Eric was telling me the latest buzz on Orson Scott Card's Adventures of Superman #1, how some shop in Dallas isn't gonna carry it. About how a few of our customers have asked us not to carry it. If this was just Eric's shop that may be the case. But I am here.
Let me make it plain that I have no problem with anyone's sexuality. I hate right-wing Christians as much as any good liberal should.
However, this is just the other end of the shop in the small town that won't carry vertigo. The music store in the middle of b.f.e. that doesn't carry heavy metal or rap because of their political bullshit. I find the thought process behind this disgusting and I will have no part of it.
We will order any book that we feel has a chance of selling off our shelves. We will stop ordering any book that proves it is not selling after month on the shelves. We will do this for the "Gays are Evil" book. We will do this for the "Gays are the Saviors of Mankind" book. We are not here to make those decisions for you.
YOU can decide that we will not carry any product by not buying it. You can decide that we will have to reorder/bump up orders for more of a product by buying it. If nobody buys this new Superman book we will stop carrying it, just like anything else. YOU are the consumer.
-Roy
And while I do not share Roy's views on this he gets to win this disagreement. I understand Roy's side and can not really argue with the sense of it.
Eric
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Top 11 Comics for the Year of the Dragon
Roy's Top 11 in no particular order:
It is hard to come up with a list like this. At the end of the day, I had to go with which comics produced the most emotional response. Fantastic books in my collection look at me with hurt in their eyes. Honorable mentions to Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps, Swamp Thing and Animal Man, XO, Chew and Journey into Mystery. There can be only eleven.
1.Punisher: by Rucka. Call it Punisher, call it Punisher:Warzone, call it Beans on Toast-just read it. Before this I said if you could only have one/wanted to try out the character that you just needed Welcome Back, Frank by Ennis. Now I have to add this one. It bookends with Welcome Back rather nicely. It is just as dark, but with none of the humor. This story and the people in it have had all the humor leeched out of them. It follows the cops, victims, and reporters as much as it follows Frank, at least at the beginning.
2. New Deadwardians: I am not into zombies. I am not overly into victorain/edwardian crap just based on its flavor. But I love Dan Abnett. And I love New Deadwardians. While Abnett always gives a lot of depth to his characters, I know him in comics more for a big old-fashioned adventure yarn. Abnett and Culbard, instead offers a lot of quiet moments here. And also loud big and empty silences. "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way" as Pink Floyd would say. There was a war, and the old social strata are explored through the survivors-the vampires, the working class, and the shambling dead.
3. The Hypernaturals: Abnett and Lanning at it again! If the world of Hyperion Cantos and Legion of Superheroes had a baby this would be it. Mankind has spread amongst the stars with sentient AIs. The culture is post Technological Singularity. It is very Transhuman, but it is not gonna let science lessons take you away from the adventure! The Hypernaturals are the government Super team. When the current team goes missing, retired members and a few rookies have to pick up the pieces.
4. Saga: For how this book makes me feel I can only compare it to Fables and Moonshadow. Vaughan and Staples have created a delightful/horrible world. It is whimsicle but not saccharin. The best storytellers can make you love a character in moments. There are two great galactic powers who fight and drag everyone else into it. When two enemy soldiers fall in love and go awol, a hunt ensues for them and their child.
5. Aquaman: Johns and Reis deliver the best supers book on my shelves. (Okay a lot of the times it is not Ries, but it is still the best)
6. Fantastic Four/FF: by Hickman. Somebody was talking to me saying that Hickman has Grant Morrison Peyote Big Crazy Disease. I was like "Well, hell yeah!" But like Morrison, no matter how big and crazy it gets, it is still about the people involved. There is still emotional impact. It is hard to describe without giving things away. I will say it delivers what you want from an FF book: Doom, Inhumans, Namor, Celestials, Galactus, and more! Start at the beginning(Dark Reign Fantastic Four) and know you are in for a long ride. Your patience will be rewarded.
7. Manhattan Projects: Hickman and Pitarra being Peyote Big Crazy. It's hard to tell anyone about this one. I don't want to spoil the perverse joy that is this book. It is a world in which the atom bomb is the least scary/interesting thing to come out of the project. It is extreme people doing extreme things. Probably the most unique thing to hit me since Chew.
