It's The Velvet Underground - A LCBS In Las Vegas! 4241 W Charleston Blvd # H Las Vegas, NV 89102-1611 (702) 258-2689 - - - Top Photo:  Steven (The Riddler) Riddle, owner of the 'Velvet Underground' with Michael D Hamersky! - At the Top Left: The exterior shot of the LCBS!  - At the Second Left: After seeing the exterior, I was stunned to see the interior of this LCBS! - At the Third Left:  Even more foliage for the store! - At the Fourth Left: A showcase featuring Silver Age Comics. - At the Fifth (Bottom) Left: Michael in the filming section. (See this link.) -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3311:

Tina and I had a great day yesterday... Traveling to Pahrump to do a wine tasting at the Pahrump Winery, but that's another blog post for the future!

We then drove to Blue Diamond, Spring Mountain Ranch, and Red Rock Canyon.  To end the day, we stopped in at the 'Velvet Underground' Local Comic Book Shop (LCBS) in Las Vegas!

Why this LCBS out of the 10 that I'm aware of in the area?

Well, I asked a question last week on my Facebook Member Page, Fan Page, and Group Page, as to what 2-3 LCBS in the Las Vegas Metro Area that my Facebook Friends or Fans would recommend!

This 'Velvet Underground' LCBS was one of the two top vote getters!  So realizing that we would be ending at the North end of Las Vegas yesterday... I planned to exit out of Red Rock Canyon onto West Charleston where this LCBS is located.

It is a loooong way from Red Rock Canyon driving on West Charleston to drive East toward the I-15!  So I would recommend coming up the I-15 and driving West!  We were driving in the dark, so I overshot it, as Tina saw the street number, but not the LCBS.

Turning around, I came by the address again, and turned in.  The 'shopping center' is an L shaped area, with the top of the 'L' facing the street. Not well lighted at night, and the LCBS is at the back of the center.  It stayed open till 6PM on Tuesday.

I saw the lights for the LCBS, drove up close to it and parked.  The top left photo shows the exterior at night.  The rest of the shopss in this center are varied in nature.

I took a few pics of the exterior... Tina took a few pics of me at the front window, before we went in. 

Walking in, I was 'floored' by all the foliage!  That was very intriguing right from the start! (2nd photo top left.)  I have been to a LOT of LCBS in my days... but this was truly a 'Unique LCBS'!  Steven Riddle incorporates his other business, (Crafting this foliage), into his LCBS. It added a lot of 'Flavor' to this LCBS, which is 3300 square feet.

The third photo at the top left shows that the whole LCBS is immersed in this foliage, and makes for a pleasant visit while inside the shop.

But YOU don't go to a LCBS for just scenery, right?!  The fourth photo at the top left shows just some of the 'Silver Age' comics that Steven has for sale.

The fifth photo at the top left is the section that Steven is using to film his new videos about his LCBS.  The latest video was on Vampirella, so I couldn't help but ask Tina to take a photo of me in the area!  (Thanks Tina and Steven!)

At the top right is a photo of Steven (The Riddler) Riddle and myself.  Near the bottom right of this blog post is a photo of 'The Riddler' incorporated into a display, which is 'play' on the Riddler name.  Due to industry corporate policies, Steven can no longer advertise with the 'Riddler' signage. 

Steven has had this LCBS for about 20-21 years.  Due to information gathered from Facebook Friends, including Patrick Okano, who we met there with his wife Diana, (Hi!), I was able to piece out the history of this LCBS.

It seems that Steven first started his LCBS 'Velvet Underground' in a warehouse space over near the Fantastik Indoor Swap Meet. From what I gather that 'little garage' like structure was 'way cool'.  Steven moved the LCBS to this location, and had not, until just 3 months ago moved into the 'internet age'.  A good friend gave him a laptop, and now he has a Facebook Fan Page for the LCBS, and his web site is a YouTube video display type of site. 

I enjoyed visiting the LCBS, and so did my wife Tina. The 'pros' of visiting this shop are a good selection of comics from the Silver Age to current Modern Age.  The LCBS has a good decor with the foliage inside, making for a pleasant shopping experience for both Tina and myself.

