Author: monarchcomics@sbcglobal.net

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, here I am…sitting down to pen the last EDitorial for my first year of blessed ownership. I am actually so busy this week between “end of the year” stuff, restocking after the holidays, and a dealing with a short week that I was just gonna post all of the sub form/shipping list stuff without comment, but I thought I had better at least take the time to jot down a few comments.

 

First off, I really want to thank YOU, my loyal customer base, for justifying my decision to take over the business. I know I’ve said it before, both here and in person, but you folks are truly great! You’ve stuck by me through the whole year despite screw ups on my part, the sometimes crushing realities of operating a small business in the middle of a pandemic, and the various difficulties in an evolving comic business. This has been one of the best, of not THE best, years in Monarch Comics long and storied history and all of it has to do with you and your continuing patronage. Here’s hoping that Year Two goes even more smoothly and that I can humbly continue to service the Toledo comic book community in the style you have grown accustomed to!

 

Next I would like to take a moment and give heartfelt thanks to both of my employees over the first 12 months. Jake Teelander, my guinea pig employee, you were amazing and helpful and reliable and even when your innate sassiness threatened to drive me to distraction you were never less than fabulous. Thank you for coming on for three months and for the great job you did helping me to be the boss that I wanted to be. Your advice has been invaluable and you still continue to be one of my favorite people.

 

And Brian McMillin, employee #2, I give you the distinction of being the very best decision that I have made since taking over the shop. I had no real idea what to expect when I hired outside of a few vague ideas of stuff I wanted to train you to take care of and you have exploded all of my expectations right from the start. The speed in which you have managed to pick up the nuances of the business has been impressive and the range of skills that you have brought to the position have been nothing less than uncanny. Your calm demeanor has been incredibly useful especially on days when my head is ready to explode over minor or major problems which tend to mosey along on a daily basis. Honestly, I am rapidly approaching the threshold where I can’t imagine how I would run this joint without you. You have been a magnificent addition to the store and for that you should take a bow. Here’s hoping that Year Two can be just as fruitful for both of us!

 

I also need to thank the most important person in my life, Hillman Crawford, for going above and beyond the call of duty as both “The Boyfriend” as well as an unofficial Monarch employee. Hillman, you’ve meant so much to me and done so much for me over the nearly three years that we have been a couple that it would take several pages to write it all out. You were there helping me hold it all together not only through this crazy pandemic, but the whole time I have been trying to whip the store into shape and bring about my personal vision of what I wanted my comic shop to look like. This year has sometimes been a rough one, but you were always there with strong advice and a good shoulder to cry on. I honestly don’t think I could have done all of this without you or, at the least, it wouldn’t have turned out as well. I love you, Dragon Boy, and I look forward to having you by my side as I continue to try and make Monarch Comics the best comic book store it can be.

 

That’s it for me this week, Folks, and that’s it for the year. Monarch Comics will only be open 11-5 on New Year’s Eve and closed on New Year’s Day, but after that our hours will be returning to normal. Don’t forget the Post-Holiday Sale is already in progress and will continue until the end of February. I would like to wish everyone a safe and fun New Year’s celebration and I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you in 2022!

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, only 2 more days until Christmas and at this point just keeping my head down in order to power through it. Business has been great this year and it has been a real pleasure seeing everyone coming through the store before the holiday comes and goes. I figure I had better once again make a note of our holiday hours here just to make sure that everyone sees it!

 

MONARCH COMICS HOLIDAY HOURS

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24^TH, CHRISTMAS EVE: 11AM-5PM

 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25^TH, CHRISTMAS DAY: CLOSED

 

SUNDAY, DECEMEBR 26^TH: 12PM-5:30PM

 

FRIDAY, DECEMEBER 31^ST, NEW YEAR’S EVE: 11PM-5PM

 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1^ST, NEW YEAR’S DAY: CLOSED

 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2^ND: 12PM-5:30PM

 

I also want to mention that I have decided to start Monarch Comics’ Annual Post-Holiday Sale on December 26^th rather than wait for January 2^nd. So starting December 26^th and running until February 28^th the following items will be on sale:

 

MONARCH COMICS ANNUAL POST-HOLIDAY SALE

 

25% OFF ALL TRADE PAPERBACKS/HARD COVERS (This includes already marked down items as well as any special orders placed and received before the end of the sale!)

