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Monday, February 13, 2012
Vinnie's Take On: Reverence II - Sinners Revealed
Mood:  cool
Topic: Other Non Comics Works

                                        

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents Vinnie's Take On:
Reverence II
Sinners Revealed!
 
By Jeannie LS Galster! 
THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!
  

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3602 -  Today I am here to tell you about the second installment of the "Reverence" series by Jeanie L.S. Galster, and illustrated by CJ Draden, which is "Reverence: Sinners Revealed".

I have previously reviewed the first volume, "Reverence: What Will You Seek", which you can find here.

Today I picked up this book from our box of publications sent in for review, and I immediately found this and stuck with it. I was so happy to see that the second volume was released, and that I had the pleasure to be sent it for review. I jumped right on the chance to read and blog about it.

Reverence: Sinners Revealed has started off right where the first one ended. Allessandra is looking for reverence, as well as the taste of vengeance for her parent's killers. With the aid of her brother Nico, a medicinal expert, and her friend Shamus, a police officer, she is tracking down the evildoer's that do nothing but injustice to the city. She also tries to get the chance to talk to her long lost friend, Michi, who was forced to be the "new boss" in the "family business" of drugs, stealing, and all sorts of terrible things.

Now, Allessandra isn't just a normal person. In a break-in at her favorite ink shop while getting a tattoo, she fell into a pool of ink on the floor, followed by the electric tattoo needle, sending an electrifying pulse throughout her body. She lived, but it took her awhile to get completely better. That's when she realized that her tattoos now become alive whenever she wills them to do so. With an arsenal of a cruel cobra, sharp shurikens, or a powerful phoenix (got to love alliteration!) she is able to take out most of her enemies, fairly unscathed.

This volume was quite spectacular, with it answering all the questions I was left dying to have been answered. It also "grooved" you into the story, if you were one who had read the first book when it first came out, and just read this now, which was great.

I love Jeanie's writing style, as it is very dark and gloomy. It makes for an interesting story, as not everything is peachy-keen in the bright and colorful castle. She is very descriptive, and makes it very easy for one to visualize the story in his or her mind. The characters have also been developed marvelously well, yet they still have a bit of mysteriousness which allows for many different paths that the characters can choose, and makes it exciting and fresh.

CJ Draden's style of artwork is very fitting for this type of grim story, as it;s very rough, and has a lack of color, but does use shadowing, and very well, might I add. For the use of colors for the cover, he did use a darker, more saturated color, which gives it the extra depth, but still keeps it gloomy. I must say, CJ has done quite a great job with these two books, and I'm glad he was chosen as the illustrator.

For the previous book, I gave it a Very Fine / Near Mint (VF/NM), a 9.0, but this time, Jeanie has really outdone herself. Thus my comic book grade for this book is a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale!

Thanks for sending this in for review, and please let know when the next volume is out! I can't wait to find out what will happen between Michi and Allessandra!

Here is where you can pick up Volumes 1 & 2 of this 3 part series!

~Vinnie!

 

Note: Vinnie makes it to as many conventions with me as he can. He collects the 'Amazing Spider-Man' comic book series, but is open to read other titles from publishers that print titles that are age appropriate for him.  He also has been attending 'behind the scenes' events, such as the one he blogged about ht here: Vinnie's Special 'Look at The Captain Rochester Party for the Artists' at the recent 2010 Comic-Con International: San Diego! He really had fun meeting and having dinner with Sergio Aragones, Bob Burden, Scott Shaw! and others there at this exclusive after hours Comic-Con Party in San Diego!

Also...If YOU liked Vinnie's guest review blog today, you may also enjoy reading Vinnie's other reviews on: Zombie Ranch #2,  Yets! #2, The HTHGNP: Red Phones,  The Strand Prophecy by JBB WinnerStuff that Dreams Are Made of - The Mini-Comix,  The Adventures of Faithboy #1Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #2 of 6Yogi Bear Film (DVD), Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock Vol 2 #1 of 3Space Punks #2Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock Vol 2 #2 of 3Kleeman and Mike #1Mortifera #3,  Classics Illustrated #142 Abraham Lincoln - 8th Edition2011 FCBD Edition - Mouse Guard / Dark Crystal Flip BookFraggle Rock Volume 2 #3 of 3Bear and Fox #2Space Punks #1The Daughters of Merlin #1Sea Ghost #1Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard #4 (of 4)Clutch Cargo DVD, The All New Super Friends Hour Season 1 DVDThe Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 1Planet HulkCoraline, Ponyo, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Sonic the Hedgehog TPB Vol 1, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, The Possum #1 comic book, Vinnie's Take on Berona's War: Field Guide, just to name a recent few!

