The Heroes ( The Creators and The LCS )

We all have them, a personal hero, maybe a favorite athlete, a teacher who inspired you, maybe it's your mom-maybe it's your dad. Maybe, those aren't the heroes I'm talking about. O_o .... COMIC BOOK HEROES!

No, not the superheroes-- the Creators and the LCS!

That's who gets this blog post...The Creators and The Comic Shop Owners!

I've had the pleasure of reading some really great stuff the past couple weeks. -Smiles- Comics, I love em and I know you do too! We cannot live without them. They have been there for some of us since we were children. Through every cruel girlfriend or boyfriend, through all the criticisms, the highs,and the lows. Come to think of it, pretty much through just about everything our comics have been there when we needed them.

Sometimes we put them away for years or sometimes months...only to find them there waiting for us when we return. Glossy cover...detailed pages.... all ready to catch us and swoop us away to wherever the hell we want to go. A comic is a very magical and sacred object to us. Yeah, to some they might just be jumbled of words and pictures, but we know comics are so much more!

 I don't thank DC and or Marvel for these things...I don't thank them for providing me with hours of comic enjoyment...I thank the creators and the shop owners. The shop owners who till the soil and lay down strong roots in neighborhoods... Cultivating the fans which in this case are the water that feeds the tree. A tree that will eventually produce a hefty bounty of sweet comic produce <---That's the Creators. The LCS and Creators of comics deserve the royal treatment from us fans. They are the real heroes of our world. They are the superstars! In my eyes, when I get a RT from my favorite creator it might have well been from Tom Brady. Except Brahm Revel's RT is worth a shit load more tome than a RT from Tom Brady. I love football, but I love comics way more. This is how it should be. We should embrace our heroes and spread their good name so we can see more of what they can do.

But we need to be real with ourselves..we cant have it all for nothing. We cant promote our favorites and support Creator Owned books and expect to pay nearly nothing for them. Unfortunately money rules the world and it can dictate or control the people involved. We are all just trying to survive. And it's the LCS and The Creators that risk the most and unfortunately... the payoff isn't always there for them.

How much risk is there involved when a man or woman decides to stand up and say,"You know what...I'm going to pursue my dream because this is all I want to do." ? Answer= A ton! I bet such a decision comes with a ton of scrutiny for the would be creator or the would be shop owner. Example A: " Selling wha??? Comics??? For a living?" or Example B:" Your spending your time making a wha??? A comic book? I thought you grew out of that?" all very sad and mean responses that I bet happen all too often when the Creator or LCS decide to pursue their dream. The skepticism is not only real but it merits a tiny bit of truth. The odds are so heavily stacked against these heroic people... These people who are more than fans... The people who are the roots and fruit of the comic industry. I bet each person that dared to make their dream a reality can admit to receiving some pretty harsh criticisms... even from the closest relatives. It's time us fans acknowledge the risks and take more risks ourselves by buying more creator owned comics and by investing in the growth of this section of the comic industry.

Perspective! No one creates comics or opens up a comic shop to be super rich. Sure, some people may have that particular motive, and sure to some it can be the sole reason to embark on such an endeavor , but I can guarantee those few have already closed there doors or decided to give up. The Creators and or shop owners that do it out of love will always tell you it was never really about the money. . Just another reason why they are heroes! I can only hope that my children will have something that can inspire the same sort of courage and passion that these men and women possess.

I'm sure the ups and down are epic for the creator and Shop Owner...And yet they persevere...Just like our favorite super heroes on the pages of our beloved comics!


The Creators and Licensed Comic Shops are like our parents in this comic universe. We reap the benefits of all their sacrifice and hard work. Very rarely will these creators be recognized for the amount of talent that they pour into panel after panel...and better yet, never will the brick and mortar shop get the credit that it deserves as the rock of the industry. Oh how I dream of a world where shops begin to pop up left and right, all across the United States

It's time the fans get together and brainstorm ways to help the comic industry grow. Maybe somehow we can alleviate some of the burden and or risks associated with opening a comic shop or creating a comic.

Brainstorming and feedback are the tools to success!

So to close this I want to be the first one to share an idea. Proof that it doesn't matter how ridiculous or improbable the idea may be, all that matters is that we have our eyes open for new ways to help nourish the comic tree. Not just because times are tough...but because of principle! We love comics and the people who sacrifice so mush to bring them to us and create them for us should be taken care of by us. I'd like to see the money go directly to these heroes,opposed to just giving my money to the "Boss" who bathes in money.

So here is my idea and pitch

 Imagine if the payoff was there at the end of selling your own creator owned book while promoting the LCS.. Imagine an extra incentive to make a book that would not only provide a cash prize but a year long promotion of your name and work.

The creators need to have their names put out there so that recognition may come to it. They are fighting Goliath in that respect. So it led me to thinking some more..( don't worry I'll stop thinking soon before I hurt myself..) How do we bring in new and old blood alike into an LCS while promoting Creators?

I'm not naive enough to think that this question hasn't been asked or that my tiny brain could come up with the answer, I just know it's a huge question that needs answering. It needs ideas... So without further delay here is my idea for that very question.

