You can order your very own SIGNED copy of the Justice League Vol. 1 HC from midtowncomics.com for COVER PRICE!

Each copy comes with an official certificate of authenticity.

Midtown Bloggerinos! Raph here, with a review of the new book from Brian Cronin: Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent?

This book is full of something fanboys absolutely love: lists! From things like iconic covers, to obscure things like weirdest comic book commercials, this book covers well known comic history as well as obscure history (Did you know that Sadie Hawkins day comes from a Li’l Abner strip?). It’s not just lists by the author either: there are some polls from the CBR forum for superlatives (Biggest fights, top 25 characters), which is very much a fan debate thing. The lists I’m sure will spark debate amongst you and people you know. There are also lists provided by industry luminaries like Dave Gibbons and Geoff Johns, who definitely know what they’re talking about.

Who is Brian Cronin, you may ask, and why is he writing a book about comics? Mr. Cronin is the author of the Comics Should Be Good Blog at Comic Book Resources, one of the leading comic book websites in the world. Brian also has written a previous book, Was Superman A Spy? Clearly, Mr. Cronin is qualified.

So with all of that said, what is the final verdict? This is a nice book to have on the book shelf, with little tidbits to help jog your memory (like a list of Stan Lee’s appearances in Marvel movies) or a clever tidbit to impress your friends at a party (Batman tried to lobotomize Joker early on!), this book is a great addition to your collection! Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? is available May 30th… check it out at our website!

That’s it for now, until next time–

STAY BLOGGY MY FRIENDS!

- Raph

FULL TIME/PART TIME SHIPPING HELP WANTED AT MIDTOWN COMICS’ WAREHOUSE IN L.I.C. QUEENS!

Enter the fabulous world of comics and work for the premiere retailer.  In addition to your natural born love of comics, your role and requirements include, but are not limited to:

• Must Be Detail Oriented
• Some Comic Knowledge Preferred
• Part Time Help Must Be Available To Work Friday Nights, Saturdays and Sundays

Our warehouse is very accessible via MTA, including the 7 and E lines.  If you’d like to be considered for the position PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR RESUME TO INFO@MIDTOWNCOMICS.COM and have “Midtown Comics Shipping Job Opening” in the subject line.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Thank you,

Your friends at Midtown Comics

While The Avengers are duking it out with The X-Men, Batman is facing off against a threat that predates Batman himself. Now that threat has targeted Bruce Wayne, and all the power brokers of Gotham. All of this comes from DC’s newest superstar writer (and Midtown favorite) Scott Snyder!

Scott’s been working on Batman since late 2010, when he began his story with a tale of secret underground auctions, where wealthy people bid on the weapons and contraband of villains, which can be seen as a precursor to the current story. It was the 2nd story, however, that really grabbed attention. The story revolves around James Gordon Jr., Commissioner Gordon’s son. James Jr. is most known for being the baby that takes the tumble over the bridge in Batman: Year One. The event clearly had an impact on young James, as he grew up mentally unbalanced. This 2nd story in Detective Comics eventually became the main story and it is easily one of the best in recent memory, and the Black Mirror hardcover collects both stories.

After Snyder concluded the James Jr. story, the DC Universe relaunched, and he took over the Batman series. The new story has involved Bruce Wayne deciding to be more proactive with his city. Bruce announces that he’s funding a revitalization project for Gotham, which includes new buildings and programs that will enrich the city. It seems like Bruce is finally turning tragedy to triumph, and letting his non-Batman self move on… The Court of Owls doesn’t approve.

The Court of Owls is like the Illuminati of Gotham City. They’ve been secretly running the city for years, using their Talon as their assassin. They operate in secret, to the point that everyday Gotham citizens treat them like a myth. Even Bruce himself is unaware of these people, until they decide that his project is not to their liking. They strike at Bruce hard, and it seems like he’s rocked to his core by all of this. He barely escapes the Court, and they in turn send out every Talon they have… because it’s time for the Court of Owls to make itself known!

The opening salvo of Night of the Owls has already been fired, with Nightwing #8 and Batman #8. Check those out, and check out the rest of the stories in May!

That’s it for now, until next time–

Stay Bloggy My Friends,

- Raph

The Wall Street Journal stopped by Midtown Comics Times Square to talk about Marvel’s Avengers.

Midtown Blogvengers! Raph here, and being that we are a blog for a comic book store, let’s review the biggest movie EVER! It’s AVENGERS TIME!!!!! Spoilers warnings abound!

HO-LEE. COW.

Seriously.

WOW.

First off, this movie is one of the biggest gambles in movie history. As a comic book fan, it’s nothing new to me, but the scale is. In comics, characters get established and then you get that super team-up. Before World’s Finest, there was just Superman and Batman, even the Avengers all had solo series prior to them assembling… but those were single comic gambles… how much does it cost to print a comic? Tens of thousands? Marvel Studios has spent over a BILLION DOLLARS in production and advertising costs to get to this point. Between the Iron Man movies, Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Avengers itself… a BILLION DOLLARS. Sure, the other movies were profitable, but we’ve known since the end of Iron Man that Avengers was coming, so Marvel was locked in and committed, which is a crazy gamble.

And boy has it paid off!

Pretty durn cool…

Avengers is an AMAZING movie. It’s arguably the best Marvel movie, the best superhero movie period. The dialogue is snappy, the pace is good for the most part, the action is TERRIFIC… it’s everything you ask for from a comic book movie. The best part is the group dynamic.

Whether they’re bantering, arguing or fighting side-by-side, the way the Avengers comes together feels very organic. Of course, it helps if you’ve watched every movie that led up to this, but it’s really simple: the world needs heroes, and the Avengers all answer for their reasons: Iron Man for the glory, Thor because he swore to defend this realm, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow because it’s their sworn duty and Banner because he finally found a productive rage vent. The tension between the team is palatable, and when Loki’s mind games come into play, it’s delicious watching these guys tear into each other. What’s better than that? The last 45 minutes.

“If my guns get bigger, they won’t fit through the Bifrost!!! I have much to consider…”

As much as I liked the previous superhero movies, there is no action scene that compares to the Avengers-Chitauri battle. There really isn’t. Every character gets a moment to shine. This reviewer happens to be a huge Thor fan, and he’s got tons of good moments.

The Avengers is pretty much the perfect comic book movie. The build-up to the final fight is a bit long, but there’s so much gratification action wise throughout the movie, that you really can’t complain. The timing, wit and delivery are all a credit to the cast and director Joss Whedon, who can now be rightfully coronated as King of All Fanboys. ALL HAIL KING WHEDON!

You HAVE TO see Avengers, I don’t see a reason why you wouldn’t! It’s one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in a while on the big screen. That’s it for now, until next time—

Stay Avenge-y My Friends,

Raph

Midtown Bloggerinos! It’s AvX time again! This week, I got to ask Nick Lowe, editor of the X-Men books, about his own take on this massive crossover. Enjoy!

1. Two issues in, it’s clear that the time for talk is over. We’re getting some explosive battles between the two teams, how difficult was it to get the creative and editorial teams to agree on certain things happening? I have to imagine there was a lot of push and pull.

There was some push and pull, but most a bunch of fists pumping in the air. The five writers were totally copacetic when we were all in the room working this whole thing out. As for the specific AVX #2 fight, Jason just did a terrific job. I think he was maybe a little nice to the Avengers, but I was really happy with the awesome fight that he (and JRJR) choreographed. 

2. This may be a meeting of two of the biggest teams in all of comics, but it’s also a confluence of Marvel’s biggest talents. How did you guys come up with the collaboration of so much talent together?

This was something that Axel pushed for first and foremost. First, in an event heavy recent history we knew we had to get the message across that this was much bigger than anything we’d done and we had to get across just how special it was. We had done a few VERY successful X-Men events in this style, so Axel thought it might work to get that message out. The five writers embraced it heartily (with Brian leading a rallying battle cry at a retreat) and the three artists were just so damn perfect a fit! Basically, we wanted to put as many of our best resources in play in AVX as possible.

The first shot fired.
3. This saga with Hope has been building pretty much since Messiah CompleX, House of M even… is AvX going to close this ongoing epoch of Marvel lore?

This definitely feeds off of some of the House of M and Messiah Complex stuff that was going on, but more importantly, this is a huge story that is ready for new and lapsed readers. It definitely picks up on past stories a little, but for the most part, it starts fresh with #1 and goes from there. It’s big and nuts and awesome. 

10 bucks on blondie!
4. The series also happens to be a fanboy’s dream: it’s full of answers to “who would win” questions. Is there a particular moment you’re looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to #5 which is the end of Act 1 of the story. Matt Fraction wrote a kickass script for it and JRJR is slaving away on it. But it’s going to knock people’s socks off. 

5. We got a couple of moments with Wolverine, where all the mutants are calling him traitor. Will this series take it’s toll on Logan?

Oh, fo sho. There is a LOT at stake for Wolverine and his school here and he’s got a lot of emotions getting churned here. He may have healing factor, but he can and will get hurt.

Exciting stuff! Avengers vs. X-Men #3 is out this week! Check it out! Until next time–

Stay Bloggy My Friends,

-Raph

Midtown Comics loves doing free giveaways for all of our fabulous fans!

One lucky @midtowncomics twitter follower will have the chance to win an awesome Valiant Entertainment prize pack!

This amazing Valiant Entertainment prize pack includes: 1) X-O Manowar Birth Hardcover 1)Harbinger The Beginning 1)Archer & Armstrong First Impressions Hardcover 1)Valiant 2012 t-shirt 1) Valiant 2012 shotglass 1) Limited Edition number X-O Manowar numbered print by Esad Ribic 2) X-O Manowar promo posters

How to Enter:

1) Follow Midtown Comics on Twitter.com, winners must be following Midtown Comics to be eligible.

2) Tweet or Retweet this message AND link:

Win a huge @ValiantComics prize pack from @MidtownComics! RT & Follow to enter! X-O Manowar #1 in stores 5/2! http://bit.ly/KsvZOB

3) Wait and see who wins! Winners will be picked, contacted via Direct Message and sent their prize!

WINNER WILL BE PICKED AT 5 p.m. Thursday May  3rd!

The legal stuff:

THE MIDTOWN COMICS TWITTER SWEEPSTAKES

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.

A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. The Midtown Comics Twitter Contest (“Sweepstakes”) is by internet entry only. The sponsor of this Sweepstakes is Midtown Comics, 200 West 40th Street, NY, NY 10018 (the “Sponsor”). The Sweepstakes shall be subject to these Official Rules, and by entering, all participants agree to be bound by the terms and conditions herein.

ELIGIBILITY: THE MIDTOWN COMICS TWITTER SWEEPSTAKES (“Sweepstakes”) IS OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE CONTIGUOUS CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES, EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AS OF ENTRY DATE. Employees and their families of Sponsors, their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, parent companies, agencies and those living in the household of same are not eligible to enter or win. All U.S. Federal, state and local rules and regulations apply. By entering this Sweepstakes, entrants agree to abide by all terms of these Official Rules.

HOW TO ENTER ONLINE: You may enter via the Internet by logging onto http://bit.ly/KsvZOB (the “Entry Site”) and following the Sweepstakes entry directions. ALL ONLINE ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 05:00:00 pm (EST) on the deadline stated in the posting. The Promotion Parties, prize suppliers, and any and all Internet server(s) and access provider(s), and each of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, parent corporations, retailers and advertising and promotional agencies, and all of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees and agents (collectively, “Releasees”) are not responsible for: any incorrect or inaccurate entry information; human errors; technical malfunctions; failures, omissions, interruptions, deletions or defects of any telephone network, computer online systems, computer equipment, servers, providers, or software, including without limitation any injury or damage to participant’s or any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from participation in the Sweepstakes; inability to access the Entry Site; theft, tampering, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; data that is processed late or incorrectly or is incomplete or lost due to telephone, computer or electronic malfunction or traffic congestion on telephone lines or the Internet or any web site (including the Entry Site) or for any other reason whatsoever; changes in schedule of the Event; typographical, printing or other errors; any deposited or mailed entries which are late, lost, incomplete, misdirected, stolen, mutilated, illegible, or postage due, or any combination thereof. Proof of mailing entry, depositing entry in display at Event or entering information at the Entry Site is not considered proof of delivery or receipt. Illegible, incomplete, and mechanically reproduced entries will be disqualified. All entries become the property of the Sponsors and will not be acknowledged or returned. False, fraudulent or deceptive entries or acts shall render entrants ineligible. By entering the Sweepstakes, entrants affirm that they have read and accepted these Official Rules. The Sweepstakes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. By entering the Sweepstakes, entrants hereby submit to the jurisdiction and venue of the federal and state courts of the United States and waive the right to have disputes arising out of the subject matter hereof adjudicated in any other forum. The information obtained via the entry will be used by Sponsors and their affiliates for marketing purposes. Sponsors and their affiliates would like to use this information to contact you either by mail or email with updates about special promotions or offers.

