The Thumbernaut!

Nothing can stop the THUMBERNAUT!




-Chad

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TMNT Coupon

Holy crap! Not only do I get to play Turtles In Time, but I get a coupon for fruit snacks too? Siiiiiick!







$0.25 was a big deal back in 1992.

-Chad

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Video game manuals!

We have a bunch of old game manuals. Some of them will include things like this.




He later shaved his beard and changed his name to Daryl Hall.

-Chad

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Coast City Comicon: Wet Paint Project

This is Chris Dingwell's painting that he did as apart of the Wet Paint Project at Coast City Comicon. A lot of very talented artists completing works of art, right in front of you. It's awesome and we were really glad to have these guys.

Coast City Comicon Photos!

Mike Lavoie took some photos (like the one above) of the cosplayers on Saturday. Check out that gallery here.


Also, Emma Frost (pictured next to Coast City's own Scott, as Aquaman) offered up her gallery for viewing. You can check it out here.

We'll post more photos as people offer them up to us.

NERD RAVE Photos

Samuel Cousins took some pretty awesome photos of the Nerd Rave. You can check out the rest of his gallery here.

Poor poor Tristan

This is what you people have done to Tristan.




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Simpsons Figures!

We bought a ton of Simpsons figures today! Check them out!

Woah!!! Star Wars stuff!!!

We just got in one of the best Star Wars collections we've ever had! Blue Snaggletooth, Luke in Stormtrooper disguise, Amanaman, and tons of other great figures in great shape! If you are looking for something, we probably have it.


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Chad's NYCC Photos

Here are some of my photos from NYCC. I didn't take that many. I was busy playing the new Zelda and Mario Kart 7. BOOM!
















-Chad

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Tiny Batmen...

This is amazing. Sometimes MEZCO knocks it out of the park.


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These young ladies came to the shop all dressed up the other night.




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Coast City Comicon

SWEET CHRISTMAS!!! We have flyers for the Con finally!!! Come and street team the hell out of them!!! EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!


-Posted by elves in a hollow tree. (Tristan)

I hate the diaper

I hate the American flag diaper he's wearing.

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You Should Be Reading The Iron Age

Guys, I'm not here to tell you how to live your lives or anything like that, but I want you to read The Iron Age.

The basic premise is that a forgotten foe of Iron Man's builds a time machine, brings back the Dark Phoenix, and then she destroys the world. Luckily for us, Iron Man manages to escape using the same time machine. He now must assemble the time machine before it's even built, while encountering his friends in the past. Also, let's not forget that Tony was a bit of a drunken scumbag in the past, and this usually makes things a lot more difficult for modern Tony.

The story is written well, the art is great, and it's really a lot of fun to travel down memory lane. I just hate to see this quality mini-series, that doesn't have a million tie-ins, get swept under the rug by Flashpoint or Fear Itself.

If you like Iron Man and good time traveling action, then read this book.

Oh and they make fun of the nose on the Iron Man suit for half of the second issue. Brilliant!

Design Fail

Talk about a design fail. What kid would have thought "Middle Aged Man With Slick-Backed Hair" would be a fun game. It's actually a basketball game, if you can believe it.

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This was just donated

This was just donated by a customer.

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The Big Scary Reboot

Hola folks! I know it's been a while since I've written anything here, but things have been very busy in the store as of late. We've been working very hard at making Coast City/ The Fun Box the best store in the universe, and I feel like we're getting pretty close! The store is better than ever before. You should come in and revel in its coolness!

Speaking of changes, I wanted to talk to you guys about DC's big reboot. At the end of Flashpoint, something so crazy will happen that the entire history of the DCU will be changing. Dc has started calling it the DCnu, see what they did there? Such clever monkeys working at DC. Due to the change in history, status quos, etc., they will be having 52 #1 issues in one month premiering new titles and and older titles with new looks and such. Naturally, the comic book world is an uproar.

I am here to urge everyone to remain calm. Take deep breaths and to stop posting angry diatribes about something you haven't even read yet on forums. This is not the first time that the DCU has been rebooted, and I'm sure it won't be the last. You will get through this. You may even love it.

Let's focus on some of the positives here.

1. Grant Morrison is writing Superman again

2. Swamp Thing is back!

3. Scott Snyder is still writing Batman!

4. The JLA has a cool roster again!

5. Stormwatch is back!

6. It gives someone with no prior knowledge of the DCU a chance to jump on.

These are all good things, guys. There are a lot of different titles coming out that should offer quite a bit of variety for you, the reader. I'm really encouraging everyone to give each title a chance here. It looks like DC has put a lot of thought and effort into this in order to make good books for you. The least we can do is give them the benefit of the doubt.

Do some of the covers look like hell? I would say yes, but I'm pretty picky when it comes to character design and artist. What I think is terrible may look incredible to someone else. Remember that when you're looking at all of the new titles coming out. This is about broadening the audience for the DCU. The more the merrier.

Please put away the pitch forks and torches, and let's wait until these issues come out. If they're all terrible, then we can march down to DC's offices and burn it to the ground. I'm not joking about that either. I will BURN IT DOWN, but only after the comics come out.

Prime

New shirt is available for purchase in the shop! Stop in and get yours today.

I finally read Swamp Thing

If you read Brightest Day to its conclusion, then you know that Swamp Thing has returned as the protector of the Earth. If you were a fan of the critically acclaimed Alan Moore run from the 80's, you probably happily freaked out over this. If you were me, you were scratching your head and wondering what all the fuss was bout. I mean, he's a freakin' plant guy. What's the big deal?


It was suggested to me that I should read the Alan Moore series, so that I could properly grasp the magnitude of his return. It's something that I have always wanted to read, mainly due to people talking about the series whenever the subject of "good" comics had come up. What better time to jump into the swamp than now, right?

Now before I talk about the first trade, let me fill you in on what I knew about Swamp Thing prior to this.


1. He had a live action TV show that would air on FOX after Saturday morning cartoons.
2. His toy line had a swamp boat for him to cruise around in.
3. He was a thing from the Swamp.

Reading this book for the first time now will never be like what it would be like back in the 80's. In that sense, it will not be the same book to me that everyone else raves about. However, given my laughable amount of knowledge when it comes to this character, I'm pretty close to where I would need to be to have that original experience.

I'll put it bluntly, the book was fantastic. I stayed up late into night to finish the first trade in one sitting. I understood now why the character was so interesting. He wasn't just a plant guy, he was a plant that thought he was a man! That's a wild concept and I am very much into it. The art didn't even seem dated to me, unlike when I read Sandman for the first time. The layouts were beautiful and dreamy. It was an awesome book, which explains the years of praise it has received.

It reminded me a lot of when I watched Rocky for the first time. I had always been told it was a classic film, but had never been able to watch it before. I had an idea about what it was about, heard people talk about it, but had never experienced it. Once I saw Rocky lose by decision to Apollo Creed, I understood what all the fuss was about. I had the same feeling when I saw Swamp Thing uproot himself to save a small town from the Floronic Man. I experienced it, and now I love and understand it.

Testing Atari Games

New video games, whether they are old or new, is always a time of great rejoicing here. It's also a time of great cleaning and testing. We can't just let these games go out on the shelves without verifying they work or cleaning the copious amounts of dirt and grime off of them. We have to hold them, feed them, clean them, teach them the ways of the world, and then let them run free on the shelves when they're ready. I assure you, it's a very emotional process.

It's not all sunshine and candy though. It's not all unicorns and kittens wearing funny hats, no sir! Sometimes, testing a game can drive you to the brink of insanity. It can be like starring into the subconscious of Gary Busey, full of wild animals singing Motley Crue songs while gnawing at piles of rotten meat. It's a real test of a man's worth, that's for sure.

