Team Superfriends|Fighting the good fight

Emerald City ComiCon is March 13-14 this year, featuring such mind-blowingly excellent guests as Leonard Nimoy, Wil Wheaton, Stan Lee, and Geoff Johns–not to mention dozens of other comic creators, major publishers, and much more!

Not going to Seattle this year? This is your chance to get an up-close-and-personal tour of Emerald City ComiCon 2010! TFAW.com will be going up there with our trusty camcorders, and as part of our Choose Your Own Adventure event, we want you to tell us who to interview, what panels to cover, or anything else you’d like to see!

We did something similar for SDCC last year, and not only did our viewers enjoy it, but we had a really great time as well! So go ahead and check through the media guests, special guests, Saturday and Sunday panels, Artist Alley, and the exhibitors at EC3 this year and either post your suggestions below before the show, or Tweet us @TFAW with the hashtag #TFAWEC3 during the show!

We’re also going to revive something that we really enjoyed doing at SDCC: the super-nerdy Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Interview! We will have a list of 20 questions and some 20-sided dice. We will let our victims (er, subjects) roll the dice five times: whatever number they land on is the number of the question they have to answer. These questions range from comics-specific queries to the most off-the-wall things we can think to ask–if you have a question you want answered, go ahead and post it below!

So let your imagination run wild, and we will try to cover all the people, comics, and events you want!

Hey kids! Think you could be the next Dave Stewart? Prove it by entering our Coloring Contest and adding a little oomph to the cover of Blackest Night #8!

You can either pick up a copy at one of our three Oregon locations, or print out a pdf right now. Color it to your heart’s desire and either return it to the store by March 31, 2010, or mail it to:

Things From Another World
Attn: Coloring Contest
10956 SE Main Street
Milwaukie, OR 97222

The best part? Legendary colorist Dave Stewart (Hellboy, Umbrella Academy, Detective Comics, New Frontier, et al) is helping us pick the winners! Three runners up will each receive a set of seven Blackest Night Rings, while the grand prize winner will get the first six issues of Brightest Day (#0-5) FREE!

For complete details, click here.

So, who’s raring to color? Where are my crayons? Post your comments below!

New Reviews of This Week’s Releases!

Aloha! We took a break with Wednesday New Releases, but we’re back and goofier than ever, as you can see from our dance routine at the beginning of this video. Today, Josh and I take a look at Girl Comics #1, First Wave #1, Buffy #33, Chew #9, Detective Comics #862, X-Men: Hope #1, Green Hornet #1, and Kick Ass!

CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S ARRIVALS

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Questions? Comments? Post them below!

Every month, we choose a few outstanding product reviewers and send them free stuff as part of our Product Review Contest. There were a bunch of great product reviews last month, but it was pretty easy to pick three winners. Their reviews stood out:

Ryan reviewed the Siege: Prelude TPB and here’s what he had to say.

Good cross-section of titles, from what will go down (in my opinion) as an interesting chapter in Marvel continuity. “Prelude” features quick but sophisticated stories and some amazing artwork, especially in the New Avengers Annual #3!

I loved the inclusion of the classic “End of the Green Goblin” two-parter from 1960s Amazing Spider-Man. The “Warriors Three” story, at first looking silly, turns out to be a well-written, witty little treat. I’m not sure if everyone will, but I got a copy of “The Origins of Siege” with my Prelude order.

This TPB doesn’t spoon-feed the reader with exactly why certain titles are included, but some inclusions become obvious after reading the first issue of Siege. Not a bad buy if you’re getting back into comics (like I am) right before Siege.

Luke from Oregon wrote some really cool reviews for Abe Sapien, B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs, and the new Supernatural series to name a few. He was by far the most prolific reviewer this month, and we appreciate his opinion.

Here’s what he had to say about Abe Sapien:
One wonderfully suspenseful and creepy comic. While not nearly as good as “The Drowning” it still deserves a 5 star rating. It is a good old fashioned demon/haunting detective story highlighting Abe’s deductive strengths as part of the BPRD. Check it out.