8. Before Watchmen: Minutemen. (Do you want to know what I think is the most telling thing about the whole Before Watchmen controversy? Moore has said he doesn't want these works to somehow sully the original one. Then he went off to write another story about Mina Harker. Fuck Alan Moore)
In any case, this was probably the best pound for pound of the Watchmen stuff that has come out. Cooke does a fantastic job, as always. The old Minutemen get a lot of development. The history of the Minutemen as told through Hollis eyes. This is the first draft of Hollis' book, and there is lot of juicy stuff that didn't make the final edit. Cooke does a great job of adding new twists without pissing over everything that has come before.
9. Batman & Robin: This is best Batman book on the shelves. Batman runs a close second. This book deals largely with the relationship between Bruce, Damien, Alfred and Titus. There are still villains and adventure, and it does get quite dark. Tomasi always delivers whether on this or Green Lantern Corps.
10. Stitched: Ennis and Wolfer give us a horror story set in the warzones of the middle east. If you have been turned off by Ennis before, trust me in that he doesn't always feel need to write about drowning in vomit, or shitting on people, or blood speckled semen. I guess he just can't maintain that level of quality. Or maybe a priest comes by every now and then and the ghost of a ten year old boy is driven out, if only for a time. When these conditions are met Ennis is perfect for delivering military fiction. Its stranded behind enemy lines with a horrific twist. However, I can only recommend the first arc. Stop reading when Ennis leaves. Or not...to each their own.
11. Uncanny X-Force: Remender's X-Force is the best mutie book on my shelves. Like a lot of things (Hickman's FanFour/FF, Morrison's Batman) you really need to start at the beginning. It's what you would expect in an X-Force book, a lot of it explores the ethics of killing. It's not poorly written Punisher/Wolverine where everyone foams at the mouth to killl Kill KILL! But they ain't gonna cry all night after killing Nazis either. The character mix is great and the hilarious dialogue it engenders is lol worthy, but Remender doesn't beat you over the head with it ala Bendis/Sorkin. The humor and snark never get in the way of the story. All the characters grow from their experiences on this team, but ultimately the focus is on Warren, Betsy, and the omnipresent threat of Apocalypse.
Now for the opposition's response.
Eric's Top 11 (Also in no particular order)
Well 1-3 will be easy as they are repeats from last year: Aquaman, Daredevil, Amazing/Superior Spider-Man: They are still great and some of the best superhero books on the market right now!
4. Morning Glories: This has made my list every year and every year I tell you guys I still don't know what is going on but it is GREAT! That is still true though things are starting to come together, at least in part. This is the one book the entire staff agrees on. A very rare thing. If you have not checked it out do yourself a favor. First TP is only 9.99 and it is worth the price. Plus comes with money back guarantee from Tribe. Don't like it bring it back we will give you your money back.
5. Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi: A look back at where the Jedi came from. It is done by the same creative team as Star Wars Legacy another favorite of Roy and myself. It reads better in trade or chucks of individual issues but it is so damn good.
6. Thief of Thieves: A great caper book. If you liked the Ocean Movies you will love this book. Image keeps selling out of it but the first arc is collected in TP.
7. Mouse Guard Black Axe: The latest installment of Mouse Guard just finished up and it was great! I love mouse guard so damn much. This one should be out collected later this summer. A book on mice I never would thought I love quite this much but I so do. Art is AMAZING and the writing compelling. A great all ages book that is great for adults as well.
8. Journey Into Mystery: I can not believe Roy did not include this book on his top 11 and only gave it a honorable mention. Kid Loki is the best character to come out of Marvel this decade. A trickster god given a new start and trying to be a hero by the only way his nature will let him...lying and deceiving the villains and heroes into doing what needs to be done. It is simply great. While the series just finished it is done and well worth checking out.
9. Fantastic Four/FF by Hickman: Ok now for a review that will not scare the rest of you away from Hickman's FF/Fantastic Four run. While he and Grant Morrison both do grand big tapestry crazy stories Hickman's stories are what Mr Morrison's would be if someone would just get him to write after the trip and not during. Where Morrison sometimes seems to lose the point (and reader) Hickman will bring it all back around and tie it up with a pretty bow. This maybe the single best run of Marvel's First Family!
10. Earth 2: Everyone knows I am a HUGE JSA fan. I was not happy about the whole them being young and starting out again. Plus James Robinison's latest stories, prior to this, have not been as good as his earlier work. Earth Two however is beyond anything I could have hoped for. The new versions of the Jay, Alan and Kendra are different while still capturing the essence of the character. He managed to give a post "Big War" feel without having it tied to WWII and the art by Nicola Scott maybe the best of her career.
11. Untold History of Marvel Comics: Ok so it is not a comic book but it is a book that every LCBS should have on their shelves. If you ever wanted to know how all the sausage was made from Marvel's start till early 2000's this is your book. I could not put it down. All the personality conflict and management debacles, not to mention all the close calls with bankruptcy. I coudl not put this book down. It is well worth your time to give this a read.
