New Year's Eve EVE!

Tomorrow, the last Wednesday of the DECADE, December 30th, go to your local Amazing Fantasy for fun and excitement! Each store will be doing something different, so if you are bored, take a trip to all four!

Here is the scoop for what is a happening at the Frankfort location:

FREE Marvel 2010 Calendars (quantities limited, arrive early to avoid disappointment)

Free Marvel Origins of Siege Comic (again, quantities limited)

Free Avengers ID cards (Marvel has not sent them to us yet, so if they do, we will have them available with the same disclaimer, quantities limited. Unless they show up tomorrow morning, it doesn't look like we will have these, sorry.)

Fall of the Hulks New Years Eve Eve Variant will be available for purchase (I bet you can guess that quantities are limited)

The only NEW book that day will be Green Lantern: Blackest Night #6, so that will be available for purchase. We plan on doing a live reading of Blackest Night #6 also, so that should be entertaining. Pick your favorite character!

There will be special sales and special pricing all day long!

FREE Champagne and wine for all of our customers over 21! And sparkling juice for the youngsters.

Cheese and crackers will also be available for snacking!

Karaoke all day long, and maybe Guitar Hero too, who knows!

Comic Book related trivia all day long!

Periodic raffles will be held throughout the day for 4 IPod shuffles, a couple of ITunes gift cards, Green Lantern Blackest Night variant covers and more!

Local horror author Shelia C. Johnson will be doing an in-store reading of a few of her stories from her collection: The People He Thought He Knew: Horror Stories from the Suburbs, including a special Christmas Horror short story. From 4pm-5pm. She will also be selling copies of her book for $10 if you would like to pick one up.

And last, but not least, there will be an assortment of FREE comics! (Limit of 3 free comics per customer, limited to a selection of comics. So, NO you can't just walk around the store and pick any three comics, they will be limited to what we have selected as possible freebies. So don't be a jackass and bring up the three newest issues of Green Lantern and say "these are Free right?")

I hope we see everyone there! Should be way too much fun for everyone! Come see Mike passed out behind the counter at the Frankfort store from drinking too much, come see your friends make fools of themselves as they sing for discounts, come on by and save money while you are entertained by your friendly neighborhood comic shop employees, and come by to get FREE stuff!

Hawkman The Movie!

Check it out, DC is looking to develop Hawkman into a film!

http://www.pajiba.com/trade_news/dc-comics-developing-hawkman.php

Personally, I don't agree with whoever wrote this article, and I guess that is because I am such a huge fan of any of the Golden Age DC characters from the JSA on up. Hawkman does have HUGE potential. For god's sake, Marvel managed to turn Iron Man, I mean the dude that used to have transistors on his armor as part of his then "high tech" gadgetry, into a crazy HUGE franchise. It looks like Marvel is going to be doing the same thing with Thor amazingly enough, so really, why shouldn't DC take a crack at bringing a second string character to the big screen in a big way? I would personally love for Geoff Johns and/or James Robinson to be in on those script development meetings. And I would love to see Hawkgirl on the big screen too! The on again/off again romance between these two characters has been one of the great love stories in comic books. They were destined to be together, whether they like it or not, or so the history of these characters go. There is something rather romantic about the idea of there being someone out there that you are "meant" to be with, and that is an element of the story that DC can play up a bit to get more women in the theatre. Plenty of women saw Iron Man, and I'm sure plenty of women (including myself of course) would see a Hawkman movie with or without a gushy love story, but think of the potential! This movie could have all the action and special effects we have come to know and expect from big Hollywood blockbusters along with a little romance, could mean a big payday for DC Entertainment.

It would be awesome if they could somehow show the Golden Age JSA in this movie, even if just for a flashback scene, ala the Watchmen film. I'm thinking a Hawkman/Hawkwoman film could be the start of something special at DC Entertainment! Am I wrong? In addition to this movie talk, I hear that Hawkman will be appearing in this next season of Smallville, they have even posted some pictures of this version of Hawkman online. Not really working for me, BUT if they introduce Hawkman on Smallville, that will raise his brand awareness level with the masses. You know what would be beyond cool imo? A Golden Age tale of each of the Golden Age JSA members: The Spectre, Hawkman, the original Starman, the original Sandman, and more. That would be fantastic, but.... I somehow doubt that that would EVER happen, but stranger things have transpired in the recent past as far as comics and comic book characters being transformed into movies. Who the hell ever thought that we would see a V for Vendetta, Watchman, Ghost World, or Hellboy movie? If you had asked me 15 years ago what the odds would have been for all these to have actually been made, I would have bet my life on NO. Just goes to show you, how wrong I can be. I'm only human, and can't tell the future.

New Editions of the Sandman GN's!

It's about time I would say!! After releasing the entire series RECOLORED in Absolute Editions, Vertigo has announced that they will be re-releasing the entire series of 10 Sandman Graphic Novels in paperback, all using the recolored art from the Absolutes. I can't tell you how excited I am by this! Sandman suffered from the lack luster coloring of the 90's that many books did at the time, through no fault of the colorists I might add, they did the best they could with the tools available. Now, with the advent of digital coloring/painting the look of standard comics have changed dramatically. I am so excited to see Vertigo releasing the Sandman paperbacks with the new coloring. To be quite honest, Sandman can be a hard sell these days to the average person on the street, because of the flat colors. Now with these new editions I can go back to pimping the hell out of this series. I guess this means I will be giving Neil Gaiman MORE money sometime next year. I swore up and down that I would NOT contribute ANY more cash to his wallet as far as Sandman is concerned, but damn it now I have to go back on my word. See, back in the day, I bought every single one of the floppy issues of course. Then they started releasing the graphic novels in paperback, which I bought of course so I could spread the joy of Sandman to my friends and family, and then they released th GN's in hardcover, which I had to buy to put on my book shelf. When Vertigo released the Absolute Editions, I swore up and down that I would NOT buy the same damn thing AGAIN, especially for the price and the size of the books. I really have no where to put Absolute Editions, my place is just not big enough for books that size. NOW with the re-release of the newly recolored paperbacks, I guess I will have to give Neil money ONE MORE TIME. Sigh....I hope he has enjoyed all the cash he has made off of all the crazy Sandman fans in the world, that just keep buying and rebuying the same material over and over again. I'm sure he makes more cash off of his NY Times Best-selling novels, but still, I'm sure those royalty checks from DC don't hurt. I really don't have space on my book shelves for another set of Sandman graphic novels, but I will find somewhere to put them.

I can only hope that some day Vertigo goes back to recolor other series. I would love to see the Grant Morrison Doom Patrol run recolored, and just about any other Vertigo series from the 90's. Don't they know that new fans today have a tough time stomaching the old colors? I know, both Marvel and DC could recolor their entire libraries. Some fans would applaud this move and others would bitch and moan that that would be sacrilege of the worst order. It's sort of like George Lucas going back to redo effects shots for the old Star Wars movies. He did the best he could at the time, so unless he wants to reshoot all three films, he should leave well enough alone. 9 out of 10 times the coloring matches the art of the time period so they should leave it alone, but every once in a while, a series is SO good it would be nice to see it recolored. Time will tell if DC considers doing this with any other series in their library.

So, if you don't already own Sandman 3 times, you may want to consider picking up the recolored versions. If you already own all 10 Sandman GN's, why not pick up the new versions for yourself and then give away your old editions to a friend to get he/she hooked on comics. That is most likely what I will be doing with my old editions. (On second thought I only have the hardcover editions still on my book shelf, I already gave away my old paperback editions. Not sure if I will ever part with my original hardcover editions. I like having the original editions right next to the new editions. I did this back in the day with the original Star Wars trilogy, I had to own both the new Special Editions and the original theatrical releases. And yes, I did the same damn thing with all three LOTR films. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. It's the collector within, she never rests.)

Iron Man 2 Trailer!!

I'm sure by this time, everyone has seen this, but just in case you haven't, here is a link to the amazing looking Iron Man 2!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid16681868001?bctid=57699172001

Not only is this movie going to make tons and tons of cash, but shit it looks SO good. Wow. Marvel somehow managed to pull off the first Iron Man film, but this looks like it will surpass it quite easily. Can. Not. Wait. Geez, I got goosebumps while watching this trailer. All I can say is: more Nick Fury and more War Machine please! This is the type of movie that might make me go buy a BlueRay player and a new flat screen tv, because you know when this comes out on dvd it's going to look just gorgeous! Damn it. Stupid Hollywood making cool movies, screwing up my budget for 2010 already.

Two Great Gift Ideas!

Wow, check it out, even Hello Kitty is getting in on the multi-colored Lantern action!

The JLA Green Lantern Rings Prop Replica came in today, see picture above. It's just beautiful and it lights up! Limited edition made of resin and metal. Retails at $250.00. Check it out next time you are at the Frankfort Amazing Fantasy. Believe me, this the ULTIMATE gift for the Green Lantern fan on your list!

Coincidentally, Sanrio released this plush assortment of colored Hello Kitty plush today. The picture above does show the five kitties included in the set, what it doesn't show you is they are stacked in a pyramid in the box, and the box is similarly sized to the Green Lantern Ring Prop box. And each Hello Kitty represents something different. Green=Wishes (but we all know it's really Will), Pink=Cute (but again, we all know that it is really Love), Yellow=Compassion (hell no, we know it means FEAR, get a clue Sanrio!), Purple=Sweetness (No it doesn't, it means Compassion doesn't it? Because the Pink looks like the Lantern Corps Violet and the Lavender sort of looks like the Indigo ring), and Red=Friendship (but in the DCU it means RAGE baby!). This lovely 35th Anniversary Hello Kitty Colors set retails at the low, low price of $29.99. I say, if you have a Green Lantern Corps member on your list, get them this instead, it's the same basic idea as the Prop Replica, just pick up some extra colored Lantern rings and put them on the plush Hello Kitties and you will be all set. Really.

There you go, two more GREAT gift ideas courtesy your friendly neighborhood comic shop.

More BIG DC Announcents!

Over at Comic Book Resources, Dan Didio talks about the new 10 issue Legacies mini-series:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23996

Also, at the bottom of the article they mention a NEW History of the DCU (finally) and a NEW Who's Who in the DCU (again, all I can say is FINALLY!)

Legacies looks to be pretty damn cool, very much in the tradition of Marvels. As good as Legacies sounds, I am way more excited about the NEW History and the NEW Who's Who. The last Who's Who was ages ago (early 90's) and the last History was around the same time (DC did recently reprint that mini-summery-series in GN form, as much good as that does considering how different the DCU is now compared to then). As a retailer, I can always use a fresh edition of both of these books, just to field various DCU-related questions. Granted, I know a lot, but it's nice to have an authoritative version of these things that I can fall back on, especially since my memory isn't what it used to be, a serious side-effect of getting older.

Midnight Madness This Weekend!

So, what are you doing this weekend? Did you say you would be attending "Amazing Fantasy's Annual Midnight Madness? Damn straight! We better see you at your local Amazing Fantasy! Friday night from 8pm-12 midnight, visit the Frankfort and Tinley Park locations for fun and savings. Saturday night from 7pm-11pm, visit the Calumet City and Lockport locations for more fun and more savings.

We only do this mega savings spectacular ONCE A YEAR for FOUR HOURS ONLY. You really, really, really don't want to miss this. If you for some reason, you are unable to attend, you will cry like a little girl when you hear about all the deals you missed. Seriously, come in on the Sunday after the sale and the shelves will be close to empty. THIS is the weekend to shop at Amazing Fantasy, THIS is the weekend to SAVE at Amazing Fantasy. There will be snacks, there will be trivia, there will be Christmas music! (We only play Christmas music in honor of the annual sale, we don't pipe it in 24/7 from Halloween to New Year's, like SOME chain stores). And our Christmas music is much cooler, and sometimes borderline offensive. Richard Cheese has a wonderful Christmas album that I very much like to play at the Frankfort store every year, and this year I have two new additions to my Christmas play list, both being punk rock Christmas albums.

So come on out, so you can save money on your favorite comic-book related gifts for yourself or your friends and family. Don't be shy, ask for help, if you are trying to find that perfect graphic novel for your buddy or loved one. All Amazing Fantasy employees are personable and full of comic-book-y knowledge and we always have a list of great recommendations at our fingertips. You won't leave the store empty-handed!

Hope to see you all there! Be extra cool, and drive to all four locations! Each store will be doing something EXTRA, maybe cookies, maybe punch, maybe raffles, you never know!

Bruce Wayne RETURNS

Well, well, well. USA Today interviews Grant Morrison about the RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE in April 2010. Read all about it here:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/2009-12-09-morrison-bruce-wayne-st_N.htm

See, I told EVERYONE Bruce wasn't dead! Ha, I was so totally right!!! (Mike says I'm still wrong, but read the interview yourself, I was right!) So the basic gist is that Bruce has been tripping through time, making his way to the present. In this aptly titled "Return of Bruce Wayne" storyline we will thrill to the exploits of Pilgrim/Puritan Batman, Pirate Batman, Pulp/Noir Batman and more. Thanks Grant, for bringing Elseworlds back to the DCU, and making it part of continuity no less. 2010 is shaping up to the year of the Bat, (oh and the year of the Man of Steel if Robinson has anything to say about it, and hopefully it will be the year of Girl Power. Important things are in the works for my gal in 2010, I can feel it, after reading Blackest Night: Wonder Woman.)

Two BIG DC Announcements!

Yesterday, DC announced the Earth One Graphic Novel line, to much debate. Read the link below to get the scoop from Newsarma.


http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091207-Earth-One-DCU.html

I applaud DC on this move. Anything to try to get new readers into comics is a good move in my book. Until we know the price point and format (hardcover, paperback, deluxe, digest) I can't say exactly HOW exciting this is just yet, but the potential could be great. I know many fans are pissing and moaning since they are starting the line off, with you guessed it, the origins of Batman and Superman. Yes, yes, yes, they've been done to death, true enough, but you have to start at the beginning for these kind of things. Personally, I would have liked to see the line launch with Wonder Woman thrown into the mix, she is DC's number three after all, remember Trinity? Why do they always seem to forget about her until the second round? They did the same thing with the first wave of Blackest Night mini-series: we had BATMAN of course, and SUPERMAN of course, and the third one was Titans? WTF? I know from Geoff John's pov it makes sense but dammit, sometimes I just want to see my girl up front and center, you know? And let's hope DC doesn't drop the ball in getting the Green Lantern Earth One graphic novel out in time for the Green Lantern movie. Not that they've announced one or anything, but we can only assume that this will follow.



DC's big announcement today was about the next BIG Superman crossover that will kick off with a FCBD edition, very much in the vein of successful Blackest Night issue #0 from this past year. Check out the link for the skinny.

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091208-war-of-the-supermen.html

Kudos again DC. Will a big Superman cross-over be as exciting as Green Lantern and Blackest Night has been? Well it definitely would be something if DC can manage to get tongues wagging as much about this crossover as the Green Lantern/Blackest Night crossover. Personally, I would very much like to see fans get excited about Superman, it's long overdue. He's a tough character to write, well because he's SUPERman for god's sake, meaning the dude can do just about anything. James Robinson has been doing a respectable job on the Superman books up till this point, can he carry it a step farther? We will have to wait and see.

Great Gifts Under $15.00!!!!

The list is mighty long for "Great Gifts for under $15.00"! I'm not going to discuss the merits of each of these, but if you disagree with any of my choices or agree, feel free to chime in.

Scott Pilgrim Volume One $12.99
Everyone should read this book, especially since the much hyped, much discussed Michael Cera movie is coming out March 19th. This makes a wonderful gift for any girlfriend, wife, boyfriend, or husband that isn't already into comics. There are five volumes so far, and once they read Vol. 1, they will quickly request the rest. Described on the back as comedy/action/romance, "You'll laugh. You'll cry. This is Scott Pilgrim. This is your life." I love, love, love this book! Also a great gift for the manga fan on your list, it is very manga-like, but not too much so, so it will also appeal to regular folks.

Y: The Last Man Volume One $12.99
There are ten volumes total in the complete Y library. Volume one is another one of those great books that you can hand off to any non-comic book fan, male OR female, to get them hooked. This series has been optioned for a movie, but no definite information has been made available as of yet. This book put Brian K. Vaughn on the map.

Proof Volume One $9.99
Oops, I forgot to put this one on my list of "Great Gifts Under $10.00" list. So happy to see Image following the Vertigo model again. Kudos. (Gee if only Marvel would get their act together, and jump on board this excellent marketing tool). Description on the back of the book: "Proof doesn't leave urban legends where it finds them....Bigfoot wears a suit to the office. Fairies devour anyone in sight. A lonely monster wears human skin for company. The hit series starts here." A very interesting and highly entertaining read for any humor/horror fan.