Last, but certainly not least, Ian from the Bay Area had some positive and negative reviews for us last month. Check out what he had to say about Spider-Man: One More Day TPB.

This is an abomination and quite possibly the worst idea in comic history by having Peter Parker who is known for doing whats right no matter what MAKING A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL that makes him give up his marriage with MJ to make Aunt May feel better… and if you still want to read this after that then there is no hope for you…

All three of this month’s winners will get $25 TFAW gift certificates to pick up anything they want! Thank you to everybody who submitted product reviews last month and congratulations to the winners.

As always, we’re choosing our product reviews carefully, so please don’t submit duplicate reviews or submissions from other merchant websites. You don’t have to like the product to snag a winning review, so feel free to rant or gush.

So submit your reviews and help your fellow collectors, and us, sort out the “HOT” from the “NOT”! Who knows, you may be one of next month’s winners.

HOW TO SUBMIT A PRODUCT REVIEW:
It’s simple! Just visit any product page and look for this:

Click on it and our product review form will appear in a popup. Just fill out the pertinent information and submit your review, and you’re done! We’ll take a look at your review and get it up on the product page soon thereafter!

There’s also a really easy way for you to call up everything you’ve ever ordered from us and review it. Simply log in to your account and go into the Order History Section. Next to each item, you’ll see a “Review it!” link.

Questions? Comments? Let us know below!

The latest entry to our weekly raffle of signed comics and graphic novels is something music and comics lovers will go crazy for: a copy of the variant edition of Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 signed by Gerard Way!

This variant edition features a cover by Gerard Way, making this an especially awesome prize. To enter, go to one of our three Oregon locations: you’ll receive a raffle ticket with every purchase. You can also sign up for our newsletter–all subscribers will be automatically entered in our weekly raffles!

New to Umbrella Academy? Conceived and written by My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way, this series features interior art by Eisner Award-nominated artist Gabriel Ba (De:Tales) and colors by Eisner Award-winning colorist Dave Stewart. The cover art on this special variant was done by Gerard Way himself!

Once, the Umbrella Academy was unstoppable. Under the tutelage of their guardian and mentor, Dr. Reginald Hargreeves, its members spent their childhoods fighting evil and honing their extraordinary gifts.

Until something went terribly wrong.

Now, nine years later, the estranged members of the Umbrella Academy are reunited by the death of the only parent they’ve ever known and the rise of a new and terrible threat. Will they be able to overcome their history for long enough to save the world-one more time?

Did you know that in 2009, an average of 75,000 children per month ate meals from an emergency food box in Oregon and Clark County, Washington? That’s why we’re organizing a food drive this March benefitting Oregon Food Bank.

Our goal is to collect at least 500 pounds of food this March: as an incentive, for every canned or non-perishable food item you bring in to our stores, you’ll receive a raffle ticket. The prize: a $500 gift certificate to Things From Another World! There is no limit–bring as much food as you can carry to our three Oregon locations!

Oregon’s most vulnerable residents are often the hungriest, including the elderly and children, so be a hero today!

Here are some guidelines from Oregon Food Bank:

Most-Needed Foods:
• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, and salmon, etc.)
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruits
• Canned and boxed meals (soup, macaroni & cheese, etc.)
• Peanut butter
• Canned or dried beans and peas (black, pinto, lentils, etc.)
• Pasta, rice, cereal
• 100% fruit juice (canned, plastic, or boxed)

Oregon Food Bank Cannot Use:
• Rusty or unlabeled cans
• Perishable items
• Homemade items
• Non-commercial canned or packaged items
• Alcoholic beverages, mixes, or soda
• Open or used items

So go ahead and check through your cabinets–every last item helps–and bring it to our three Oregon locations today!

Questions? Comments? Post ‘em below!

