I have a new comic store. And they just made me a loyal customer.
See, here’s the deal, I fell for the whole Countdown to Infinite Crisis hook like a hypnotized lemur. I put them all on my reserve file at my old comic book shop.
I checked back in a while later. I had issues 1 and 3 from one title. Only issue 2 from another. Only issue 3 from a third… it was pretty pathetic. So, I wandered into Hall of Heroes in Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey and ended up talking to the guy behind the counter. He helped me plug most of the holes in all four series… even going to the back room to find some. He pointed out some great titles I’d forgotten to look for (Like “The Defenders”) and was an all-around likeable comic-shop guy. 🙂
Before I knew it, I’d started a new reserve list there and left with plans to cancel my reserve at the old place.
Good enough, right?
Well, first a little backstory…
I’m still sore about the OMAC project series. Issue #3 leaves off and says you have to read three other titles to fill in the gap between OMAC #3 and OMAC #4. I hate that. And I didn’t read it until I already had OMAC #4 in my hands, saying, “Wha–? When did that ha–? What’s going on h–?!”
So I go in to pick up my reserves today, and I get the OMAC #5 and a bunch of other titles.
It’s not till I get home when I find a little something that they threw in for me: The issue of Wonder Woman that was one of the three you needed to read to understand the OMAC gap. A wonderful ish. An ish not in my reserve list, but one I wanted very much.
The guy behind the counter (a different guy) had asked me to check them over to make sure they were the ones I wanted — and I didn, kinda — but I kinda thought it was a formality.
Anyway… Whoever was thoughtful enough to throw that WW issue into my file won over a loyal customer for a long time… and a little plug. If they had a Web site, I’d link it. But suffice it to say, stop in to Hall of Heroes in the Cherry Hill mall. It’s a really swank store with books, T-shirts, figurines, Godzilla stuff… kind of a comic con in a can.
National Cartoonists Society
I was floored to find out that I had been nominated for Best Online Longform Comic by the members of the National Cartoonists Society. This is my second nomination in two years, and I'm overwhelmed by the honor!
Also nominated this year are two powerhouse cartoonists. Jason Chatfield is a New Yorker cartoonist whose longform comic "You're Not A Real Parent Until..." started as a special feature at The New Yorker's website. It reassures all parents that everything’s going to be totally fine — whether it’s accepting dried vomit as a constant presence or learning to fear silence!
Evan Dahm's Third Voice is a tour de force of visual storytelling. The story is an ambitious fantasy graphic novel following wandering scavengers in an ending world. Spondule and Navichet are set in "an invented world in a state of apocalyptic crisis, and the precarious lives of many people therein."
The complete list of nominees can be found here. They include:
Variety Entertainment: Kieran Castano; Chuck Dillon; Bob Weber, Jr.
Advertising/Product Illustration: Chuck Dillon; Sam Grinberg; Pashur House
Book Illustration: Landis Blair; Danesh Mohiuddin; Tom Richmond
Online Comics / Short Form: Sarah Anderson; Jim Benton; Dee Fish
Comic Book: Jesus Hervas; Kelly Phillips; Jay Stephens
Gag Cartoons: Tyson Cole; Dan Misdea; Benjamin Schwartz
Graphic Novel: Darrin Bell; Sarah Bollinger; Daniel Clowes
Magazine/Newspaper Illustration: Jason Chatfield; Nick Galifianakis; Johnny Sampson
Newspaper Comic Strips: Tauhid Bondia; Hector Cantu; Liniers
Online Comics / Long Form: Jason Chatfield; Evan Dahm; Brad Guigar
Editorial Cartoons: Michael de Adder; Ruben Bolling; Michael Ramirez
Newspaper Panels: Dave Blazek; Nick Galifianakis; Wayno
Winners will be announced at the 78th Annual Reuben Awards Dinner in San Diego, CA on August 23rd, 2024