 

 


NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On ComicsMy thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,602 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 link!  We currently have over 2,698 '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:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail 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

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!
---------------            
      
In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST
Updated: Friday, March 2, 2012 3:22 PM PST
Post Comment | Permalink
Thursday, February 9, 2012
My Take On: Disguised As Clark Kent
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Comic Books - New

                                        

Click Here to add This ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com to Your list of NetworkedBlogs!Click Here to see ABOUT THE SELLER in our eBay Store!
Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents 'My Take On':
Disguised As Clark Kent
Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero!
 
By Danny Fingeroth & Published by The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.! 
THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!
  

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3601 -  I recently review blogged another book by Danny Fingeroth, 'The Stan Lee Universe', as seen by this link.

Today's blog post is on an earlier book by Danny, and here is the promotional literature on that:

"Fingeroth's book is an easy, intriguing read, exploring the histories of superheroes and their creators. This is clearly a topic in which Fingeroth is eminently well-versed."
—Jewish Book World

"Like a Yiddish theater play on the old Jewish Second Avenue, or like a really good comic book, Danny will make you laugh, cry and, best of all, he'll make you think."
—From the foreword by Stan Lee

In Disguised as Clark Kent, Danny Fingeroth—a long-time executive in the comics business who wrote and edited Spider-Man as well as other famous lines for Marvel—reflects on the phenomenon of the heavily Jewish elements that, consciously or not, went into the creation of the superhero.
Centering on questions of Jewish identity, which is historically about the push and pull toward and away from that very identity, Disguised as Clark Kent brings valuable insight into the fantasies that fuel our imaginations and entertainment industry, as well as many significant and often hidden aspects of our society."

I found this book to have the following chapters:

Foreword by Stan Lee

1) Secret Identities: What's So Jewish About Superheroes, Anyway?

2) Genesis of the Superhero:  Who He Is and How He Came to Be

3) A Stranger Among Us:  The Birth of Superman

4) A Great Multitude: Batman and Beyond

5) The Perplexing Guide: Frederic Wertham's Superhero complex

6) Rebuilding the Temple:  The Silver Age of Comics

7) Why Are These Heroes Different?:  The Marvel Revolution

8) Love Thy Neighbor as thyself:  The X-Men and the Seventies

9) As a Matter of Fact, I Am Jewish:  The Modern Age

10) Unto the Next Generation:  The Jewish Superhero Future

Those were the chapters that are listed in this book!  As for my reading them...

I found that the Foreword by Stan Lee was a good one, in that it showed his thoughts on the topic at hand in this book. 

The 1st chapter engaged me, and each chapter thereafter brought me closer into the American Jewish Dream.  The pages in each chapter took the time to point out what Danny was striving to point out to the reader, and were well crafted.

My own thoughts on the additional chapters were in keeping with what Danny had to say about each of them.  I found that Danny placed emphasis on several key comic book characters, and that I pretty much agreed with his thoughts...

This is a good book for this topic.  What is also nice is the 'Select Bibliography' on books, magazines, web sources, and comics & graphic novels at the end of the book!

Thus my comic book grade for this book is a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale!

The author, Danny Fingeroth, doesn't have any more of these books in stock, thus I'm suggesting to you to purchase a copy from Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero!

My thanks to Danny for bringing this book to my attention!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics


NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On ComicsMy thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,601 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 link!  We currently have over 2,698 '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:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail 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

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!
---------------            
      
In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST
Updated: Thursday, February 9, 2012 6:53 AM PST
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
My Take On: Wisdom from the Batcave... How to Live a Super, Heroic Life!
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Comic Book History

                                        

Click Here to add This ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com to Your list of NetworkedBlogs!Click Here to see ABOUT THE SELLER in our eBay Store!
Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents 'My Take On':
Wisdom from the Batcave
How to Live a Super, Heroic Life!
 
By Cary A. Friedman & Published by Compass Books! 
THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!
  

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3600 -  I recently became acquainted with Cary A. Friedman via Facebook.   He asked if I had read one of his five published books, 'Wisdom from the Batcave', after seeing my contribution to the 'Gotham City 14 Miles' book which was published by Sequart Research & Literacy Organization.

