the stuff inside my head that must get out
archives
Thu, 30 Dec 2004
It may seem ridiculous, but this Albert Einstein action figure is actually pretty cool. If you stick it on a spaceship going the speed of light for 100 years you still won't have any friends when it returns!
Wed, 29 Dec 2004
We're gonna miss you, Detective Lennie Briscoe.
Sun, 26 Dec 2004
Fred Hembeck has a box full of Santa heads.
Sat, 25 Dec 2004
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Wed, 22 Dec 2004
I give you Steve, don't eat it. Steve eats gut-wrenchingly awful foodstuffs like the one pictured above, so you don't have to. Ingredients include "MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN" and "PARTIALLY DE-FATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE". Mmmm, mmm good!
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
2005 is looking better and better all the time. In the fall we'll have The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, a 1440 page hardcover monster containing every single strip by master cartoonist Bill Watterson.
At $150, I think we'll still carry the individual collections as long as they're kept in print. But I still expect to sell my fair share of these guys.
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Tue, 21 Dec 2004
top 10 subscription comics at Hijinx
1. 48 ASTONISHING X-MEN 2. 41 SUPERMAN BATMAN 3. 36 IDENTITY CRISIS 4. 34 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR 5. 33 ULTIMATES 6. 32 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN 7. 31 AVENGERS 8. 30 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 9. 29 SUPERMAN 10. 28 SECRET WAR
I don't really push my comics subscription service much, as I prefer for folks to just walk on in and buy comics. I offer subscriptions more for people who know they want certain titles month in and month out, as it really helps with ordering decisions.
There are several different schools of thought about whether or not a comic book shop should offer subscriptions to their customers at all. Some folks I really respect and admire claim that all the labor and risk involved with carrying subs cancels out any gains you may get in the ordering process, especially if you already keep careful track of sales histories.
In the end I've decided to keep subscriptions going for one reason: customer service. It is truly our number 1 mission to provide the best possible customers service at all times. Whether it's a special order for an obscure graphic novel or just making sure you get the latest copy of X-Men, it's our job to make sure that you leave the store with a smile on your face and comics in your hand. That may sound corny, but it truly is the thing I care about most in my stores.
For all you data freaks out there, check out the complete list of subscribed comics at the Willow Glen Hijinx. Just remember that we sell a lot more books off the shelves than we do to subscribers, so this list doesn't necessarily correspond with sales numbers, but I think it's fun to look at anyway.
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Mon, 20 Dec 2004
The little gyrating bit of javascript above these words is a randomly updated grouping of photostreams from flickr the neatest photosharing site I've yet to come across. Click on any of the little thumbnails to see the full-sized picture plus more from the same photographer.
Sun, 19 Dec 2004
he's got balls, that's for sure
By now you've probably heard the news about Todd McFarlane filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Before you start dancing and proclaiming the freedom of Miracleman from the evil clutches of the Spawn-King, realize that chapter 11 is just a reorganization designed to hide money from the guy he lost the lawsuit to.
If there's any justice at all, the decision will be reversed on appeal. Even though I'm not a big Todd fan, the fact remains that he got railroaded on this one.
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Sat, 18 Dec 2004
Seanbaby has carefully catalogued the Hostess fruit pie ads featuring lots of popular comic book characters fighting crime with baked goods. The creamy center of the page features an interview with Bob Rozakis aka The Answer Man.
I wonder what Orson Scott Card thinks about an Iron Man that throws cupcakes at his enemies. Wait, no I don't.
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Thu, 16 Dec 2004
The Comics Reporter digests the news that conservative sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card will be writing the upcoming Ultimate Iron Man mini-series for Marvel.
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If you like your historical comics to be, y'know, accurate, please stay far away from Stalin vs Hitler. This little gem is a translated Russian comic which reads more like a bizarro Ditko Dr Strange comic than anything remotely historical.
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Wed, 15 Dec 2004
Fans of Geoff Darrow can rejoice at last as his new epic work Shaolin Cowboy is now in stock at both Hijinx locations. From the burlyman entertainment website:
He walks the path of three enemies. Those of the past, still pursuing him. Those of the future, waiting for him. Those of the present, learning it ain't so easy to kill him, or his nagging bragging burro! It's a buddy picture with a body count!
While you're clicking, check out the burlyman site for lots of free, downloadable goodies pimping Shaolin Cowboy, Doc Frankenstein and other cool comics.
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Tue, 14 Dec 2004
For a look at my evil parallel universe alter-ego, check out alt.nerd.obsessive. In true nerdfan fashion it indexes every appearance of the CBG.
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Mon, 13 Dec 2004
Please take a moment to check out these cartoon character skeleton studies for a creepy inside view of some darling little creatures.
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Fri, 10 Dec 2004
The back room in Willow Glen has started gushing water out of the concrete floor. It looks like the recent cold temperatures got the best of our old pipes and we are without water for the time being. This hasn't effected business yet, but I fear we may have to jack-hammer the floor up to fix the plumbing. Somehow I doubt that will encourage a lot of book browsing during the construction.
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Thu, 09 Dec 2004
Check out this interesting article about comic book culture in Japan. The most intereresting part to me was how we've come full circle from American pop culture influencing Japan to almost the opposite. Japanese pop culture is like a twisted reflection of our own, with some asian flavor mixed in to make some really weird cartoons, movies and video games. It has an eerie familiarity, and an unmistakable otherness to it that makes it almost irresistable to some, and unfathomable to many others. Sorta like old Jerry Lewis movies...
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It looks like the Pope John Paul comic book that came out in the eighties has just been released in Poland and no surprise, it's a big hit.
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Mon, 06 Dec 2004
Clowes speaks
Egon blogged about this
interview with
Eightball author Dan Clowes. In it he talks about
Art School Confidential, the new movie he's making with
director Terry Zwigoff.
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Mark Evanier linked to this disturbing take on America's favorite polka-dot obsessed comic book star. Beware, it asks the questions we've all left unspoken about all of Dot's "Uncles".
While you're at it, take a look at this creepy gallery of panels in comic books featuring spanking images. I stumbled across this while looking for images of Little Dot. I almost wish I hadn't looked.
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Sat, 04 Dec 2004
Garfield looms large in libraries
Tom Spurgeon blogged about this list of the most commonly carried books in libraries. It turns out that the first Garfield collection ranks #18. To put that in perspective, it ranks just below Tom Sawyer and slightly above Macbeth. All Shakespeare needed was a couple of good lasagna gags to beat Jim Davis.
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Mon, 29 Nov 2004
Warren Ellis sent a bad signal about anti-commie comics. The link leads to a comic called Treasure Chest of Fun that features "fun" stories like This Godless Communism... Truly good clean fun for kids!
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Masters of the Bankruptcy Universe
Licensed publishers MVCreations got royally screwed in the Crossgen fallout and are struggling to survive. Personally, I never liked any of their He-Man adaptations very much, and neither did my customers.
