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Monthly Archives: December 2016

Bay Area Comic Events Update December 19, 2016

I’d like to thank everyone who’s signed up to receive this newsletter as an email. This will be my last missive of 2016. Please enjoy two weeks without me in your email box and have a happy holiday.

Quick note: I wrote a thing investigating Zendaya’s books in the new Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer.

Did you hear the news about the Castro’s Whatever… comics launching a GoFundMe so they can stay open? The shop managed to raise nearly $10,000 in five days with an average donation of $63. Whatever… is only one of a number of comic shops in the country reporting news of financial struggles as the year comes to a close. The Comic Beat’s Todd Allen wrote a solid piece about some of the theories behind the challenges local comic shops are facing. The piece inspired an equally solid Twitter thread from Dublin’s Big Bang Comics.

The discussion ties in with two events being hosted by Comix Experience in January. We’re spoiled in the Bay Area because we have more comic shops in our 6900 square miles than most comparable regions. We also have the highest cost of living in the country so our retailers are looking at new ways to cover the bottom line and keep the lights on. The Comix Experience response was to start two Graphic Novel Clubs: one for kids and one for adults. Having a club subscription gets members a curated graphic novel experience, access to private events, and unique swag.

January 2 – January 8, 2017

Mariko Tamaki signing at Mission: Comics and Art (writer Hulk, Supergirl: Being Super, Skim, This One Summer)
When: January 4 at 5 p.m.
Where: Mission: Comics and Art
32250 Mission Street, San Francisco
What: Writer Mariko Tamaki kicks off Mission’s new year with a signing. Tamaki is best known for the New York Times bestseller This One Summer (with illustrator Jillian Tamaki). This month she’s stepping in as the regular writer of the new Jennifer Walters-focused Hulk ongoing series at Marvel and the new Supergirl: Being Super mini-series at DC.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/532542666949224/

Isabel Greenberg streaming at Comix Experience (The One Hundred Nights of Hero)
When: January 7 at 11 a.m.
Where: Comix Experience
305 Divisadreo, San Francisco
What: Isabel Greenberg will appear via video to discuss her new book The One Hundred Nights of Hero. Description from Hachette Book Group: In the tradition of The Arabian Nights, a beautifully illustrated tapestry of folk tales and myths about the secret legacy of female storytellers in an imagined medieval world. This event is a private for members of the store’s Graphic Novel Club.
More info: http://www.graphicnovelclub.com/events.html

Jeffrey Brown at Comix Experience (Darth Vader & Son, Unlikely)
When: January 8 at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Comix Experience
305 Divisadreo, San Francisco
What: Jeffrey Brown, the creator of Darth Vader & Son, will be at Comix Experience celebrating the release of his new book Lucy and Andy Neanderthal. From Penguin: Lucy and Andy are a sister and brother who get into trouble much like any sister and brother. Only difference? Lucy and Andy live in the Stone Age! Discover their laugh-out-loud adventures as the Paleo pair take on a wandering baby sibling, bossy teens, cave paintings, and a mammoth hunt. But what will happen when they encounter a group of humans?  This event is a private for members of the store’s Graphic Novel Club for Kids.
More info: http://www.graphicnovelclub.com/events.html

January 2017

Black Comix Art Festival
When: January 15-16, 2017
Where: San Francisco Public Library and City View at Metreon
What: “The Black Comix Arts Festival (BCAF) celebrates African Americans’ creativity in the comic arts and popular visual culture and is dedicated to the notion that all audiences deserve to be subject in the culture in which we participate. The two-day event includes a grand expo, kids activities, film screenings, panels and conversations, cosplay events and much more.”
More info: http://bcaf.norcalmlkfoundation.org/

February 2017

East Bay Comic Con (tentative)
When: February 12, 2017
Where: Concord Hilton
1970 Diamond Blvd, Concord
More info: http://eastbaycomiccon.com

April 2017

Colossus Con 2017
When: April 8, 2017
Where: Alameda County Fairgrounds
Pleasanton, Calif.
What: “Colossus Con is the ultimate pop culture convention event. Catering to the fans to enjoy the comforts of fandom without the corporate hustle and bustle.”
More info: http://www.colossuscon.com/