Again these are just open thoughts

Yearly Comic Cup

• Every Comic fan pays a one time fee for the right to vote in this tournament.
• Any single creator or team of creators can compose a series
• Creators enter for free but give the LCS a deal on the books
• I think it'd be fair to charge a bit more for these books
• The fan then goes to the LCS buys the book and takes home a rating card that is dropped back off at their local LCS before a deadline
• This goes on for some time
• There is a preliminary tally to set up a tournament tree
• Then the last couple books in each series all released on the same day to face off, single elimination style
• Eventually it's the last two books..the winner gets a trophy, even more name recognition and a monetary prize

I completely understand that this may be unreasonable and a severely flawed idea..I don't care. It's just an idea. I think if something like this could be accomplished the industry would grow and flourish. The competitive nature of humans, the privilege to vote, and the excitement of a yearly tournament drawing down would be exciting. The creators don't have to make the books for the sole purpose of winning the tourney..it's just an extra incentive. Maybe it will keep the pencil in the hand of the creator who's thinking of replacing that pencil with a hammer.

Again just a thought..I love comics and want the world to love them too. So until next time my friends...SMILE!

A Pleasant Review! The Savage Sword of Conan The Barbarian

 Stan Lee presents : The Savage Sword of Conan The Barbarian   December, 1985 No.119 - By Marvel Group. EIC- Jim Shooter, Editor- Larry Hama, Managing Editor-Pat Redding, Ernie Chan - Cover, Danny Crespi- Art Production Coordinator, Barry Shapiro- Design, Soul & Inspiration - Robert E. Howard * 66 total pages B/W *

I'm a big fan of the old comics. I like to collect them and read them while  acknowledging the time in which the comic was born. This one was done in 1985, a year after Conan The Destroyer hit the theaters. This was definitely a massively published and extremely popular magazine at the time. At $1.50 cover price it's important to point out this was just about twice as much as a single comic in those days. But make no mistake, the fact that they don't call this a comic doesn't mean that's it's not a comic. I would describe it as a super comic with a unique format. If you ever come across one, the first thing you'll notice is that it's certainly bigger than a standard sized comic book, but still very much a comic book.

So how about a brief glance into the world of 1985!The historical significance is important to me because I want to know a little about the world people were escaping while reading these books and because it's just plain interesting. To put it the time period into perspective, and with some digging around, I found these really cool facts about 1985. A gallon of gasoline would run you $ 1.09, the average monthly rent was $375.00, and it would cost you $2.75 to see a new movie in the theatres. Sure, it all sounds incredibly easy and cheap now but please keep in mind the median income was around $27,000 a year. Still better than today's economy but still quite challenging. A search of the world news in 85' turned up some interesting stories as well. President Reagan was selling the rights to his autobiography, Aids was scaring the shit out of just about everybody, and the television was being used for one of the first times to bring awareness to the great poverty in the world, particularly in Ethiopia. Now.. here is one last fact to help put the time into perspective, in 1985 windows version 1.0 was released. Yep! The history buff inside of me gets excited just thinking about it! That technology changed the world in a way that is immeasurable to any other invention by man, in my own humble opinion. I can only marvel how far we've come and the amount of growth in the comic world since then.

Trust me, when I seen a couple of these lying around the local comic shop I felt I had discovered a great find and just had to pick them up. I started to think about how some of my favorite writers and artists may have read this series when they were a kid and how maybe it helped make their destiny a bit clearer to them. Not only that, but I was sure ads and other types of fan feedback were to be found within its pages. That to me is a true glimpse back in time! 

 I only payed a couple bucks per issue, maybe a dollar or so above the cover price, and have since looked online to purchase more. Surprisingly ( to me anyway), I have not only found them readily available but fairly inexpensive! I've seen Lots for sale containing four issues being sold for $12, and some individual issues running for around $5. I personally wouldn't pay over $5 for a single issue unless there was something really special about that particular book. I've contemplated the idea of collecting the entire series from start to finish ( over 250 books ) a couple of times but have never committed completely to the idea. So for now, if I see one I'll buy it and just check it off my list. Don't worry so much about getting an issue and feeling a bit left out. This was never really meant to be an ongoing series as it was to telling stories about that famous Cimmerian we call Conan.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the magazine was of course the art. As I did a quick flip through I quickly discovered that just about every single black and white page was extraordinary. The amount of detail that went into every single inch of each panel really made me feel like I bought not only a cool piece of comic history, but a book filled with magnificent art. I cant vouch for every issue as the production teams likely changed throughout the course of its publication, but I can say with a certainty that the team that put my issue together were the purest definition of the word professional.

Now if you haven't had the chance to read Robert E. Howard's The Complete Chronicles of Conan,  then that's ok. The issues I've read tell the stories really well. Bringing to life all the brutality and gore that only Conan can bring. Of course, the novels go into depth and history way more than the comics do, but we're not reading a novel, we are reading comics! The story is just as engaging and intense but without the lulls that some novels, especially the seriously long ones, tend to have between the lines. Another thing that I really enjoyed about the writing is that I felt it stayed true to The Conan that Howard created in his novel. From reactions to certain situations, to the brutality that one would acquire living in a land ravaged by death and war. Another great attribute is that throughout the story, you have a sense that each character is aware of the mighty Crom, this was a really fantastic touch. The other characters in the story, while not carrying the same weight,  are also scarred by the lands. It's this sort of attention to detail that makes finding these issues worth it!

Another cool, and really unexpected surprise, was that I found a short story of Kull The Conqueror at the end! Yes! After 56 pages of pure Conan awesomeness they still fed me dessert. This was really like a comic that just kept on giving and by the time I was done I was truly satisfied with both my purchase and the time I spent reading it. If I could go back in time I'd definitely be a lifetime subscriber!

So if you get a chance, or find a couple of these lying around your local comic shop, they are worth picking up and as long as they are under $5 dollars an issue, I'd consider it a real steal.

So until next time take care and smile!

- Of course I wasn't paid for this review!!! I will never be paid off to praise anything! -