Ed Hannigan interview

Some MUST reading from Ed Hannigan about Ed Hannigan: Covered and more courtesy our pals at Atomic Comics. Read it here.

Jim McLauchlin

100 Wolverine party pics!

Back on Dec. 5, it was officially declared Len Wein Day in Los Angeles County, AND Hero Initiative had a Wolverine: Weapon X 100 Project launch event at Collector's Paradise!

You can see a buttload of pics at the brand-new PopCons.com, and we strongly suggest you check out the site regularly. It's sure to be a big hit.

Jim McLauchlin

Art Adams could be yours!

Get goin', folks! The second-to-last batch of "100 Wolverine" auctions are up and running NOW!

Jim McLauchlin

Ed Hannigan: Covered preview

Folks,
Ed Hannigan: Covered hits stores 13 JAN at $5.99 the copy for 48 pages of Ed-y goodness! Check out a couple preview pages here, and a LOT more via our pals at Newsarama, and Comic Book Resources!

Jim McLauchlin

New 100 Wolverines auctions running!

So get ye to our eBay page!
Current batch ends Jan. 4. We're talkin' Gibbons, Linsner, Trimpe, Alan Davis and MORE!

Jim McLauchlin

Happy Birthday, Stan Lee!

For time immemorial, car dealerships and mattress stores have had "Washington's Birthday Sales."

Now, in keeping with his exalted status in the realm of all things funnybook, Atomic Comics in Phoenix, AZ is having a "Stan Lee's Birthday Sale" on 28 DEC. So get you there! Special savings on Hero Initiative merch and more.

For those of you scoring at home, their website:
www.AtomicComics.com

Jim McLauchlin

100 Wolverines and Christmas!

Folks,
On WED., 16 DEC at about 1 PM Pacific time, Week Eight of the 100 Wolverines go up for auction!

We'll then be taking a li'l auction break over Christmas. Look for the next batch to start on/about MON., 28 DEC.

Jim McLauchlin

And now, 3000 words on Phil Seuling

Folks,
The new issue of Wizard, #219, is out, and on the advice and consent of our pals at Wizard, I'm running the text of the Phil Seuling feature I just wrote. Phil impresses me as a VERY important figure in comics who's largely forgotten today. It was a lot of fun to write, largely because it's ALWAYS great to chat with folks such as Dave Sim, Dick Giordano, Roy Thomas, Chuck Rozanski and more. I hope you enjoy as well.

Jim McLauchlin


TITLE: THE MAN WHO INVENTED YOUR COMIC SHOP (AMONG OTHER THINGS)
SUB: Phil Seuling saved comics, invented the direct market, and pioneered the modern comic con. So why haven’t you heard of him?

If you visited a comic store this week or perhaps hit a comic convention over the last couple months, here’s an idea: Maybe you should point yourself in the direction of a small neighborhood in Brooklyn called Seagate and mouth a word of thanks to the man responsible.

Don’t know who to thank? You’re not alone.

“He is the great unsung hero of this business,” says longtime Marvel and DC Editor Denny O’Neil. “You never hear about him any more. But it’s hard for me to imagine where comics would have gone if he hadn’t been there.”

The “he” is Phil Seuling, a hyper-kinetic, jutting-jawed trailblazer who appeared to lead the way at the perfect moment when comics was ready to explode as a business. He may have been the Richard Branson of comics, a crazy, free-spirited personality who had no qualms about trying the next idea that popped into his head, and usually had a measure of success in doing it. He was a dealer, a convention promoter, a distributor, a publisher. And in wearing these many hats, he undoubtedly shaped the landscape that is comics today.

But for all his career accomplishments and résumé points, it was sheer force of personality most remember. “Phil was larger than life,” says 35-year comic retailing vet Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics. “When he came into a room, there was hardly room for anyone else. He was bombastic; very opinionated. If Phil didn’t agree with you, boy howdy, he’d let you know. He’d tell you that you were the biggest numb-nuts in the world. Then he’d throw his big arm around you and take you out for dinner.”

That duality of personality made Phil Seuling…so very Phil Seuling. Dick Giordano served as DC Comics’ editor in chief, and attended all of DC’s distributor meetings from 1980 to 1993, where he got to know Seuling very well. “He'd jawbone you into submission,” Giordano says. “He looked like a hood, with a thrusting jaw and hard angles to his head and body. But all this hid a sharp mind, a well-honed intelligence, and a desire to improve the comic industry.”