Did you know that in 2009, an average of 75,000 children per month ate meals from an emergency food box in Oregon and Clark County, Washington? That’s why we’re organizing a food drive this March benefitting Oregon Food Bank.

Our goal is to collect at least 500 pounds of food this March: as an incentive, for every canned or non-perishable food item you bring in to our stores, you’ll receive a raffle ticket. The prize: a $500 gift certificate to Things From Another World! There is no limit–bring as much food as you can carry to our three Oregon locations!

Oregon’s most vulnerable residents are often the hungriest, including the elderly and children, so be a hero today!

Here are some guidelines from Oregon Food Bank:

Most-Needed Foods:
• Canned meats (tuna, chicken, and salmon, etc.)
• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruits
• Canned and boxed meals (soup, macaroni & cheese, etc.)
• Peanut butter
• Canned or dried beans and peas (black, pinto, lentils, etc.)
• Pasta, rice, cereal
• 100% fruit juice (canned, plastic, or boxed)

Oregon Food Bank Cannot Use:
• Rusty or unlabeled cans
• Perishable items
• Homemade items
• Non-commercial canned or packaged items
• Alcoholic beverages, mixes, or soda
• Open or used items

So go ahead and check through your cabinets–every last item helps–and bring it to our three Oregon locations today!

Questions? Comments? Post ‘em below!

New Reviews of This Week’s Releases!

Wow! I got so excited about Avengers vs. Agents of Atlas #2, I stepped off my stool today to give you an up-close look at this slice of superhero goodness! Josh and I also profiled the new Bettie Page GelaSkins, Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows #3, The Stand: American Nightmares #4, Siege: Dark Avengers #14, KOTOR #50, Uncanny X-Men #521, and Supernatural: Beginning’s End #2:

CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S ARRIVALS

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Questions? Comments? Post them below!

Another awesome X-Men: Second Coming teaser image from Daniel Acuna has been released–check it out:

That is quite the group shot! Can you name everyone? Who’s the girl to the left of Storm–Kitty? She looks a little too young, but Hope keeps being depicted as anywhere from 5 to 25, so who knows? By the way, nice costume, Storm!

If you haven’t already, check out our X-Men: Second Coming page and pre-order every issue for 20% off! You can also view all of the previous X-Men: Second Coming teaser images right on our blog!

This is shaping up to be quite the family affair, eh? Who are you surprised to see here–and who’s missing? Post below!

Best-selling novelist William F. Nolan (Logan’s Run, Seven for Space) will sign at the Hollywood Things From Another World at 4133 NE Sandy Boulevard Wednesday, February 17 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. to promote his new comic book series, Logan’s Run: Last Day, with Bluewater Productions.

Logan’s Run depicts a dystopian future in which population growth is controlled in a horrifying manner: when people turn 21, they are scheduled to die. The only alternative is to try to outrun the tireless “Sandmen,” whose job it is to catch and terminate anyone who tries to escape. But when a Sandman turns 21, will he lie down and die . . . or run? Logan’s Run: Last Day re-imagines the classic trilogy and continues with all-new adventures. The new ongoing series, written by Hollywood screenwriter Paul J. Salamoff with art by Daniel Gete, is a terrifying look at a world gone mad.

Bluewater Productions plans to publish three comic-book series with Nolan. In addition to the iconic Logan’s Run, Bluewater’s new franchise will also include another of his timeless novels, Seven For Space, and an exclusive new title that Nolan will create specifically for the publisher.

“I’m excited to be partnered with Bluewater on this latest trek with Logan,” said William F. Nolan “It has the potential to be a successful new chapter in the Logan saga. Logan lives!”

Logan’s Run: Last Day will be released Wednesday, February 17, 2010–make sure to stop by our Hollywood Things From Another World location that day between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. to say “Hello” and meet this sci-fi legend!

Are you excited to meet William F. Nolan in person? Who out there has read the original Logan’s Run? Post your comments and opinions below!