Funnybooks with Aron and Paulie: All Heroes Are Local

This post will be at the top THROUGH TUESDAY!  Scroll down for all the latest news!

In our 21st show,we chat with comic book retailer Greg Thompson, owner/operator of Local Heroes Comics in Norfolk, Virginia.  Local Heroes is a different kind of comic shop and Greg is a different kind of store owner.  He’s got a lot to say about the hobby and the business of selling comics.

  • Watchmen and recommended reading for first time comic readers
  • Kids comics
  • The effect of Amazon on the comics retailer
  • Pizza, beer, comics
  • Merchandising
  • Free Comic Book Day
  • Skip week
  • Indy Comic Book Week
  • Digital comics
  • Comics as an investment
  • The value of a point-of-sale system
  • Greg’s next big thing
  • The lightning round
    • Dark Reign
    • Blackest Night
    • Final Crisis
    • Secret Invasion
    • Image United
    • Battle for the Cowl & Batman Reborn
    • Batgirl
    • Batwoman in Detective Comics
    • Reprints in $3.99+ comics
    • Robert Kirkman
    • Teen Titans
    • Star Trek
  • Comic movies

Lt Solo performs all your favorite Phaser Rock hits on his album ALL FIRED UP! Check out his website and buy the album on iTunes.

funnybooks21a

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Written on November 24th, 2009 , Comics, DC, Funny Books with Aron & Paulie, Image, iPhone, Marvel, Podcasts Tags: , , ,
Why iDespise Apple

apple-logo-black-xsanIt isn’t just the smug, self-satisfied, near-cultish, outsider mentality that they foster for themselves and their fans. It isn’t that this outsider mentality is based on almost totally false pretenses. After all, the iPhone is the best selling phone in history. And when most people think of MP3 players, they think of iPods. In fact, “iPod” has almost become to MP3 players what “Kleenex” has become to facial tissues. It’s impossible to be the underdog when you’re winning handily. About the only place where they’re not dominating the market is computers so all you corporate monkeys out there who think that your cool Apple product makes you independent and artistic should take a look around and see how many other corporate monkeys are sporting that oh so recognizable logo. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on June 27th, 2009 , Electronics, iPhone Tags:
Coming Soon to iPhone: Comic Shop Locator App?

I came across this little gem over the weekend, a video demo-ing  a comic shop locator for iPhone.  Okay, first… too damned cool.  Second?  Who’s releasing it?

The YouTube entry is posted by Diamond Comics, who distribute comics and created the web incarnation of the Comic Shop Locator. Okay, but who is developing this thing?

I didn’t ponder that too long, because I realized that I recognize the voice of iVerse’s Michael Murphy.  In fact you can compare, by clicking on the video over on the iVerse page.

This is huge!

iVerse and Diamond working together?  That’s pretty freakin’ cool.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the App Store for this one!

Written on April 27th, 2009 , Comics, Electronics, iPhone Tags: ,
Your Morning Head: Too Much Crap, Not Enough Time
sqrtclock

Not even the Square Root Wall Clock can give me more time...!

Sometimes I feel like a monkey.  You know what I mean.  Too much crap, not enough time.

This past weekend for instance… between working in the yard Friday night as well as all day Saturday and Sunday, social commitments and quality time with the missus, there has been remarkably little time for geekery.  Sure, I managed to squeeze in both Dollhouse and Terminator: TSCC, but not much else.

With work getting busier and busier, summer just right around the corner with more social and home responsibilities, my time to geek is at an all time low.  I need more effective ways to get my geek on. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on April 6th, 2009 , Columns, Comics, Electronics, iPhone, Star Trek, Your Morning Head Tags: ,
The Future of Digital Comics is Now: iVerse Media
iversemedia

Iverse Media. Comics. Anywhere.

I’ve tried a lot of comic readers for iPhone and have been unhappy with what I’ve seen.  Largely, my dissatisfaction with those apps grows from a poorly imagined transition from print comic to PDA.  Much of what I’ve seen fails to consider the differences in medium and the specifics challenges of a digital handheld device.  That is until iVerse Media came along with its comic reader application.

Instead of scanning entire pages and having the reader zoom in and zoom out, iVerse Media scans each panel rendering huge on the handheld detailed action.  Comics in iVerse, then, read very much like a comic strip.  I love it!

Further, the greater attention to panel detail provides a much different experience than the print page.  I find that with comics I have already read in the floppies, I am discerning more detail and catching things I didn’t see the first time in the iVerse application.

I first started using the iVerse app back in November of last year shortly before I met iVerse Media founder and cheerleader, Michael Murphey, at Wizard World Texas.  I spoke to Michael recently about his application and the future of digital comics… Read the rest of this entry »

Written on March 11th, 2009 , Digital Comics, Electronics, iPhone Tags:
Your Morning Head: Watching Watchmen on the iPhone

Who watches the Watchmen on their iPhone?On occasion, folks will say “it’s just a phone.”

Bah!

They don’t get it because they don’t have one.  Don’t make me choose between you and my iPhone!  My iPhone completes me!

Much as the silver cord connects my astral form to the Prime Material Plane, the iPhone connects me to the vast, wondrous world of the intrawebs.  When I am away from my PC, it brings me media and allows me to generate media.  It is a beautiful tool.

I marvel at those who have embraced the technology, leaping into the future of media and marketing.  The people marketing Watchmen have done just that.

The iPhone Watchmen app launches into Adrian Veidt’s screening room (seen above).  Televisions adorn the walls in 180-degree fashion.  Monitors initially load with snow patterns, indicating a present yet weak signal.  Once the user touches the ‘tube, content will populate to the full screen.

Content includes wallpapers for the iPhone, character biographies, links to the official website, a countdown clock, trailers, and making of featurettes.

The brilliant thing about the app is that the screens continue to populate with content over time.  As the release date draws near, more cool stuff is available.

I’ve spent a lot of time with this one, making it one of my favorite apps.  Totally dig it.  It’s a free download in the App Store.

Written on February 3rd, 2009 , Comics, DC, Electronics, iPhone, Movies & TV, Science Fiction, Your Morning Head Tags: , ,

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