 

25% OFF SHOWCASE COMICS (This pertains to the back issues displayed in the showcases at the front counter.)

 

50% OFF BACK ISSUE BOXES (This includes the titles on display in the back issue boxes at the back of the store.)

 

$2 OFF ALL FUNKO POP VINYL FIGURES!

 

I have already posted about it elsewhere, but just to reiterate, I have had to start raising the prices on comic book supply items because of increases in costs for the items themselves as well as increased shipping charges. There may be other increases coming in the coming month as I am expecting a huge shipment of supplies from one of my distributors. The following comic supplies are now marked up in cost:

 

MODERN/CURRENT BOARDS: $13.00/100

 

SILVER AGE BOARDS: $13.00/100

 

SMALL COMIC BOXES: $7.99 EACH

 

LONG COMIC BOXES: $8.99 EACH

 

And finally, for those of you who haven’t gotten the message yet, you simply MUST go see the new Spider-Man movie at the theaters! It is one of the best comic book movies I have ever seen and it is certainly the best one that has come out since Avengers Endgame. Seriously, this movie made me feel like a kid again watching my first comic book movie. It is truly terrific and, if you haven’t hear yet, make sure you stay seated ALL the way to the end of the credits for the post-credit scenes!

 

Brian and I would like to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a happy and safe holiday this year as well as thank you for making this one of the most successful years in Monarch Comics history! We are both looking forward to making next year even better for everyone!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

My, is it a grey and rainy day out there today, or what? I keep surprising myself when I realize that next weekend is actually Christmas! I mean, I’ve never been a big holiday person anyway. Frankly, I have simply worked retail for too long for it to be anything another holiday that I have to build my schedule around din order to help others have a better experience. And this Covid crap has made certain other things more difficult. I mean, I used to LOVE making huge batches of Christmas cookies and putting them out on the counter for everyone to sample and enjoy. In the current reality, I’m afraid I can’t really do that anymore, but I have decided to make a couple of batches of holiday favorites and bag them up to hand out this year. I have no idea how many I will actually get done before next Wednesday, but Hill and I are going to give it the ol’ college try and see what we can knock out this weekend. I’ve already prepared some of my iced pumpkin cookies dough and I am going to throw together some gingerbread and sugar cookie dough tonight. I’ll probably throw in some shortbread tomorrow afternoon and we will try to get everything frosted up on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, our trip out to see the new Spider-Man movie has to be worked into he schedule as well! In any case, there will be at least an attempt to instill some holiday cheer into the store next week…😊

 

I made a post on Facebook the other day, but I think it bears mentioning again the holiday hours for Monarch Comics! They are as follows…

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24^TH, CHRISTMAS EVE: 11AM-5PM

 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25^TH, CHRISTMAS DAY: CLOSED

 

SUNDAY, DECEMEBER 26^TH: 12PM-5:30PM

 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31^ST, NEW YEAR’S EVE: 11AM-5PM

 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1^ST, NEW YEAR’S DAY: CLOSED

 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2^ND: 12PM-5:30PM

 

I have also decided after discussing it with aide de camp, Brian, and giving it a good hard think that I will be moving up the start date for Monarch Comics Annual Post-Holiday Sale. Traditionally, it would always start on January 2^nd, but I have decided to just go ahead and begin the festivities on Sunday, December 26^th! I mean, that week between Christmas and New Years is traditionally a pretty small ship week so I want to give everyone a reason o stop by the store…lol. They sale will be as follows:

 

25% HARD COVERS/TRADE PAPERBACKS (INCLUDING ALREADY MARKED DOWN ITEMS AS WELL AS SPECIAL ORDERED TITLES!)

