Why do we like Small Press comics?

At Game On! we strive to stock the most comic titles in the DC area per week. Of course we always carry the Big Two publishers, DC and Marvel. But, we are proud that we differentiate ourselves as carrying the most small press titles in the area! So, what does this mean for you? Well, ask yourself this: what does reading comic books do for you? For me, it is a break from the fast-paced, busy, lives we lead. For a little bit of time we get to transport ourselves to other worlds and simply have fun. There are A LOT of artists and writers out there that are doing awesome work right now! Some of these titles go on to become MAJOR hits, like the Walking Dead. Please do yourself a favor and grab a small press comic and read it. Tell us at the store what you think about it! I personally just read Vol. 1 of Charismagic and Shrugged and completely enjoyed them! Both of which have Vol 2 coming out over the next couple months. We also have a couple of events coming up in March to help introduce small press titles to our customers. Upcoming Events Game On! Comics Comic Book Club Friday March 22, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT Come join us at Game On! Comics for our monthly comic book club! Every month we will discuss comics. For the first few months we will focus our efforts on Aspen Comic's new 10 for 10 series. This is a great way to hang out with other people discussing a small press (Aspen) title and read something different. This month we read and discuss Shrugged and Legend of the Shadow Clan. Aspen Comics Exclusive Event Saturday March 23, 2013 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT We welcome TWO! Aspen comics artists to Game On! Comics for an exclusive event! We welcome Shrugged 2 artist, Jonathan Marks AND Legend of the Shadow Clan artist, Cory Smith!! Come check out the artists from 2 of the hottest comic titles out! In addition, Game On! Comics will debut its Limited edition Shrugged 2 cover that you can ONLY get at Game On! Comics.

Get LOST (VEGAS) at Game On! Comics!

There are rumors that one of the first stand-alone Star Wars films will be an adventure featuring a young Han Solo.  With all due respect to the Disney braintrust...it's already been done by Jim McCann, Janet Lee and Chris Sotomayor.

  On March 6, Image Comics will release the first of a four-issue series titled LOST VEGAS, by Eisner-Award winners Jim McCann and Janet Lee.  McCann and Lee have come a long way in a fairly short time in their comics career, culminating in the Eisner for Best Graphic Novel in 2011 for their Steampunk fairy tale RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN.  McCann, who has worked in television production and previously worked in the marketing department for Marvel, has developed into a very deft storyteller.  His current series, also from Image, is MIND THE GAP, an Hitchcockian mystery with supernatural overtones, and has become one of the best cliffhangers around.  Lee is a fantastic artist known for her adaptations of Jane Austen books for Marvel, and recently released WONDERLAND ALPHABET.  Her award-winning DAPPER MEN art was done in decoupage, a style all but nonexistent in sequential art.  McCann and Lee are old friends, and their collaborations reflect that.

However, with LOST VEGAS, McCann and Lee take readers in a very different direction from DAPPER MEN.  McCann has combined his love of heist and space adventure films to answer a simple question: instead of owing the casino money, what if when you lost everything you lost...yourself?

Con artist Roland does just that.  When he loses everything in a card game, he becomes the property of the LOST VEGAS interstellar casino.  After a few years, he believes he has finally figured out the perfect way to escape, and maybe even turn the tables on the casino owners and exact a little revenge.  With the assistance of an anthropomorphized blob of black goo known as "ink," Roland plans an escape for himself that has a simple premise: bankrupt the casino.

But that's where everything starts to go wrong when Roland becomes infatuated with the casino's main entertainment draw, the dancer Kaylex.  Thinking of Kaylex gets Roland distracted, and in trouble.  His friends don't know he's in trouble, and he's suddenly in more trouble than he bargained for.  (Did I mention Roland only has 24 hours to pull off the plan?)

LOST VEGAS is a typical Jim McCann story: the first few pages are a little peculiar, and once or twice you might wonder where the story is going, until you realize out of nowhere you've reached the end of the issue...and you're ticked!  McCann is a wonderful storyteller and flexes his cliffhanger muscles perfectly.  I didn't realize until the very end of issue #1 that he had completely sucked me in, and I don't mind admitting that waiting for issue #2 is going to be frustrating.

Along with McCann's great story is beautiful art from Lee, with colors provided by Chris Sotomayor.  For anyone who really doesn't understand what a good colorist can mean to an artist and book, pay special attention to LOST VEGAS.  Lee and Sotomayor's two page spread introducing Kaylex is just stunning, and probably my favorite image from the first issue.  Lee may only have a few titles under her sequential-art belt, but she is showing once again that her Eisner was well-earned.  Her style is perfectly suited to alien design, and Sotomayor's colors complement her designs beautifully.

LOST VEGAS #1 arrives Wednesday, featuring dual covers by Lee and Dan McDaid (artist of a previous Image series, JERSEY GODS), and continues for the following three months.  Call or email us before to guarantee your copy.

Cheers,

J. R.

(Send me an email to jr [at] gameoncomics [dot] com to reserve yourself a copy!)

"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.)