blog.openlygeek.com

The Openlygeek Store Closes it's Doors

2009-05-25T17:24:00.003-04:00

Friends, Fans and Loyal Customers,

I am sorry to say that I can no longer devote the time necessary to maintaining and operating this site.

All outstanding gift cards have been refunded. All Pre-orders for Board Games will be filled. Your order will ship and you will receive a confirmation email with tracking numbers as usual. We are not running away. I just cannot devote the time required to make openlygeek.com what it deserves to be.

We are liquidating our inventory on eBay.com so please stop by and grab some stuff at discounted prices. You can also email us with any questions directly through eBay. Please send us a message at any time.

Thank you friends for all of your support. The site may down but we are definitely not out. We have turned our attention to what we do best. Programming killer stuff. We will see you again soon.

Thank you.

Brooklyn Public Library Celebrates Free Comic Book Day

2009-05-01T12:25:00.004-04:00

Brooklyn, NY - On May 2nd Free Comic Book Day will be celebrated at a Brooklyn Public Library for the first time. It will be sponsored by Openlygeek.com. Comic Books will be given out between the hours of 11 am to 3 pm or until supplies run out.

McKinley Park Brooklyn Public Library (www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org) and Openlygeek.com announced today a joint effort to participate in Free Comic Book Day (www.freecomicbookday.com) on Saturday, May 2nd. This yearly event in which thousands of comic book shops around the world celebrate the comic book art form by giving away free comic books on the first Saturday in May will be celebrated in a Brooklyn Public Library for the very first time. Over two million comic books are expected to be given away by participating comic book stores around the globe, introducing as many people as possible to the wonders of comic books.

"The wide array of comic books being published today ensures that readers of all ages can find something to stir their imaginations," said Nicholas Romeo, President of Openlygeek.com.

Now in its eighth year, Free Comic Book Day has proven to be a smashing success, spreading the word that comics are terrific reading. "It's a fantastic opportunity to introduce readers of all ages to the wonders of this great American art form," Romeo continued. "And what better place to celebrate this day than in a place where books are always free to read."

Comic Books have propelled to the front ranks of pop culture. Authors such as Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Watchmen), and Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Coraline) have been thrust into the spotlight, and some have even received Pulitzer Prizes (Art Spiegelman's Maus). Many of the books have been made into movies, such as the latest movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine which hits the big screen on May 1st, the day before Free Comic Book Day.

Free Comic Book Day kicks off at 11 am and runs until 3 pm at the McKinley Park Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library located at 6802 Fort Hamilton Pkwy.

Hugh Jackman talks Free Comic Book Day and Wolverine

2009-04-16T18:34:00.003-04:00

Get your Comics and Graphic Novels Before the Promotion Ends!

2009-04-06T13:54:00.006-04:00

Many of our customers have been enjoying our ongoing promotion of Free Shipping on any Comic Book related order regardless of order size. In addition, we had reduced our Free Shipping limit to any order of $25.00 or more. However that promotion is ending on April 18th 2009!

Our Free Shipping policy will return to orders over $75.00.

It is still very cheap to ship Comic Books with an average order of about 3 Comic books costing about $2.60.

There are 2 Comic Book Days left between then and now as well as a newly expanded inventory. We urge our customers to take advantage of this great offer before it ends!

You can also review our Comic Book shipping policy here.

**Edited: Free Shipping Policy was wrong....ooops...

New Printing! Invincible Iron Man #11 Larocca Variant

2009-03-20T13:10:00.006-04:00

Marvel has added a second printing of Invincible Iron-Man #11 (World's Most Wanted Part 4). You can find the Larocca Variant Here.

Here's the cover:

This series continues to be hot and with good reason. Jim Rhodes suits up as War Machine to take on Tony in this can't miss issue.

One Day of Monster Mania XII

2009-03-16T12:53:00.025-04:00

This is your roving field reporter for all things geek, Frank, coming to you from Cherry Hill , NJ, the site of this past weekend's Monster-Mania Con XII. This twice yearly gathering of the nostalgic, slightly twisted and the totally geeky got under way appropriately on what was the second of three Friday the 13th's in 2009. The show was a creative mixture of dealer tables, autograph guests and a shoulder to shoulder fan base greater than the average mind would ever imagine...or expect. Any attendee of these cons can expect a multitude of dealer tables selling everything from out of print DVD's to the newest McFarlane toys. The dealer room was immense, and on a first walk through I was able to purchase this vintage original 1964 Aurora Plastics King Kong model for a very good price. With a little paint stripper, some glue and a lots of time, this bad boy will be transformed into a work of art (stay tuned for that project in a later blog post).

I would say about 40% of the people there were dressed in costume with everybody from Rorschach to Jason Voorhees and Zombie Mary Jane to the Joker were on hand for the festivities. The guest list of autograph signers was as diverse as the people were in attendance. The show was billed as a Friday the 13th reunion but there were many guests from other films as well. The original king of shock rock, Alice Cooper, was on hand with his entire band from the Billionaire Babies album, signing for a long line of fans. Of course Alice's connection to Friday the 13th are the two songs the band contributed to the Friday the 13th Part VI soundtrack. I jumped on the Alice Cooper line where I remained for 5 (yep, five) hours.

So I finally met Alice and he was a real nice guy despite all the on stage beheadings, chicken murders and gallons of fake blood spilled. He took a moment to pose with me after signing my stuff and my mind was already on my next task at hand.

Next I got to meet Fairuza Balk, with whom I have always had a crush on since The Craft. She starred in movies like The Waterboy, American History X and Almost Famous. Fairuza was so personable and really hot too, so it made the day worthwhile already.

Next I met America Olivo, who played Amanda from the new Friday the 13th film. She played the girl from the opening scene who had no issues with losing her clothes and getting a little busy in a tent before being hung and burned by Mr. Voorhees. Also very nice, and also extremely hot. (Do you see a pattern forming here?)

Kristina Klebe, star of Rob Zombies Halloween was on hand. She's not only very beautiful, and really cool to talk to, but she has great taste, as she complimented me on my Total Skull jacket. (Rob Zombie's wife Sherri Moon Zombie's company).

Finally after that, being the Friday the 13th geek that I am, I met with each actor/actress (12 in total) of the Friday the 13th Reunion. Members from the casts from part 1 through part 8 were on hand to sign my poster and I was in my glory. You may have glimpsed this poster a few weeks back from the NY Comic Con coverage. It is comprised of over 70 signatures from characters from each of the Friday the 13th films.

With King Kong model and autographs in hand, it appears I am one step further on the geek-dom ladder.

For fans of everything horror, comic books and sci-fi I would definitely recommend a monster mania con. (The next one is in August so check out their site at www.monstermania.net) I had a great time and I'm looking forward to seeing you at the next one. For now, it's on to The Chiller Theatre Show in Parsippany, NJ In April. You can check them out at www.chillertheatre.com I'll be covering that show as well. So check back early and often and share your war stories with us.

Behind the Curtain: Software Changes Delayed at Openlygeek.com

2009-03-11T12:41:00.004-04:00

Apologies to our friends, fans, and customers who have been faced with this page which normally has all of the Comic Book items that we are scheduled to receive on Wednesday (Comic Book Day) that have not pre-sold out. (Some items don't show because they were already sold out through pre-orders)

Let's face it our pages aren't fancy. We don't really believe in fancy. It is the Database Programming that goes on behind the scenes that sorts out whether an item is a Pre-Order, a Back Issue, In Stock, or Shipping Wednesday that strikes our interest. We pull in multiple data files from multiple distribution centers and then compare this data against our received inventories and then come up with the proper statues, categories, and availability of every single item in the store. (over 5,400 items to date)

When it was realized that some errors existed on our Shipping This Wednesday Page in our Comic Books Section we put up our little disclaimer/apology, pulled the data and have been working on making it better. We hope to have this functionality back up tonight as today is, as you know, Comic Book Day and we all want to know what to order for next week!

One Day Till Watchmen

2009-03-05T10:28:00.008-05:00

Actually showings of the film begin at midnight tonight in select theaters.

While Alan Moore has been against the film's production since it's inception over 25 years ago and he claims that he will not watch it, saying "I will be spitting venom all over it", I can't help but think that he's already snuck a peek. How can you not?

While it may be true that the story is a graphic novel and not a film and any efforts to force it to be otherwise are doomed to fall short, one can't help but wonder how this new rendition will fare. I for one hope it won't ruin it for me.

I would advise to read the novel before seeing Watchmen as a film. There are plenty of copies in our store for those who haven't read it yet. It can easily be read in 3 sittings. This will allow you to enjoy the story as it was meant to be. Then, take in the film to see how it builds upon that experience.

