Month: September 2023

Hey, Folks!

 

Whew…I must admit that I got used to having smaller and more manageable shipments! I mean, I’m sure that everyone else also appreciated having ship weeks that had a few lesser tasty comics on the rack as well. I mean, processing all of the subscription orders was certainly a bit more time consuming last week and while I didn’t rack the books myself this time I was appropriately impressed by the great job Brian did dealing with them this week. Next week, as you will see, is also a heavy ship week, but I don’t think it is quite as heavy as this week was. My sincerest apologies for having to skip out on the Afternoon Delight show this week, but I had a funeral to attend and I had to go home to dress and then attend. I just couldn’t fit the show into my schedule. I assure you it will be back next week…😊

 

We are starting to get all of our Image books now from Lunar Distribution and I readily admit that I am having a little problem with getting all of my orders placed properly. I am working on a new format for getting my Image orders processed that I will begin to implement with initial orders this month. I thank you for having some patience and here’s hoping that all of the publishers stick to where they are at now for a few months!

 

Speaking of September initial orders, if you have a order booklet to turn in please make sure you bring it in by the end of the week. Of course, I can certainly accept it later, but it will make a lot easier for me to deal with before I have to place my orders.

 

Okily dokily…back to work for me. I’ve got tons of FOC orders to place this week and I really want tog et back to sorting through more of the Jersey books. Hopefully, there will be more key issue posts on Facebook today! Have a great weekend, Beloved Customers…😊

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, the big wedding/anniversary party has now come and gone and things can start going back to a somewhat regular schedule behind the scenes. I haven’t really talked much about it, but planning and executing TWO weddings, much less just one, is a physically and emotionally exhausting experience…lol. Now don’t get me wrong…I wouldn’t have traded the experience for the world and the only thing better than marrying Hillman is marrying him a second time on our first anniversary. I’d like to thank everyone who helped move the party along and who attended and made it a great deal of fun. Special kudos to remarkable photographer extraordinaire, Jodi Smalley, and the work she did to chronicle the whole evening. Of course the work of “thank you” cards begins this weekend, but let me also thank everyone for the generosity that was displayed to Hillman and I in regards to our gifts. It was truly moving and I love all of you…😊

 

I keep forgetting to update the signs, but we will be extending the Dollar Box sale through the end of September. Considering I still have another 25 boxes or so of Jersey boxes to get through I do believe I will probably extend it through the end of October as well. I know new back issue stock has been a little stalled in the last two weeks because of the wedding party I am now back to full steam ahead on finishing the Jersey stuff. Brian has completed a crucial step with the BG collection and I am hoping to get through all of those books once both Brian and I can work on them together. After that, of course, we will be negotiating with the owner of the comics on a deal and then we can start putting the stuff out for sale. I know some of you have been tantalized by the amount of good keys and interesting books in the collection and hopefully we will be ready to start selling them before the end of the year.

 

That’s it for me this week! I am almost caught up with everything I fell behind on while preparing for the party and I do believe I can get the work done today. Hill and I are now concentrating on getting some basic home updates done and I am planning on spending more time in the store, so I hope to see you over the next couple of weeks. I hope everyone enjoys this mild weather we are experiencing!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, my second big week is finally here! A new comic storyline? More mutant mayhem? The third episode of Ahsoka (yes, but not what I’m talking about)? More big key Bronze age comics coming in the door? NO! We are three days away from my first wedding anniversary with Hillman Crawford and two days away from our exciting big reception party celebrating it with a very special rededication ceremony! It has certainly been a year for me with our marriage, my move out to the country to live at Hill’s place, two of the biggest collections it has ever been my privilege to sort through, our honeymoon vacation in the Bahamas where I finally got to swim with the pigs, and many more events both big and small. The excitement has begun to ramp up this week mostly because I was feeling kinda anxious about it, but then we paid off the catering bill and I sorta settled down a bit. It looks like cooler and clearer weather for the big day and I can’t wait to have our “first dance” at the party. Also let me just say that I LOVE being married to tis guy. He is truly the best!

 

Please remember that because of the big event Monarch Comics will be closed on Saturday, 9/9. I will be off for the whole weekend, especially if I can get all my paperwork done today. Brian will be here normal ours on Friday and Sunday and everything will be back to normal next week!

 

So a weird thing happened at the store on Tuesday afternoon. I was in a pretty good head space because the party had all been paid off and my involvement had shrunk to appearing when and where I’m told AND our weekly UPS shipment from Diamond had shown up a couple of hours early. I was getting ready to start unpacking everything when the postman stopped by with a bill and a small package. He told me that the package was supposedly sent out by the store and was being returned by the US Customs for some sort of problem. Now, understand, I knew I hadn’t sent anything out of the country in years so I was very curious what the ding dong this was going on here. I looked at the package and it claimed to have “4 mini action figures” in it. Although my name was nowhere on it, the store’s name was printed in the “from” section and there was a phone number that was neither mine nor the store’s. After a bit of a struggle I got the package open and guess what? It was decidedly NOT an action figure and was instead some sort of marijuana product. I couldn’t tell exactly what because it was all vacuum sealed and I once I realized what was going on I didn’t want my finger prints on anymore of it…lol. I chased down the postman and asked him what I was supposed to do and he told me to just call the post office and report it. Well, I did it and two days later I finally got the problem sorted through and ended up just having to deliver the now opened package to the local post office. If this ever happens to you then just go to the post office and don’t bother with the phone calls. It will take more time and it will all end up in the same place. Now here’s hoping that the FBI doesn’t show up and throw me on the ground before putting a black bag over my head and disappearing me, especially when I’ve got a big and expensive party to throw on Saturday.

 

We are now at the second month in a row that Image has not had a catalog presence outside of a checklist in Diamond Previews. I have no idea if the Image catalog will return or not or if Image will start printing it’s own catalog a la D.C. and Marvel, but you can still find online information at previewsworld.com. Also, if you have any questions then Brian and I should be able to help at the counter. Well, as long as I haven’t bogarted the computer and taken it home with me…lol.

 

I haven’t changed the signs in the store yet, but I have decided to extend the Dollar Box 2 for a Dollar sale through the end of September. We still have tons and tons of Dollar Books stacking up and I need the load to be a little bit lighter as I head into the home stretch sorting through the Jersey collection. I do believe I have another 25 boxes of comics to sort through and I suspect a lot of them may end up in the Dollar Boxes…we shall see!

 

Okily dokily…time tog et to work and get all of this weekly crap done so that I can comfortably take tomorrow off. I hope that everyone has a great weekend and I hope to see y’all soon!

 

Eddie