by Roger Ash
You may be wondering how baseball and comics are connected. Well, read on and all will be revealed as I give you a glimpse behind the scenes at Westfield.
One of the reasons I enjoy working at Westfield is that I love comics. I really do. I think it’s a fantastic medium for storytelling and comics have brought me many hours of joy over the years. I love being able to pass on that love and joy of comics to others.
by Wayne Markley
This year’s Comic Con 2010 in San Diego California just wrapped up and, as always, it was full of news and events. While most of the news is available on numerous comic book web sites, I thought this week I would take a moment to look at the announcements that were made about upcoming releases and discuss which ones I am looking forward to and why, and a few of which I am not looking forward to.
by KC Carlson
PREVIOUSLY ON NEVER-ENDING STORY: (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
The early 1980s were a tremendously exciting time for comic books, as comic creators were making bold new leaps in presenting their stories to an increasingly sophisticated audience. Superhero comics began to mature, introducing more and more elements of “realism” into the four-color pages. Long-dormant genres of comics — as well as brand new ones — appeared. Things were changing so rapidly that old publishers — pushed by their writers and artists — scrambled to invent new ways to present comic material, such as mini- and maxi-series and graphic novels. There was more emphasis on the self-contained story (with beginning, middle, and end), another mature industry development that the media and readers traditionally outside of superhero comic books began to embrace in a big way. And if the old-school publishers weren’t willing to try something new, there were dozens of young independent publishers anxious to experiment.
by Josh Crawley
I’m sure some people (mostly Westfield Comics retail store customers and employees), are getting tired of me raving about and pushing some of the more recent Top Cow Universe comic books. Well, until more people start listening to me and actually trying them out instead of holding onto vague, if not out-of-date, perceptions of the publisher’s products, I’m going to keep preaching.
by Beau Smith
Most of you have read the title to this week’s column and I know what you’re thinking. I’ve no doubt sparked some, what must be, pleasant memories for you. That or you’re wishing for a time machine and a chance for a re-do.
As I’ve mentioned here in Beauology 101 class before, I have a lot of stuff here at The Flying Fist Ranch. Some of you (and my wife) may call it by its true name, clutter. I call it treasure. Needless to say, when I can, I try and go through the containers, boxes and files and decide what really needs to be kept for the archives, and what needs to be given away or sold. The other evening I found a box with two very special items in it. One was Amazing Heroes #23. (May 15, 1983)
by Roger Ash
Recently, my friends Jeff, Kirsten, and I went to see comedian Patton Oswalt here in Madison, WI. Since seating was general admission, we decided to get to the venue early (about an hour and a half prior to the doors opening) so we could get good seats. This paid off as there were only six people in line in front of us. When the doors opened, I made a beeline to the front row in spite of Kirsten calling “Are you serious?” in back of me. My opinion was if we waited in line that long, we were going for the best seats possible. We ended up front row center.
by Robert Greenberger
We’ve all come to know and love Popeye, the world’s best known sailor. Some can even tell you that he debuted in Thimble Theatre, a popular comic strip crated by Elzie Segar. As the story goes, Popeye was introduced as a walk on player in the Oyl family’s ongoing saga, but shortly after he departed, the readers demanded his return.
by Josh Crawley
Before I get into things this week, I want to mention my friend Zack Kruse’s webcomic Mystery Solved. There’s an old guy with a twirly moustache and a pipe. There’s a new installment every Thursday! And there’re fairies!
————————————
Over the weekend I grabbed a handful of graphic novels to read at home after work. The first of those was Gravity: Big City Super Hero by Sean McKeever & Mike Norton. I liked the book, but in all honesty, there wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more of the fresh-out-of-high school kid from Wisconsin! (Sheboygan, to be exact. It’s pretty up there.) Not that McKeever & Norton are to blame. Sales didn’t warrant any more than the five issues published.
Imagine my surprise when i start reading the next book in my stack, Fantastic Four: The New Fantastic Four by Dwayne McDuffie & Paul Pelletier, and Gravity shows up!
By Bob Moreau
Manager of Westfield Comics, Madison, WI
Been mulling this over for the past week since I was asked to write this post and it seems pretty straightforward. First of all, I hope that being asked to write a brief post on the topic means that there are more than just a handful of people out there who think we have a great comic shop. We do frequently hear it from customers and our retail store has been in business for almost 20 years – so hopefully we’re doing something right.
by Miles “okpank” Perzewski
The power level for the next DragonBall Z KAI box set that is! Relive the most epic battle in all of DragonBall, amongst them, battles with the evil Prince Vegeta and Son Goku. Everyone and anyone who has ever known anything about DragonBall will want this collection. Make sure you put this new set of KAI on your list of goods to purchase. If you have the ability to play Blu-Ray discs, I also highly recommend the Blu-Ray version. Go order the best in entertainment today!
Powered by Wordpress