Seuling’s improvements started when he was one of comics’ early back-issue dealers, as fandom was just starting to grow. Comic conventions started circa 1964-65. The earliest cons were really glorified swap meets, perhaps without the glory. A few back-issue dealers would gather, and a smattering of collectors would appear to fill in some holes in collections, Accounts of these early cons peg attendance sometimes at a couple dozen people. A con with 200 attendees was cause for raucous celebration.

But one dealer at these early cons kept an eagle eye on the proceedings: Phil Seuling. The English teacher from Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, NY saw a potential infrastructure. It just needed some dressing up—creator guests, booths from publishers, some panel discussions. By 1968, Seuling gussied up his first con—The Comic Art Convention on July 4 in New York. Seuling’s bells and whistles proved a huge hit, and the Comic Art Conventions grew to the point where people would refer to them by a different name—they became known simply as “Seulingcons.” And they became the standard all others would have to rise to.

“Those early conventions pioneered everything conventions have become since,” says longtime DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz. “Flying guests in was considered an absolutely radical idea. The panel, the auction, the art show, getting publishers to have a presence on the floor, these were all things that happened on Phil’s watch.”

Seuling had a store in Brooklyn—that a 12-year-old Levitz shopped at—a thriving yearly convention, and a growing number of contacts in the industry. He also had poker night. “Every Friday night, we’d play at his place near Coney Island, right at the end of the subway line,” remembers Roy Thomas, a 40-year comic writing vet who was befriended by Seuling as soon as he moved to New York in 1965. “Sometimes we’d play ’til 5-6 AM, and I won or lost $100 a time or two.”

But even when Thomas would win, Seuling was the real winner. As one of comics’ earlier dealers, well…he had the goods. “He had one room at his place that was just a wonderland of comics,” Thomas remembers. “When I’d play there, sometimes I’d stay the night, and just wander into that room at look at all the stuff. If I won, I’d usually wind up just giving it all back to Phil, because I’d buy all these old comics. He always said when I played, he never lost out—He’d get my money one way or another!”

Seuling’s colorful personality flourished. He took out tongue-in-cheek ads in fan publications bragging about his own arrogance. Having built his name and a reputation to an all-time high, he was ready to take his next step—simply revolutionizing the way comics were distributed.

There were precious few “comic stores” in the early ’70s, maybe 20 or 30 nationwide. Seuling knew there could be more. He had dealers at his conventions who dealt extensively in comics. Their problem was distribution—getting new books they needed, at a decent price. Under the newsstand distribution model of the times, comics and magazines came bundled in odd assortments, and were sold to retailers at 20% off of cover price, a low margin of profit. Retailers had the cushion of returnibility, and they needed it—no one wanted last week’s Newsweek. It was birdcage liner at best.

Not so in the burgeoning comics market. Hell, when Superman #206 came out, you wanted extra copies of Superman #205. The back-issue business was exploding, and plenty of retailers could do great in comics if they could get ready access to them. The publishers’ eyes just needed to be opened to the possibility. Enter a now 17-year-old "house fan"-slash-assistant editor at DC, Paul Levitz.

“I happened to be present at DC the day he came in and pitched it,” Levitz remembers. “[Then DC Vice-President] Sol Harrison came up to me after the meeting and said, ‘Phil has this idea for selling comics straight to the comic shops. Do you think that’s a good idea?’ I didn’t know enough to vouch for the idea, but I could vouch for Phil as a person. The comic shops were all trying to figure out how to get new comics through the newsstand distributors through very imperfect methods. So they were really used comic shops as opposed to new comic shops. It was Phil’s system that tipped that over, opened that door.”

Seuling’s system was to have the publishers sell to him at 60% off cover price. Seuling would sell to comic dealers at 40% to 50% off, doubling their margins or better. Under this system, returnibility was gone, but who cared? Remember, comic dealers wanted extra copies of last month’s Superman. Roy Thomas set up a similar meeting for Seuling with Sol Brodsky at Marvel, and as soon as he had DC and Marvel is his pocket, the rest of the publishers quickly fell in line. By 1974, Seagate Distribution, named for Seuling’s Brooklyn neighborhood, was up and running.

Seuling created a philosopher’s stone for comics—access to the books retailers wanted, in top condition, at a better profit margin. It was a trifecta that kick-started the industry. Dealers made money, Seuling made money, and new comic stores started to pop up and flourish. But the biggest winners of all may have been the publishers. “With returnibility, the conventional wisdom was that you had to print 100,000 copies to sell 30,000. It was a grossly inefficient system,” Denny O’Neil remembers. “But along came ol’ crazy Phil with this wacky idea that created the specialty shop, which carried with it a guaranteed reader base.”

Many near the epicenter of this creation of this new “direct market”—Levitz and Giordano included—will also throw credit in the direction of San Francisco dealer Bud Plant. The only problem with that theory? Bud doesn’t buy it.

“Phil Seuling was the guy who created it,” Plant states flatly. “I only slipped in there on the side. He was the guy who had the idea, and went to Marvel and DC and said, ‘This is what I want to do. I can make this happen for you. Let’s get these comics out to people who know them and understand them, and let’s get them to them at a discount that will allow everyone to prosper.’ That was his idea. The only place where I come in is that Phil and I used to work together on buying quantities of independent comics like Cerebus or Elfquest. If Phil could sell 1000 and I could sell 1000, together we’d order 2000. That was it. But the idea, the creation of direct market distribution…it was all Phil.”

The path Seuling started on as a fan as a youngster, a dealer in 1965 and a promoter in 1968 finally reached fruition. “I remember he would talk to me occasionally in the late ’60s and early ’70s about how bad the distribution was, how the market was in danger of drying up,” Roy Thomas recalls. “Newsstands weren’t as interested in a product that was only 15 cents, 20 cents. He was worried that nothing could save comics, unless there was a different distribution system. Well, he created that system. He saved it.”

Seuling set up a network of regional sub-distributors, and other distributors jumped into the fray as well. But Seuling enjoyed one massive advantage over any competition. At the time, almost all comics were printed in Sparta, IL, and if you ordered 25 or more copies via Seagate, the books were shipped right from the plant to your store’s doorstep at publisher expense. Not so with other companies. Other distributors such as Irjax, Pacific, and Glenwood got bulk shipments from Sparta, picked-and-packed themselves, and then shipped to stores. Stores got theirs quicker through Seagate. It was an insurmountable advantage.

It was also “unfair restraint of trade” for publishers not to allow other distributors the same terms. Irjax sued in 1978, and won. The sands were starting to shift, the first chinks appeared in Seuling’s armor. “His was undoubtedly the linchpin presence by which comics fandom was transformed into the direct market. His rise was meteorically swift, and his reach and control unimaginably strong,” recalls Cerebus creator/publisher Dave Sim. “But he fell victim to the hubris which accompanies all would-be tyrants like their own shadow. As the one who made the direct sales breakthrough, he had it all in the palm of his hand…and then hastened his own steep fall from the summit by trying to keep it there.”

Chuck Rozanski thought that Phil Seuling’s ultimate problem was…Phil Seuling. “Phil was probably borderline-brilliant,” Rozanski says. “But he had blind spots. Phil had faith in himself, probably too much faith. He could make errors with a shocking order of magnitude. You could sit there and argue with him and try to point out where his errors were, and not get anywhere with him. He believed in his own vision.”

Seuling’s critical error happened shortly after the Irjax suit. All distributors had to move to doing their own pick-and-pack, and one of Seagate’s employees started falling behind in billing the stores for freight. Rozanski tried to tell Seuling that he was shipping the books for free to stores, but Seuling wouldn’t listen. Over a year’s worth of shipments went out without Seagate charging for shipping before Seuling checked his records. His response? He sent all his accounts a full year’s freight bill at once.

“They walked,” Rozanski says. “Overnight, Seagate lost a huge percentage of their accounts, because Phil tried to get all this freight money at once. First he wouldn’t listen. Then, when he found there was an internal problem, he overreacted. Any other rational person would have tried to figure out a way to recover this money without losing their accounts. But Phil saw the world in black-and-white. Instead of trying to get paid over time or whatever, he just sent ’em all a bill. That was the nature of Phil Seuling. Brilliant on one hand, but so stubborn on the other.”

Seagate was starting to winnow away, as distributors including a new contender called Diamond were starting to rise. Seuling was starting to winnow away as well. He had a rare liver disorder, and was looking jaundiced, losing weight. Seuling missed one of the annual distributor meetings, and as news of his illness rippled through the room, his fellow distributors and publishers grew quiet. “It definitely cooled the ardor of that meeting,” Dick Giordano recalls. “A thin, subdued shadow of his former self showed up at the next meeting, but the fire was gone. And a little later, so was Phil.”