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Fri, 26 Nov 2004
Before Spider-Man India there was the classic Indian Epic Ramayana. From the website:
The original Ramayana was a 24,000 couplet-long epic poem attributed to the Sanskrit poet Valmiki. Oral versions of Rama's story circulated for centuries, and the epic was probably first written down sometime around the start of the Common Era. It has since been told, retold, translated and transcreated throughout South and Southeast Asia, and the Ramayana continues to be performed in dance, drama, puppet shows, songs and movies all across Asia.
thanks to boingboing.net for the link
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Tue, 23 Nov 2004
It's nice to know that no matter how sophisticated the French seem on the surface, underneath it all they're just as dorky as the rest of us. In some cases even dorkier.
Sun, 21 Nov 2004
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Sat, 20 Nov 2004
Feast your eyes on this here 12-page PDF preview of the upcoming Couriers vol 3 the Ballad of Johnny Funwrecker tpb. It's not for kiddies or you peacenik types out there, but for grown up lovers of action and crime comics.
Check it out and get ready to meet the author Brian Wood at the downtown store on Wednesday February 2. I'll be posting more info about his appearance soon, as well as some other top-secret news about the changes at the downtown store.
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Fri, 19 Nov 2004
Mark Evanier blogged about this new documentary about the good old days when comics were gorey and shocking and they even got so popular that there were congressional hearings about their ties to juvenile deliquency. Now the powers that be have set their sights on video games and comics are being embraced as educational and even intellectual. By the time they decide that video games might actually have artistic merit I wonder what we'll scapegoat then. Those damn holographic projecto-domes!
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Wed, 17 Nov 2004
Crossgen assets purchased by Disney
There just might be some life left in Crossgen Comics after
all.
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my mirror universe twin?
Read here about
the fate of the most evil villain in comic book history. So far.
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I just found out about this issue of Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane where Lois is changed into a black woman!
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Tue, 16 Nov 2004
Check out this cool hack that let's you drive an etch-a-sketch with a common serial mouse. Good fun for the kids.
Sun, 14 Nov 2004
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Sat, 13 Nov 2004
Captain America #1 written by Ed Brubaker
I take back everything I wrote earlier about thinking Brubaker was not
a good fit for Captain America. The preview copy I read this week was
excellent and I'm now greatly looking forward to the next issue. It
has twists and turns, fistfights on trains, cosmic cubes and agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D., everything I'm looking for in a good Cap comic, except
for Jack Kirby, but Steve Epting does a nice job anyway. I think I
liked this even more than the Iron Man #1 I liked so much last week.
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Thu, 11 Nov 2004
Check out this link for an online version of a great series of books we carry at Hijinx. The Brick Testament series seeks to interpret the bible using the medium of Lego.
Other recent biblical adaptations include Scott Hampton's Bible Eden and Simon Bisley's Illustrations from the Bible. I'm not a particularly religious person, but I really like all of these books.
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Mon, 08 Nov 2004
Iron Man #1 by Warren Ellis
There are quite a few new comics coming out this week, but the only one I
had a preview copy of was the new Iron Man #1 written by popular
writer Warren Ellis. I'm a fan of Ellis and I thought that a tech-driven
character was perfect for his sci-fi sensibility. My faith appears to be
justified as this book was thought-provoking and gripping.
Iron Man has always been a favorite of mine, but in recent years the comic has been fairly forgettable. How forgettable? Remember when Tony Stark came out and showed the world he was Iron Man all along? Well, apparently everyone is going to forget about that and accept that it's now just his anonymous bodyguard in the armor while he's out courting supermodels and running Stark Industries.
Deeper retcon (retroactive continuity) activity comes when we learn that Tony Stark originally became Iron Man during the original Persian Gulf War rather than in Vietnam. The changes don't bother me, as they are in service of a great story. This one gets a solid A rating from me.
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the Incredibles
I saw The Incredibles on Sunday night and really can't recommend it enough.
It was the best Pixar movie yet, the best action movie I've seen in years
and maybe even the best superhero movie ever. Go see this movie.
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Sat, 06 Nov 2004
that ain't cool at all
According to this article the WB has declined to pick up Global Frequency the
TV adaptation of the comic by Warren Ellis. That's too bad, as they'll
probably fill the show's timeslot with an insipid sitcom or bad teen
drama series. So much for quality broadcast television.
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Thu, 04 Nov 2004
Comic Relief in Berkeley is my all time favorite comic shop that I don't own. I'd venture to say that without them, I'd never have been inspired to open Hijinx. CR's owner Rory Root is a great guy and a good friend, and I've never met anyone more knowlegable in the field of comics.
Why am I using valuable space to plug a competitor's store? Because they're being evicted from their current location near UC Berkeley and are scrambling to find a new spot. If you find yourself near the East Bay soon, do yourself and Rory a favor and buy something from their incredible selection of graphic novels and comics.
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Wed, 03 Nov 2004
mock the vote
The votes have been tallied and the chads impregnated, and it looks
like we'll have some happy and unhappy campers in America for the next
4 years. I'm just bummed that my candidate lost.
Michael Chabon is best know by comics fans as the author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay a fictionalized account of the earliest days of comic book production. It's about a lot more than that, but it's Chabon's love of comics that has endeared him to the comics community, as if his Pulitzer prize-winning status will somehow rub off and add a veneer of respectability to our favorite art form.
In his keynote address at last year's Comicon, Chabon lets us know that we've got it all wrong. In our quest to be recognized as a legitimate art form, we forgot how to make comics for kids. I agree with almost everything in the speech, but nothing more than this:
Let's not tell stories that we think "kids of today" might like. That is a route to inevitable failure and possibly loss of sanity. We should tell stories that we would have liked as kids. Twist endings, the unexpected usefulness of unlikely knowledge, nobility and bravery where it's least expected, and the sudden emergence of a thread of goodness in a wicked nature, those were the kind of stories told by the writers and artists of the comic books that I liked. The first two, very generally speaking, you tended to find more often at DC; the second two at Marvel.
Thanks to Joe Field, creator of Free Comic Book Day for pointing this out to me.
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Ed Brubaker is a really good writer, but I feel like he's misused most of the time by the big two. Except for his run on Gotham Central, I really haven't enjoyed most of his comics lately. When I heard that he's taking over Captain America, I really don't see that as his kind of book, but I hope I'm wrong.
My very favorite Brubaker comics are his autobiographical stuff, collected in The Complete Lowlife. They're honest stuff and pretty darn entertaining to boot. I just finished reading the new Authority: Revolution, and while it was worlds better than the recent Robbie Morrison fiasco, it still falls far short of the Ennis or Millar runs on the series.
As for Sleeper his poor selling but critically lauded Wildstorm series, I don't really enjoy it. I like the crime noir style of writing, but I really dislike all the superhero action that seems artificially grafted on. I would much prefer if the protagonist were just a double agent rather than one with crazy pain-powered superhuman abilities.
While this post seems pretty negative, I assure you that I really like the work of Ed Brubaker, and I hope he gets a chance to do some comics that can really showcase his skills soon. Meanwhile, read an excerpt from his lengthy interview in the latest Comics Journal.
