OK, if you haven't seen this, you should. I'll willing to bet this will be one of the most anticipated movies released in '08, and from the look of this trailer, it should not disappoint. Iron Man appears to be on the level with the Spider-Man movies. With this and the Dark Knight coming out next year, should be a good year for comic movies.
Hopefully every comic book fan out there shares my optimism.
http://www.ironmanmovie.com/
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
San Diego Comic-Con
Hey, our faithful employee Tim and a couple of our customers are cruising through ComicCon this week. If anyone sees him there, tell him we said hello, and all our customers miss him. We really missed him on new comic book day yesterday. He's going to have lots of reading to catch up on when he comes back (Tim reads each comic in the store 3 times... he's dedicated to his job). But, we're hoping he comes back with lots of info and stories.
We know he'll have a blast. ComicCon's where we spent our vacation last year (ok, so we have a family of geeks, I'll admit it!).
We know he'll have a blast. ComicCon's where we spent our vacation last year (ok, so we have a family of geeks, I'll admit it!).
Sunday, July 1, 2007
A Little Background About Me
Why in the world would I own a comic shop? I'm a professional Project Manager by trade, and made a very decent living at it. Was I simply nuts to take a year off and start up a new business in the comics industry? Why would I risk everything to open up a store with odds of not succeeding? Well, here's a bit of the background story:
I'm a child of the 70's from a small town in Texas with a population of about 200. I stopped reading comics somewhere around 1977 (Junior High), and lost my massive collection when I changed domicile from Texas to California. As I progressed through High School and College, I simply didn't have the discretionary income to buy comics, and although I lost my interest in them, I did not loose my love for them. When I was collecting comics, however, DC was my choice simply because the stories were rarely continued from issue to issue. In those days, I was never sure if I would have the funds to buy the latest comic, or if it would even be on the drug store rack (those terrible, terrible days prior to comic shops). It really helped that a friend of the family was a book distributor, and would let me raid his van for returned comics each month. Even though I would usually end up with multiple copies of the comics, my collection began to get quite sizeable. That, and garage sales, was probably how a poor kid like me was able to amass a very large comic collection.
My comics were my most prized possession. They taught me to read and to draw. I knew storylines just by glancing at the cover, and could remember all the interior art as well. (I still flash back on artwork now, as I run across older issues that I used to have). But, life happens, and all my comics were lost in the shuffle of time.
Then in the late 1980's and early 90's, I did pick up a couple of comics here and there at the local convenience store. But, they just didn't have the same flavor for me. Who was this new Robin who let a drug dealer die? What's up with these events that span multiple titles, requiring a huge outlay of cash to keep up? And gone were the 100-page titles full of stories from the Golden and Silver ages. So, in all that time, I maybe picked up about 100 comics. A far cry from the almost 10,000 I had as a child. But the new comics just didn't keep my interest. Perhaps I had outgrown comics? Maybe, but I still loved the Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons on TV!
Well, fast forward to this decade. I found a LCS (Local Comic Shop) with a combined Superman and Batman logo on their window that drew me in. Imagine my surprise when within that store, I found a title very similar to the old World's Finest Comics, starring two of my favorite heroes. I plunked down my $2.50 and tried out an issue. And, I was hooked again. So much so, that I spent part of my corporate bonus that year on EBay, buying up copies of Batman and Detective Comics that I had as a kid. Of course, this time around, I could get a much better collection, and finally accrued most of the issues from the 1950's on up (still working on a few gaps). My stops into the LCS became more frequent, and a lunchtime fad. And then, I went to my first Comic Book Convention with my kids. That was it, I was hooked all over again.
And my interest spread, as I tried out new titles. House of M was cool (although I wish now that I would have started my interest a bit sooner and read Avengers Disassembled first). But the Superman/Batman written by Loeb had me hooked. I got into the Supergirl story, and never looked back.