Queers and Comics
When: April 14-15, 2017
Where: California College of the Arts
1111 8th Street
San Francisco, CA
What: Queers & Comics features two days of discussion panels, workshops, readings, and comics galore, along with a multitude of off-site events. This year we will spotlight international and emerging LGBTQ cartoonists, the role of the San Francisco Bay Area, and the future of queer comics. Keynote speakers include Mariko Tamaki and Gengoroh Tagame.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/655077967985077/

Silicon Valley Comic Con
When: April 21 – 23, 2017
Where: San Jose Convention Center
More info: http://svcomiccon.com/

September 2017

San Francisco Comic Con
When: September 1-3, 2017
Where: Moscone Center West
747 Howard Street in San Francisco
More info: http://sanfrancomiccon.com

Castro comic shop seeks community support

The Castro’s only comic shop, Whatever…, needs to raise $8,000 by Saturday or they could be forced to close up shop for good. They’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign to help get through the shopping doldrums of January and February. Earlier today the store received a boost from outspoken comic book retailer Dennis Barger who used his Facebook Live Daily D at 3 show to push for Whatever…’s support. He’s even pulled an issue of New Mutants #98 (first appearance of Deadpool) out of his personal collection and put it on eBay to raise funding for the store.

Whatever… opened 10 years ago bringing a much needed comic store to San Francisco’s Castro District. They’re an important stop along the West Bay Comics Trail.

The state of local comic book shops has been a hot discussion on comics twitter. Concord’s Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff owner Joe Field recently went on a tweet storm about how local shops are faring as the year comes to a close. In a tweet, Field said “Word on the street is there will be a round of shop closings in early ’17.” The Comics Beat kindly collected the tweets into a single post.

Consider doing some holiday shopping at your local comic shop. If you need to find one in the Bay Area we have a list located here.

What is Zendaya reading in the Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer?

Since it was announced Zendaya was cast in Spider-Man: Homecoming there’s been a big question mark around her character. Early rumors that she’d been cast as Mary Jane Watson were quashed by the star in a November interview with ET Online. She verified her character is named “Michelle.” Last night we saw the first trailer for the film finds Zendaya reading in the cafeteria giving us our first glimpse of the actress in her role.

The moment doesn’t give us many answers other than showing us “Michelle” is an avid book reader. As a fan of seeing books on film and figuring out what characters are reading, I took time last night to squint at the blurry screen capture.

Here are the top three books in the pile with Wikipedia synopsis:

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Adolescent

The novel chronicles the life of 19-year-old intellectual, Arkady Dolgoruky, illegitimate child of the controversial and womanizing landowner Versilov. A focus of the novel is the recurring conflict between father and son, particularly in ideology, which represents the battles between the conventional “old” way of thinking in the 1840s and the new nihilistic point of view of the youth of 1860s Russia. Whereas the young of Arkady’s time embraced a very negative opinion of Russian culture in contrast to Western or European culture.

Another main theme is Arkady’s development and utilization of his “idea” in his life, mainly a form of rebellion against society (and his father) through the rejection of attending a university, and the making of money and living independently, onto the eventual aim of becoming excessively wealthy and powerful.

Henry James’s The Wings of the Dove

This novel tells the story of Milly Theale, an American heiress stricken with a serious disease, and her effect on the people around her. Some of these people befriend Milly with honorable motives, while others are more self-interested.

Kōbō Abe’s Woman in the Dunes

In 1955, Jumpei Niki, a schoolteacher from Tokyo, visits a fishing village to collect insects. After missing the last bus, he is led, by the villagers, in an act of apparent hospitality, to a house in the dunes that can be reached only by ladder. The next morning the ladder is gone and he finds he is expected to keep the house clear of sand with the woman living there, with whom he is also to produce children. He eventually gives up trying to escape when he comes to realize returning to his old life would give him no more liberty. After seven years, he is proclaimed officially dead.

As for the fourth book, there are many books that have “Democracy” and I haven’t been able to find a matching book spine image.

Zendaya Reading in the Second Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer

The second trailer dropped on March 27 and gave us our second peek into Zendaya’s character’s reading interests in Spider-Man: Homecoming. This time the visual is clear: W. Somerset Maugham‘s 1915 masterpiece Of Human Bondage.

SPider-Man Homecoming Zendaya reading Of Human Bondage

From Penguin Books:

Bay Area Comic Events Update December 5, 2016

Annnndddd…we’re back! Apologies for the last two weeks of silence. Turkeys and all that. After stating in the last newsletter that things were slowing down in the Bay Area I’ve been proven a liar. December is hot with events including Warren Ellis, a discussion of the book She Changed Comics, a Wuvable Oaf party, a Mission MiniComix release event, and much more.

As the year draws to a close make sure you continue seducing the innocent by giving out comics and graphic novels as holiday presents. And please, shop locally! You can expect most (likely all) of our local comic shops will have sales this holiday season. Not sure what you should get for someone on your list? Trust in the knowledge of LCS staff to help fill the wishes of a difficult present receiver.

Before I get into the event list I want to take a moment for a little bit of housekeeping:
1) The Shared Universe is on Twitter! I don’t use the twitter account as often as I should because my personal twitter account has significantly more followers (6700 vs 59). However, from a branding perspective, I know I should be working on building that vertical and in 2017 will use it more often. Feel free to follow it if you’re the twittering sort: @ashareduniverse. You can also follow my personal account where I tweet about a whole host of things: @cometstarmoon

2) The Shared Universe is on Facebook! This will be useful if I pull the trigger on some local comics-related event ideas I’ve been considering. Consider becoming a fan if accumulating Facebook fan pages is your thing. No pressure.

3) I have a tinyletter! Right here! When you subscribe you’ll receive this post in your email on Monday mornings. I always send the tinyletter first so you’ll know all of this information two minutes before everyone else.

4) Finally, and most importantly, this weekly event round-up is only as good as my event investigation skills. If you know of a comics-related event comic up in the Bay Area please do feel free to drop me a line. I usually write these on Saturday mornings so consider Friday night the submission deadline. Email: theshareduniverse@gmail.com

December 5 – December 11, 2016

Warren Ellis in Conversation with Robin Sloan
When: December 6, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Kepler’s Books
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA
What: Sip whickey with Warren Ellis! “Come join us for a drink with the award-winning writer Warren Ellis to celebrate the publication of his thrilling new book, Normal. After futurist Adam Dearden has a nervous breakdown in Rotterdam, he’s brought to a secluded recovery center in rural Oregon. As someone who stares into the abyss for a living, Adam sees things that other cannot. As he finds himself caught between factions at Normal Head Research Station, strange events start to overtake even the people who job is to predict the future. This crackling horror story was originally published as four digital originals and is collected in print here for the first time. Come join us for a very rare, very limited event with one of the genre’s rarest talents.”
More Info: http://www.keplers.com/event/premier-event-warren-ellis-conversation-robin-sloan

She Changed Comics: The Untold Story of the Women Who Changed Free Expression in Comics
When: December 7, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Booksmith
1644 Haight Street in San Francisco
What: CBLDF presents: She Changed Comics, the definitive history of the women who changed free expression in comics. Within its pages are profiles of more than 60 groundbreaking female professionals as well as interviews with the women who are changing today’s medium. She Changed Comics also examines the plights of women imprisoned and threatened for making comics, and explores the work of women whose work is being banned here in the United States. Join us for an evening with Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer), Lee Marrs (The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp), and Trina Robbins (Wimmen’s Comix), moderated by She Changed Comics editor and contributor Betsy Gomez.
More info: http://www.booksmith.com/event/she-changed-comics-untold-story-women-who-changed-free-expression-comics

Mission MiniComix Annual Art Show
When: December 9 at 6 p.m.
Where: Mission: Comics and Art
2250 Mission Street in San Francisco
What: Mission MiniComix is “a ragtag conglomeration of cartoonists, freaks and losers dedicated to the mission of advancing the sequential arts through cheap, mass produced minibooks.” They’ll be hosting their second annual art show and book release party.
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/540201476182454/

