WHEN IT HAPPENS IN COMICS...

....IT HAPPENS IN FLYING COLORS!

Just a slogan, right? No way!

Case in point: Next week (Wed Sept 27) the first Image Comics issue of TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD will be released to retailers on the east coast. West coast comic book retailers (including Flying Colors, natch!) will have it on sale Wednesday Oct 4. The photo here shows Tom Beland giving Jenny an advance copy of the comic book.

Those of you who follow this delightful, heart-felt and funny series know it's really the TRUE STORY of Tom Beland and his love Lily Garcia. They met at a bus-stop in Disneyworld--- Tom was working for a newspaper in Vallejo CA while Lily has a blossoming media career in Puerto Rico.

TRUE STORY is the ongoing story of their love together---except that Tom left the island nation of Puerto Rico months ago, separating from Lily, but still longing to be with her.


So what does this have to do with FLYING COLORS? Earlier today, Tom & Lily visited and wanted to share some good news. Not wanting to keeep it to myself, I recorded it for everyone to share and enjoy.

I posted the video on YouTube.com and you can see it by clicking on the arrow in the screen shown here.

So now you know, When It Happens in Comics, It Really Does Happen in Flying Colors!



Peace!

FlyCoJoe

YouTube?

No one responded to my plea for help with how to post a video on this blog, so after some searching, I figured the best way to show you some videos here is to post direct links to YouTube.com .

Careful, though, because YouTube.com is a *very* addictive site. You can find lots of rare bits of video from your favorite musicians and groups, old commericals and public service announcements including WILLIE MAYS' famous '60s spot telling kids to stay away from blasting caps! There's a lot of good old sports footage, news clips and other random oddities.

Add to that are the two videos I recently added:

Video #1 is the very short piece from Brian and Jen's wedding reception. See it HERE!

Video #2 is a PAN & SCAN of FLYING COLORS, taken with the video feature on my cheapo little digital camera. Really, the store looks a lot better in person. That's an invitation for you to come by soon to see for yourself! See the video HERE!

Peace y'all!

FlyCoJoe

Comics In The Classroom!

One of the wonderful things happening with comics lately is the use of comics and graphic novels in educational environments. Teachers, library staff and tutors everywhere are realizing how powerful the comics' medium is in getting new readers of literally ALL ages excited about reading.


We live in a visually drenched culture, so it only makes sense to teach using visuals. Comics are very powerful for exercising the interpretive and cognitive skills of readers. It's with that introduction I'd like to direct your web-browser to a site called Comics In The Classroom.
Parents, teachers, library staff will all be able to find good information and some solid recommendations at the Comics In The Classroom site.
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And now, the FLYING COLORS Retailing Brigade checks in with our Picks of the Week!

Joe: CAPTAIN AMERICA #21
Mike: JONAH HEX TP Volume One
Brian: PRIDE OF BAGHDAD graphic novel
Jenny: KLEZMER: Tales of the Wild East graphic novel
Ed: DMZ #11
Chris: LOVE & ROCKETS #17

And for those of you hanging on CIVIL WAR, this week there are several CW tie-ins, including CIVIL WAR FILES, MS MARVEL, CIVIL WAR #2 McNiven Sketch Variant and CIVIL WAR #1 Captain America Unleashed cover!

So what's your favorite comic this week?

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

BRIAN TIES A HAPPY KNOT!

If things seem just a little bit quieter around Flying Colors for the next couple of weeks, there's a happy reason for it. Brian will be taking a couple of weeks off to spend time with his bride! Saturday September 9, Flying Colors' own Brian tied the knot with his One True Love, the ever-cute and always-stylish Jen (who many of you will recognize from her helping us out each year on Free Comic Book Day).

I'm posting a couple of pix here from the festivities--- at left is a photo of Brian & Jen making their official entrance after the wedding ceremony. What a great party it was, too! There were probably 150 or so in attendance---and all had a wonderful time with lots, I mean LOTS, of laughing, dancing, and a little bubbly, too.



The whole event really hit me in profound ways. Not only do I care a great deal about Brian and Jen and want great things for their new life together, but the wedding hit me as another example of how FLYING COLORS is maybe just a bit more than just a place where people buy "comics & other cool stuff".

At the wedding and reception, in addition to all of Brian' family and all of Jen's family (and a really nice group they all are!), there were two full tables of Brian & Jen's FLYING COLORS' Family---including most of my family, our current store staff and a number of Flying Colors' Faithful. It made me realize and appreciate that we're not only a business, but we're also a community of our own.

This photo of the Flying Colors' portion of the reception is not a great quality shot--- I must have the world's worst digital camera--- but it does capture all of us together, late in the reception party and all having a great time (come to think of it, maybe that's why most of my photos were somehwat blurry...).

Thanks to Brian's family, the Hodgkinsons---and thanks to Jen's family, the Zaros, for allowing my family and the Flying Colors' family to be a part of this celebration.

Peace, all!

FlyCoJoe

PS: Last thing: I have a short and great piece of video from the wedding reception currently on my computer desktop, but I honestly have no clue how to post it here. Hopefully, I'll find out in the next day or so. If not, I may just post it to YouTube.com (an incredibly addictive web-site).