Superman, for the Atari 2600, really stood out as a game that can break the will of a civilization. It's seizure inducing characters and level screens made my eyes hurt. Its lack of instruction and intuitiveness left me foaming at the mouth. It made no sense. It sounds like a Daft Punk B-Side and looks like a child's first foray into the world of computer animation. When looking for an example, it was no surprise to me that the video showcasing this game had the word "unplayable" in it. Here, take a look.



The word "unplayable" implies that there is a way to play the game. Whereas I feel that there is no way to play it. There can't be, it's just a mess of shapes and sounds. A world of noise and color that you navigate this helpless sprite through. It's damnation. This is not a game in the classic sense. This is an insanity simulator.

While I do enjoy cleaning and testing the majority of games that come into our shop, it sometimes causes me mental harm. In this case, Superman for the Atari 2600 has scarred me for the rest of my life. There will come a day when I am old and withered, sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, with a vacant look in my eye. If you look closely, you'll see scenes from this game running their hellish course in my eye, in my soul.

For the sake of you having confidence in purchasing used video games here, it was worth it. Goodnight everyone.

Free Comic Book Day!!

Here are some photos from this years Free Comic Book Day. The photos were taken by the talented David Zwickerhill, of Zwickerhill Photography. zwickerhillphotography.com

This Week In The Life Of Comics 5/6/11

When I start thinking about how my week went, I start doing the face rubbing thing. That says to me that I don't want to write about it.

Instead, let's talk about the facebook group I've made. I was watching an episode of the new Doctor Who series, and there's an episode where David Tennant ends up lighting the Olympic Torch for the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London. How cool would it be if he really ended up doing that? It would be super cool! If you think like I do, then please join my facebook group here. I want to make this a reality.



On to the comics...

Fear Itself #2

The second chapter in Marvel's mega-event has arrived! We didn't have to wait an entire month for the second issue to come out, so that's pretty rad, but we won't be so lucky with the third issue. That does ship in one months time.

The majority of The Worthy end up being chosen in this issue, and there's little surprise as to who they are. Due to advanced solicitations and promo posters, you pretty much knew who was getting evil hammers. The two that you didn't are such C-list villains, that's it's kind of difficult to care about them getting an upgrade.

The story is still cool, and by the end of this issue we finally start to see action. It's pretty clear that we were given two issues that set the stage of the event in order to get people interested. So far, I'm hooked and waiting for more. Mission accomplished, I would say.

The art continues to impress me, though a couple of The Worthy's costumes left me wanting a little more. It's the fashionista within me, it demands so much. Overall though, the book is gorgeous. Just like the previous issue.

Next issue is supposed to be the issue that blows everyone's minds, according to Matt Fraction's twitter. If you're getting bored, at least wait until you finish the third issue before you pass judgement. This is shaping up to be a pretty monstrous story, and so far I'm really enjoying the ride. Even if it's taking a little bit to set the story up.

Moon Knight #1

Moon Knight is in L.A. and selling his life story for fame and fortune! Things seem to be going pretty well at a gala event, until Cap, Spidey, and Wolverine show up to speak to him. They tell him that since he's in LA, he needs to clean up the city. There's a new kingpin of crime in the LA area, so he should have plenty of work trying to get rid of him.

Keep in mind that Moon Knight is still a lunatic. He's still a crazy nutter, with tactical combat experience, running around playing super hero with multiple personalities and voices in his head. Just in case you were worried that Bendis made him sane or something, he didn't. He's the same crazy guy. CRAZY!

Moon Knight ends up doing some detective work, which leads to a run in with Mr. Hyde (NOTE: Could have sworn he was in The Raft as of the last issue of Thunderbolts, but what do I know.). He ends up foiling his scheme and recovers something that is definitely troubling and problematic for the future.

