2018 Outlook and Insight

As we're getting closer to the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, I'm thinking about the future and the past. These thoughts bring me to my writing now. We'll start with the future first.



Today, I was updating the layout of my blog when I realized just how many comic events are happening in the PNW in 2018. Here's the list:

These are all posted in chronological order for 2018. It will be the 2nd year for Walker Stalker Con and Oregon Coast Comic Con (which was Northwest Comic Con in 2017). I am so looking forward to going to Image Expo finally now that they've moved to Portland. Also, freshman year for the I Like Comic Con event should be incredibly fun. They've already announced Jim Steranko as the artist guest of honor. Every event should be awesome! And just to think that only a handful of years ago, there was only Emerald City Comic Con, Portland Comic Book Show and Stumptown Comic Fest.



As I've mentioned before, my plans are to promote my non-profit this year at Oregon Coast Comic Con and Rose City Comic Con at the very least. Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer is confirmed for Oregon Coast Comic Con, but I haven't hear back about Rose City yet. If not Rose City, then hopefully EUCON will have me.



2017 has been good to me in the fact that I've come closer to completing my G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Marvel collection. The Holy Grail from this year in the elusive issue # 155; the final issue from Marvel.

When I received this issue, I started to think about my future in collecting; which also turned to thoughts about my previous dreams and aspirations.



Since my early 20's, I've always dreamed of having a combination comic book and game store. Something that genuinely catered to both the gaming and comic book communities. I envisioned a space large enough to have rooms for private gaming, tables for CCG and miniature game events, shelves for trades and graphic novels and several tables with long boxes full of back issues.



There was even a time that I was considering a location that would allow for land with area for LARP events. this was back when there was a large enough LARP presence in Salem to warrant such a space. After about 20 years with the Camarilla/Mind's Eye Society, I know how valuable decent LARP gaming space is around here.



But now I can't imagine trying such a venture, especially with the news that there are so many comic shops that have gone out of business over the past couple of years. I've also noticed that the gaming store that I go to in town has been steadily decreasing the amount of inventory on hand. I'm sure that this is due to the fact that they don't want their assets tied-up in so much inventory that just sits on the shelves. The last time I went in for a specific book for a game I'm interested in, the response was "We can always order it for you." As much as I want to support local small business, I go into a store for a specific purpose and prefer to walk out with the item I came in for. If I wanted to wait, I can order it online somewhere.



I will always prefer physical copies of books, comics and trades over a digital copy. Unfortunately, I must be a dying breed of people. Another unfortunate item is that I'm running out of room to store everything I collect.



I currently have 12 long boxes and 5 short boxes full of comic books. I also have 4 bookshelves full of trades and gaming books. Most of my Funko Pop collection are in about 20+ 12 gallon storage totes in our garage.



An this makes me think about how reasonable it is to continue to collect so many things. I still read the trades and am a semi-active gamer, but the comic books get put away in the boxes, barely ever thought about. What makes matters worse is that the hard drive to my laptop crashed back in September, and I was unable to recover the database that I had all my comics inventoried in. Now, I have to inventory the entire collection again. I have figured-out which software I'm going to use to take on this task, but I still question about continuing to get new issues that I'll probably never read.



I seriously considering giving-up collecting new comics after I have the rest of my G.I. Joe collection completed. G.I. Joe started the obsession, it makes sense that it should end it as well.
















The final 4 issues I need. I would also love for Larry Hama to come back to the PNW to have him sign a few more issues in my collection... especially that #155.



No matter what I decided to do with my personal comic book collecting habits, I will continue to collect, read and review trades. I have a small stack to go through to actually write the reviews for, and I'll be going through it over the remaining weeks of 2017 and get them ready for 2018.

TFAW Signing Event: Mike Mignola

Friday, February 20, 2015-



Again I had the good fortune of attending another signing event at Things From Another World's Portland store. Although there were 2 separate events, I only attended the first with Mike Mignola.



I've been to a previous Mignola signing event at this location, so I knew what I was getting into before I came. TFAW has made a few changes to their event protocol's that I would like to address:

1. This event was ticketed through Eventbrite. Past signings have not been ticketed, but I believe that this was a great effort to reduce the "carnage" of having too many people in the area they have available. The tickets were free and I was able to use the Eventbrite app on my smartphone to show that I was indeed one of the allowed masses. I feel this is a welcomed change and I hope that TFAW utilizes this method for their future signing events. A+


2. Instead of having everyone mulling about the store while the TFAW staff worked on the last minute setup, people were ushered out and queued in the parking lot and provided bracelets once we showed we had tickets. It's fortunate that the weather was unseasonably warm and dry. For future events, if they choose to use this method, I would hope that TFAW provides some cover for outside. While we were out there, we got to watch the delivery of the Rouge Ale boxes for this event. It wasn't until later that I would find out that these were more than what TFAW has normally offered. Here's the Rouge delivery vehicle:
   
   
   
   


3. Once inside, we were again queued into one of 2 lines. 1 for Mike Mignola and 1 for the purchase of the "Right Hand of Doom Red Ale" bottles that were in the boxes being delivered. As I read the announcement of this beer only days before the event, I was excited to be able to purchase a couple of bottles. I hope they're able to do similar promotions in the future.

One other thing that TFAW did to help make this event go well and quickly get people their signatures was to actually limit the number of items they could get signed to 2. As much as I would have liked to have been able to get the rest of my Hellboy in Hell issues signed, I chose to get my copies of Hellboy: The Midnight Circus and Batman #700 signed by Mignola. I don't regret the choice.

Keep up the great signing events, TFAW! I'm already looking forward to visiting the Beaverton store in March for the Terry & Rachel Dodson signing event!

As most of my faithful readers know, I don't really take too many photos of people. This event was no exception. Here's the only other pic I took while at the event and the guy in the mirror sporting a NW Comic Fest t-shirt may look a little familiar.

TFAW Signing Event: Kelly Sue DeConnick

Wednesday, April 30, 2014- Thing From Another World's Portland store hosted the very talented Kelly Sue DeConnick for the release of her latest trade paperback: Pretty Deadly Vol. 1.



I picked-up a copy of Pretty Deadly and Ghost trade paperback's that Kelly Sue worked on.

I loved how she signed my copy of Ghost.

I was fortunate enough to be able to get-in some chat time and she told me that issue #4 of the current Ghost series will be her last on the title, but that it was one of her favorite that she's written. I know many of my readers are probably more familiar with her through her writing on Captain Marvel or Avengers Assemble, but my familiarity started with her work on Ghost starting in 2012, and this news is disappointing to me.



Fortunately, she assured me that the person who will be taking over the title after she moves away from it will be and excellent fit. I'll be looking forward to her last issue of Ghost and I can't wait to dig in to Pretty Deadly.



On a side note, most of my regular readers, as well as those who know me, know that I have a weakness for those Funko Pop Vinyl figures. I have several in my collection, and TFAW has several available... many of which I had never seen. If my willpower were weaker, I would have left the event with a greatly depleted bank account. Fortunately I kept my my purchases down to 2 figures my collection couldn't live without: Jay & Silent Bob!

For your amusement, here's a group that I doubt anyone would see combined in a comic crossover: