The Man of Steel as an American Icon

When I was a young girl, I used to love watching the Superman shows on TV that starred George Reeves. I would tune in to every show, and watch them avidly. I think I even had a bit of a crush on Clark Kent. I was so thrilled when a friend of mine taught me how to draw Superman flying, and I would draw this icon everywhere, doodling on school papers, on the back of envelopes, anything to keep that spirit alive in me. I had no idea that someday I would own a comic book store!

Tonight I was reading through some master’s degree theses on comic books (http://www.comicsresearch.org/ComicsDissertations-masters.html) and I was particularly struck with a thesis done by Joseph James Darowski entitled The American Way: What Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men Reveal about America. Right away, Darowski talks about how Superman burst on the scene as early as 1938, making an impact that over 70 years later, is still going strong.

He goes on to reveal all of the ways that Superman has pervaded our culture in a myriad of media forms. He has an iconic stature that has woven its way into the hearts of Americans. The S Shield is well-known and instantly recognized. In fact, if you haven’t seen it yet, we have a new Superman sign at our store, which broadcasts to the world that we are a comic book store. What says it better?

Our new Superman Sign

Darowski goes on to talk about the fact that Superman represents America’s new mythology, a theme I highly support, and with which I agree. Superman exhibits the characteristics that have made our country great – he arrives from another planet to live a better life, he upholds the American ideals of truth and justice, maintains a balance between civilization and freedom, and even his suit reflects the patriotism of the United States in its red and blue color.

To this day, Superman comics reflect the struggles of the American people. The present story line has him living on another planet, trying to adjust to a lifestyle that is decidedly NOT American, and this powerful icon has been arrested for treason. Meanwhile, America struggles with its own problems. Oh bring him back to help us in these times. America needs Superman more than New Krypton does!

Pitching to a different crowd

Comic Zone had a presence at the 3rd Friday Gallery Walk. We felt like experts as we set up our tables and comic books. We had chosen our selection with care, and didn’t bring quite as much merchandise with us as we had for 1st Friday. As a result, we were set up relatively quickly.

We noticed immediately that there was a big difference from 1st Friday. For one, the streets weren’t closed off. We were able to park on the street RIGHT in front of our tables. I was much more relaxed knowing I could keep an eye on the car, not to mention that I left many personal things IN the car, knowing I could retrieve them as I needed. Unloading was MUCH easier. No lugging many boxes and tables from behind the house in the back alley.

Another big difference was that there were hardly any people walking the street. On 1st Friday, we saw a steady stream of folks. On 3rd Friday, not so much. And the folks that did pass by didn’t glance our way much at all. They were a different crowd. Not as bohemian, not as artsy, and most seemed like they had a mission to get to their destination. *sigh*

Thirdly, our hostess, Maryana, didn’t show up. Due to a few bizarre twists of fate, no one was there to open up the host house! But, we didn’t really mind. Between the Conspire coffee shop and the Lost Leaf, we were able to take care of our needs.

Given all of that, however, we still had a blast! A few people stopped by, and right near the beginning of the evening, one young man gushed and practically drooled over the comics. You could tell that he is definitely a comic book reader, and was so very excited to find out that we would be selling comics on 1st Fridays from now on. His enthusiasm was very welcome, and in fact, kept us warm for quite a while after.

We made a few sales. We talked to some great folks. We gave out business cards. So, more people know about the store. More people know about US. And we had a good time catering to a fun bunch of people.

We had decided to pack up around 11:30, when I got caught up in a great conversation with a couple of guys who were also into real estate investing. We actually didn’t break down until nearly midnight.

On Saturday, my butt was dragging. I never knew how much sitting outside in the cold for 8 hours or so saps your energy!

All in all, it was a great experience. We’ll just have to learn how to pitch to a different crowd on 3rd Fridays.

I Have Issues

We had Tom Healy and Shaun Kronenfeld from I Have Issues in the store on Wednesday. This was their first visit to the store, and I was happy to hear that they liked what they saw. They did their show, and hung out with us for a bit, and then went on their way. The show aired on Friday. You can see it here: http://blip.tv/file/3091468

Enjoy!

Fun Times at the Zone

Today we had a meeting to discuss plans for events in the coming months. I am really excited about our offerings.