WINNER SELECTION: the winner(s) will be determined by random selection conducted by Midtown Comics from among all eligible entries. If a prize notification or prize is returned as undeliverable for any reason, the prize will be awarded to an alternate winner in a subsequent random drawing. Prize is not transferable, assignable, or redeemable for cash. No substitution for the prize by the winner will be allowed. If necessary, due to unavailability of the prize for any reason, a prize of equal or greater value will be awarded at the sole discretion of the Sponsors.  The odds of winning the prize are determined by the total number of eligible entries received.

All Federal, state and local tax liabilities are the responsibility of the winner. Acceptance of the prize constitutes permission (except where prohibited) for the Sponsors to use the winner’s name, likeness, biography, statements, and any other similar materials for marketing, promotional and publicity purposes without additional compensation or any limitation.

LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY: Releasees shall not be liable to winner or any other person for failure to supply the prize or any part thereof, by reason of any acts of God, any action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not the action(s), regulations(s), order(s) or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure, terrorist acts, earthquake, war, fire, flood, explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, or any other cause beyond Sponsors’ sole control.

GENERAL: Entrants release and waive any claims they may have against Releasees for any and all injuries, claims, damages, losses, costs, or expenses of any kind (including without limitation attorney’s fees) resulting from acceptance, use, or misuse of any prize or element thereof, or participation in this Sweepstakes.

If for any reason this Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned, or if this Sweepstakes or any web site associated therewith (or any portion thereof) becomes corrupted or does not allow the proper playing of the Sweepstakes and processing of entries in accordance with these rules, or if infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, actions by entrants, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes, in the Sponsors’ sole opinion, corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, the Sponsors reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual implicated in such action and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend this Sweepstakes or any portion thereof. In the event this Sweepstakes is cancelled, the Sponsors will conduct a random drawing to award all prizes from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the time of the action or event warranting such cancellation. If such cancellation, termination, modification, or suspension occurs, notification will be posted at the Entry Site. ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE (“HACK”) ANY WEB SITE (INCLUDING THE ENTRY SITE) OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND/OR CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. If a dispute arises about who submitted an entry on the Entry Site, the entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail account entered. The authorized account holder is deemed the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, service provider, or other online organization that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. A potential winner may be requested to provide Sponsors with proof that the potential winner is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the winning entry and that all eligibility requirements are met.

NOTE: Internet entry must be made by the entrant only at the Entry Site. Entries made by any other individual or any entity, and/or originating at any other web site or e-mail address, including, but not limited to, commercial sweepstakes subscription notification and/or entering service sites, will be declared invalid and disqualified for this Sweepstakes. The use of any device to automate the entry process is prohibited.

Midtown Comics is proud to announce the very first iOS app for buying comics!
That’s right, you can use your iPhone to buy comics, along with graphic novels, statues, action figures, apparel, DVDs and everything else you’d find on our website. All of the power & convenience of our online store is now available in the palm of your hand, anytime, anywhere!

Download for FREE from iTunes! Save 20% on your first order using the Midtown Comics iPhone app!

Features:

• Order New Releases for Home Delivery or In-Store Pick-Up
• Pre-Order and save big with Diamond Previews online
• Search over 250,000 in-stock products
• Easily refine your results with multiple search options
• Read/write reviews

Screenshots: