ALERT: Shorter store hours June 2 and 3

Due to a temporary staffing shortage
Flying Colors will be
OPEN Thu 6/2 11AM - 2PM
Fri 6/3 11AM - 4:30PM

We apologize for the inconvenience.
Please visit us again soon.
Thank you.

21st Annual Free Comic Book Day event info!

 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Event Info is Here!

Free Comic Book Day is Saturday May 7

Watch this!
Short documentary from 2012: The Origins of Free Comic Book Day

Please join us at Flying Colors Comics for the 21st annual Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 7!

 

 

 

The Free Comic Book Day / Record Store Day Connection

This coming Saturday April 23 is the 15th annual Record Store Day. Two weeks later, Saturday May 7 will be the 21st annual  Free Comic Book Day!

 

The inspiration for Record Store Day was my little Frankenstein, Free Comic Book Day.

The resurgence of vinyl records can be traced directly to Record Store Day and the enthusiasm of locally owned independent record shops. Sure, big chains and mega-corps have horned in on the vinyl party, but it truly was the specialty market, your local independent record shops, that really made the day and set the music business up for more healthy days.

 

Free Comic Book Day is all about indie comics shops like Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff, putting our best feet forward to thank fans, call back former fans and especially introduce new fans to the wonder of comics entertainment.

As the founder of FCBD, and as a huge music fan, I'm pleased to know my little idea blossomed into a really good thing for the comics market all over the world just as FCBD's cousin, Record Store Day, has been great for indie record shops and music fans.

 

Free Comic Book Day & Record Store Day --- Pop culture events bringing happiness and exciting comics and music fans all over the world!

 

Locally, take in Record Store Day at Up The Creek Records in Walnut Creek and Tone Army Records in Concord.

And make plans to join us May 7 for Free Comic Book Day at Flying Colors Comics or any of the two thousand other shops celebrating the day all over the world!

#SupportSmallBusiness #shopindielocal

Flying Colors is OPEN Easter Sunday April 17

 

Free Comic Book Day Guests at Flying Colors Comics!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Guests

Join us at Flying Colors Comics

Saturday May 7 for Free Comic Book Day!

These Special Guests will be signing starting at 11AM. Be here for the fun.. and for the FREE comics!

MEL SMITH
Comic Book Creator/Publisher, ACME INK, 10 TON PRESS

Mel Smith's comics career goes back to 1985 when he started as an artist and writer for Pinnacle Comics. Mel is a winner of the prestigious Eisner Award for his WildCard Ink/Acme Ink Gumby comic series.

His list of credits includes Rock and Roll Biographies and the soon to be published Becoming Frankenstein, which Mel has been developing for 10 years. Other special projects for 10 Ton Press for 2022 will be announced soon.

Mel Smith resides in the wilds of Orinda, California with his dog Mavis.

JOHN HAGEMAN

John is the mastermind behind one of Flying Colors top-selling comics of 2022... CHARLEY & HUMPHREY #1, the first comic book based on KTVU's afternoon kid's TV show puppets from days long gone. The comic book is fresh for today's market while still celebrating the fond nostalgia so many have for these iconic Northern California characters!

John is co-publisher at 10 Ton Press and one of coolest cartoonists working today!

BEN FERRARI--- Local talent makes it!

Clayton's Ben Ferrari is proud to be a part of FCBD 2022, with his CARRIERS co-creation featured in publisher Red 5 Comics FCBD 2022 free comic book!

Carriers can be described as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles except with pigeons in the New York sky rather than turtles in the sewer.

Ben's been piloting his own comics for years, having a hand in 80+ different projects. His comics career started at Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. Ben's Carriers comic series, which he co-created and edits, is his first to be widely distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors.

The first CARRIERS trade paperback releases in May, to be followed by more of his creations coming soon from Red 5 Comics, including the Divebomb graphic novel and Kanin the Marauder!

Masks Optional as of February 16

As of Wednesday February 16, following the guidelines of the Contra Costa Health Department, please be advised Flying Colors will be allowing shop visitors to enter without a mask.

We do ask those not yet vaccinated to continue wearing a mask, and we strongly urge anyone feeling ANY symptoms to please respect the health of the rest of us by staying home!