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Sun, 31 Oct 2004
In honor of Halloween, check out this gallery of cool jack-o-lanterns. These folks have elevated pumpkin carving to a true art form.
Sat, 30 Oct 2004
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Fri, 29 Oct 2004
manga: the followup
The last time I wrote
about manga it was just gaining a foothold at Hijinx. I vowed to
devote more shelf space to it, but I also promised myself to be
selective. I
talked to my customers to understand which people were looking for
which titles, and I make sure to stock any title that they express
even a casual interest in seeing. Most importantly, I read it myself
to try and understand what popular titles had in common. I've really
grown to appreciate the variety of titles that appeal to readers outside of the usual suspects. Just like in big bookstores it's the
fastest growing category in the store.
What I like the best is that I'm selling books to people that otherwise have no interest in comics. Young boys and girls as well as adults have started to shop here when other local stores refuse to carry manga at all. It's been slow but sustained growth for the category all year. The very best decision I made was that it was ok not to stock every volume of every series, as long as you're responsive to customer requests.
Like Ray Kroc used to say "look after your customers and the business will take care of itself".
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Wed, 27 Oct 2004
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Check out this site for more cool pictures you can make yourself using 12 sets of dominoes. Complete instructions are included for making several really cool pictures. I saw this link on boingboing.
a great comics website
Tom Spurgeon, a long time contributer to the Comics Journal and co-author
of the recent Stan Lee biography has a great website called
the Comics Reporter that
I plan to check out regularly. I like it so much I've added it to the
syndicated news feeds that appear below my semi-coherent ramblings.
Don't let the feeds stop you from checking out the site though. It's
a hum-dinger.
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Peter Bagge's Hate will always hold a special place in my heart. Hate was the first comic outside of the mainstream that really resonated with me that wasn't about homicidal milkmen or vigilante vegetables. It was about people a lot like those I knew or would soon come to know as I ventured into the realm of hipsters and grifters known as the real world.
A new Hate Annual was recently solicited from Fantagraphics, as well as a new collection of the early black and white issues of Hate. I highly recommend any of the works of Peter Bagge, especially Studs Kirby, Junior and The Bradleys. All of them in stock at either Hijinx!
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Sun, 24 Oct 2004
Click on the thingy above for more grainy on-set pics of the upcoming FF film. Thanks go to Danny on the message board for the link.
I'm still not sold that this movie will be of the same caliber as the X-Men or Spidey flics. Maybe I just remember too much of the Roger Corman produced bootleg tape I watched.
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decompression
If you're among those folks that don't feel like you get enough story
in a single issue of a modern comic check out this. Fairly juvenile, but pretty
funny too.
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Two-hundred years ago, the evil Dire Wraiths threatened the peace-loving planet, Galador. In their homeworld's darkest hour, a thousand brave, young Galadorians sacrificed humanity itself to become Cyborg Warriors, a last desperate line of defense. Though hopelessly outnumbered, these Spaceknights triumphed and pursued the remnants of the Wraith horde across the universe. Now, alone in the Enemy's mightiest stronghold, on a backward planet called Earth, one Galadorian Warrior faces his most awesome challenge. Stan Lee Presents: The Greatest of the Spaceknights-- ROM!
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Everybody's favorite vegetable-themed blue collar superhero is coming back from Image Comics. From the press release:
FLAMING CARROT's amazing No. 1 IMAGE/DESPERADO Issue!! (Also FC 33 in Reg. Series) "Crouching Carrot, Hidden Hot Wing!" Flaming Carrot Comics celebrates its 20th Anniversary with an all-new quarterly series! America's first surrealist superhero partners up with the sassy, saucy, former juvenile delinquent, Dynamite Girl, to battle Burden's most asinine villain yet: an eight-foot, anime-loving, poker-playing, baby-eating Hot Wing! Sponge Boy, The Flying Dead Dog and Miniature Abe Lincoln return, with a guest appearance by Mullet Force 6.
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my favorite comic book character
I'm asked about my favorite comic book character a lot. Occupational
hazard, I guess. The truth is I read way too many comics to have just
one favorite. But I suppose if you pressed me on it, I'd have to say
it's Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.
Jimmy was possibly the most realistic character in the Silver Age DC universe. He wasn't like the nobly driven heroes of most of the other titles, Jimmy was motivated more by base instinct. Throughout the series he acquired lots of different super powers, fabulous wealth, power and more, but he usually lost them by the end of the issue.
For some reason, Superman liked Jimmy enough to give him a hypersonic signal watch he could use to signal when he was in trouble. Thus, superman could act as a deus ex machina and swoop in at the last minute for a little super-ventriliquism or other outlandish stunt to extricate Jimbo from his latest SNAFU.
Jimmy Olsen proves the age-old adage that it's not what you know, it's who you know. It especially helps if who you know can change the course of mighty rivers and bend steel in his bare hands.
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Wed, 20 Oct 2004
I'm willing to give the guy a chance, buy he's got big shoes to fill.
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Tue, 19 Oct 2004
I'm officially changing the sale from a 1 year anniversary sale, to the Hurricane Hijinx Disaster Relief Sale.
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Sat, 16 Oct 2004
I just read about Inkulator 9000 on slashdot. It's software designed to render a 3D model as if it were drawn with pen and ink. The site describes it as Experimental software for creating graphic novel style images from polygonal meshs. I'm not sure what a graphic novel style image is, but some of the images on the site are pretty interesting.
Some will decry this as cheap gimmickry, but it's really just another tool for artists to chose from. Lots of artists are turning to the computer for labor-saving techniques that liberate them from some of the drudgery of drawing and giving them more time to be creative.
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Wed, 13 Oct 2004
I'll admit it. I like a good superhero comic as much as the next fanboy, maybe even a little more. The key is it has to be a good comic, not just feature a character I read when I was a kid.
Kurt Busiek's Astro City is a great comic, both because of it's freshness and familiarity. All of the characters seem sort of familiar, but story is told from an extremely human perspective, focusing on the humanity of the characters rather than their more fantastic trappings.
It's the focus on characterization and strong storytelling that makes the book work so well. The solid interior art by veteran Brent Anderson and stunning painted covers by Alex Ross add up to a package that is irresistable to the spandex-lover in me.
This week brings us Astro City: a Visitor's Guide (cover shown above) a sort of official handbook to the AC universe. It starts with an all-new eight page story before delving into all of the dirty details of the series. It makes for a nice intro to the series, and then you can dive head first into the trade paperbacks, always in stock at either Hijinx location.
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Mon, 11 Oct 2004
I answered his questions by email almost a year ago, when he was working on an article for his Minimalism column in the Journal. Since the last issue had the very last installment of Minimalism I thought these comment would never see print.
The store layout has changed a lot since I answered these questions, so some of the answers about how I display minis aren't true any more. It was gratifying to read that many retailers have experienced the same frustrations I have when trying to deal with mini-comics creators.
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Tue, 05 Oct 2004
triple triple
Craziest
tells the story of a young woman searching for meaning in the game
of Scrabble. Her ultimate goal is to score a triple triple,
meaning a single word that spans 3 triple word score squares on the
board.
Normally I wouldn't link to a Flash-driven website, but this one is just too good not to share. I read about it on screenhead, a new weblog about funny stuff.
Sat, 02 Oct 2004
1 year of Hijinx Downtown
I can't believe it's been a year exactly since we opened the doors to
Hijinx Downtown. I honestly wasn't sure if we would still be open
this long.
It's been just about the toughest challenge I've ever taken on. Besides the general economic mood a year ago, downtown San Jose has never been a safe bet for retailers of any sort. We've developed a real core of customers who are helping to keep the store afloat and constantly improving.
We don't have a lot of money behind us, but we've got a solid foundation that I intend to keep building on. I promise that for the next year we will double our efforts, and truly deliver on the promise of a best of breed comic book store for downtown.
Keep watching this space for info about our blowout 1 year anniversary sale!
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Fri, 01 Oct 2004
the grand comics database
The Grand Comics Database is a totally
non-profit project with the noble intent to scan the cover and index
every single comic book in existence. They've got a sizable hunk indexed,
and anyone can participate in the project. Here's a handy interface you
can use right now:
| Matching: |
|
| Sort by: Name Year |
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Mon, 27 Sep 2004
where to pick up Chicks
I was reading a thread on The Comics Journal message board about what
the best selling mini-comic of all time is. One poster hit the nail
on the head when he brought up this one.
Jack T Chick's 25 cent hate screeds can be found in more sales venues than Spider-Man ever will.
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OOPs they did it again
As any loyal Hijinx Customer knows, we do our best to carry every
graphic novel we can get our hands on. Unfortunately, not all of
our favorite comics are kept in print and readily available. We do
our best to stock these gems, but there are a couple of personal
favorites that are getting the short shrift. Among them is Bill
Willingham's long OOP (Out Of Print) Elementals:
click on the cover for an elementals cover gallery
Elementals was one of those books that was way ahead of it's time. It was one of the first mature readers superhero comics, and I still consider it the best of the bunch. Rather than just being ultra-violent and throwing the F-word around gratuitously, Willingham really tried to examine what his characters would really feel like if they'd been brought back from the dead by Elemental magical forces to stop the oncoming apocalypse at the hands of the immortal Saker.
What I really liked about the first story arc is that while they did manage to defeat Saker, it wasn't until after he was able to set his master plan in motion. Subsequent issues dealt a lot with the fallout of the team's first mission, as demonic forces are popping up all over the world as a result.
Unfortunately, Willingham sold the rights to the Elementals just before the purchaser, Comico, went down the proverbial crapper. Some of the characters continued in the adult's only Ironwood, but it was never the same for us fans of the Elementals. Let's hope someone acquires the rights soon, as it's too good a series to dissapear forever.
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Thu, 23 Sep 2004
who's number 1?
In case you haven't noticed, there have been an awful lot of new series
filling the racks lately, so I thought I'd give a quick run-down of
some of the new books out there. Marvel has been leading the pack with
title after new title, all of wildly varying quality, IMHO. DC was
also opened their floodgates and we've only just started to see the
deluge of new titles. Many of these issues could be better described
by the term "number 2" if you catch my scatalogical drift...
- Gambit #1: forgettable x-crap C-
- Rogue #1: see Gambit C-
- Nightcrawler #1: better than Gambit, but not much C+
- Madrox #1: the best of the new crop of x-spinoffs. Fresh story and character take by Peter David made it work. B+
- Bullseye's Greatest Hits #1: Solid art, but the story is pretty contrived B-
- Black Widow #1: great art by Bill Sinkewicz and a solid spy story made this one pretty enjoyable. B+
- Ex Machina #1: My favorite of the whole bunch. Another page-turner written by Bryan K Vaugh with exceptional art by Tony Harris. Don't miss this one! A
- Warlock #1: Better than I thought, but I don't think this will satisfy old-school Warlock fans. B
- Strange #1: Dr Strange reinterpreted by J Michael Strazynski (Rising Stars, Supreme Power). Not much happens in the first issue, but I'm interested enough to check out the next one. B
- Adam Strange #1: Oooh, it's the all new Adam Strange. Rann is gone but he still manages to find a jetpack and raygun to use in the first issue. Not bad, but far from gripping. B-
That's all I can do for now, but I'll add some more as new titles roll in.
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Tue, 21 Sep 2004
$24.95 Free Shipping
In my quest to read more Manga to see what all them dang kids are always going on about, I thought I'd try something by the master. Osamu Tezuka is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, but this series is a little deeper. It tells the story of Siddhartha Gautama, known simply as the Buddha. The story is a rollicking adventure story, with plenty of drama, pathos, action, magic and yes, even some wacky hijinx.
Tezuka is at his finest with this series. The art is lush and inviting to the eye, with dynamic page layouts that don't detract from the action they contain. The story is full of magic and lessons about the value of life in all it's forms. As a nice cherry on this sundae of comics goodness, the book and jacket are designed by Chip Kidd, who ignores his sometimes over-busy sensibility for a starkly striking design with a minimalist dust jacket. I give this one an A+
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Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
$11.95 Free Shipping
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Mon, 20 Sep 2004
The Authority: Human on the Inside
$24.95 Free Shipping
The basic plot revolves around yet another dastardly villain using yet another insidious method to attack the Authority, who are sort of a totalitarian super-friends. The catch here is that rather than death rays or radioactive meteorites, the villains instead exploit human nature to try and bring the team down from the inside by turning them against one another.
There are lots of nice "Mature Readers" moments in this book that will play well to long-time Authority fans, but I'm afraid it doesn't have much to offer to a new reader, as some of the plot hangs on knowledge of the original series continuity to truly make sense.
The artwork by newcomer Ben Oliver was servicable, with nuanced emotion and convincing action. His detail level is low, but his characters move with real weight and presence. I hope we'll see more from him soon.
Overall, this was a satisfying book, but I'm not sure it was deserving of the hardcover treatment. Once it is in paperback, I'm sure I'll sell quite a few to Authority trade customers, but I don't think this hardcover will be selling out soon. I give it a solid B.
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Sun, 19 Sep 2004
arrrrrrrrr!
Avast, ye bilge rats! September 19 be Talk Like a Pirate Day. Drag your grog
laden carcass to Hijinx for some Pirate comics. With the untimely
death of Crossgen, El Cazador's future is uncertain, so where
can you get a good dose of high seas adventure? Once again we can
turn to Alan Moore's Watchmen and the comic within a comic,
Tales of the Black Freighter. Buy it now, Lubber!
Do yourself a favor and read this nice article about one of my very favorite comics publishers. They're unapologetically snobby, but they've got the goods to back it up as they've published some of the greatest comics ever put in print. I wonder if it's tough to work with all that eerie purple light everywhere?
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Wed, 15 Sep 2004
Comix on the radio
Art Spiegelman talks about his new book In the Shadow of No Towers
on Wisconsin Public Radio.
You'll also get nice interviews with Chris Ware and Neil Gaiman and a
bunch of other folks getting all intellectual about our favorite art form.
Thanks to Anatole over in the forums for the tip.