 

25% OFF SHOWCASE COMICS (THESE ARE THE COMICS DISPLAYED IN THE SHOWCASES AT THE COUNTER)

 

50% OFF BACK ISSUE BOXES (THESE ARE THE BACK ISSUE BOXES IN THE REAR OF THE STORE)

 

$2 OFF POP VINYL FIGURES

 

This sale will continue between December 26^th to February 28^th!

 

I also want to mention that obviously I am aware of how short our stock of comic book supplies are right now. All I can say is that there are orders in motion that should stock us up pretty well on some items for the next several months. I should, for instance, have 200 small comic boxes, 10,000 modern/current board, 5,000 silver age boards, and a few other things as well. I can’t give you specific dates, but hopefully all of this restock will be in by January 1^st!

 

Okily dokily…I was gonna go on a bit more about stuff and things, but my sainted UPS driver just came by and dropped off some more boxes for me and I should get them unpacked. Of course, there will be one more EDitorial before Christmas but I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, I’m still adjusting to the new status quo in regards to, well, everything that has to do with our current distribution situation. I thought I finally had a good system in place, but I am still working out the kinks. As a result, there have been instances of things getting left off the subscription form by accident or because I didn’t have access to all of the files I needed to make it perfect. I’ve also run into a couple of instances where I have missed ordering things at FOC…for instance, this week’s Daredevil #36. (Luckily, PRH apparently had plenty in stock and I have copies coming. If you ordered it I should have it in by next week.) So please have a little patience with me as I work through this crazy time.

 

I would also like to mention that the comic book supply situation is getting a little more desperate. I’ve been working my patootie off trying to locate a variety of supplies that we are out of or close to being out of and it is getting more and more difficult. I do have a supply of backing boards and long comic boxes due in next week, but I am either out of or running very low on bags and short comic boxes. I apologize prodigiously and want to assure you that I am constantly on the prowl for supplies and will restock them as soon as they become available. Hopefully, the 10,000 boards I have coming will fill the supply void for a minute!

 

Okily dokily…I’m outta here. I still have literally millions of thing to get done today and the day is already half over. Just a quick warning, I will be out of the shop this weekend and Brian will be filling in for his first Sunday. Hill and I have a very fancy dress party to attend on Sunday so I will be incommunicado for most of the weekend. Leave me a message on Facebook Messenger or with Brian and I will get back to you ASAP.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving! I’m sorry the shipping list/sub form took a bit longer to get prepared this week, but with the holiday and all I was scrambling just to get it done. Big thanks to Diamond for extending the initial order deadline 48 hours for those of us that are still trying to catch up!

 

Monarch Comics will be having a Black Friday sale all day today featuring 25% off all hard cover/trade paperbacks, 25% off showcase books, 50% off our back issue boxes, and $2 off all of the POP vinyl figures! Check out the newly christened “Previously owned/Marked Down” rack for more book deals and remember that the 25% applies to marked down prices as well! Also, the shelves are now full to bursting with an array of new HC/TP stock that I have laboriously dug out of deep storage since it has been getting increasingly difficult to get backlist stuff back in stock. So come on by today to do some local Christmas shopping or to pick up a little something-something for yourself! Brian and I will be here all day to help with your holiday shopping!

 

Have a great weekend and I’ll talks at ya all next week!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Am I the only one who finds it almost impossible to believe that Thanksgiving is next week? I mean, time just seems to be flying by at hyperspeed! This year has been an eventful one between the pandemic, all of the changes being wrought within the industry, and, of course, dealing with the store as an owner versus the “Head Cook and Bottle Washer”. I am excited at the prospect of handling my first holiday season as the erstwhile owner and I am filled with trepidation over dealing with my first end of year tax season, but if it was easy then anyone could do it.

