Coming To San Diego For the Comic-Con? Then Read This Book Before You Get Here! For One of the Two Best Burger Chains In The Area! -------------- Above Photo: The Front Cover to In-N-Out Burger by Stacy Perman. At the Left: Issue #1 (and Only!) Hot Rod King published by Ziff-Davis from Fall of 1952!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3180:

Yeah, believe it or not...I do read other printed matter than just 'floppy' comic books and graphic novels, LOL!

I just finished reading the above book and thought about those of YOU that are coming to the Comic-Con International San Diego for either the first time, or a repeat visit, and have never had an In-N-Out Burger experience!

I keep getting asked each year about good places to eat during the Comic-Con. Well, Tina and I don't really go out to eat during the comic-con days, as we are there from the wee hours of the morning (standing in line for Hall H a couple of days at least), and staying till late at night usually.  I can't handle the all nighters any more, but then again, I started attending back in 1972 as a dealer when I was much younger!

So when I'm asked about good food, the question is counter-questioned by 'fast food' or 'sit-down restaurant with friends'?  If it's 'fast food' I usually think either 'Mexican Food' due to us being so close to the Mexican border, or burgers!

You see, of the burger chains that are in our area of Metro San Diego, there are only two that I frequent.  In-N-Out Burger and also the original Tommy's Burgers - home of the World's Best Chiliburgers!  (And Yeah, I lived in LA Metro Area for a few years, where both of these burger chains started!)

Well, Tommy's is a tale for another blog post, because I haven't found a book on that chain yet...

But I have to tell YOU about this book and the chain, and the relationship to comic books!

"Comic Books?" You say...?

Yeah comic books. But first a quick mention of the book pictured above.

This book was first published April of 2009.  Written by Stacy Perman, it just jumped out at me.  Why?  Because unlinke most other burger chains, this one fought off all kinds of efforts to go national via franchising.

Stacy presents a well written and well researched story in her book.  I was fascinated by it, quite honestly!

The family that started this burger business did not want publicity for years, and only recently has the general public been privvy to some of what was going on there.  The family wanted the product to speak for them, and did not have any spokesperson or character doing publicity for them.

The only real publicity in the early years was their endorsement of one of the sons' racing hobby, which turned out to be more than a hobby. 

That racing endorsement goes on to this day, (as of January 2010 at least), and that is why I chose to blog about this today.

You see there is a small genre of 'hot rods' and 'car racing' comic books.  The Hot Rod King #1 pictured at the top left of this post is from the Fall of 1952.  So yeah, hot rods and comics do go back a ways!

I've always stopped to read the hot rod racing comic books as they come in with collections that we buy from other dealers or those individuals that contact us to sell their collection. 

I don't go out of my way to buy them, but if I see that Jack Keller, who was my favorite artist on the Kid Colt, Outlaw comic book series drew it, then I stop to read them.

Anyways, back to the book itself.

Stacy does NOT do a tell-all 'yellow journalism' piece here. It is presented IMO without prejudice and without sensationalism of what has happened since the family first started in Baldwin Park, (Los Angeles Metro Area), of California.

The book starts with husband-wife team, (Harry & Esther), that started the first location, and then on to the the two brothers, (Guy & Rich). It ends with the grand-daughter, (Lynsi), who has taken over the business. 

Sharp story telling, AND it actually has eight pages of photos!

For those of YOU that are BIG Fans of this burger chain, (AND that includes my wife, Tina LoSasso!) this is a MUST Read for you!

For those of YOU that are just coming into San Diego for the San Diego Comic Con International (a.k.a. Comic-Con International: San Diego), then I suggest at least stopping in and checking out this burger chain.  PLUS check this book out if your are driving / flying into our area.

Here's the link to the locations finder for In-N-Out Burger. There are six locations within 8 miles of the San Diego Convention Center!  Just keypunch in 'San Diego CA' 92101 in the search bar.

Here's the link to their 'Secret Menu' as discussed in the book.

Oh, and Tina always orders a Double-Double with grilled onions, fries, and a soft drink, which is Not on the 'Secret Menu', but is actually pictured near the top of this blog post, just 3 photos above this paragraph!

I believe I've covered everything that I wanted to, and why this topic is related to comic books!

