TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

I had several Facebook Friends thank me  for publicizing the current 'Indy Comic Book Week' that started December 27th.... 

Since today, December 30th, 2009 would be a 'new comics day' at your LCBS, I am repeating the blog post here with a few updates.  Here is the press release for this current event:

"Indy Comic Book Week is not only an event, but also a call to action.

Diamond Comic Distributors announced they will not ship any new comics for the last week of December. This company is the primary distributor of comic books in North America. What some would call a sad week without our favorite mainstream titles, we are calling an opportunity. This vacancy allows independent and small press comic book creators to claim this week as their own.

We challenge writers and artists to self publish new material for this week, and offer it to their local stores. We ask for retailers to take this as an opportunity to showcase local independent talent on the new release shelves. We encourage fans to break from their buying habits and try something new.

Raise your fist and proudly declare that comic books are more than an industry, more than a handful of corporations – it is a creative outlet for independent-minded artists and storytellers. This last week of 2009 belongs to you. Power to the people. Right on."

I've been blogging about many indy comic books, both one-shots and mini-series, since beginning this blog back in June of 2006.  So I am pleased to see others taking the lead in promoting indy comics at the end of this year!

I have been blogging about newer indy comics series  that I picked up at recent comic cons right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com for the past few weeks, only stopping to mention the changes that Tina and I are doing in our websites for the year 2010. (See yesterday's blog for news on those developments.)

You can follow what is happening this week and how you can participate in 'Indy Comic Book Week' by checking out the details at:

http://indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.

For our part...Tina and I will be having all the independents comics / graphic novels that we have ready to be sold listed in our online store at:

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

That's Right! As previously announced at the beginning of this Holiday Season, I mentioned that I was revising Tina LoSasso's domain name of 'MakeItSoMarketing.com'.

That's because I had taken that domain name and used it for our online store division.  Then I had used that domain name in thousands of references in the eBay version of our Blog since 2006. 

Well, with eBay closing down 'their blog format' this past October 31st, that meant that the thousands of archived blog posts with that domain name mentioned were no longer pointing toward our online eBay Featured (Premium) Store.

So, when Tina asked about increasing the presence of MakeItSoMarketing.com as her book launch and promotion site, this seemed to be a good period of time to do some de-construction and reconstruction of web sites!

Note: ComicBooksCircus.com came about because back in 1999 I had named my own eBay sales page a generic 'comic book marketplace'.  Gary Carter, who then owned the magazine 'Comic Book Marketplace' (CBM) based in Coronado, California, asked me if I would change the the generic reference to something else so there would be no confusion. 

That's when I came up with the many 'tents' idea of web pages in my off-eBay web site. It only seemed natural to have a 'Big Top of Comics' to 'house' those 'tents'.  So I built a portal (home) page for the site and started adding multiple pages with different genres of comics, ending up with over two dozen pages in the web site!  

However, I found that listing comics in my own web site and also in eBay auction listings a little too time consuming while working a full time job.  So when eBay started the 'stores' format of listing, I went to that style of listing.  Ebay didn't like non-eBay links on their pages after time went by... so I decided to just emphasize the eBay store with my email addy, letting the ComicBooksCircus web site dwindle down in size and scope.  Then I just started referring potential buyers to the eBay Store from the ComicBooksCircus web site 'tent' pages itself.

So, starting this week, and going into the new decade, I'll be revising the old web site, and re-directing those 'tent pages' to the corresponding eBay store page that carries that 'genre' of comics.  

What was once Old is now New Again!  Funny how things seem to go around in cycles, or is that circles??? 

Besides having an exhibitor table at a virtual comic con, (Facebook Comic Con), I've now got what feels to be another exhibitor table at the eBay 'comics show'. All I need now are 'real' creators signing there!  

So, very soon http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com and corresponding pages will only be going to the eBay Featured Store, and http://www.MakeItSoMarketing.com will be going to Tina's Corporate web site only, which is almost ready for re-launch.  Of course there will be some additional links at that site pointing viewers to Tina's and my other endeavors because it does take search engines a while to re-discover links!

Whew!  A lengthy explanation, but I wanted to explain why the change in scope of this Blog for the past few days!

I'll be back with more mentions and reviews of comics and graphic novels in a few days! Especially with this week being 'Indy Comic Book Week'! (Click here for details on what that is all about!)

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TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

It's almost the end of the 2009 year, which means we still have Stan Lee's Birthday to celebrate!  Today, December 28th, 2009, is Stan's 87th Birthday! Happy Birthday to You, Stan! 

The above photos were taken the last time I saw Stan, which was at the Opening Day of the Ignaural 2009 Long Beach Comic Con.

