A birthday wish for murnkay

murnkay has a birthday request.

Jim Hanley’s Universe is my fave comic store. They have two locations, one in Manhattan one on S.I. This weekend the one in S.I. suffered fairly severe water damage. So this is what I want from you all:

If you live in NY: Go to Jim Hanley’s Universe (33rd off 5th, next to the ESB) and buy a comic. If you are a comic reader, consider going to Hanley’s this week and show your love. I will happily sit here and recommend comics, if you don’t normally read them.

If you don’t live in NY: Ask a friend that does live in NY or is visiting to stop by the store and buy a comic (someone other than me, I’m already going).

If you have zero connections to NY and still want to do something for my birthday buy a comic, something you haven’t tried before. Again, I will give recommendations if you don’t read comics, if you tell me what you read, what movies you watch, TV shows you enjoy, etc.

I spent nearly half my life in NYC, and I spent nearly a third of my comics money for that part of my life at the 33rd St branch of JHU (the other money went mostly to Midtown Comics, Action Comics and a few other places; I grew up in the era when it was still possible to buy books -- even the baxter-printed stuff -- at newsstands). I can attest to the fact that it's a damned fine store, with an amazing selection (you kids today don't realize just how hard it was to find issues of 2000AD in those days), and employees who defy the comic store stereotype. Granted, I haven't set foot in JHU in thirteen years or so, but it still brings back some great memories. So, if you live in or near NYC and want to support a good business (and honor murnkay's birthday wish), see if you can make it in there and buy a comic. For all my cynicism at, well, almost everything the Big Two are doing these days, there's good stuff coming out of them (Daredevil #1 is, as I've said before, damned near perfect), and there's a ridiculous amount of good indie stuff out there, too.

Blue October!

Blue October's new album, Any Man in America, is the Amazon MP3 album of the day! It's $3.99 if you buy it today!