Thank you for 16 years!

Recently I did something that I don't typically do... I took a look at the actual stats for my blog.

When I have submitted my applications for Rose City Comic Con, I have been using an old stat of around 1000 views per month. I was shocked and amazed to see what the actual stats are as of Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Since the beginning of September, there have been over 4400 views, and over 11k in the month of August. I will certainly make sure to update this information on future press pass applications.

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog.

Thank you to everyone who shares this blog.

Thank you to all of you.

“Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder 2025 @ Edgefield - My Experiences

McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater

2126 SW Halsey St. 

Troutdale, OR, 97060

Thursday, August 14, 2025

I have been a "Weird Al" Fan for most of my life, and I even still have 2 of the original vinyl records from when I was a kid: "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D and Dare to be Stupid. I have been fortunate enough to have attended his concert at the Oregon State Fair back in 2008 and have been able to meet him twice when he's been a guest at Rose City Comic Con.

When he announced hi tour dates for 2025, I knew there was no way I was going to miss seeing him again. Unfortunate circumstances prevented me from seeing his past shows since 2008, but thankfully none of those obstacles were in my way this year.

We got there early enough to get a fair decent parking spot and was able to grab some dinner at the Power Station Pub before the concert. I'm a fan of the McMenamins locations and the various food options they provide and thankfully we got there before the major rush of people began. If you're visiting the Oregon or Washington, I highly recommend stopping by at least 1 of the locations. Most of them are historic and all of them provide an enjoyable atmosphere.

After dinner, we made our way to the line for the gate.. and it was already huge! We had to walk to the far end of the property over by the east field where they have additional parking setup for concerts. For a man who is in his 50's and "fluffy", this was not a very welcome part of the adventure. Fortunately, the line began to move quickly and fairly smoothly and we made it to our seats without issue.

My view of the stage. Section C - Row P

Puddles Pity Party was the opener for Al. I'll be honest, I have heard of Puddles before and seen photos, but I have never had the pleasure of listening to his work prior to this evenings event. What an incredible talent! I can now say that I am a fan and will be adding him to my list of performers I regularly listen to. Moist-O-Meter video

Then there was the main attraction; "Weird Al" himself. The concert was incredible as he and his band performed so many of his classic original songs along with so many of his wonderful parodies. For me, it was a performance of a lifetime and I will never forget it as long as I live.

Al came out into the audience during his performance of "One More Minute".

While the majority of the of the merch that was available was too small for a "fluffy" guy like myself, I did decide to pick up one thing that was suggested to me from a friend on Facebook. I got "Weird Al's" set of trading cards. Now, outside of CCG's like Magic the Gathering, I haven't collected regular trading cards for several years... but I had to have these for my collection.

While I had a great time listening and watching the whole concert, there were a couple of things that I didn't enjoy or appreciate about the experience. We paid $100.00 for our tickets to ensure a good place to watch the concert... which I feel like we had a good spot... and our ticket secured us a chair on the amphitheater lawn. As a "fluffy" guy who is now in my 50's, an actual chair to sit in was a necessity.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but what we got was not it. The chairs were hard and plastic and worst of all, they were zip-tied together. This means that there was no room between me and the persons to my left and right... and the concert was a sold out event. When I went to stretch my legs and visit the bathroom late in the event, there were so many people that were standing on the lawn to watch. Considering the length of the concert, I couldn't imagine standing for that long.

Going back to our seats, I feel that the price paid for each ticket would have afforded for a better quality of seats along with the idea of actually being able to be comfortable through the concert. I hope that someone with the staff from Edgefield finds these words and id able to take this complaint forward to those who may be able to make changes for future events.

While I don't go to concerts that often, the seating setup in the one thing that will keep me from going back for any further concerts... no mater how much I would like to go.

Life Goals

 

Ever since I turned 50 last year, I've been having dreams of what I could do if I didn't have to commit so much of my life working a 9 to 5 job in order to earn a living and make ends meet. 

There were many years that I dreamed about opening my own RPG/comic book shop. A place where people can not only come to purchase all things they need for their likes, but also provide a great place to be able to host games and community events. I'd love to be able to carry on the traditions of my former LCS Tony's Kingdom of Comics, but I've come to realize that I don't have the finances nor the business acumen to be able to start or run a business. Also, I've come to realize that opening a store like this would not be economically feasible or sustainable with so much product being made in digital formats now.