The 'Cons' are that the shop is a little hard to find in the evening when it is dark, and that the boxes and boxes of back issues are not indvidually priced.  Which makes it hard for the traveler with a time limit to fully enjoy the selection.  We were there from 5 - 6 PM last night, (Tuesday).

However, as I thumbed throught the back issue boxes, I found the selection to be varied and worth the trip for someone visiting Las Vegas with a little more time.  Plus Steven mentioned that all I had to do was pull individual issues and he would price them fairly for me.  Tina also noticed the varied selection of new comics and magazines. 

The staff that was there last night was attempting to finalize the Diamond order, and Steven needed to finish it before the evening was through.  Thus I decided not to ask too many specific questions on back issues, and just enjoyed seeing his LCBS as a first time visitor.

I also want to thank Claudia, who took the time to orient me to the shop, while Steven was helping other customers. 

All in all, I would agree with the Facebook Friends of mine that suggested that this be one of the two-three LCBS that I should visit in the Las Vegas Metro Area!  Thanks Friends!

Plus many thanks to Steven Riddle, who would have loved to show me more of his LCBS, etc. A gracious host!

YOU can find his new Facebook Fan Page here.

YOU can find his new web site at YouTube here.

Special thanks to Patrick and Diana Okano for meeting us at this LCBS!

Happy Holidays to all reading this blog post during the last days of 2010!

Michael D Hamersky, of 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' - my New Facebook Fan Page, and Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing - my Facebook Group Page which is under the 'virtual umbrella' of 'Facebook Comic Con'! Plus of course this blog, ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com! 

--------------

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over 3,310 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,100 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet...I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.

Holidays Note: The online store is closed till the 1st week of January 2011. So none of the listings are showing at this time.  

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   ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

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'. Plus I have a chapter in a new book coming out in December of 2010, that is pictured above, "Gotham City 14 Miles"!  Click here to become a 'Fan' of the GC14M Facebook Fan Page!.     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, I would have liked to have sent you a Friend Request.  However,  I have reached the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages 'limit' already, so I have now added on a personal Facebook Fan Page of my own! Just click this link to be taken to 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' where you can click the 'Like' button there! And Thanks!         ------------------- 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 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer. NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

 

It's Stan (The Man) Lee's Birthday... Today! - - - - -  Happy 88th Birthday To Stan (The Man) Lee! Uppermost Top Photo:  Over the years I've had Stan sign several of my personal collection of Fantastic Four Comics.  Here's Stan with FF #5 in the early 1990's! - Top Middle Photo: Stan Lee at a mid 1970's San Diego Comic Con! - Top Lowest Photo: From the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con - LBCC.  It was procalimed to be 'Stan Lee Day' in Long Beach, California!  - At The Left Hand Side Colum of this blog post: Top Left Photo: Michael D Hamersky (middle of photo with bald head), at the Proclamation during Opening Day at the 2009 LBCC. - Second Photo Down At the Left: The exact moment when Stan cut the Opening Day Ceremonial Ribbon! - Third Photo Down At the Left: Stan Lee Holding my copy of Fantastic Four #3 he had just signed at 1991 SDCC. - Fourth Photo Down At the Left:  Stan siging my copies of Fantastic Four #1 & Strange Tales Annual #2. - Fifth Photo Down At the Left: Stan Lee at a special panel at the Comic Con International: San Diego 2009. -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3310:

Tina and I may be on vacation... And I may be using her laptop, that doesn't have all of my photos scanned from the last several decades... But that isn't going to stop me from wishing Stan Lee a 'Happy Birthday', and re-publishing a few here that I have up online already!

That's right... Stan's 88th Birthday is Today, December 28th!

Stan was born 'Stanley Martin Lieber' on this date back in 1922!  He was born in the apartment of his Romanian-born Jewish immigrant parents, Celia (née Solomon) and Jack Lieber, at the corner of West 98th Street and West End Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

Stan was one of two sons born to Celia and Jack... Larry Lieber, (who I have also blogged about), kept the Lieber name when breaking into comics.

I don't need to re-post the history of Stan in comics here... As I'm sure those reading this blog post are aware of his achievements!  And there is so much of that history covering from the 1940's to current day... But, if you are new to comics... Here's the link to the Wikipedia entry on Stan.

As you can see from the photos re-published here at the header of this blog post... I've been a fan of Stan's for years! 

It was because of Journey Into Mystery #72 that I first realized that there were 'real people' creating these comics! (See this archived blog post for details! Plus the two inserted photos at the bottom right of this blog are pics of the cover and a representation illustrated personally for me by Tiina Birgitta Räisänen!)

Thanks again Stan Lee & Jack Kirby for starting me on 'collecting comics', instead of just 'reading comics'!  It's because of YOU two that I've had decades of readingand collecting pleasure in this genre!

My best wishes for a Great 88th Birthday, and here's to many more to a Great Man, who is one of the few I've selected for my Thanksgiving Blog Series... "Whom I'm Thankful For...".

Michael D Hamersky, of 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' - my New Facebook Fan Page, and Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing - my Facebook Group Page which is under the 'virtual umbrella' of 'Facebook Comic Con'! Plus of course this blog, ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com! 

--------------

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,310 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,100 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet...I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.

Holidays Note: The online store is closed till the 1st week of January 2011. So none of the listings are showing at this time.  

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   ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

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'. Plus I have a chapter in a new book coming out in December of 2010, that is pictured above, "Gotham City 14 Miles"!  Click here to become a 'Fan' of the GC14M Facebook Fan Page!.     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, I would have liked to have sent you a Friend Request.  However,  I have reached the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages 'limit' already, so I have now added on a personal Facebook Fan Page of my own! Just click this link to be taken to 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' where you can click the 'Like' button there! And Thanks!         ------------------- 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 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer. NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! From Michael D Hamersky & Tina LoSasso of ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com - Top Photo:  From 1953 - The front cover to Roy Rogers Comics #61! - At the Top Left: From 2010 - Michael D Hamersky & Tina LoSasso at the Captain Rochester's 2nd Annual Artists Appreciation Dinner!  - At the Middle Left: From 1954 - The front cover to Gene Autry Comics #94. - At the Bottom Left: From 1952 - The front cover to Roy Rogers Comics #49. -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3309:

Tina and I want to wish ALL of YOU reading this blog post a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Joyous Holiday Season!

I am posting a few comic book covers here, that feature scenes that make me personally happy when viewing them.  I can't help but break out into a smile when seeing them!

You see, I was a little kid in the mid to late 1950's and grew up watching Roy Rogers on TV, and of course Gene Autry also! 

The fact that my mom, Lois, and her sister, Leta, were fans of of them helped out a bit too!

So when I was looking for more Christmas comic book covers to publish for this blog, it was only natural that I gravitated to them!  Both Roy & Gene had about 4 different Winter / Christmas comic book covers in their title series during their publishing runs.

Tina didn't grow up with comic books, indeed she only attended her 1st comic con in 2001, when she attended the San Diego Comic-Con International for the first time.  However, she hasn't missed a year since!

So it was my choice of comic book covers to use for 'our' Christmas blog this year!

So For All of You that celebrate Christmas, this is  our "Merry Christmas" blog to you!

We both wish YOU All a Happy Holidays Season, and look forward to greeting the New Year very soon!

Tina LoSasso, of MakeItSoMarketing.com, and MarketingTina.com - (the name for her Facebook Fan Page for Make It So Marketing)!

Michael D Hamersky, of 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' - my New Facebook Fan Page, and Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing - my Facebook Group Page which is under the 'virtual umbrella' of 'Facebook Comic Con'! Plus of course this blog, ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com! 

--------------

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over 3,305 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,100 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet...I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.

Holidays Note: The online store is closed till the 1st week of January 2011. So none of the listings are showing at this time.  

