"SHARE THE COMICS LOVE" WITH GAME ON COMICS!

Help GAME ON bring joy to kids fighting cancer and soldiers deployed overseas!

On FEBRUARY 9, 2013, Game On Comics will accept donations of comic books and money for distribution between St Jude's Children's Research Hospital and Veterans for Foreign Wars (VFW) for distribution to deployed troops.  Both charities serve soldiers and/or kids who would love to have a chance to escape into the world of comics that we know and love.  On February 9th, bring in any comic books you would like to donate and GAME ON volunteers collect, sort, and pack the comics for shipping to the charities.

Monetary donations are most appreciated, and will be used to pay for shipping the comics.  Any leftover funds will be split as a cash donation between St Jude's and the VFW.

Don't have comics to donate, but want to send some anyway?  Our back issues will be priced at $2 each for folks to buy and donate just for these four hours, just for this event.

Virginia's own Jamie Cosley (creator of the all ages book CODY THE CAVALIER) will be at the shop signing copies of his CODY THE CAVALIER comic, as well as drawing sketches, which will be perfect for young kids looking for a unique valentine to give their parents!

If you can't make it to the shop on the 9th but still want to help, email jr at gameoncomics dot com.

Keep an eye on your email for more special news regarding this event and possible prizes!

Volunteers to help collect, sort, pack, and deliver boxes are still needed, so please call or email to let us know if you can come help, even for an hour!

Thanks, and thanks in advance for all your help in bringing a little happiness to all of those out there that need it!

Cheers,

J. R.
GAME ON COMICS

WHAT:  Game On Comics' "Share the Comics Love" Donation Day
WHEN:  February 9, 2013, from 11am to 3pm
WHY:   Bring comics or cash to be split between children convalescing at the St Jude's Children's Hospital and U.S. Military Men and Women deployed around the world
MORE:  Call 703-242-3838 or email jr at gameoncomics dot com

Celebrating ONE YEAR at GAME ON!

Hi All!

We want to thank everyone who came out yesterday for our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY celebration!  There were games, cake, prizes, cake, sales, and cake.  By the way, did I mention cake?

We are so grateful to all of our customers that have kept us in business, and who have made us your favorite store for comics, games, and just having fun!  We are excited for our second year, and we hope you are too!

During the day, we held a number of drawings for raffle prizes, and here is the list of winners:

• Martin R. won a pair of Skottie Young lithographs
• J. Paul won a variant cover for Avengers Vs X-Men #10
• Meaghan K. won an "Infected" Batman Action Figure
• Jimmy N. won an X-Men side variant cover for Uncanny Avengers #1
• Maurice M. won a copy of the Super Showdown card game
• Alexandria R. won a Skottie Young lithograph
• Sean P. won a copy of The Monster Alphabet
• Brandon L. won a Kaijudo deck
• Rob C. won a copy of the game Lemonade Stand
• Kate L. won a copy of The Monster Alphabet
• Victor A. won a copy of the game RallyMan

Congratulations and thanks again to everyone who won a raffle prize.

Have a great holiday, everyone, and we look forward to your business in our second year!

Cheers!

J. R.

Bringing "Pulp" Fiction to GAME ON!

It's no secret that I am an unabashed fan of Francesco Francavilla, almost as much as he is a fan of the Pulp era of storytelling.  Francavilla's love of the era is on display monthly with his covers to THE SHADOW and THE SPIDER for Dynamite Entertainment.

That love of pulp noir stories will be brought to GAME ON COMICS next month with the debut of Francavilla's THE BLACK BEETLE, a five-issue mini-series featuring his creator-owned character of the same name.  The character debuted roughly four years ago as a regular feature on Francavilla's PULP SUNDAY art blog (pulpsunday.blogspot.com).

 If you are a regular reader of DARK HORSE PRESENTS, then you are already familiar with Colt City's protector, but this new series is just that - a never-before seen adventure that evokes the best of the classic Hollywood cliffhangers (or, for the younger readers out there, Indiana Jones before Crystal Skull).

If you missed the BLACK BEETLE in DARK HORSE PRESENTS, don't worry.  In December a Zero issue of BLACK BEETLE is due, reprinting the three-part BLACK BEETLE: NIGHT SHIFT, followed in January with the debut of BLACK BEETLE: NO WAY OUT.

Francavilla, who won the 2012 Eisner Award (think the Oscars of comics) for Best Cover Artist, brings the feel and look of the classic pre-comic heroes up to date, and makes it a compelling and thrilling action story.  Give us a call, or send us an email to reserve your copy of THE BLACK BEETLE today!

J. R.

Giving Relief at Game On!

This week's post was supposed to promote Francesco Francavilla's upcoming BLACK BEETLE series, but that will come later.  I'm sure he'd understand.

Starting today, GAME ON COMICS is taking donations to help those in need after the effects of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast.

Disney (and former Marvel) Graphic Designer Rich Ginter has created ART FOR SANDY RELIEF (Links: Facebook - Twitter) to help families and First Responders in the hardest hit areas.  Many of Rich's comic creator friends and their fans have stepped up and donated several pieces of original art to auction for this cause (you still have time, by clicking here, to bid).  This gives fans a chance to help out a great cause, and own some wonderful art at the same time.

For the next two weeks (and longer if need be), every time you come in to the shop and make a purchase, you can round up your purchase total to the next dollar, or more, and those monies will be given to A4SR, currently dispersing those funds to the Tunnel to Towers foundation.  Our goal is to hit $100 before the next new comic book day, so stop by and help out!

Email or call us for details, and in advance, thanks for your help for this great cause!

J. R.

GAME ON! Halloween Comic Fest COSTUMES!

First, thank you to everyone who came and sampled the offerings for the inaugural Free Comic HALLOWEEN COMIC FEST for 2012!  Due to the storm, we made the comics available beginning last Saturday, and still have some left.  Many of the offerings are previews or new stories of previous publications, including the amazing COW BOY and AXE COP, so if you liked the free previews, let us know and we can order the original books!

We also want to thank the parents who brought their kids in costume to make our first Halloween so awesome.  Some of our junior cosplayers included:

Ali, A Buffalo Bill

Johan as Iron Man (aka "Tiny Stark")

Sara, as Minecraft's "Steve"

Ethan, aka "Link"

While the Buffalo Bill would be a good choice, based solely on the fact that it's a brave choice in the heart of Redskin country, our winner of the $10 GAME ON! Gift Certificate is...

TINY STARK!

(You have to admit, that goatee is a nice touch.)

Congrats to Johan and his folks, and thanks again to EVERYONE that came by.  See you next Halloween!  (Okay, hopefully before next year, but you know what I mean.)

IT'S "GAME ON" FOR MARVEL...NOW!

Remember the news that DC was changing the game and relaunching their iconic universe?  Well, that sense of excitement and anticipation is back, for MARVEL NOW!  While Marvel is not relaunching their universe, they are shaking things up a bit, all in the aftermath of their AVENGERS VS X-MEN event.

We won't spoil anything, but if you've been following AvX then you know how much has been stirred up, and even knowing everything from the first 11 issues, there's still so much left to discover.

And yet, this is also a prime opportunity for new fans to discover the dynamic MARVEL Universe that they may have only before known from the television shows or movies, such as the mega-blockbuster AVENGERS, just released on DVD.  If you only know these characters from the films, or you've just never gotten around to reading the AVENGERS or X-MEN titles, now is your chance to get in on a *new* ground floor!

MARVEL is not only shaking up teams and characters, but creative teams as well, bringing different voices to familiar characters.  Also, Brian Michael Bendis, arguably *the* architect of the Marvel Universe these past few years, is stepping away from his brilliant run on the AVENGERS family of titles and allowing new teams, including Rick Remender, Jonathan Hickman and Kelly Sue DeConnick (who have more than proven themselves on books like Uncanny X-Force, Fantastic Four, and Captain Marvel).

So, to recap: NEW titles, CLASSIC characters, EXCITING adventures...  So what's in it for you?

On OCTOBER 10, for the whole day, GAME ON COMICS will be a headquarters for the MARVEL NOW relaunch, beginning with the release of UNCANNY AVENGERS #1!

We will open at 11am with plenty of copies of UNCANNY AVENGERS #1, including the sought-after Skottie Young variant, along with promotional materials, buttons, posters, and lots of information on the MARVEL NOW titles following UNCANNY AVENGERS.

We will also have special sales, and opportunities to win rare variant covers for UNCANNY AVENGERS and future MARVEL NOW number 1 issues!

Want to know what's NEXT for NOW?  Here you go:

October 10
 - UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 (By Rick Remender and John Cassaday): Captain America creates the ultimate super team with Avengers and X-Men working together...but will that destroy Professor Xavier's dream before it comes to fruition?
 - RED SHE HULK #1 (Aka Hulk #58, by Jeff Parker and Carlo Pagulayan): The Hulk universe shifts focus to...Betty Banner?  Yep, Thunderbolt Ross' little girl is now the strongest woman in the world, and THUNDERBOLTS scribe Jeff Parker is taking us along for the ride.

October 17
 - MARVEL NOW POINT ONE: This book will offer several short stories designed to introduce many of the new titles to readers, featuring...Nick Fury Jr?!

October 31
 - AVENGERS PLUS X-MEN #1: Another anthology, but unlike AvX VS which highlighted and expanded some of the biggest hero-fights in AvX, A-PLUS-X is the ultimate team-up book for your favorite Marvel heroes.  The first issue features Wolverine teaming up with...  Hulk?!

November 7
 - DEADPOOL #1 (Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn, and Tony Moore): Daniel Way created a very memorable five-year run for everyone's favorite schizophrenic-mutant-assassin, and now the mantle falls to Duggan and comedian Posehn, and Moore, the artist and co-creator of WALKING DEAD.
 - IRON MAN #1 (Kieron Gillen and Greg Land): Gillen starts his run with a bang, with Tony Stark having to find a cure for the lethal Extremis virus and create a new suit before it's too late.

November 14
 - ALL NEW X-MEN #1 (Brian Bendis and Stuart Immonen): After events in AvX, Xavier's original five students are plucked from the past and thrust into the middle of a new conflict, and a world they fought to make better.
 - FANTASTIC FOUR #1 (Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley): Fraction shifts from guiding one of Marvel's smartest minds in Tony Stark to its greatest families in the Fantastic Four, and he's bringing popular Spider-Man and Avengers artist Mark Bagley along to take us on a journey through the wonders of time...*and* space.
 - THOR GOD OF THUNDER #1 (Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic): Aaron, guiding the Jean Grey School in WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, takes THOR back to its medieval roots and introduces readers to...the GOD BUTCHER.
 - X-MEN LEGACY #1 (Si Spurrier and Tan Eng Huat): Legion returns following the events of AvX and fights to find his own place in the Universe.  Can he help make Xavier's dream a reality?
 - AVENGERS: ASSEMBLED #9 (Kelly Sue DeConnick and Stafano Caselli): DeConnick takes over the Avengers reins with the same dynamic storytelling that has made CAPTAIN MARVEL a hit after only a few issues.  ASSEMBLED features the movie cast in the traditional Marvel Universe, and starts off with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner competing to locate a missing scientist.

November 21
 - INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #1 (Mark Waid and Leinel Yu): Not much needs to be said about this book. If you've been reading Waid's DAREDEVIL then you know what he brings to the table.  How about this: he's made HULK an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
 - CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 (Rick Remender and John Romita Jr): Remender has a reputation for offbeat stories, and he takes over CAPTAIN AMERICA with a bang: Cap is stranded on an inhospitable world with no way home and no allies.

November 28
 - FF #1 (Matt Fraction and Mike Allred): With the Fantastic Four off saving the universe, another four are called upon to keep things safe back on earth.  If you enjoyed Fraction's take on DEFENDERS, then this book is for you.

December 5
 - AVENGERS #1 (Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena): Avengers gets reborn with a truly massive lineup, including Cap, Wolverine, Hulk and Captain Marvel.

Other new titles coming soon include:
 - THUNDERBOLTS #1 (Daniel Way and Steve Dillon bring us a new team, including Punisher, Red Hulk, Elektra, and Deadpool, so if you loved Way's DEADPOOL, you'll want this book!
 - AVENGERS ARENA #1 (Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker combine AVENGERS ACADEMY with HUNGER GAMES).
 - CABLE & THE X-FORCE #1 (Dennis Hopeless and Salvador Larocca bring the big guy back!)
 - UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 (Sam Humphries and Ron Garney relaunch the mutant black ops team with Psylocke in charge).   

Intrigued? So are we! Now, to guarantee yourself copies of these and other NOW titles, send us an email (info@, dave@, or jr@ gameoncomics dot com) or use our handy form at http://gameoncomics.com/Loyalty-Membership.html to get signed up!  Only members are guaranteed copies, plus special incentives and rewards.  We look forward to experiencing these relaunches with you, and look forward to helping you jump on board.

Thanks!

Your GAME ON! Gang: Louis, Dave, J.R., and Giahn

Introducing GAME ON's "Local Creator Showcase!"

CREATORS!

Do you live just a short distance away from our store in Vienna?  Want some help getting your comics or books out to the right audience?  Well, we love helping get new voices out there to just the right new fans, so if you want to be a part of our new LOCAL CREATOR SHOWCASE, here's what you need to know:

• If you are willing to drive to our location for a three-plus hour signing, then you're "local!"
• All creators are welcome - writers, artists, colorists, if you've created a book, LET US KNOW!
• If you are currently trying to get a publisher, but you have some sort of printed material, feel free to send us a copy, in care of J. R.  This can be posters, postcards, copies of a comic, what have you.  Just send an email to JR (at) gameoncomics (dot) com and let's get rolling.
• We don't charge to sell your books, but we do sell on a consignment basis.  When you email to let us know you're interested in having us sell your products, let us know your costs, and we will work something out.

So, it's that easy, and hopefully we can help you get more people reading your stories!  Just drop me an email and guarantee yourself a slot our growing list of local talent!

For September, we were proud to offer Pennsylvania creative duo Paul (@pabba) and Tara Abbamondi (@Tarabba) and their new graphic novel THE STOLEN LOVELIGHT.  We sold out of our initial allotment, but will have more copies in soon.  October's Showcase is:

Jamie Cosley's CODY THE CAVALIER

CODY is an all-ages humor book by Richmond, VA based Jamie Cosley, who has been self-publishing CODY online for two years.  We have signed copies of Jamie's book which was a special printing for the Baltimore Comic Con.

Jamie is a great guy, and we would love to have all of our young Game On Gang to try out this funny comic.  The humor is geared to 8-12 year-olds, but elicits groans and giggles for us old folks, too.

For more on Jamie, check out his twitter feed or his website.


Thanks for everyone's support, and we wish all of you new creators all the best in getting your creative voice heard.

-J. R. (jr at gameoncomics dot com)