Comic Book Columnist Wanted

Bookslut is looking for a new Comic Book Columnist.

Here are some ideas I'd like to see fleshed out:

The Comics Don't Need No Stinkin' Narrative Column
The Men in Tights are Creepy Column
The Why Can't Comic Artists Draw Anymore Column
The What Comic is Now a Movie Column
The I Haven't Read Comics in a Long Time But I Still Like to Give My Two Cents Column

We're #4!

comicbestsellers, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

Somehow we missed this fun little factoid from Entertainment Weekly a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, Fart Party is #4 on the trade comics bestseller list.

In other comic news, the magical Michael Cera IS Scott Pilgrim!

Obamahead

photo from streetcarnage.com

Lemmy can't vote for a US President but Motorhead has written a tribute to Obama.

Rock Band Competition FAQ

rockbandcompetition, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

We've been asked many questions about how this competition will go. So here are some clarifications:

1. It's $5 for your band to play per song. It's all for our charity - Moveable Feast.

2. One person bands are allowed. But you must play at least 2 instruments. I mean, come on.

3. Sign up will only take place that night. So the earlier you get there the better. It starts at 7pm.

4. You can play in more than one band.

5. You can play the songs on any level you choose.

6. DLC songs will be available for play as well as the standards.

7. Songs will be chosen AT RANDOM for your band to play. But don't worry, songs that are too short or too long have been taken out of the pool in order to keep the score potential fairly even.

8. The winning band is determined by the highest band score.


Any more questions?

ETA: Yes, you can bring your own guitar.

The Complete Peanuts (Vol. 9)

The Complete Peanuts 1967-1968 (Vol. 9) by Charles M. Schulz, originally uploaded by fantagraphics.

Coming soon!

First Panel 6

mybrainhurts, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

My Brain Hurts #7 by Liz Baillie.

Wonder what kind of beer that is?

What's Wrong With Indiana?

Indiana has passed a new law that requires bookstores that carry adult materials to register with the state and pay a fee so they can track your business.

"I think this is very hypocritical," said Elizabeth Barden, owner of Big Hat Books on the Northside. "On the one hand, we feel a need to censor ourselves, while on the other hand, we are spending our tax dollars to free the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people."

Barden said the law could potentially cover "just about any coming-of-age novel and books on health, hygiene and human sexuality."

Fight it Indiana!

Crumby Crumb

r crumb(s), originally uploaded by Rakka.

Portrait of Robert Crumb...made out of crumbs!

See more awesome portraits here!

Dogwood's New Bar!

The Dogwood Bar is now open!

Bar and small plates available weekdays till 10 pm, Fridays and Saturdays till midnight.

Wednesdays Are Comic Book Day

I could hear geeks all over the country moaning at the first few sentences of this piece on Morning Edition this morning on comics.

And the rest didn't get much better:

"They care much more about two-dimensional people than they do about three-dimensional [ones],"he says of his comic fans. "You can evoke ire that you've never dreamed of in TV."

Consider my ire evoked!

Protesting Bad Art

His name is Don., originally uploaded by sidewalk flying.

Click on the photo for more info.

Fashionable Comics

Comics go in and out of fashion all the time, but have they ever been literally fashionable?

Yes, Paul Pope and James Jean are working with DKNY Jeans and Prada, respectively, but now even comic artists and fans are getting a spread for their "look" in The New York Times.

I suppose the struggle to be taken seriously and being noticed is now over and we're in the early jumped the shark stage. We can all just relax and go back to reading and enjoying comics without the chip on the shoulder, even reading them in public without shame at a sidewalk cafe. Get over it already.

Maybe we can even stop calling them "graphic novels" to bury the comic stink.

What Makes Susan Sarandon So Awesome?

Eliot's Mid-Life Crisis, originally uploaded by acorn.reindeer.

Well, for one, she's very well-read.


Yes, she's reading our Fart Party in that photo.

Easter Sunday

Both Atomic Books and atomic POP will be open from 11am - 3pm this Sunday!

Men We Love By Bust

menwelove, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

Aw, we DO love these guys!

First Panel 5

allweeverdoistalkaboutwood, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

All We Ever Do is Talk About Wood by Tom Horacek.