And that closes out the Dragon. It will be interesting to see what the Year of the Snake gives us for comics.
It is hard to come up with a list like this. At the end of the day, I had to go with which comics produced the most emotional response. Fantastic books in my collection look at me with hurt in their eyes. Honorable mentions to Green Lantern/Green Lantern Corps, Swamp Thing and Animal Man, XO, Chew and Journey into Mystery. There can be only eleven.
1.Punisher: by Rucka. Call it Punisher, call it Punisher:Warzone, call it Beans on Toast-just read it. Before this I said if you could only have one/wanted to try out the character that you just needed Welcome Back, Frank by Ennis. Now I have to add this one. It bookends with Welcome Back rather nicely. It is just as dark, but with none of the humor. This story and the people in it have had all the humor leeched out of them. It follows the cops, victims, and reporters as much as it follows Frank, at least at the beginning.
2. New Deadwardians: I am not into zombies. I am not overly into victorain/edwardian crap just based on its flavor. But I love Dan Abnett. And I love New Deadwardians. While Abnett always gives a lot of depth to his characters, I know him in comics more for a big old-fashioned adventure yarn. Abnett and Culbard, instead offers a lot of quiet moments here. And also loud big and empty silences. "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way" as Pink Floyd would say. There was a war, and the old social strata are explored through the survivors-the vampires, the working class, and the shambling dead.
3. The Hypernaturals: Abnett and Lanning at it again! If the world of Hyperion Cantos and Legion of Superheroes had a baby this would be it. Mankind has spread amongst the stars with sentient AIs. The culture is post Technological Singularity. It is very Transhuman, but it is not gonna let science lessons take you away from the adventure! The Hypernaturals are the government Super team. When the current team goes missing, retired members and a few rookies have to pick up the pieces.
4. Saga: For how this book makes me feel I can only compare it to Fables and Moonshadow. Vaughan and Staples have created a delightful/horrible world. It is whimsicle but not saccharin. The best storytellers can make you love a character in moments. There are two great galactic powers who fight and drag everyone else into it. When two enemy soldiers fall in love and go awol, a hunt ensues for them and their child.
5. Aquaman: Johns and Reis deliver the best supers book on my shelves. (Okay a lot of the times it is not Ries, but it is still the best)
6. Fantastic Four/FF: by Hickman. Somebody was talking to me saying that Hickman has Grant Morrison Peyote Big Crazy Disease. I was like "Well, hell yeah!" But like Morrison, no matter how big and crazy it gets, it is still about the people involved. There is still emotional impact. It is hard to describe without giving things away. I will say it delivers what you want from an FF book: Doom, Inhumans, Namor, Celestials, Galactus, and more! Start at the beginning(Dark Reign Fantastic Four) and know you are in for a long ride. Your patience will be rewarded.
7. Manhattan Projects: Hickman and Pitarra being Peyote Big Crazy. It's hard to tell anyone about this one. I don't want to spoil the perverse joy that is this book. It is a world in which the atom bomb is the least scary/interesting thing to come out of the project. It is extreme people doing extreme things. Probably the most unique thing to hit me since Chew.
8. Before Watchmen: Minutemen. (Do you want to know what I think is the most telling thing about the whole Before Watchmen controversy? Moore has said he doesn't want these works to somehow sully the original one. Then he went off to write another story about Mina Harker. Fuck Alan Moore)
In any case, this was probably the best pound for pound of the Watchmen stuff that has come out. Cooke does a fantastic job, as always. The old Minutemen get a lot of development. The history of the Minutemen as told through Hollis eyes. This is the first draft of Hollis' book, and there is lot of juicy stuff that didn't make the final edit. Cooke does a great job of adding new twists without pissing over everything that has come before.
9. Batman & Robin: This is best Batman book on the shelves. Batman runs a close second. This book deals largely with the relationship between Bruce, Damien, Alfred and Titus. There are still villains and adventure, and it does get quite dark. Tomasi always delivers whether on this or Green Lantern Corps.
10. Stitched: Ennis and Wolfer give us a horror story set in the warzones of the middle east. If you have been turned off by Ennis before, trust me in that he doesn't always feel need to write about drowning in vomit, or shitting on people, or blood speckled semen. I guess he just can't maintain that level of quality. Or maybe a priest comes by every now and then and the ghost of a ten year old boy is driven out, if only for a time. When these conditions are met Ennis is perfect for delivering military fiction. Its stranded behind enemy lines with a horrific twist. However, I can only recommend the first arc. Stop reading when Ennis leaves. Or not...to each their own.
