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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