Batman: Year One and Batman: Dark Knight Returns
$14.99 each
Frank Miller's two greatest Batman books, NOT to be confused with the @#$%* All Star Batman and Robin or the piece of #$%@ Dark Knight Strikes Again. If you have any type of Batman movie or video game fan on your list, give them one of the aforementioned Bat books, so they can read the inspiration for the Batman they know and love.

Buffy: The Long Road Home
ok, this is technically $15.95, so that puts it over my $15.00 cut off by $.95, but I'm going to include it anyway.
This book is volume one in the fan favorite Joss Whedon helmed Buffy Season Eight series of graphic novels. Got a Buffy fan on your list? Look no further for the ultimate gift, just pick this book up, or pick up all five volumes that are currently available. This is Season Eight as Joss would have made for TV, given the opportunity.

Invincible Volume One
$12.99
Already have a Walking Dead fan on your list? Get them hooked on Kirkman's other popular creator owned book. This is Kirkman's great little superhero book. Kurt Busiek describes Invincible "...distinctive and clever and alive, all the while standing foursquare at the heart of a longstanding, well-worked genre that many would say has nothing more to offer."

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
$14.99
Got someone on your list that loves that direct to dvd DC animated specials? Get them this book, that served as the inspiration for the newest DC special of the same name. I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel, and I do not give Jeph Loeb praise lightly, although I have to say whenever he teams up with Tim Sale, it is usually a cause for celebration. This is volume one in the series. This book is a great read for any Batman or Superman fan mostly because it stands on it's own, 9 out 10 times, meaning you don't have to be reading 30 other DCU books to understand what the heck is going on in it, so that makes this book a very popular read amongst the more casual comic book fan.

The Ultimates Volume One
$12.99
This is the ultimate Avengers book, no pun intended. Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch together just equals bloody amazing for this series. The Ultimates continues into a volume two, and then again into a "Season 2" books one and two. This is the book for any Marvel movie fan because it brings together so many powerful characters into one amazing HUGE story: Captain A, Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, Giant Man, and Hulk. Thrill to the crazy exploits of the Avengers as never seen before! Captain A kicks ass of course, and this is the best interpretation of Thor anywhere if you ask me.

Peanutbutter and Jeremy's Best Book Ever
$14.99
Pure James Kochalka magic! This is a super little book for readers of all ages. This book has been called "A Delightful surprise" by Comic Book Gallery, "It's laugh out-loud weirdness" by Four Color Reviews, and "If life's a silly ride, Kochalka is selling the tickets" by Publishers Weekly. Another love, love, love this book selection.

And dear god, there are so many possible "Great Gifts for under $15.00 that I am getting tired from typing all of this! Other books I would be amiss if I did not mention:

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume One ($14.99), Preacher Volume One ($14.99), Pride of Baghdad ($12.99). Justice Society of America: New Age ($14.99), and Irredeemable Volume One too (another $9.99 selection I inadvertently left off my last list)!

Great Gifts for Under Ten Bucks!

Want to buy everyone on your list at least ONE graphic novel? All five of these pictured are no-brainers, and every single one costs UNDER $10! Share the joy of sequential storytelling without breaking the bank.

All five of these are books that most every comic fan already owns, but this list isn't for YOU, it's a short list of books you can buy for OTHERS. Do I really need to spell out why each of these would make a "perfect gift?" I guess there really isn't much point to this blog if I don't give you my personal opinion at every possible opportunity, now would it?

Walking Dead Volume One. WE all know what a great book this is, but how about all of your friends, do THEY know how great this book it? Any horror fan on your list NEEDS this book. I think I've encountered one soul that I recommended this title to that did NOT like it. It's that good, especially if you are even mildly interested in zombies, this book is for you. But Walking Dead isn't just about the undead hordes, it's also about the characters that Kirkman has created, there is a huge stable of them, each one unique, but the real kicker is Kirkman does not hesitate to mix things up on regular basis. One thing for sure, don't get too attached to any one character because you just never know when that character might be ripped to shreds by the roamers, lurkers, or some crazed maniac human, or by their own hand, because don't forget the world of Walking Dead is about what happens AFTER the zombie apocalypse.


