Like the Flash to St. Louis

I had to take a quick trip to St. Louis today for an appointment and on the way home our route took us by two comic book stores. Naturally, stops had to be made.

Until today I hadn't been to The Fantasy Shop, but I'm glad I stopped by their location on Manchester. Here's a shot of the back entrance (I was happy to find free parking. I'm sort of parking scarred after previously living in LA).

I was there to buy comic books, but of course the gaming aspect had me hooked when I got inside. The selection of pen-and-paper RPG books was amazing. I spied the superhero RPG series Mutants and Masterminds which will be forming the basis of the new DC RPG line and had a quick look through the system, but there was more to see. Everything from gaming gear like dice to a nice selection of board games. The store was a good size, but not huge, and it was full of a lot of great items without seeming even a bit crowded or overwhelming. I was constantly finding great things and the arrangement of the store lead to easy browsing. I didn't even make it through the back issues or the t-shirts because I was distracted by the wall of comic books!

The best thing you can say about any store of this nature is, "I had fun while I was in there" And I did! I also picked up some goodies, of course.

The one thing I was searching for was the new Birds of Prey. Due to a mix-up I wasn't able to get my copy of it Wednesday. Well, this series has been a HOT item. I've seen numerous updates online of it selling out all around the country. It was no different in St. Louis. This location didn't have any. The manager graciously offered to have a copy delivered from another store, but since I was only in St. Louis for today that wouldn't work. He gave me directions to Star Clipper, a store I had been to before, but I wasn't sure how to get to from Manchester.

We left the store with intentions of returning on our next trip to St. Louis. Outside the sky was turning the dull blue of a very grumpy storm system, but we soldiered on. It turned out to be insanely easy to drive from Manchester over to Delmar.

Our last stop was Star Clipper.
Once again, this is a store that makes you feel happy. It's a very different vibe than the gaming/comic combo that I am more used to, but it's full of an very extensive selection of graphic novels, comic books and fun items. There was a veritable wall shrine to the Scott Pilgrim series and it was a delight to behold.

At last, I picked up a copy of BIRDS OF PREY! My mission was complete. We drove home in a torrential mess, but it was well worth it.

Always Looking Ahead

Yesterday I reserved a copy of Lego Harry Potter for the Wii and bought advance tickets for a friend of mine (Master Justice) to see the midnight showing of Iron Man 2 with me.

Today aside from picking up a few titles I set up a subscription at Castle Perilous (the ultimate geektastic store) for Birds of Prey and Zatanna.

I live very much in the moment and I'm glad that the things I enjoy give me something to look forward to and help me to look to the future every once in awhile. I might end up just playing games or drawing all day instead of thinking ahead! (It doesn't hurt that a lot of this stuff costs money, which reminds me to budget).

There is something inherent to geek culture that encourages anticipating the future. We are always waiting in lines for something to open or to get an autograph. The things that we adore invariably get some kind of pre-order hype and that's part of the fun.

Some of my best memories are the conversations that happen or the things I get to observe when waiting in line for stuff like WoW expansions or even going back to the past, the time I camped out all day to see Jurassic Park. Speculating on the content of upcoming title releases makes for good discussions and often leads to analyzing past stories. For instance today at Castle Perilous I talked to the guy working there about Marvel's Girl Comics versus Her-oes What we were engaging in is the same kind of intelligent analysis that goes into literature critique in college classrooms, but it was right there in the midst of the culture.

To infinity and beyond!

It's Fishnet Friday!

Every Friday we will celebrate the sexy fashion accessory fishnets, whether it be in stocking form or worn on the upper body as gloves or undershirts. It's fish on Fridays for us! (Forgive me).

We might think of goth or punk fashion when it comes to this look, but fishnets are a great accessory that seem to enhance the appearance of one's body. Sexy stuff. What do fishnets give to the characters that wear them? Confidence, disarming the enemy, and a nod to the inner nature of the character's personality are all possible reasons to add fishnets to one's wardrobe..

Today we will honour the DC character, Black Canary. Future installments will look at characters (of any gender) across a broad spectrum of games, comics, manga and film that happen to rock some hardcore fishnet goodness. I'd also love to have readers submit their own geeky use of fishnets whether worn for a Rocky Horror Picture Show celebration, a con, or hell even playing games at home. If you are a geek we want to see your fishnet pride!

Golden Age Cover Art (Right Image)
Artist's Website (Left Image)
©2010 *windriderx23

Black Canary is one of the older group of female comic book characters and premiered in 1947. Since then she has appeared in numerous story lines, in her own books, and as a part of the excellent series Birds of Prey. Black Canary is two characters, however, Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Lance, the current Black Canary.

As you can see fishnets play an important role in Black Canary kicking ass. Happily, we will see more of the Dinah's adventures as she returns in the Gail Simone headed Birds of Prey.

I would love to include the Ame Comi figure of Black Canary, since I love that line of manga styled DC characters, but she's not wearing fishnets! We'll save her for a future post.

In the meantime get ready and subscribe if you haven't to the new Birds of Prey that is coming out May 12!

Image copyright DC Comics http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?cm=14709
*I want to note that this series is inspired by a friend who started wearing fishnets on friday!*