Month: May 2021

Hey Folks!

 

This has certainly been an interesting week. As some of you may have noticed, I am currently experiencing a serious issue with the store’s light fixtures. “Serious” is defined by the fact that they are all going out one by one and plunging the store into darkness. As you can probably imagine this has caused no small amount of consternation for me. I mean, Steve and I have been having problems with the light fixtures going on and off for years, but until now the problem was generally dealt with by flicking the lights on and off until it fixed itself or by simply waiting for them to eventually click back on their own. A couple of weeks ago one of the fixtures gave up the battle and simply blinked off never to return. Last Friday another fixture “burned out” although it has intermittently flickered back to life only to bank down again. This morning when I opened the store another light fixture gave up the ghost. I figure that if I don’t do something soon I will have more darkness in the store than Cloak’s cloak.

 

So, it is with heavy heart that I had to make an executive decision. My first year renovation plans included giving the store a paint job (walls & racks) as well as replacing the cruddy carpet with some nice new flooring. My plan was to get these things done before Free Comic Book Day in August so that the I could unveil the renovations to the largest possible audience. My master plan was to tackle the light fixtures (and, indeed, the ceiling as a whole) next year during Phase Two. Unfortunately it looks like I am going to have pull a switcheroo and replace the light fixtures this year and focus on the floors next year. My reasoning is that it is more important to see stuff then worrying about the crappy carpet.

 

I’ve got the electrician scheduled to come in next Wednesday in order to give me a quote on what the job will end up costing. Being ME I have no clue what new LED light fixtures for the whole store will run and maybe the price will be reasonable enough to enable me to do the floors as well, but I have a feeling that I need to be sitting down when he drops the price bomb on me. In any case, please excuse the mess and hustle and bustle that I expect will descend on the store in a week or two when the project gets started. I can’t wait to see how I’m going to have to move the racks around to accommodate the technicians…lol.

 

I wanted to take a moment and let everyone know that I will be opening the store late on Tuesday, May 1^st, as I have a memorial service to attend at 11am. I can’t say exactly when I will be open as I’m not sure how long it will run, but I will not be attending the wake afterward in order to get the store opened as quickly as possible. I will still, of course, be unpacking and getting the new comics ready for Wednesday and I am currently planning on still doing the live show albeit at a later time than usual. Thanks for understanding…

 

There is probably a whole lot more for me to blather on about, but I have a rather tight schedule today between preparing all the sub stuff for posting as well as completing initial May orders for Diamond, so I do believe I will bid you all a fond adieu. I suppose I should also mention that Monarch Comics will be closed on Memorial Day which should come as no surprise as I am closed every Monday anyway. Have a great weekend, Folks, and a safe and happy holiday!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, I’m back. I had a pretty good weekend adventure with Hillman in Chicago and now I have returned to the busy hustle of running a comic book shop. It really turned into a learning experience on the kinds of things I need to keep covered when I try to go out of town. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Jake did a GREAT job of running the store and as a result we had a very lucrative weekend. I just know now the “holes” I have in my coverage of basic store function and what I need to do to properly train whoever follows Jake into my employment. Since I knew Jake would only be with me for a short time there were many mysteries of the comic industry (and my screwy way of keeping track of it) that I didn’t bother training him for and I will have to rectify that with my next loyal minion.

 

Yeah, I kind of buried the lead there, but Jake’s time as a Monarch Comics staff member is coming to an end. As we agreed at the beginning of this venture, Jake’s time with us was always going to be coming to an end this month. Now that he has graduated from UT he is officially a scientist and now must journey on to begin another journey into the World of Forensic Science.

 

I will miss him terribly. I wasn’t really ready to bring on an employee when I asked Jake to help out after I heard he lost his previous gig. The main reason I offered him a position is that I knew he was cast aside rather rudely by his former employers and I knew there would be a ton of paperwork to complete just to allow Monarch Comics LLC to have employees. I figured if nothing else it would allow my accountant to set everything up, train me how to manage things like Workman’s Comp and figuring out paychecks, and also give me the occasion to start figuring out the things I would need to do in order to train someone appropriately. All of these tasks were completed admirably and on top of that I got to experience the unrestrained sassiness of Jake as well his conscientious and excellent work. While I am glad that he will now be able to continue on with his career aspirations I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I wish he were sticking around to continue helping me get the store ready for its next phase. I don’t think I could have made a better choice for my first employee and I wish him great success as he moves on. Thanks, Jake, for everything you contributed to the store during your too-brief employment. Now excuse me while I dry my eyes…allergies, don’t you know…

 

Before I went on vacation, I made up a quick Facebook post regarding the previous “available only in Europe” death metal editions of Dark Nights Death Metal #1, 2, and 3. I’m bringing it up again here to let everyone know that I will be ordering a small amount of each as well as the new Lunar exclusive Dark Nights Death Metal Soundtrack! Here’s the solicitation material for each item:

