Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on May 18, 2015 13:04:25 GMT -6
Kevin Phelan looks at the local comics shops and conventions in Rockland and Westchester counties, New York.
www.lohud.com/story/life/2015/05/15/comic-books-westchester-rockland/27363193/
Super Heroes, super fans: Comics see local resurgence
Comic book characters are soaring off of the page and screen and into local stores and libraries.
It wasn't long ago that comic book enthusiasts were largely perceived as basement-dwelling fanatics, confined to obscure hobby shops, annual conventions or dank arcades.
But now, comics — and comic fans — are finally getting the spotlight.
Nearly half of last year's highest grossing films worldwide were based on comic properties; "Avengers: Age of Ultron" alone made nearly $1 billion in its first weeks of release. And the 2014 New York Comic Convention drew more than 150,000 attendees to the Javitz Center over a four day period for an annual celebration of all things comics.
At ToyWiz in Nanuet, assistant manager Carl Etter reigns over an exhaustive selection of the kinds of things that make collectors and fans very, very happy: comic books ranging from "Archie" to "Aquaman," myriad paperbacks, action figures, games and statues. A giant gaming area in the back allows customers, which Etter said range from teenagers to 60-year-olds, to challenge each other in Magic: The Gathering or other game tournaments.
"Batman is probably our best seller," Etter says, standing near a display case featuring busts of the Dark Knight and his rogues gallery of villains. "Followed by 'Star Wars', now that Marvel has the license; that stuff is selling amazingly."
(List of local comic book stores and upcoming comics-based movies at end of this story)
Even though Westchester is home to one of the most well-known comic book characters, Archie — Archie Comic Books is headquartered in Mamaroneck — Etter says that the popularization of comic book movies in recent years has helped to convert even more new fans.
"When it comes to toys related to movies, we definitely see an increased interest there. As far as the books, when a movie is announced, if they announce a certain storyline or whatever, any back issues that are tied to that storyline or any first appearances of any new characters... will suddenly spike."
Bishop Purvis, who manages Modern Myths in Mamaroneck says he's seen movies drive fans towards comics for decades.
"I was in business at a time when the very first 'Batman' came out, and I'm talking the one with Michael Keaton," Purvis says. "And that movie was such an overwhelming success with everyone, it prompted so many new fans."
"(Moviegoers) pretty much see something and then they want to know more about it, especially if it was good. The "Avengers" movie I can't say has hurt us very badly."
The inventory at Modern Myths is split pretty evenly in half. The front section of is mostly dedicated to gaming, offering hundreds of card, board and tabletop options, as well as the accompanying accessories. Comic books line an entire wall in the rear of the store and a double-sided bookshelf in the room's center boasts thousands of additional titles. A side room to plays host to weekly gaming events.
Purvis said it's not just the big screen exposing fans to costumed vigilantes and villains.
"There's some really great shows on TV like with 'Daredevil' and even 'Arrow' and 'The Flash,'" Purvis says. "These are all shows that people who never had any experience with any sort of superheroes whatsoever, are now starting to say 'Who is this? What is this?'
"So I have always believed comic books are an untapped source of really, really great material that can be used by directors."
Paul Rudd proves that size doesn’t matter when he takes on the mantle of “Ant-Man“ beginning July 17.
It seems Hollywood agrees with Purvis — "Ant-Man" and "Fantastic Four" will hit theaters this summer and, in addition to "Daredevil," Netflix is planning three new series and a miniseries based on Marvel properties.
The medium has become so prevalent in recent years that comics are now spilling out of specialty stores and into local libraries.
"I would say a good one third of our collection for young adults is dedicated to graphic novels and manga, which is the Japanese word for those graphic novels," says Jennifer Daddio, Head of Teen Services at the Valley Cottage Library. She adds that people often travel from different towns to browse the library's extensive collection, which boasts mainstream titles like "Batman" and "Spider-Man," to lesser-known, foreign work like "All You Need is Kill" and "Assault on Titan."
The genre's popularity inspired Daddio to organize ValCon, the first comic book convention in the Ramapo Catskill Library System, taking place at the library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is loaded with activities.
Industry professionals, including longtime "Batman" scribe Dennis O'Neil, "Lunch Witch" creator Deb Lucke and veteran artist of 29 years Mark McKenna, will lead discussions on various topics. There are workshops planned covering costume-making, cosplay makeup and candy sushi rolling. Yoshi Amao from Samurai Sword Soul will perform a swordfighting demonstration and then lead a brief workshop.
And it wouldn't be a comics convention without throngs of artists and vendors selling their wares.