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Tue, 14 Sep 2004
ultra-detailed map of Springfield
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Sat, 04 Sep 2004
the $64,000 question
Would Superman eat veal? This came up in about the super-dorkiest
conversation I've ever participated in. According the Mark Waid's
Superman: Birthright Superman is a vegetarian. However, it has
been long established that Clark Kent's favorite meal is Beef
Bourguignon (with ketchup), but would the man of steel eat veal?
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
What's the best comic shop in Silicon valley?
If you're already shopping at Hijinx you know the answer to that
question! Share your knowledge with the world by filling out the
Metro
best of Silicon Valley survey, or by grabbing a copy of the
paper and filling out a ballot by snail mail.
I'm not going to tell you
who to vote for, but to not share your love of Hijinx with the
world would practically be a crime against humanity. Won't someone
please think of the children!
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Thu, 02 Sep 2004
downtown remodel
We've got an all-new updated floorplan for the downtown store. We've
moved and improved our all-ages section and expanded the new comics
wall by over 33% I think the new flow of the store is great and is
well worth a trip downtown to check out the best looking comic shop
you may ever see.
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Sat, 28 Aug 2004
more signal, less noise
I just updated the algorithm that derives the list of new stuff over there in
the first column. It will now only list what is actually new for the week, and will spare
you from wading through all of the reorders on the list.
I've been programming a lot more lately, mostly due to finally setting up something close to an actual office for myself. It's amazing what having a good workspace can do for your productivity.
Speaking of which, I've been getting antsy with the store layout again. Expect to see some major changes in the next couple of months. I'm not exactly sure what's coming, but get ready for a shakeup.
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the beastly book tour report
I had to work in Willow Glen all day, but reports from the Downtown store
indicate that a good time was had by all. Many thanks to Christopher and
Black Olive for their time stumping for their comics Outlook Grim and
Ghouly Boys. Check out more groovy Slave Labor comics at their
nifty website.
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Fri, 27 Aug 2004
the earth-pig revisited
You should read Cerebus: A Retrospective. My favorite is still High Society, but what do I know? Read the book.
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Mon, 23 Aug 2004
who is da bobkat?
I'm not positive, but I think
da bobkat is a customer
at Hijinx. I know he's got stuff you may want to buy, but can you
guess who da bobkat might be?
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Thu, 05 Aug 2004
sprucing up
The eagle-eyed among you may notice I've finally updated the feature bar over there in the right
hand column. Go ahead and check them out, you may notice a theme.
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Thu, 29 Jul 2004
Sin City the movie
Fresh from Mario central casting:
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Sat, 17 Jul 2004
Alternative Comics needs your help!
Jeff Mason from Alternative Comics just sent out this open letter looking for fans to support his comics. Alternative puts out some of my very favorite comics, including :
Magic Whistle by Sam Henderson
Peanut Butter and Jeremy by James Kochalka
And lets not forget the great online Indy Magazine is also funded by Alternative. Come to Hijinx and support this fantastic comics publisher in a slight financial bind.
For my part I pledge to keep all of Alternative's books in stock at both Hijinx locations, so you can do your part and buy some!
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Thu, 15 Jul 2004
Hulk Blog!
From the Onion, check outs this gamma-spawned opinion piece.
While you're at it, check out the Hulk's Blog
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Tue, 13 Jul 2004
graphic novels in the NY times
Check out this 10 page article about graphic novels from
the latest New York Times. Don't worry, it's not written by Jayson
Blair...
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Tue, 06 Jul 2004
Independence day schedule
Comic will be in on Thursday, July 8 instead of Wednesday due to
the holiday weekend. Make sure to come take advantage of our
infamous No New Comics Wednesday Sale. Buy any
graphic novel and get 50% off any other in stock graphic novel
or equal or lesser price. BOGO your way to big savings!
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Fri, 25 Jun 2004
see me talk about comics
I'll be doing a little presentation for the SJPL's teen summer reading
program over at the new Vineland Branch Library on Tuesday, June 29 at
3:00pm. I'll be talking about comics and, uhhhh.... stuff. Hope to
see you there!
[/topics/store] permanent link
Mediawatch: Comics Calendar
Diamond just sent me this nice list of comics-related movie and
TV projects and I thought you good folks might like a gander:
NOW PLAYING
Title Studio/Network
Astro Boy - 2004 (TV) Kids WB
Case Closed - a.k.a. Detective Conan (TV) Cartoon Network
The Chronicles of Riddick/Pitch Black 2 (Film) Universal Pictures
Duel Masters (TV) Cartoon Network
Duel Masters: Sempi Legends (Video Game) Atari
Garfield (Film) 20th Century Fox
Growlanser: Generations (Video Game) Working Designs
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Film) Warner Bros. Pictures
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (TV) Cartoon Network
Kill Bill Volume 1 (DVD) Miramax Home Entertainment
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (DVD) New Line Home Cinema
Lupin the 3rd (TV) Cartoon Network
The Matrix Revolutions (DVD) Warner Home Video
Monsters Legacy DVD Collections (DVD) Universal Home Video
Rave Master (TV) Cartoon Network
RoboCop Trilogy (DVD) MGM Home Entertainment
Shrek 2 (Film) DreamWorks SKG
Smallville: The Complete Second Season (DVD) Warner Home Video
Teen Titans (TV) Cartoon Network/Kids WB
Transformers: Energon (TV) Cartoon Network
Trigun (TV) Cartoon Network
Tutenstein (TV) NBC/Discovery Kids
Van Helsing (Film) Universal Pictures
COMING SOON
Title Release Date* Studio/Network
SECOND QUARTER 2004
Megaman Anniversary Collection (Video Game) June 22 Capcom
Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season (DVD) June 29 Warner Home Video
Spider-Man 2 (Film) June 30 Columbia Pictures
I, Robot (Film) July 16 20th Century Fox
Catwoman (Film) July 23 Warner Bros. Pictures
Hellboy (DVD) July 27 Columbia TriStar
V: The Series (DVD) July 27 Warner Home Video
Thunderbirds - 2004 (Film) July 30 Universal Pictures
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence 1st Half 2004 (U.S.) DreamWorks SKG/Go Fish
THIRD QUARTER 2004
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (DVD) August 10 20th Century Fox
Alien Vs. Predator (Film) August 13 20th Century Fox
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie (Film) August 13 Warner Bros. Pictures
Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament (Video Game) August 17 Atari
Astro Boy (Video Game) August 17 Sega/Sony Pictures
Exorcist: The Beginning (Film) August 20 Warner Bros. Pictures
Hero (Film) August 20 Miramax Films (U.S. Distributor)
Catwoman (Video Game) Summer Electronic Arts