This weekend is sure to be fun. Enjoy it. As for my plans this weekend, I will be watching...

Marvel Cancels King Variants: Openly Geek Customers Disappointed

2009-02-26T11:07:00.010-05:00

As everyone already knows it is possible from time to time to actually score a variant comic book at cover price from Openlygeek.com. We release them with the rest of the comics and the lucky ones get their hands on them.

Unfortunately, customers with orders in place have been disappointed to find out that Marvel has pulled 8 King Variants including the highly anticipated Wolverine Origins #34 and and Secret Warriors #2. Even Spidey got the cold shoulder. Emails will be going out sometime today.

Furthermore, there has been no word on whether they would be re-solicited or that they are doing different issues instead.

Oh and the McFarlane Incentive Cover for Spawn #190 was canceled as well....sheesh.

Stay tuned next Thursday for regular post Comic Book Day coverage.

Marvel Announces 5 Reprints of Popular Variant Covers

2009-02-13T14:39:00.011-05:00

Marvel has officially announced a reprint of some extremely hot variants. All of these are expected to ship on March 11th, 2009. They are not the same artwork as the originals but then again that's what makes them interesting. Technically they are new variants.

From top left: Skaar Son of Hulk #7 Jackson Guice Variant (2nd Printing), Invincible Iron Man #10 Salvador Larroca Variant (2nd Printing), Secret Warriors #1 Stefano Caselli Variant (2nd Printing), Black Panther 2 #1 Ken Lashley Variant (2nd Printing), Agents of Atlas #1 Carlo Pagulayan Variant (2nd Printing).

New York Comic Con Moments and Impressions

2009-02-10T12:02:00.021-05:00

The 2009 New York Comic Con was, in a word, just plain fun. Silver and Golden Age comics were available everywhere. Current Comics were limited, but then again most people already have their current issues. Most of the crowd was rummaging through back-issues looking to fill the holes in their collection. Some even carried spreadsheets which is a darn good idea since I forgot to look for Spawn #7.

In a lot of ways it was like the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as buyers and sellers bought, sold, and traded their "gold". Deals we're being cut everywhere including on my Watchmen Absolute First Edition. M friend Pete got a kick out of my jubilation on that one.

There was a larger video game section than I had expected. The section was occupying close to 30% of the show floor. Many of the games being ashowcased were based on comic book characters, and movie characters though several were not.

Speaking of movies, a Terminator Salvation Trailer and a Watchmen Preview were available for sneak peeks. I actually skipped the Watchmen Teaser. That's right, skipped it. I don't want to see 18 minutes of the movie. I want to see the whole darn thing. As for Terminator, let's just say, awesome.

The autographing area was a cool place to meet your favorite actors but the lines to see them were pretty long. Pete was on line for 2 hours to score autographs from Jared Padalecki, Derek Mears, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller who were there signing Friday the 13th one sheets. However, when Pete got to them he had a slightly different request.
Brad Fuller's expression was priceless as Pete unfurled this baby. Padalecki was actually excited to sign this piece which is an Original Movie Poster from the Original Friday the 13th Film signed by just about everyone who has ever been in all of the movies. And no, it's not for sale.

(Incidentally, I was blocking Lou Ferrigno while I took this picture. God, he's huge. He can still play the Incredible Hulk today)

What was especially cool was Artist's Alley where you could watch talented Comic Book Artists, young and old, draw you're favorite characters right in front of you. It was truly mesmerizing to watch. All of them were highly accessible and were glad to speak to you about comic books and art. George Perez, Jim Lee, Joe Kubert, J. Scott Campbell (my second favorite Spider-man after Todd McFarlane), Georges Jeanty, Marko Djurdjevic, and many more.

If you have never gone to Comic Con and you read and/or collect comic books or just collect Movie memorabilia, I highly recommend attending. Bring a friend or two and hunt for comics together.

This place has more t-shirts then us.

2009-02-07T17:31:00.001-05:00

A Crowded Comic Con

2009-02-07T16:53:00.001-05:00

Score

2009-02-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

Found it. Bought it.

A First Edition Absolute Watchmen Hardcover. It is the only one we saw at the show.

Joe Kubert

2009-02-07T11:53:00.001-05:00

Mr. Kubert signing at the Joe Kubert School booth next to George Perez signing old Avengers comics for the Hero Initiative.

