Taking a Side Trip to the Outer Limits

While on the trip to the mountains we spotted the “Outer Limits Comic Books” store.  We just had to stop in.  I was able to pick up the last issue I needed for Dark Minds, Vol. 2, a complete Dark Minds mini I didn’t have, and the last issue for a couple of Star Wars mini’s I was needing.  Didn’t have any manga that Logan needed though, but we did find some Top Cow Battle of the Planet Manga issues.

Wolverine Back in the News

It is being reported that James Mangold, the director of 3:10 to Yuma and Knight and Day has been tapped by 20th Century Fox to direct the next Wolverine movie.  Hugh Jackman will be back in the title role of the film, currently titled The Wolverine.  The screenplay is currently being written by Christopher McQuarrie is slated to begin filming this Fall in Japan.  Jump over for a brief article below.

http://www.icv2.com/articles/markets/20317.html

Playing Video Games at the Supreme Court

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s site has posted a short article over Video Games.  The Supreme Court is currently looking at a case Brown v. EMA.  In this case California is seeking an appeal on a law the state passed, that minors can not purchase video games that have violent content because it is harmful to minors.  Within their own state the law was struck down as a violation of the 1st Amendment, hence the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.  What is worry some to the CBLDF and others is that this law if left to stand could be expanded to include other forms of media to include comic books.  For the full article make the jump below.

http://cbldf.org/homepage/supreme-court-may-soon-make-decision-about-violent-video-games/

Turning Shades of Green

One of the movies I have been eagerly awaiting comes out this weekend.  Of course that is DC Comics’ Green Lantern.  I’m sure all of your patrons will know this, but it can give you some talking points if you only have a passing knowledge of comic books. Watch the feature below thanks to YahooMovies.

Oz Continues Down the Yellow Brick Road

Marvel is continuing the Oz series with the fourth mini-series adapting the fourth book, Dorothy & The Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum.  Eric Shanower and Skottie Young will continue the writing and art for the group of mini-series.  The mini-series will be eight issues long.  However, libraries will want to wait for the collected edition to place in their collections.

http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/20290.html

Tips and Tricks Ep. 5

Try to get your local community involved by having display shows.  Most communities have collectors that live there.  If you have a patron that collects comic book/manga related items you could ask them to put on a day show.  If you can’t think of a patron that collects anything you can ask around and possibly find someone within your community, from another person, to put on a display.  By having someone outside of your library’s patronage put on a show, you could possibly gain patronage from that person and if he talks to other people they might come in and start using the library.

When you approach them he or she might be a little hesitant, but be persistent.  Most collectors love to show off their collection whenever they can.  You can have them come in early to set up and then have them stay if they can, to answer questions about their collection.  They could then take it down at the end of the day.  If they can’t stay during the day, reassure him or her that the collection will be protected.

The library could have a give away for the show as well that could be drawn for at the end of the showing.  You might even get a donation from the person who owns the display if they have any duplicate collectibles to use as a give away.

This show could be held at anytime of the year.  If you have multiple people that have collections you could do multiple day shows.  For instance, one person could just do American comic books, another could be into Japanese manga, or they might collect a specific character.  One of the best days a library could have this would be on Free Comic Book Day.  You can have patrons visit the show and then at the end of the room as they leave give out one or two free comic books.