So, while it may seem odd to some that I left a very good job to open up a little ol' comic store, those of you who are into comics know the reason. It's a drive, a passion, a calling. Now that I have my store, I'm going back and reading those multi-events from the 80's and 90's. I'm catching up on the comics history that I missed out on. After all, it was almost a 30 year gap.
So, forgive me if you come into my store and I don't know diddly about Byrne's X-Men or all the ret-conned characters. I'm just catching up. But, one of the best moves I made as a business owner was hiring someone who did know all that. So, if you've got questions I can't answer, I'll turn you over to Tim. Like me, Tim just got into comics a few years ago. But his brain is young and fresh, and can absorb all the info much more quickly. Add to the fact that he has read just about every book in my store 3 times! I'll catch up on the comic book history, it'll just take me a bit more time. And hopefully, we'll have our store for a long time to come so I can accomplish just that.
I'm a child of the 70's from a small town in Texas with a population of about 200. I stopped reading comics somewhere around 1977 (Junior High), and lost my massive collection when I changed domicile from Texas to California. As I progressed through High School and College, I simply didn't have the discretionary income to buy comics, and although I lost my interest in them, I did not loose my love for them. When I was collecting comics, however, DC was my choice simply because the stories were rarely continued from issue to issue. In those days, I was never sure if I would have the funds to buy the latest comic, or if it would even be on the drug store rack (those terrible, terrible days prior to comic shops). It really helped that a friend of the family was a book distributor, and would let me raid his van for returned comics each month. Even though I would usually end up with multiple copies of the comics, my collection began to get quite sizeable. That, and garage sales, was probably how a poor kid like me was able to amass a very large comic collection.
My comics were my most prized possession. They taught me to read and to draw. I knew storylines just by glancing at the cover, and could remember all the interior art as well. (I still flash back on artwork now, as I run across older issues that I used to have). But, life happens, and all my comics were lost in the shuffle of time.
Then in the late 1980's and early 90's, I did pick up a couple of comics here and there at the local convenience store. But, they just didn't have the same flavor for me. Who was this new Robin who let a drug dealer die? What's up with these events that span multiple titles, requiring a huge outlay of cash to keep up? And gone were the 100-page titles full of stories from the Golden and Silver ages. So, in all that time, I maybe picked up about 100 comics. A far cry from the almost 10,000 I had as a child. But the new comics just didn't keep my interest. Perhaps I had outgrown comics? Maybe, but I still loved the Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons on TV!
Well, fast forward to this decade. I found a LCS (Local Comic Shop) with a combined Superman and Batman logo on their window that drew me in. Imagine my surprise when within that store, I found a title very similar to the old World's Finest Comics, starring two of my favorite heroes. I plunked down my $2.50 and tried out an issue. And, I was hooked again. So much so, that I spent part of my corporate bonus that year on EBay, buying up copies of Batman and Detective Comics that I had as a kid. Of course, this time around, I could get a much better collection, and finally accrued most of the issues from the 1950's on up (still working on a few gaps). My stops into the LCS became more frequent, and a lunchtime fad. And then, I went to my first Comic Book Convention with my kids. That was it, I was hooked all over again.
And my interest spread, as I tried out new titles. House of M was cool (although I wish now that I would have started my interest a bit sooner and read Avengers Disassembled first). But the Superman/Batman written by Loeb had me hooked. I got into the Supergirl story, and never looked back.
So, while it may seem odd to some that I left a very good job to open up a little ol' comic store, those of you who are into comics know the reason. It's a drive, a passion, a calling. Now that I have my store, I'm going back and reading those multi-events from the 80's and 90's. I'm catching up on the comics history that I missed out on. After all, it was almost a 30 year gap.