 

DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL SOUNDTRACK LUNAR EXCLUSIVE

To accompany the unrestrained awesomeness of DC’s Dark Nights: Death Metal comic series, execute producer / composer Tyler Bates (Guardians of the Galaxy, John Wick) present the Dark Nights: Death Metal soundtrack. Directly inspired by the comic series’ storyline, the diverse soundtrack illuminates the darkest corners of each DC character’s psyche. This Wonder Woman cover is limited to the Direct Market. Allocations may occur. Limited to 2,000 units for comics shops. Contents: Gatefold Jacket – Exclusive Wonder Woman Cover Variant 2xLP Red Smoke Vinyl 11×22 Poster Insert Comes with Mirror Board Character Trading Card – Randomly Inserted, 11 Total to Collect! Track List 01. Mastodon – Forged by Neron 02. Chelsea Wolfe – Diana 03. HEALTH, Tyler Bates – ANTI-LIFE (feat. Chino Moreno) 04. Maria Brink, Tyler Bates – Meet Me In Fire (feat. Andy Biersack) 05. Grey Daze – Anything, Anything 06. Rise Against – Broken Dreams, Inc. 07. Manchester Orchestra – Never Ending 08. Denzel Curry, PlayThatBoiZay – Bad Luck 09. Carach Angren – Skull With a Forked Tongue 10. Starcrawler – Good Time Girl 11. GUNSHIP, Tyler Bates – Berserker (feat. Dave Lombardo) 12. Greg Puciato, Tyler Bates, Gil Sharone – Now You’ve Really Done It 13. Show Me The Body – Stone Cold Earth 14. IDLES – Sodium 15. Soccer Mommy – Kissing in the Rain

 

RETAIL PRICE: $45.00

 

DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #1 SOUNDTRACK SPEC ED RISE AGAINST WITH FLEXI SINGLE BROKEN DREAMS, INC. 

(W) Scott Snyder (A) Greg Capullo (CA) Dave Johnson

This special edition of the first issue of Dark Nights: Death Metal features an all-new cover by Dave Johnson that showcases Batman with the members of the band Rise Against and comes with a flexi single of the track, Broken Dreams Inc. : from the upcoming Dark Nights: Death Metal soundtrack produced by Tyler Bates. Get ready for the earth-shattering encore! The legendary team behind Dark Nights: Metal and Batman: Last Knight on Earth takes center stage and reunites for one last tour. When the Earth is enveloped by the Dark Multiverse, the Justice League is at the mercy of the Batman Who Laughs. Humanity struggles to survive in a hellish landscape twisted beyond recognition, while Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman have all been separated and must fight to survive. Unleash the beast and let the head banging begin! Allocations may occur. Limited to 3,000 units for comics shops.

 

RETAIL PRICE: $24.99

 

DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #2 SOUNDTRACK SPEC ED GREY DAZE WITH FLEXI SINGLE FEATURING ANYTHING, ANYTHING 

 

(W) Scott Snyder (A) Greg Capullo (CA) Ryan Brown

This special edition of the second issue of Dark Nights: Death Metal features an all-new cover by Ryan Brown that showcases Superman with the members of the band Grey Daze and comes with a flexidisc of the track “Anything, Anthing.” Get ready to scream! Wonder Woman roars across the horrifying Dark Multiverse landscape in the world’s most nightmarish monster truck, with Swamp Thing riding shotgun! The two arrive at the ghoulish cemetery base of Batman and his army of zombies, but can the former friends stand each other long enough to form a plan and take back the planet? (Plus, what’s Lobo doing in space?) Don’t miss the second chapter of the wildest ride in the DC Universe, from the epic team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo! Allocations may occur. Limited to 2,000 units for comics shops.

 

RETAIL PRICE: $24.99

 

DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL #3 SOUNDTRACK SPEC ED DENZEL CURRY WITH FLEXI SINGLE FEATURING BAD LUCK

 

(W) Scott Snyder (A) Greg Capullo (CA) Kai Carpenter

This special edition of the third issue of Dark Nights: Death Metal features an all-new cover by Kai Carpenter that showcases Deathstroke with Denzel Curry and comes with a flexi single of the track: Bad Luck from the upcoming Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack produced by Tyler Bates. All aboard! When the Justice League launches its assault on New Apokolips, the team’s goal is to free Superman from his solar prison. But it’s all going off the rails when they learn that the Man of Steel is gone for good thanks to the Anti-Life Equation. Plus, the deep secret of the Darkest Knight is revealed–but how much darker could the Batman Who Laughs possibly get? And don’t miss the surprise return of everyone’s favorite wannabe Robin! Allocations may occur. Limited to 2,000 units for comics shops.

