Month: February 2021

Hey, Folks!

 

So here we are on the other end of Snowmageddon 2021 and it looks like things are getting back to normal here at Monarch Comics. As many of you are already aware, because of the punishing levels of snow that hit our Southern states there was a serious kink in the supply chain for the last ten days or so. I’m happy to inform everyone that the reorders I placed with Diamond are scheduled to arrive at the store sometime this afternoon, so if you had anything special ordered from these orders I will have it later on today. Thanks to everyone who has been patiently waiting for things to get moving again!

 

I am pleased to announce that BRZRKR #1 from BOOM! Studios is finally getting released next week…sort of. BRZRKR #1, written by Matt KIndt and Keanu Reeves and penciled by Ron Garney, is described as the “next blockbuster action franchise” by BOOM! And there has been a lot of buzz connected to the title. I will have a selection of the many different covers available, although due to printing difficulties the foil variants (Covers C & D) won’t be reaching the shelves until 3/24. I will definitely be including them in the Subscription Form the week of release.

 

I’m trying something new with the variants this time around. Instead of simply adding them to the new release rack, this week I included in the Subscription Form several of the BRZRKR variants I have coming in. I have VERY limited numbers of each variant available and most of them are upcharged. When I say “limited” I mean REALLY limited amount, like one or two copies total. So if 30 people request one of the big books I obviously can’t cover all of the orders so the way this is going to work is that whomever requests the book first gets the book. I will monitor the orders closely and try to catch any sell outs immediately and take them off the sub form. If this experiment goes well then I will start adding variants to the sub form as I receive them.

 

The new Peach Momoko X-Title, “Demon Days X-Men”, also makes its debut next week. Unfortunately, I do believe that I seriously under ordered on the title. In all honesty, I don’t understand the appeal of Ms Momoko’s work as it really isn’t my cup of Joe, but I recognize that it has become quite popular in certain circles of comic fandom.  As a result, I’m pretty sure that I under ordered the book. It was a difficult solicitation as there were several open order variants involved and, frankly, the content description had me scratching my head as to whether or not it was a “fantasy” story or part of regular X-Continuity. So you might see the title disappear off of the sub form, at least temporarily, as the copies get claimed. The good news, however, is that it looks like most of the Demon Days covers are still available from Diamond so I will put in a significant boost to my inventory come the reorder on Sunday. My apologies to any Momoko fans who may end waiting an extra day for delivery.

 

I’d like to everyone to give a warm welcome to my first attempt at hiring an employee. Some of you may have already met the gentleman while he was under going crucial training last week, but please allow me to officially welcome Jake Teelander behind the counter at Toledo’s premier comic shop! Jake has shown himself to be incredibly useful so far in my attempts to straighten up the store and cover the counter and it makes me hate to admit that he will only be in my employ for a few weeks until he completes his degree in biology at UT. So Jake is, in effect, my guinea pig employee. He is currently working his shifts with me to complete training, but next week you may stop by the store and find Jake in charge and me taking some much needed time off. Please be kind to him, Folks, and if you have a question that he can’t help you with please check with me the next time you are in the store.

 

That’s it for me this week. It has me a bit longer to get everything posted today because I’ve has some early Thursday business to take care of here in the store, so I should get moving. Let me just take one more moment of your time to remind everyone that Sunday will be the last day of Monarch Comics Annual Post-Holiday Sale! Until Sunday all Hard Covers/Trade Paperbacks will be on sale for 25% off, the Back Issue Boxes will be 50% off, the Dollar Boxes will be 3 for a $1, the Wall Display Books will be 25% off, and all of the POP figures will be $2 off price marked! Now is the time to make a last pass through the back issue boxes or Dollar Boxes for big savings.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

Here we are on another Thursday and another late edition of the EDitorial!

No excuses on my part. Frankly, it is currently the same-old same-old of having too much to do and not enough time to get it done! I’m sure it will all work out once I get used to the new situation. I’m currently shooting for 2028…lol.

Just a couple of things to mention this week. One of them is the news that TMNT The Last Ronin #2 is FINALLY shipping in next week! I assure you that THIS time I will have plenty of copies available to everyone. If you are interested in multiple copies then please order one copy on the subscription list and then send me a message on Facebook or give me a call at the store and I will put you down for how ever many copies you’d like to purchase. Additionally, I have several copies of the 1 in 10 variant by Sophie Campbell that I will be selling for $24.99 each. Again, please contact through Facebook messenger or a simple phone call and I will hold the issue for you. It will be a limit of one per customer on the 1 in 10 variant.

I’ve started carrying a wider range of merchandise items since I’ve taken over the store and between this week and next I have a new slate of posters, keychains, and puzzles coming in the door. Please take note of the new Funko Pocket POP keychains as well as the Justice League logo keychains near the register. I received Han Solo and Boba Fett keychains this week and next week I will have Luke Skywalker, Yoda, R2-D2, IG-11, and Mandalorian keychains in stock. I finally received my DC Comics, Venom, and Mandalorian posters that I ordered waaaay back on January 23^rd, although I have yet to have a chance to unpack them. I will also have a small amount of Mandalorian car window decals in stock next week. The Spider-Man 500 piece puzzle that came in last week was a sellout, but I have more of those on the way and there will be a new Avengers 500 piece puzzle on the shelf next week. SO exciting that I don’t know how I’ll stop from bouncing off of the walls!

Okily dokily…that really is it for me this week. As much as I would love to go on for another page or two I really have to get moving on stuff. Next week I will have a report of my experiences ghost hunting at the Eloise Mental Hospital this weekend. I can’t wait to do my Scooby Doo impersonation while wandering through a dark and deserted scary building!

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I’ll talks at ya next week!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Welcome to yet another EDitorial where I can blather on mindlessly for a coupe of paragraphs before wandering off into the wilderness and leaving you to continue your day only mildly disturbed and yet still hungry for more comic books! I’m getting a little later than usual start to the day because of an unexpected customer rush this morning as well as a perfectly charming weekly discussion with local Toledo legend, Jim Beard. Thankfully, I only have a few points to make before getting on with posting the Subscription Form which I know is what everyone is waiting on!

 

So Funko has a new round of D.C. Comics POP figures coming out soon (well, “soon” for Funko anyway). They include POP DC Superman Action Comic Vinyl Figure, POP Heroes DC Death Metal Wonder Woman PX Vinyl Figure, POP Heroes Wonder Woman 80^th WW The Contest and Challenge of the Gods Vinyl Figures! I will be carrying varying quantities of these figures as they arrive in stores. There is also a new series of Miles Morales POP figures that I won’t be carrying because there are too many of them coming in at once and I’m not really sure which ones would be of interest to my beloved customer base, so if you ARE interested then please let me know and I will see what I can do about carrying some in the store.

 

I really am moving forward with my plans to start carrying more merchandise in my stock mix and this will include more POP figures, new and old posters in the Magnificent Monarch Winged Poster Rack, stunning new t-shirt designs, a bigger selection of comic book/fantasy puzzles, and an increased amount of buttons and keychains. As per usual, if there is something that you would like to see on the shelves of the shop then please let me know. I am on the hunt for another distributor of appropriate knick knack-y stuff as well.

 

Something that has been bothering since even before my takeover of the business is the amount of black space that is currently the bane of my existence. I want to assure everyone that it is not a lack of business or demand for product that makes my shelves look so empty, but rather the current difficulty that comic publishers, both big and small, are having getting their trade paperbacks back in stock. I’ve heard a couple of different stories, but the one I hear the most is that the printing industry is having problems keeping up with print orders due to their shutdown last Spring as well as the overwhelming amount of orders they are getting from both the regular book trade as well as the comic industry. I keep thinking I need to come in on a Monday and just rearrange all of the racks so that they at least look full, but I keep resisting this idea because not only am I moving a tremendous amount of trades because of the current sale (still going on through the end of February, by the way) and the knowledge that in the near future I am going to be starting some major renovations in the store. I mean, why take the time to rearrange all of the racks when the sale is still going on and I will be moving everything around in a short amount of time anyway? In any case, please accept this “Excuse Our Mess” message and know that it will probably be in place through the end of July…lol.

 

Oh! One more thing while I am thinking about it. A couple of weeks ago I authored a post on Facebook soliciting preorders for the first wave of DC’s Future State 2^nd printings as well as the Amazing Spider-Man #55 2^nd printing. I dutifully took down the names of everyone who requested any copies of these books and I currently have them behind the counter. So if you requested one on Facebook then you have but to ask for the item at the counter and I will have it for you. That being said, I can’t afford to hold a bunch of time sensitive product behind the counter indefinitely, so if you still want your copies then please swing by the store sometime in the next week or so. Any of these books that I’m still holding by next Friday are going to go back on the racks. If you can’t make it, but still want them, then please contact me so that I know you will be in for them. I appreciate your diligence! 😊

 

Okily dokily, that’s it for me today! I’ve got to get everything posted and then keep with processing sub list orders today as well as hopefully getting a chance to add some new back stock to the back issue boxes and maybe get some more crap cleared out of the back room. Frankly, everything I do today and tomorrow is merely killing time until I get to sit down and watch this week’s new episode of WandaVision with Hillman tomorrow night…😊

 

Have a great week!

 

Eddie