Serenity Volume One. Ah, Joss Whedon I love you so. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a little Joss, imo. Any Joss Whedon fan on your list NEEDS this book, and I can only assume that there is at least ONE Whedon fan on there, if not two. And if they are indeed a Whedon fan, than we can only assume that they too are Firefly/Serenity fans. This great little graphic novel, bridges the gap between the end of the short-lived tv show (Firefly) and the movie (Serenity). Joss even co-wrote the three issue mini-series that this graphic novel collects. It's a nice little arc, ESSENTIAL reading for all Whedon fans, and again UNDER $10!


Fables Volume One. If you don't know my love of Fables yet, than I guess you've missed half of my posts. I love recommending this book to all kinds of people. Volume One is only $9.99, and it's just enough to whet your appetite for MORE Fables! Makes a great gift because the world of Fables requires absolutely no explanation whatsoever to non-comic-reading-folks on your list. Everyone is familiar with the story of Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs, the Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and the rest of the fables and fairy tales that all remember from their days as a youngin. Take those characters that we all know and love, and put them in the middle of present day New York, it's very much a "what happened next" scenario. After the stories we remember from childhood, what became of these beloved characters? We all know of course, because all comic fans with good taste read Fables, but this holiday season is a great time to give the gift of wonderful storytelling to your loved ones and friends. Buy at least one copy of Fables Volume One to give as a gift this Christmas.

Chew Volume One. This is a brand new addition to the stack of possible gift-giving affordable graphic novels. Wow, TWO Image books made this list, who would have thought that would happen? And look at that, not one Marvel book made the list because they ALL cost MORE than $10. Again, who would have thought that? What a bunch of jerks. It looks like even Image figured out the Vertigo publishing model. I could make a huge list of $9.99 Vertigo graphic novels, but I'm pretty sure I've done that at some in the recent past, so instead I should get back to discussing Chew. Chew is a lot of fun. If you are looking for something new and different to give to one of a person of distinguished taste on your list, than look no further. The back of the book describes the series better than I can, so here you go: "Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets physic impression from whatever he eats. It also means he is a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of FDA, the most powerful law environment agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre case."

Bone Volume One. OK, technically this book is $10.99, not $9.99, but it WAS $9.99 until very recently. Scholastic is using a strategy that is opposite of the Vertigo model, making the first volume of a series MORE expensive than the rest (As of right now volumes 2-9 are still priced at $9.99, but this could change in the near future. Perhaps all subsequent printings of Bone will be priced at $10.99 each.) Scholastic knows for a fact that many many many people will buy volume one of the series, but not as many people will buy volume two, this is a fact, no matter how good Bone is as an all ages fantasy adventure, volumes ones ALWAYS sell better than volume twos, this is a proven fact. Also happens with floppy comics too. #1's are almost always the best selling issue of a series, with occasional exceptions of course. (Sometime a new artist, writer, or character or event, becomes hot and that will bump the numbers for that particular issue #). If you have a child on your list and you haven't bought them a copy of Bone Volume One yet, you really should. Bone is one of those magical series that will capture a child's imagination and engage him/her and get them truly excited about reading. Any Harry Potter fan on your list, adult or child, do them a favor and buy them volume one of this series. No doubt they will be asking you about volume two in record time.

I really have to mention a book that Marvel did offer recently for under $10.00. The annual Marvel Holiday comic. This year, it's called the Marvel Holiday Spectacular, is magazine size and retails at a whopping $9.99. Contains material originally published. Marvel has been doing this an awful lot lately, mixing new material with old material and jacking up the price. If they had made the book normal comic book size, and taken out all the reprints, the book would have easily retailed at half the price, which would mean more people would have bought it. The price point and dimensions of this book are really killing the potential sales of this book. It could have been the perfect stocking stuffer for the Marvel zombie on your list, but Marvel dropped the ball on this one.

Join me for my next gift-giving themed blog will be about great gifts under $15.00. (That potential list is quite a bit bigger, but I will try to limit it to 10 items or less).

Hell YEAH!!!

