I Just Like What I Like...

This is a comedy bit from Patton Oswalt's stand-up bit about George Lucas & Star Wars. It's pretty funny. Enjoy (courtesy of Jimsmash)

Backpacks & Other Star Wars Stuff

Let me first start out this post by letting you all know we're having a Backpack Blitz sale at Neptune! On Friday August 29th all day you can bring in your backpack and get 20% off everything you can jam in there (except new comics). PLUS you can get 50% off of all back issue comic books. So plan a stop at Neptune Comics as part of your back to school shopping and save big. If you come in with a particularly interesting backpack, like the one above, Craig might even take your picture.

The above backpack is one of many Star Wars products that might make you scratch your head. That movie has generated MASSIVE amounts of merchandise. Since there are many people who will buy ANYTHING Star Wars it doesn't matter how silly the merchandise is, the maker will sell at least some of them. And who can blame them? If I could find a magical pot of gold that was full every time I went to it, no matter how often and how much I emptied it or filled it with crap, I'd hang onto that little pot of gold. To celebrate that, I'm posting images of a variety of unusual Star Wars themed items. Enjoy!

Thanks to jimsmash for a number of them!





Lamps, in case you can't tell...
Cookie Jar
Flash Drive

Star Wars Fans - Time to get a Wii

The Wii lightsaber game that's been rumored for quite some time now is revealed:



Can you wait until November? Might want to get the Wii now and pre-order the game once you get the chance. We spent our money on the PS3, a TV upgrade, and a new computer, so no Wii for us - so I'll have to live vicariously through everyone else who gets the game and brags about how much fun it is.

Busy Weekend!

Not much rest this weekend! As you should all know, Saturday was Free Comic Book Day. We left the house around 7:30 am on Saturday and had to pick up the cake, get some breakfast and coffee, and head to the store where we had to rearrange all of the furniture in order to make room for the free comics and loads of people. Around 10 am the 501st gang started to arrive to change into their Star Wars attire and we began to cut the cake. A line became noticeable outside the store at 10:30 am, and they started getting restless by 10:50.

At 11 am the doors opened and eager shoppers poured in to get comics, both free and not free, and enjoy the cake and see the Star Wars characters. Unfortunately the weather was bleak - it rained on and off for most of the day, finally getting sunny around 7:30 pm (we closed at 5 pm). So the 501st folks had to stand under the awning by the store instead of being able to wander around, and those looking at the items we put outside were cold and even a bit wet when the rain really came down. The store was completely packed from 11 am - 12:45 pm and then you could finally walk from one end to the other in less than five minutes. That's not to say it was empty, it just was not as full. At about 4:45 we thought we'd had our last store visitor leave, but right before we closed at 5 another bunch came in for last minute purchases.

Free Comic Book Day is usually our busiest and best day of the year, and this year was no different. After counting the cash and totaling up the day's sales, we were happy to announce that this was our best Free Comic Book Day yet, in spite of the bad weather. Then we had dinner with some friends and finally went home to relax.

Early to bed meant early to rise on Sunday for the Oconocon. We got breakfast, went to the storage unit, and then drove out to Oconomowoc for the convention. Set up was fairly quick for us, since we didn't sell anything at the convention. Then we got to talk to all kinds of great comic book people. People like Jim Krueger of Justice and Project Superpowers - who should be coming in for an in-store signing this August. Craig got two new sketches for his sketch book - we'll have to upload those this week sometime. After the con wee had a quick dinner with Sean McKeever, Mike Norton, and Chris Burnham.

Then we had to head out to the Majestic Theater to see Iron Man. We enjoyed Iron Man quite a bit. Fun, action packed, clever movie that should be the standard for other superhero films. No Hulk cameo though - that was either cut or just a rumor, unless someone else was able to spot it, but I didn't see it at all. You have to stay through the long credits to the end of the film, of course, to see a little teaser about the future of Iron Man. By the time we got home it was 10 pm.

Now the weekend is over already and we haven't even done laundry or done the grocery shopping for the week. But it was a fun, comic book filled weekend.

Check out the weekend in photos on Flickr, here.

When the Democratic Party Meets Star Wars

Here's what happens...

Click on the image to open in a new window if it does not animate.

Win a Custom Lighsaber!

And all you have to do is read a comic book and enter the contest. The contest is to promote Ape Entertainment's "Brave New World" comic book.