11. Uncanny X-Force: Remender's X-Force is the best mutie book on my shelves. Like a lot of things (Hickman's FanFour/FF, Morrison's Batman) you really need to start at the beginning. It's what you would expect in an X-Force book, a lot of it explores the ethics of killing. It's not poorly written Punisher/Wolverine where everyone foams at the mouth to killl Kill KILL! But they ain't gonna cry all night after killing Nazis either. The character mix is great and the hilarious dialogue it engenders is lol worthy, but Remender doesn't beat you over the head with it ala Bendis/Sorkin. The humor and snark never get in the way of the story. All the characters grow from their experiences on this team, but ultimately the focus is on Warren, Betsy, and the omnipresent threat of Apocalypse.
Now for the opposition's response.
Eric's Top 11 (Also in no particular order)
Well 1-3 will be easy as they are repeats from last year: Aquaman, Daredevil, Amazing/Superior Spider-Man: They are still great and some of the best superhero books on the market right now!
4. Morning Glories: This has made my list every year and every year I tell you guys I still don't know what is going on but it is GREAT! That is still true though things are starting to come together, at least in part. This is the one book the entire staff agrees on. A very rare thing. If you have not checked it out do yourself a favor. First TP is only 9.99 and it is worth the price. Plus comes with money back guarantee from Tribe. Don't like it bring it back we will give you your money back.
5. Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi: A look back at where the Jedi came from. It is done by the same creative team as Star Wars Legacy another favorite of Roy and myself. It reads better in trade or chucks of individual issues but it is so damn good.
6. Thief of Thieves: A great caper book. If you liked the Ocean Movies you will love this book. Image keeps selling out of it but the first arc is collected in TP.
7. Mouse Guard Black Axe: The latest installment of Mouse Guard just finished up and it was great! I love mouse guard so damn much. This one should be out collected later this summer. A book on mice I never would thought I love quite this much but I so do. Art is AMAZING and the writing compelling. A great all ages book that is great for adults as well.
8. Journey Into Mystery: I can not believe Roy did not include this book on his top 11 and only gave it a honorable mention. Kid Loki is the best character to come out of Marvel this decade. A trickster god given a new start and trying to be a hero by the only way his nature will let him...lying and deceiving the villains and heroes into doing what needs to be done. It is simply great. While the series just finished it is done and well worth checking out.
9. Fantastic Four/FF by Hickman: Ok now for a review that will not scare the rest of you away from Hickman's FF/Fantastic Four run. While he and Grant Morrison both do grand big tapestry crazy stories Hickman's stories are what Mr Morrison's would be if someone would just get him to write after the trip and not during. Where Morrison sometimes seems to lose the point (and reader) Hickman will bring it all back around and tie it up with a pretty bow. This maybe the single best run of Marvel's First Family!
10. Earth 2: Everyone knows I am a HUGE JSA fan. I was not happy about the whole them being young and starting out again. Plus James Robinison's latest stories, prior to this, have not been as good as his earlier work. Earth Two however is beyond anything I could have hoped for. The new versions of the Jay, Alan and Kendra are different while still capturing the essence of the character. He managed to give a post "Big War" feel without having it tied to WWII and the art by Nicola Scott maybe the best of her career.
11. Untold History of Marvel Comics: Ok so it is not a comic book but it is a book that every LCBS should have on their shelves. If you ever wanted to know how all the sausage was made from Marvel's start till early 2000's this is your book. I could not put it down. All the personality conflict and management debacles, not to mention all the close calls with bankruptcy. I coudl not put this book down. It is well worth your time to give this a read.
And that closes out the Dragon. It will be interesting to see what the Year of the Snake gives us for comics.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Giving Report 2012
So here is the annual charity report for Tribe. This year we tried something different. As many of you know we started our Keep the Change program when you check out. For those that do not know what this is we (Roy and I) pick a different charity (usually monthly but sometimes we keep it longer). If you as a customer want to help us support that charity you just tell us to "keep the change" and we will round up your purchase to the next whole dollar. The change is then used to support the charity and at the end of the month we add it up and figure out how much. In addition to this we also donated money to other things and gave a lot of product for silent actions and the like to help even more charities.
This year you guys raised $345.15 in small change and we donated another $1202.27 to Randy's Cancer Fund, The Austin Planetarium, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, ACLU, St Judes, Austin Pets Alive, Conspire Theater, Project OUTYouth, Capital Area Food Bank.
