January 1, 2016 - Ash Avenue Comics

Ash Ave Comic Book Club February Meeting: Sandman volume 1 and Preacher volume 5

Posted on January 24, 2016 | by delta

A big month for the Ash Ave Comics’ reading group as we begin our reading of the legendary Sandman series, beginning with volume 1 on Sunday, February 7th at 6 PM. Neil Gaiman’s celebrated series follows Dream (Morpheus, The Dream King), volume 1 begins with the Dream King imprisoned on earth, ripped out of The Dreaming as the result of an occult ritual.

In addition to the stellar writing talents of Neil Gaiman, a number of artists contributed their talents to the series, including Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, Mike Allred, Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, George Pratt, Charles Vess, Kelley Jones, Matt Wagner, P. Craig Russell, Michael Zulli, Marc Hempel, Dick Giordano, and Vince Locke. Sandman will be our next long form read as Preacher wraps up in March, so this discussion group is a perfect place to jump on to read and discuss this classic series.

Our second group will meet at 6PM on Sunday, February 21st to discuss Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher volume 5, the penultimate chapter in the long running Vertigo series.

Coming up in March is Farel Dalrymple’s The Wrenchies graphic novel, followed by the conclusion to Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s masterpiece Preacher. Check below for the meeting dates for the next two months, below that is the cover art and publishers’ summary of February’s titles. See you in the shop!

Sunday, February 7th: Sandman vol 1

Sunday, February 21st: Preacher vol 5

Sunday, March 6th: The Wrenchies

Sunday, March 20th: Preacher vol 6

The first volume collecting Neil Gaiman’s seminal horror series is available in a new edition featuring the improved production values and coloring from the Absolute Edition. In PRELUDES & NOCTURNES, collecting issues #1-8, an occultist attempting to capture Death to bargain for eternal life traps Death’s younger brother Dream instead. After his 70-year imprisonment and eventual escape, Morpheus goes on a quest for his lost objects of power. On his arduous journey Morpheus encounters Lucifer, John Constantine and an all-powerful madman. This book also includes the story “The Sound of Her Wings” which introduces the pragmatic, perky Death.

Jesse Custer’s dark journey to find God continues as he becomes the sheriff of a troubled Texas town. Then, Custer decides it’s high time to renew his quest to find God and hold Him accountable for his actions. Collecting PREACHER #41-54.

Final Friday at Ash Ave Comics! Untidy Secrets Storytelling and Zine Swap: First of The Gang To Die

Posted on January 10, 2016 | by delta

Friday, January 29 at 8 PM at Ash Ave Comics

The forth installment of Untidy Secrets includes storytelling from:
Melissa Fossum
William Wonderful
Russ Kazmierczak, Jr.

The theme this month is “First of The Gang To Die”, storytellers interpret this theme however they see fit.

Untidy Secrets exists to encourage literature through alteranative means (storytelling, small press, self publishing, zines, and more). If you’re a writer, bring your work to swap and connect with others.

This event is all ages and BYOB. Ash Ave Comics has some chairs available at first come first serve basis, feel free to bring your own chair or stand.

If you’re interested in telling a story at a future Untidy Secrets event, contact Sarah Richie-Rich.

Ash Ave Comics 13th Anniversary Sale and 2015 In Review

Posted on January 1, 2016 | by delta

Hey folks, it’s crazy how time flies, but January 2, 2016 is our 13th anniversary as a comic shop. To thank all of you, we’re holding an anniversary sale from 11 AM to 8 PM on Saturday, January 2nd. Everything in the shop will be 20% off with the exception of consignment items or items previously discounted.

Last year was awesome, we had great growth in sales and in our customer base as the industry continued to impress with scores of new titles bringing in new readers and bringing old readers back as well. We gave away thousands of comics for the wildly successful Free Comic Book Day, had a hit with Local Comic Shop Day, and gave out hundreds of free titles for Halloween Comic Fest. We comic conned.

We were voted “Readers Choice” for Best Comic Shop by readers of the Phoenix New Times. We attended Image Comics’ Image Expo in San Francisco. We visited comics shops in Greece and Turkey to see a very different comic industry, but also a very familiar one.

Our afterhours programming continued to be a hit, we held three storytelling nights in collaboration with Untidy Secrets, and our Comic Book Club discussion group met 22 times(!) this year to discuss monthly picks and for longer reads such as The Invisibles and Preacher. There’s more to come this year as we hope to offer more programming at the shop, in addition to our usual engagements. Thank you to everyone for the support this year, and over the years. We hope to keep providing you all with a great selection of comics in 2016.