Oh man, this looks like it's going to be SO good! (fingers crossed) I still would have preferred to see Terrence Howard in the role of War Machine, since his character was in the first film, but Don Cheadle is a talented man, so I'm sure it will turn out fine in the end. I'm pretty sure that Iron Man 2 will see the very first Don Cheadle action figure to be released. I almost forgot that this movie will see the debut of Black Widow, Scarlet Johansson and of course Nick Fury (Samual Jackson) will be making an appearance. The list of characters is pretty long for this film, I hope we don't see the kind of thing that has happened way too often in superhero flicks: too many characters with not enough screen time or character development. Just look at this list from IMDB:

	Scarlett Johansson	...	Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
	Robert Downey Jr.	...	Tony Stark / Iron Man
	Kate Mara	...	Unknown
	Sam Rockwell	...	Justin Hammer
	Mickey Rourke	...	Ivan Vanko / Whiplash
	Samuel L. Jackson	...	Nick Fury
	Jon Favreau	...	Hogan
	Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Pepper Potts
	Paul Bettany	...	Jarvis (voice)
	Leslie Bibb	...	Christine Everhart
	Don Cheadle	...	Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes / War Machine
	Olivia Munn	...	Melina Vostokoff / Iron Maiden
	Clark Gregg	...	Agent Coulson
	John Slattery	...	Howard Stark
	Stan Lee	...	Larry King
	Helena Mattsson	...	Rebecca
	Garry Shandling	...	Senator Stern
	Tim Guinee	...	Major Allen
	Natalina Maggio	...	Model
	Anya Monzikova	...	Rebekah
	Davin Ransom	...	Young Tony Stark
	Jennifer D. Johnson	...	Ironette Dancer
	Keith Middlebrook	...	Dr. Jason Miller
	Jack White	...	Jack!

That's a lot of people crammed into one movie! And can someone tell me is Jack White the same Jack White of White Stripes fame? If it is, that's pretty cool, if not, than I don't care. And what's with Paul Bettany just being the "voice" of Jarvis? I don't get it. Do we only hear him over an intercom or something? I want to SEE Paul Bettany damn it! Speaking of Bettany, wouldn't he have made a KILLER John Constantine, instead of Keanu Reeves? And hey Gary Shandling always rocks! Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Pots still makes my stomach churn, but hopefully like last time, we won't have to see or hear her too much. (I just checked into it, and I'll be damned Bettany was the voice of Jarvis in the first movie too, I guess I'll have to go back and rewatch it just for that.)

So who's excited about this sure to be HUGE summer blockbuster of 2010? I sure am! I've told everyone this before, but damn I never thought I would give a crap about an Iron Man ANYTHING! That first movie was so very entertaining, mostly due to Robert Downey Jr. He's the perfect Tony Stark.

Owly is the Perfect Gift for Kids of ALL AGES!

Continuing with my series of "Great Gifts" blog postings, here is a great example of comics for KIDS! Owly is a magical series of graphic novels, there are four so far by Andy Runton. They are a pleasure to look at, with simple lovely art, and to make it super easy for kids of all ages, they are wordless graphic novels. Like Gon before it, Owly is just a pleasure to behold. As pictured here, there is also an Owly plush available. Why not get your niece, nephew, son, daughter, or little cousin into comics the easy way? Buy them some Owly, and they will love you for it! Owly has received multiple awards across the industry and in the book industry too. It's one of those graphic novel series that you will find at almost every library in the county, along with Bone of course. Librarians, teachers, parents, and kids LOVE Owly, the question is, have YOU tried Owly yet? You really really should.

Blood Makes a PERFECT Holiday Gift!

Have you seen these? They are pretty damn cool, if you are into this sort of thang. They retail for a mere $3.99 each. What a great stocking stuffer! Or better yet, buy a bunch of bags of blood and use them at your holiday feast with the family. I'm sure old Auntie Gretta would love to drink some blood for your annual holiday toast!

Blood: energy Potion has the following info on the front of the "bag":

-Similar nutrients to real blood
-Fangtastic fruit punch flavor
-Up to four hours of pure energy
-Delicious for vampires or humans
-Succulent source of electrolytes
-Delectable source of iron
-Protein and energy
-Garlic free

On the back of the bag, there are instructions for warming it in the microwave to make it a "perfect" 98.5 degrees.

Not recommended for mortals under 12.

_____________________________________


There is the PERFECT holiday add-on. Stuff theses little bags of blood into stockings or tie one to the top of every gift you give this year! Not only does this "blood" leave a great metallic aftertaste but it is a rather thick liquid, so if you poor it in a goblet it will look very blood-like. Give these to all of your Twilight friends! Tween girls WANT to drink blood, or at least pretend to drink it. :) Also makes a great gift for the "True Blood" fans on your holiday list.