"Ape Entertainment’s critically acclaimed comic book Bizarre New World returns in April 2008 with a 48 page follow up titled “Population Explosion.” To help promote the new book, writer / creator Skipper Martin is giving away ONE (1) HAND-MADE CUSTOM LIGHTSABER, created just for this contest by Robert Iannaccone of Advanced Light Weaponry (www.advanced-light.com) valued at $500! The saber itself is (to quote Robert’s site) “painstakingly hand crafted to be a functional piece of sci-fi artwork. I specifically designed my blades and hilts for full contact dueling stresses. They are bright, and perfect for martial arts or fight choreography dueling.” This saber also has a built in sound system for added realism, and a removable blade so it can be worn on a belt as a costume prop!"

Sounds & looks pretty cool (see photos above). Click here for details on how to enter the contest. Contest ends 2/18/08, so don't delay!

Star Wars Fans Rejoiced!

This is a lightsaber controller for the Wii. It is a third party accessory that is sure to be a HUGE hit, especially after the Star Wars: Force Unleashed comes out for the Wii in the spring. It is $31 plus shipping from play.com.

Details here
Buy here

Waukesha Christmas Parade 2007

xmasparade 07 whole group
Originally uploaded by llopacinski

Last night we were in the Waukesha Christmas Parade and sponsored a float that featured the Droid Builders Legion, the Rebel Legion and the 501st Legion Midwest Garrison, plus we had a few others in costume that are not part of these groups but still wanted to show off their awesome costumes. Complete Towing of Waukesha provided the truck and got the music to work properly.

We were towards the end of the parade, #93, so while the parade started at 4 pm we didn't move until well after 5 pm. It was dark by the time we stepped onto Main Street, which was cool for the float and light sabers, but not that great for taking pictures. Check my Flickr page to see the batch.

It went off fairly smooth. People loved the Star Wars folks - Chewbacca (who was Craig) and Darth Vader were fan favorites. We gave out tons of free comic books and Star Wars Pocketmodel samples and still ran out way before the parade route had ended. A couple of costumes acted up while we marched, and the group got fairly spread out as we walked along the route, but everyone seemed to have had a good time.

If we do it again next year I think I'll bring a big thermos filled with hot cocoa to help keep people warm. And we will know that we need at least twice as many comics to give away.

Thanks to EVERYONE who marched with us in the parade, and to Complete Towing for helping us out. Thanks to those that stood along the route in the cold waving and smiling as we all walked by.

Participants, (list courtesy of Sara Caldwell of the 501st)

501^st:

Dan Patterson 787 - TK

Phil Zeman 2720 - Clonetrooper

Trent Thornton 585 – Commander Deviss

John Quirk 5122 - TK

Frank Wileman 9156 - TK

Leslie Andrich 1463 – Sith Shade Verago

Beth Johnson 5852 – Snowbunny Padme

Sara Caldwell 3881 – Admiral Daala

Kevin (?) - TK

Chris (?) - Vader

Rebel Legion:

Beret Balestrieri Kohn – Hoth Leia

Deidra Culp – Episode III Padme

Alan (lukewan) and daughter – Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Padawan

Family and Friends:

Jody, Megan, and Matthew Patterson - banners

Carrie - banners

Bob Kohn - banners

R2 Builders:

Craig Smith

Would You Like Some Pepper On That?

Check out these cool R2-D2 & R2-Q5 pepper grinders. I think it'd be better if they were a salt & pepper shaker set, but you could put the coarse salt in one and grind it.


You can buy them here, but don't plan on them for a Christmas present as they won't hit the market until late February.

* Thanks Jimsmash!

R2-D2 Speakers - for the Geek Who Has Everything

As the holidays approach I'm here to share gift ideas. Sometimes you just don't know what to get the geek in your life and you are looking for something new and different. Well, if your geek is a Star Wars geek, here's an idea, courtesy of Engadget: R2-D2 speakers.

I doubt they have big sound, as they look fairly small. But, they do look cool! Bigbadtoystore.com has them for the low price of $39.99

You Think You Can Write Star Wars?

Being in the geek industry, I have heard MUCH criticism of Star Wars, especially the newer movies.

Well, if you think you can do better, here is your chance. According to Entertainment Weekly, George Lucas is actively looking RIGHT NOW for writers to work on the live action Star Wars show.

Send your resume to Lucas Ranch right now! I'm talking to YOU Jimsmash!