For one, we have the writing group which I facilitate on the fourth Saturday morning of each month. The emphasis is on good, interesting writing of any kind, including comic book writing! To expand on this, we are also going to start a drawing group, facilitated by Andy, on the third Saturday morning of each month, starting in February. Similar to the writing group, we will emphasize all sorts of drawing, and will include drawing for comic books. To put the two of these together, in March we are planning to do a 24 hour comic book making marathon, where everyone will leave with a comic book that they created.

We are also planning to hold a comic book discussion group on the second Saturday of the month in the late afternoon, early evening. Andy will facilitate this, but I am also really looking forward to this, so that I can get some good data and information for a series of articles I plan to write on comic books as modern mythology.

We are also talking about having a game night – all sorts of games, including video games, card games, role playing games, board games, etc. Each month we will announce a new game, or maybe more than one. I am tentatively scheduling them for the first Saturday evening of each month, but I’ll keep you posted on this.

I am also researching the feasibility of doing a movie night once a month. That would be so fun!

As usual, we will have guests in the store on a regular basis. We are currently working with Tom Leveen on a book-release party, as his fantasy book will be released in April. Also, beginning conversations with Jeff Mariotte who will be releasing his 5 issue mini-series, Fade to Black, in May. We are conversing with Daniel Davis, who produces a web comic called Monster Commute as well as being the creator of Steam Crow for sometime this spring, and hope to have Diana Gabaldon in once her graphic novel based on the Outlander series is released.

And of course, we will have an ongoing presence at the First Friday Art Walk going forward.

So, stay tuned. There’s never a dull moment with Comic Zone!

The Value of Comics

I’ve been thinking about what makes a comic book valuable.

Aside from holding it for something like 30-50 years, there are other characteristics that make a comic book hold its value. A main characteristic is if it is the introduction of someone who becomes a major player in the world of comics. For example, the first appearance of Batman was in issue #27 of Detective Comics and if you can find a mint condition issue of that comic, it has been valued at $300,000! Do you realize you can buy a house with that one comic?

I already mentioned a second characteristic – keeping the comic book in mint condition. This is really important, although even if only in good condition, a comic book of this sort can yield 1000% appreciation.

Thirdly, holding a mint comic book with a primary character’s first appearance for a couple of decades is a surefire way of making sure you get a great return on your investment.

Next time you come into Comic Zone, ask us about some of our “special” issues. Good chance that you can get a real gem at a good price now, hold it until you are ready to retire, and your golden years can be spent in style.

Why Gift Certificates?

Honestly, there isn’t anything better than getting your favorite comic book fan a gift certificate for the holidays or for a birthday or any special occasion. Why, you may ask? There are several good reasons for gift certificates.

1. You may not know precisely what they like as there are many issues of many different comics

2. You may not know exactly what they have as there are many issues of many different comics

3. A gift certificate is easy to wrap

4. They can use the gift certificate at their leisure, so if they are waiting for a certain issue that isn’t coming out for awhile, they can use it in the future.

5. They can use it in our online store and never leave their home

6. They can use it to get gifts for other people

7. They can use it to buy a graphic novel which entitles them to our preferred customer punch cards which awards future discounts

8. They can use it to buy a Comic Zone t-shirt which would give them a 10% discount on any purchase made while they are wearing the shirt

9. You can just come in and buy a gift certificate quickly when you are in a hurry

10. And finally, you can buy one for yourself when you want to treat yourself as a reward for some success or accomplishment in your life.

You’ll be happy to hear that Comic Zone sells gift certificates in any denomination you may want. They are available year round.

And if you are still looking for last minute gifts, we are open tonight until 8 pm and on Christmas Eve until 5 pm.

Success

Well, we have joined the ranks of new businesses considered successful in that we are not among the 50% of businesses who fail in the first year. To what do we attribute this success?

The first quality that has really helped us is perseverance. We have continued through the ups and downs. We have persisted, insisted on making this work. More than once we have been down to our last $1000 and wondered how we would continue. A few times we were rescued by our private financing source. A few times one or another of us made a small member contribution so we could continue. All four of us made great sacrifices in time and money to keep the store going.