In Product we donated some $21560.82 retail price. Athena Academy silent action to help a ill teacher pay bills, Rockin Tomato and Jump GYM did the same, auction to help raise money for Crohns, Summer Stock Austin, Give to Game, and of course the Heroes Alliance.
So in all we were able to give $23108.24 our best year yet. Here is hoping we can do more in 2013!
This year you guys raised $345.15 in small change and we donated another $1202.27 to Randy's Cancer Fund, The Austin Planetarium, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, ACLU, St Judes, Austin Pets Alive, Conspire Theater, Project OUTYouth, Capital Area Food Bank.
In Product we donated some $21560.82 retail price. Athena Academy silent action to help a ill teacher pay bills, Rockin Tomato and Jump GYM did the same, auction to help raise money for Crohns, Summer Stock Austin, Give to Game, and of course the Heroes Alliance.
So in all we were able to give $23108.24 our best year yet. Here is hoping we can do more in 2013!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Two Flus, Two dark warriors: stop worrying and love Nurgle
Mr. Harrison is always saying people want to know about us. That we need to be more active in this bloggytwitty world. So I am sure a lot of you know I haven't been at the store all week. I have the flu, not the worst I've ever had...but pretty bad. So here are some observations from the field.
A few years ago, the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen recorded their Green Lantern show at our store. It was a great night but the next day I woke up with a horrible flu. Now this flu was the worst flu I have ever had in my life. One day was full on hallucinations. (oh the irony of all those experimental trips with lsd and shrooms....didn't you read the books? didn't you know that to be a shaman you almost have to die.?)
Now don't get me wrong, I don't think I almost died, but I was in a sorry, sorry state. The room was purple, I could see everything. I was awake. Including Ultraman. By Ultraman I mean the evil Superman from Earth 3. We exchanged verbal communication. He was more real in that moment than my wife, who was at her desk across from us.
If you are like me, you chase such experiences all your life. Whether they are chemical or whether they are spirits are whether they are Jungian or whether they are Freudian makes no difference. Like Uncle Bill attributed to Hassan-i Sabbah "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."
But at this point yeah it's looking strictly chemical. And like any dream there always deeper elements mixed in the random bits of nonsense. But as humans we always have to be binary, it must be one or the other. I am still secure that it is not time to start the Ultraman cult.
This week's flu. To be honest it is not so bad compared to Ultraman. I still get a sneak preview of what my life will be like if make it to my 90's. I took a shower and I felt like I had just ran a marathon, I walked across the room and ran out of breath. I also had the obligatory fever night, just not near as bad. Just the fever dreams.
This fever dream another dark warrior. This time dressed as my Sith Warrior character in SWTOR. Communication is nonverbal this time. Purple is still a component. Orange is added to the mix. Also the same feeling is there. Like it is the same individual. A part of myself. A spirit. A fever induced misfire. yes.
yes.
Looking for the silver lining in the Nurgle colored phlegm,
RSC
A few years ago, the League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen recorded their Green Lantern show at our store. It was a great night but the next day I woke up with a horrible flu. Now this flu was the worst flu I have ever had in my life. One day was full on hallucinations. (oh the irony of all those experimental trips with lsd and shrooms....didn't you read the books? didn't you know that to be a shaman you almost have to die.?)
Now don't get me wrong, I don't think I almost died, but I was in a sorry, sorry state. The room was purple, I could see everything. I was awake. Including Ultraman. By Ultraman I mean the evil Superman from Earth 3. We exchanged verbal communication. He was more real in that moment than my wife, who was at her desk across from us.
If you are like me, you chase such experiences all your life. Whether they are chemical or whether they are spirits are whether they are Jungian or whether they are Freudian makes no difference. Like Uncle Bill attributed to Hassan-i Sabbah "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."
But at this point yeah it's looking strictly chemical. And like any dream there always deeper elements mixed in the random bits of nonsense. But as humans we always have to be binary, it must be one or the other. I am still secure that it is not time to start the Ultraman cult.
This week's flu. To be honest it is not so bad compared to Ultraman. I still get a sneak preview of what my life will be like if make it to my 90's. I took a shower and I felt like I had just ran a marathon, I walked across the room and ran out of breath. I also had the obligatory fever night, just not near as bad. Just the fever dreams.
This fever dream another dark warrior. This time dressed as my Sith Warrior character in SWTOR. Communication is nonverbal this time. Purple is still a component. Orange is added to the mix. Also the same feeling is there. Like it is the same individual. A part of myself. A spirit. A fever induced misfire. yes.
yes.
Looking for the silver lining in the Nurgle colored phlegm,
RSC
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
So tired of hearing we are not a Game Store
So as the title suggests we get to see me (Eric) go on a Roy rant style bender. Since our competitor opened we have heard this a time or two (For those keeping track besides word of mouth our competitor also posted these ideas on their facebook. Then on yelp they recommended every game store in town including us but while all the others had what great game stores they were it was only mentioned we were a comic store.) But I digress the final straw was last night, at the game night we sponsor no less, was the latest time. It was pointed out (as business cards for our competitor were handed out) that it was not bad they opened up 3 blocks away. The reason it was not bad:
-because we were mostly a comic store and not a game store.
-we had a small game selection
-no gaming space
So I would like to address these and then add things I think make us not only a "game" store but the damn good game store.
- Our square footage is roughly 1/2 comics (on walls) and 1/2 for games (all on the floor fixtures). By their logic I can't be a good comic store but they seem to think we are. So if we have a good selection of comics why not games
- Facts about our "small" game selection. We have extensive lines in Warhammer/40K, Privateer Press, and Heroclix. In minis we carry 3/4s of reapers entire line. Over in RPGs we have 71 different systems totally some 371 different books. On the board game side (for this blog purpose non collectible card games count as board games but for the record we have about 115) Games + expansions we have over 400 games. If you take out non collectible card games we still have just under 300. And every week there is where from 1 to 5 new board games. The one area in which we are weak is CCGs. All we have is Magic because, to be blunt, the others sold like crap and were not worth the space.
- It is true we have no gaming space. That is why we help found the South Austin Gaming Group. They use to meet at Austin Pizza but when it got to big Jonathan and I looked at Rockin Tomato for the new venue. Which seems to have worked pretty damn well as the group as grown from a few people to 40+. As a side note I would like to point out that there have been at least 3 stores before we opened that were majority gaming space/ minority product. You will be hard pressed to find them now, they have all closed.
So now that I have addressed those point let me add a few more things -
- We contributed more than any other game store to Give to Game, not only this year but every year we have participated.
- We were the top sponsor of Board Game Bash both years. The only game store in town to really get behind Jonathan's efforts to build a Gaming convention.
- Our gaming library is with Jonathan and available at any SAG game night. We are addeding games to that every time we get new demo copies.
- Oh and we were the host for the official Steve Jackson Games 30th anniversary party.
Yeah we totally are not a game store. What on earth was I thinking.
-because we were mostly a comic store and not a game store.
-we had a small game selection
-no gaming space
So I would like to address these and then add things I think make us not only a "game" store but the damn good game store.
- Our square footage is roughly 1/2 comics (on walls) and 1/2 for games (all on the floor fixtures). By their logic I can't be a good comic store but they seem to think we are. So if we have a good selection of comics why not games
- Facts about our "small" game selection. We have extensive lines in Warhammer/40K, Privateer Press, and Heroclix. In minis we carry 3/4s of reapers entire line. Over in RPGs we have 71 different systems totally some 371 different books. On the board game side (for this blog purpose non collectible card games count as board games but for the record we have about 115) Games + expansions we have over 400 games. If you take out non collectible card games we still have just under 300. And every week there is where from 1 to 5 new board games. The one area in which we are weak is CCGs. All we have is Magic because, to be blunt, the others sold like crap and were not worth the space.
- It is true we have no gaming space. That is why we help found the South Austin Gaming Group. They use to meet at Austin Pizza but when it got to big Jonathan and I looked at Rockin Tomato for the new venue. Which seems to have worked pretty damn well as the group as grown from a few people to 40+. As a side note I would like to point out that there have been at least 3 stores before we opened that were majority gaming space/ minority product. You will be hard pressed to find them now, they have all closed.
So now that I have addressed those point let me add a few more things -
- We contributed more than any other game store to Give to Game, not only this year but every year we have participated.
- We were the top sponsor of Board Game Bash both years. The only game store in town to really get behind Jonathan's efforts to build a Gaming convention.
- Our gaming library is with Jonathan and available at any SAG game night. We are addeding games to that every time we get new demo copies.
- Oh and we were the host for the official Steve Jackson Games 30th anniversary party.
Yeah we totally are not a game store. What on earth was I thinking.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
The $2.99 complaint
So in the past few weeks I have had several customers complain about our poster from DC that says "Holding the line at $2.99." They usually make a annoyed sound and complain about the "Many 3.99 comics." Roy and I have both pointed out DC only has a few of those titles and they give you additional material. Most of the time they just shrug. Sometimes they challenge what we are saying. So here is an answer to all those that challenge Roy and I on this. To be fair I will also give numbers for Marvel. For both companies I am only looking at their core titles and not miniseries or annuals or specials.
DC (Core 52) There are only 7 titles that are $3.99. All 7, everyone, has 40 pages. 8 more pages than a normal comic. That means there 45, I will say again 45 monthly titles, that are $2.99 for 32 pages. Now 4 of the 7 titles are some of the most popular (Action, Batman, Justice League, & Detective). So many people will see these prices as oppose to the $2.99. Batman also started at $2.99 and then went up to $3.99, though they did increase the page count afterwards. That means that roughly 87% of DC's core line is only $2.99. That seems like a strong line to me.
Marvel by contrast has 54 core titles a month. 23 titles at $2.99 for 32 pages. Roughly 1/2 of DC's monthly number at the same price. 29 titles at $3.99 over 4 times the amount DC has at the same price point. And all 29 of these title are only 32 pages! No additional content for your dollar. 1 title is at $4.99 for 32 pages. Twelve of these are shipped twice a month. Of those 1, Iron Man, ships once at $2.99 then again that month at $3.99. 2 others are $2.99 (Captain Marvel and Deadpool) The other 9 are all $3.99 and are the top selling monthly titles for Marvel.
So overall, DC seems to be "Holding the Line at $2.99" rather well. And the very few times they do not they give you extra content. If only every company had the same respect for consumers.
DC (Core 52) There are only 7 titles that are $3.99. All 7, everyone, has 40 pages. 8 more pages than a normal comic. That means there 45, I will say again 45 monthly titles, that are $2.99 for 32 pages. Now 4 of the 7 titles are some of the most popular (Action, Batman, Justice League, & Detective). So many people will see these prices as oppose to the $2.99. Batman also started at $2.99 and then went up to $3.99, though they did increase the page count afterwards. That means that roughly 87% of DC's core line is only $2.99. That seems like a strong line to me.
Marvel by contrast has 54 core titles a month. 23 titles at $2.99 for 32 pages. Roughly 1/2 of DC's monthly number at the same price. 29 titles at $3.99 over 4 times the amount DC has at the same price point. And all 29 of these title are only 32 pages! No additional content for your dollar. 1 title is at $4.99 for 32 pages. Twelve of these are shipped twice a month. Of those 1, Iron Man, ships once at $2.99 then again that month at $3.99. 2 others are $2.99 (Captain Marvel and Deadpool) The other 9 are all $3.99 and are the top selling monthly titles for Marvel.
So overall, DC seems to be "Holding the Line at $2.99" rather well. And the very few times they do not they give you extra content. If only every company had the same respect for consumers.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
GM Philosophy
I am having a hard time coming up with my top 11 comic book stories. The list is too big and half the time I keep changing the criteria of "Best."
But what I have been doing is starting a Black Crusade rpg. And before that I was working on an Iron Kingdoms/WoW mashup epic saga. It has been ten years since I was in that seat, and I must tell you that my approach has changed considerably. I have softened where I used to be unyielding, and where I used to be merciful now I don't even care.
You read a lot in rpgs about ways to deal with problem players. I used to care about problem players. It drove me from the gaming table. Now I don't deal with problem players at all. They may still be there, the trick is that they are not problem players. They are just players.
I am not talking about the real problem players. People OOC rude or totally disruptive. Cheaters. the real villains. They get sorted pretty quick at our table.
No, I mean the Skulker/Wallflower. I mean the Combat Monster. I mean the Rules Idiot.
I used to care about the Wallflower who just listened. I used to stay awake wondering why the Combat Monster never wanted to engage in all this "talkie-stuff" going on. I used to try to fix it. This ultimately killed my game. All Storytellers just embrace this truth: Garbage In, Garbage Out. This is the way to sanity.
As long as most of the people are engaged and YOU are having fun, let the Skulkers skulk and Combats combats. To be honest, it is less work on you.
I admit, Rules Idiots will be the hard one. I bought them all books. The answer will be "page 342." if it is the same damn spell they ask me about every combat. Just smile and say "page 342."
Also lets say people who don't read the background or that won't get the nuances of the story. That is still ok, as long as the player is having fun. He thinks Africa is a country, that is all. Garbage In, Garbage Out. One man's Marvel Civil War, is another man's (a real man's) Infinite Crisis. As long as the Airhead, the Skulker, and the Combat Monster keep showing up it is all good. They are not hurting you or your game. They may be getting out of it exactly what they want from it.