 

I’d like to take the time to announce that Monarch Comics will continue its annual Black Friday Sale tradition this year! On Friday, November 26^th, we will be featuring a preview of our post-holiday sale that runs in January and February with a while host of items on sale for your holiday gift needs! The sale will encompass the following items:

 

25% OFF HARD COVERS/TRADE PAPERBACKS (INCLUDING ALREADY MARKED DOWN SALE ITEMS!)

 

25% OFF SHOWCASE COMICS (THESE ARE THE BACK ISSUES CURRENTLY DISPLAYED IN THE SHOWCASES AT THE COUNTER)

 

50% OFF BACK ISSUE BOXES

 

$2 OFF POP VINYL FIGURES

 

As mentioned above, the trades and hardcover sale deal will encompass items already marked down and if we don’t have the book you’re looking for in stock we will extend the 25% off discount for any title that we can order in for you. We will be open regular Friday store hours (11am-7pm) and Brian and I will both be on hand to help with your shopping needs. Whether you are looking for that one special comic related holiday item or just want to splurge a little on yourself while out and about, Monarch Comics is here to give you a little cheer and big savings!

 

So, I actually got the new Shipping List and Subscription Form finished pretty quickly this week despite Diamond’s system still not being quite back up to speed. I spent a couple of hours on Monday night figuring out some work arounds on my current system and I think I did a pretty good job. The only hitch? I still don’t have a completely reliable list of Marvel Comics that are DEFINITELY coming out next week because I still don’t get my official PRH invoice released before Friday afternoon. So I wanted to give you a little warning that there maybe items offered as being on sale next week that might actually be rescheduled. I figure that after I receive my Marvel invoice tomorrow that I will take a moment to edit anything out of either list that isn’t actually shipping. I apologize in advance for any confusion that this causes and also reassure you that if an item ends up disappearing from the form that it will be included again once it ships.

 

Another apology goes out to those of you who are awaiting any special orders that have been placed in the last two weeks. As I mentioned above, Diamond is still trying to put the pieces back together after the devastating ransomware attack that they were hit with and one of the continuing casualties is their reorder processing and shipping system. I have not received any reorders from Diamond since the attack despite putting in my regular orders like clockwork. After e-mailing Diamond to ascertain whether these missing reorders were still going to be filled, Diamond released information suggesting that their reorder system is now scheduled to be back in motion as of Monday, November 22^nd. Of course, they initially told us it would be up and running by last Saturday, but clearly the problem is more insidious than they realized and more time was needed to get things running properly. I have been assured that all of the orders that I have already placed are still good and that I should be receiving them once they get the problems sorted out. If you have any questions about an item you’ve ordered please don’t hesitate to contact me about it.

 

I also probably note that I will be out of the office on Friday and Saturday this week and won’t be in until later in the day on Sunday. Hillman is whisking me off for an excursion to the Indianapolis this weekend. I think I have it worked out so it shouldn’t affect anything behind the scenes and Brian will be here to fill in for me the whole time I’m gone. This should be good practice for him…I mean, at being me…lol. I will probably be incommunicado while out of town, so if you have any issues that you need me to deal with then I should be back in the store by 2pm on Sunday.

 

That’s it for me this week! I hope everyone has a great weekend and let’s all collectively hope that the threat of a snowstorm next week is just a long running gag! I should also mention that I will do my best to get the shipping list and subscription form ready to go at the usual time next week, but it may be delayed by 24 hours due to the holiday!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks1

 

So, you might have noticed that this missive is a little bit late this week.

 

Well, you would be right.

 

Poor Diamond. Last Friday they were hit by some sort of ransomware attack. Their website went down on Friday morning and, honestly, I didn’t think very much of it. It isn’t an altogether strange occurrence for the site to go down. This time, however, we got a weird error message that I had never seen before now. Frankly I shrugged it off and just kept doing my normal Friday stuff so that I could get out of the office.