The second quality that has made a huge difference is our ability to take a step back, assess where we are at, and not be afraid of changing things up. If something wasn’t working, we tried something else. We found out that, for our business, costly display ads in popular periodicals do not pay off for us! I think we got one or two customers from our display ads. We found out that having remotes from radio stations frequented by our target audience works like a charm. Two hours, for a fraction of what a display ad costs, would more than pay for itself that day, and we’d continue to realize positive repercussions for the next week or more. We found that simple flyers and word of mouth were very effective marketing tools, and right now, we are exploring a solid marketing presence in social media. Every step is a learning experience and we keep what works, and let go of what doesn’t.

The third quality that serves us well is knowing when to say no. We learned very quickly not to order too much from our distributor. We learned that sometimes it’s better to run out of an issue than to stock too much. We learned that people want to sell us their comics, and hope to make a fortune doing so…. we usually tell them if they want to make a fortune, they need to do the work and sell their prizes individually. We really don’t have time to do that, nor can we pay what they are hoping to get. But sometimes, people just want to help us out, as they de-clutter their garage or what-not. We have learned that even at a very reasonable price, we need to be discerning. We really don’t need a bunch of comics that aren’t in demand.

Most important of all, however, is our dedication to our customers. We bend over backwards to please our customers. We have a solid and healthy pull-box membership. We have regular sales for our preferred customers. We will go out of our way to help our customers find something that they want. We love and appreciate our customers, and always give a little more than what they expect. Our customers are our life blood, and we want them to know that we appreciate them!

We had a huge celebration on Saturday – one year after our preview party on Dec. 5th, 2008. It was a great day. We had cake. We had balloons. We had coffee. We had comic book artists and writers from 12:30 to 7:30 pm. We had bellydancers for two hours. We had sales throughout the day. We sold t-shirts with our store logo on them, which grants the wearer a 10% discount on any order. We gave away our new loyal customer punch cards which entitle a customer to a free trade paperback after purchasing 20. Everyone had a blast.

And that’s another important quality. We appreciate our customers and we celebrate our successes. Comic Zone – the best comic book store in Scottsdale, AZ.

Comic Book Artists Converge on Comic Zone for One Year Anniversary

On Dec 5th, 10am to 8 pm, four guest artists help Comic Zone celebrate their first year in business: Tosh Delaney, Tony Parker, Ben Glendenning, and Jay Fotos. Of the Earth Belly Dance Troupe will entertain customers, and chocolate cake will be had.

PR Log (Press Release) – Dec 04, 2009 – Comic Zone has been serving the community for the past year as the only comic book store in Scottsdale. They have had a lot of fun serving the community and now it’s time to PARTY!

On December 5, 2009, four guest artists will be featured at the store throughout the day to help Comic Zone celebrate their first year in business: Tosh Delaney of Stump Comix, Tony Parker, artist of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Ben Glendenning, artist of Skulljammer, and Jay Fotos of Death Dealer.

In addition, from opening at 10:00 am until closing at 8:00 pm, they will be having various sales and specials throughout the day.  As a special treat, Of the Earth Belly Dance Troupe will be providing entertainment in the afternoon, and there will be cake all day long. Come on out and help them CELEBRATE this special occasion!

Comic Zone is the best and only comic book store in Scottsdale, Arizona, conveniently located at 5909 N. Granite Reef Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85250, just off the 101. Take McDonald Drive to the third traffic light (Granite Reef Road) just two doors down from Casella’s Deli.

In addition to all of the latest and greatest comic books, trade paperbacks, and graphic novels, the store features ever-changing and ongoing sales on merchandise, regular video game tournaments, and much more. Come on by. You will like what you find!

http://prlog.org/10438884

ComicZoneAZ.com goes to WordPress!

Welcome to the All-New, All-Different ComicZoneAZ.com!

Our website is now powered by WordPress, one of the most robust, streamlined blogging tools in the world. Plenty of businesses and personal websites are run entirely on WordPress.

So why the change?

We wanted the simplicity and adaptability that WP allowed. It will be much easier for us to keep the website updated, to let you all know about our most recent upcoming events and announcements.

Linda and Andy are also in the process of adding their blogs to the new site. In addition, the forums will be supplied via WordPress now, as well, creating a more user-friendly experience for all of our visitors.