As long as you get enough interaction to keep your imagination going that is all that matters. You got to have some stars. Also those one note characters can become stars at any time. Keep giving them doors, but only they can decide to step through them.
How I have softened is more about narrative control. I used to be able to pull off a really good con. You felt like you had control and the fights mattered, but it was really all prescripted. It is all about acting, and giving them enough side stuff that they do have control of. Stuff that feels really important to them, but has no meaning to saga they are caught up in. I am pretty sure this is how most games are run. And it is fun.
But I am now more about giving player much more control of the story. You are like the head writer of a comic book line, and we all get together to do JLA. My job is the Editor- gotta keep is all consistent. That's a game.
To facilitate this you have to provide an immense setting, you have to have generic plot hooks all over the place. You have to dream your Saga, but let them go wherever. If you know the setting well enough you can improvise. It is a ton of prep. Also just makes modular. It is simple to have the cult be whatever Inn the characters go to. You have to think modular like that but on a grand scale.
Luckily for me, published adventures are much better than when I was a kid. I know 40k well enough and FFG has a lot of good stuff on my shelves.
Eventually it should get to where the players are driving the story. The players should decide what they are gonna do and then I'll fill in the details.
This is not new wisdom, by any means. Well, maybe the stuff at the top is. Throw all that touchy-feely "try to engage the Wallflower" advice in the trash. You will be saner.
Words of Advice for younger people.
Roy
But what I have been doing is starting a Black Crusade rpg. And before that I was working on an Iron Kingdoms/WoW mashup epic saga. It has been ten years since I was in that seat, and I must tell you that my approach has changed considerably. I have softened where I used to be unyielding, and where I used to be merciful now I don't even care.
You read a lot in rpgs about ways to deal with problem players. I used to care about problem players. It drove me from the gaming table. Now I don't deal with problem players at all. They may still be there, the trick is that they are not problem players. They are just players.
I am not talking about the real problem players. People OOC rude or totally disruptive. Cheaters. the real villains. They get sorted pretty quick at our table.
No, I mean the Skulker/Wallflower. I mean the Combat Monster. I mean the Rules Idiot.
I used to care about the Wallflower who just listened. I used to stay awake wondering why the Combat Monster never wanted to engage in all this "talkie-stuff" going on. I used to try to fix it. This ultimately killed my game. All Storytellers just embrace this truth: Garbage In, Garbage Out. This is the way to sanity.
As long as most of the people are engaged and YOU are having fun, let the Skulkers skulk and Combats combats. To be honest, it is less work on you.
I admit, Rules Idiots will be the hard one. I bought them all books. The answer will be "page 342." if it is the same damn spell they ask me about every combat. Just smile and say "page 342."
Also lets say people who don't read the background or that won't get the nuances of the story. That is still ok, as long as the player is having fun. He thinks Africa is a country, that is all. Garbage In, Garbage Out. One man's Marvel Civil War, is another man's (a real man's) Infinite Crisis. As long as the Airhead, the Skulker, and the Combat Monster keep showing up it is all good. They are not hurting you or your game. They may be getting out of it exactly what they want from it.
As long as you get enough interaction to keep your imagination going that is all that matters. You got to have some stars. Also those one note characters can become stars at any time. Keep giving them doors, but only they can decide to step through them.
How I have softened is more about narrative control. I used to be able to pull off a really good con. You felt like you had control and the fights mattered, but it was really all prescripted. It is all about acting, and giving them enough side stuff that they do have control of. Stuff that feels really important to them, but has no meaning to saga they are caught up in. I am pretty sure this is how most games are run. And it is fun.
But I am now more about giving player much more control of the story. You are like the head writer of a comic book line, and we all get together to do JLA. My job is the Editor- gotta keep is all consistent. That's a game.
To facilitate this you have to provide an immense setting, you have to have generic plot hooks all over the place. You have to dream your Saga, but let them go wherever. If you know the setting well enough you can improvise. It is a ton of prep. Also just makes modular. It is simple to have the cult be whatever Inn the characters go to. You have to think modular like that but on a grand scale.
Luckily for me, published adventures are much better than when I was a kid. I know 40k well enough and FFG has a lot of good stuff on my shelves.
Eventually it should get to where the players are driving the story. The players should decide what they are gonna do and then I'll fill in the details.
This is not new wisdom, by any means. Well, maybe the stuff at the top is. Throw all that touchy-feely "try to engage the Wallflower" advice in the trash. You will be saner.
Words of Advice for younger people.
Roy
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