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   ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

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'. Plus I have a chapter in a new book coming out in December of 2010, that is pictured above, "Gotham City 14 Miles"!  Click here to become a 'Fan' of the GC14M Facebook Fan Page!.     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, I would have liked to have sent you a Friend Request.  However,  I have reached the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages 'limit' already, so I have now added on a personal Facebook Fan Page of my own! Just click this link to be taken to 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' where you can click the 'Like' button there! And Thanks!         ------------------- 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 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer. NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

 

The Grand Prize For the 2nd Annual Black Friday On Comics Event... Revealed! As Illustrated by Allen Bellman!     - Above Photo:  The Grand Prize Revealed! Illustrated by Allen Bellman! - At the Top Left: Allen Bellman Earlier in 2010 When He Visted Marvel Comics After Many Years!  - At the Bottom Left: The Grand Prize Was One of Eleven Prizes Given Away During the 2nd Annual Black Friday Event Hosted By Michael D Hamersky!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3308:

Back at Blog #3288 I announced a special Grand Prize to be awarded for my 2nd Annual Black Friday Event!

This was after Facebook Friend, Allen Bellman, saw that I was running the event and offered to contribute a personalized illustration for the Black Friday Comics Event!

Here's how Allen ended up saying what he would like to contribute as the 'Grand Prize':

"Michael, I will do a tight graphite pencil sketch 9x 12 of Cappy (Captain America), belting Hitler, or any other villain of that period."

He also went on to say..."I will put all but the kitchen sink into it. This one could have a value (of) $195", (plus shipping cost). "...This one will be special. I will spray it with a fixative so it doesn't smudge".

Well, late yesterday afternoon, Allen sent a me a scan of the finished illustration, shown at the above right!

I'm very pleased on how it turned out, and I am sure that the Grand Prize Winner, Mark Poe, will also be very pleased!

My Thanks to Mark for 'Liking' my New Facebook Fan Page AND clicking the 'Attending' button on the Event Page!  Which was all he had to do be eligible to win a prize at this 'virtual event' this past Black Friday!

And My Special Thanks to Mr. Allen Bellman for offering this illustration for my 2nd Annual Black Friday Event, this year sponsored by 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics', my New Facebook Fan Page!

If you are not aware of Mr. Bellman's history at Timely / Marvel Comics here's just a 'little bit':

"Allen Bellman was born in Manhattan and studied at the High School of Industrial Arts. He eventually became a staff artist at Timely during the Golden Age of comics. While still a teenager, he did the backgrounds for Syd Shores' Captain America in 1942, and eventually worked on titles such as: The Patriot, The Destroyer, The Human Torch, Jap Buster Johnson and Jet Dixon of the Space Squadron, All Winners Comics, Marvel Mystery, Sub Mariner Comics, Young Allies and so much more."

For those of YOU that would like a sketch similar to what you see at the top right, Mr. Bellman does commission sketches, Allen has a web site at:  AllenBellman.com, where you can contact him.

Currently for the upcoming 2011 Year, Allen is scheduled to be at: Tampa Bay Comic Con, MegaCon, Texas Comic Con, and the Florida SuperCon! For dates and times, please see those links!

----------------------

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over 3,305 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,100 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet...I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.  

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   ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

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'. Plus I have a chapter in a new book coming out in December of 2010, that is pictured above, "Gotham City 14 Miles"!  Click here to become a 'Fan' of the GC14M Facebook Fan Page!.     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, I would have liked to have sent you a Friend Request.  However,  I have reached the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages 'limit' already, so I have now added on a personal Facebook Fan Page of my own! Just click this link to be taken to 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' where you can click the 'Like' button there! And Thanks!         ------------------- 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 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer. NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners. Especially the photo used here, with Paul Kupperberg saluting with his Captain America Shield, which is part of his collection!

 

Vinnie's 'Take' On:  "Bear and Fox #2"    --- Above Photo: Front Cover to Bear and Fox #2! --- At the Top Left: Being Introduced to the Comic Book Series at the SDCC! --- At the Bottom Left: The Comic-Con International: San Diego Logo!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3307:

My youngest son, Vinnie, has submitted another blog for publication! I appreciate his reading another comic book from the 'to be read and possibly reviewed' stack for publishing here!

------------------------

Hello all readers of this blog. I welcome you to "My Take" on the second issue of "Bear and Fox" #2.

Lately, I have been helping my dad do quite a few blogs, so I thought why not another one during my school break?!

While looking through the pile of comics to review, this one stood out to me. I remember this comic book from when I took the picture of the creator holding this comic and another comic of his own at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con International.