“I would say a good one third of our collection for young adults is dedicated to graphic novels and Manga,” Jennifer Daddio, Head of Teen Services at Valley Cottage Library, said. (Photo: Kevin Phelan)
Valley Cottage isn't the only library embracing graphic novels. When the White Plains Library announced its own May 16 comic con, it quickly sold out with nearly 750 fans registering to attend.
Beyond entertainment, Daddio says comic books have educational value and can be a good jumping-off point to get children interested in reading.
"It's a gateway for a lot of people to other things," she says. "Even if they love graphic novels their entire lives, it'll open them up to trying new things."
Daddio says parents will sometimes approach her saying that comic books are the only thing their children are interested in reading.
"And what I say to that parent or that adult is 'Let them read it. Don't discourage them, because if you discourage them from reading, then they're going to lose interest in reading altogether,'" she said.
Daddio has seen the benefits of letting a child choose their own reading material firsthand. When her daughter Norah Duraes was younger, she would exclusively read the "Captain Underpants" series. Instead of insisting Norah broaden her horizons, she was allowed to make her own reading list.
Now, Norah is getting ready to graduate fifth grade and she's reading at a ninth grade level.
"And I think that's because we encouraged her to read whatever she wanted to read," Daddio said.
The Valley Cottage Library is located at 110 Route 303.
Twitter: @kev_incredulous
Where to get your comic book fix
There are plenty of comic book stores in the lower Hudson Valley. Here are just a few:
•Modern Myths, 822 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck. 914-630-4246, modern-myths.com.
•ToyWiz, 347 Route 59, Nanuet. 845-624-2224, toywiz.com.
•Squiggy's Dugout, 237A East Main St., New Rochelle. 914-636-7585, squiggysdugout.com.
•3rd Universe Comic Emporium, 35 North Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson. 914-827-3600, 3rduniverse.net.
Super heroes on the big screen
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is still dominating at the box office, but it's not the only blockbuster comic-to-film adaptation this year. Here's a look at what's ahead:
Paul Rudd proves that size doesn't matter when he takes on the mantle of "Ant-Man" beginning July. 17.
Bedford native Kate Mara stars as Sue Storm when "Fantastic Four" releases Aug. 7.
"Daredevil" is the first of five planned Netflix series based on Marvel characters and all 13 episodes of its first season are available on the streaming site now. The next planned show, "A.K.A. Jessica Jones," is scheduled for a 2015 release.
www.lohud.com/story/life/2015/05/15/comic-books-westchester-rockland/27363193/
Super Heroes, super fans: Comics see local resurgence
Comic book characters are soaring off of the page and screen and into local stores and libraries.
It wasn't long ago that comic book enthusiasts were largely perceived as basement-dwelling fanatics, confined to obscure hobby shops, annual conventions or dank arcades.
But now, comics — and comic fans — are finally getting the spotlight.
Nearly half of last year's highest grossing films worldwide were based on comic properties; "Avengers: Age of Ultron" alone made nearly $1 billion in its first weeks of release. And the 2014 New York Comic Convention drew more than 150,000 attendees to the Javitz Center over a four day period for an annual celebration of all things comics.
At ToyWiz in Nanuet, assistant manager Carl Etter reigns over an exhaustive selection of the kinds of things that make collectors and fans very, very happy: comic books ranging from "Archie" to "Aquaman," myriad paperbacks, action figures, games and statues. A giant gaming area in the back allows customers, which Etter said range from teenagers to 60-year-olds, to challenge each other in Magic: The Gathering or other game tournaments.
"Batman is probably our best seller," Etter says, standing near a display case featuring busts of the Dark Knight and his rogues gallery of villains. "Followed by 'Star Wars', now that Marvel has the license; that stuff is selling amazingly."
(List of local comic book stores and upcoming comics-based movies at end of this story)
Even though Westchester is home to one of the most well-known comic book characters, Archie — Archie Comic Books is headquartered in Mamaroneck — Etter says that the popularization of comic book movies in recent years has helped to convert even more new fans.
"When it comes to toys related to movies, we definitely see an increased interest there. As far as the books, when a movie is announced, if they announce a certain storyline or whatever, any back issues that are tied to that storyline or any first appearances of any new characters... will suddenly spike."
Bishop Purvis, who manages Modern Myths in Mamaroneck says he's seen movies drive fans towards comics for decades.
"I was in business at a time when the very first 'Batman' came out, and I'm talking the one with Michael Keaton," Purvis says. "And that movie was such an overwhelming success with everyone, it prompted so many new fans."
"(Moviegoers) pretty much see something and then they want to know more about it, especially if it was good. The "Avengers" movie I can't say has hurt us very badly."