New Releases' Day is THURSDAY Sept 7

Hope you all had a good long holiday weekend! Due to the Monday Labor Day holiday, our New Releases' Day this week will be Thursday September 7.

Hours for this week are:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 11AM-7PM
Thursday: 11AM-8PM
Sunday: 12 Noon-7PM

The photo to the right features Jenny with Jonathan, long-time Flying Colors Faithful. Jonathan is now a producction assistant for IMAGE COMICS in Berkeley, as well as an MBA student, excellent cartoonist, pretty darn good tennis player and all-around good guy.

Jonathan (along with artist Terry Moore) surprised Jenny for her birthday a few months ago with an original page of art from Jen's favorite series: Moore's STRANGERS IN PARADISE. We've had the piece on display in the store, but it was time for Jenny display it in her digs, so I took this shot to show off the page, let you see a small corner of our store---

---And remind you that STRANGERS IN PARADISE is one really great and gripping read. We have all the trade paperbacks and pocket editions in stock right now, so next time you're in the shop, ask Jenny to give her recommendation for this series. SIP is a "Guaranteed Read"!

The 9 11 REPORT GRAPHIC ADAPTATION has been getting a lot of buzz lately. If you'd like to preview the book, SLATE.com has pages posted HERE!

And remember, the reason some people get so goofy about comics is to keep from going crazy about things in general!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Comics-Related Movies Opening This Week!

One of Hollywood's great mysteries gets the big screen treatment this week with the release of HOLLYWOODLAND. It's the story of the death of TV's original Superman, George Reeves. The cast of the movie features Ben Affleck as George Reeves not yet sure about how that'll work out), along with Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins.

I have to admit that SUPERMAN RETURNS wasn't as good as I had been hoping--- when the best action in a super-hero movie occurs in the first 30 minutes of a two and half hour feature, that's probably a movie that didn't quite live up to expectations. Be that as it may, I'm hoping HOLLYWOODLAND fares a lot better.

Yes, it's a different kind of movie---but it does deal with the super-hero genre in that George Reeves as Superman in the 1950s was as close to a real hero as many kids had. His death, officially ruled a suicide, but never conclusively, left millions of kids sad, if not totally disillusioned and confused.

Maybe this movie will answer some questions and then ask others. I'm looking forward to it.
HOLLYWOODLAND opens September 8.

Yet another graphic novel makes its way to the big screen, when COVENANT, originally from IMAGE's TOP COW Studio, opens later this week. I don't remember much about the comic, but we'll have it in stock for those who want to check the source material against the movie version.

Labor Day pushes New Releases this week to Thursday, so we'll see you soon!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

More Comics in the News!

Comics continue to be making the news!

Long-time comic industry veterans Sid Jacobsen and Ernie Colon have been making the media rounds talking about their graphic novel adaptation of the 9-11 REPORT. Sid and Ernie have been on most of the morning news programs, as well as on NPR and other talk shows. Some mass market outlets have already received this book and we will be getting our copies in store soon.


If you're wondering who Sid and Ernie are--- these guys probably have close to 100 combined years experience working in comics. Sid, I believe, was he creator of RICHIE RICH for Harvey Comics back in the late '50s and was the chief editor for Marvel's STAR Comics, their '80s entry into the kids' comic book market. Ernie has worked for many publishers doing a wide variety of genres from horror to super-heroes to some work for Harvey Comics.

The 9-11 REPORT graphic novel adaptation is definitely challenging mainstream media's notions of what can be done in the medium of comics storytelling. I'm glad to see two comic industry pros of long and good standing getting some attention for their new work.

On a much more local level, storyteller Orlando Harding and his new series PARIAH are featured on the front page of the Datebook section of today's San Francisco Chronicle, in a story well written by reporter Peter Hartlaub. You can read it HERE!

It's tough for indie creators to make a go of it when DC and Marvel are cranking out tons of exciting stuff, but I like to think there's room for mavericks like Orlando. We also hope you'll take the time to check out all the independent comics we stock here at FLYING COLORS. The lesson we learned a long time ago is that readers like variety. No one goes to the ice cream store expecting they'll only have vanilla and chocolate, right? By the way, we are due to get more copies of PARIAH back in stock in a day or two, so please let us know if you'd like us to reserve them for you.

Peace 'n' Comics!

FlyCoJoe

Look! Up in the Store! It's...the New Skyscape!

Publisher's Weekly interviewed me last week for my reaction to Marvel's announcement in the delay of CIVIL WAR and related titles. You can read the coverage
HERE!
Let me know your reactions to this mini-tempest by hitting the "Comments" button, OK?

While we're waiting for the CIVIL WAR title to get back on track, there are two excellent CW-related tie-ins that hit the racks today--- NEW AVENGERS and HEROES FOR HIRE. Don't miss 'em!

Also in store, the first issue of the new JUSTICE LEAGUE of AMERICA (no abbreviations this time!) by New York Times' best-selling author BRAD MELTZER (2005's IDENTITY CRISIS). WONDER WOMAN #2, another late title also shows up today---and like CIVIL WAR will be when it finally shows, this title is worth the wait.