On August 21, 1984, at the age of 50 years, Phil Seuling died. Seagate died with him.

All that’s left is legacy, and that legacy is a massive one. “I don’t think comics history would have gone the way it did without him,” says Denny O’Neil. “And the way it did go is a healthy one. As a business, I don’t think you’d have the recognition for comics, and thus these umpteen-billion dollar comic movies. And the comic stores that cropped up around his idea created a marketplace, which could be a marketplace for anything. As an art form, comics are, by God, real capital-A Art. That’s all at least partially because of Phil Seuling.”

Dave Sim witnessed Phil Seuling’s fall, but he also recalls sending Seuling a sample copy of Cerebus #1 back in 1977, and a request that maybe Seagate might be able to move 500 copies. Seuling calling almost immediately with an order for 1000 copies.

“He was a person of boundless generosity and warm open-heartedness, larger than life,” Sim says. “For all his faults and foibles, he remains a large and significant presence in the history of the comics medium, literally the man ‘without whom….’ No one who met him or spent any time with him could ever forget him. And I doubt anyone who came to the point of parting ways with him did so without a large and enduring sense of regret at the loss.”

You should know. You should turn in direction of Seagate and mouth that word of thanks. Because Phil Seuling’s legacy lives on. “He helped popularize comics, get people interested. For people who were already interested, he helped make them part of a community as well with his conventions,” says Bud Plant. “For years, when San Diego was just a minor blip, his convention in New York was the Mecca. That’s a great effect he had as well. The stores became a meeting place, too. He built community.”

“I remember him as a friend,” Chuck Rozanski says. “And I remember him as sort of a flawed genius. He created so much good in his lifetime that none of us collectively can thank him enough for the great things that he did.”

Hero at Golden Apple Shindig, 12 DEC!

Los Angeles' Golden Apple is having its holiday party this Saturday, Dec. 12, from 11 AM-5 PM. And we're encouraging the heck outta you to sign up for a 2010 Hero membership! Sign up at Golden Apple, and the first 25 people to sign up for ANY membership ALSO get a free $5 gift card for Wowio.com!

And the first five people to sign up for SILVER membership at Golden Apple get a $5 Wowio.com gift card, PLUS a Whilce Portacio 1-character sketch on a special Hero Initiative board!

Plus, our pals from Top Cow, BOOM! and more will be on hand, so a splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Jim McLauchlin

Wolverine and Wowio!

Those of you in the L.A. area will MOST definitely want to hit Collector's Paradise Comics and Gallery in Winnetka, CA on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 PM. We're having a "Wolverine 100" signing with Joe Benitez, David Bullock, Christian Gossett, Scott Koblish, Danny Miki, Chris Moreno and Aaron Sowd!

And did we mention Wolverine co-creator Len Wein will ALSO be there? It's true!

And hey—first 20 people to buy a Wolverine 100 Project book during the event will ALSO get a $5 gift card good for e-books at Wowio.com. Just an extra bonus ’cause we love ya!

So be there, cause if you're not, I'll be watching. And I know where you live.

Jim McLauchlin

Gene and the Propeller Beanie

PreviewsWorld.com recently posted an interview they had with Gene Colan. Check it out here:
Gene Colan: Comics "Iron Man" — The Complete Interview

Wolverine 100 party in Phoenix!

The flier pretty much says it all! Get thee to Atomic Comics on Dec. 12! And as always, all glory and honor be to Tone Rodriguez!

Jim McLauchlin

Now with added Garbowska

We sent out PR, and mere moments after, MORE creators confirmed for the Paradise Comics "100 Wolverine" signing on Dec. 2. In addition to Dale Keown, Leonard Kirk and Ken Lashley, please welcome:
Agnes Garbowska
Francis Manapul
Marcus To

Life just gets better, eh?

Jim McLauchlin

Membership for sale and Sale for Membership

A new model has arrived – The Hero Initiative Membership Drive Extraordinaire!