As of late, I've started dreaming of different endeavors that I could take on that may or may not actually turn out to be money-making but more of something I would enjoy doing and even be able to give something back to the community. Not nearly in the same way as Tony once did, but something nonetheless. 

For starters, I want to be able to actually commit myself to developing the various TTRPG ideas that I have had over the years like Salem By Night and Project Multiverse. I would also like to create a type of archive for homebrew TTRPG material. I have a ton of printed pages of old plot hooks, character sheets and other material I think other people would enjoy to read and possibly even use in their own adventures.

I recently thought it would be a great idea to open an account on World Anvil to begin the process of bringing these projects to light. I would like to also open it up for fellow creatives to help design the worlds I have trapped in my head.

There's also a part of me that would like to try and get back into the creative process of writing a comic book like I did when I was younger. Maybe even go so far as to actually write some of the crazy ideas I had for stories when I was in high school. I used to have a notebook I would write down ideas for stories. I still remember 1 or 2 of them that I think might actually be worth flushing-out into short stories. There was a time in my life that I thought I would become a published writer.

My biggest problems to accomplishing any of this are as follows:

• I feel like I don't have any time to devote to these projects because I have to spend so much of my time working. In other words, I've got bills to pay and need to make money in order to pay them.
• I have always been a procrastinator, and it has been very hard to overcome this problem. Even when I write for my blog, it is very sporadic and I typically write for only a few hours in the early mornings on the weekend because I'm awake, I don't have any serious disruptions and the mood strikes me.

At this point, I don't have enough money to be able to retire early, so I have occasionally taken to purchasing lottery tickets hoping that I'll win enough to be able to make this fantasy into a reality. I'm not investing into this theory as I only play $20 every few weeks. I know the odds are against me, but I only play the state lottery so at least my money is going to help local projects.

The reason for writing this is to get these feeling off my chest and out into the world. I feel that if you put something positive out into the world, there's a chance that it can actually become a reality. I would love it if by publishing this I could help to manifest a path towards achieving these dreams.

The Future of CBC4C

Since July 2013, I have been working to raise money for the American Cancer Society. My motives for this are well documented in the former incarnation of this blog (Zanziber's Point of View) and you can read my interview here. As of this writing, we have been able to raise and donate just over $18,500 to the ACS.

While I still have a desire to help, my motivation and resources have been dwindling the past few years.

• In 2021, my mother passed away. She was the initial reason for me even creating Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer. I'm thankful that she is no longer in any type of pain. This live threw several curve balls her way, and yet she managed. I'm very thankful that I was there before she passed so we can have time to talk before she passed.
• In 2022, my father joined my mother. After she died, his health took a rapid decline. The last time I saw him, he was non-verbal and didn't seemed to even recognize me. This hit me very hard and I still have a missing part of me that was never able to have the same type of last conversation that I did with my mother.
• In 2024, Tony Grove passed away. He was a my LCS owner, a wonderful supporter of CBC4C, and someone I would happily call a friend. Though I know he struggled through some physical issues, he always made sure to help with donating blank cover comic books on a regular basis. If it weren't for all of Tony's support through the years, I don't think CBC4C would have become as successful as it has been. His passing not only had a huge effect on me personally, but it also had a great impact on our local community as Tony was someone who would always help with local charities in need. Tony's passing had the unfortunate effect to CBC4C as we now don't have a steady source of new blank covers to provide to artists. 

Since Tony's passing, I have tried to get new blanks available, but I hit financial barriers as well as not knowing when new blanks will be available. On top of this, it seems as though interest in artists donating has also diminished. I can't blame them because the economy has been a rollercoaster for so long... and I am not that optimistic for upcoming few years.

Because of all of this, I have decided to make some big changes going forward for CBC4C:

• In 2025, we will no longer be having 4 series of auctions. Instead, I will run 2 auctions; May for Free Comic Book Day, and November. These auctions will be held on our Facebook page like the December 2024 auctions were.
• I'm planning on reaching-out to artists who will be attending specific local comic events to see if they would be willing to donate their artwork to help us. This has been successful in the past, although the past few years it has been difficult for some events because the announcements of artists are being made too soon before the events.
• Since we have a nominal collection of blanks, not only will I be asking artists to donate their art on them, but I will be working to liquidate them for extra $$ to be donated to the American Cancer Society.
• We also have a large collection of covers that didn't sell during their original series of auctions. I'm planning on adding a new Album on our FB page to include many of these available for sale with the $$ going to the American Cancer Society.
• After 2025, Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer will be closing.

I want to thank all the various artists who have helped to make CBC4C successful. Also, thank you to all our supporters who have helped us over the past 11+ years.

Tony Grove - Memorial

 

On the afternoon of May 16th, 2024, it was announced that LCS owner, and pillar of the community, Tony Grove had passed away.

Those that knew him were blessed by his loving and giving spirit. The events he ran at Tony's Kingdom of Comics always carried an aspect of charity to them. He would help fundraise for local charities, but would always ask for food donations to the local food bank. His passing will leave a hole in our hearts that may never fully heal.

Before his passing, Tony was working towards retirement and selling his shop. At the Free Comic Book Day even on May 4th, 2024, Tony introduced me to the potential new owner so that Tony's contributions to my non-profit (Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer) would be continued through the new ownership.

On Thursday, May 23rd, it was announced that the store was closing. There's no word as to if it will be reopened at the time of writing.

Tony will be missed by everyone that knew him, and would community will feel the loss of the store.

RIP Tony Grove

The Nat 20 - Welcome

 

Welcome one and all to The Nat 20; a culmination of my work over the past 14 years with both Zanziber's Point of View and RPG4EVR blogs. In late 2023, I decided to combine my love of comic books and role playing together in what you are about to see here. All of my reviews and articles that were part of these blogs are now apart of The Nat 20.

For those new readers to my blogs, let me introduce myself...

My name is John Rogers, but here I go by the handle of Zanziber. This is the name of an old RPG character from back when I was in high school.

Me & "Weird Al" Yankovic from Rose City Comic Con

My avatar of Zanziber

I've been writing these blogs since 2009 and it started as a creative outlet to occupy my free time. Since then, it has become much more than that. I've been honored to be welcomed as a member of the media/press at a handful of local events so that I can share my personal experiences with my readers.

I've been collecting comic books and role playing since 1984. Back then, Dungeons & Dragons was listed for ages 10+ and my older friend waited until I was 10 years old to introduce me to what would consume my life. I have since played a multitude of different TTRPG's and CCG's. (If you're unfamiliar with gaming shorthand abbreviations, please read this article where I work to explain them.)

While I will primarily focus on providing content directly related to comics and role playing games, there will occasionally be the time where I will post something from a different aspect of my life that I enjoy. This is to mean that I have been toying with the idea of writing about my love of professional wrestling (AEW specifically), but have not yet made the decision to commit to this quite yet.

The negative part of rebranding and making a big change to a single blog is that my part stats from my individual blogs aren't going to be captured. Here's what they were at the time of writing this (11/23/2023):

That nearly 400k views from Zanziber's Point of View

And nearly 100k views from RPG4EVR

Please consider following me on social media.

In 2013, I created the Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer non-profit to help raise $$ for the American Cancer Society. As of the writing of this (11/23/2023), we have raised and donated just over $18,500. If you would like to help keep #CBC4C alive, we could always use some financial assistance. Please consider donating here.

Update

As loyal followers of this blog know, I haven't posted any new reviews in quite some time. I have been left creatively drained ever since COVID started and have not felt the desire to write much of anything. This has affected me in other aspects of my life as well... but I digress.

My last post to this blog was about going to JoeFest in Augusta, GA in June; and (at the time of writing this) this is next weekend. I have never travelled so far for an event, and I am not only excited, but also a huge ball of anxiety.

Leading-up to JoeFest, I am starting to feel more motivated to get back into writing reviews, so I have made a promise to myself and now to all of you.

By the end of June, I will get back into the rhythm of posting reviews on a regular basis. I do this for myself, for all my followers and in hopes of continuing my ability to be able to go to events such as Rose City Comic Con and cover the event as part of the media/press.

I am motivated. I will be able to designate myself the time to actually put this promise to action. I also have an ever-growing supply of trades and graphic novels to read and review.

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to get to this point. I know that the COVID situation has affected everyone in different ways. Thank you for staying with me and keep your eyes on this blog and feel free to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Meet Zanziber

For many of you, Zanziber has been the voice that you have reading for the past 10+ years. Even though I am a real person, I generally don't post to many photos of myself online. That is why I had this great avatar to help represent my voice.

While I am still suffering the lack of motivation to post new reviews, I am ramping-up a few new ideas and started even thinking-up a new layout to my normal posts.

Going forward, all of my posts will include my Zanziber avatar to help liven things up a bit. Give the every-day posts something new.

I would like to thank Fiverr user nodusastra for designing the Zanziber avatar based on my input. While the character was something I had envisioned, this artist help bring it to life. When I decided to get more characters done for whatever reason, I will make sure to go to nodusastra first.

Possible End of an Era

I have been trying to figure-out if and how to write this for the past several months, and I have just now decided to put fingers to keys.

I haven't published a new review since the end of January 2021. That isn't to say that I haven't been reading, or don't have a large selection of trades that have been read. I have tried several times over the past few months to sit at my desk to make the attempt to write, but nothing comes out.

I don't mean to sound crude, but I have been feeling creatively constipated, and this has made me consider the future of my blog.

There's a part of me that wants to blame the Covid-19 pandemic for my current state of a creative lull. It have been since September of 2019 that I have been able to go to a large-scale comic event. There hasn't been any opportunities to connect with the masses and get my geek on; so to speak. It's like I haven't had enough fiber in my creative/geek diet.

It also doesn't help that I tried to transition my blog into a podcast, but I don't feel confident in the recordings that I have attempted. I've resigned myself that either an audio or video podcast isn't in my future. I don't think video was ever a real option as I've always felt that I have a face for radio/audio and not so much for video.

At this time, Rose City Comic Con is scheduled for September, and I have submitted my application for a promotional table for my work with Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer. If that falls through, I hope to once again be included as a member of the press so I can cover RCCC again as I have over the past several years.

If I can find a remedy for the writers block and publish some reviews, I will. At the very least, you will see a my thoughts on RCCC in September with hopes that this will be the catalyst to bring me out of my slump.

To all of my loyal readers, I appreciate your support and I hope that I can come back from this. If there becomes a time where I feel like there's no coming back, I will make sure to let you know here first.

11 Years Going & 2020

 

& 

11 years ago, I started writing reviews on trades and graphic novels. Over the years, I have learned quite a lot and changed my style and incorporated more things to post about. For several years, I've been allowed to cover comic cons as a member of the media. It has been a fun ride, even though I have had to take a break every now and then.

But then, 2020 happened. Covid-19 and so many other issues have seriously hindered our ability to hold events like Rose City Comic Con and Emerald City Comic Con.

This has also hindered by ability to get covers for my non-profit, Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer. I typically reach-out to a number of artists who attend Rose City Comic Con to donate to #CBC4C. This year has been so stressful for us all.

I am hopeful for the future, but it may be false hope... I admit. I don't want to get political, but I have my doubts depending on what happens with this years election. I pray that whoever is in charge beginning 2021 that they have the wisdom to help us recover from the past year.

The good news is that I have a large stack of trades and graphic novels still to read and review, plus a nice selection of those that I have read and haven't had a chance to write the reviews for. I won't be stopping any time soon.

But this reminds me... Didn't I say something about changing formats from a blog to a podcast? Yes, I did. Unfortunately, I find myself not liking anything that I have tried to record. As with all creatives, I am my own worst critic. I took classes in high school and college for public speaking, with a focus on radio commentary. I even took 3rd place in the state competition for radio commentary my senior year of high school. Unfortunately, that was back in 1992 and a lot has changed. I find myself not as confident in my words, and that has been reflected in my attempts to record.

Here's hoping that 2021 treats us better than 2020 has. Here comes the beginning of our 12th year!

10 Years of Zanziber's Point of View

As I was writing my recent post about autographs, I realized that it has now been 10 years since I started writing this blog.



Loyal readers will have noticed that there have been many changes over the years. I've gone from simply posting reviews of trades to writing reviews of comic cons. It's also been over 6 years since I created Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer.



I know there have been lapses on my consistency with publishing my reviews, but I have always made it back to make sure I keep this going. I'm in a better place now, and will be able to make the time necessary to continue writing.



Another upcoming change is that I want to transition from a blog into a podcast. This has been somewhat challenging because of time constraints and my unfamiliarity with the equipment/software. My ultimate plan is to actually combine the reviews of opinions of this blog with the insights, reviews and highlights from my RPG4EVR blog. I think that this will provide a better outlet for me to express my point of view.



As much as I enjoy writing, there are just some times where it's difficult to find the right words to type to express what I'm thinking and it's easier for me to verbally express them. Once I have the podcast in place, my expectation is to provide at least an hour episode each week. I hope you will all enjoy what I come up with.



