What?

Who?
When: 8/15/12
Where? 

Aurora Rise Event Benefits Victims of Movie Shooting

In the wake of the tragedy of the opening night movie theater shooting in Aurora CO, the local comic shop there --- All C's Collectibles --- will be hosting a event that will benefit the Alex Sullivan Fund and the Aurora Victims Relief Fund.

More info can be found HERE!

Needless to say, our hearts have been going out to the victims and the entire Aurora community.

Our hope is that the event will be a step forward in the recovery of the Aurora community and a huge boon to the victims that will be helped by the events.

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Reminder: Flying Colors Digital Comics Storefront

Flying Colors is part of the Comixology network of retailer affiliates. While we still believe that comics are best in print, we make this service available to those who care to dabble in digital comics for the iPad and other devices.
Just click on the icons to get to Flying Colors Digital Storefront!

New Video: Free Comic Book Day Origins

Enjoy!

Hit this link for the Origin of Free Comic Book Day!
https://youtu.be/3EI5D4HFbIw

Comic-Con: 27th time is the charm!

With the monster show of them all, Comic-Con International: San Diego, just days away, here are some reflections about my experiences there and how things will be very different for me for the looming 2012 event.

As a comics fan since 1967, I was a late-comer to the convention scene. Sure, I attended a few small shows, like San Jose's Ameri-Con in maybe '82 or '83, Stockton's Heroes Con in '85 and '86... but the first San Diego Convention I attended was in 1986. Even then, San Diego Comic-Con was known as the BIG show for comics. In '86, an estimated 6500 fans were there. 

So much has changed over the years. San Diego's downtown was pretty shabby in the '80s when the con was at the downtown Convention and Performing Arts Center. The gentrification of the Gaslamp District was still just a civic dream, rather than its current reality. Comic-Con and its attendees were often derided by local media. The news crews covering Comic-Con usually brought out their best "look at these freaks!" type of reports.  Civic leaders doubted that Comic-Con did much if anything for the local economy, despite thousands of visitors to the city spending money on  hotels, food and entertainment.

These days, Comic-Con International: San Diego has 125,000 attendees, along with probably another 25, 000 exhibitors, dealers, professionals and other industry types.The Con has the backing of civic leaders, the media and the entertainment world.

Comic-Con really should be Comic-Cannes because it is the launch site for so much mass entertainment, including movies, TV shows, video games, etc.

Next week--- really, next Friday the 13th--- I'll be a part of two public events that all fans at Comic-Con are welcome to attend:

Friday July 13

1:30-2:30 Comic Book Entrepreneurs

Get a rare look behind the scenes as the comic book industry's leading entrepreneurs share their secrets of building successful businesses around the love of comic books. Author and futurist Rob Salkowitz (Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture), CEO and co-founder David Steinberger of ComiXology, Dark Horse Comics publisher Mike Richardson, Peter Levin of Nerdist Industries, and comics retailer Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics, offer a unique view of the business side of comics. Room 8

4:00-5:30 So You Want to Be a Comics Retailer?

ComicsPRO presents an opportunity for those exploring opening their very own comic book specialty store. This panel of veteran retailers know you have questions, and they can give you the answers! ComicsPRO president Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff (Concord, CA), ComicsPRO executive director Amanda Emmert (Muse Comics + Games, Colorado Springs, CO), Brian Peets (A-1 Comics, Sacramento and Roseville, CA), and Calum Johnston (Strange Adventures, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada), along with Dave Hawksworth (Diamond Comic Distributors' outside sales manager) offer a fun and informative peek behind the curtain of the magic of comic book retailing! Room 32AB 

After 26 years straight of attending Comic-Con, usually for the entire week--- a day or two longer in the days of the old retailer-centric Comic Book Expo --- I am cutting back my time this year to what  seems to me to be the retailer version of 24Hour Comics Day. That event challenges cartoonists to create a full 24-page comic in 24 consecutive hours. 

