Andy Wood

What?!?!?

Running a “Comic Book” store, one would think that you wouldn’t get to many people looking for a “Bible”, but there are those days.

Customer: I just head on NPR that there is a comic book that came out today that was drawn by the same guy that did Felix the Cat (do you know who that is??) but this is a tongue and cheek version.

Me: Yes.. I know how the character “Felix” the cat, but I will have to do a Google on the artist as that is something I don’t know off the top of my head.

[taping away on the computer]

Me: okay, according to the wiki on Felix the Cat, it was created back in 1919 and the creator was Pat Sullivan.  I suppose if this dude is still around (around 90 yrs old) ….

Customer: Yeah.. perhaps it wasn’t that guy, but the comic was suppose to be out today, do you have it?
Me:  New Comic books are Wednesdays, so if we did order it, it would be this coming Wednesday.
Customer: Oh.. do you know if you ordered it?
Me: That does not sound familiar, as we don’t get many people asking for “bible” related titles.  You are going to have to help me a little more on the title so I can try to narrow down a bit.

Customer: Genesis!!
<insert Beast Boy scream here>
Me:  Yes, I am familiar with elements of that part of the bible, but I am not seeing any comic book listed called Genesis.  Let me go over the the NPR site and see if they talk about it.

[more taping on the customer and searching the NPR web site]

Me: Are you perhaps talking about , “Crumb’s ‘Genesis,’ A Sexy Breasts-And-Knuckles Affair”
Customer:   That’s it!  that is the one!  Do you have it!!

Me: Hang on a sec, let me check.  Looks like the book was offered to retailer in July 2009 and came out September and did not order any, sorry, but we do have The Complete Crumb Comics Vol #16.  This is the artist that did the book that you are looking for.
Customer: I WILL TAKE IT!

This happened today at the shop:

Customer:  Do you have any AMORY WARS Comics?

Me: That title is not currently an active title and we will either have a trade or some back issues.

Customer: I am actually looking for my brother, he really like the series and is only missing a couple to complete it, so we are looking for the single issues and not really a trade.

[walking over to back issue comic book section]
Me: Alright, then what we have in back issues will be right here.
Customer:  <sigh>  Alright, thanks!

Customer: Wow!  you got a lot here!  We went to comic con thinking that we would be able to complete the series and you have more than anyone at Comic Con.

Me: [Smile]

Amazing Spider-Man #608 – “WHO WAS BEN REILLY?” begins here! Bursting out of the pages of this year’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL, RAPTOR is back for revenge against the man he claims killed his family – BEN REILLY, the clone of Spider-Man! Unfortunately, the only person alive that fits Ben’s description is Peter Parker! As this super powered psycho with a thirst for vengeance targets Peter, his family and his friends, even Spider-Man might not be able to save the day this time!

Astonishing X-Men #31 – Abigail Brand, director of S.W.O.R.D., has been in some sticky situations, and she isn’t the type who asks for help to get out of them. But when you’re careening towards Earth in the cockpit of a damaged spaceship after being attacked on an exploding asteroid 7.5 million miles from Earth…it’s time to call the X-Men. They might not have much of a plan, or much of a chance, but that’s certainly never stopped them before. Superstar artist Phil Jimenez joins writer Warren Ellis for the second arc of the mind-bending ongoing series!

Batman and Robin #5 – Are two Dynamic Duos too much for one city? Batman and Robin find themselves at cross-purposes with Red Hood and Scarlet. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? And who will end up being the chosen protectors of Gotham City?

Batman Confidential #34 – Batman’s adventures in Moscow have all been leading to this as BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL double-ships in October! With The Tsar ready to detonate a hydrogen bomb in Moscow, Batman must work with General Lukzov to stop the massacre. In order to save the day, Batman will have to gain a hand from an unlikely ally!

Deadpool #16 – “Want You to Want Me,” Part 2 Deadpool is convinced that, after years of gun-for-hire work, he has found his true calling: He’s going to be an X-Man! One problem, though: they don’t want him! And can you blame them? Wade’s just as likely to fire on his friends as his enemies! But Cyclops is smart enough not to get on Deadpool’s bad side. He has a plan to keep Deadpool both close enough to monitor and far enough away so that no one gets hit by the shrapnel. But Deadpool has a plan, too…

From the Ashes #5 – Having been forcibly separated from one other, Bob and Michele are forced to plot their next moves apart, he reunited as a field slave with their mutant pals, and she from the confines of ‘The Baby Bunker.’ Can they find a way to escape?

Haunt #1 – Daniel Kilgore is dragged into his estranged brother Kurt’s secret life of murder and espionage… by his ghost. With no training whatsoever, guided by the spirit of his secret-agent brother, Daniel must now solve his brother’s murder and save the world – or die trying!