My thanks to Stacy Perman for writing this book!  Great Read! If it was a Comic Book or Graphic Novel, I'd give it a Near Mint (NM) 9.4 out of a 10.0 grading scale!

UPDATE...As of 09-07-10 I just found that there is a paperback format of this book coming to print soon! 

We won't have any for sale in our own online store as it doesn't fit our usual sales niche, but here's a link to where we suggest YOU get a copy if you are wanting to purchase one after reading this blog!  In Paperback format found here:

In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules!

AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,175 total posts in number!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post appears differently for different browser platforms. This blog is written first for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently, sorry about that!   The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.   NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

 

'My Take' On: Yi Soon Shin Warrior And Defender #2 From Onrie Kompan Productions -------------- Above Photo: The Front Cover to Yi Soon Shin #2. At the Left: The Creator of this Comic Book Series, Onrie Kompan!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3179:

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, Tina and I have been revamping the 'home office' to allow both of us to work from the same location. Thus it's taken me a little bit of time to get back on a 'review' blog schedule.  I don't want to neglect this review  aspect of my Blog, so am back to presenting another one today...

Today's post is a review on the second issue of a comic book series that I have already blogged about before, (click here for that review blog.) At that time I had a few questions about the limited series.  Those questions were being answered by this 2nd issue as well as a letter from the publisher.

So what is this issue about? Well..first, I suggest you read my in-depth review of issue #1 via the link above, so you don't feel like you came in late.  Then here is what issue #2 is about per Onrie Kompan:

"Without giving too much away, Issue #2 picks up where Issue #1 left off.  In the aftermath of the Korean Navy's victory at the Battle of Okpo, the Japanese invaders are now determined to assassinate Admiral Yi. One man claims he can get the job done. His name is Baron Seo."

Onrie also tells me that:

"...We will resume production on Issues #3 and #4 starting in August.  The same team will be working on the book.  The first trade will be released in Summer 2011."

So what's 'My Take' on this second issue? 

Front Cover:  Beautiful artwork, colors and copy text.

Inside Front Cover Page: A LOT of copy text, but this is very helpful for someone who is just picking up this series for the first time. PLUS it is a refresher to those that read the earlier issue a while ago.

Splash Page:  Not a splash page per se...It starts right in on the action.

Interior Pages:  The action continues, the cast is rounded out and fleshed out.  The continuation of the storyline was well thought out, and the really nice artwork continued from the first issue.  I really believe that it is the coloring that is setting this series apart from many others though. Even though there is blood because of the battle scenes, it is not over the top in coloring.  Great job here by Adriana De Los Santos!

The Inside Back Cover:  Shows the cover to the upcoming issue #3.  Good preview cover page!

Back Cover: Basically a promo page for what this 'Limited Series' is about. Plus a link to the comic book's web site.  Good promo piece.

So, after all of the above...what is 'My Take' on all of this?

Well...First of all, I was pleased to see this issue come in for possible review.  As stated in the review blog on the 1st issue, I hadn't known about the Imjin War between Korea and Japan during this time period of 1592 - 1598.

I found that the even though the action took place on the battlefields, that the blood 'n guts of war didn't spill over into the pages of this comic book series too much.  I believe as I said above, that the excellent coloring kept this bloodletting from getting out of hand on the printed pages.

The storyline and spoken words by the characters seemed to fit the scenes and the actions being taken.  I was kept busy in reading the story by Onrie Kompan.

The artwork by Givoanni Timpano really fits this genre of story as I stated before.

The lettering by Joel Saavedra was set a little smaller in font size than what I am used to, but it didn't detract from the artwork. Plus it actually 'drew' me more into seeing the artwork in this font size.

Again, as stated in the earlier blog post of mine, this storyline is written in the viewpoint of the Korean side of the conflict, and I am not a historian of that part of the world. However, the presentation of the storyline and the contributions by the artist, colorist, and letterer makes for good reading.

I look forward to seeing the continuation of this storyline. I am not for sure of the total number issues in this limited series. However, there is supposed to be a trade paperback in 2011 for those that prefer to read TPBs. 

I would grade this 2nd issue of the Limited Comic Book Series with a 'Near Mint' (NM) 9.4 out of the 10.0 Grading Scale. That's because I don't give anything above that grade when selling 'comic books' like this one in our own online comic book shop! 

It is that good IMO.  My only question would be the time between now and #3 some time in August.  However, if the next issue is of the same quality that this one is...then it would be worth waiting for! Especially since it is only $2.99 cover priced!

So in the meantime, where can YOU pick up a copy? Here's what the self-publisher tells me:

"Your blog readers can go to Yisooshin.com/purchase. The book is now available in stores in NYC.  (Midtown Comics, Jim Hanley's Universe, Roger's Time Machine, and Forbidden Planet)."

Talking about Onrie, here is a brief bio about him:

"Onrie Kompan received his B.A. in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago and is the recipient of multiple grants from the Weisman scholarship. YI SOON SHIN: WARRIOR AND DEFENDER is Onrie’s first professional entry into the world of comics.  He spent the last three years doing research on the subject and has journeyed all the way to South Korea in order to bring admiral Yi Soon Shin’s story to life.  During his travels, Onrie befriended historians and military advisors from the Republic of Korea Army and Navy."

The above is pretty much what I have to say about this '2nd issue in this Limited Comic Book Series.  Now YOU can have your say AND be interactive with Onrie Kompan at the Facebook Fan Page for this series. I have 'liked' this Fage Page already, of which I am suggesting YOU to click and 'like' also. 

My thanks to Onrie Kompan for bringing this 2nd issue of thee series to my attention!

AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,175 total posts in number!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics, magazines and graphic novels at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post appears differently for different browser platforms. This blog is written first for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently, sorry about that!   The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.   NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

 

'My Take' On: I Am Stu Pitt By Danny deBruin -------------- Above Photo: The Front Cover to 'I Am Stu Pitt'. At the Left: The Creator of this Comic Strip Novel, Mr. Danny deBruin!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3178:

I've been absent in my blogging duties the last couple of days...Due to the re-organization of our Home Office.  That's because Tina was transitioning back to working full-time out of the home office. Between moving my operations back to just one-half of the office, I also was busy listing the comics received in for consignment sales, (see the Richard Herd Comics Collection blog for example), and generating proposals for possible clients for Social Media Projects, which I also do.

However,  today I am back to blogging, which I truly love to do...Hey, there's already 3,177 of these in archived format!

Today's post is a review on a 'comic strip novel' that was sent to me by Danny deBruin, creator and self-publisher of 'I Am Stu Pitt'.

Danny asked me if I would be interested in possibly reviewing his book.  Danny is one of almost five-thousand 'Facebook Friends' that I have, so I was just a little familiar with his work, but only by single pages he had posted on his Facebook wall.

Here's what he wrote me:

"Enclosed is a copy of my book, I Am Stu Pitt: A Comic Strip Novel for your review. The author and illustrator is yours truly, Danny deBruin.

It is currently self-published. The forward is written by James P. Pinkerton, former Newsday columnist and current fellow at the New America Foundation and a FOX News contributor. Back cover comments by Bunny Hoest of the Lockhorns comic strip; former Newsday editor John Mancini, and Chris Campion, author of the book, Escape from Bellevue (Penguin, USA)."

So what's this 'comic strip novel' about?  Here is the promo blurb from Danny:

"I Am Stu Pitt is a humor book aimed at anyone 18 years  and older or younger, although it is doubtful that people younger than 18  will get
some of the cultural references such as “Gnip Gnop,” etc. The  book
itself is Rated PG; the worst language is the  word “ass.” There  are
mild drug references. It is also the first book in a series of three,
so there are a few loose ends left at this book’s conclusion."

Danny also gave me a brief synopsis of the publication:

"With the greatest plot twist since Luke Skywalker found out his daddy was Darth Vader, I Am Stu Pitt is 134 pages of full color action that will tantalize and improve your life by as much as 46%. Stuart Pitt is the everyday hero who, despite not realizing his dreams of becoming a lusty rock star, hangs in there and rolls with Yodels. Or Ring Dings. Or Twinkies, whichever you prefer."

So what's 'My Take' on 'comic strip novel'?  I keep calling it a 'comic strip novel', because that is what the creator, Danny deBruin keeps calling this published format.  Some of you may refer to it as a 'graphic novel', which at first glance in a bookstore or your LCBS it would appear to be. 

Front Cover:  Since this is NOT a comic book, or a 'true' graphic novel, I am going to slightly change my review format here.