Spider-Man 2: The Movie (Video Game) Summer Activision
The Punisher (DVD)** September 7 Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (Film) September 10 Sony Pictures
THX 1138 (DVD) September 14 Warner Home Video
King of Fighters: Maximum Impact (Video Game) September 15 SNK
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Film) September 17 Paramount
Pictures
Star Wars Trilogy (DVD) September 21 Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox Home Video
CSI: New York (TV) Fall 2004 CBS
Frankenstein (TV) Fall 2004 USA Network
G.I. Joe Vs. Venom (DVD) Fall 2004 Paramount Home Entertainment/Hasbro
Jack & Bobby (TV) Fall 2004 The WB
Nightmare on Elm Street: Real Nightmares (TV)** Fall 2004 CBS
One Piece (TV)** Fall 2004 Fox
Pee Wee's Playhouse (DVD)** Fall 2004 Image Entertainment/Herman World
Popeye's Voyage (TV) Fall 2004 King Features Syndicate/Mainframe
Entertainment
Shaman King - New Season (TV)** Fall 2004 Fox
Smallville - Season 4 (TV) Fall 2004 The WB
Sonic X - New Season (TV)** Fall 2004 Fox
Star Trek: Enterprise - Season 4 (TV) Fall 2004 UPN
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - New Season (TV)** Fall 2004 Fox
Tokyo Mew Mew (TV)** Fall 2004 Fox
X-Men Legends (Video Game) Fall 2004 Activision
Dawn of the Dead - 2004 (DVD)** October 5 Universal Home Video
Son of the Mask (Film) October 15 New Line Cinema
Lady Death (Film) October 31 ADV Films
FOURTH QUARTER 2004
Popeye's Voyage (DVD) November 9 King Features Syndicate/Mainframe Entertainment
Howl's Moving Castle (Film) November 28 (Japan) Studio Ghibli
Blade: Trinity (Film) December 10 New Line Cinema
Godzilla Final Wars (Film) December 11 (Japan) Toho
Hellboy: Director's Cut (DVD) Winter 2004 Columbia TriStar
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Extended (DVD) Winter 2004
New Line Home Cinema
COMING SOON
Global Frequency (TV) 2004/2005 The WB
Greatest American Hero (DVD)** 2004/2005 Anchor Bay Entertainment
A History of Violence (Film) 2004/2005 Warner Bros. Pictures
Man-Thing (Film) 2004/2005 Lions Gate Films
Who Wants to be a Super-Hero? (TV)** 2004/2005 MTV
Wonder Woman (Film) 2004/2005 Warner Bros. Pictures
Shazam! (Film) 2004/2005 New Line Cinema
Battlestar Galactica - New Series (TV)*** January 5, 2005 SCI FI
Elektra (Film) February 18, 2005 20th Century Fox
Constantine (Film) February 23, 2005 Warner Bros. Pictures
The Brothers Grimm (Film)*** February 2005 MGM/Dimension Films
Star Wars: Clone Wars - Season 3 (Film)** March 25, 2005 Cartoon
Network/Lucasfilm
Star Wars: Episode III (Film) May 19, 2005 20th Century Fox/Lucasfilm
Batman Begins (Film) June 17, 2005 Warner Bros. Pictures
Family Guy (TV - New Episodes) June 2005 Fox/Cartoon Network
Fantastic Four (Film) July 2005 20th Century Fox
The Punisher 2 (Film) Fall 2005 Lions Gate Films
Iron Man (Film) November 2005 New Line Cinema
Aeon Flux (Film)** 2005 Paramount Pictures
The Ballad of Bettie Page (Film) 2005 HBO Films/Killer Films
The Batman (TV) 2005 Warner Bros. Animation/The WB/Cartoon Network
Bewitched (Film) 2005 Columbia Pictures
Bond 21 - Working Title (Film) 2005 MGM
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Film)** 2005 Warner Bros. Pictures
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (Film)
2005 Walt Disney Studios
Doctor Who (TV) 2005 BBC
Family Guy (TV) 2005 Cartoon Network/Fox
Fat Albert (Film) 2005 20th Century Fox/Davis Entertainment
Ghost Rider (Film) 2005 Columbia Pictures
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Film) 2005 Spyglass Entertainment
Logan's Run (Film) 2005 Warner Bros. Pictures
Luke Cage (Film) 2005 Columbia Pictures/Marvel Studios
Mission: Impossible 3 (Film) 2005 Paramount Pictures
Serenity - a.k.a. Firefly: The Movie (Film) 2005 Universal Pictures
Sin City (Film) 2005 Dimension Films/Troublemaker Studios
Spy Hunter (Film) 2005 Universal Pictures
Star Trek: The Animated Series (DVD)** 2005 Paramount Home Entertainment
Star Trek: The Original Series (DVD)** 2005 Paramount Home Entertainment
X-Men 3 (Film) May 3, 2006 20th Century Fox
Black Widow (Film) 2006 Lions Gate Films
Deathlok (Film) 2006 Lions Gate Films
Ghost Rider (Film) 2006 Columbia Pictures
Hulk 2 (Film) 2006 Marvel Studios
My Sassy Girl (Film) 2006 DreamWorks SKG
Namor (Film) 2006 Universal Pictures
War of the Worlds (Film) 2006 Paramount Pictures
Spider-Man 3 (Film) May 4, 2007 Columbia Pictures
*- All dates/information subject to change.
**- New addition.
***- Date change.
****- Title change.
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Thu, 10 Jun 2004
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Sun, 06 Jun 2004
only in Japan...
This article talks about the problem of
Japanese politicians reading comics while Parliament is in session.
from the article:
Comic books, often with very adult themes, are common reading material for men well into middle age.
They are light years ahead of us!
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Sun, 30 May 2004
2004 Eisner nominations
Better late than never, here's a complete list of this year's Eisner Award Nominations. Check out the list and be sure to click on the links to the GN search engine for more
info about the works and artists nominated.
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Fri, 28 May 2004
McSweeney's Quarterly Concern #13
Trust me, you don't want to miss this book.
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Mon, 24 May 2004
GN search is live
Now you can search for graphic novels by title or description!
This is pretty useful if you want to find GNs by a particular author, like
Alan
Moore or Chris Ware. I can also now post more info-packed links about individual books I recommend, like
Maus,
Palestine or
Watchmen.
Not every book in stock has been added yet, but the list is growing daily.
[/topics/store/website] permanent link
Fri, 21 May 2004
Li'l Folks - Charles M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings
Until now, this book was only available through the
Charles M Schulz museum, but
Hijinx has obtained a limited supply of this great looking volume that
makes the perfect companion to The Complete Peanuts vol 1. These are in limited supply, so get yours today!
Free Shipping!
Derrick Bang - With Foreward by Jean Schulz
Charles M. Schulz: Li'l Beginnings, with a foreword by Jean Schulz and annotations, editorial commentary and an introduction by Derrick Bang, includes all 135 of the panels that Schulz created for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, his hometown paper, between June 22, 1947, and January 22, 1950
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Sun, 16 May 2004
I usually don't like websites with a lot of Flash animation, but this one is pretty darn cool. From their site:
Newsmap is an application that visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator. A treemap visualization algorithm helps display the enormous amount of information gathered by the aggregator. Treemaps are traditionally space-constrained visualizations of information. Newsmap's objective takes that goal a step further and provides a tool to divide information into quickly recognizable bands which, when presented together, reveal underlying patterns in news reporting across cultures and within news segments in constant change around the globe. Newsmap does not pretend to replace the googlenews aggregator. It's objective is to simply demonstrate visually the relationships between data and the unseen patterns in news media. It is not thought to display an unbiased view of the news, on the contrary it is thought to ironically accentuate the bias of it.
