Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Warning, Warning= Bad News About Comic Books to Come!

Hello everyone, hope all is well. Today I was told that comic book prices are going up due to climate crisis, fires all over the place and backstock of just about all products (especially paper). It was also told to me (by a shadowy source) that DC and Marvel are cutting out variant covers and different versions of the same comics to save paper. But DC, with its limited output has already got comics at close to 6 bucks a crack. What's next, bank loans for weekly comics? Maybe fans can send ten dollar bills directly to the major comic companies and have them print your comics directly on your tenspot for you. All I know is that this coming! Take care and remember to adopt a comic (anyone under eight bucks) book today!

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Superman Gay, and No American Way

Hello everyone, hope all is well. Last week DC Comics anounced that Superman and Lois' son is bisexual. This is taking place in the comic- Superman, Son of Kal-el. It is a very good book and don't jump on board for the hype, but rather it is a very well done comic. And if some idiot writer has Lois stating in anguish, "Oh, where have we gone wrong with our son?" I reply, "Nowhere, he's just fine the way he is. Part two- DC just yesterday anounced that they are taking the "And the American Way," out of the Man of Steel's motto. They say that this will broaden Superman's appeal around the world. Heck. , he's already one of the top 5 most recognizable characters on the planet, so why quibble over a few words. Superman is great...period! Take care and remember to adopt a (Superman) comic today!

Friday, September 17, 2021

It's Batman Day!

Hello everyone, hope all is well. Tomorrow is Batman day across the pop culture world and I will be at Geek's Gambit Comic shop in Mentor-on-the-Lake from 11am till 3pm talking Batman showing off some of my Batman toys and items from when I was a lot younger and selling some of my Bystander Adventure series paperbacks which are all sci-fi, mystery and super hero themed. These include my two Batman books, "My Batman (and maybe yours too)" as well as "Everything Batman." So stop on by and have a supero Batman chat, check out the relatively new store and have some fun! Take care and adopt a (Batman) comic book today!

Friday, August 13, 2021

Finally...Free Comic Day...and a Benefit

Hello everyone, hope all is well. Tomorrow, August 14th is Free Comic Day. I will be at Comics and Friends inside the Great Lakes Mall from 1100am to 1pm with my new adventure/mystery novel, "Candlepointe, Man from the Shadows." It is a Lake County based mystery. Purchase a copy and see if the story drives by familiar places to your life! Then check out some free comics. Then I will be at Vallor Comics in Wickliffe from 2:30-4:30 and all Bystander book sales (the company that publishes my action novels) will have a portion go towards the Wicklife scholorship fund for students entering college next year. Stop by either place (Comics and Friends early) and pick up some new exciting books and talk comics and do the same in the afternoon at Vallor Comics and part of your purchase will help a student with those college bills. Take care and remember to adopt a comic (a free one) today! (actually, tomorrow)

Thursday, June 17, 2021

It's In the Bag

Hello everyone, hope all is well. Well I went to the comic shop recently to search for protective plastic comic book bags only to find that the store was out of the supplies. And guess what? All of the area stores were out due to some national shortage or so they tell me. This remminds me of the cardboard box shortage of the mid 90s. What's a collector to do? Start hoarding plastic comic bags like it was toilet paper, circa spring of 2020. Like Robert Bell said about his company back in the 70s (it was the very 1st comic book bag company of its kind) "If they're worth collecting, they're worth protecting!" Take care and remember to adopt a comic (any kind that is wrapped in a plastic bag) book today!

Saturday, April 10, 2021

A New Distribution War?

Hello Everyone, hope all is well. Shades of over two decades ago, last year DC Comics pulled out of Diamond Distributing which shipped all of the published comics in this country. You had to go online to see the new DC's that were coming out and God only knows how you would order them. Plus they are pulling back on the ammount of books they are publishing. Now Marvel too has pulled away from Diamond and are now getting distributed by Random House. Do they know what's in store for them? This leaves all the smaller guys to hang in there with Diamond. Over 20 years ago, Marvel bought Heroes World, starting a similiar chain reaction with giants like Bud Plant and Capital falling by the wayside once everyone sided with Diamond (even Marvel eventually). So now does Diamond understand how Capital felt oh those many years ago? Take care and remember to adopt a ccomic (any distributed one) book today!