The inventory at Modern Myths is split pretty evenly in half. The front section of is mostly dedicated to gaming, offering hundreds of card, board and tabletop options, as well as the accompanying accessories. Comic books line an entire wall in the rear of the store and a double-sided bookshelf in the room's center boasts thousands of additional titles. A side room to plays host to weekly gaming events.
Purvis said it's not just the big screen exposing fans to costumed vigilantes and villains.
"There's some really great shows on TV like with 'Daredevil' and even 'Arrow' and 'The Flash,'" Purvis says. "These are all shows that people who never had any experience with any sort of superheroes whatsoever, are now starting to say 'Who is this? What is this?'
"So I have always believed comic books are an untapped source of really, really great material that can be used by directors."
Paul Rudd proves that size doesn’t matter when he takes on the mantle of “Ant-Man“ beginning July 17.
It seems Hollywood agrees with Purvis — "Ant-Man" and "Fantastic Four" will hit theaters this summer and, in addition to "Daredevil," Netflix is planning three new series and a miniseries based on Marvel properties.
The medium has become so prevalent in recent years that comics are now spilling out of specialty stores and into local libraries.
"I would say a good one third of our collection for young adults is dedicated to graphic novels and manga, which is the Japanese word for those graphic novels," says Jennifer Daddio, Head of Teen Services at the Valley Cottage Library. She adds that people often travel from different towns to browse the library's extensive collection, which boasts mainstream titles like "Batman" and "Spider-Man," to lesser-known, foreign work like "All You Need is Kill" and "Assault on Titan."
The genre's popularity inspired Daddio to organize ValCon, the first comic book convention in the Ramapo Catskill Library System, taking place at the library from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 18.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is loaded with activities.
Industry professionals, including longtime "Batman" scribe Dennis O'Neil, "Lunch Witch" creator Deb Lucke and veteran artist of 29 years Mark McKenna, will lead discussions on various topics. There are workshops planned covering costume-making, cosplay makeup and candy sushi rolling. Yoshi Amao from Samurai Sword Soul will perform a swordfighting demonstration and then lead a brief workshop.
And it wouldn't be a comics convention without throngs of artists and vendors selling their wares.
“I would say a good one third of our collection for young adults is dedicated to graphic novels and Manga,” Jennifer Daddio, Head of Teen Services at Valley Cottage Library, said. (Photo: Kevin Phelan)
Valley Cottage isn't the only library embracing graphic novels. When the White Plains Library announced its own May 16 comic con, it quickly sold out with nearly 750 fans registering to attend.
Beyond entertainment, Daddio says comic books have educational value and can be a good jumping-off point to get children interested in reading.
"It's a gateway for a lot of people to other things," she says. "Even if they love graphic novels their entire lives, it'll open them up to trying new things."
Daddio says parents will sometimes approach her saying that comic books are the only thing their children are interested in reading.
"And what I say to that parent or that adult is 'Let them read it. Don't discourage them, because if you discourage them from reading, then they're going to lose interest in reading altogether,'" she said.
Daddio has seen the benefits of letting a child choose their own reading material firsthand. When her daughter Norah Duraes was younger, she would exclusively read the "Captain Underpants" series. Instead of insisting Norah broaden her horizons, she was allowed to make her own reading list.
Now, Norah is getting ready to graduate fifth grade and she's reading at a ninth grade level.
"And I think that's because we encouraged her to read whatever she wanted to read," Daddio said.
The Valley Cottage Library is located at 110 Route 303.
Twitter: @kev_incredulous
Where to get your comic book fix
There are plenty of comic book stores in the lower Hudson Valley. Here are just a few:
•Modern Myths, 822 Mamaroneck Ave., Mamaroneck. 914-630-4246, modern-myths.com.
•ToyWiz, 347 Route 59, Nanuet. 845-624-2224, toywiz.com.
•Squiggy's Dugout, 237A East Main St., New Rochelle. 914-636-7585, squiggysdugout.com.
•3rd Universe Comic Emporium, 35 North Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson. 914-827-3600, 3rduniverse.net.
Super heroes on the big screen
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is still dominating at the box office, but it's not the only blockbuster comic-to-film adaptation this year. Here's a look at what's ahead:
Paul Rudd proves that size doesn't matter when he takes on the mantle of "Ant-Man" beginning July. 17.
Bedford native Kate Mara stars as Sue Storm when "Fantastic Four" releases Aug. 7.
"Daredevil" is the first of five planned Netflix series based on Marvel characters and all 13 episodes of its first season are available on the streaming site now. The next planned show, "A.K.A. Jessica Jones," is scheduled for a 2015 release.