Nashville Comic and Horror Festival 2013

This is a great time to be a comic book fan in Nashville.

First of all, you’ve got plenty of stores to scratch your itch. Besides my store of choice, Rick’s Comic City on Old Lebanon Road, you’ve also got two Great Escape locations, the main store on Charlotte and a smaller branch in Madison on Gallatin Road. Down the road from the Madison Great Escape is Comic City Too in Rivergate. It’s in the Home Depot shopping center, also on Gallatin Road. The newest addition to the Nashville-area comic scene is Flint Town Comics in Gallatin. It’s the smallest of the stores that I’ve mentioned, but it’ll definitely handle all your new comics and Magic the Gathering needs. The back issue selection is pretty limited, but that doesn’t mean I don’t find enough to keep me busy every time I’m able to pop in (which is less than I’d like).

That’s not a bad selection of stores to choose from.

The big thing, though…the thing that really makes this a great time to be a comic fan in Nashville, is the number of comic shows that’ll be happening here this year.

Wizard World has added a Nashville date this year. Held at the Music City Center on October 18-20, we’ll be treated to such celebrities as Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Norman Reedus and Jon Berenthal (The Walking Dead), Billy Dee Williams (Lando), James Marsters (Spike), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), Dean Cain (Superman), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Jason David Frank (the first Green Power Ranger), Lou Ferrigno (Hulk), and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules). Comic creators scheduled to appear include Neal Adams, Tom Bancroft, Paris Cullins, Fernando Dagnino, Nathan Edmondson, Pascal Garcin, Ale Garza, Michael Golden, Mike Grell, Greg Horn, Stan Lee, Mike S. Miller, Mico Suayan, Arthur Suydam, and Freddie Williams II.

My oldest son is going to receive a photo op with Tommy the Green/White Ranger for his birthday. I’m excited to get some pretty awesome autographs.

The previous month, the Nashville Comic Expo will be at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. September 14 and 15 will see appearances by celebs Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead) and Drake Bell (Ultimate Spider-Man), as well as comic book creators Jim Steranko, Dennis Calero, Joe Jusko, Clay Mann, Pablo Marcos, Don Rosa, Andy Smith, Tim Townsend, and Herb Trimpe. If this expo is anything like the expos in Tampa and Orlando, additional guests will be announced pretty regularly up until the day of the show.

I will pay for a picture with Cohan, and I will not be a victim of hoverhand. Also, more comic autographs! Yay! I’ve got a Strange Tales waiting for Steranko’s John Hancock.

But there’s a show happening sooner than these two. It starts tonight, actually, and it’s the Nashville Comic and Horror Festival being held at the Hotel Preston tonight through Sunday. This is a smaller, more local show, so the celebs are going to be quite as mind blowing. That being said, appearing will be Dawn Wells (Gilligan’s Island), Jeremy Shada (Adventure Time, Incredible Crew), Sgt. Slaughter, and Doug Jones (Hellboy). The big draw for comic book fans is Jim Starlin, the guy who killed Jason Todd and made Thanos a force to be reckoned with. Other creators appearing are Jonathan Glapion, Steve Scott, and Joe Pruett. Like I said, it’s smaller, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be awesome. 

My son is excited to go to the Jeremy Shada Q&A on Saturday (he’s a new but big fan of both Adventure Time and Incredible Crew), and he has saved up his allowance to get a photo op with him. I’m going to be the good dad and spring for an autograph. J As always, I’m showing up for some autographs (I’ve got a Strange Tales for you too, Starlin!), but I’m also going to sit in on Starlin’s Q&A. I’m always on the prowl for back issue deals, too, so we’ll see what happens.

Free Comic Book Day 2013: A Look Back

I don’t think anyone who attended Free Comic Book Day 2013 at Rick’s Comic City would say it wasn’t a success.

The kids and I got there shortly before 10 a.m., and there was already a decent line. It was chilly and rainy, but the sidewalk was covered, so that was okay. The kids got really antsy really quickly. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait long until the doors were opened and the festivities began.

First up were the free comic tables. Each attendee was able to get five comics, and if they spent $10, they could pick up five more. Here’s what we snagged:

·         Bobby

o   Spongebob Comics Freestyle Funnies

o   The Smurfs

o   Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man Flipbook

o   Kaboom Summer Blast

·         Bella

o   It’s an Ugly Doll Comic and Other Stuff

o   Disney Fairies

o   Molly Danger/Princeless

·         Parker

o   It’s an Ugly Doll Comic and Other Stuff

o   Kaboom Summer Blast

o   Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man Flipbook

·         Me

o   DH Star Wars/Captain Midnight/Avatar

o   Infinity

o   Superman Special Edition

o   Walking Dead Special

o   Absolution: The Beginning

o   The Red Ten #0

In addition to the comics, the boys and I also snagged a FCBD Heroclix Iron Man and some Iron Man 3 stickers. Also, Rick did something that was pretty damn awesome. He didn’t limit the free comic book choices to just the special FCBD releases. He had a bunch of DC New 52 and Marvel Now releases available. So I also snagged a Wolverine #1, an Iron Man #1, a Fantastic Four #1 joining cover variant, and a Cable and X-Force #1. Parker snagged a Wolverine #1 and an Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Marvel Must-Have edition. So already we’re all pretty happy.

We hopped into the main shop for a second, saw that there were some giveaways that you needed a ticket for (spend $10, get a ticket), and moved next door to the artist/$.50 comic room.