Stan was the Guest of Honor, who cut the Opening Day Ribbon, but not until after he was also honored by the City of Long Beach by having the Day, October 2nd of 2009, declared 'Stan Lee Day'!

Plus he was also given another 'honor', which was read by Jeph Loeb, who is also pictured above.

It has been my honor to blog about Stan Lee several times during this Blog's "life".  Stan was and still is my 'hero', after all these years!  

It was his participation in the 'Silver of Age of Comics' that kept me reading and collecting comics during the 1960's into the 1970's, when so many others my age dropped reading them because comics weren't 'cool'.  That's a different story today, as it is the twenty-somethings and plus that keep this industry busy by buying comics and graphic novels!

I'm not going to go into Stan's history with comics... heck, it would several blog posts to do just that! Instead I'm just going to post the following link from Wikipedia.org that gives a fair representation of Stan Lee's background and accomplishments. (Click here for the Wikipedia entry'.)

Plus to see what Stan Lee is doing nowadays, check out his web site at POW Entertainment!

Plus, You can be a 'Fan' of Stan's at his Facebook Fan Page like I am!

Suffice to say, if it wasn't for STAN LEE, and his multiple co-creators like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, Joe Maneely, etc., I wouldn't have the several websites and this blog to be busy with! For that Stan, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Enjoy Your Special Day, Stan!  Let there be many more!  'Nuff Said!

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TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

I want to share with you today some Christmas comic book covers that I have either seen or owned over the years.... 

Starting with a couple that were published in time for my 1st Christmas in 1952!

The one at the top left of this blog post is from Standard Comics.  It's amazing how many comics publishers no longer exist today from the 1950's! But I have to admit that we are experiencing a New 'Golden Age' today, where individual comic book creators can publish their own works, which could be even better!

The comic book at the top right of this blog is from Farrell Publications. Instead of running a 'Bugs Bunny' Christmas Holiday comic book cover here like I've done in the past; I thought I'd run 'Billy Bunny' instead.  I'm probably getting several blank stares at the screen just about now... Billy Bunny??? LOL!

The comic book cover that we just passed while reading this text was one of those neat-o comic book ideas, 3-D Comics!  You know, just like "at the movies" in 1953 when this comic book was published! It was a 'cool idea' to see the First Christmas in 3-D back then... but where's my 3-D glasses at?!

The comic book to the immediate left reminds me of the many times I've been to Disneyland during the Holidays. 

It used to be that a family could go to Disneyland on Christmas Day or the Day after without crowds.

Now the crowds are there with the same idea, making Disneyland during the Holidays look a lot like Summertime... Sheesh!

Although Disneyland was my favorite amusement park growing up, running a close 2nd was Knott's Berry Farm.  When I returned years later to live in the Orange County area, I found myself living just a few miles away from Knott's, so I really had fun taking relatives who came out to visit to have Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner. And load up on the Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Preserves.  Knott's became my favorite amusement park in California. Yumm... good ol' days!

Talking about the good ol' days, I grew up as a 'Ford' man, because my Dad had nothing but Fords when I lived at home!

Heck, my first car was a brand new 1970 Ford Maverick, not the 1961 Ford Mustang that Santa Claus is driving in the 1961 Ford Promotional Christmas Comic Book at the immediate left!

I really enjoyed those promo comics of the Golden and Silver Ages of Comics, as you can see through the period of time I've been blogging and including them in the 'Main Features' or 'Featurettes' sections!

A lot of those promo comics are now shown at Scott Shaw!'s Oddball Comics web site, as well in his card packs for sale. If you received cash during the holiday season, and enjoy the covers shown here today, check out Scott's sites.  This year I did a special 'Spotlight On... Scott Shaw!', where you can find out more of the details and why I love attending his 'Oddball Comics Slideshow'!

Okay, now I skip a few years to 1978.  The year that the comic book to the immediate left was published from Marvel Comics. 

I do enjoy reading the Classics stories, especially in Classics Illustrated style or similar like Marvel Comics did.

The 'Santa Claws' versus whomever that have seen print in recent years really don't get my attention.  Plus I wouldn't give those away for Christmas gifts either.

So yeah, I'm getting older, even though I feel like a 'Big Kid' most of the time!

There are more Christmas Comic Book Covers out there, but I've run several of those in past years here at my Blog, plus I have to leave a few for the upcoming years to blog about! There are enough of them out there that someone could actually build a 'Christmas Comic Book Covers Collection', and have a good short box full!

My thanks to those who emailed me or messaged me, asking about where's my Christmas Comic Book Covers this year in my Blog.  In past years I've used them several days up to Christmas Day, but decided not to do that this year!