RETAIL PRICE: $24.99

 

As you can see above, all of these books are going to be extremely limited and no matter how many copies I order chances are they will be allocated. The FOC for these items is 6/13 and my final order numbers on these will be based on any preorders I receive as well as a few extra copies. Any orders will be processed on a first-come, first-basis so let me know ASAP if you are interested in any of the above items.

 

Everyone has been asking me this week about how I am going to handle the whole mask thing here in the store. Well, after much soul searching and consideration, I have decided that as of June 2^nd masks will no longer be required to enter the store. Frankly, I am just about sick of playing mommy for everyone who, after a year of mandates, still can’t figure out how to wear a mask properly or likes to play the game of “Do I have to wear a mask?” Seriously, I’m over it. That being said, I will still be wearing a mask in the store for the time being, but in my case it is mostly because I kinda like my masks and I haven’t been sick ONCE since this whole mandate thing started. Also, while I am vaccinated, I still see a couple of hundred of you good folks every week and I want to protect everyone as much as possible from getting anything that I may have been exposed to. Let’s just hope that this doesn’t explode into a mass of covid infections and everything gets shut down again before Free Comic Book Day!

 

Well, that’s it for me this week. I want to get everything posted and running smoothly so I can start painting another rack. Someday I’ll run out of racks to paint and that day will be a good one…😊

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Welcome to special pre-vacation edition of my EDitorial!

 

Yes, it’s true, I’m actually going to try and escape the confines of Toledo (and the store) for a whole weekend. As I mentioned to a few of you yesterday, the very concept of leaving the store and my Dad for three days fills me with anxiety and dread…lol. Understand that my anxiety has nothing to do with my confidence in Jake to run the store for a couple of days or the worry that Dad is going to have a major health event. It’s just I can’t completely expunge that little disclaimer in the back of my head saying, “But something COULD happen. Fires, floods, Godzilla…” My subconscious is always completely riddled with “the small print”. Also, being four hours away does not make for a quick response time to emergencies.

 

In any case, I will not be in the office this weekend. Since this is the first time I’ve taken off for any length of time since becoming the owner of the store things may be a little wonky until I get the hang of it. I’ve arranged things so that Jake will still be able to answer your basic questions about whether something is available for reorder or if you are looking for something specific, but any deep questions about my ordering practices or whether or not a ratio variant is available or not will have to wait until I return. Additionally, while I will be monitoring the Subscription Form, I won’t be monitoring it as closely as I normally do, so some items may disappear quicker than usual if I’m worried about an over-sell situation. If you have any questions or are interested in something you don’t see on the list then please don’t hesitate to message Monarch on Facebook. It may take me a minute to get back to you, but I will look into your issue and try to fix it on the fly.

 

I also want to reiterate that Free Comic Book Day is still most definitely on the schedule for August 14^th. I was having some doubts about how such an event was going to actually unfold, but I caught the whiff of good news this week when I heard on the news that Governor DeWine is considering undoing Covid restrictions in early June because the infection numbers  are going in the right direction. Obviously, this situation could turn on a dime, but I’m going against my usual dour outlook and attempting to be optimistic. Since I have already ordered all of the FCBD books and I have a meeting with my advertising firm this afternoon I suppose a dollop of optimism is a good thing. So, at this point, I’m planning on a full-blown Free Comic Book Day spectacular. Let’s see if I can make it happen…😊

 

Okay. Head down and back to work for me! Let’s get this stuff posted and move onto the next job…which today starts with getting another coat of paint on a rack before I leave town. Have a great weekend and I will see y’all next week!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

I hate Thursdays.

 

Maybe “hate” is too strong of a word. Perhaps “disapprove” is a better word.

 

If we were going to extend it to a phrase it would be “I disapprove of the Thursday Grind.”

 

Most people, as far as I can tell, “disapprove” of Mondays, but for me that awful day of drudge work is Thursday. I mean, Mondays the store is closed and my list of things that need to get done is pretty much set in stone and mostly concerns caring for my Dad. Tuesdays are pretty much dedicated to getting the new stock unpacked and ready to go. Wednesdays are usually a blur of activity and I glide through them pretty easily. Fridays I get off early, usually, and I get to see Hillman. Saturdays and Sundays are the weekend and those have barely changed in the last 20 years. But Thursdays…man…

 

There is SO much to get done on Thursdays, especially during this tumultuous period of renovation. There’s the subscription form that needs to get finished (although I have been getting it mostly completed on Wednesday nights), the Shipping List needs to get finished, I have to write this friendly little missive, any mistakes/snafus from Wednesday have to be dealt with (for instance, I sold a copy of Fortnite #2 to someone yesterday and they called yesterday afternoon claiming the video game code was not in the issue. Since I have sold out I couldn’t just replace it. At this point I’m waiting for Lunar to get back to me about the protocol and they are waiting for DC to get back to them), there’s usually a Diamond reorder to sort, the DC stock for the next week usually arrives and needs to be unpacked, I have to post all of the Sub Form/Ship List stuff, I have to monitor the Sub Form and process orders, and I also try to get at least one coat of paint on a rack so that it can be finished by Sunday. And if it ends up being  a busy day then everything gets pushed into the background while I fulfill my primary function of, you know, selling stuff.