My "30HourRetailerDay" consists of challenging myself to cram as much business (and fun) as I can into a roughly 30 hour period from the time my flight out of Oakland departs at 6am on Friday 7/13 to the time I land back in Oakland at about 1:30pm Saturday 7/14.  


In addition to the two public panels I promoted above, I'll be involved in a business breakfast Friday talking about plans for Free Comic Book Day 2013 and another breakfast Saturday with DC Comics Senior VP of Sales (and also my friend) Bob Wayne. 


In between those two early morning meal-meetings, I'll be fully-engaged with a slate of retailer-oriented programming under the auspices of ComicsPRO, the retailer trade and advocacy association of which I am currently serving as president. That will take me through 5:30 and the close of the "So You Want to Be Comics Retailer?" program. 


From 5:30-7:00, I hope to see a bit of the convention floor and visit with some friends in the business, maybe even buy some old comics. I will also try to make quick stops to visit with key suppliers and hopefully set up some cool things to come for Flying Colors. 


At 7:00pm, I'll be joined by the very talented Viktor Kalvachev and other friends at my co-sponsor table at the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.  Viktor is nominated for two Eisner Awards for his work on Blue Estate.  (If that isn't another great invitation to check out Blue Estate, I don't know what is!)


The Eisner Awards ceremony is always a lot of fun and moves have been made in the last couple of years to streamline the event so it doesn't run too far into the night. As it is, I expect that between the length of the Awards' ceremony and the after-party, that I'll be finished with those duties sometime around midnight. 


Being Friday night in San Diego, there is no shortage of choices for other parties to attend after the Eisners. But since I'll be working on no sleep and taking my Friday into the early light of Saturday, my partying will consist mostly of bottled water and some food. No alcohol or caffeine for me. 

So if anyone wants to schedule some meeting time with me while I'm in San Diego, how about we meet after midnight at Brians24, the Gaslamp District's 24 hour restaurant?   I'll be the one dozing in my waffles. 

Peace 'n' Comics! 

Joe "FlyoJoe" Field

Flying Colors will be OPEN July 4 from 11am-6pm

  Not only will Flying Colors Comics be OPEN on Wednesday July 4 from 11am-6pm, but the holiday will also be a New Releases Day, including the following titles:

Northern California Exclusive @ Flying Colors: Finding Gossamyr #1

Every week over on our Facebook Fan Page, we post a list of our New Releases, including new comics, graphic novels, books and other cool stuff.

Well, today is also a special day because Flying Colors received a new title that is available at only 25 stores across the U.S. for the next month before its more general release at the end of July.

So let's talk a bit about this new title FINDING GOSSAMYR.

Although a digital preview was available to me---and although there was even a preview of this issue given away on Free Comic Book Day, I waited to read it until I could hold this beautiful comic in my hands. Now, just a few minutes after reading it, I want to share with you just how cool it is.

First, it's published by Th3rd World Studios (yep, that's the way they spell it), the same folks that brought out the amazing STUFF OF LEGEND over the last few years (and by all means, if you haven't read that stunning graphic novel, we do try to keep it in stock always at Flying Colors!).

Second, a brief description provided by the publisher:

"When a brilliant young boy named Denny solves the greatest perplexing puzzle in the history of mankind, he and his caretaker sister Jenna are transported to the fantastic land of Gossamyr, where math is magic and the boy's unique condition gives him incredible power." 

Finally, my thoughts on FINDING GOSSAMYR--- the story and art work very well together. While there's a lot of dialogue crammed into parts of this issue, there's still plenty of room for the art to shine through.

Writer David A. Rodriguez sets up an enticing premise--- a boy, likely autistic or more likely a savant, can see through complex problems to answers faster than anyone. But what he sees in the world's "greatest perplexing puzzle" is a place he does not want to go, until he is forced to solve the equation. Rodriguez gives each character a distinctive voice and drives the story along in engaging ways.

As for artist Sarah Ellerton? My, my, my. I think we have a new star in our midst! Although there are a couple of spots in the book where the panel layouts could have been executed in a less confusing way, the art in every panel is rich with good and meaningful design as the art pops from the page. The eye candy is tastiest when the story moves away from our reality and into the world of Gossamyr.