Jonathan Glapion was there, and he signed my copies of Batman #s 9 and 13. We then moved over to the reason my daughter was excited: Andy Price, artist on IDW’s My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She had one of her comics, issue #4, signed to her. Andy was nice enough to pose for a picture with her, but she was too shy. I also had a copy of issue #4, and he signed that for me. Next, we met Tom Bancroft. I pulled out my copy of Danger Girl Special, for which he provided a pin-up, and he signed the cover. We talked about the book a bit, and I picked up a Little Mermaid sketch for Bella and a Spider-Man print for Parker. Bancroft then gave me a set of his series, Opposite Forces, and autographed the first issue. While we were talking, Parker had moved to the next table, where cartoonist Chris Schweizer was drawing him Wolverine on a blank trading card. Chris did this for free, then did a My Little Pony card for Bella and a Spider-Man card for Bobby. I picked up a copy of his FCBD offering, a Crogan Adventures story in the Rated Free for Everyone issue, and he signed that for me.

Next we all did our best to scan through the sale comics, but it was difficult to flip through comics and keep an eye on a handful of kids. Parker and I found a few things we wanted, but Bella and Bobby were more interested in the comics they already had.

We moved back into the main store since I had to get some supplies (bags, boards, long box), and while we waited in line (SOOOOO frickin’ long), I let the kids pick something out. Each chose a comic book (MLP for Bella, Adventure Time for Parker, Sonic for Bobby), but by the time we got to the register, each kid had switched the comics out for a toy (Chewbacca for Parker, Witchblade for Bella, Green Lantern ring for Bobby). As we left we hit up the ticket table. Parker got a Star Wars patch, a tote bag and a Dark Avengers hardcover collection, while I snagged an Ultimate Comics Death of Spider-Man hardcover and an Iron Man: Extremis hardcover.

This whole experience lasted only about two hours, but we were all wiped by the time we left. It was a great day that all of us enjoyed (probably me and Parker a little more than the other two), and this set the bar pretty high for next year. Rick did a great job this year, and as the only comic shop in Nashville I know of to do more than just offer some free books and a sale on merchandise, I hope this was as successful for him as it was for the fans. My only suggestion for next year would be to get in touch with a food truck or two. Nashville has a great, and I’m sure one of them would have loved to have set up (despite the rain?) near the shop.

Now that FCBD 2013 is over, it’s time to get excited about the Nashville Comic and Horror Festival this weekend!

Here are some pictures I took. Had I gone to this even by myself, I would have taken a picture of everyone that came in a costume. As it were, I'm glad I was able to get any pics at all. These kids were all over the place (thanks for the extra pair of eyes, Jonathan!). Although, had they not been there, I probably would have spent all day going through  the $.50 comics and walked out of there with an obscene amount of comics. It wouldn't have been pretty. So, thanks kids! 

Free Comic Book Day 2013

It’s Friday, so that means it’s time to talk about TV…but I don’t want to. I could talk about the season finale of Parks and Rec, and how it was pretty damn good, but I won’t. I could talk about the constant awesomeness of Game of Thrones or my total lack of interest in The Following, but…nah. There’s something much more important to talk about.

This Saturday, May the 4^th (be with you), is the 12^th Annual (if I did my math right) Free Comic Book Day. If you’ve got no idea what it is but would like to learn more, I highly recommend you check out this website. It’ll explain everything to you, and it’ll even help you locate a store near you and let you know what FCBD books will be released. I’m not here to talk about the intricacies of FCBD and why it’s so awesome. No, I’m here to talk about my plans for FCBD.

Every Wednesday, I get my comics from Rick’s Comic City in Nashville, TN. When I decided I was going to start buying comics again after an almost eight-year hiatus, I settled on Rick’s because of one reason: location. It’s just a few minutes from work, so it’s just a quick drive there on my lunch break. Over the past year or so I’ve really come to enjoy the shop. Rick and his employees are a lot more personable than anybody I’ve had to interact with at any Great Escape location. The store is set up nicely and it’s easy to find the new comics, the back issues, the trades, and the toys. It’s just a really nice place to buy comic books.

Rick is pulling out all the stops to make this FCBD a memorable even in Nashville. Besides the free comics that all participating stores will have, Rick will have special freebies. He’s lined up an impressive array of local comic creators who will be on hand to sign books. He’s offering discounts on new comics and trades and is planning on having a ton of cheap back issues. A zombie extra from “The Walking Dead” AMC show will be there. There will be a class on cartooning taught by Gil Gilchrist, artist on the Nancy comic strip. The cast and crew of Tales from the Geek web show will be there, and comicspriceguide.com will be on hand to grade comics. Damn, right? That’s pretty frickin’ epic.

So I’ve been building this day up for my kids. We’re going to get there when the shop opens, and I’m going to show my kids a good time. My daughter is excited because Andy Price, artist on IDW’s My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series will be there, so she’s going to get one of her comics autographed. Jonathan Glapion, inker over Greg Capullo’s pencils on Batman, will be there, so I’m hoping to get a Batman issue or two autographed. I’m going to let each of the kiddos dig through some $.50 back issues and pick out a handful.

Oh, and I can’t forget the free comics.

I’m looking forward to Marvel and DC’s offerings, and I’ll also probably pick up a few others (I’m looking at you, Walking Dead and Absolution). My daughter is excited about the Tinker Bell comic, and my youngest son is looking forward to the Smurfs comic. My oldest son can’t wait to get his hands on the Kaboom comic, which will have an Adventure Time story in it, and Dark Horse’s Star Wars comic. I’ve gone through the list, and I’m betting the kids will find other comics they’ll want.  There’s an Ugly Doll comic that both my daughter and my oldest son will probably want, because it’ll have both a Pokemon story and a Hello Kitty story. My youngest son might also want the Sesame Street comic and the Spongebob Squarepants comic.

Toss in a special lunch afterward, and I think the kids will have a very entertaining day.

This is going to be the first time I will have actually participated in a FCBD event. I’m looking forward to it. My kids are looking forward to it. I love it when the four of us can do something unique like this.