Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Love the Tunes, Read the Graphic Novel!

Sometimes the really good books fly just under the radar. That's the case with PUT THE BOOK BACK ON THE SHELF: a Belle & Seabastian Anthology, new from Image Comics.

Belle & Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band. You may have even heard their stuff playing on the sound system in Flying Colors--- we're kinda partial to their "Boy with the Arab Strap" CD. The Belle & Sebastian brand of Brit-pop is sometimes laid back, sometimes infectious and always engaging. They've been critical faves for years and now the band’s colorful lyrics and gorgeous melodies provide the muse for a new kind of comics anthology.

A veritable Who's Who of independent comic creators have put their own spins on Belle & Sebastian’s songs, crafting stories inspired by the band’s music. In PUT THE BOOK BACK ON THE SHELF, you'll find work by these Flying Colors' fave creators: Andi Watson, Rick Remender, John Heebink, Rob Spears & Rick G, Mark Andrew Smith (check out his Amazing Joy Buzzards for another cool comic excursion into rock n roll) among many others. There's a ton of talent in this graphic novel!

If you enjoyed the two volumes of FLIGHT Image released over the last two years, this is another anthology that provides amazing story-telling in new ways. Kudos to Image and editor Eric Stephenson! This is a book you definitely won't want to put back on the shelf.

PUT THE BOOK BACK ON THE SHELF: a Belle & Sebastian Anthology, from Image Comics, $19.99. Available now in FLYING COLORS!

Tons of New & Cool Stuff hits the racks on Wednesday morning! Be here for the buzz!!

Peace 'n' pop comics!

FlyCoJoe

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Colors Fly, Horses Don't (except Pegasus)

In today's editions of the Oakland Tribune and other Alameda Newspaper Group papers, film critic Barry Caine has an article about comics and graphic novels being adapted to film.

Here's the link:
http://insidebayarea.com/search/ci_3607858#top

But just in case you were wondering, I didn't change the name of the store to "Flying Horse Comics" as it's stated in the article. In fairness to Barry, he got something right that many reporters don't. That is, he got my last name right--- Field, not the more common Fields.

And, no, even if my store name was Flying Horse, I wouldn't go by the nickname of FlyHoJoe!

Meanwhile, check out these great pix of the Amazing Andreas Cornett. I was visited a week or so ago by this little guy, along with his brother Isaiah, his Mom Maria Elena and his aunts Bernie and Cecilia. I am Andreas' great uncle and was happy and honored to give him his first comic book. These photos show his reaction to 'reading" his first comic. Yes, kids still LOVE comics!

Peace, y'all---

FlyCoJoe

Sunday, March 12, 2006

GIANTKILLER Event Rocks FLYING COLORS!

Big time fun at the Dan Brereton "GIANTKILLER" signing to benefit Save Mount Diablo yesterday!

All 50 of the free limited edition, numbered and signed prints were given away to happy recipients---and it seemed everyone walked away with a copy of the GIANTKILLER trade paperback and a copy of Save Mount Diablo's hot-off-the-press Spring newsletter. Let me put in a plug to all those who picked up the book and the newsletter to READ BOTH!! Lots of big monster fun on Mount Diablo in GIANTKILLER--- and good info about protecting the mountain in the SMD newsletter.

One of the unexpected surprises at the event was a visit from Congressman George Miller, a long-time advocate for the preservation of Mount Diablo (and other precious natural resources). The day also saw a number of Brereton family reunions, as Dan was visited during the event by cousins, aunts and uncles. It was a sweet day all around.

My thanks to the good folks at Image Comics (http://imagecomics.com) for arranging the special shipment of GIANTKILLER books. We may still have a few signed copies available in the store, so if you missed the signing, you may have another chance to get a signed copy of the cool book.

As for the limited edition signed prints, our allotment of free copies was completely given away at the signing, but there will be a small number of copies available for sale at FLYING COLORS to benefit Save Mount Diablo. Details coming soon!

The GIANTKILLER SAVES MOUNT DIABLO event also drew considerable interest from local media, including the piece that ran in Saturday's Contra Costa Times. Here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/kfmjs

Save Mount Diablo (http://savemountdiablo.org) is an organzation worth your charitable contribution, to help them continue their good work preserving the natural wonder that is Mount Diablo and extending the boundaries of Mount Diablo State Park.


My thanks to Seth Adams and Julie Seleen of Save Mount Diablo for their efforts in pulling together the event. Also, I want to thank the Flying Colors Retailing Brigade--- Mike Eriksson, Andy Bardin and my daughter Jenny--- for working hard to make the day fun.

And to Dan Brereton, my thanks again for making Flying Colors your "home" store--- and for bringing your family to make the occasion that much more special.

More cool stuff is on the way!

FlyCoJoe

Thursday, March 02, 2006

SAVING MOUNT DIABLO

It Takes a GIANTKILLER (and Artist Dan Brereton!)----

Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff and Save Mount Diablo host artist Dan Brereton for a book signing at Saturday, March 11, 2006 at 2pm, celebrating the newly released edition of “GIANTKILLER”, set on Mt. Diablo, in which monsters (a metaphor for local development pressure) ravage the Bay Area.

The first 50 people at the book signing event will receive a signed illustration created by Brereton and published by Flying Colors Comics for this event. The proceeds from book sales at the event will benefit Save Mount Diablo and its land conservation efforts.

Created by renowned artist Dan Brereton, the six-part GIANTKILLER series was first published in 1999-2000 by DC Comics, along with the "Field Guide to Giant Monsters." The trade paperback edition is published by IMAGE Comics, Inc. of Berkeley CA.

Brereton, who grew up in Contra Costa County, says that GIANTKILLER’s destructive alien monsters are a metaphor for the development he saw around Mount Diablo. “I grew up in the Mount Diablo area and the family used to drive up to the top a lot when I was a kid. I camped out there one day with friends as a teen, and I’ve been back many times since as an adult. The mountain’s always been a part of my life.”

Brereton is famous in the comic world for his art and writing in projects including Nocturnals, Thrillkiller, Justice League, Spider-Man, the Simpsons and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He produces cover art for an even wider array of projects. Dan lives with his family near the Sierra Nevada mountains, working in comics, as well as mainstream illustration, TV and film. His work can be found in comic book stores around the world, Amazon.com, and on his site: www.nocturnals.com

“My brother and sister and I used to catch snakes and lizards and stuff. We loved all the wildlife out there in the San Ramon and Diablo valleys, and it was sad to watch houses and businesses spring up so quickly. So I slowed that way down in my story. On one hand, it was a fun, giant monsters invade the Bay Area story and, on the other, a subliminal need for my childhood self to reclaim the adventure of the place I enjoyed in my youth.”

The GIANTKILLER Series and Background
‘When giant alien beasts emerge from a wormhole that collides with Mount Diablo, attacking the San Francisco Bay Area, the U.S. Military responds by bio-engineering a human-monster hybrid to stop them – a GIANTKILLER!’ Thus reads the publicity for a new trade paperback from Image Comics collecting the incredible art of creator Dan Brereton’s GIANTKILLER.

“Jack (the Giantkiller) shares both Monster and Human DNA, which is confusing for him. On the one hand he’s been trained to follow orders, a modern-day samurai who lives only to fight for his master. But the monster in him craves destruction and chaos. As he travels toward his eventual final battle on Diablo’s lava-spewing summit (with a titanic beast called Rroar), he must come to terms with both sides of nature. If he can’t balance the dual legacies, he’s doomed, and the Bay Area with him.”

“Returning to the Diablo Valley repeatedly since the late 1970’s has been one shock after another. The area has grown in ways that are both exciting but also shocking. So much of the open rolling foothills are covered with developments and malls, its very sad.”

“On one hand growth is supposed to be positive, and as a bedroom community, Contra Costa is ideal. But I’d take the countryside back in an instant if I could. I can’t share most of the old trails and ponds and giant trees where we used to play and have adventures. Kids need wide open spaces – those were the places I used to dream and imagine. You don’t get much of that in a Target or stuck in traffic. I think this is why I was anxious to contribute something to SMD’s cause. It was great to discover others who feel the way I do about preserving as much of the area’s beauty and habitat as possible.”

“We were thrilled to discover Dan and Giantkiller,” said Ron Brown, Executive Director of Save Mount Diablo, “Contra Costa has its own dual legacy—a strong economy and intense development pressure, and spectacular and fragile resources—the metaphors in Giantkiller are powerful ones. Plus they appeal to different parts of our community, and we like doing outreach in as many ways as possible in order to be effective.”

The book signing will take place on Saturday, March 11 at 2 pm at Flying Color Comics in Concord. Owner Joe Field said "My parents moved our family into central Contra Costa in 1956,” said Field, “so Mount Diablo has always been for me a touchstone of the immense natural history of this area. Now my own family lives in Diablo’s shadow near the Concord-Clayton border, and we regularly hike Diablo and revere its environment.”

“I've followed Dan’s art career from the time he did his first professional store signing here in 1989. GIANTKILLER is an important work, serving dual purposes of raising awareness of Mount Diablo’s fragility in the face of rampant development while also being a massively entertaining story with singular and striking art.”

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Please join us for this special event!

FlyCoJoe