Sun, 09 May 2004
Not to be outdone by the recent Marvel online previews we've linked to lately, check out these absolutely gorgeous preview pages from Auad Publishing's new book featuring the art and life of Jordi Bernet.
Bernet is an amazing talent, but don't take my word for it. Check out the introduction by none other than Will Eisner. If that doesn't convince you, read the foreward by a guy you might have heard of named Joe Kubert.
Torpedo 1936 is a hard-edged crime comic with lots of violence and humor. I especially loved I spit on your cards! just one of the Torpedo tales in this fantastic collection.
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Thu, 06 May 2004
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Tue, 04 May 2004
Check out yet another full preview of the upcoming Doctor Octopus Year One, courtesy of Marvel. Enjoy.
[/topics/store] permanent link
freshly formed feedback forums
I just expanded our feedback forums to separate some of the discussions
currently jammed into what is now the miscellany
forum. I've added a board for comics and
one for customer service issues as well. I'm open
to suggestions for other topics as well, so let me know in the customer service forum.
[/topics/store/website] permanent link
Fri, 30 Apr 2004
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Sun, 25 Apr 2004
24 hours of power!
24 hour comics day
has come and gone, but I'm still awake and working!
This event was the single busiest in Hijinx Downtown history and
everybody seemed to have a great time. I'll be posting more news after
I shower and nap a little...
[/topics/store] permanent link
Sat, 10 Apr 2004
free Punisher tickets
I just got free tickets to a special screening of The Punisher on Monday, April 12th. Stop by Hijinx Willow Glen and pick
one up while supplies last. Each pass will admit two.
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Fri, 09 Apr 2004
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Sun, 28 Mar 2004
moth sketch from Steve Rude
It was too big to scan, so I took a picture with a semi-dodgy camera phone. Great stuff!
[/topics/store] permanent link
Sat, 27 Mar 2004
another object-oriented comic
Peter Conrad is at it again.
First it was ANK #9 (currently displayed in our featured GN section) in
the shape of a pack of smokes, now he's upped the ante and added
interactivity.
Don't you just love stuff like this? I know I do. It sort of reminds me of Hello World by Jason Shiga, but looks more fun to play with. Peter is also a programmer with a couple of really cool Palm OS tools you can download for free from his site.
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Thu, 25 Mar 2004
the dude abides
Steve Rude has come and gone from Hijinx Downtown, leaving only good
memories and happy fans behind. He was a great guest, and the day was
one of our most successful promotions ever. Steve took lots of time to
talk with old fans but also plenty of time talking to young kids who may
not have heard of him before but left full of enthusiasm for comics.
Here's one nice picture of Steve at work, but watch this space in the
next few days as I post scans of some of the great sketches he did.
[/topics/store] permanent link
Sun, 21 Mar 2004
Mirrormask by Gaiman and McKean
I hadn't even heard of Mirrormask until I just read about it on a
private message board. Apparently it's a collaborative effort between
Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean and the Jim Henson company. This is pretty
exciting stuff, folks! From the website:
MirrorMask centers on Helena, a 15 year old girl in a family of circus entertainers, who often wishes she could run off and join real life. After a fight with her parents about her future plans, her mother falls quite ill and Helena is convinced that it is all her fault. On the eve of her mother's major surgery, she dreams that she is in a strange world with two opposing queens, bizarre creatures, and masked inhabitants. All is not well in this new world - the white queen has fallen ill and can only be restored by the MirrorMask, and it's up to Helena to find it. But as her adventures continue, she begins to wonder whether she's in a dream, or something far more sinister.
[/topics/arts/movies] permanent link
Thu, 18 Mar 2004
without further ado...
I give you Gorillarama. A comic lover's guide to all things simian. Enjoy. Thanks go to Grotesque Anatomy
on this one.
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Sat, 06 Mar 2004
now you're cooking with google
Check out this cool google hack that lets you put in the ingredients in your
fridge, and it will spit out a recipe. Try it here:
JK appreciation day is Wednesday, March 10
I'm officially declaring Wednesday, March 10 to be JK appreciation day the day where we can all give thanks to JK McGill the unsung hero of Hijinx Comics Willow Glen. For those that don't know, JK sold the store to me
almost 2 years ago and I still can't get him to leave! He hasn't
missed a new comics day at the shop for over 17 years and shows no
signs of missing one soon.
I worked for JK for many years of my misspent youth and have him to thank for my lifelong love of comics. We have very different tastes in comics, but there's nobody whose opinion I value more when it comes to running Hijinx. I've never met anybody with a bad thing to say about him as a person, and I know from watching that he's a great husband and devoted dad to his two kids.
So come in Wednesday and say thanks to JK for his years of service keeping one of the last remaining comic shops in San Jose in business. Without his tireless efforts, there wouldn't be a Hijinx today.
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Tue, 02 Mar 2004
what is best in life?
We have a winner of the Conan contest! Lance writes:
JUST FOUND YOUR WEBSITE TODAY WHILE DOING A SEARCH FOR STEVE RUDE. GLAD TO SEE THAT HE WILL BE VISITING YOUR STORE ON HIS MOTH TOUR, HOPE TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND AND MEET HIM AS HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTIST. WHEN I CAME ACROSS THE CONAN CONTEST ON YOUR WEBSITE, I DID A SEARCH OF MY NEAR COMPLETE MARVEL CONAN COLLECTION AND FOUND THE GIL KANE PINUP ON THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF "SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN" ISSUE#29. I HOPE THAT THIS QUESTION HAS NOT YET BEEN ANSWERED AND THAT I AM THE FIRST TO DO SO. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.
Lance has won a $20 gift certificate from Hijinx Willow Glen. See, isn't the internet wonderful?
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Fri, 27 Feb 2004
Conan contest
An old customer just came in to sign up for our subscription service
because he was so excited about the new Conan series from
Dark Horse comics. It's lucky he did, since it's been flying off the
shelves here and is already going into a second printing. He brought
in a beautiful piece of original Gil Kane Conan pin-up art he recently
purchased on Ebay, and is trying to find out what issue of Conan it
originally appeared in. If you know, email me the answer or just call it in. The winner will receive
my eternal gratitude and a $20.00 Hijinx gift certificate! Here it is:
Good luck!
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Thu, 26 Feb 2004
A.P.E. droppings
This year's Alternative Press Expo was a blast! I met tons and tons of
great people and picked up loads of comics and minis to bring back to
both Hijinx locations. Come in and check out our selection of the best
the Expo had to offer.
Here's a great gem picked up:
A long out of print signed mini from indy artist Jim Blanchard.
I also got a chance to speak to lots of up and coming artists, including Derek Kirk Kim who did the excellent Same Difference which about to be reprinted by Top Shelf. You can check out more of his work at his website Small Stories. I'm the ugly one.