 

Diamond didn’t get up and running on Friday. In fact, they put out a message saying that they were sending everyone home because of technical difficulties. Although there was plenty of online speculation, it wasn’t until Saturday that it was confirmed as a ransomware attack. It apparently hit all areas of operation from ordering to shipping to all manner of online files. Diamond managed to get at least part of the website up and running, but a good portion of their system is still not right. They have set up a third-party e-mail service to communicate with retailers as their e-mail system was compromised. We have been told that the problem is being dealt with and that the police have been notified. There doesn’t seem to be a real solid estimation of when the crisis will be successfully fixed although weeks seems to be a possibility. I can only imagine the panic that must have spread through Steve Geppi’s organization as Alliance Distribution (a game distributor) and Gerber (a comic supplies manufacturer) were also affected.

 

So how does this effect Monarch and, by extension, you? Well, I can assure you that the supply of D.C. and Marvel Comics is unimpeded. I’ve never been so glad that I have three different distributors for my main product line. That just leaves everything else. Diamond has sent assurances that next week’s books are being picked and packed as we speak, but without a clear idea of how their operations have been effected in regards to the shipping process we don’t know if arrival dates will be similarly hurt. Our shipment came in as usual this week, but I know other parts of the country had a more difficult time of it.  

I can tell you that reorders have been put on hold until at least Saturday. I usually put in a big reorder every Sunday afternoon for a Wednesday delivery. This reorder includes all of the special orders I take through the Subscription Form as well as restocking of things like trade paperbacks and supplies. I did put in a reorder on Sunday and I did receive an order confirmation number. Unfortunately it hasn’t been processed yet so those orders likely won’t reach the store until Wednesday or Thursday next week.

 

That’s another unfortunate side effect of this little technical drama. Diamond’s UPS tracking number system is also down. This means that I have no way of knowing if there are packages coming or when to expect them. I had a few tense moments waiting for the shipment to show up.

 

Which brings us neatly to the Shipping List and Subscription Form. There is a two-stage process to constructing both lists and one important resource that I rely on is data files listing all of the new releases. The other important resource is my invoice. The data files are available on Monday and are then update don Wednesday to include everything coming out as opposed to just the main publishers. My invoice is available on Wednesday morning and is usually the first thing I look at once I get in the door. Because of the attack all of the data files that I normally rely on are completely gone. The page where I could access them no longer exists. My invoice for next week did not appear until early this morning. This explains why I couldn’t get started on the shipping list process until this morning. Since I don’t have access to a complete list of titles coming out both the ship list and sub form are somewhat hobbled.

 

So if you know of a small press title that is coming out this week and it isn’t on the sub form then please don’t hesitate to contact the store. I will check on the item and order it in for you if it still available. I am still exploring some possible work arounds for this problem if this situation continues for longer than this week or the next. In the meantime, check out the ship list/sub form and let me know if there are any problems with it…lol.

 

Special thanks to everyone who stopped by the store today and distracted me from this morass. Sometimes one tends to get too deep into the nuts and bolts and it is just nice to stand there at the counter and talk about, you know, comics as opposed to the delivery mechanism. I’m signing off for now as I want nothing more than to sink into bed and get some serious shut eye before returning to the fray tomorrow.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

It seems impossible to me that it is already November and that I have been a small business owner for almost a year now. Honestly, the time just flew through my first year and now I’m facing my first holiday season. Between distributor adjustments and paper shortages and worries about book deliveries over the holidays and the constant scheduling adjustments to new releases and the exquisite discomfort of dealing with the end of year tax stuff, I must admit to feeling a bit dizzy. But I keep saying that “This too shall pass” and keep moving forward to see what the next day will bring in terms of knowledge and adventure!

 

So it turns out that I made a couple of small (HA!) ordering mistakes when I first started doing FOC with PRH and those particular chickens are coming home to roost. Understand that these ordering errors were entirely my fault due to my misunderstanding of how the new ordering system worked and the crucial mistake of not keeping closer track of the books I’d already ordered. I think the first FOC for PRH was back in late July while I was preparing for FCBD and for the first few weeks it only included some trade paperbacks and hard covers. Well, at this point I didn’t realize that there was no mechanism on PRH’s website to let me know if I had already FOC’ed a title and I ended up duplicating orders by accident once…or twice…lol. So I have a pile of a couple of trades that I screwed up on. Thank goodness I more or less have not only figured out the system, but have instituted a new spreadsheet to keep track of my PRH orders. After I weather this particular storm then everything should be good to go.