Irredeemable #7 – A ‘twilight of the superheroes’ story that examines super-villains from Mark Waid, the acclaimed writer of Kingdom Come and Empire. The Plutonian’s former teammates, the Paradigm, start to turn the tide against their former comrade. But, you know what they say about a cornered animal!

Star Wars Invasion #4 – Twenty-five years after the events in A New Hope, the relentless assault by the alien invaders known as the Yuuzhan Vong has plunged the galaxy into war. But word has come of a possible intelligence coup for the New Republic!

Young Finn Galfridian joins Leia Organa and her children aboard the legendary Millennium Falcon for an undercover mission to a notorious refuge for pirates and smugglers. Meanwhile, Finn’s sister Kaye, held prisoner aboard a Yuuzhan Vong starship, is about to show the invaders that the galaxy is not defenseless!

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3 – The world of Spider-Man is turned upside down! Friends are enemies and enemies are friends!! Mysterio is on the loose and gunning for Spidey big time. And the Hulk is back!!!?? Plus–and this is a biggie–you’ll never believe what iconic super hero is moving into Aunt May’s house!!

War Heroes #3 (Of 6) – After weeks of training, the recruits finally get to try out their super-powers on real-life targets, as Project Olympus marches en masse across the Middle East, much to the horror of the world at large. But things are not as simple as they seem, and Calvin’s poster-boy brother is up to something.

Amazing Spider-Man #607 – Look out, Spidey! Hot on the heels of his old girlfriend’s trip home, The Black Cat’s back (and front!), sexier and more dangerous than ever!

Green Lantern #46 (Blackest Night) – For months, Mongul has wrested control of the Sinestro Corps. Now Sinestro wants a word with him. And Hal wants a word with Sinestro. But in the midst of BLACKEST NIGHT, they’ll all become the hunted as the fallen Sinestro Corps members rise. What will happen? Here’s a hint: Sinestro gets some serious payback.

Hulk #15 – Now that the ILLUMINATI have shot the HULK into space… Who’s going to fight all of his bad guys? Enter SHE-HULK: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Spinning out of events from CIVIL WAR and PLANET HULK, the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is shipping She-Hulk off to Hulk-related hotspots around the globe– where she’ll be taking on villains from A-Z! Or, in this case, from the Abomination to Zzzax!

Justice Society of America #31- Magog and Wildcat square off as the team traitor involved in the attack on a fellow JSAer is revealed! It all leads to greater tension and permanent rifts within the most storied Super Hero team of all time! Clearly, this was an inside job, and though they may not realize it now, the damage to the group is deeper than any of them suspects.

Smallville Magazine #33 – I mainly read this to see what the actors are up to outside of the CW.

Superman #692 – Tragedy strikes in the aftermath of "Codename: Patriot" as Metropolis buries one of its own! And with a man down, the Science Police are on their own to stop a cadre of Super-Villains from stealing a formerly common commodity that has suddenly become rarer than gold!

Thor #603 – The people of Asgard are fractured, as Loki’s scheming plans start to bear poisonous fruit. In Latveria, Balder and his loyal followers have a home at the tender mercies of Victor Von Doom. Out in the wide open world, Thor and his followers in exile roam without a country. As Loki puts the final calculated moves in play…will the spirit of Asgard itself be destroyed?  By the way this is the last issue written by J. Michael Straczynski

Thunderbolts #136 - Who is Scourge? What is Black Widow II’s game? Who answers Songbird’s cry for help?

Wizard Magazine #217 – BUFFY – New York Times best-selling writer Brad Meltzer takes us behind the scenes of Buffy Season 8!  THE WOLF MAN Benicio Del Toro stars in the highly anticipated reimagining of the Wolfman mythos. We check in with Del Toro and stars Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt about this horror thriller.

Today on my pull list is:

Amazing Spider-Man #606 – Look out, Spider-Man! Hot on the heels of his old girlfriend’s trip home, The Black Cat’s back (and front!), sexier and more dangerous than ever! The deck is STACKED as the one woman that loves Spider-Man more than Peter Parker is up to some devilish shenanigans…and nothing bugs Spider-Man more than shenanigans!

Detective Comics #857 – Batwoman faces off against Alice in an attempt to stop the villainess from unleashing a toxic death cloud over all of Gotham! But Alice has more up her sleeve than just poison, and Batwoman’s life will never ever be the same again.

Fantastic Four #571 – Reed continues his quest to right all wrongs while Ben and Johnny prepare for a trip to Nu-Earth. Val figures out what her dad is up to and Sue wants to know "is that an ultimate nullifier in your pocket?" All that and a world-eater before breakfast! Part two of SOLVE EVERYTHING.