I replied that I hadn't seen the book, that was first published back in 2006, and is still being sold via the Compass Books web site, which I'll link to at the end of this review blog.

First though... What is this book with such a catchy title all about? 

Here's the promo blurb at the web site for the book: 

"Wisdom from the Batcave analyzes the life philosophy that emerges from Batman comic books.  In 18 lighthearted chapters (such as How to Triumph over Adversity, the Value of Inspiring Others, A Better Definition of Victory), the Batman's example is used to teach profound truths.  Focusing on relationships with self, others, and the larger community, Wisdom from the Batcave uses the experience of the Batman and his allies to illustrate how to live a better life.

Wisdom from the Batcave will appeal to young and old alike.  It is both lighthearted and profound.  Adult readers of comic books or younger readers who like the Batman will enjoy this book."

Okay, that looked like a fun read to focus a day or two on... So I started reading it chapter by chapter, without skipping any pages.

I found that the first thirty pages consisted of Acknowledgments, Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and numerous quotes from comic book creators that had read a preview copy of this book.  I found that in presenting that many pages, that I came to understand Cary a bit better, before going into the body of text that was the 'Wisdom from the Batcave'.

I enjoyed that long introduction!  Which by the way, mentioned that the author is a rabbi, and a chaplain with experience in prisons, relates with law enforcement, and spoke at the FBI Academy as well!  Presenting all of this info at the beginning of the book set the stage as to where Cary arrived at his thoughts that were presented in the additional chapters in the book.

It didn't take me very long getting "into the book". There were 18 chapters, (some with only two pages), and they were meant to be short presentations for the most part.  I liked that!  The total number of pages in the book were 112 pages, but each chapter had a 'pearl of wisdom' to present to the reader!

You could almost read a chapter a day, as each chapter somewhat resembled a daily homily or 'lesson', and of course each chapter would tie in with a Batman panel!

Chapter titles included: 'The Blessing of Family', 'The Value of Willpower', 'The Value of Idealism', 'The Value of Friendship', and 'The Price of Greatness', just to name a few here!

I found that the book was presented in a straight forward way, telling 'The Values of' the chapter's topic in a very basic way.  That is the key to enjoying this book, IMO!  You don't have to be overly familiar with every aspect or comic book issue of the Batman to get the idea that is presented in each chapter. 

Each chapter is presented as food for thought, and an ideal place to stop and come back to finish the book. I found several of the chapters to be new ideas for me, and the use of Batman from the beginning of his published career to the date that this book was first printed to be a wide range of years to choose from to illustrate the idea behind each chapter.

I found this book to be a good guide on 'How to Live A Super, Heroic Life', period.  Much to read about, digest, and then use for my own life..

Thus my comic book grade for this book is a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale!

The author, Cary A. Friedman, received an MSEE from ColumbiaUniversity and Rabbinic ordination from YeshivaUniversity.  He was a Chaplain at DukeUniversity and a Chaplain at the Federal Correction Institute in Butner, NC.

As mentioned above... He is the author of five books, including Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement (Compass Books, 2005).  Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement is based on his work as a spirituality consultant to the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit [BSU] in Quantico, VA and the law enforcement community in general.

You can see more about this book, AND currently order via a discounted price with FREE shipping at: Wisdom from the Batcave!

My thanks to Cary A. Friedman for bringing this book to my attention!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics


NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On ComicsMy thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,600 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 link!  We currently have over 2,697 '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:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail 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

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!
---------------            
      
In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!
Site Meter


Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST
Updated: Tuesday, February 7, 2012 10:11 AM PST
Post Comment | Permalink
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Taco Titan of Taco Bell And... Comic Books?!
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Comic Book History

                                        

Click Here to add This ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com to Your list of NetworkedBlogs!Click Here to see ABOUT THE SELLER in our eBay Store!
 
The Taco Titan of Taco Bell and...
Comic Books?!
Glen Bell, Founder of Taco Bell, Which Has Promotional Comics Books Published by Marvel Comics!
 
THE LEAST EXPENSIVE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!

 
THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!
 
THE LEAST EXPENSIVE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!
 
  

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3599I just finished reading the book titled 'Taco Titan - The Glenn Bell Story' by Debra Lee Baldwin that was published in 1999, but the paperback edition was first published in 2002.

There's a few reasons why I chose to place this book in my 'to read stack'.  First, because Tina and I do frequent a Taco Bell in Vista, and that we used to visit 'Bell Gardens' in Valley Center.