So, forgive me if you come into my store and I don't know diddly about Byrne's X-Men or all the ret-conned characters. I'm just catching up. But, one of the best moves I made as a business owner was hiring someone who did know all that. So, if you've got questions I can't answer, I'll turn you over to Tim. Like me, Tim just got into comics a few years ago. But his brain is young and fresh, and can absorb all the info much more quickly. Add to the fact that he has read just about every book in my store 3 times! I'll catch up on the comic book history, it'll just take me a bit more time. And hopefully, we'll have our store for a long time to come so I can accomplish just that.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Free Comic Book Day 2007 - Will the comics last?
May 5, 2005. Free Comic Book Day 2007.
It was quite a day for the little store that could... You see, we were quite surprised by the crowds last year, and the speed at which our free comics were gobbled up. After all, at that time, we had only been open for two months. Who knew that a little article in the West Valley View would bring in so many folks last year. We were determined that this year we would be more prepared, better stocked, and able to meet demand.
The line outside our door before we opened on that Saturday told us that perhaps we were a bit less prepared than we thought once again. People actually began to gather an hour before we opened. Sure, we had ordered at least 2000 more free comics than the year before, but would they last? Again, we made the decision that we would not limit our customers to only one or two comics each. That just doesn't seem fair. If they are willing to get up early on their Saturday to visit our store, then we should make sure the early birds get the (Owly and) Wormy comics. So, each customer was able to take at least one copy of everything on the table. We had more comics and a better selection than last year, surely they would last...
Well, maybe not. For our first 6 hours of business on May 5th, we had at least 100 customers every hour. And they weren't just coming in for the free comics and leaving. The customers were actually hanging around in our store and checking things out. Guess the money that we spent on advertising, having a big name guest like Steve "The Dude" Rude, and getting the 501st Stormtrooper Legion to appear in our store really paid off. Basically, the store was packed all day. I think the first time that we didn't have a single customer in the store didn't happen until about 5:30 PM, and that only lasted five minutes. Man, I'd love to see our little store perform like that everyday!
Perhaps the best thing I can say about Free Comic Book Day 2007 is that we did not have a single disappointed customer. Yes, the crowds were intense at times. Yes, there was a line at the cash register, at the free comic book day table, at Steve Rude's table, or even just waiting to shake hands with a bounty hunter. But, no one left unhappy. Our team was able to focus on customer service and manage the event well. So, hats off to our employees, our volunteers, our customers who act like we pay them (you know who you are), our guests, and all the new customers. And, thank you, Lord, for letting us have just enough free comics to meet the demand!
We'll put a few more articles out here about this event, detailing the specifics of the day. But, I did want to drop a few words and pictures at this time.
We'll put a few more articles out here about this event, detailing the specifics of the day. But, I did want to drop a few words and pictures at this time.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Superhero Quiz
What kind of Superhero are you? If you really want to know, take this little test. I've taken it three times, and the results have been pretty consistent, even if I changed a couple of my answers. I rate as either Superman or Green Lantern, even though I was hoping to learn that I was really Batman. Let us know who you are. Maybe we can build our own league.
Your results:
You are Superman
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
Your results:
You are Superman
| You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.  |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Changes are a comin'
Those of you who frequent our website (www.thelegendshop.com) may have noticed a few changes lately. We are attempting to enhance your online experience with us. Some changes are visible to customers, some are not. Must be the Project Manager in me constantly seeking to improve our product, while maintaining our standards. And, since I've gone back to working as a Project Manager and just do the comic store on the weekends and evenings now, I'm exposed to quite a bit of technology. I'm constantly searching for new ways to adapt this technology to our store to make your shopping experience even better.
The first major step was starting this blog. I've gotten in-store comments and emails, as well as postings from a few of you. Thank you. We need to hear that what we are doing has your attention, and we accept both positive and negative feedback. It's still early for this experiment, but the early indications are good. We feel that a big part of the sucess of our store is accompished by reflecting the attitudes of our customers.
But, I wanted to list out a few more enhancements we are working on. Tell us what you think in advance, or when they finally appear on our website:
The first major step was starting this blog. I've gotten in-store comments and emails, as well as postings from a few of you. Thank you. We need to hear that what we are doing has your attention, and we accept both positive and negative feedback. It's still early for this experiment, but the early indications are good. We feel that a big part of the sucess of our store is accompished by reflecting the attitudes of our customers.