Wuvable Oaf Blood and Metal Release Party featuring Ed Luce
When: December 10, 2016 at 8 p.m.
Where: Isotope: The Comic Book Lounge
326 Fell Street in San Francisco
What: Isotope is hosting a party to celebrate the launch of Ed Luce’s most recent Wuvable Oaf trade paperback Blood and Metal. The Hayes Valley comic shop has long been a supporter of Luce’s lovable bear. At the December 10 event, Isotope will feature Wuvable Oaf themed cocktails, limited edition Wuvable Oaf Goteblüd enamel pins, Isotope exclusive Goteblüd print, an exclusive hardcover dust jacket (which can also double as a dust cover for your boring textbooks! Be the most Wuvable kid in school), and the ultra-limited Eric Erspamer designed Wuvable Oaf Goteblüd glow-in-the-dark occult ritual pendant. Plus, there will be mingling and dancing to music provided by DJ Bearzbub.
More Info: http://isotopecomics.com/index.php/wuvable-oaf-launch-party-2016#post-4236

Sean David Murphy signing An Undead Night Before Christmas
When: December 10, 2016 at 1 p.m.
Where: The Escapist
3090 Claremont in Berkeley
What: Local writer and illustrator Sean David Murphy will be on hand to discuss and sign copies of his self-published book An Undead Night Before Christmas. “How can Santa ever think that delivering presents to Transylvania would be a good idea? Well, its Christmas Eve and the hungry undead are out on the prowl and Santa has to try and make it out of the country alive. Dark castles, grey ghouls, white fangs, and a jolly man in a red suit… No matter what it’s going to be a Christmas to remember. A charming parody of the classic poem ‘The Night Before Christmas’ written and illustrated by Sean David Murphy for those of us seeking a little healthy darkness for the holidays.”
More info: http://www.escapistcomics.com/

December 12 – December 18, 2016

Cape and Cowl Book Club Discussion of Legend featuring Sam Sattin and Chris Koehler
When: December 15, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Cape and Cowl Comics
1601 Clay Street in Oakland
What: Cape and Cowl’s book club will discuss the graphic novel Legend with creators Sam Sattin and Chris Koehler in attendance. From the publisher: “What if a biological terror agent wiped out most of humanity, and our domesticated animals were left in charge? How would our dogs and cats set about ruling and rebuilding the world? Ransom, the leader of the Dog Tribe, has been murdered by a creature known as the Endark. An English Pointer named Legend reluctantly rises to lead in his place, vowing to kill the monster once and for all. From acclaimed novelist Samuel Sattin and award-winning illustrator Chris Koehler comes LEGEND, where cat technology rules, dogs partner with hawks, and humans may be the most beastly creatures of all.”
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1789500997971432/

January 2017

Black Comix Art Festival
When: January 15-16, 2017
Where: San Francisco Public Library and City View at Metreon
What: “The Black Comix Arts Festival (BCAF) celebrates African Americans’ creativity in the comic arts and popular visual culture and is dedicated to the notion that all audiences deserve to be subject in the culture in which we participate. The two-day event includes a grand expo, kids activities, film screenings, panels and conversations, cosplay events and much more.”
More info: http://bcaf.norcalmlkfoundation.org/

February 2017

East Bay Comic Con (tentative)
When: February 12, 2017
Where: Concord Hilton
1970 Diamond Blvd, Concord
More info: http://eastbaycomiccon.com

April 2017

Colossus Con 2017
When: April 8, 2017
Where: Alameda County Fairgrounds
Pleasanton, Calif.
What: “Colossus Con is the ultimate pop culture convention event. Catering to the fans to enjoy the comforts of fandom without the corporate hustle and bustle.”
More info: http://www.colossuscon.com/

Silicon Valley Comic Con
When: April 21 – 23, 2017
Where: San Jose Convention Center
More info: http://svcomiccon.com/

September 2017

San Francisco Comic Con
When: September 1-3, 2017
Where: Moscone Center West
747 Howard Street in San Francisco
More info: http://sanfrancomiccon.com