And what a blast it was. On Friday evening Nov. 6^th, from 6-10pm, I put on my Hero Initiative official T-shirt and headed down to “The Comic Bug” in Manhattan Beach, (a two-time Eisner-nominated retailer) where they were hosting the first annual Hero Initiative Membership Drive night. The way it worked was patrons paid a $25.00 entrance fee for which they received the normal $29.00 Hero Initiative Bronze membership and the goodies that normally go with it. But in the words of that illustrious duck Daffy, “That’s not all folks!”

Attendees were also treated to a feast of many kinds. There was of course food and beverage, from Sushi to cookies, to wine and beer. And then a feast for the eyes, (he is a devilishly handsome chap but that is not what I am talking about), The magnificent, the one and only Tim Sale was there all evening signing autographs and gave away to each attendee a limited edition print which of course he signed on the spot. In addition he produced an original ten minute sketch for each of the fortunate first 10 heroes who bumped their membership up to the $99.00 Silver level.

As if that wasn’t already enough to make you kick yourself for missing out, Mike and Jun of the Comic Bug slashed the price of everything in the store by 50% for all those new hero members. Way to support the cause, guys….!!!!!

Membership cards were printed up on the spot by my friend and fellow volunteer Julie and each member had their picture taken for the Hero website and will be entered in the Hero Initiative drawing to receive free goodies.

And of course, Tim's buddy Richard Starkings showed up as well.

So while this event may have passed you by faster than the Flash, mark your calendars down for fall next year and join in the fun for the 2^nd Annual Hero Membership Drive event which will be going strong nation wide and is sure to be another winner.

Susan Wiggly Weyl

Hero Initiative wants your Ed Hannigan art!

HERO INITIATIVE WANTS TO BORROW YOUR ED HANNIGAN ART!

The Hero Initiative is putting together an Ed Hannigan art exhibit to be shown at a museum in early 2010! As Ed has kept only a few of his own originals…we need your help!

If you have any Ed Hannigan art you can loan us for the exhibit, please contact Jim McLauchlin at: jmclauch@aol.com . We'd need to get the art in-hand by December 15, and can return it to you by April 30.

Jim McLauchlin

Carlo Pagulayan's Wolverine cover

The Wolverine: Weapon X 100 Project book is at the printer, and alas, Carlo Pagulayan's GREAT cover will not be part of it—it came in too late owing to Philippines flooding and all.

But it will soon be available for auction, and deserves your eyes to peep it now.

And thanks, Carlo!

Jim McLauchlin

Challengers Comics Art Show, Chicago!

November 13-15, the mighty Challengers Comics in the equally mighty Chicago will be holding an art show and sale, with a portion of sale proceeds going to Hero Initiative! Be there!

Lotta stuff for sale, a few pieces just for show. What constitutes "lotta"? Glad you asked…

For Sale:
ORIGINAL COMIC PAGES
Brian Michael Bendis - Fire #1, page 1
Bryan Lee O'Malley - Scott Pilgrim Volume 2, page ?
Cameron Stewart – Seaguy #1, page 12
Chris Burnham – Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special, page 6
Christopher Mitten – Wasteland #8, page 12
Cliff Chiang – Beware The Creeper #1, page 2
Dustin Nguyen – Detective Comics #850, page 28
Evan Dorkin - Generation Ecch spot illo/chapter heading
Fred Hembeck – Ambush Bug #3, page 7
Greg Land - Black Canary/Oracle #1, page 9
Gregory Titus – Syn #2, page 10
Gregory Titus – Wings of Anansi, pages 32 & 33 (double-page spread)
Howard Porter - JLA #16, page 1
J. Adam Walters – Marvel Comics Presents #86, page 30
Jamal Igle – Nightwing #131, page 6
Jeff Moy – Legionnaires #30, page 12
JG Jones – Wonder Woman Hiketeia page 63
Keith Giffen – Son of Ambush Bug #4, page 26
Kerry Callen – Halo & Sprocket #2, page 2
Kerry Callen – Halo & Sprocket #4, page 30
Kerry Callen - Halo & Sprocket #?, page 13
Marcelo Frusin - Hellblazer #180, page 20
Mark Bagley – Ultimate Spider-Man #102, page 11
Michael Gaydos – The Pulse #14, page 11
Michael Lark – Captain America #2 page 3
Michael Lark – Gotham Central #15, page 13 (pencils only)
Mike Norton – Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #20, page 22
Mike Weiringo – Sensational Spider-Man #8, page 12
N. Steven Harris – Aztek the Ultimate Man #4, page 15
N. Steven Harris – Aztek the Ultimate Man #6, page 21
N. Steven Harris – Aztek the Ultimate Man #8, page 11
N. Steven Harris - Aztek the Ultimate Man #8, page 17
Nate Bellegarde – Atom Eve #1, page 11
Nate Bellegarde – Atom Eve #1, page 14
Nate Bellegarde – Atom Eve #1, page 17
Nate Bellegarde – Atom Eve #1, page 18
Norm Breyfogle – Prime/Captain America, page 11
Olivier Coipel – Avengers #65, page 16
Phil Hester - Foot Soldiers #5, page 22
Phil Moy - Legionnaires #29, page 11
Pete Woods - Robin #87, page 20
Pete Woods - Robin #88, page 5
Rafael Albuquerque - Superman Batman #51, page 11
Pop Mhan - Spyboy/Young Justice #2, page 6
Pop Mahn - Spyboy/Young Justice #3, page 12
Rafael Albuquerque - Superman Batman #51, page 11
Steve Dillon - Preacher #59, page 17
Steve Epting – Captain America #25, page 29
Steve McNiven – Amazing Amazing Spider-Man #546, page 23
Takeshi Miyazawa – Mary Jane #1 page 8
Tim Seeley – GI Joe #19, page 2
Timothy Green II – Starlord #3, page 13
Tony Akins – Jack of Fables #2, page 3

SKETCHES
Alex Maleev – Captain America
Brian Michael Bendis - Spunky Todd head (with Goldfish)
Dan DeCarlo – Betty Cooper
David Lapham - Amy Racecar head(-ish)
David Mack – Kabuki
Evan Dorkin - Manny, Moe and Jack (Hectic Planet) full-color
Evan Dorkin - Halby & Blue (Hectic Planet)
Frank Kurtz - Creepsville
John McCrea – Hitman
Larry Welz – Cherry
Matt Feazell - Zot 10 1/2
Mike Parobeck & Rich Burchet – Batman
Mike Wieringo - Spiderboy head
Neil Vokes - Jonny Demon head (with song lyrics by Kurt Busiek)
Paul Guinan - Heartbreakers Queenie head
Phil Hester - The Wrestch
Phil Moy - Triad (Legionnaires) head
Richard Case - Robotman
Rob Schrab - Scud
Sarah Dyer - Action Girl head
Steve Remen - Him (Lethargic Comics)
Terry Moore – Francine & Katchoo
Zander Cannon - Replacement God head
Zander Cannon - Thiudmir (Replacement God) head

For Show:
Alex Ross - Justice page
Bill Sienkiewcz - 30 Days of Night page
Glenn Fabry - Hellblazer #82, cover painting
Lee Bermejo - Hellblazer #136, cover painting
Tim Bradstreet - Hellblazer #238, cover
Simone Bianchi - Astonishing X-Men page

Jim McLauchlin

Oh, we forgot to show you these?

Alphabetically, that's Adams, Arthur; and Adams, Neal.

The whole sheebang will shown via Marvel.com and a few other Websites in a few days. Auctions to start via eBay.com probable last week in October/first week in November.

Jim McLauchlin

Stan Lee Day in L.A.!

The Hero Initiative arranged with our friends in county government to have Friday, Oct. 2 declared "Stan Lee Day" in Los Angeles County. This certificate the County presented Stan is just too cool for words.

Big ups, as the kids might say, to the mighty Harlan Wenig, who knows how to make the wheels of government turn.

Jim McLauchlin

All your Wolvies, one convenient place!

It's been a labor of love and shipping, but we have at long last assembled our 100 original Wolverine: Weapon X #1 covers and invite you to…The Danger Room at the Long Beach Comic Con!

The fest kicks off Friday, Oct. 2 at 5 PM at the con, room 204. Admission is a mere $5, $3 if you come in an X-Men costume, FREE if you show up dressed as the ol' Canuckelhead himself. Admission gets you one free raffle ticket to win a KICKASS (but empty!) wine bottle crafted by the amazing Karlton Hahn at Xena Etched Graphics. You can increase your chances by buying more raffle tickets on site.

And our friends from The Comic Bug will be on hand as well to spoil you with coupons and stuff.

This will be your ONLY chance to see all 100+ covers in living color and all their glory. ’Til the book comes out in November, that is.

And when will the covers be up for auction? Check eBay.com, late October!

Jim McLauchlin