Of course, our webstore remains intact, providing our online friends with the same service and products that our in-store guests experience daily.

Take a look around. Feel free to get in touch with us about anything and everything!

International Crossover Appeal?

Over at The Beat, Heidi MacDonald points to this articlewritten by a fella named Joe Lawler, who has converted his girlfriend into a comics-reading monster. But said girlfriend is not reading any Superhero comics.

Heidi responds with questioning why Mr. Lawler didn’t recommend comics written by women or manga. I question why manga would even be a factor at all?

Let’s face it; There is very little crossover between manga readers and American comics readers. Comics as a medium is not the same as comics as a genre.

I’ve dipped into the manga/anime pool several times, over the last 15 or so years. I used to tape Sailor Moon every morning, because I had to leave for school before it ended. I watched every single (often-excruciating) episode of Dragon Ball Z on cartoon Network. I own 6 of the 8 Ranma 1/2 season box sets, plus both movies, as well as both seasons of Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, and all 3 GITS films. I have the entire series of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. I’ve watched all of Hellsing. I have bootleg tapes of Japanese episodes of Transformers: Headmasters. Every single anime that appeared on Toonami, I tried for at least 10 episodes; Many I continued with, such as Tenchi Muyo!. I own volumes of Mermaid’s Scar, Ranma 1/2 and Gon manga, and I’m reading through a lot of Oh My Goddess!, currently. The number of single volumes of manga I’ve read and anime movies I’ve watched are countless. And that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.

But you know what I have absolutely never seen?

Original Japanese superhero comics. You know why? They practically don’t exist.

The vast majority of folks who read American comics are genre fans – We like stories about overdeveloped men and women running around in form-fitting outfits, being overly angsty and smashing things. And that’s what about 90% of American comics is. Over 99% of manga is NOT about that. Yes, there are things like X-Men Manga, where Japanese creators take American characters and bastardize the hell out of the original stories – Much like American moviegoers just experienced with Astro Boy.

But, really. Go to the Manga section of any bookstore. With the exception of Adam Warren’s “Empowered” (which isn’t actually manga, but most book retailers are too ignorant to know the difference), you will not see any spandex-clad superhero stories.

Most of the folks who come into Comic Zone looking for manga want nothing to do with the American comics we carry. They have opinions about them (mostly comprised of why they’re supposedly not as good as manga), but they won’t actually read them. Most of the folks who come into Comic Zone looking for American comics want nothing to do with manga, often because they can’t get past the big eyes on the few anime/manga they’ve seen, and aren’t willing to try something different.

However, even then, it boils down to this; Manga and American Superhero comics have almost nothing in common, except that they are told in the same medium. And people will not automatically like one or the other based on the medium; They’re going to like one or the other based on the quality of stories, and personal taste.

But is there a way to get the two groups to meet? I believe so.

Trying to hand somebody who just read Ultimate X-Men a copy of Bleach is not going to work. But maybe handing somebody who reads Superman a copy of Dragon Ball Z might; Both series have a main protagonist sent to a world while they were infants who grow up in hicksville to become the most powerful fighters on the planet.

If someone digs Vampire Hunter D, show them Spawn. Both have a supernatural presence that the stereotypical 14-year-old Metallica fan would love the hell out of.

For the fan of Wolverine: Old Man Logan, try handing them Fist of the North Star. Mega-violence in a post-apocalyptic world, with a serious badass for a main character? That describes both series, if you ask me.

Both groups should enjoy Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, written by Sean McKeever (Teen Titans), with art by Takeshi Miyazawa (Robotech: Invasion). Hey, it’s Spider-Man, and what American comics reader doesn’t like him? But because the book focuses around Mary Jane’s point of view, coupled with Takeshi Miyazawa’s über-manga art style, there’s a natural crossover for manga fans.

Similarly, Left-to-Right versions of Gon can appeal to anybody, because the stories about the three-foot tyrannosaurus have no dialogue. Though, I think a lot of American comics fans may have trouble reading the stories in the original Right-to-Left format in which manga is published.

Unfortunately, despite all the similarities, people will still often prefer one country’s storytelling over the other, due to personal preference.

But me? I just enjoy a good story.