Also form DC, the ABSOLUTE DARK KNIGHT over-sized hardcover is here---and with the requests we've been getting for this one, we suggest you put it in your "buy" pile soon.

ITEM: Some of you have noticed---and I've pointed it out to others, but there's a new addition here at FLYING COLORS. It's the new FLYING COLORS' skyline and spacescape spanning the more than 40 feet width of our store.
Be here soon for all the Cool Stuff!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

TRUE STORY: Power Pop & Comics!

If you've seen the Flying Colors' TV spot featuring my daughter Jenny, you already know that she's ready to recommend lots of great comics to girls who might be reluctant to jump into the comics' scene on their own. 

Jenny's two favorite recommendations for women are Terry Moore's long-running series STRANGERS IN PARADISE and Tom Beland's funny and quirky romance called TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD!

Tom stopped by the store today (with the drawing you see here) to thank Jenny for promoting his work, not only in TRUE STORY, but also the two Spider-Man stories Tom has had published by Marvel Comics over the last year. I echo Jenny's recommendations of Tom's entertaining, funny and heartfelt stories! TRUE STORY moves to Image Comics with its next issue and you can bet it'll be more popular than ever.

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As a huge fan of Power Pop--- the style of music first coined by Pete Townsend of the Who, and invented by that band and others like the Beatles, the Kinks, the Beach Boys, the Raspberries and Big Star, it's always a kick to see where Power Pop will show up. Power pop features soaring melodies, crunchy guitars and layered harmonies that will remind you of the best days listening to music on AM radio. or maybe it'll remind you of the great days lisstening to latter day power poppers like the Replacements, REM, the Bangles and Cheap Trick!

I've long thought that the connection between power pop and comics is a strong one--- both are now promulgated mostly by independent artists, fighting the tide against the forces of MTV and the self-fulfilling prophecy of the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star." This week, in DC Comics' MANHUNTER #25, I've spotted another fan of power pop in series writer Marc Andreyko who features power poppers THE 88 in the new MANHUNTER issue.


Since we occcasionally play THE 88 here on the FLYING COLORS' sound system-- and we also feature a stellar selection of power pop CDs from NOT LAME RECORDINGS, the prime purveyor of pop music on-line. Check 'em out HERE! There's probably a sound sample or two from The 88...

And while you're at it, check out MANHUNTER from DC COMICS. It's a good read with plenty of action to go along with engaging characters. And hey, with CIVIL WAR delayed for a few weeks, it's a good opportunity to read something new!

Peace 'n' Pop 'n' Comics!

FlyCoJoe

FLYING COLORS in the news...

Check out the front page of today’s San Francisco Chronicle for another excellent feature by CW (Chuck) Nevius, this one’s about the fall of the sportscards speculation market.

You can read it HERE

I still really enjoy baseball cards---mostly because I LOVE baseball--- and have a decent collection of my two favorite teams, the A’s and the Giants (yes, one can love both teams!), and my collection has cards that go back to the ‘50s. Love the ’67 Willie McCovey pictured here. I was eleven in ’67, so that really was my personal golden age…

Actually, I have a card or two from the late 1930s featuring my great-uncle Joe Bowman (and if you haven’t read my blog entry about him, “The Uncle Joe I Didn’t Know”, it explains the origins of my life-long addiction to America’s #1 sport).

If there’s something I want readers of the Chron article to take away, it’s that the value of collecting sportscards isn’t in impossible-to-realize financial gains from selling recent vintage sportscards. The value is in extending one’s enjoyment of the sport---and happily, that’s what I’m seeing from most baseball card buyers over the last year or two.

We took part in the National Baseball Card Day back in June and our turn-out wasn’t great, so we still have some of the giveaway packs. If you’d like one, mention this blog next time you’re in FLYING COLORS and we’ll give you one for FREE! (Limit one per person while supply lasts, blah, blah, blah…)

Also in the news, one of the panels I moderated at the San Diego Comic-Con got some coverage at the comic news site “PULSE”. It’s a short-hand version of some of what I (and my fellow retailers, along with Diamond good guy Dave Hawksworth) had to say about starting a comic book store. We had a full room, easily more than 150 in attendance, including Kate Keller from Sequential Tart, who did the Pulse piece.
You can read it
HERE!



Just remember, these are really *notes* of what was said more than actual *quotes*, so if you have specific questions you’d like answered, you can always call or e-mail me. I’m open to doing some consulting for new comic shop retailers, but just remember, the first call is free, so if you really need a chunk of my time while you’re trying to get a new store off the ground, I do ask for a consulting fee.

Comic-Con was amazing, but it was also exhausting for me---as evidenced by this being my first new blog entry since the end of that monster show. In retrospect, I honestly wish I had more time to be a fan there---I was so wrapped up in running retailer programming and doing other behind-the-scenes meetings, that I didn’t get much of a chance to see Comic-Con. Next year, it’ll be different!

Peace, y’all---

FlyCoJoe