There's some family drama--- what goes on between Jenna and Denny is just hinted at here. There's other-worldly sci-fi-ish stuff and some high fantasy elements, too. If that sounds like a stew of ingredients, the results so far are delicious.

Want a high concept for this one? FINDING GOSSAMYR is in that dream world between a Pixar blockbuster and L. Frank Baum's WIZARD of OZ. 

FINDING GOSSAMYR, a Northern California exclusive, available now in Flying Colors.

Peace 'n' Cool Comics!

FlyCoJoe
@flycojoe on Twitter

You know your Dad read & loved WATCHMEN, right?

Jump on now to one of the major comics' events of the summer--- at Flying Colors Comics!

A BIG "Thank You" to everyone who came out for HULK SMASH! Brownie Day at Flying Colors today.

In the next week or so, The Geek Speak Video Show will be posting its first episode that was shot in Flying Colors today.  In addition to interviews and a behind the scenes look at the origins of Flying Colors, the new show will feature a few Comic Slam! performances of comic book character monologues and footage from our Comics Jam during which a number of artists contributed to making an original comic book story.

You can see photos from today's event right now on our Facebook Fan page.

At Flying Colors, more Cool Stuff and fun times are just ahead!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Special Event Saturday!

First, an apology. Back on may 24th, I blogged about saving Saturday June 9 with "details coming soon."

Well, I got all the details figured out, then sent an email to everyone on the FlyCo Email Brigade (to sign up, look to the left on this page, enter your email address, then click 'join'). I then posted the info to our Facebook Fan page, talked to numerous people about in the store...

...but forgot to post anything here on the Flying Colors' blog. For that, I apologize.

So what the heck is HULK SMASH! Brownie Saturday? 

It's an excuse to have a party, starting with FlyCo Libby's amazing Hulk Smash Brownies (dark chocolate brownies with creme de menthe filling smothered in another dark chocolate coating).

Libby's brownies are famous for their popularity every year on Free Comic Book Day, but we thought it might be nice to have them on a less crazy day. How much less crazy, I don't know. We'll find out Saturday.

But wait---THERE'S MORE!
We will be giving away some comic books! This is NOT "another FCBD"---nothing beats that amazing day. This will be more low-key--again how low-key we'll see on Saturday.

Still MORE!
Be here for the shooting of the first ever Geek Speak Video Show! We'll have some room for a "studio audience" but not a lot, so get here in time for the 12 noon shooting.  There will be audience participation... and maybe even some prizes for participating.

Part of that participation will be the chance to do your own COMICS SLAM! Simply bring in the comic book that features your favorite single character monologue. If you are chosen, you will dramatically perform your character monologue for the GEEK SPEAK VIDEO SHOW! 

View one of FlyCoJoe's COMIC SLAM! dramatic readings from a past event: 


Even MORE!
• For the artists among our fans and friends, we will also be attempting a COMICS JAM!

What's a Comics Jam? It starts with a single panel to open our story, then artists will be encouraged to add their own single panels to make up one complete (and hopefully cohesive) story. If you would like to participate in the Comics Jam, we urge you to show up at 11:30 to schedule your 15 minutes of drawing time to add to the Comics Jam.

• For those who like to draw but aren't sure about being part of Comics Jam, we'll have drawing material for you to do your own piece to add to Flying Colors Fan Art Wall!

• DEALS! Flying Colors Blow-Out Book Bargain section will be stocked up for this event with graphic novels and comics compilations as much as 80% off. And everyoneattending our event on Saturday June 9 will receive a Special Coupon to use that day (our sneaky way to get you here)!

What this party is all about, the crux of HULK SMASH! BROWNIE DAY is really a massive "THANK YOU" to all Flying Colors Faithful for making May 2012 the all-time best month in the 24 year history of Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff.

We wouldn't be here without your continued support, so the best way we can say "THANKS!" is to make Flying Colors a place where everyone can have a great time while discovering new comics & other cool stuff. 

Hope to see you Saturday!  

Peace! 


FlyCoJoe