The past few comic cons I have been to, I have noted that I've dealt with some physical issues. This is a combination of my age couple with the fact that I haven't taken the best care of my body over the past 45 years. After my birthday this year, I decided to make an early New Years resolution that I'm going to start taking better care of myself so I can continue to do the things that I enjoy; going to comic events, playing tabletop roleplaying games, continuing my work raising money for the American Cancer Society through Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer and so many other things, I know that this will involve a lot of lifestyle changes, and I am typically against big changes. But I have realized that I need to make these changes for myself, and they will be of benefit to everyone that reads my words, supports my work and relies on me for one thing or another.



Thank you to everyone who has been reading for as long as you have. As of this writing, this blog has had over 160k views. I consider that a success, and it could not have happened without you!

Latest Update

Today, I came to my blog to start writing and scheduling some new reviews when I find that everything I had previously scheduled from around February to today are gone. So many reviews are missing, I before today I had not kept copies of them anywhere but on here. That's obviously going to change now.





Along with several months worth of reviews, it also seems that my write-up on how Wizard World Portland from this year was... so I will have no re-write that as re-post it as well.



I apologize that I didn't catch this issue sooner. Please continue to watch this space for new posts weekly.



I am also still working towards transitioning into a podcast format, and will make sure to post the information once I have everything setup.



Thank you for your continued support.



-John

Considering A Change

To all my loyal readers that have followed me over the past 8+ years 

(Yes, it has been just over 8 years for this blog now.)

I have been giving some strong consideration about changing the format for my reviews. As much as I thought changing the style of my blog or including additional features would help, I now believe that I want to go with an actual change of format. I would love to bring you more reviews and updates on geekery, but I find I have a difficult time putting thoughts to words when I have the time. Yet, I have not problems talking about them... even if it's to myself.



So I am now doing research on taking Zanziber's Point of View to the next level.

That's right. I'm working to change gears from the written word to the verbal. I'll continue with my reviews, and make sure to post the information about each trade along with a link to the episode it is reviewed right here. I also want to expand with interviews and provide recordings I make while I am at events such as Rose City Comic Con. I hope to expand the range that I have been working on for the better part of a decade, and with that be able to provide a better range of topics covered and a more in-depth view of what I experience.



It's been one thing to be able to relate the tales of meeting various artists and creators over the years. It will be another to be able to bring you closer to my experiences. I look forward to being able to go to events and perhaps schedule time with a variety of people who help make the comic book industry great.



So stay tuned for more info about when my podcast will be available for your listening pleasure. If you happen to have some experience in podcasting and have some tips, please feel free to share them here in the comments section.

Status Update

I know it has been several months since I've posted a new review or anything of substance here. I would like to take this time to both apologize and explain.



This year has been a bit of a roller coaster for me, personally. At the end of 2017, we started looking for a new house that we could move into with my parents. They're in their 70's and the house they're currently living in is not suitable for them any longer. So, the first several month of 2018 were looking for houses that would accommodate all of us (5 adults total) and suit the mobility needs of my parents.



When the home we mostly thought would be perfect for us was denied, we changed our strategy to renovating our existing house into a more suitable location for all of us to live. Needless to say, this project has taken away much of what would normally be my "free time" to be able to write. Between making changes at my current home, and helping my parents with getting ready for the move, I have not only had lack of time available to me, but lack of energy/motivation to do so as well.



For this, I have only one thing to say to my loyal readers/followers...

Around the middle of July, everything should be back in order and I should have more time to devote to my writing and posting here. I hope that I can earn your forgiveness.



The positive changes that are coming from this:

• I now have my very own office where before I was sharing a small room.


• In the office are additional bookshelves so I have a better place to store/queue the trades that I have to review.


• The additional bookshelf space also means I have room for more trades to add to my collection!

Additional updates to what has been going on the past few months...

• As loyal readers/followers/supporters know, I was gifted with a booth at this years Oregon Coast Comic Con in Tillamook, OR for Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer. The event was an interesting experience, and once I have more time to devote to it, I will post a full recap.


• In May, we had our Spring/FCBD series of auctions for #CBC4C, which helped to raise additional $$ for the American Cancer Society. We are currently at just over $9,000 raised since 2013.

For the rest of 2018, here's the plan:

• Get writing reviews for the large group of trades that I've got sitting on my shelf.


• I have submitted my press applications to Rose City Comic Con and Renton Comic Con.


• I'm currently toying with the possibility of requesting a booth/table for #CBC4C at EUCON this year, but that will solely depend on finances.


