Hey, Folks!

 

Well, my second big week is finally here! A new comic storyline? More mutant mayhem? The third episode of Ahsoka (yes, but not what I’m talking about)? More big key Bronze age comics coming in the door? NO! We are three days away from my first wedding anniversary with Hillman Crawford and two days away from our exciting big reception party celebrating it with a very special rededication ceremony! It has certainly been a year for me with our marriage, my move out to the country to live at Hill’s place, two of the biggest collections it has ever been my privilege to sort through, our honeymoon vacation in the Bahamas where I finally got to swim with the pigs, and many more events both big and small. The excitement has begun to ramp up this week mostly because I was feeling kinda anxious about it, but then we paid off the catering bill and I sorta settled down a bit. It looks like cooler and clearer weather for the big day and I can’t wait to have our “first dance” at the party. Also let me just say that I LOVE being married to tis guy. He is truly the best!

 

Please remember that because of the big event Monarch Comics will be closed on Saturday, 9/9. I will be off for the whole weekend, especially if I can get all my paperwork done today. Brian will be here normal ours on Friday and Sunday and everything will be back to normal next week!

 

So a weird thing happened at the store on Tuesday afternoon. I was in a pretty good head space because the party had all been paid off and my involvement had shrunk to appearing when and where I’m told AND our weekly UPS shipment from Diamond had shown up a couple of hours early. I was getting ready to start unpacking everything when the postman stopped by with a bill and a small package. He told me that the package was supposedly sent out by the store and was being returned by the US Customs for some sort of problem. Now, understand, I knew I hadn’t sent anything out of the country in years so I was very curious what the ding dong this was going on here. I looked at the package and it claimed to have “4 mini action figures” in it. Although my name was nowhere on it, the store’s name was printed in the “from” section and there was a phone number that was neither mine nor the store’s. After a bit of a struggle I got the package open and guess what? It was decidedly NOT an action figure and was instead some sort of marijuana product. I couldn’t tell exactly what because it was all vacuum sealed and I once I realized what was going on I didn’t want my finger prints on anymore of it…lol. I chased down the postman and asked him what I was supposed to do and he told me to just call the post office and report it. Well, I did it and two days later I finally got the problem sorted through and ended up just having to deliver the now opened package to the local post office. If this ever happens to you then just go to the post office and don’t bother with the phone calls. It will take more time and it will all end up in the same place. Now here’s hoping that the FBI doesn’t show up and throw me on the ground before putting a black bag over my head and disappearing me, especially when I’ve got a big and expensive party to throw on Saturday.

 

We are now at the second month in a row that Image has not had a catalog presence outside of a checklist in Diamond Previews. I have no idea if the Image catalog will return or not or if Image will start printing it’s own catalog a la D.C. and Marvel, but you can still find online information at previewsworld.com. Also, if you have any questions then Brian and I should be able to help at the counter. Well, as long as I haven’t bogarted the computer and taken it home with me…lol.

 

I haven’t changed the signs in the store yet, but I have decided to extend the Dollar Box 2 for a Dollar sale through the end of September. We still have tons and tons of Dollar Books stacking up and I need the load to be a little bit lighter as I head into the home stretch sorting through the Jersey collection. I do believe I have another 25 boxes of comics to sort through and I suspect a lot of them may end up in the Dollar Boxes…we shall see!

 

Okily dokily…time tog et to work and get all of this weekly crap done so that I can comfortably take tomorrow off. I hope that everyone has a great weekend and I hope to see y’all soon!

 

Eddie

 

 

Hey, Folks!

 

I’m a little bit behind schedule today. I know, I know…you already knew that because it is after 2 and I still haven’t got the damn sub form posted yet! Hillman and I had an early morning meeting with the caterer for our final party arrangements and, of course, the final payment. We also picked up our new suits yesterday and I do believe that covers everything except for last minute details. This has been an incredible stressful odyssey and I am now looking forward to partying down and eating cake.

 

I also want to get out there that Monarch Comics will be closed on Monday, September 4^th, for the observance of Labor Day. I know we won’t be doing much observance ourselves, but I figure that Brian deserves a paid day off.  Monarch Comics will also be closed Saturday, September 9^th, for the observance of Hill and I’s big wedding celebration. Again mostly because Brian will need all afternoon to get ready to make his glamorous appearance at our party and can certainly use another paid day off…:P Regular Monarch service will resume after all of this holiday and party silliness has ended.

 

Final note for the week is about the Image catalog situation. Apparently Image will no longer be putting their product information in Previews now that Lunar is there regular distributors. Sorry about that, folks, but that is certainly way above my pay grade. It looks like there are website links offered online to give you the whole show and I know how much most of you love that system. That was sarcasm, by the way. Anyway, obviously I will still be carrying some Image titles on the rack and will gleefully preorder any Image titles for those who ask me. I’m hoping Image will create their own catalog before too much longer when they notice the big order drop on their comics.

 

I hope everyone has a great week and I will talks at ya next week!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, here we are at yet another relatively uneventful week. It’s actually nice to be coming to the end of another five week month with yet another teeny tiny ship week. I would like to apologize for some of the books that I’ve come up short with this month, but sales got pretty skewed because of the funky shipping schedule. Also, I will cop to the fact that I totally underordered Ghost Rider because I didn’t realize it crossed over into the Wolverine comic…lol. I had also stopped ordering DC’s comics reprinting covers because of low interest, but apparently I cut the orders a bit too low and am coming up short now. Rest assured I will do my best to cough up these titles for those looking for them.

 

I am making pretty good time with the Jersey collection and only have around 25 long boxes to go. You have probably noticed all of the new stock posts I’ve been making on the store’s Facebook page in the last couple of weeks. Lots of fun keys and stuff have risen to the top, but I’d also like to stress that a lot of run filler type books have been going out into the back issue boxes. I mean, we’ve got nearly a complete run of Spider-Woman as well as some 70’s She-Hulk back issues. I just finished processing a bunch of 70’s Green Lantern, 80’s Green Arrow, and 80/90’s Flash back issues as well. I still haven’t found the Detective Comics box that I am sure is in there as well as Brave and the Bolds. I will be very glad when I get through this collection so that both Brian and I can both focus on the BG collection that has some really interesting books in it.

 

Okily dokily…it’s the end of the month and I have to finish Diamond initial orders as well as the weekly FOC orders for Lunar and PRH. I don’t think I will get to it, but I’d also like to finish the Jersey box that I started the other day which has a bunch of 80’s Swamp Thing backstock in it.

 

Have a great weekend, Folks!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Nothing much new to report this week although I finally feel like I am getting somewhat caught up with my work here in the store. At the end of the day, I’ve realized that what I have needed to do the whole time was separate my duties between what I can do at home and what has to be done at the store. Once I rearranged my schedule to accommodate those requisites then everything just snapped into place and things started to get done. You may have noticed that I have been making a whirlwind of posts on Facebook showing a bunch of the new back issues that I have been coaxing out of the Jersey collection, but understand that for every book I spotlight online there are plenty more going out into the back issue boxes that are similar if not quite as pricey as the ones I show you online.

 

Also, there are a TON of Dollar Boxes that have started to queue up in the back room which explains why I decided to have a little sale on them. For the month of August, all of the Dollar Boxes will be magically transformed into 2 for a $1 boxes! That’s right…50 cents a piece for the month just as a self defense measure so that Brian and I don’t get buried by a mountain of Dollar Box comics stacked up precariously in the back room. We will see where we are at the end of the month. I am not quite at the halfway point on the Jersey collection so I may need to extend the Dollar Box sale into September. Like I said, we will see where we end up!

 

Also, you may have noticed that we have had to put more back issue display boxes on the floor. Obviously this is because of the massive influx of back issues from Jersey. This may create the need for a big back issue sale in either September or October. Again it will mostly depend on where we are and how much space I need to clear to make room for the new stock. Stay tuned, Folks, and keep your want lists updated!

 

That’s it for me today. I have some FOC work to finish today, including my first FOC order for Image material through Lunar, and I really want to dive right in to the next box from the Jersey collection and see if anything of interest turns up rather than more Dollar Books. Stay tuned to Facebook today to see what I discover next!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

My goodness, apparently I missed a big storm yesterday! I mean, yes, it did rain out in the country where I am currently hiding out. I was in the middle of final construction of the sub form when I looked out my new windows and saw that the wind had whipped up a bit and I stood up and saw the pond was being pummeled by rain, but honestly didn’t think much of it. It really is kinda hard for me to hear what is going on outside when all of the fans and air conditioners and audio books playing and the windows all being closed. Hill got home from work and we both went out to feed the horsies their daily apples and we made the hike to the road to check the mailbox when it started to lightly rain. No biggie at all.

 

Imagine my surprise when I got up and out the door this morning and there were branches down everywhere and one of the pastures had filled up with water! There were a ton more downed branches and stuff all of the way into work this morning and then I started seeing on the news that a lot of actual trees went down and that plenty of people in the area lost power as well. On top of that it STILL 300 degrees outside. Well, I’ve got the air cranked up at the store so feel free to swing by and enjoy the cool a bit if you need to. I just happen to have tons of comics as well.

 

Can I just take a moment and be quietly thankful that the UPS strike was adverted yesterday? I hadn’t really commented on it much because the thought of it actually happening sent me into an anxiety overload. I mean, the last time UPS went on strike back in ’97 was a nightmare and I had no desire to relive it. Thanks to everyone who had anything to do with fixing the situation and I honestly hope everyone got what they wanted. Monarch Comics would not be able to function without UPS and we appreciate everything they do to make our lives a little easier.

 

I did read the X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 Special this week. Um…WHOA. It kicks off the next chapter of the Krakoa epic and it is not called “Fall of X” for nothing. It has been a minute since I read a whole comic book with my jaw hanging open and this year’s Gala bowled me over. It is no exaggeration to say that everything changes at this point. I don’t want to spoil anything else, except I did want to mention that because it had a $8.99 cover price and I have heard many times about how this new comic will change everything I will admit that I ordered somewhat conservatively on the title. We sold out pretty quickly yesterday and I do have more copies coming that will hopefully be here before the end of the week. I have a feeling those won’t be enough either so understand that I will be keeping this book in stock as long as I can because anyone who is a regular Marvel reader is going to love this new start!

 

Also, small SPOILER ALERT here. Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan makes her return in this one shot. I don’t think it is much of a spoiler as it happens as soon as the issue starts and she is on one of the covers. I won’t go into the specifics, but Ms Marvel is back in time for the new movie and the “Classified” comic that Marvel has been putting in their catalogs for the last two months? That’s the new Ms Marvel miniseries entitles “Ms Marvel New Mutant”. I’ll leave you to figure out how that connects to the Gala…lol.

 

I am still working hard at getting through the Jersey collection. The last box I sorted through was Superman titles (Adventures/Action/Superman/Superman Man of Steel) from the late 80’s-early 90’s. It started off with John Byrne reboot and goes through the death and return of Superman and a few issues beyond. It was not the sexiest box I’ve dealt with, but that’s kind of the way it goes. I just grab a box off the pile and start putting it in order and then divvying it up between back stock, back issue boxes, and dollar boxes, grade, bag, and price, and finally file them where they go. It is a process and it takes the time it takes. I have put the new back issue boxes on the counter Tuesday afternoon so if you come in the store this weekend you might want to flip through them to see what’s heading out onto the floor in a week or so!

 

That’s it for me. I should really get my FOC stuff done so that I can get into the next Jersey box. I think it is filled with New Titans, Omega Men, and Suicide Squads. Stay tuned True Believers!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Sorry for not having an EDitorial last week, but I was clobbered with customers last Thursday afternoon and I thought it was more important to just get the Subscription Form posted as soon as possible. I mean, it wasn’t even like I particularly behind with my Thursday chores, but I didn’t want to slip even a little so I just went gaily forward and got everything done but the EDitorial by the end of the day…lol.

 

I’m not sure where everyone stands on the “Barbie VS Oppenheimer” movie showdown this weekend, but Hill & I are coming down on the Barbie side. I really so want to go see Oppenheimer, preferably on the IMAX screen, but there is not time for that this weekend, so a simpler Barbie showing is what we are going for. That being said, Our friend Amy is thrilled that we are going to see it as opposed to the seemingly endless array of slimy horror films and overblown super hero flicks that we are normally hauling ass to see. I was just saying this morning that I should cosplay as a Barbie Dream House for the Sunday evening showing, but upon further reflection it is hard enough to get my fat butt into those seats without adding a two car garage as well.

 

I’m not sure what the current state is on the possible UPS strike, but it looks like the distributors are trying to get ahead of it. I kept scratching my head and wondering not why, but how, PRH and Lunar had been so successful with getting us a week to a week and a half ahead on our book deliveries, but, of course, now I understand that they are trying tog et as much stuff delivered ahead of time as possible to head off any product delays. Diamond has told us they have some plans to deal with the possible problem, but they are long on promises and short on information. I guess we will see, but I do want to take a moment and warn that even if they manage to get ahead on new stock deliveries chances are that any reordered titles are going to take longer than usual for us to get delivered. Honestly, there is really no way to tell what the situation is going to be until we are hip deep in it, but I did want to let you know that the comic industry will be affected and Brian and I will doing everything in our power to keep things running smoothly. If there ends up being a week or two with late deliveries, please remember that I am working feverishly to get more new back issue stock processed and out for sale and we are currently all stocked up on available comic supplies.

 

Speaking of the Jersey collection, the former owner was visiting from Jersey last week and dropped off a few more boxes of material that I have pretty much finished sorting through. There is a lot of new Dollar Box material out on the tables with a couple of long comic b0xes worth waiting in the wings. The current back issue boxes we’ve had on the counter for the last two weeks will be hopefully going into the back issue boxes today or tomorrow and there will be a few new boxes of back issue material that will take its place. Please remember that these boxes are being replaced regularly and you can always ask Brian or myself what is new stock.

 

Thanks for tuning in, Folks, and I hope everyone has a great weekend! I will be here in the store everyday this week save for Saturday. Hill and I have some wedding redux things to do so I won’t be here, but I will be back on Sunday!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Well, my vacation nonsense is finally over so you can expect to be blessed with my presence more in the store. In fact, Brian wants the weekend off (and who can blame him after his stupid boss took the last two weekends off) so I will be here all day Saturday and Sunday. I’m not sure yet how long I will be here on Friday, but I’ll be spending some time here then as well. Oh, goody…back to a 7-day schedule…

 

As a result of me spending more time in the store, I will hopefully be shooting through sorting the Jersey Collection as well. There is a lot of material that I have been going through that is mostly run filler or dollar box stuff, but the amount of interesting keys that I have run into has also been fascinating. The Teen Titans and the Swamp Thing issues I recently brought in went even quicker than I expected and I will admit that I am often surprised how much books are going for these days that I remember as the quarter box material from my youth. I have been more or less keeping the books I post on Facebook at the $25 or more level, but I may start posting some other titles that are cheaper just because I feel like some of you may be looking for them and that they will disappear into he back issue boxes with none the wiser. Brian and I have been discussing creating some new headers out in the back issue boxes such as “DC Elseworlds” so that some of this material will get a little more of the spotlight. As I think I mentioned a week or two ago, the current system of processing books, then displaying them on the counter for a week or two, and then filing them in back issue boxes will be continued. I have heard your comments and know you appreciate getting a loser look at this material before it goes into the back issue boxes.

 

I hope that everyone has a great weekend and get a chance to enjoy this steamy weather! I will be here at the store if you want to stop by and say “hi”!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

Another week, another fast approaching holiday! Since I stupidly scheduled two back to back weekends out of town I am once again scrambling to get things done before Hill and I take off for the wilds of rural Indiana! Yes, once again we are going to the annual 4^th of July party at Hillman’s cousin’s place. So I will be out town all weekend and will be returning to the store on Monday. Hopefully, my car will finally be repaired as well and I can let my life get back to some sort of normalcy!

 

I would also like to let everyone know that we will be open on Monday, July 3^rd, but the store will be technically closed on Tuesday, July 4^th, for the observance of Independence Day. “Wait one second, Ed, you said, ‘technically’!?!” Yes, well, I am giving Brian the holiday off especially after the great job he has done over the last two weeks covering shifts for me, nut I will be in the store for at least part of the day to get everything ready for Wednesday morning. Therefore if you REALLY need to get some comics on Tuesday you can certainly stop by and if you catch me in the store then I will gladly let you in to shop, but I do want to caution you that I won’t be on the store longer than an hour or two, so keep that in mind…😊

 

I actually have no FOC this week because of the upcoming holiday, so you may want to keep an eye on the Facebook page as I am going to try to get ready and post some more of the Jersey collection today, providing I have the time.

 

Have a great holiday weekend and please be safe while handling all of the those explosives! See ya next week, Folks!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

I’ve got a short note to you this week mostly because the end of the month ONCE AGAIN snuck up on me and I am running around like a skrull with its head cut off trying to catch up and get everything done! After I get this shipping list/sub form running then I’ve gotta get weekly FOC done (I’ve got about half of the process done, but I’ve still got a couple of hours of work to get done), and then I have to finish monthly Diamond orders. You all know how much I love doing those every month. And why is there this sudden rush to get it completed? Well, you see…

STOP!!!

BREAKING NEWSFLASH!

I was in the midst of helping a customer (Hi, Ty!) when I noticed there was an inordinate amount of fire and police swarming the area. I poked my head, but didn’t see anything, so I shrugged and went back behind the counter. The another gentleman poked his head in the store and asked if I knew the building behind me was on fire. I rushed back behind the my building and, sure enough, the strip mall behind us that has, among other things, the BMV and Sebastianos was streaming out smoke and open flames. There is currently a battalion of fire trucks hosing down the front of the building. I’m no expert, but it looks like the whole complex is toast, if you’ll excuse the pun. I also didn’t notice any ambulances so I hope that means no one was hurt.

So, anyway, I need to get all of this stuff done quicker because Hill and I are going out of town this weekend and I can’t take the work with me. We are heading down to Columbus to attend our first ever Origins! For those of you not in the know, Origins is a Game Convention that I have never attended and have been very much forward to attending for a couple of years. The Apocalypse, of course, out a crimp in my plans, but on a whim I decided to sign up and head down this year. So while I am carousing with fellow board gamers Brian will once again be heading the Ship of Industry all weekend. I’m leaving him with tons of work to keep him occupied so be kind to him this weekend. I will see everyone when I get back on Monday and then next EDitorial I can explain why I am taking next Weekend off as well…lol.

 

I’m going to go take one more quick look at the fire and then I will bolt my butt down and get this work done! I hope everyone has a good weekend and I will talk to you again next week!

 

Eddie

Hey, Folks!

 

I honestly don’t have much to say this week except for letting you know that Brian and I are steaming ahead on the Jersey collection. Brian has had to pause his sorting of the books in order to cull the back issue boxes of overstock and “dead” stock to make room for the sudden influx of new back issue material. This basically involves him going through all of the back issue boxes and pulling stuff that we have multiple copies of or items that have been sitting and languishing in the back issue boxes for a while now. Then he has to strip them of their bags and decide whether they go into the backstock boxes in the back room or whether they simply get dumped in the Dollar Boxes. Spoiler Alert…they are mostly going into the Dollar Boxes. Of course, this means you, Beloved Customers, will have another stream of new dollar comics to peruse during your visit to the store. Also, I am going to continue the practice of leaving new back issue stock displayed in the short boxes on the counter for at least a week before they get filed in the back issue boxes. I know that many of you appreciate the gesture and I will continue to do it as long as I have the room. Please make sure you stayed tuned in to our Facebook page where I will continue to display new back issues/key issues that I believe you will be particularly interested in!

 

I’ve also been meaning to discuss the recent and not so recent changes to our distributor’s business models. As of today, Lunar Distribution will be handling D.C. Comics, Ahoy, Asylum, AWA Studios, Black Mask Studios, Clover Press, newcomer DSTLRY, Mad Cave, Oni Press, Papercutz, Scout Comics, Silver Sprocket, Source Point Press, Sumerian, Vault Comics, and now, Image Comics. Penguin Random House will be distributing Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and IDW Comics. Diamond Distributors will be handling everyone else including Boom! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment, Zenescope, Titan Comics, Ablaze, and any other small press publishers. There have been a few hiccups behind the scenes here at Monarch as I work to address the changes in the marketplace, but it looks like I’m getting a pretty good handle it. Please forgive us if any more mistakes occur in the next couple of months, but I am doing y best to stay on top of the situation.

 

I’ve spoken to many of you lately about how I have been attempting to achieve a better life/work balance this year, but after taking Friday & Saturday off for a couple of weeks in a row, I realize that I have to step up my work in the store, especially considering the amount of new stock we have to deal with so don’t be surprised if you start seeing me hanging around like a bad smell this summer…lol. In fact, I do believe I will be in and out of the store this Friday and Saturday so I hope to see many of you then!

 

Have a great week!

 

Eddie