First, here is some not-so-fun news from John:

“Unfortunately, Inflation has come to the comic book shop. Starting on February 13th, Carol and John’s Comic Book Shop will no longer be offering a 10% discount to file customers. This is not a decision we came to lightly. We are very much a “The Buck Stops Here” type of operation, but we thought we would give some insight about how we came to this conclusion.

1. This decision is a direct result of the increased cost of shipping as well as the cost of getting comic books from three distributors, as well as a handful of publishers. At the start of 2020, all books came through Diamond Comics Distributors, and our discount reflected that. By the third quarter of 2021, Marvel Comics started coming through Penguin Random House, and DC Comics through Lunar Distributions, while most other products still come from Diamond. We also order directly through numerous other publishers, such as Scholastic and Simon and Schuster.
2. After reviewing our books for 2022, the cost of goods has gone up 14%; in some cases, such as Diamond, the cost of shipping can be an additional 15%. Diamond’s shipping practices are near criminal, and an unrelated example is a pack of 100 backer boards costing $6.00 just to ship, which is why we use BCW when possible.
3. In addition to the cost of goods, the cost of processing those shipments has gone up. More staff is needed to check in the books from the three major distributors each week to get them into your file. Publishers do not have a universal ordering and invoicing system. Each week, we must deal with multiple shipments arriving on different (sometimes random) days and format them into our system to prepare them for you on Wednesday. We need to be able to pay our staff competitive wages to make sure they stick around to keep this process operational.
4. We love our customer base, and we want to continue to provide a full-service comic book shop. Many things we do are not cost-effective, but we do them anyway to get the books you are looking for into your hands whenever we can. We know that this mentality is also healthier for our big picture.
5. We are waiting a month to make this change so that everyone has time to adjust their file accordingly. They do not need to feel that they ordered a book under the impression it was discounted when it will not be. It also gives everyone time to find a different service elsewhere if they feel they need to financially, and we understand that. We do, however, believe we provide the best service possible and are worth the discount elimination.
6. We likely should have done this at the beginning of last year, but we tried to make it work for one more year. Healthy back issues sales at the beginning of 2022 helped us to hold off on this decision, but as the market has cooled a bit and we have a clear picture of 2022 in its entirety, it is time to go forward.
7. To be clear, we are not in any trouble of going out of business; we are, in fact, doing this to keep ahead of this situation. We have been around for over 32 years, and we have gotten good at seeing the writing on the wall. From Marvel’s near bankruptcy in 1996 to the global financial crisis of 2008 to the pandemic of 2020, we have figured out a way to stay viable by responding to the state of the industry and the market.”

And now, onto the fun news!

This Thursday, January 19th, from 8 pm to midnight, it’s Late Nite Comics! We’ll have 50% off back issues (not including wall books) and SEVENTY long boxes of 50-cent comics! Marvel! DC! Small Press and Indie! This is the last chance for these books before they make their way into retirement at Uncle Todd’s farm in PA! Refreshments will be served, and we’ll be spinning vinyl!

And speaking of back issues: John has been putting new wall books out from some new collections, and there are a bunch of new back issue boxes on the table. We’ve added three new dollar boxes to check out, and Ben added even more discount graphic novels!

Just in time for the new trailer drop!

Look at this precious lil baby! He comes with all his choking hazards! So tiny! So cute!

And here’s The Mandalorian Season Three trailer if you haven’t checked it out yet:

MARVEL COMICS

We had Ant-Man; now, from writer Al Ewing and artist Kasia Nie, it’s time for the Wasp! Janet Van Dyne and her stepdaughter and fellow Wasp, Nadia, are threatened by an old enemy who may not be fully in control. Now the two women must confront the ghosts in their shared history to solve this mystery.

Marvel Tales spotlights fan-favorite characters, features timeless stories, and highlights talent from Marvel’s past in each issue. Issue #1 is Avengers Two: Wonder Man and the Beast #1-3, written by Roger Stern with art by Mark Bagley, first published in 2000. A buddy story set in California, as Beast tags along with Wonder Man while he tries to pick up the pieces of his life and make amends. His return to L.A. is not unnoticed by former adversaries, and trouble begins when the Living Colossus attacks the city. Can these two save the city while burying the ghosts of Wonder Man’s past?

DC COMICS

Bane broke the Bat, but he’s also a broken man. Living as a wrestler, he relives his greatest accomplishment every night by defeating someone dressed like Batman, but his past haunts him. When he hears that the drug Venom is back, he will do whatever he needs to shut down the facility for good and make sure that no one else is poisoned by the drug that controlled his life. Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter expand on the regrets and hopes of the legendary villain.

The world of Superman is changed forever in Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton. Written by Nicole Maines, C.S. Pacat, Frank Barbiere, and Leah Williams, with art by Skylar Patridge, Scott Godlewski, Sami Basri, and Marguerite Sauvage, this collection of vignettes from in and around Lazarus Planet finds the Earth’s protectors from Krypton hit hard. Dreamer’s visions may guide the heroes to victory. Jonathan Kent is having a bad day with the effects of the Lazarus Volcano. Mercy Graves is transformed and is forced to fight beasts with knife tails. Power Girl must free herself from the out-of-control Omen.

Celebrate with writer Tom Taylor and artists Bruno Redondo, Rick Leonardi, Scott McDaniel, Mikel Janin, and Javier Fernandez as Nightwing hits the milestone issue #100! Take a look back through the decades at what made Nightwing a beloved hero, and then, with Heartless creating a lair in Bludhaven, Nightwing sets up a headquarters of his own, with the help of some friends of course.

SMALL PRESS COMICS

Based on a true story? The Maniac of New York has finally been stopped. As the city celebrates, Detective Zelda Pettione tries to move on, but her life is suddenly so empty she almost wishes the Maniac was back. But be careful what you wish for. Writer Elliott Kalan and artist Andrea Mutti return, bringing with them a new Maniac!

New Image nine-issue mini-series, Immortal Sergeant, from Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura, begins on the eve of Jim Sargent’s unwelcome retirement. Grizzled, hard-drinking detective Sarge catches a break on the murder case that has haunted him, but now he’s forced to drag his son Michael along, or risk losing the lead.