Saturday June 4-- be here for LEVEL UP!

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LEVEL UP Creators Yang and Pham Debut New Graphic Novel at Flying Colors

June 4^th event at Concord CA store will feature Live Art demo, exclusive bookplate

When award-winning artist/writer Gene Luen Yang and up-and-coming artist Thien Pham debut their graphic novel LEVEL UP at Flying Colors Comics in Concord CA this weekend, they’ll be hoping to accomplish something that touches on the theme of their new book.

LEVEL UP centers on the conflicted character Dennis Ouyang who lives in the shadow of his parents’ high expectations. They want him to become a doctor---  he just wants to play video games.  To find out more, Yang, Pham and Flying Colors owner Joe Field are asking all video gamers, along with comics fans, of course, to turn off their video games, get off their couches and visit Flying Colors Comics on June 4^th from 1:30PM-4PM to check out LEVEL UP and witness a demonstration of Live Art in the making, as Yang and Pham go at it in an EPIC DRAW-OFF!

Now just what is an EPIC DRAW-OFF? Here’s the way Gene Yang describes it: “While I talk a bit about how I got started in comics, Thien will illustrate my story as I speak.  Then, he will talk about how he got started, and I'll illustrate Thien’s story.  After, it’ll be a competition using suggestions from the audience.”

In addition to the Live Art demonstration, Flying Colors will have an exclusive bookplate for the artists to sign in the brand new LEVEL UP graphic novel.

“I have been a fan of Gene’s work since he did DUNCAN’S KINGDOM for Image Comics in 1999,” said Flying Colors owner Joe Field. “ Looking at his body of work in the 12 years since, including the award-winning AMERICAN BORN CHINESE and ETERNAL SMILE, I am thrilled to finally have Gene visit Flying Colors. Seeing Thien Pham’s work on LEVEL UP also leads me to believe that his star is rising among cartoonists.”

Schedule for June 4^th event:

1:30 Introduction of Gene Yang and Thien Pham, book signing

2PM EPIC DRAW-OFF Live Art demonstration

3PM Q&A, book signing.

3:30PM Pizza and refreshments will be served.

For additional information, please visit FlyingColorsComics.com or call Flying Colors Comics in Concord CA at 925-825-5410. 

FCBD 2011 wrap-up!

Photo by Ben Margot, Associated Press

OK, we've just about recovered from the insanity that is Free Comic Book Day.

A few numbers for all you keeping score:

It's estimated that between 300,000 and 500,000 people visited FCBD particpating retailers in 40 countries on May 7!

FCBD 2011 generated an estimated $1.5 million in publicity for comics and comic shops!

At Flying Colors, we had almost 1100 people visit the store on FCBD.  The store remained shoppable and comfortable all day long. 

For more than 250 people, it was their very first visit to Flying Colors! Welcome, one and all!

We gave away more than 6000 total comics at Flying Colors! 

Libby made more than 200 of her "HULK SMASH" (creme de menthe) brownies!

And she and Jenny dished out roughly 200 pieces of cake!

We had 11 people working the event (current and former staff and friends), plus guest visits from Captain Jack Sparrow and Wonder Woman!

Free Comic Book Day 2011 also got tremendous coverage in the media. Here are some links to stories featuring FlyCoJoe:

Associated Press, pre-event coverage

Associated Press, Day-of-Event Coverage

CNN

Los Angeles Times, Hero Complex

National Public Radio (NPR)

Scoop (Diamond Galleries): Pre-Event Interview with Joe Field

Scoop Post-FCBD Report

Comics Bulletin: Joe Field Interview with Karyn Pinter
The Comic Chronicles by John Jackson Miller   

The Examiner.com by Oscar Benjamin

Northwestern University

The Oklahoman--- Nerdage by Matt Price 

Ohio State Lantern

San Diego Union-Tribune (AP pick-up)

Brownsville Herald

...and here's one from out of left field,
an interview on Quality Logo Products.com

...and that's just a few! Check Google for another 1600+ articles about FCBD! 

For more pix from our event, go to the Flying Colors Facebook Fan Brigade page!

I'd like to thank everyone who visited Flying Colors on FCBD. If you were one of the 250+ first-time visitors, we'd love to get your thoughts about the event and our store--- and we invite you back to see us when we're not quite so crazy. 

For everyone who makes Flying Colors your comic shop every week, please accept the thanks of everyone on staff here. It's a challenge to keep a small business going strong these days, so each and every sale and every relationship with those who shop here are important to us. 

We are always looking for ways to improve our service to you, including our current project of installing Point-of-Sale equipment that will hopefully increase our efficiency. 

Free Comic Book Day may have been my idea ten years ago,  but seeing the remarkable things this event has done for the entire comics world is really encouraging. Many of my comics retailer colleagues in the U.S., Canada and 40 other countries bring energy, creativity and enthusiasm to FCBD, making it a very special community event that is now the world's largest annual comics' event. All of this shows just how current the comics' medium is--- and how vital comic book specialty stores are to our local communities.

As I mentioned to a number of reporters I talked with leading up to FCBD, if you want to find the Next Big Thing, frequently visit your well-stocked local comic shop. If you want to read and absorb the ideas that will be developed in other, more passive mass media later, read comics today. Comics ARE the cool and creative nerve-center of visual entertainment--- the sugary core of pop culture. 

Stay tuned for more! The best is yet to come! 

Peace! 

FlyCoJoe

Saturday May 7 is the 10th Annual FREE Comic Book Day!

FCBD is a party of EPIC proportions!
Please invite everyone you know to get in on the fun of reading comics by starting with FREE comics on Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 7 at Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff (and nearly 2000 other comic shops in 35 countries around the world!)

Special Guests at Flying Colors! 

Cartoonist JEFF BONIVERT (Captain Four-Color, TMNT)!
Artist/Inker MICK GRAY (Batman and Robin, Promethea)!
Artist/Writer STEVE MONCUSE (The Fish Police)! 

Flying Colors features the following EXCLUSIVE items available on Free Comic Book Day:

• A signed, numbered limited edition full-color print by artist JEFF BONIVERT and inker MICK GRAY featuring Flying Colors' own CAPTAIN FOUR-COLOR! Proceeds of the sale of this limited edition print will be donated to The HERO INITIATIVE

• A signed, numbered limited edition exclusive bookplate edition of FISH POLICE Volume 1 from IDW with original art from creator STEVE MONCUSE!

MORE! There will be refreshments, cool deals and maybe even a costumed character or two! Be prepared to have fun! 

Stay in touch with what's going on at Flying Colors by "liking" our FACEBOOK Fan Page (no need to be signed up for Facebook to follow our fan page).

Countodown: Free Comic Book Day is One Week from Today!

Here's the new song from Cyrus & Isaiah---  "The First Saturday in May at Flying Colors". 

Free Comic Book Day Commemorative T-Shirt Available NOW!

Superstar comics artist DARWYN COOKE (DC New Frontier, Richard Stark's PARKER: THE HUNTER and THE OUTFIT) has designed a very cool t-shirt to commemorate the 10th Annual Free Comic Book Day.

The Flying Colors Retailing Brigade will be wearing these shirts on FCBD... and you can, too! Now in stock at Flying Colors, we have these shirts available in adults sizes S-M-L-XL and XXL. The shirts are also available in three colors--- Stone Blue, Burnt Orange and Black. $14.99 each (XXL $17.99).

Come and get 'em!

And BE HERE Saturday May 7th for
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

Party Time!

Join us at Flying Colors Comics for the first-ever Post-WonderCon Wake!

After a long three days at the convention... hundreds of pros, thousands of fans, millions of comics... you still want MORE and Flying Colors is going to deliver!

Wind down from the WonderCon wildness with a casual meet-up, featuring artists VIKTOR KALVACHEV, ANDREW OSBORNE, TOBY CYPRESS from IMAGE Comics BLUE ESTATE, along with JOHN HOFFMAN (Anthology 451)... and who knows who else?

We'll have light food and beverages, beer and wine. There will be signing, some sketching and maybe even some jam-drawing.

There may even be a sweet deal or two...who knows? Just be here to find out!

Sunday April 3 7PM-10PM... or?

let us know you can make it by replying in the comments section here or by going over to the "Events" section of our Facebook Fan Page.

Peace 'n' Good Times!

FlyCoJoe

WonderCon 1988 Review

Here's one from the vaults! This video was shot at the 1988 Wonderful World of Comics Convention in Oakland... still before it was called WonderCon (celebrating its 25th anniversary event April 1-3 at San Francisco's Moscone Center---don't miss it!).
This video is a look back to the simpler times of comic book conventions of the '80s, when a "crowd" of 4000 was really a huge deal!

New & Cool!

 The FANTASTIC FOUR is no more...

Launching on Wednesday March 23, 2011, nearly 50 years after the debut of FANTASTIC FOUR #1 by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby...

it's simply FF #1.
The Future Foundation is here.

So much more in store, head over to our Facebook Fan page for
a full list of this week's new releases.

WonderCon tickets are still available, too!

New Releases for Wednesday March 16, 2011...

...are posted on the Flying Colors Facebook Fan Page. 

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Vote Today for Flying Colors for Best Comic Shop in the Bay Area!

With just a few days left in the voting,
the Flying Colors' team would be honored
to get your vote on BayList. 


Please click the following link to vote for
Flying Colors Comics on the BayList site. 
                
It only takes a minute and every vote counts!
Thanks for your support!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe