Month: March 2021

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, it took some doing, but it Phase One of the 2021 Monarch Comics Make Over has been completed! Yes, as many of you saw first hand yesterday, I finally got the old place a fresh new coat of paint! Maybe I am prejudiced, but I absolutely love it. I mean, I’ve known for years that I wanted a new color to look at on the walls, but I had no idea how truly refreshing it would be once it was completed. As a side effect, the things I needed to move around or get out off the floor have completely opened up the space here and the store feels more expansive and comfortable than it has in years. Now I can’t stop fantasizing over what it will look like once Phase Two is complete. That will involve putting in new flooring and I only hope that I can arrange an installation quickly and that I will be able to afford to do it immediately.

 

One the first things you may notice when you walk in the door is that the back issue boxes are currently missing from the display area. I can assure you that I didn’t fill the dumpster with them and instead they have been moved into the back room area. This was originally simply a practical matter. I mean, they take up so much space and I needed to get them out of the way so that the painters could get their work done easier. But a funny thing happened on the way to the back room. To wit, I couldn’t believe the amount of space that was freed up by getting them out of my way! You’ll see what I mean immediately upon entering. Frankly, I love it and since the back issue boxes would have to be moved again once it is time to lay down the new flooring I have simply decided to keep them off the floor for the time being. This is not to say that they won’t be for sale, merely that they will stay in their new home until I finish Phase Two. As a result, if you would like to shop the back issue boxes, please just ask Jake or I for the access and you can step into the back room and peruse to your heart’s content. I’ve decided that we can allow two people into he back room at a time with both people masked. You will have to “Excuse the Mess” a bit as I have completed cleaning the place out, but putting the boxes back there has eaten up a bunch of space that was previously used for storage.

 

Unfortunately, all of this renovation work has put me a bit behind schedule with some of the regular weekly functions of the store. I am currently working to get the Shipping List and Subscription Form ready to go out on the waves and I also have March Diamond initial orders posted before the end of the day. I will also have this week’s FOC list hopefully completed by tomorrow, so please take a look at it on the Facebook page just to make sure you don’t miss anything you’ll want to purchase later. Once again, I am dancing as fast as I can…lol.

 

I finally went and got me Covid Vaccination yesterday afternoon over at the Rec Center! I had been putting it off until after the paint job was done as I was worried about possibly succumbing to some of the after effects that I had read about and I didn’t want to be sick while trying to get the joint painted. It turns out that I nothing to worry about at least in regards to the administration of the first shot. Honestly, my arm isn’t even sore…lol. I can also heartily recommend going to the Rec Center for your shot. They are a terrific bunch and the system they have set up is incredibly efficient. Seriously, the longest part is waiting 15 minutes before leaving in case of a bad reaction. I know there are several locations for immunization shots running right now, but you could do a lot worse than securing your appointment at the Rec Center. To sign up for your immunization you can go here: https://lucascountyhealth.com/covidvaccine/

 

That’s it for me this week, Comic Fans! Next week is going to be a light shipping week due to it being the fifth shipping week, but I hope to see you all anyway. Have a great weekend and don’t let the torrential downpour coming put you off too much. At least it isn’t snow…:P

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

I’m afraid it’s gonna be a short EDitorial this week, mostly because “Painting Day” is coming up and all of that phat stimulus loot has been making things a bit more busy than usual this week. Not that I’m complaining! I am happy to see that everyone can catch up on their favorite funny books in a fiscally responsible way…:P

Monarch Comics will be closed, as per usual, on Monday, March 22^nd, as we begin our exciting 2021 renovation projects! Monday we will be giving the store a new coat of paint and I am extremely excited at the prospect. However, due to the prep work needed, the store is going to be looking a little rough this week. Jake and I have to essentially strip everything off the walls and get the all the racks pulled away from them enough for a coat of paint. Those of you who visited yesterday already got a taste of it, but I don’t want anyone shocked or thinking we are going out of business when they come in over the weekend and see things REALLY stripped down. So please excuse our mess for the next couple of days as I work hard to get this project completed.

One of the things that I have to do in order for the paint job to go off as scheduled is moving all of the back issue boxes and sales tables into the back room for “storage”. The original plan was to not have them available for browsing during the renovations. After filling FOUR dumpsters full of crap in the last couple of months, however, I realize I had forgotten exactly how much junk had accumulated in the back room over the last 25+ years and the amount of space that would be freed up as a result of the “tidying up”. As a result, I do believe that I will be able to set things up so that I can allow folks to go into the back room for a deep dive into the back issue boxes. It is kind of a relief because I wasn’t looking forward to moving the back issue boxes back and forth multiple times for the duration of my renovation projects.

It currently looks like Free Comic Book Day 2021 will be moving forward as planned! Diamond released the information of what companies and titles will be involved and you can be sure that I will post the information on the Facebook page as soon as I get a spare moment. Hopefully, that spare moment will magically appear sometime before FCBD actually takes place.

I have posted the FOC information for this week on the Facebook page. FOC (or Final Order Cut-Off) is basically the last moment a comic shop can change its order numbers before said orders are closed off and the numbers are sent to the publishers and then to the printer. I decided to start doing it in order to more explicitly let you know what open order variants are available in case you were interested in requesting a copy. While I was putting together this week’s FOC variant offerings, I realized that it was kind of silly (as well as lazy) not to just put everything that is on FOC on the list I prepare, so starting next week I will be including ALL items on FOC. If there’s anything special that catches your eye while looking over the list then please let me know and I can take steps to make sure that the title is ordered and available to you. Keep in mind that the primary function of this effort is to catch books that people are planning to pick up that they normally don’t buy. If you’ve been buying Amazing Spider-Man for the past 15-20 years then I already have inventory information logging that knowledge. If, however, you normally buy Amazing Spider-Man but there is an open order variant that you are interested in then that is the kind of information I need. I’m hoping that this will cut down on the amount of “instant sellouts” and make sure I note extra interest in a title that I might have missed on my own. Truly, information is power!

Well, I’ve already gone on for far longer than I had intended to, so I will bid you all adieu! Again, sorry for the mess that some of you will be walking into this weekend and please make sure that if you are looking for something and don’t see it then speak to me or Jake. We love to help!

 

Have a great weekend, Folks!

 

Eddie

Morning, Folks!

 

I had a small tailwind this morning and got to work a bit early so I’m hoping to get this EDitorial banged out and have the Subscription List up and running quickly today. I know that I have spoken to many of you about the challenges facing me as the “new” owner of Monarch Comics and the biggest personal hurdle for me has been boning up on my time management skills. Most of this has involved rearranging the times when I monkey around with “paperwork” which includes the usual suspects like paying bills and keeping track of the money, but I also lump in things like the Shipping List and Subscription Form as well. Jake, Minion Supreme, is basically as trained up as I can make him and yesterday I finally stopped hovering around him at the register and just sat down at my desk and started getting things done. This has resulted in my first Thursday morning since the takeover where I don’t feel overwhelmed at everything that has to be done simply to keep the store moving forward.

 

Speaking of the store moving forward, I am now ready to begin the first phase of my ambitious plan to remodel the store. That first step will be the paint job that I have scheduled for March 22^nd. It’s a Monday, so I will be closed for the process, but Jake, Hillman, and I will begin clearing everything off and away from the walls starting on Friday, March 19^th. I’m going to do my best to stay open through this paint job, but I humbly ask in advance to please excuse my mess as I futz around with it. Hopefully, the paint job will get finished by Monday evening and I will be able to let the paint dry overnight with the expectation of getting everything back on the walls, like trade paperbacks, by end of day Tuesday. Since I have never undertaken a process like this before I have no idea how smoothly everything will run and depending on how much time (and energy) I have on Tuesday will decide if I even do a Facebook Live show with the new releases or not. How exciting!

 

Also I want to let everyone know that the back issue boxes are temporarily going into the back room for storage during this job. How long they stay back there is still in question although, frankly, I don’t look forward to moving them back and forth multiple times. Hill and I have been working hard to get the back room cleaned out for the last several weeks and we are close to completing the job as I see it. I was really surprised to see how much actual room there is back there after clearing out the detritus of nearly 30 years. Seriously, I have asked myself over and over how I could have let things get so snarled and congested! In any case, while I haven’t measured anything out as of yet, I do believe there is going to be enough room to set up the back issues for rudimentary display, so you may able to shop for back issues depending on how well we clear out some aisles. I’ll let you know how this plan goes once we get finished.

 

I know I’ve complained about this before and made stands and decisions which I’ve gone back on, but I think I’ve come to a final decision. As of the FOC date of 3/15, I will generally no longer be carrying open order variants on the rack. It’s been a tough decision, but the sheer amount of variant covers is a bit overwhelming and my ability to predict what people want available to them is seriously out of whack. There will be exceptions, such as D.C. Comics standard VS variants covers, but even in those instances I will be mainly focusing on the main covers. There are a lot of reasons feeding into this decision, but the biggest one is that I have yet to find a solution to the mystery question of “How do you order a book that you only sell 25 copies of but there are 12 different covers?” Now there may also end up being cases where I will deviate from the main cover and focus on a variant that I have already seen increased demand for…an example would be, say, a Patrick Gleason open order variant for a Carnage book, but in cases like that the variant I choose will be the one that I carry rather than the main cover. I normally pride myself at being able to give you as many choices as possible, but with the way comic companies (particularly D.C.) are now limiting the amount of reorders available it’s just impossible to juggle al of the covers while making sure that everyone gets the cover of their choice.

 

Now this does NOT mean I will no longer order or carry variants. I know that many of you enjoy the experience of hunting down and collecting your favorite cover images. I just won’t have them on the rack. Instead, I am going to attempt to create a special FOC post every week which will list as many of the open order variant covers as possible and open them up to special orders before I place my final orders. The way I’m going to be handling it, at least at first, is to make a list of titles on FOC and then post the pics of the variant covers if they are available at FOC. Hopefully, with the new rearrangement of my work schedule, this is a task that I will able to smoothly insert into my usual schedule. The way it will work is that if you see something on the list that you know you are going to want then you simply message Monarch on Facebook or send me an e-mail with your requests. I will make a note of it, order the book in question, and then hold it for you behind the counter after release. Let’s hope I can keep it that simple. In regards to ratio variants, know that you are always welcome to inquire about them and I can usually let you know “aye or nay” on whether I qualify for them and if they are available and at what price.

 

I had some other things I wanted to blather on about today, such as the cool new merchandise that came in the door this week (WandaVision foam bag clips! Grogu keychains and POP figures!) as well as how much I am currently enjoying D.C. Comics’ soft reboot of their universe (Batman, Wonder Woman, and Joker are AMAZING!), but seeing as how this is the first time in many moons where I have the Shipping List, Subscription Form, and EDitiorial ready to drop by 11am, I think I’m gonna let brevity be my watch word of the day and wrap this up!

 

If you have any questions about anything I talked about above then please feel free to contact me. Remember, giving you the best comic book customer service I can is the goal of my life…😊

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Eddie

 

P.S. By the way, I just remembered that St Patrick’s Day is on the calendar this year for next Wednesday. In the past, the parking lot has been fairly packed by Shawn’s Tavern customer making it sometimes difficult to park and get in and out of the plaza. I have no idea exactly how many people will be showing up for the celebration with the current Covid situation, but I hope it does well for Shawn’s without getting anyone sick. If you show up for your Wednesday pick up and the parking spaces in front of the store are packed tight, please feel free to park up at the curb in front of the store, but try to leave the mailbox clear for folks.

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, Monarch Comics annual post-holiday sale has completed successfully and it is now time to move on to the promised store renovations! To that end, I have scheduled my painting partners to come in and get the job done on Monday, March 22^nd. No big whoop to you, my beloved customers, as I am already closed on Mondays. Since I am planning on painting all of the walls, however, it will necessitate a certain amount of “store deconstruction”. If you swing by the store on March 19^th-21^st you will most likely be greeted by a comic shop is serious disarray. As a result, I am apologizing in advance “for my mess” and ask everyone to be kind while I muddle through the first part of my ambitious plan. Additionally, I want to also let anyone know whom I haven’t mentioned it to that the back issue boxes and the dollar boxes will be taking up temporary residence in the back room while this process is going on. I haven’t decided how to handle this issue yet, but at the very least either Jake or I can go back there and look for any items you are interested in during the renovations.

 

Speaking of Jake, he will be making his first solo appearance in the store this weekend. From what I know about the comic industry this will be a double bagged first appearance special! I designed his limited hours to allow me to have a little time off so he will be working the 3pm-7pm shift on Friday and the 11am-3pm shift on Saturday. Everyone has been very welcoming to him so far, but please be extra kind this weekend while he does his first solo stint. Okay, actually, you can give him a little bit of a hard time, but not enough where he has to call me for instructions…lol. I do believe Hillman has been a little neglected during this settling in period for me and so I am takin him out for a romantic dinner of vegan sushi on Friday night. I’d hate to have to leave the restaurant because something has gone wrong at the store.