As a matter of fact, it was at 'Bell Gardens' that I first learned about Glen Bell, who founded Taco Bell in 1962. 

However, I didnt' know that Glen had started a 'Bell's Hamburgers' place back in 1947, nor that he had started Taco-Tia in 1953, and 'El Taco' in 1957!  Glen was a true pioneer in the fast food industry, starting right after the McDonald Brothers did in the same region of Southern California.

The book, Taco Titan: The Glen Bell Story, starts with Glen's birth, his parents, and the places where he lived while a child.  However it was his start in the fast food industry that grabbed my attention, plus the "Glen's Recipes For Success" that really grabbed my attention.

I wish that I had had the opportunity to meet him at Bell Gardens, but he wasn't there the times we had driven up there to check out the farm, the produce stand, and take the miniature train ride around the farm. 

Glen died after this book was published, on January 16th of 2010, at age 86.

The book goes into the fact that Glen was a hard worker, a founder of fast food chains, and a friend to those that he helped guide to building their own chains; 'Del Taco' and 'Der Wienerschnitzel' to name a couple.

Glen also knew good marketing methods.  This was shown at all ot the Grand Openings of the early Taco Bells. He used searchlights, free sombreros, mariachis bands, etc.  Glen eventually worked himself out of the day to day operations of the business, and became a member of the Board of Directors, but was always looking for a new start-up venture.  

I'm sure he would have been pleased with the two sets of promo comics that Taco Bell has promoted recently, the first one in 2009, and the second one in 2011.  Here is the link to those promo comic books that were published in conjunction with Marvel Comics.  The 2009 set included the Avengers, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and Thor.  The 2011 set included the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men.

So, it was pretty cool to read this book, about the man who started several fast food chains, and built the 'Bell Gardens' in Valley Center that we enjoyed visiting, (it is closed now), among other ventures.  An added bonus was the fact that Taco Bell has promoted comic books twice now, via Marvel Comics!

My 'comic book grade' for the book is a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale.  The book was well researched, presented in a very readable format, and had 'lessons' shown after each chapter, encapsulating pearls of wisdom from Glen himself.  Add to that the great photos during the decades, and an index... This is a good book to read!

And don't forget the comics from Taco Bell / Marvel Comics!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics!

 


NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On ComicsMy thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,599 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 link!  We currently have over 2,695 '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:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail 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

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!
---------------            
      
In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!
Site Meter


Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST
Updated: Monday, February 6, 2012 4:08 AM PST
Post Comment | Permalink
Friday, February 3, 2012
A Report From Poland On The Status Of The Polish Comic Books Industry
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Comic Book History

                                        

Click Here to add This ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com to Your list of NetworkedBlogs!Click Here to see ABOUT THE SELLER in our eBay Store!
 
A 'Report' From Poland On...
The Current Status Of The Polish Comic Books Industry
Thanks to Waldek Juszczyk, Kraina komiksu, and Others!
 
THE MOST COLLECTIBLE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!
 
THE LEAST EXPENSIVE ITEMS at my own online comic book shop!
 
  

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3598I don't normally go into the fact here at this blog that my surname was originally 'Hamerski', which was 'Germanized' in 1866 when my earliest ancestors emigrated to the USA from 'West Prussia'.  I usually leave that to my Hamerski / Hamersky / Hammersky & Allied Families Newsletter Facebook Fan Page, (unabashed plug!).

However, I recently became Facebook Friends with Waldek Juszczyk of Poland, (pictured to the left), who is a comic book enthusiast, and I couldn't help but ask him about the state of the comic books industry in that country.

He deferred it to friends of his at Kraina komiksu, which has a Facebook Fan Page, as seen here.

Thanks to them, and Waldeck, I am able to reprint their 'report' on the 'status of the Polish Comic Books Industry' as seen from their viewpoint.  The 'report' is translated as best as possible into English by them, and it is the 'status' that I more interested in / concerned about, than the usage of English.

Here is the 'report', which I found to be blog worthy, and I believe you will too!