What ever happened to...

Stacy Hedger



She's got the moves.

Ralph McQuarrie - Only 2 Per Case

Customer, "When are you guys getting more Star Wars 30th Anniversary Figures in?"

Craig, "I don't know when the next set is coming."

Customer, "I'm looking for the earlier sets."

Craig, looking at the large display of earlier sets of Star Wars 30th figures, "We've got a bunch over here, which ones are you looking for?"

Customer, "I need the McQuarrie Chewbacca and Boba Fett."

Craig, sighing, "We're all sold out of those and won't be getting any more."


The point of this story - to let people know that we only get a couple of each figure in a case of these Star Wars 30th Anniversary Figures. We can't keep ordering them if we're only going to sell two figures, the McQuarries, per case. We just can't afford it. And we don't get to order a case of McQuarries. So, if people don't buy the others we've got, there won't, because we can't afford it, be MORE of them. And I highly doubt that if we sold the McQuarries for the cost of the case of figures, in order to cover our losses, that people would buy them.

When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master

This past Sunday Craig got a small group of people together at the store after we closed to play the new Star Wars Miniatures set: Alliance and Empire. It was kind of a new minis release event, plus a little bit of Happy 30th anniversary Star Wars.

I have only played the Star Wars minis game once before this. Craig loves it and plays every month or so with a couple of guys who buy minis here. And once he wanted to test out some stuff so he asked me to play the game with him.

Typically I don't like to play games - I grew up playing very few. And, I tend to be a bad winner and a sore looser. Often if I loose a game once or twice I won't play anymore. The one time Craig had me play Star Wars minis I lost, and haven't played again since, until last Sunday.

The game was a booster draft - meaning that people got a couple of boosters of the Alliance and Empire set and opened it right there and had to make a 120 point team out of whatever they got inside those boosters. This helps out people like me who don't play that much because we don't have to worry as much about being "out teamed." Most people who opened packs didn't get any really strong pieces, so there didn't seem to be one person who had such a good team that they'd be able to crush everyone else. In fact one guy seemed to get two of the weakest and most useless pieces there are in the set: Spirit of Obi-Wan and Wicket. (yes, I'm talking about you, Jeff) There were a couple of other people at the game who don't play the game a lot, or at all, so that also helped even the playing field.

It was a three-round game and believe it or not, in the last round I was in the championship playoff. It's really all thanks to that Han Solo piece you see in the picture to the front left - he's a great piece. I ended up loosing the playoff to a guy who had a lot more experience playing than I had. Although if Craig had called the end time about 10 minutes sooner, before my opponent had KO'ed my Han Solo, I think I'd have won. I even beat Craig! Which, believe it or not, he's excited about because he suspects that, having won, I'll be more willing to play in the future.

The group we played with was fun - they were pretty laid back and didn't mind giving people like me who didn't know much about how to play the game, a little bit of time and assistance. And the game is pretty cool. The pieces are very detailed and this is the 30th Anniversary set so there are a lot of nice pieces that show bits of Star Wars during those early years. I was trying to get out of having to play (Craig kind of volunteered me) but afterward I was glad I did. It was really a lot of fun.

Star Wars Stamps

Did I mention yet that the USPS is making Star Wars stamps? Well, it's true. They've really been generous with us comic book "geeks" lately, with DC stamps last year and now Marvel stamps coming AND Star Wars stamps.

You will also notice that the price on these stamps is $.41. Yep, another postal rate hike. Anyone want to make a guess as to when we'll hit $.50?? I'm saying April 1, 2010. They're also making a "forever" stamp that will have no price and people buy them at the current rate and can use them even if the prices go up. While this might sound good at first - locking in a rate and not having to buy $.02 stamps every time the raise the price, there is an unintended consequence - this stamp also makes it easier for the postal service to raise rates because they don't have to make new stamps every time and supply the $.02 stamps.

Anyway, back to Star Wars stamps. They look REALLY cool and you can vote on your favorite by clicking here.

They are also making Star Wars envelopes for their Express Mail services. You can buy pre-paid 3-packs starting April 6th. This is smart of them - having to also buy the postage will prevent people from just taking the free, cool looking envelopes. Click here to see what they look like.