 

And speaking of Friday night, it is (besides Date Night) also the big climax to Disney+’s WandaVision! I am really looking forward to it and I am going to find it very interesting to try and sit through fancy dinner at the restaurant while I am secretly excited to get back home and catch the finale. Hopefully I will be able to avoid all the crazy spoilers that are going to hit the internet 10 minutes after the show drops. I’ve done pretty well so far and, frankly, it’s kind of like a game for me now. That being said, please avoid coming in the store to test my mutant ability to avoid spoilers…I’d hate to have to, you know, negate your existence with the snap of my fingers or sic Jake on you or something…:P

 

I’ve mentioned this to practically everyone who has come in the store this week, but I must shout it out on the EDitorial as well. One of my favorite D.C. 90’s Elseworld miniseries has FINALLY been released in a gorgeously remastered omnibus hard cover collection! The Superman & Batman Generations Omnibus HC, written and drawn by John Byrne, is finally available! This collection gathers together Superman & Batman: Generations: An Imaginary Tale #1-4, Superman & Batman: Generations II, and Superman & Batman Generations III in their entirety as well as previously published forewords that Mr Byrne contributed to earlier reprint volumes. The main thrust behind this Elseworlds story is Byrne taking Batman and Superman and showing us a world where they both debuted in the late 30’s, but then continued to age in “real time’ along with their supporting casts. The narrative, at least in the first miniseries, divides itself into decade long chapters and we get to watch these characters live, love, and, of course, die as they wind their way through the 20^th century (and beyond.) Byrne also makes it a point to give each story arc the feel of the decade it is passing through within its pages. For instance, the 50’s storyline is a goofy and fun science fiction story or the 80’s storyline is grim and gritty. I remember loving the books when they first came out and rereading the epic in one volume has been an even bigger delight. I cannot recommend this title enough and at $75 it is a great deal for an omnibus! Check it out today!

In my continuing efforts to bring YOU the comic book related merchandise that you want in your local comic shop, I’d like to announce next week’s new arrivals! First up on the list is the Pocket POP SW Mandalorian Child in Pod Keychain! Continuing in the line of Pocket POPs, this keychain shows everyone’s favorite adorable little imp in his spherical carry-all. Considering how fast the last Grogu keychain sold out make sure you grab yours before they fly out the door. Next up is the POP Deluxe Mandalorian Child with Canister Fig! This oversized POP vinyl figure features Grogu along with his handy dandy snack pack carrying case…lol. A new item also arrives next week that I wanted to gauge interest in is the Star Wars Mandalorian The Child Pewter Lapel Pins! I honestly have no idea how much lapel pins are in vogue anymore, but it was just so darned cute I decided to take a chance with them! And finally, the only item NOT featuring Grogu, is the WandaVision 3D Foam Bag Clips! I’ll admit that I didn’t really know what a “Foam Bag Clip” was, but the designs were so charming that I couldn’t resist giving them a try.

 

Amazing Spider-Man #55 3^rd Printing Variant (featuring art by Patrick Gleason, but this time blue!) is due out next week. After the tremendous amount of copies that I sold for the first two printings (white and red) I honestly wasn’t sure how much legs the new printing would have, but I have already presold most of my preordered copies. Those of you who requested yours at FOC are still guaranteed to get your copies and I will hold them behind the counters for two weeks before I put them back out on the rack. For those of you who didn’t preorder a copy, I will have a small amount of them available on Wednesday morning and I am going to put in a reorder for more copies that I should have in by next Thursday. (That is, of course, predicated on whether the cover is still available for reorder by the time I place my next order on Sunday. Currently it looks like it won’t be a problem, but ya never know in this business!)

 

That’s it for me today as I have a crapload of work to catch up on if I’m going to skate out of the store early tomorrow as planned. I’m a week behind with the small amount of mail order that I do and I’m gonna have to catch up on the paperwork that I would normally futz about with on late Fridays/early Saturdays. I also have someone scheduled to bring by a comic collection for me to look at and decide if I want to purchase them or not. New Mutants #87 & #98 were on the list of comics included so I’m a little excited about it. I’ll make a Facebook post if I end up picking up any goodies!

 

Have a great weekend and I’ll see ya soon!

 

Eddie