Incredible Hulk #602 – X marks the spot as the most insane father and son duo in the Marvel Universe take on one of the Green Goliath’s most formidable adversaries. That’s right, it’s the JUGGERNAUT, bi–bi–boys and girls! What happens when an unstoppable force meets the Old Power and the gamma-fueled genes of the Strongest One There Is? Massive destruction and emotional revelation, that’s what! Continuing the acclaimed writer Greg Pak’s return to the "Incredible Hulk,”plus, in the "Savage She-Hulk" backup story written by Fred Van Lente, Lyra takes on the all-new Gamma Corps Black!

Invincible #66 – After escaping from a Viltrumite Prison, Nolan Grayson and Allen the Alien must use what they’ve learned to gather the powers of the universe and unite them against the Viltumites. It all starts here, folks: The Viltrumite War looms large on the horizon!

Justice League of America #37 – It’s the epic finale of the 3-part Royal Flush arc as Roulette and Amos Fortune raise the stakes, and the JLA go all in! But with the odds against them, the team had better pray for a last-minute miracle before their chips are cashed in for good.

New Avengers #57 – It was bound to happen and now it has. The Hood loses his grip on the colorful criminals that make his empire. It’s a super-villain turf war and guess who is stuck in the middle? That’s right… the powerless New Avengers. Not to mention the powerless Dark Avengers (who guest star, btw.) Who will replace the Hood as kingpin of criminals??

Spider-Woman #1 – The gorgeous and mysterious Jessica Drew reenters a society she did not make…as an AGENT OF S.W.O.R.D. This brand new series is a perfect companion to the dazzling Spider-Woman motion comic. Containing new story and artwork not available in any other format. This is the start of a major chapter in one of the most high profile characters in all of Marvel Comics.

Star Trek Spock Reflections #3 – Ambassador Spock’s mysterious journey continues! As Spock makes his way toward Earth, he thinks back on another previously untold tale from his past, this time featuring James T. Kirk, Leonard McCoy and the crew of the original U.S.S. Enterprise!

Superman Batman #64 – Batman makes a shocking discovery with possible Kryptonian origins that places the duo in certain doom – unless Superman makes the ultimate sacrifice

Not only to have have the honor of being the local ‘Comic Book Guy”, but today a young man picked up one of the new Halo Mark IV Armor packs.

Then about 3 hrs later, he returns (along with his mother) claiming that the toy was broke.

<Quick Hat switching>

As not only am I Connoisseur of comic books, but I play with toys too!

I was able to quickly demonstrate that the swapping of heads takes just a little bit of patience and they will snap on and one can easily swap them out for the other helmets that come for the Spartan.

Ah ha!, but there was yet another challenge.  It would seem that the chest piece was ‘deformed’, not really.  One of mounting posts was a little longer and discolored, but I was able to demonstrate how to correctly affix it to the Master Chief so that he could battle the swarm yet another day!

<Quick Hat re-switching>

Worst excuse for a pulp-ize ever!

As a comic book person and a user of ‘Google’, I just had to share this:

Am I bummed that I have to work on this holiday?

Not one bit!   I get a 1/2 off today and get to sleep in tomorrow.  Awesome!

I feeling a little Left 4 Dead-ish and/or Fall Out 3-ish

Now – many people got this day off and I for one was one of them.  I pretty much work 7 days a week.  Some may say, “Working at a Comic Book store, isn’t really work".  However; there are those days , but yes I have much less stress from my former occupation.

What does one do for their day off when they work 7 days a week?

Slept in, started on my liquid breakfast (Snapple and diet Mt. Dew) and started to play City of Villains’.

I had made arrangements with my normal COH/COV group to start new toons where we all would create Master Minds and play for like 4-5 hours.  Starting around 8.30a, they all slowly started to show up and soon we have about 7 people with all little minions to boss around.  (it was so awesome!)

After playing a little of City of Villains, it was time to watch some Tivo that was saved up and get in a couple more SG-1 Episodes. (currently on Season 6)

Had an awesome lunch, watched more Tivo and SG-1 and then around 6pm, it was back to COV for a Strike Force.

I have a very relaxing day off eating, playing games and watching great stuff on TV.

About once a month, someone will come into the shop and ask if we carry a certain comic book title.

Customer: Do you carry Trinity?

Me: Sure do!  You can find that title in the “New Comics” section under “T” for Trinity or if you are looking for the past couple of weeks, it will be on the wall to the right which is last weeks/months issues and they are alphabetical as well.
 

Then usually what happens, is that they will dash over to the new comic section .. and then they will frantically start looking from left to right for a couple of minutes.

Me: Did you find it?

Customer: Nope, are they listed in alphabetical order or something?

Me: Did you find the “T"’s”?

Customer: Nope

As I start to walk over, I always see them staring at Action, Amazing Spider-man, picking them up and putting them down and I always wonder to myself.  “Did they stop teaching the ABC’s and 123’s in school?”

Eventually, I show them Thor, Thunderbolts and .. Trinity.