Month: November 2020

Hey, Folks!

 

I know, I know…I’m late with everything again this week! I swear, though, it’s not my fault this time…lol. On Wednesday, Diamond Comic Distributor’s website went down due to some sort of mechanical failure and it took most of the afternoon to get it up and running properly again. Unfortunately, by the time it was running it was already midafternoon and I had the Wednesday afternoon rush to deal with here in the store. Since I it was down during the time when I generally put the finishing touches on the Subscription Form I wasn’t able to complete by end of business yesterday. I probably should have taken the work computer home to finish it overnight, but, darn it, I “forgot” to take the computer home with me. I’ll have to work on that…lol

 

There’s not a whole lot to report this week in any case. We did get the brand new POP Star Wars Mandalorian Child with Bag Vinyl Figures and they are predictable adorable. We only have a few left in stock, but I have more coming next week, so we should have some ready for our Black Friday sale next week. They are only $10.99 so make sure to take a look at them when you come in for your weekly haul.

 

Speaking of our Black Friday Sale, let me mention again that it will basically mirror the same sale we’ve had for the last couple of years. Essentially, the January post-holiday sale will be moved up for one glorious day of shopping on November 27^th. For the uninitiated, the includes 25% off all trade paperbacks and hard covers (including an extra 25% off sale items), 50% off our back issue boxes (which have been restocked in the last couple of months!), and 25% off the back issues currently displayed on the wall! Additionally, if you are looking for a trade paperback or hard cover that we don’t currently have in stock and you order it on Friday then the 25% discount will apply when we receive the order.

 

Monarch Comics will, of course, be closed on Thanksgiving as per usual. The rest of daily hours will remain the same next week. I have 2020’s holiday orders posted on our Facebook page in case you have any questions.

 

I’d also like to take a moment and thank Marisa Dickens for featuring me on her interview podcast, Artifacts! I had a great time getting thoroughly grilled on the show! I’ve posted a link to the podcast if you haven’t enough of me pontificating on the comics, the industry, baking, and general questions and want to hear me blathering on about them. I’ve posted a link to the podcast episode on our Facebook page so please give it a listen! Let’s show Ms. Dickens how many downloads the Monarch crowd can run up for her show!

 

That’s it for me this week! I’d better get back to putting the finishing touches on the Shipping List and the Subscription Form! And if there is a mistake or two this week please be merciful in your judgement! I’m dancing as fast as I can…😊

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, it’s been a looong week already and I am already running behind schedule due to an impromptu dentist visit this morning. I actually thought I would be getting to work later this morning, but my delicate morning schedule has still been irreparably shattered. It’s just as well as I don’t really have much of substance to report this week anyway.

 

Hillman and I made the trek up to the Henry Ford museum on Monday to visit the Marvel exhibit that has been running for the last couple of months. I highly recommend visiting the exhibit although due to Covid your mileage may vary. It was an extremely light crowd during our visit and we had plenty of time to peruse the exhibit without anybody else in the room. I knew that it was mostly centered around the Marvel Universe movies and there are plenty of costume and prop displays, but I was pleasantly surprised at all of the comic book paraphernalia, including original comic book pages, key issues on display, and plenty of comic book art. There are also a couple of interesting “performance” bits, such as a huge Iron Man display that puts you in the armor virtually and an adorable little kiosk where you can get photos of yourself superimposed onto comic book pages or covers. It’s like a fancy photo booth. Of course, the rest of the museum has pleasures of its own and I highly recommend a visit, although if you can’t wear a mask for a long period of time then it is probably not the place to go.

 

You don’t realize it, but it has been an hour between this paragraph and the previous one. I received a surprise shipment from Diamond this morning containing an Diamond replenishment order (basically a bunch of old back orders boxed together) and our D.C. Comics shipment for next week. I say “surprise” because when I checked yesterday we weren’t supposed to get the D.C. stuff until tomorrow. That’s fine with me, but I had to take a break from writing this to unpack. Another great pack job from UCS although we were shorted a single copy of Joker Harley Criminal Sanity #6 CVR B and the Plunge HC. Still, I can’t complain as those are relatively minor when measured against receiving an entire box full of destroyed comics from Diamond.

 

It also reminded me to mention something that otherwise I may have forgot. Two weeks ago almost all of our copies of Justice League #56 CVR B showed up with extremely crumpled corners. I made notes of subscription customers who I didn’t bother to pull damaged copies of the title. I have placed a copy in each of those spots, so make sure you still need a copy as I did put the damaged ones out for anyone interested as well as all of our CVR A’s. If you by chance purchase an extra copy by mistake then please just bring it back the following week for full credit.

 

Also want to give a quick update on my nefarious plan to take over the business in January. I now have my business account set up at the bank of my choosing after finally getting all of the paperwork they required. I’ve also sorted out the lease for the building as well. It’s getting closer, Folks, and starting to feel all too real…lol. After 20 years of “Hurry UP!” I am now wishing everything would slow down a bit. Still, just a couple of more things to get checked off my list and I will be good to go on January 2^nd!

 

Speaking of the January takeover, I suppose now is as good a time as any to announce some changing of the store’s hours. As of Saturday, January 2^nd, these will be the official hours for Monarch Comics:

 

SUNDAY: 12PM-5:30PM

MONDAY: CLOSED

TUESDAY: 11AM-7PM

WEDNESDAY: 9AM-7PM

THURSDAY: 11AM-7PM

FRIDAY: 11AM-7PM

SATURDAY: 11AM-7PM

 

Additionally we will be closed on the following holidays: Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

 

I’ve decided to close on Mondays simply because I need a day off to take care of my Dad who is under a guardianship. The holidays are essentially the same ones we’ve been closed on for years although this year I do believe I will be open on Easter Sunday.

 

While I’m at it, let me reiterate Monarch Comics for THIS year:

 

Thursday, November 26^th, Thanksgiving Day: CLOSED

Thursday, December 24^th, Christmas Eve: 11am-5pm

Friday, December 25^th, Christmas Day: CLOSED

Thursday, December 31^st, New Year’s Eve: 11am-5pm

Friday, January 1^st, New Year’s Day: CLOSED

 

Okily dokily…that’s it for me this week! I hope everyone is having a great week and I look forward to seeing you in the store soon!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Just short note today, mostly because I have some stuff to catch up on this week and I want to get started before I lose any steam. And by “steam” I mean before the pot of coffee I swilled this morning wears off.

 

There’s not much new to report this week although I can finally assure everyone who buys D.C. Comics that my new account with Lunar Distribution has FINALLY been approved. It has taken me a bit to navigate the twists and turns of their approval process, but I have leveled up, as it were. The problem was getting a specific piece of paperwork to them that I didn’t need when I applied for our account UCS. You see, Lunar wanted a tax exemption certificate and I kept confusing it with the vendor’s license which I thought was the same thing. My confusion was fueled by the fact that all I needed for UCS was the vendor’s license. Well, after e-mailing back and forth a couple of times, I finally just called my accountant and she e-mailed the form she though I needed. Well, I was a little surprised that all I had to do was fill out the form and confirm that I can purchase things at wholesale because I am a retail business reselling the product to my customers and was collecting sales tax from them for it. I went back to their website and followed the link to upload the form, but because of the confusing way the form website is set up I managed to upload the form without answering a questionnaire at the same site. I then received another e-mail from Lunar telling me to go back and fill out the questionnaire and was also told that the form I uploaded still wasn’t what they were looking for. So, nearing the point where I just snap and start crying and repeatably stabbing myself in the leg with a butter knife, I filled out a second form which had the exact same information on it as the first form and then answered their questionnaire which also asked for the same information as both previous forms. I then e-mailed them and said, “Well, you now have my vendor’s license, two different tax exemption certificates, and I filled out your questionnaire. Please let me know if you need a human sacrifice as well and I will get right on it.” Apparently that did the trick as ½ an hour later I received an e-mail saying my account has been approved. So…YAY, me! Of course, I haven’t been on their website to see whether or not my status has been changed on there yet, but I am living in a world of hope.

 

Before signing off for the week, I want to quickly mention that I have read two great new comic series in the last month and both of them are from Image. Department of Truth by writer James Tynion IV and artist Martin Simmonds is on issue #2, but I am mentioning it now because I finally got second printings of #1 in this week after a quicker than expected sellout. It is a terrific start to a series that is essentially “anti-X-Files” and follows a government organization dedicated to investigating and quashing weird conspiracy theories. In this universe consensus reality is a major thing and some of these increasingly bizarre conspiracy theories need to be rooted and ended before they inadvertently change reality. The art by Simmonds is clearly inspired by Bill Sienkiewicz (and, yes, I did have to look up at how to spell his name…lol) so it may be turnoff to some, but I think it is perfect at portraying the shadowy conspiracies these folks are fighting against. Tynion may be known to you as the guy currently doing a bang up job on Batman, but this titles shows he has more going for him than just the long underwear crowd.

 

The other title is Crossover by writer Donny Cates and artist Geoff Shaw. Now I am the first to admit that I am not a huge Cates fan, but I’m also willing to cede that it may mostly because the characters he tends to write are not personal favorites. This title, however, really surprised me! The basic setup is that the real world has been suddenly and inexplicably been invaded by the comic book fictional universes during one of the Summer blockbuster events. Unfortunately, this sudden intrusion of the fictional on the real destroys Colorado and creates a backlash against super heroes not seen since Alan Moore’s Watchmen. This is terrific stuff and the final page is certainly an eye opener and I can’t wait to see how Cates handles referring to Marvel and D.C. Comics’ characters without trampling all over trademarks and copyrights. Usually I like to wait for an issue or two before I really decide whether or not I like the book, but this time I was so intrigued by the ending that I am giving it a premature thumbs up!

 

Also, I’ve been getting a lot of questions here in the store about it so I will let everyone know right now that we will see the second printing copies of TMNT The Last Ronin #1 on 12/2. That’s two weeks before the second issue ships. Hopefully there will be plenty to go around this time. I will include the 2^nd printings on the subscription form the week they ship so you don’t miss out!

 

I hope that everyone has a great weekend and I will talks at ya again next week!

 

Eddie