The last page has a surprise twist, which did catch me off guard. It doesn't really seem like that big of a change for the character to me, but I can see where there are opportunities for major swerves further down the line. It has potential to be mind blowing, but this first issue did not melt my brains. It caused them to lightly simmer.

Overall, it's a great Moon Knight comic. If you're a fan of Moon Knight, then you need to be reading this. If you're not, then this will probably be the series that changes your mind. Stop in and check it out. He's crazy!

Alright, that's all for me this week. See you guys at Free Comic Book Day tomorrow!

Boston Comic Con Day 2

Anyone that has been to a few conventions knows that the last day of the con has a different feeling about it. It's a little calmer, there's a feeling of winding down that's in the air. That's not to say that the last day isn't special at all, but it's not as electric as the previous day(s).

Tim Sale continued to be assaulted by hordes of fans. He took more breaks on this day than the previous though. I'm assuming this was for his mental health, as he was drawing nonstop.

I saw Brutus the Barber Beefcake and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine there too. Brutus is a massive, jacked dude. Given his age and how jacked he is, he's probably hitting steroids pretty hard, but don't quote me on that. "The Hammer" looked like hell. He looked like he had been on the ass end of an ass-whuppin' for sure.

I had one customer tell me that he had been drunk on absinthe since seven in the morning and that Gerald and I appeared as cheetahs in his eyes. I told him that it was real and that I run up and down Mass Ave. (as a cheetah) hunting gazelles. We both laughed, what fun we had this day.

They had a costume parade/contest which was pretty neat. Some of the costumes were pretty impressive. I especially enjoyed an exchange between a guy pretending to be John Stewart (Green Lantern, not the Daily Show) and a guy playing Jason of Friday the 13th fame. They had a stare-down with each other and then the Green Lantern gave Jason the cutthroat hand gesture (like The Undertaker before he gives the Tombstone Piledriver). Jason then raised his axe in the air, and pointed at it. It was very WWE, but I thought it was hilarious. Dear DC, please write Green Lantern Vs. Jason.

We continued to sell funny books throughout the day, until it was time to close. We were then involved in a massive clustercuss as we attempted to bring all of our stock down to the loading dock. It was like that final scene in the 2012 when the mass of people are trying to get on that ship. It was ugly.

That was it for me guys. We had a lot of fun at the con and were able to meet a lot of cool people. If you've never been to a comic book convention like Boston or New York, then I highly recommend going. It's a great opportunity to geek out and meet a lot of cool people in the process.

Boston Comic Con Day 1

Boston Comic Con is huge this year! There's a bunch of new vendors and tons of artists. It's almost NYCC, it's just missing the room full of new video games. Who knows, maybe in a few years, they'll have them.







We ended up setting up shop next to Tim Sale this year. I'd like to say that we struck up a conversation that resulted in a life long friendship, but we didn't. This guy has been insanely busy this year. With all of the sketches he did yesterday, he probably could have drawn an entire comic book. I imagine that he probably spent the evening icing his drawing hand. He's a hard working man. He even drew on a girls leg!


















There was lots of cool costumes at the show, some pictured above. I wish I had taken more photos, but I was busy selling funny books!













I bought a sketch from Stan Sakai yesterday as well. This was a big deal for me as I've been a big Usagi Yojimbo fan for a long time.






Gerald missed his opportunity to get a drawing from Ryan Ottley. His drawing schedule filled up in the first 20 minutes! Gerald's been a wreck since then. He's adorned himself in goth makeup and is listening to Cradle of Filth. He's full of despair.












We met our only fan too! Michael Lynn Wherley stopped by our booth to bask in our glory. Michael is a really cool guy. He likes our videos for some reason, and we love him for it.





Afterwards, we were invited out to a retailers dinner by Larry's Comics. It was a lot of fun to meet everyone from the area and to know that not every comic shop hates us. That's a relief.












After that, I curled up in my hotel bed, babbling nonsense words to myself. It was a long, fun day full of awesome people and comics.


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