• At the beginning of August, #CBC4C will hold our Summer series of auctions. The Winter series will be held either at the beginning of November or December (I still haven't figured-out which is better).


• Beginning in July, I will start a new feature on the #CBC4C Facebook page to call-out one of the great artists that have donated to our cause over the past 5 years. I hope this will help to generate more visibility to both the featured artist and #CBC4C.

What about 2019?



Who knows right now.



Thank you for your continued support. If you have any suggestions on what else you may want to see here, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm always open to new ideas.



-John "Zanziber" Rogers

My Dilemma

I have been collecting comic books for over 30 years now. I have a sizable collection that I cherish, but I just don't feel the same about getting new books as I have in years past.



I don't typically read individual issues of a comic any more, preferring to instead read a trade paperback and get a better read. Collecting individual issues has become more of a rote than a passion. Years ago, I would be thrilled to be adding issues to my collection. Now, I find the task laborious and tedious.



When I go to comic cons, I still enjoy being able to go to writers and artists to get my books signed. Do I really need to continue collecting the latest issues of titles that I'm interested in, but will never take time to actually read? There are only a handful of titles that I really would like to keep current on, for whatever reason that I can't explain. Thinking of them specifically, it may be a sense of nostalgia because they take me back to my childhood. Series like G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and Star Wars still have my interest and call to me, whereas my passion for collecting Lady Death has seriously diminished.











I can remember when my love of Lady Death began to wain. When LD started taking-off under Avatar Press/Boundless Comics, for every regular issue, there would be 3 variant covers. As a completionist, a some may call my collecting habits a bit manic, I had to get as many of them as humanly possible. For every # in the different series, I would be purchasing 4 different covers from my LCS on my subscription. There would be times where additional variant covers would be published, and I would buy them as well. These additional covers were limited and so carried a higher price tag.



At the time, it really didn't matter that much to me because I felt like I need to have them to keep my collection in tact. When I couldn't get the variants at my LCS, I would have to turn to online sources to get them. There were so many it felt like I was living through the 90's again with all the various special covers that were published. Examples such as:












When they finally stopped publishing Lady Death for a time, there was a part of me that was relieved. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and I could again breath easy. But now, every time a new title comes-out, it seems like publishers flood collectors with a series of variant covers again. On Comic Collector Live, there are 121 individual entries for Star Wars #1 from Marvel Comics! That's insanity!



I admit that money also plays a role in this dilemma, as if I purchase less comic books for my ever-growing collection, I will be able to use that money for other purposes such as paying bills, expanding/continuing my fundraising activities with Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer, growing my collection of Funko Pops, etc.



I don't even know every title that I have on my subscription list. I just pick-up the comics as I can, enter them into my database and add them to the collection. I know that at least 1 of the titles that I get is being published twice a month! ACK!



As I mentioned before, there are some titles that I think I will continue to collect for pure nostalgia of it. I feel like I need to let go of several titles from my list. I don't want to give-up comics altogether, and I will NEVER stop collecting, reading and reviewing trades and graphic novels, but I know I need to step back and take an introspective look at what's on my list versus what I actually want to continue receiving.



I'm not going to say that this is the biggest decision of my life, but it does feel like a huge change for me.



Thank you for taking the time to read this. Writing this post has been quite cathartic and it feels like a lot of what has been weighing me down recently is now lifted.

On that note, I think I will also provide those of you who actually read my blog through to the end a little update as to what my continued plans are for this blog.



I know that I have been remiss of my duties of producing a regular series of reviews, and for that I apologize. I haven't been reading as much as I would like, and I actually don't have a large stack of trades that need reviewed as I normally have had in the past. I will be devoting some time this week to writing, as I have decided to take some time to myself from work. I hope to have some reviews scheduled for at least the next month or 2 by the end of the coming week.



As those of you who also follow my non-profit, Comic Book Covers 4 Cancer, I have been actively working to get attending artists for this years Rose City Comic Con to donate a cover at the event. I'm proud to say that we have already lined-up 4 new artists who will be contributing to our cause: Katie Cook, Chip Zdarsky, Jim Mahfood and Valentine De Landro. I have reached-out to many others, and will continue to provide updates on our Facebook page.



I'm also proud to announce that we will again be receiving a generous donation of 10 grading services from CBCS at RCCC. The last time we joined forces, the bids for the covers were incredible. I can't wait to see what will come from this years donations. Here's what we received last time:




























So excited for September!