 

These extra copies have, however, galvanized me to create another holiday themed sale rack based on the upcoming holiday shopping. With Brian’s assistance, I have created a new “Holiday Sale” rack of trade paperbacks and hard covers. All of the books on this rack will be offered at 25% off cover price until December 24^th. It was kind of a challenge as Brian and I tried to pick out classic comic book story arcs as well as volume ones of different genre books that we judged would be nice holiday gifts. Of course, I also included all of the aforementioned Marvel titles that I duplicated orders on. The biggest problem was choosing items that would be easy to replace once they sold out. Of course, in the current climate, it is impossible to guess what books will still be available as the holiday shopping kicks into high gear and, as the various books begin to disappear from the rack, other titles will replace them if I can’t get more copies of the sold out item, Please take a look at the rack during the holidays and see if a potential gift (or even just something you’ve wanted to check out yourself!) has taken its possession for sale.

 

I should also mention at this point that Monarch Comics will be hosting our own Black Friday sale on November 26^th. We will be open our regular hours although I may stay a bit later if the crowds warrant it. In any case, the sale will be, as per usual, a one day jump to our post-holiday sale and we will be offering 25% off ALL hard covers/trade paperbacks, 50% off our back issue boxes, 25% off any books in the showcases, and $2 off our POP vinyl figures. This the current plan, although I might end up adding a couple of things for sale as we get closer to the sale date. Of course, also as per usual, Monarch Comics will be closed on Thanksgiving.

 

Marvel Comics released an “updated” list of new dates for upcoming comic releases that I posted to our Facebook page last weekend. I should stress that these dates are not set in stone and that they may be revised at any point in the near or distant future. In any case, I figured I’d repost it here in case any of you missed it. I suppose I should print it out so that Brian and I have better access to it for any questions folks might have. Here it is:

 

Alien #8 (November 10, was November 3)

Alien #9 (February 2, was January 5)

Amazing Spider-Man #78.BEY (November 17, was November 10)

Amazing Spider-Man #78 (November 10, was November 3)

Amazing Spider-Man #80 (December 1, was November 24)

Fantastic Four #38 (December 1, was November 17)

Avengers: Tech-On #4 (November 10, was November 3)

Avengers: Tech-On #6 (February 2, was January 5)

Avengers #50 (December 1, was November 24)

Black Panther #1 (November 24, was November 17)

Black Panther Legends #2 (November 17, was November 10)

Black Panther Legends #3 (February 2, was January 5)

Captain America/Iron Man #2 (December 22, was December 1)

Captain Marvel #34 (December 1, was November 17)

Daredevil #36 (December 1, was November 17)

Darkhawk #4 (December 1, was November 24)

Deadpool; Black, White, & Blood #4 (November 10, was November 3)

Death of Doctor Strange: Spider-Man #1 (December 1, was November 17)

Death of Doctor Strange: White Fox #1 (December 1, was November 24)

Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1 (November 24, was November 17)

Death of Doctor Strange #3 (November 24, was November 17)

Eternals #7 (November 10, was November 3)

Excalibur #25 (November 10, was November 3)

Fantastic Four: Life Story #5 (December 8, was November 24)

Star Wars: Life Day #1 (November 24, was November 17)

Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha #1 (February 2, was January 5)

Fantastic Four #40 (February 16, was January 19)

Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute #1 (November 17, was November 10)

Hellions #17 (November 10, was November 3)

Hellions #18 (December 8, was December 1)

Hulk #1 (November 24, was November 10)

Hulk #2 (December 15, was December 1)

Iron Man #14 (November 24, was November 17)