While lifting the mask mandate for most businesses is a very positive sign in our collective progress against COVID, we will remain vigilant with our cleaning and sanitizing to protect the health of our staff and our customers.

The county health department is following the lead of the California state health department in relaxing mask mandates in many (though not all) situations. After talking with many of our FlyCo Faithful and seeing how difficult it would be to police the wearing of masks--- demanding mask wearing even when the state and county health officials don't--- we opted to follow state and local health guidelines.

The choice is still there for anyone more comfortable by continuing to wear a mask even when it is not required by state and local officials.

Thank you for being respectful of others.

And, as always, thank you for shopping at Flying Colors Comics!

Valentine's Day is Monday February 14

Devil in the Valley

This post won’t be easy or pleasant.

It deals with the 1972 murder of my sister Maureen at hands of serial murderer Philip Hughes. I apologize in advance to anyone who might be blindsided by this.

Two years ago, I was interviewed in a Lafayette CA recording studio. The interview was for an audio project dealing with the serial murderers (yes, plural) that preyed on women and girls in the Contra Costa County CA area in the 1970s.

In one of the photos here my lovely Libby and I are in the recording studio with Paul Holes, the retired forensics investigator from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department. I first met Paul nearly 20 years ago when he was investigating cold cases, trying to get another conviction tied to the psychopath who took Maureen from us.

Since then, Paul gained acclaim as one of the lead investigators responsible for bringing in the Golden State Killer. In retirement, Paul is now a media consultant to law enforcement, appears frequently on TV (America’s Most Wanted), he’s had at least one investigative TV show on the Oxygen Network and is about to publish his memoir.

Over the years, my family has been approached a number of times by TV producers to tell Maureen’s story. All have been flatly rejected.

The goal of this audio project is to convict my sister's killer, Philip Hughes, of at least one more crime. That’s an effort I can get behind! I believe Paul Holes, even in his spotlight as a TV personality and author in his post-law enforcement career, still has a righteous thirst for justice.

Hughes was convicted in 1980 of three murders--- my sister Maureen in 1972, Lisa Beery of Montclair (Oakland) in 1974 and Leticia Fagot of Walnut Creek in 1975. It is very likely Hughes is responsible for other unsolved murders, especially the 1970 murder of Cosette Ellison, also of Moraga.

Victims' families still attend parole hearings every few years because Hughes was convicted at a time when the toughest sentence was “life.” But “life” doesn’t mean life… it means the chance for parole every 3-5 years. At those hearings, attended by the victims’ families, we’re subjected to reliving the unthinkable acts done to our loved ones. I’d really like that to stop… and I believe mercy is due to the families of victims as much as it is considered for prisoners.

This audio series is NOT easy listening. I strongly caution any sensitive person to think twice before immersing yourself in it.

That said, for those who do listen, you will hear the story of my sister Maureen from my perspective. It’s by no means her complete life story. I know my siblings all have memories of her I don’t have. But we all agree her story needs to be told. Her story has many facets, but is ultimately faith-affirming… something that brought a measure of relief to my family years after her death at the too young age of 19.

With the State of California being super soft on crime---and getting softer all the time--- there’s a push to parole even violent offenders simply because they are now senior citizens. Releasing a psychopath from a men’s only prison into a vastly changed society would just lead to more victims.

My family still suffers from Maureen's death. I'm hoping and praying this will lead to some relief for our family and the families of all the victims of this heinous individual.

Please share this far and wide with the hope we can find useful clues and hard evidence to convict Hughes again.

Original link from 2022:

Link to “Devil in the Valley” from XG Productions

https://www.audible.com/.../A-Devil-in-the.../B09BBS4H47

Or try this 2025 LINK!

Also read:
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2011/07/18/east-bay-family-suffers-for-decades-after-daughters-murder-in-moraga/

"Love and truth will meet;
justice and peace will kiss.

Truth will spring from the earth;
justice will look down from heaven."
Psalms 85:11-12

 

Flying Colors 2021 Best-Selling Graphic Novels!

Note: Due to books selling the exact same number of copies, we stretched the list to a Top 107.
Looking at the list, it's pretty obvious Flying Colors is a very family-friendly shop with tons of all-ages graphic novels among our best-sellers.

Also, just a small bit of trivia: Flying Colors sold at least one copy of about 5000 different graphic novel titles. Yowza! That's one very long tail!