But, I wanted to list out a few more enhancements we are working on. Tell us what you think in advance, or when they finally appear on our website:
- This Blog
- The Macromedia Flash slideshow for New Comics
- Additional web marketing to improve our search engine hits
- Enhancing the fonts and design on our pages
- Adding a Previews section to our website with the look-ahead for Marvel and DC Comics
- Community Service Page (or blog)
- A completely new online store (enhanced by the EBay store) *Coming Soon*
- Automated emails for our subscribers *Coming Soon*
- And, maybe whatever else you can suggest...
Friday, April 13, 2007
Best Cover - April 11, 2007
OK, I may take some ribbing about this one. We received a whole lot of comics this week, but I was disappointed with the majority of the covers. Spazdog pointed out last week that Frazetta's Death Dealer #1 was coming out this week with a fantastic cover. And yes, while that is true (two covers actually), not quite my favorite cover of the week. Besides, we keep the Death Dealer behind the counter because it is a mature title. The cover of Nova #1 is pretty cool, too, but still not my favorite.
This week, I have to choose between two separate covers, and both with Spidey on them: The Spider-Man Back-in-Black Handbook and Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #1. Yeah, yeah, the Spidey/FF cover reminds me of What If #1 from the 70's... maybe that's why I like it. That has always been one of my favorite Spider-man/Fantastic Four comics, but I can't put my finger on why. Maybe it was because I was an impressionable 7th grader when it came out! But after reading the new comic, I've got to admit that I love the Impossible Man! And while that has nothing to do with the cover, when it's a toss up between the two, I chose the comic I would prefer to read. The black costumed Spider-Man on the Black-in-Black Handbook surrounded by his foes is pretty cool, but it falls to the team-up issue in my opinion. However, I will post pictures of both, and you can choose. Or, give me a better suggestion.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Best Cover - April 4, 2007
Well, I've been thinking of topics to introduce to keep this interesting, and to open it up to debate. I think I've found one - Best Cover of the Week. Yeah, I know, comics have already been on the shelf for three days... I'm a little late. But hey, we're just getting the hang of this blogging thing. I'm thinking we'll introduce a hot cover each week, and then maybe review them for like Best Spring Cover ('cause I love the early Batman issues... think about it), Best Summer Cover, etc. all the way to Best Cover of the Year, in our humble opinion. And, we'll try to stay on time with these things as long as there is interest.
Our choice for this week (at odds with an employee who thinks it should be Arthur Suydam's Savage Tales #1 Cover)... Justice League of America #7, done by multiple artists (strength in numbers).
So, this is now open for debate... what's your favorite cover this week?
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Community Events
We had a new customer in the store yesterday who inquired about our community service efforts. When I listed out a few of the things we have accomplished, she stated that we should publish them and let people know. Our response was that we do not participate in community service activites for the publicity, but rather for the personal and civic feelings.
Those of you who have frequented our store know that we put a great deal of effort in coming up with ideas for the West Valley Child Crisis Center, whether it be a raffle to purchase comics for them, hosting a dinner for the kids in our store, or even our very successful Christmas toy drive for the kids.
Also, we have donated to many local schools and community organizations, and have become involved in Mike Bullock's activities for the Comic Exchange Program in schools (see the link in our last post).
So, the question we post today... Should we include a community service page on our website to toot our own horn? The customer had a point... she stated that if she knew we were so involved with the community, she would have shopped in our store sooner to support our efforts. But, where do we draw the line for shameless promotion of our store through showcasing our community service efforts? Would you want to see some of the efforts that we promote to possibly get involved?
Those of you who have frequented our store know that we put a great deal of effort in coming up with ideas for the West Valley Child Crisis Center, whether it be a raffle to purchase comics for them, hosting a dinner for the kids in our store, or even our very successful Christmas toy drive for the kids.