We just missed Mr. Perez before we could take a picture.

New York Comic Con

2009-02-07T11:15:00.001-05:00

Just arrived. Pete's already inside and I am hoping to have a signal to post live updates. Stay tuned.

Mobile Blogging

2009-02-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

My first mobile post in preparation of New York Comic Con coverage!

Spider-Man and Obama Cover Sells out Twice!

2009-01-15T13:40:00.006-05:00

We sold out of the second printing in 2 days and there is no more to be had. Believe me we tried. But fortunately we have some good friends in the comic biz who have let us in on the little fact that a 3rd printing is on the way.

We haven't even seen the cover yet. Some eBayers may not enjoy the new releases but I for one am collecting all 3.

Spider-Man Obama Reprint Gets a New Date

2009-01-12T12:46:00.006-05:00

Only a few days after the original announcement of the second printing of the now widely known Amazing Spider-Man Issue #583 has now been hit with a new release date!

The old date of 2/11/2009 has been pushed up to 1/21/2009.

Certainly good news for the folks who can't get it on the 14th. Now the rest of us won't need to wait a whole month to get our hands on it.

Spider-Man Obama Cover Re-Print

2009-01-09T13:20:00.005-05:00

A second printing of the Obama Amazing Spider-Man Cover is Available.

For all those who missed out on pre-ordering the Obama cover for Amazing Spider-Man #583 I have 2 suggestions:

1. Head to your local Comic Shop early on Wednesday and attempt to get one there
2. Try getting a Re-Print from our store here. (First editions sold out)

We all know that first prints are more valuable then second printings, but this one snuck up on alot of people. A momentous occasion such as this may make the arguments over first and second editions moot.

This one is scheduled to ship on 2/11/2009.

Final Crisis Comic Delays

2009-01-07T10:43:00.004-05:00

As some collectors and reader may already know the several Final Crisis looks to have been delayed by a week or two which was then compounded the Holidays. For instance, Final Crisis #6 (of 7) has been pushed to 1/21/2009 therefore pushing back back Final Crisis #7 to 1/28/2009.

Customers who placed orders should have received updates.

Iron Man Sneak Peek

2008-12-08T14:04:00.005-05:00

Just a quick image of an Iron Man Statue that has yet to be released. We literally had to turn away customers with the last one. We will have a limited quantity available for Pre-Order but this time we are waiting for our allocation since our last Iron Man Fine Art piece shipped short.

Limited to 3,000 pieces.

Battlestar Galactica Auction

2008-11-06T16:25:00.004-05:00

According to an article from Wired Battlestar Galactica fans will have a chance to get their hands on props of the immensely popular Sci-fi TV show.

As we all know Battlestar Galactica will be coming to an end this upcoming season leaving hardcore fans jonesing for some Sci-fi action. Well I'm sure sitting in a full size Viper used on the show will cool those withdrawals for a little while. Online bids will be taken at battlestarprops.com.

Link

Comic Books Delivered to Your Door

2008-11-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

This has been in the works for quite some time but the announcement has finally been made. We are expecting to receive our first shipment of comic books tomorrow and I for one can't wait to hit the stock room when they arrive. I have quite an extensive pull list.

Comics? From an online store?
There are some problems with it. The good news is we have addressed them all. Problem one is damage. So we pack each comic with a board in a bag and ship it in a special box. Problem two is shipping cost. Well, for an introductory time it will only be $0.50 a comic. That's practically the cost of a Postage Stamp! We are working on coming up with an efficient price schedule to help keep shipping costs down. As the program evolves there is sure to be many improvements.

But right now it is pretty exciting just the way it is. Plus there are hardcovers and trade paperbacks on the way as well. So dip into the extensive selection and get reading today.

MS Exchange and the Google Phone Together at Last...Sorta

2008-10-22T13:22:00.004-04:00

One of the biggest gripes about the T-Mobile G-1 Google Phone is the lack of business class email support outside of GMail. The Android Powered Phone now offers some support for Microsoft Exchange through a free program that will sync your contacts.

Quite frankly, business class email support was the only thing stopping me. The built in IMAP features of the phone would allow syncing of email but how well it looks and feels is still up for review. Also what about my appointments, tasks, and calendar?

Give the article a read and check out the application here.

P.S. Sorry about the lack of post. There are a lot of exciting things going on that will be announced soon. Here's a clue.