From the front cover there would appear to be a lot of characters involved inside.  And at the top appears to be a 'rocker' standing atop the title of the book 'I Am Stu Pitt'.

There appears to be a word play on the title 'I Am Stu Pitt' (stupid?), but it takes opening the book to find out more...

The inside first page shows just the main character atop the the title of the book.  Initially I am liking the artwork of this book.

Turning the page, I find the usual copyrights, etc. Then there is a 'Table of Contents'.  Good!

What follows are the pages for 'Thank Yous', a 'Forward', and a 'Dedication' page.  Okay...After all, it is in a graphic novel book format style.

Then comes the Introduction to 'Stu Pitt'.  I am very glad that the 'Introduction' is there!  This 'comic strip novel' is laid out very well so far...

Then come the stories, which are broken into chapters.  Good thinking in presenting it this way.  I am able to read this over several days, stopping at chapter breaks, without a break in the action of the stories.

There are ten total chapters.  The storyline flows and the artwork keeps me involved with the telling of this 'comic strip novel'. 

Note: In between several of the chapter are original songs by 'Stu Pitt' written out in text only.  The songs relate to the chapter that was just presented.  Interesting concept here. 

So, after all of the above...what is 'My Take' on all of this?

Well...First of all, I was intrigued by what Danny said he was sending to me in the mail.  He was sending a 'comic strip novel'.  Okay...

Then, almost everything that I ask for from a creator / publisher / publicist as shown at: How to Submit Your Publication for Possible Review link was there. Thanks Danny for that!

The 'comic strip novel' wasn't that 'far out' from being a 'graphic novel' in style.  But I was glad to see that Danny had also printed that blurb on the front cover at the top right. See top right photo of this blog.  Thus letting others know not to expect a 'graphic novel'.

So far I've mentioned the lay-out of the novel, the artwork, and the storyline briefly. What did I find about this novel that entertained me?

Well, I enjoyed the many references made in the novel.  Even though several were about pop culture references from a few decades ago, some, like the A-Team references, were just brought back in a Big Theater Film. this very month in 2010!  So some, not all would be familiar to a younger reader.

When I say younger reader, I would agree with Danny's thoughts above that the book would be a 'PG' in a rating scale.  Basically because a lot of the references would not be known by the much younger than 18 crowd.

However, the storyline itself flows well and you don't have to know all the pop culture references to enjoy this novel. Matter of fact, I had to look up one of the 'references', LOL. 

I would grade this 'comic strip novel', 'I Am Stu Pitt' with a Near Mint' (NM) 9.4 out of the 10.0 Grading Scale. That's because I don't give anything above that when selling 'comic strip novels', 'graphic novels' or just 'floppy' comic books out of our own online comic book shop! 

It is that good IMO.  A refreshing story told in illustrated format, and broken into chapters for easier reading for persons like myself that don't have the time to sit and read through an entire novel at one sitting!

So where can YOU pick up a copy? Here's what Danny, also the self-publisher tells me:

"The book is 134 pages color and sells for $21.95 on www.iamstupitt.com. People who order this will receive a signed copy.

There will also be I Am Stu Pitt: The Semi-Deluxe Edition available at Amazon.com for $23.95 and will be available by mid-July, which will also be in full color but will not be signed by the author."

(UPDATE 09-04-10...Danny has sent out a message that all the signed copies at his web site are now SOLD OUT!  But never fear, YOU can still order non-signed copies from Amazon! Here is the link to purchase a copy:  I Am Stu Pitt   

 

 

Talking about Danny, here is a brief bio / message from him:

"Brief Author Biography:    Danny deBruin is an award-winning cartoonist
whose articles and cartoons have appeared in Cracked Magazine,
Newsday, Howard Stern’s book, Private Parts, The Long Island Voice,
the Connecticut Business Digest, and numerous other publications."

The above is pretty much what I have to say about this 'comic strip novel'.  Now YOU can have your say AND be interactive with Danny deBruin at the Facebook Group Page for this book. I have 'joined' this Group Page, of which I am suggesting YOU to click on and 'join' as a member also. 

My thanks to Danny deBruin for bringing this work of his to my attention!

AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,175 total posts in number!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics, magazines and graphic novels at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently, sorry about that!   The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.   NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.