Also, we have donated to many local schools and community organizations, and have become involved in Mike Bullock's activities for the Comic Exchange Program in schools (see the link in our last post).
So, the question we post today... Should we include a community service page on our website to toot our own horn? The customer had a point... she stated that if she knew we were so involved with the community, she would have shopped in our store sooner to support our efforts. But, where do we draw the line for shameless promotion of our store through showcasing our community service efforts? Would you want to see some of the efforts that we promote to possibly get involved?
Friday, March 30, 2007
Our First Post
Comics Legends and Heroes is ready to step into the 21st Century... with our new blog. This is our first post, and we'll just put it out here and see what kind of response we get.
So, what topics should we begin with? We have several things we'd like to put in our blog, but probably more things that we will exclude. We would like our blog to be a feedback forum for the community on the latest comic topics. We don't want to hype our latest sale! We want to report on the comics we like, and some we would rather leave on the rack. We don't want to list all our titles arriving on the coming Wednesday (we already have a spot for that, on our New This Week page). We'd like to explain our marketing choices, the reasons behind them, and open it up for feedback from you, our customers. We don't want to list that we only have one copy left of Captain America #25!
In other words, we are not wanting to use this blog as just another advertisement. We have a web page for that, and print ads, and bumper stickers. We don't want to sell you something with this blog. We have an EBay and retail store to do that. We do, however, want to present topics that are relevant to our customers. We will occasionally mention an upcoming event (such as Steve Rude's appearance in our store for Free Comic Book Day), but mainly to solicit feedback from you. We may want to talk about improvements to our store that make it a better shopping experience for our customers or just ideas we are tossing around to get your feedback. We will also use this forum to talk about our community efforts, such as assisting Mike Bullock with his Comic Exchange Program in Schools and Libraries (see the article at the Comics in the Classroom website):
http://www.comicsintheclassroom.net/oo2007_interview_bullock_comicexchange.htm
In other words, we use our other advertising means to hype our store. With our blog, we want to discuss the medium and how our store fits into the culture. If you've been to our store, you know we are trying to do something special here - All ages marketing, the cleanest store in town, great organization, etc. This is our way to get your feedback on all the things that make us Arizona's Family Friendly Comic Store! So, please respond! Let us know what you think!
So, what topics should we begin with? We have several things we'd like to put in our blog, but probably more things that we will exclude. We would like our blog to be a feedback forum for the community on the latest comic topics. We don't want to hype our latest sale! We want to report on the comics we like, and some we would rather leave on the rack. We don't want to list all our titles arriving on the coming Wednesday (we already have a spot for that, on our New This Week page). We'd like to explain our marketing choices, the reasons behind them, and open it up for feedback from you, our customers. We don't want to list that we only have one copy left of Captain America #25!
In other words, we are not wanting to use this blog as just another advertisement. We have a web page for that, and print ads, and bumper stickers. We don't want to sell you something with this blog. We have an EBay and retail store to do that. We do, however, want to present topics that are relevant to our customers. We will occasionally mention an upcoming event (such as Steve Rude's appearance in our store for Free Comic Book Day), but mainly to solicit feedback from you. We may want to talk about improvements to our store that make it a better shopping experience for our customers or just ideas we are tossing around to get your feedback. We will also use this forum to talk about our community efforts, such as assisting Mike Bullock with his Comic Exchange Program in Schools and Libraries (see the article at the Comics in the Classroom website):
http://www.comicsintheclassroom.net/oo2007_interview_bullock_comicexchange.htm
In other words, we use our other advertising means to hype our store. With our blog, we want to discuss the medium and how our store fits into the culture. If you've been to our store, you know we are trying to do something special here - All ages marketing, the cleanest store in town, great organization, etc. This is our way to get your feedback on all the things that make us Arizona's Family Friendly Comic Store! So, please respond! Let us know what you think!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
