Happy Birthday, Mike Fantastic!

Big birthday greetings to Michael "Fantastic Mike" Eriksson who hits the big 25 today!

Mike is one of the stalwarts of the FLYING COLORS' team, having been on staff for more than six years.

Many regular visitors here have come to rely on Mike for good reading recommendations, since his tastes in comics range from contemporary best-sellers like THE GOON, HELLBOY, NEW AVENGERS and JUSTICE SOCIETY of AMERICA to all-time comics' classics, like Alex Raymond's FLASH GORDON and Stan Lee & Jack Kirby's FANTASTIC FOUR and THOR series of the '60s. Mike also has a near encyclopedic knowledge about all things STAR WARS related.

The cake you see in the photos was home-made with great care by Jenny just for Mike's b-day. It's a Devil's Food Chocolate Kahlua cake that is simply amazing!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mike---and thanks for being such an integral part of the FLYING COLORS team!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Strangers in Paradise: ECHOES OF HOME

Today's Guest View From Flying Colors is from Jenny, as she sends her appreciation to artist/writer Terry Moore on the final issue of STRANGERS IN PARADISE...

It’s official.
My favorite comic book series of all time has ended. All of you mainstream superhero fans out there, how would you feel if you never got to see Spider-Man swing through the city, Clark Kent turn into Superman, Adam Hughes draw Wonder Woman? No new stories ever again!!! Pretty depressing thought, huh?

Thankfully the ever-genius Terry Moore gave me a little bit of time to swallow this idea before reading the final issue of this incredible series last night. Strangers in Paradise is an old friend, a brilliant ride, a secret universe that feels like home and understands you.

I started the series at the lowest time of my life. I had hit rock bottom with a huge debt, feeling completely lost. When I picked up SIP, somewhere between Katchoo’s tortured soul and the continuous quest for connection, I fell in love again.

I can sniff out the potential SIP fans, those looking for something different, some character driven drama with fear and loss being the kryptonite and love being the hero. This book will always continue to draw new readers in.

All great things must come to an end. It can’t be like watching an over-the-hill Ozzy Osbourne sing live nowadays. There is a time to get off the stage and start something new---and I’ll be right there to see what Terry Moore, one of the greatest comic creators as well as one of my personal heroes has in store.

Thank you Terry.
--- Jenny

JOE SINNOTT: Brush Strokes with Greatness!

Every week at FLYING COLORS, each staff member makes a "Pick of the Week" for his or her favorite new comic book, graphic novel or comics-related book. My pick this week is a total no-brainer.

It's "Brush Strokes with Greatness: The Life & Art of Joe Sinnott"...and it hits the racks on Wednesday June 6 for New Releases' Day at FLYING COLORS.

Many FLYING COLORS' faithful know how I rave about the art of Joe Sinnott. Others may have heard me rave about Joe Sinnott, the man.

Joe has been involved with the comic book art business since the late 1940s. Best known as the inker of Jack Kirby's historic run on Marvel Comics' FANTASTIC FOUR series, Joe work has graced countless comics from TREASURE CHEST (those of us who went to Catholic School in the '60s no doubt will remember that one),to ATLAS (precursor to MARVEL), CHARLTON, ARCHIE, and DELL, among others. Joe did the comic book biographies of the BEATLES, JOHN F KENNEDY and MOTHER THERESA! The guy has done it all.

I was fortunate to meet and become friends with Joe Sinnott when, in 1995, he made his only trip to the West Coast for the San Diego Comic-Con.

I was thrilled to learn that not only is Joe one of the greats of comic art, he's also one of the most gracious, friendly and down-right good guys I've met in the comics' biz---which is full of good people!

On top of all that, Joe is huge fan of the SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS. Actually, his love of the GIANTS goes back to his uncle--- JOHN "Little Napoleon" McGRAW, Hall of Fame manager of the NEW YORK GIANTS from 1902-1932. So it came as no surprise when I first saw the cover of "Brush Strokes with Greatness"--there's a photo of Joltin' Joe wearing a SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS cap.

I'm certain the reason Joe decided to come to that San Diego Comic-Con in '95---and take a week-long train ride to do it--- was because his beloved SF GIANTS were playing in San Diego that same week against the Padres. So Joe was able to do the convention and see his GIANTS in person on the West Coast for the first time. After all, as one gets to know Joe Sinnott, it's obvious his love of baseball sometimes even surpasses his affection for comics.

One quick anecdote: At the '95 San Diego Con, while I was at Joe's convention table talking with him about the Giants (and comics, too, natch!), someone approached Joe's table, knelt down in front of the table, and with a regal sounding British accent, proclaimed "At last I have the chance to once again meet the great Joe Sinnott in person. I've long admired your work, the way you so brilliantly lay down the blacks, the brush work of a master! It's so good to see you again!" The man of effusive praise was none other than Barry Windsor Smith!

At that point, I was privy to a brief but mutually admirable conversation during which Barry sang Joe's praises and Joe returned them in kind.

Over the last dozen years, I've talked with Joe Sinnott on numerous occasions. Our discussions are always focused on the fortunes and (sadly, mostly) failures of the SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS. I've been a fan of the team all my life and have never seen the Giants win the World Series. Joe Sinnott celebrated his 80th birthday a few months ago---and the only GIANTS World Series victories in his lifetime were in 1933 and 1954! (Man, I can't believe I got that wrong the first time through!)

Along with the baseball talk, Joe and I have talked a lot about the world of comic books. It's been a delightful education for me. And a nicer guy I'll never meet.

Thanks, Joe Sinnott---for all your contributions to comics, to be sure, but also for your kindness to me over these years!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

New Releases' Day is THURSDAY MAY 31

Quick reminder:

Due to the Memorial Day holiday on Monday May 28, our shipment of Comics & Other Cool Stuff will be delayed by a day this week.

New Releases' Day this week will be THURSDAY MAY 31.

New releases this week include the first issue of SILVER SURFER:REQUIEM (pictured here).

Store hours for this week are:
Tuesday May 29 11am-7pm
Wednesday May 30 11am-7pm
THURSDAY MAY 31 11am-8pm
Friday June 1 11am-7pm
Saturday June 2 11am-7pm
Sunday June 3 12pm-7pm

Hope to see you soon in FLYING COLORS!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Comic Book Commencement!

Congratulations to all the graduates of 2007!

While trolling on-line for something inspirational to share with this year's graduates, I found an excellent commencement address that has deep roots in the world of comic books.

Check out Hollywood producer Michael Uslan’s commencement speech to grads at Indiana University, from May 2006. You can read it
HERE!

His advice to "follow whatever your passion may be in life and do something you love" is a pretty easy thing to say and a very difficult thing to actually do. But it's worth pursuing!

My advice to 2007 graduates? Simply be open to all the possibilities. Working hard and having fun don't have to be mutually exclusive. It's important to learn that it's far more rewarding to have a good life than to have a good career.

And remember, much like the monthly payment on a Ferrari--- with great power comes great responsibility.

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Hey, Mom! I Made it to Congress!

Well, not really, but did you know that my little Frankenstein --- FREE COMIC BOOK DAY--- did make it to the halls of Congress?

On Thursday May 3, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger from Maryland introduced a resolution commending FCBD for promoting comics as an original American art form and for promoting literacy! Check out Rep. Ruppersberger's site HERE!

To see a copy of the House Resolution, click on the "FCBD" link to the left!

As for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY next year? I'm already being asked what date it'll be. Well, pardon the pun, but it's looking "IRON"-clad that the 7th Annual FCBD will be Saturday May 4, 2008, just a day or two after IRON MAN opens in theaters everywhere.

Between now & then? Tons of Comics & Other Cool Stuff, lots to talk about, some surprises here and there. Be here for the fun!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Contest Winners! Photos! FCBD Round-Up!

Wow! It's taken me 10 days to blog about the party that was FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2007! Let's get started by pointing you to a bunch of photos from the event. You can find 'em HERE!

Before I announce our FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Prize Winners, kudos need to go out to those who made FCBD at FLYING COLORS great this year!

First, I want to thank our Special Guest--- the ultra-talented artist J H WILLIAMS III. He graciously signed hundreds of copies of the FCBD edition of Justice League of America #0, as well as countless numbers of his comics, trade paperbacks, etc.

Be on the lookout for JH's art in BATMAN #667-669, coming soon. Lucky enough to see some of the original art from the story, I strongly urge everyone to check this out when it's published.

Also, I want to thank our Special Guest at our post-FCBD Wednesday May 9th event--- ROBERT KIRKMAN, writer of Image Comics' WOLF-MAN comic, as well as the wicked cool WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, Marvel's ULTIMATE X-MEN and ANT-MAN. Robert was joined in-store by Image Comics' Marketing Guru, Mark Haven Britt, who has a graphic novel of his own coming in July called FULL COLOR (from Image, natch!).

I also am very grateful for the good work of the whole FLYING COLORS' Team on FCBD! On "normal" days around here, you might see three of us---but on FCBD, we had a team of 12 going all day long. My sincere thanks to all of them for making the day a smooth one, not only for the 1000 attendees, but for me as well.

Thanks to Paul Adams from ADAMS DIGITAL VIDEO for shooting the FCBD event. And thank, too, to Oscar Benjamin, our official photographer for FCBD (and the former photographer for WonderCon, back in the old Oakland daze) and to FLYING COLORS' web-master supreme Alan Alvaro!

And I send a special "thank you" to all of you who attended the big event. We hope to see you every week for more comics & other cool stuff!

OK, now how about those prize winners I mentioned?

CHARLES BENNETT of Walnut Creek won a $100 FLYING COLORS SHOPPING SPREE!

NICOLAS RIVAS of Concord won the official FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER Full-Sized Limited Edition Movie Poster!

Other prizes include a FANTASTIC FOUR Limited Edition T-Shirt, OAKLAND A's Baseball Tickets and full sets of all 43 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2007 Comics.

Those winners are:
Keith Golcher of Antioch
Jennifer Kearney of Concord
Jonny Calorina of Benicia
Larry Miller of Concord
Sarah Rogers of San Ramon

Congratulations to all of you! You'll be receiving your prize redemption letters in the mail very soon!

Finally, I hope you'll take the time to hit the "comment" link and share your stories from Free Comic Book Day, whether you were here at FLYING COLORS or at any of the other 2000 locations in more than 25 countries all over the world! Let's hear from you, OK?

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

(Next time: FCBD Goes to Congress!)

'WALKING DEAD' writer at FLYING COLORS Wednesday 5/9 from 5-7pm

ROBERT KIRKMAN, fan favorite writer of WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE (both from IMAGE Comics), MARVEL ZOMBIES, IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN (both from MARVEL Comics), will be making a special in-store appearance at FLYING COLORS Comics tomorrow!

That's right--- Wednesday May 9th from 5PM-7PM, ROBERT KIRKMAN will be here signing copies of his new WOLFMAN comic from IMAGE. This cool new title was available for the first time on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY last Saturday. We'll have more FREE copies to give away when ROBERT KIRKMAN visits the store tomorrow.

In addition to signing the FREE edition of WOLFMAN, with the purchase of any other KIRKMAN work during the signing, we'll be giving away FREE copies of
KIRKMAN's IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN
comic book .


So if you're one of the very few that still hasn't gotten into the "LOST meets Night of the Living Dead" vibe of WALKING DEAD, this is good opportunity to jump on board. Or if you're more of a super-hero fan---and want to see an unusually independent take on the genre, give KIRKMAN's INVINCIBLE a shot.

The spirit of FREE COMIC BOOK DAY lives on as we carry on the good times with this special event. Please join us, OK?

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

FCBD Countdown!

Saturday May 5th is fast approaching---- and that means FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is almost here.

Check out the old photo here. It's from a cool little postcard book from Denis Kitchen's publishing company, called simply "READING COMICS" (available now at FLYING COLORS).

This shot is taken from the late '50s, when drugstores featured one spinner rack of comics. When you visit FLYING COLORS this Saturday for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, feast your eyes on rack after rack of comic books, trade paperbacks, comic strip collections, back issue comics----there's something cool in stock for every reader! after all, we've got your cool stuff right here in FLYING COLORS!

About FCBD: I've been asked countless times over the last few weeks "How early should I get to FLYING COLORS for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY?"

If history is any indicator, we'll have comics to give away all day long, even with the likely prospect of a long line at the start of the event. However, we're old pros at moving the line pretty quickly, so if you do see a line, don't be frightened away by it.

We will be giving away comics from 11am-7pm--- but not knowing how big a crowd there will be, we can't guarantee that specific FCBD comics will be available all day. What we will be doing, though, is a drawing for a complete set of the 40+ special edition FCBD comics. Since there is mature content in some of the comics, the drawing will be open only to those 16 and above. There will be other prizes open to all ages--- including t-shirts, collectibles and a $100 FLYING COLORS Shopping Spree!

Don't miss it!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

FREE Comic Book Day --- 3 Days Away!

The party of the year---FREE COMIC BOOK DAY--- is coming up this Saturday May 5th ("Cinco de Comics" at FLYING COLORS and some 2000 other comic book stores in the U.S and more than 20 countries around the world!

We'll be giving comics away from 11am-7pm--- but be sure to get here early for the best selection!

FLYING COLORS will also be giving away a limited number of special bonuses to the early-birds, including FANTASTIC FOUR: Rise of the Silver Surfer mini-movie posters and BATMAN HeroClix.

More fun:
FLYING COLORS' Special Guest J H WILLIAMS III will be here signing the special edition Justice League of America #0 and all his other work (SEVEN SOLDIERS, BATMAN, PROMETHEA, DESOLATION JONES, and more) from 11am-3pm.

And while we're on the subject of comics' fun, check out this cool video I found on YouTube.com:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av6fWfmugds

Peace 'n' Comics!

FlyCoJoe