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Sat, 21 Feb 2004
at least somebody is reading this stuff...
Weblogger Sean Fumo comments here on my Manga:
Fad or Future piece. I posted a response in the comments section of
the link, but basically I think he more or less missed the jist of
what I was trying to say.
Manga is literally just another word for comics. As San Jose's best comic book store, I'd be remiss not to have a healthy Manga selection, just as I have healthy Fiction/Literature and Comic Strip sections. The key word there is healthy. If I carried every single book in publication, I'd have to close up shop. Some day I will, but I need to see steady growth in categories, not huge boom and bust cycles.
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Sun, 08 Feb 2004
Julius Schwartz R.I.P.
I just read about the death of one of the most beloved comic book
editors of all time, Julius "Julie" Schwartz. I don't know enough
about Silver Age history to do him justice, so you should read what
Mark Evanier has to say about it.
As for me, I've always had a soft spot for all the DC comics with gorillas on the cover, ever since I heard that came from an edict by Schwartz that monkeys sell comics. It's a sadder world without him.
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Fri, 06 Feb 2004
more crappy college comics
because nobody demanded it...
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Wed, 04 Feb 2004
Manga: fad or the future?
A lot of folks have been talking about the Manga explosion of the past
year. According to this article on ICV2 Manga saw a 75-100% growth, and they call it
"the fastest growing area of pop culture". What's most interesting to
me is that these figures only account for sell-in, not sell-through.
That means sales to retail outlets have increased. That's not a surprise since the number of titles offered has exploded. When I see
Tokyopop release up to 40 new Manga gns in a single month, I can see the coming glut and
inevitable retraction on the part of retail outlets. There are simply
too many titles being released too quickly, at least for me to keep up
with.
That being said, certain titles, particularly the Shonen Jump titles from Viz and selected TPop titles have seen pretty good sales at Hijinx. Other titles have been simply sitting on the shelves collecting dust. While I'm all for growth in any area of the comics industry, I see some parallels between the current Manga boom and the black and white boom and bust of the eighties. While some titles are truly worthy and popular, it's really hard to seperate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. It seems a lot of publishers seem to think that if it's small and translated from the Japanese, it's a guaranteed winner. That simply isn't the case, and I would suspect we'll see some contraction of the market in the coming year.
I'll continue stocking a wide variety of Manga, but I simply can't afford to carry every single title, or I'll go belly up! That's why I rely on my customers to keep me up to date on which titles are crucial to stock, and which are forgettable. Luckily I have such a diverse customer base that I've been getting reliable tips from my regular Manga customers and have had the right titles to satisfy demand from customers off the street.
As to the title of this post, Fad or Future, I think the answer is a little of both. There is certainly a faddish nature to the stuff, but like many fads, I think it will continue to have legs long after this initial window of popularity is over. After all, I still sell a fair amount of Pokemon cards, despite the fact that Pokemon is considered "dead".
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Tue, 03 Feb 2004
crappy college comics
I recently unearthed some of the comics I drew while attending
San Francisco State University. They're pretty bad, but I thought
I might dust them off and post some here from time to time. Please
be gentle...
Hilarious stuff, huh? No? Well maybe you'll like this next comment on antidisestablishmentarianism, now digitally remastered!
[/topics/arts/comics] permanent link
Fri, 30 Jan 2004
Hijinx media blitz continues
As promised yesterday, here's the link to a nice little piece
the Mercury news ran on Hijinx Comics today. It's not an in-depth
piece or anything, but every little bit of exposure helps!
[/topics/store] permanent link
Wed, 28 Jan 2004
Hijinx media blitz!
Make sure to check out the front page of this friday's (1/30/04) Mercury News
business section for a nice article about San Jose's best comic book
shop. Coincidentally, Diamond Comic Distributers also just ran a nice
feature in their trade magazine for comic retailers. It's not available
to the general public, so I'm including the text here:
It was 2002, and Dan
Shahin had had enough. A disillusioned software programmer during the dotcom
bubble, he was tired of dealing with bad bosses and ill-conceived business plans
that wasted money. For Shahin, it was time to find a new career.
Taking
time off from programming, he embarked on a cross-country camping trip, where he
thought long and hard about what he wanted to do with the next chapter of his
life. While software programming paid well, Shahin realized that his true love
was comics. And it was during this epiphany that he decided the course of action
he would take: save money and open a comic book specialty store.
Not
long after he made his decision, events seemed to work out well for the future
retailer. He'd negotiated a deal to purchase San Jose, CA's Mike's Coliseum -- a
comics shop he'd been working at on the side since he was a teen. And in April
of 2002, he renamed the store Hijinx Comics -- a specialty store reflecting what
he loves most about the four-color medium.
"I'm passionate about
diversity in comics," said Shahin, who quickly went about changing the look and
product mix of his new store, replacing sports cards with a wide selection of
comics and trade paperbacks. "My goal at the store is to appeal to readers of
all ages, young and old. I want my store to be a place for people who enjoy
reading."
To do so, he brought in a full line of trades, added new book
shelves, and diversified the comics he ordered by racking more titles from
smaller publishers.
While the previous owner emphasized sports cards in
"Mike's Coliseum," Shahin found the store's transformation into Hijinx Comics --
a store focusing on books -- to be smooth due to his former boss's knack for
exceptional customer service. It was for that reason Shahin had a solid core of
customers when he took over; consumers who were ready to embrace the store's
emphasis on offering primarily comics and trades.
To develop consumer
interest in the trade paperbacks and graphic novels he offered, Shahin created a
book club for his customers. Customers who sign up for his book club receive a
5% in-store credit towards their next trade purchase each time they buy a
graphic novel. This proven retailing tool provides Shahin with important
demographic information about his customers. He's able to track his customers'
purchases, allowing him to target advertisements and suggestive-selling tools
geared toward his customers' likes. It also gives his customers an incentive to
buy their trades at Hijinx so they can take advantage of the in-store
credit.
Shahin racks his trades by genre. These include: Horror and
Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Non-Fiction, Biography and Autobiography, Crime, All-Ages,
Super-Hero, Manga, and Humor. One of the things Shahin is looking to do this
year is rack his manga by genre as well. Shahin raises the question, "Why
shouldn't sci-fi manga be racked with the other sci-fi books?" He also thinks
genre-racking manga would help him develop a Romance section in his store.
On the subject of manga, Shahin is presently experimenting with renting
manga to his customers. Shahin believes with so many manga titles out there to
choose from, a lot of fans are not sure if they want to jump into a series with
so many volumes to buy. By renting manga, readers can pay a fraction of the cost
of buying the book -- and get a chance to try out different titles to see what
they enjoy. For example, readers can rent the first volume of Dark Horse's
28-volume Lone Wolf and Cub series to get a taste of the series. If the
customer discovers that he likes the title, he can purchase the series' other
volumes.
As a comics retailer, Shahin hasn't forgotten the skills he
learned as a software programmer, and has applied those skills to his business.
He's a big fan of Diamond Online, which he believes offers retailers a
tremendous amount of retailing a