Kang the Conqueror #4 (November 17, was November 10)

Ka-zar: Lord of the Savage Land #3 (November 17, was November 10

Ka-zar: Lord of the Savage Land #5 (February 2, was January 5)

Maestro: World War M #1 (February 9, was January 5)

Marauders #26 (December 1, was November 24)

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #32 (November 10, was November 3)

Miles Morales: SPider-Man #33 (December 8, was December 1)

Moon Knight #5 (November 17, was November 10)

New Mutants #23 (December 1, was November 17)

New Mutants #24 (January 10, was November 15)

New Mutants #25 (March 9, was January 12)

Phoenix Song: Echo #2 (December 1, was November 24)

Sabretooth #1 (February 2, was January 5)

Savage Avengers #26 (November 10, was November 3)

Shang-Chi #6 (November 17, was November 10)

Spider-Woman #17 (November 17, was November 10)

Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #18 (December 1, was November 24)

Star Wars: Crimson Reign #2 (February 2, was January 10)

Star Wars: Darth Vader #18 (December 1, was November 17)

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #16 (November 17, was November 10)

Star Wars: The High Republic #11 (November 10, was November 3)

Star Wars #21 (February 16, was February 2)

Strange Academy #13 (November 10, was November 3)

SWORD #17 (November 17, was November 10)

Symbiote Spider-Man: Crossroads #5 (November 24, was November 17)

The Dark Ages #3 (November 17, was November 10)

The Darkhold: Black Bolt #1 (December 1, was November 24)

The Darkhold: Wasp #1 (November 17, was November 10)

The Thing #1 (November 10, was November 3)

Thor #19 (November 24, was November 17)

Venom #1 (November 10, was November 3)

Venom #2 (December 1, was November 24)

Warhammer 40,000: Sisters of Battle #4 (December 1, was November 17)

Wastelanders: Black Widow #1 (December 29, was December 15)

Wastelanders: Doom #1 (January 5, was December 29)

Wastelanders: Star-Lord #1 (December 29, was December 22)

Winter Guard #4 (December 1, was November 17)

Wolverine #18 (November 24, was November 17)

Wolverine #19 (December 15, was December 1)

X-Force #25 (November 17, was November 10)

X-Men: Trial of Magneto #4 (December 1, was November 17)

X-Men #5 (November 24, was November 17)

Atlantis Attacks: The Original Epic TPB (December 28, was December 21)

Avengers Tech-On TPB (April 5, was March 15)

Genis-Vell: Marvel Tales #1 (November 17, was November 10)

Ka-zar: Lord of the Savage Land TPB (April 5, was March

New Mutants by Vita Ayala Volume 2 (April 12, was February

Avengers #50 poster (November 10, was November 3)

Captain America/Iron Man #1 poster (November 10, was November 3)

Giant-Size Black Cat: Infinity Score #1 poster (November 10, was November 3)

Hulk #1 poster (November 10, was November 3

 

Okily dokily…I suppose I should get all of this stuff posted and get to work on this week’s PRH FOC. Oh! I wanted to cover one more item this week. I’m afraid I have a number of folks who ordered stuff either in person or via the subscription form who haven’t picked up their books in over two months or have items on hold who haven’t picked them up or out in any new orders in weeks. I’m afraid that it is the time of year that I have to start cleaning out my sub boxes and putting these items back out for sale. Understand that I have to pay taxes on any items still in the store as of the end of the year and I honestly can’t afford to hold on to them, especially if I can’t be sure the recipient is actually going to pick up the items. Please remember, My Beloved Customers, that if you can’t pick up whatever you’ve ordered please let us know so that we can put the stock back out for sale and please try to make it into the store at least once every four weeks to pick up what we have for you. Brian and I would really appreciate it.