Star Wars Legos

Craig is totally in love with Star Wars Lego's, and it's easy to see why. Who would think you could build a Millennium Falcon or Star Destroyer with little bits of plastic squares (sure, they do have other shapes too...). This year's new Star Wars Lego sets were shown at the Toy Fair. It looks like some pretty cool ones - the Falcon and AT-ST are awesome. Even though we make next to nothing on these, I'm sure we'll have to buy them for the store. Hopefully either Diamond offers them again in the Previews like they did last year, or maybe the Lego rep would bother to return our call.

Click here to see some great photos of the Star Wars Lego's. Multiple pages again, so click through, and click on any you want to see closer.

New Star Wars Figures

Toy Fair took place this weekend in New York. (expect lots of toy news this week) One of the new toys Hasbro was showcasing is a new Star Wars set based on the upcoming next-gen video game, "The Force Unleashed." There were some new characters in the set! Click here to see them all.

We don't order a lot of new Star Wars toys, mainly because we can't compete with mass-market stores like Walmart and Toys R Us on price. On occasion we'll pick up some, because we've GOT to have some Star Wars figures.

Rants

I'm a bit under the weather lately - got some kind of bad cold. So, it's made me a bit surly and I feel the need to rant about a couple of things.

First: Stores that break the "rules." LucasFilms has an embargo on all Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith(ROTS) related merchandise until April 2. You've probably seen signs in some local stores announcing that the products are coming April 2. Some retailers are even having midnight hours the night of the 1st so that they can get people in to get the stuff quickly. Many retailers, including us, have some of the merchandise already, and will be getting even more in next week. We've been told in no uncertain terms NOT to sell it until April 2. But, some stores seem to feel that it's ok NOT to follow these directives. Many folks have bought ROTS toys in some more isolated WalMart stores, and ROTS books have recently been selling on Amazon.com and some local book stores. Sure, it's probably a mistake. But it's a mistake that makes it hard for me to do business. I follow the rules because, frankly I have the real fear that Lucasfilms or Dark Horse could fine me out of business or close me down, or keep me from ever ordering the stuff again. These big stores have a LOT more money than I do, so they're not as scared. And I don't think Lucasfilms can afford NOT to sell their merchandise to these large retailers. Do I blame people for picking up the stuff early if it's available? Not really - people are excited. But it's money out of my pocket - money that keeps me in business.

Rant #2 - What is it worth to you?
What's it worth to you to keep a great local comic book shop in your town? Is it worth $3 or even $10 out of your pocket each month? I ask because recently I had someone tell me they're going to start getting a few of the handful of books they have us pull for them each month directly from Marvel comics, instead of continuing to get them from us. This is not someone who gets 20-30 comics each month, this is someone who gets 9 Marvel titles each month. Not all of these will be available for subscription, probably about 1/2. Marvel Direct lets people buy books for $2 - $1.83, depending upon how many you subscribe to, regardless of if the title costs $2.25 or $2.99. Lets just say this guy gets all 9 books on subscription, and they all are $2.99, and he gets them for the lowest price of $1.83, it costs this guy an extra $10.44 each month to get them from me. Now, keep in mind that he can probably only get 1/2 of the books from this subscription service, bringing his monthly savings down closer to $5.22 each month. That buys you MAYBE one meal at McDonald's! Now granted, loosing his $5.22 each month won't put us out of business. But if 100 of my subscribers follow suit - that's a loss of over $500 from my bottom line each month! It starts to make a bid difference now! Sure, I don't blame people for wanting to save money. And if there wasn't a great store in town that you enjoyed shopping at, you may as well have your comics sent to you. But this guy often comes in 2 or more times each week, and says how much he enjoys the store. He spends time here talking about a variety of things, and it seems that we both enjoy the relationship. We've gotten a few subscribers who have come from mail-order houses to us, because they like us and our store. We've had people come from other comic shops that give discounts to them (we have other monetary benefits we offer, but not in the form of a discount on books) because they like us and our store. If you want to keep the "good guys" in business - if you want the store you like to shop at in business, by all means SHOP THERE! Don't start ordering your stuff online because its cheaper. Sure, if they can't get it at your favorite shop, look around. But if they have it, is it really worth it to put them out of business for a few bucks a month? People spend more on a "nice" car than a "Junker" they spend more on Starbucks coffee than Speedway brew they spend more for a 4-bedroom house with 2 baths and a garage than they do for a 2 bedroom city bungalow with street parking. Sometimes you pay more for better! What's it worth to you????