Available at the Frankfort Amazing Fantasy.

New Heroclix are HOT!

There are TONS of great gifts available at your local Amazing Fantasy for all the cool kids on your list! One of the most surprising items of the season is the new Heroclix set: Hammer of Thor. Heroclix has been on hiatus for a year or more, which made many gamers quite sad. I'm happy to report that Heroclix is back and in a BIG BIG way! The figures look great, better than previous sets IMO. Neca is now producing the Heroclix game. I was worried since they had not produced a miniature game before, BUT they did a good job with this expansion. This is the set that was already planned on being produced before Wizkids discontinued Heroclix last year.

Never played Heroclix and you are wondering what the heck I'm going on about? Stop by your local A/F for a FREE "quick start rules" sheet. It's a super simple miniatures game featuring your favorite super heroes. There are both Marvel and DC figures available, so every fanboy's/fangirl's wet dream can come true. "What would happen if the Thing fought Superman" or whatever burning dual you can dream up can be played out right on your tabletop! Damn cool. The figs are prepainted, so none of that time-consuming bullshit associated with traditional tabletop wargamming, like Warhammer, this game is ready to go right out of the box.

If you are looking to pick up any of these Hammer of Thor Heroclix boosters, act quickly because every set is limited. Each booster of 5 random Marvel Heroclix figures retails at $11.99, and this brand new set, Hammer of Thor, is FLYING off the shelves! Buy a brick of 10 boosters and get a FREE exclusive figure: an oversize Ragnarok Surtur.

Heroclix boosters make GREAT stocking stuffers!

Two BIG Holiday Events Coming SOON!!!

Two HUGE events coming very soon to your local Amazing Fantasy location!


Our 15th annual Midnight Madness Sale!
This year it will be Friday December 11th from 8pm-12 Midnight at the Frankfort and Tinley Park locations and Saturday December 12th from 7pm-11pm at the Lockport and Calumet City locations. If you have never had a chance to make it to one of these sales before I can not emphasize how amazing it is. Really, I shit you not. Just ask anyone who has been to Midnight Madness before, it is absolutely MAD!

Every year, we do something a little different every year, so don't bother asking me WHAT is going to be on sale, suffice it to say that there are deals to be had throughout the store. People usually start showing up a hour or so beforehand to start scoping the place out. No announcements will be made about what the special specials will be until the sale begins! Expect to be wowed, expect to save tons of cash. Bring your wish list, your friend's wish list, your husband/wife's wish list, your mom's wish list, your children's wish lists, well you get the idea.

Also, each store will have a little something extra going on. Santa may attend the sale, elves, Mrs. Claus, Supergirl, who knows? Everyone who is everyone is going to be there, so you need to mark these dates on your calendar, or on your IPhone, wherever you keep track of all the cool stuff you do from day to day so you aren't left out! Some locations will have snacks available, some stores will be playing special holiday themed music, some stores might be raffling off goodies, and MORE! The fun will be NON-STOP. This is a DO NOT miss event!


New Year's Eve Eve Day/Night of FUN
Wednesday, December 30th ALL DAY long at all four Amazing Fantasy locations! That's right, from 11am-8pm! Come on in for crazy fun! What all is going on? Well, it's a skip week for new comics, but don't let that stop you from coming by your favorite LCS, no sir. There will be PLENTY to keep you occupied and entertained. There will be sales and specials all day long, since it will be the PERFECT time to try something NEW. Buy that graphic novel you've been eyeing for months or jump on a new series that you've been thinking about. We'll be hosting a number of incentives to encourage a little funtime reading. Every store will be hosting some extra special fun! One thing I can tell you for sure: Frankfort will be hosting Karaoke from 4pm-8pm with special host/MC Bill R! It was suppose to be Jerkules, but he's being a "Jerk", go figure, lol. :P And Frankfort will also have some champagne, wine and cheese and crackers available to get into the pre-party spirit of New Year's Eve. Remember this special event is on the EVE of New Year's Eve so you will be able to booze up before the big booze up the next evening. We might even have confetti and balloons, who knows? You will just have to come and see for yourself!