Have a great week and I hope to see you in the store soon!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

I can tell you already that it’s going to be a weird November for the comic book industry. Why “weird”? Because as many of you have already noticed the comic publishers have thrown their shipping schedules out the window. Franky, I wouldn’t even be mentioning this particular development but I have been hearing comments about it all week so I think it is necessary to at least give what explanation I can for why the release schedules are getting so twisted. From what I’ve been lead to understand because of the paper shortage, worker shortage, and shipping problems, printers have been forced to rearrange and reschedule publisher’s print orders. Apparently, it is just that simple. That’s why we are seeing things like Image splitting up the release date for their variety of variant covers (as well as their announcement regarding no more multiple printings and generally smaller print runs) and Marvel releasing a glut of books one week and precious few the next. Like I said, the comic industry is getting weird.

 

Next week is no exception. According to my shaky calculations there are only 8 Marvel periodical titles shipping in. My calculations are a little shaky because originally there were around twice as many copies originally scheduled to ship. Because of the way PRH invoices us for shipments I won’t have “official” confirmation of what to expect until Friday afternoon. Obviously the creates a small problem as I ideally need tog et next week’s shipping list/subscription form ready to go by Thursday afternoon. This difficulty is partially alleviated by the fact that Diamond is still carrying Marvel product as a sub-distributor and so I still have access to official lists, but I really won’t know for sure what items are coming from PRH until they finally send out their invoices. The fact that Diamond, Lunar, and PRH all have different website formats just adds a level of trickiness to the whole affair.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that I am doing my best to get ahead of all of this wackiness and make sure that you don’t miss any of this comic goodness that is coming out right now. I’ve been experimenting with different ways behind the scenes to keep better track of things coming and going and I am sure that the process will get smoother with time as well as by efforts from our beloved distributors to streamline things. Hopefully, the current printing crisis getting resolved will also make things easier. I’d also like to request a little patience as Brian and I work through these industry changes in the coming months. There will probably be mistakes along the way, for instance an item may appear on the sub form that isn’t actually coming out yet, but I assure you that I am doing my best to take care of those problems before they even manifest.

 

Monarch Comics has got a couple of events coming up this weekend. On Saturday, author and comic book historian Jim Beard will be doing a book signing in the store to promote his books on the classic Batman TV show. He’ll be here in the store between 12pm-4pm and will have copies of his books available for purchase. Monarch will also be participating in the Bikes and Boos trunk or treat event in the parking lot here at the Colonial Village Shopping Center. There will be plenty of candy available for the kids as well as a display of free comics outside the store. This event will be going on between 2pm-5pm.

 

Well, that’s it for me this week! I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween weekend and I look forward to seeing you in the store soon…😊

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

Well, it looks like the Fall season is here with cold, grey, rainy days and the like. I don’t mind it really although I do wish I had a whole week or two to have the door open before switching from air conditioning to the furnace. Not much new to report this week as the new Previews doesn’t come out until next Wednesday. Also, it is my “busy week”…as if there is any other kind…and I have to put the pedal to the metal in order to finish entering Diamond’s initial orders as well as catching up on Penguin’s weekly FOC orders. Working on stocking up on supplies again and hoping against hope that some the more popular supply items (such as Ultra Pro Current Comic Bags) come back into stock before the end of the year.

Just a quick mention of the paper shortage and the effects it brings to the comic industry. This problem has been reported for the last several months online and the real effects of it are just starting to visibly affect the entire industry. There are many titles from D.C. and Marvel (as well as other publishers) that have rather mutable schedules so please be aware that if you don’t see your favorite title for a while that this is most likely the problem with it’s release. Also, Image Comics will apparently be spreading out the release of titles that have several different covers over a period of two or three weeks. For instance, retailers were allocated copies of this Week’s Gunslinger Spawn #1 and King Spawn #3 only saw the release of covers A & B with covers C & D getting released next week. Please make sure to ask either Brian or myself if you have any questions about the shipping of an books that you haven’t seen on the racks for a while. We are here to be your primary source of information during this challenging period.

Okily dokily, I’m gonna post all of this information online and get to work collating and entering my initial Diamond orders. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you in the store!

 

Eddie