carl Barks stories - a new addition, "Donald Duck in 'The Old Castle's Secret'" is out this month. But this time - nothing. And despite the acquisition of Marvel Comics, Disney seems to taking a "long-distance relationship" approach to their ownership of the house that Stan's cousin built.

-Fun Surprise? Some shops tend to thrown in free comics that were leftovers/holdover/stuff rotting in the inventory. That's why you'll sometimes see Halloween-themed comics from the previous year. I picked-up a "Batman Adventures" comic (Not the "Beware The Batman" comic, which was just a preview). "Batman Adventures" reprinted two short stories written by current Spider-Man scribe Dan Slott back in 2002 for issues #1 and #4 of an interesting take on the "Animated Series" TV tie-in comics DC publishes. Warner Brothers Television Animation was no longer producing new episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" and was in the middle of  "Justice League", so this comic featured tales that coincided with the assumed timeline/continuity that the cartoons were following, which meant that Batman now wore that long-eared "Justice League" costume in his own book. Both of the tales featured in this reprint are very good. Dan could easily follow Scott Snyder on "Batman" and should.

- biggest rip-off? the Smurfs. Only six pages of the blue guys. That's smurfed-up. Or  a clear case of "Bait-and-smurf". Ouch!

San Diego In my Head "Comic Con Globe Trekker Exclusive" ?

Part 4 1/2 of ten in 12...

phew!

Searching for a bathroom, waiting on line, then using it - a long more time spent doing that than waiting for this next blog entry, I tells ya'...

Ah...autographs. Very touchy. Now, let's not be naive - we have a lot of could-have-beens, neverweres, almostwases, has-beens, and maybe-in-a-parallel-dimensions sandwiching the really popular guests, but if you';ve got as many comics/kitsch as everyone here does, you've probably weighed the option of paying signing fees for their chicken scratch - even if the value of the comic may appreciate/deprectiate depending on who you're talking to. 

Also. remember how some celebrities tend to act as though they've disowned the work that made them famous? Well, THEY'RE ALL HERE - and they'll be happy to charge you for autographed photos, so be of good cheer. A word of caution: some celebrities tend to shy away from autographing racy pictures, so leave the centerfolds at home. If they have a website, check for any hints regarding autograph rules and conditions so as to avoid carrying any dead weight.

As for comic book artists, well, the same rules apply, actually. Be forewarned about any artists who claimed in the past to loathe fandom and yet show up anyway - they're soaking up what little energy from their celebrity that they can get in their waning years and get very picky about who they sign autographs for - unless your wallet is wide open or you're a member of the staff/their fan entourage. Yes, it's that sad. No names, of course. wink,wink...;)

These remarks give me the urge to hide for a while...I'll be back. Be good.

Part Three over Ten - Comic Book Rehab Tours San Diego Con

Part Three of My Globe Trekker 'Special' 

(Yes...I'm still playing along)


The most unusual free swag I've ever seen was a yellow highlighter marker promoting Eli Roth's film CABIN FEVER. It was in the shape of a hypodermic needle. Even at 23, I wouldn't want to seen waving it around anywhere - some jokes are not worth the punchline.

I feel like I've barely scratched the surface on Comic-Con 'couture' - "Hello, Sir!"

(This gentleman appears to be middle-aged and is dressed as the superhero Wolverine)

"Tell about your choice of costume - it looks great."

"I'm a huge Wolverine fan - my house is full of stuff, anything with that character. I feel like some aspects of his character that I can relate to - he's a loner, I've got three kids - but just that sense of him being that kind of guy that you might've known at one time or another - the guy sitting in the bar leaning over his drink, not saying much - I get that. I like Hugh Jackman's portrayal of the character and the costume - people used to just think he could only be played by a Robert DeNiro-type, y'know - that attitude and stuff. So I made a costume - the ones in the shops don't really have an authentic look to them - my outfit was sewn up with help from my wife - she's a seamstress. I'm really proud of it and its become my uniform for Comic-Con for several years now."

"Terrific. You're in good company - there's a lot of guys and even girls wearing their own signature Wolverine outfits."

"Oh, sure...the character has had a lot of different artists, different designs - they're all valid  interpretations."

"Nice talking with you."

"Same here."

There's a lot of that going on - for example, you could have a Peter Sellers Inspector Clouseau mingle with a Steve Martin Clouseau and a Roberto Benigni Clouseau. If I could find an empty bucket to wear over my head, I could be a Roger Moore Clouseau...


There's more 'footage' to come. Check on it!

Nine columns and counting... - Comic Book Rehab

Globe Trekker Special Pt. 2 - San Diego Comic Con

(still playing along with me?)

There's a lot to do here. Many attending buy a pass for a full week. Costumed attendees may alternate between walking in-costume one day and dressing casual the next. It's best to have a plan for your stay here, because it is impossible to see EVERYTHING, unless you're thinking like me - I've got a 'blitzkrieg' approach all set.

I was thinking of arriving here dressed as Rudy Maxa or Rick Steeves, but I'm not sure if that's too dry a reference - even for here.

"Excuse me, sir...do you know where the new Milla Jovavich movie is being shown?"

"Yes."

He kept on walking. I kept on walking.

Look, free swag! Lots of free shopping bags for putting stuff in, as well as movie poster, buttons, magnets, patches - anything related to a new movie that's coming soon, or a dud that has a lot of overstocked merchandise warehoused for over a year - would you like a "Space Chimps" edition of MAD LIBS? There are also lots of postcards and flyers avertising a lot of upcoming conventions and shows in other places, though most are smaller than the one in standing in. I remember attending one at a Holiday Inn that was the size of my mother's apartment!


(Today I learned that while I'm cleaning the lens on a Super 8 camera, I shouldn't leave the film in the camera - which is perched precariously over the egde of a full kitchen sink.)

I'll see if I can recover more "footage" next time. Check on me while I check on it!

Selective Six: "The Thrill of The Hunt!, By Jove!"

I've made allusions to hunting and "The World's Most Dangerous Game" in regard to Free Comic Book Day - which is this Saturday, May 5th - because that's exactly what it is. It's not promoted too well, some comic shop owners get to practice being sly, and the end result is a walkabout of every shop you can think of within sane distance.

Some shops will have ordered enough copies of free swag to appease both the regular customers, the newcomers, the swag seekers, and the stage mothers hoping this will be the only trip to the store they or their kids will ever make. Some have shopkeepers-turned soup nazis, handling out one random copy of any book to whomever has the right teeth or hair or whatever pleases. Other shops use the day to package unsold overstock and hand it out in random grab bags - others will carry on as though the day does not exist. The best shops have enough to let you pick one of everything.

Then there's the comics. There's not much in the way of a guide to what's being offered, so with no opportunity to browse, your judgement is based on the cover that catches your eye - there's the trap. You might be picking an unfinished preview or a free reprint of a book you already have or lightwieght new material. If the store has set a limit, you're sunk. Trust your instincts. Search the net before you walk in and walkabout.

Now, what can be more fun than to use a familiar example to explain the need for FCBD and the Comic Book Market in as vague a way as possible:

Picture a long wide countertop filled with tall glasses of milkshakes - all flavors. You've got a box of straws-sip one milkshake, discard the straw, then use a fresh straw to take another sip out of that same milkshake. You never move on to the other shakes and repeat the same actions with your straws until that one glass is half-full, or half-empty, from your p.o.v. You suddenly decide it's a good idea to try the other shakes on the counter - but you're out of fresh straws. So you try using a used straw to sip out of the other shakes. That isn't really a great idea, but it's all you've got and you repeat these steps - while going back to the increasingly shrinking first glass, because that's the only one that you had used all the straws on and it seems to work out, might as well finish it up.      

That's the last 15 years in a nutshell.

Take care everyone. have a milkshake. ;)

P.S. - Don't think I'm giving comic shops a poke in the ribs just because they're spending more on free stuff than they can hope to earn back - it's not their business to think that way - this day was created with high optimism, minimal negativity. Until the day when someone writes a book called "The Power Of Negative Thinking" then positive is the way to go.