"Comic books publishers (comercial ones) avoid (with few exceptions) publishing work of polish comic book authors. There are undoubtedly few reasons. The major reason is fear, that it won't sell. But It's difficult to sell them, because knowledge about modern polish artists is not very common in society. No more than few hundreds are interested in this subject. It is not profitable for publisher, to commit to this business. Anyway, printing in 300 copies in fundamental way will have repercussion on price. I don't think that anyone (except real fans) in this country will pay 40/50 PLN, for a copy of Mei Wong album (she is talented polish underground artist), even if it will be most beautiful exclusive edition. It is linked with absolute lack of advertising. To be honest, no one writes about comics in Poland, only comic book pages and magazines. Publishers are absolutely no interested in it. Yes, I know - advertising costs, for example, on Wirtualna Polska will be surely very high. The truth is cruel. Without advertising there will be no selling.

We must move our asses, and go to the people with this topic/matter. To new, potential consumer. Literally - let's say with presentations/expositions/meetings in schools/ etc. What we have, is still referred to previous comicmaniacs. So, except reprints of "Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek" (famous series of Henryk Chmielewski) and "Kajko i Kokosz" (masterpiece of recently died author - Janusz Christa) albums, we can expect (especially new ones) not much comic books in near future. I wrote "not much", because something is of course published. Resolute problem is virtually lack of reprints (except, of course, mentioned before "Kajko i Kokosz" and "Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek", and foreign titles like "Asterix", or "Thorgal"). Someone, who, for example, will be suddenly interested in comics, simply will not buy many titles (same polish, like foreign authors work). Never.

Prices. In many cases are abstract. Comic books are much more expensive than in West - sometimes even two/three times more. With small (1000 - 2000 copies) edition, there is allegedly difficult to have it for cheapest price, but higher circulation are not in plans. Interesting thing is, that many titles have 15 - 20% discount even before sell started. .. Zins and comic books/albums are published directly by artists or small, niche publishers. Cool. For sure, but there is one "but", and it's serious one. Circulations are what they are, and will not be higher. Problem is the distribution. Last year we had bloom of Zins with its peak event - Comics Warsaw and MFKiG (Międzynarodowy Festiwal Komiksu i Gier - International Festival of Comics and Games). If someone didn't come and buy one copy at place or pre-ordered it, not long after event have no reason to contact with authors cause all of the copies were sold out. Major part of circulation was bought on festival or was distributed by artist among other artists. Well, so stop their tears if they cry , when nobody will recognize them... I think, it is worth to choose some internet bookstores like sklep.gildia.pl or incal.com.pl, and successively give them part of the published albums. It will not harm to remember about obligatory copy for Jagiellonian Library and National Library. Not only authors, but publishers as well, forget about it. Surely it will be cool to have something for next generations in this places. ~Comicland."

I have posted three comic book covers at the top of this blog post.

The first one, next to this blog's logo: "Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek ( eng. Tytus, Romek, and A'Tomek) is the longest-published and one of the most popular Polish comic book series, created by Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski (aka Papcio Chmiel) in 1957 and concluded in 2009. It centers around Romek and A'Tomek, two boy scouts, and Tytus de Zoo, a chimpanzee with the ability of human speech."  The rest of the article can be found at this link.

The second one is:  "Funky Koval is a 3-part Polish science fiction/detective story/political fiction genre comic book published in People's Republic of Poland in the 1980s. It gained a cult following and is still recognized as one of the best Polish comics."  The rest of the article can be found here.

The third one is: "Captain Kloss (Kapitan Kloss) is a fictional World War II secret agent appearing in the 18-episode 1967-1968 Polish television series Stawka większa niż życie (Direct Translation: More Than Life at Stake; DVD Movie Translation: Playing for High Stakes; Popular Translation: You Bet Your Life), following earlier live television theater plays. It was, and still is, widely popular in Poland."  Rest of article is found in this link.

For more background on Polish Comics... Please see this Wikipedia entry. .

In the private messages that Waldek sent to me, he pretty much verified several of the comments in that entry, without being asked.  So I would suspect that the rest of the wiki is pretty much correct.

My thanks again to Waldek Juszczyk for obtaining this information for me from Kraina komiksu, and obtaining the permission to print it here.  

Kraina komiksu has a Facebook Fan Page that you can look at and then 'Like' as well.

As a USA citizen whose Hamersk(i)y family originated from Poland, I found the above article that was sent to me to be a fascinating one, and of interest to me also as a comics fan, which is why this has been published here today!

~Michael D Hamersky On Comics!

 

 


NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On ComicsMy thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,598 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 link!  We currently have over 2,693 '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:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com, including the book 'Gotham City 14 Miles' that I am shown holding to the left. I'm 1 of 14 essayists in that book! !     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail 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

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page!
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In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST
Updated: Friday, February 3, 2012 9:11 AM PST
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