Hobbystar Toronto Comiccon: Fan Appreciation show.

This weekend is the Hobbystar Toronto comiccon. If you are coming down it is $10 on the Saturday and free on the Sunday if you picked up a voucher at your local comic store.

As with the last con I'm going to write a couple of posts when I'm not getting autographs or shopping for back issues.

I have a dozen or so books to get signed. I also have a couple of sketches lined up. I won't say what sketches I'm getting as I want to keep it a surprise.

I'll also try to take some pics with my phone to show what the atmosphere was like.

Stay tuned.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Silver Snail: A Toronto Icon

If you are a comics collector living in Toronto and have never been to "The Snail", you have been living under a rock!

General Info.

The Toronto Silver Snail store (there is also one in Ottawa) is located at 367 Queen St. W (between Spadina and John St.), on the south side. The store is fairly large with 2 floors of great merchandise. How long the store has been around is beyond me. I do remember that they used to have a store at Yonge and Eglinton, where my mother would take me when I was a young lad and in my infancy of collecting comics. I miss that store as it was smaller but still a great shopping experience.

Selection

Well, with 2 floors you should expect a good variety of "stuff" to buy. The first floor is pretty much dedicated to comics. The 2nd floor is mostly action figures and collectibles. I do collect some action figures so the 2nd floor does add some value to my visits. A couple of years ago I was able to pick up the 2nd set of LOST figures at a fairly good discount.

The 1st floor is actually 2 sections. The front section has the cash register and some toys and other fun things. There is a hall that leads into the back half of the store; in that hall there are some display cases with higher end collectibles including some Kidrobot items.

The back half houses the comics. There are plenty of back issue bins to browse through and a good selection of current issues. Everything is easily accessible.

Cleanliness

The store is nice and clean. Something you would expect from a big player in the comic scene.

Customer Service

Service is both good and bad. On past visits to the store, I have encountered staff that really couldn't care about you except the money in your pocket, while others went out of their way to ask me for help.

Pricing

I really can't comment on the pricing, as it has been awhile since I was in the store. My guess is they are in line with most stores out there.

Misc.

I should mention that Silver Snail does have a booth at some ComicCons. They had a fairly large presence at the Hobbystar ComicCon last April, but I found they were selling more toys and action figures than comics. I did buy a couple of Kidrobot Dunny's from them, so they did serve a purpose at the show.

Overall

Like I said, Silver Snail is a Toronto Icon. I guess if you are a first time collector, it is a good first stop to experience the comic scene, but the store does have a "big company" kind of feel. I will go back to the store for nostalgic reasons, but once a year is enough for me.

February 1st Toronto ComicCon--Full Review

I know it has been almost a week since the Toronto ComicCon, but other priorities have taken up my time (namely a baby and work). Finally have found a moment to give my take on the Toronto ComicCon, put on by the wonderful folks at Hobbystar.

I arrived at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre around 10:45am to find a lineup of around 200 people. Spent most of the time writing my first blog post and listening to the person in front of me have a conversation with the person behind me. This was my second convention, so I'm still not used to running into the vast array of people that show up at these events. Makes for an entertaining day!

Once inside, I made a beeline to the back of the room to line up for Kevin Maguire. The wait wasn't too bad, and I was able to get my Batman Confidential and Robin II books signed by him in no time. Apparently Kevin wasn't in the greatest shape as he was recovering from some food poisoning that he picked up before arriving in Toronto. A funny side note, the Robin II book was the last one in the pile, and he made a funny sigh when he signed it. I guess he's not a big fan of that cover! LOL!

After I was done with Kevin, went back outside to see Marcio Takara. Some of the guest artists were set up outside the room, which made it easier to talk to them. A fellow collector friend was telling me before the show that Marcio was the artist working on the new Incredibles comic coming out from Boom! publishers. Of course being a Disney fan, I had to ask for an Incredibles sketch, which he was more than please to oblige.

Next to Marcio was Kurt Lehner. I was admiring his wide variety of work when I noticed on his poster behind him a Gargoyle. Of course, that prompted a conversation, where I found out that he was the initial artist on the animated series. He told me that he created the original characters based on outlines provided by Disney. That meant I needed a Gargoyles sketch from him. Again, not a problem!

Once I was done talking to some of the artists, it was time to hit the sellers tables to look for some back issues. I had no problems finding most of my priority items. I will say the room was kinda difficult to navigate because of the size of the crowd. There were a couple of large sellers that had a lot of $1, $2 and $3 long boxes. I really wasn't in the mood to go diving as I was on a mission to find specific issues.

The 2 sellers that I did well with was Myths Legends and Heroes and All New Comics. I have bought from All New Comics online before. They are a really great bunch and I learned very friendly. I was able to pick up some great $1 back issues that were all from the last couple of years.

After a couple of hours, I was pretty much out of money (I actually left with some in my wallet) and done looking for other books. I went back to see Marcio and Kurt to see if my sketches were done, but they both needed some more time. I took a small lunch break (ya, fries aren't really lunch). I wandered the room for a little while and took stock of my purchases.

Kurt was the first artist complete and let me tell you the wait was worth it:

Truly a great piece!

Marcio need a little more time, but his was also a great addition to my collection:
Next show will be the 2 day ComicCon/Fan Appreciation event April 18th and 19th, again put on by Hobbystar. Can't wait.

Toronto comic con part 2

So just winding down my time at the show. The crowd was pretty big. Apparently bigger than the November show. Was able to pick some back issues that I have been looking for, for awhile.

I'm waiting on a couple of sketches. The Incredibles one from Marcio and a gargoyles sketch from Kurt Lehner. Found out that he did the original TV series for Disney. I will try to have some scans of the sketches soon.

I will also have a full report of the show later this week.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Toronto comic con

I'm going to attempt to do some live blogging today.

Just arrived at the show. Waiting in line to get in right now. Line is moving kinda slow so far.

1st task is to get Kevin Maguire's signature on my books. 2nd task is to get an incredible's sketch from Marcio. He is working on the Boom! Series coming out in March. Wish me luck.

More to come later.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

The Comic Room: The Benchmark

So before I get into to many details, I want to state that my review of the following store is a little biased. I know, not the best way to kick off my reviews. The Comic Room is my regular store. I was introduced to this retailer about a year ago, and due to its proximity to my home and work, and because of the comments in my review below, I frequent this store every 2 weeks.

That aside, let us begin.....

General Info.

The Comic Room is located at the intersection of McCowan and Lawrence (659 McCowan Rd.), in Scarborough. The store is actually in the basement of the Paperback Exchange, which is also a great used book store. The store is run by Troy (the owner, I believe) and Sean, and has been in existence for almost 30 years..

The store isn't overly big, but is big enough to carry a wide selection of new issues, back issues, graphic novels and toys/collectibles.

Selection

The stores' selection is pretty good. They have a good volume of new comics, but of course, with a hot new release they sell out fast. If they do sell out, Troy is always willing to re-order, if stock is available.

The back issue selection is also pretty good if you are looking for fairly recent issues. I honestly have not looked for older issues (>10 years old), but I really haven't been disappointed when looking for a back issue to complete a current story arc.

The graphic novel selection is varied. Again, there aren't a lot of older trades. The books are accessible (a later review of another store will explain why I state this), which makes browsing easy.

The store also carries toys and statues, but it is not their strong point. I don't mind that the selections is small as, I don't collect the toys (yet....).

Cleanliness

I want to preface my comments about the store in this section... Cleanliness is really important me. I have been to a few stores, coming out with dust and dirt all over my hands. I'm pretty sure I'm like most collectors and wash my hands before I read or touch my comics. So, how can I go into a store and buy something that has dust all over it.

That said, The Comic Room is very clean. You can tell things are dusted regularly. I have never felt dirty coming out of the store.

Customer Service

By far The Comic Room has great service. Troy and Sean are very personable and completely accessible. They are always willing to help out with special requests and talk about comics. Another great advantage, is they have free Pull List services. I know of other stores that charge their regulars for this service.

Pricing

Up until early December, the store was charging the American cover price, instead of the Canadian price. Obviously, with the state of the Canadian dollar, that has changed. I can't blame them for this move, as they do have to stay afloat. But, if you are a regular, you can expect a discount. They also run promotions on select books. For instance, they are currently giving 40% off of back issues on Fridays.

Overall

Obviously, I think this is a great store as evidence that I'm a regular there. You can't exist for close to 30 years without knowing what you are doing.

I highly recommend The Comic Room. Truly a hidden gem!

What to expect...

I thought it proper that I set a certain level of expectation. So, in short order here is how I plan to write each review...

Each post will start out with general information regarding the comic store that I visit (location, hours, store size, etc.). I'll then evaluate: selection, cleanliness, customer service, pricing, and overall impression. I'm not going to give any kind of rating, as there is no point. The one thing I will do, is comment on if I will return to the store in the future. I guess that will be some kind of "thumbs up/thumbs down" kind of rating.

On the advice of my friend, I'm also going to give reviews of comic shows that I attend.

Here is the list of stores I will be reviewing shortly:
The Comic Room
Silver Snail
Paradise Comics
Golden City Comics