I don't know how many times I've said those very words to Benn.

Rock Band Competition

rockbandcompetition, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

For the next First Friday, we're having our annual fundraiser for Team Atomic & Ride for the Feast, a bike riding event for Moveable Feast, a non profit organization that delivers meals to people living with AIDS and cancer.

This year it's a Rock Band competition! Bring your band, form a band there with other players, or sing and play an instrument by yourself! The winning band wins a $100 Atomic gift card for each member!

There will also be raffles at the event for various awesome goods:

Rock Band for the 360 Xbox, donated by the good people at Harmonix, the creators of Rock Band.

A 3 game pack for the 360 from Big Huge Games.

And more!

Feel free to contact me for more information!

Fox 45

controversy, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

They look serious, but it was all for fun, even though it was VERY early in the morning. What's more fun than live local television?

atomic POP was on Fox 45's Morning Show this AM, with Benn and a bunch of the artists in the show.

Monday Review - Happy St Patty's

Benn read Secret Lives Of Great Authors by Robert Schnakenberg:

This is the sort of bathroom reading type trivia book that I get addicted to and bring out of the bathroom and carry around with me until I finish. Featuring a who's who of the literary canon, Schnakenberg finds trivia and dirt on many of our most beloved authors (a few surprises even for English majors like me). By the end, you come to the realization that many of our greatest authors were anti-semites (even the Jewish ones), racists, alcoholics or drug addicts, adulterers, had some sort of mental illness, and a sexual perversion. In the long run, it really has no impact on the great works they left behind, but the reading is tawdry and fun. There is also a lot of room for a sequel as there seems to be a lack of great writers born after World War II. Oh, and a bibliography of some sort would lend nicely to the credibility here.



Maggie comments on Naked Girls Smoking Weed:





Lauren channels Dalek's Space Monkey Qees:

CCRG vs. RMRG

CCRG vs. RMRG, originally uploaded by epmd_derby.

Yay! We won!

Upcoming Events - Spring Almost Sprung

Vinylmore is up until the end of the month over at POP. You may see us on Fox's morning show next Tuesday about it...

Tomorrow night we have Mikita Brottman over at POP, reading from her new book Solitary Vice. Starts at 7pm!

And for April's First Friday, we're having a Rock Band competition for Team Atomic, a fundraising event for Moveable Feast!

More details to come! Get ready to rumble.

Maggie's iPod

maggiespod, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

When Maggie came in today she found that Eamon had placed her nano in the circle.

First Panel 4

serenitypanel, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

From the new Serenity mini series written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, art by Will Conrad.

Maybe Whedon should just have his own comic book publishing company already.

Your iPod

Maggie, your iPod is unacceptable. Please take it home.

Solitary Vice Reading

solitaryvice, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

This Friday at atomic POP, author of The Solitary Vice, Mikita Brottman, will be reading as well as bringing some artwork featured in her latest book.

Starts at 7pm!

Hi, Liz!

lizprince, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

Liz Prince dropped by while she was in town. She's got a comic coming out this Spring by our new nemesis, Top Shelf - the collected Delayed Replays.

First Panel 3

serviceindustry, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

Service Industry, by T. Edward Bak. This is what it looks like when a mini goes maxi.

Someone Lose Something?

Ye Old Treasure Map, originally uploaded by Mobtownshank.

This map was left in the store. By someone.

More Vinylmore

A little more Vinylmore preview with Raven Baker's article in the City Paper.

Come see the toys in person on Friday!

Baltimore

Philly's mayor is having a Wire Finale Party. Where's ours?

We're #1 (most underrated city)!

And what exactly is Malkmus singing about in "Baltimore"?

Reading Clubs

This month's Shank Reading Club pick is Mental Floss! 10% off for the month, with the discussion on the last Wednesday of the month over at POP at 7pm.

And we'll be resuming our Buffy Reading Club next month! Remember, new issues come out the first Wednesday of the month, and we meet over at the Hon Bar, at 7pm.

Zombie Self Portrait

zombieselfportrait, originally uploaded by sugarfreak.

by Stuart Spengler


Vinylmore, our first art toy exhibit, opens at POP this Friday! 8pm!

You can check out some pieces here. More photos are still coming!