I had known from then I would enjoy it, if I got the chance to read it, and I did end up doing the exact thing. The following is my review of "Bear and Fox" issue 2.

The Front Cover - You can easily tell that there is going to be a war or a fight, as they are wearing the hats you would imagine people in the army to be wearing. They also sport the utility backpacks you would imagine the army using. And, we can't forget the gun and the bow that ties the package together. Now that we got that covered, let me explain the names.

Bear and Fox, are in fact animals. Despite their names, Bear is a bird, and Fox is a snake. I like how the creator made animals play the roles of humans. I have rarely seen many comics like this, but I liked it, as it's more imaginative. When I had finished reading the book, I noticed this time that the strange footprints of a character was in the background; the evil villain's eyes are behind the title; and a scribbled cat is sitting on the right of the fence. I guess I didn't notice it before, as it had nothing to do with the characters pictured in the front. Anyways, onto the next section.

The Inside Front Cover - It has a short "prologue" to the story, and it goes along with the sub-caption for this issue - "Recalled to Funny". Below that is a picture of a "disguise" they used in the comic. To the right of the picture, the creator states his special thanks.

The Interior Pages - The art has a goofy style which may be partially why I enjoyed this. I loved how they had guest characters from other comic strips, and how they interacted, as everyone was MUCH different here than in their own comics. It added a new perspective to view them in. (A parody?) I had quite enjoyed reading this comic book. The storyline was great, and was easily followed. It was a very funny plot, and I sure hope I get to read the creator's other comics and issues.

The Inside Back Cover - It has a white background, with the words, "I Miss You - I Miss You - I Miss You - Gloria In Excelsis Deo".  However, I don't know what he's meaning by this...

The Back Cover - It has more words that are in the same font as the Inside Back Cover, but I don't know what it is meaning.

I still don't know who the creator of this comic book is though. His name was nowhere to be found!

Overall, I really enjoyed the artworkk and story. I can't describe it other than being great. I would give the second issue of the comic "Bear and Fox" series a Near Mint (NM), a 9.4 out of a 10.0 grading scale.

~Vinnie!

NOTE From Michael: You know... I couldn't believe there wasn't any contact info in the comic book!  We did pick this up at a comic con, in the Small Press section at the SDCC as Vinnie stated above.

However, there should be a point of contact on where a reader could contact the self-publisher for at least issue #1!  There isn't even a web site that an interested reader can be referred to.  I did 'google' the words "bear and fox", and found the web site: BearAndFox.com.  But I shouldn't have had to 'google' it.  Especially for a 2nd issue of a comic book series.

I do realize that this was originally a web comic. But the printed version should be more helpful in promoting the web site. I also had to 'google' to find the creator's name as I didn't see a business card in the bag / board that I placed the comic book in at the SDCC.  The creator is Randall Christopher.

I also found a Facebook Fan Page for the comic book at Bear and Fox.  

Don't get me wrong... I too liked this comic book, but the marketing aspect of printing a comic book, even it is only 12 interior pages, should adhere to what print comics normally have for contact info, and copyright info, etc.  Plus 'point' the reader to where they could find more 'online'. Which BTW, is where you can find this comic book's pages to read.  As I don't see where you can buy one of the 2,000 copies that were printed anywhere on the web site.

Thanks Vinnie, for guest blogging here once again, and giving us your thoughts on this publication from a tween's POV!

Besides Thanking Vinnie for his blog contribution today... My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,305 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.  

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     ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

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!  Plus Vinnie (pictured at the 2010 SDCC), likes attending the Comic-Con with us too now!  Keeping this tradition going in the family!  I used to take his older sister and brothers to it when they were younger!   Talking bout Comic Cons... 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 on that 'virtual comic con'!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, I would have sent you a Friend Request, or accepted yours.  However,  I have reached the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages 'limit' already, so I have now added on a personal Facebook Fan Page of my own! Just click this link to be taken to 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' where you can click the 'Like' button there to see ALL of my blog links / wall posts / upcoming events / etc.!         ------------------- 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 by either Vinnie / Tina / or myself! 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.