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

An Empty Wednesday

Hello everyone, hope all is well. Last week I went to a few of my favorite comic shops only to find that there were no comics published last week that I collect. I was frantic! I need a comic! I'm already praying for tomorrow to be a bountiful one for me. So in desperation, I went through the back issue boxes looking for something...anything to read. The problem is, that I already have just about everything I want, so I came to the conclusion that I needed to collect comics that I passed over the first time around...pee pee comics. That would be comics that are cheap in price but an enjoyable read. So over the next few weeks I'll be extolling the virtues of some of these forgotton and affordable gems. So take care and remember to adopt a comic (any affordable one) book today! PS- Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow so that I might have something new to read!

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Bats and Games

Hello everyone, hope all is well. It was recently announced that Batman and the game, "Fortnite" are teaming up for a joint effort resulting in a four part comic book mini-series. Of course this is nothing new since Atari Force games BECAME a comic series thirty years ago in a sort of marriage of the mediums. Let's hope the mixing of the genres works well for both sides of the pop culture fence AND that DC will get back to making things easy for the old time fans and release a paper order form so we know what is coming out from month to month. Take care and remember to adopt a comic (one that involves a game) book today!

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Generations and Other Stuff

Hello everyone, hope all is well. The second half of a two part DC Comics, "Generations Shattered and Forged" just hit the stands. It's a good "everything about the DCU" type series. Give it a try and I don't think you'll be let down. And while we're on the subject, pick up ANY of the Marvel Action books or digest reprints. These are mainly for kids, but the good stories and art will remind you that we all have a little bit of kid laft in us. Marevel Chillers just finished a 4 parter from this engaging line this past week. So take care and remember to adopt a (any one that's recent) new comic book today!

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Valentines Day of Comics

Hello everyone, hope all is well. I hope everyone had the chance to spend time with a loved one, even if it's just the memory of a loved one or at least a quick catch up on the phone with a good friend. I did all three. I spent time with Liz, looked at pictures of my late father (who taught me to read on comics) talked comics on the phone with a long time buddy of mine and wound up going out to buy a bunch of COMICS! Yay! Well, this IS a comic book blog so you knew I had to fit the subject in there somewhere. Take care and remember to adopt a comic (one with love stuff or heroic super action in it) book today!

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Comics as Health Test?

Hello everyone, hope all is well. Yes, according to the title of this blog, I am using comics to test my brain and vision after my car accident 11 weeks ago. Head still hurts and hard to see and you know you've been hurt bad when you are reading a Donald Duck comic book to test your vision and wind up putting a bookmark in your comic because you are too tired. Yikes!! Take care and adopt a (anyone that you can read clearly after a severe concussion) comic book today!

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Browns in Super Bowl?

Hello everyone, hope all is well. No, the Cleveland Browns are not in the big game and that's because of the refs that blew the call on the helmet to helmet contact and after that I think they could have got past the Bills! So what does this have to do with comics and a comic book blog? Did you ever hear of the Marvel's "New Universe" "Kickers Inc?" Super hero football players! Take care and adopt a comic (with sports in it) book today!

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Cussed at a Con

Hello everyone, hope all is well. No, according to the title above, I really did not get sworn at while at a comic con, rather I got con...cussed, a significant concussion during the holidays due to a car accident. So what does that have to do with comics. Well, to begin with, this blog is my therapy to get back to writing (I am an author and columnist you know) a little bit at a time. Also due to my vision problems, inability to see well, (and severe headaches) I need someone to get my comics (I cannot drive currently) for me every week. And once I do get them...I CAN'T READ THEM! A true crisis (with a nod to the old JLA comics, this crisis is on "Earth Chris) to muddle through. Take care and remember to adopt a (anyone that you can see properly) comic book today!

Thursday, January 7, 2021

New Year, New Comics!

Hello everyone, hope all is well. This is the first new week of the new year and just yesterday was the first new "comic book day" of 2021. And this new year is bringing some problems to us comics aficianado...and that is that comics seem to be shrinking and going away. That mostly seems to be through the machinations of DC Comics and thie online only future plans. But that is another story for another blog. So read a comic and enjoy some new good ones, like Marvel Action "Avengers," and the DC "Generations." Both are pretty good comics. So get your hands on a new comic while you can! Take care and adopt (a new one while you can) comic today!