 

I’m sure everyone has regular days like this, but it’s like I get into work an hour or an hour and a half early, sit down and turn on the computer, open a file, and then look at the clock and it is already 3pm. My enthusiasm for my job takes a hit every time.

 

I also tend to schedule “business meetings” on Thursday as business is usually a little slower and I have more time to stand at the counter and discuss things with business folks. For example, this morning I have a meeting scheduled to meet with a Better Business Bureau representative because Steve’s membership is a bout to expire and it is time for me to join up. Thank goodness the rep called this morning to let me know that they were running behind and would be a little late. They were worried about my reaction, but I was almost giddy with joy to know I had a little extra time to finish my EDitorial…lol

 

In any case, I’m going to do my level best to try and stay on the sunny side of Thursday today. If you come in to the shop today and ask me how my Thursday is going then I will attempt to give you the cheeriest answer I can dredge up from the pit of my soul!

 

Jake, my intrepid minion, has gotten on my case about not talking more about Free Comic Book Day. I assume that this is due to the amount of FCBD calls he had to field last Friday and Saturday as the first Saturday in May is usually the Big Day. Well, frankly, I’m not sure what to say about it at this point. I can say that the comic industry has tentatively scheduled the revised 2021 FCBD for Saturday, August 14^th. I have already ordered all of the FCBD books and I have a meeting scheduled with my advertising partners (yes, it is scheduled for a Thursday) to discuss my promotional strategy for the event. However, at this point, I have no idea what a FCBD will look like in a post-Apocalyptic era. I mean, on an average FCBD we usually expect 800-900 folks to come through the store over a 6 hour period. Considering we didn’t have a FCBD last year and that this is my first year as Ringleader of a FCBD then I’m thinking that total might be considerably more visitors. The last thing I want to see is my store turned into a friggin’ Super Spreader Event in the case of an outbreak. I’ve been considering a couple of strategies and I want to let everyone know that it is being worked on. There will be more information once I have a little more time to think about it. In the meantime, if I have a spare moment (HA!) I’ll try to get a Facebook post up with this year’s FCBD titles.

 

For the last two weeks I’ve been meaning to mention a small change to how I process orders with the Weekly Subscription List and I kept forgetting. I wrote a note to myself this week so I wouldn’t forget…lol. For most of the sub list’s existence I have made the order cut off for it Wednesday morning. This became a very stressful deadline for me, mostly because business starts immediately on Wednesday mornings and I oftentimes didn’t have the opportunity to futz around with processing orders while I have a line up at the counter. Also, I am still working on massaging out my numbers for many monthly titles as there has been a significant uptick in regular weekly customers over the last three months. As a result, I have been running out of stock before finishing the sub list and have been pulling my hair out trying to keep up. I could go on and on about the changes in the last year as to how reorders/restocks work in the industry, but that is another conversation entirely. Suffice it to say, I’ve had to turn off the sub form on Tuesday afternoons in order to make my job a little easier in regards to processing all of your orders.

 

I have decided that due to the increases in my customer base and the sometimes arduous process of filling up a weekly form, that I am opening the ability to place monthly orders using the Previews consumer order form (along with a copy of a monthly DC checklist). If you are interested in ordering your favorite periodicals by the month, rather than using the weekly sub from, then please ask me about the program. I’ll help to get you set up and you will no longer have to use the sub form unless you want to add something extra. For the most part I stopped using this method years ago because I was having trouble keeping up with orders and we had more cases of people ordering hundreds of dollars worth of comics and then ghosting and leaving us holding the bag. But these days my methods have changed and I am generally a little better at keeping track of everything. Understand…this isn’t a mandated change and you will always be able to adjust your orders before FOC. It’s just another way that I’m trying to make it as easy as possible for you to make sure you get copies of all of your favorite comics!

 

Okily dokily…first customer just came in the door and I would really like to get the first coat of paint on this rack before the BBB rep shows up for our meeting, so I’m gonna wrap it up. Before I forget, I will be out of the office NEXT weekend (May 14^th-16^th) in order take a mini-vacation before Herr Teelander wraps up his employment stint with me. I will be taking the store laptop with me in order to stay on top of things so Jake will not have access to the tools of the modern comic shop that he normally does. If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to send a message on Messenger and I will get back to you as soon as humanly possible. Well, as fast as humanly possible while I’m on vacation…lol.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Ed