4 Color Junkie Store now open!

Not content with just providing news, reviews, and biased opinions on all things comic book; I have decided to set up a SAFE and SECURE website store to help you get what you want without having to look any further! Right now, I am just set up for graphic novels and not monthly books but you can also find movies, books, games and more great swag! Please, give us a chance, you will be pleased!

The Punisher in Oregon!

Not ready to go home from the Mayhem concert in Auburn, Washington, I found myself heading down into Oregon for a couple days of excitement at Newport beach and the surrounding area. Some of the great things about this area are, the ocean (naturally), Yaquina Bay light house, both the Ripley's Believe It Or Not and the wax Museums, the Aquatic Center and the underwater aquarium, boat tours, you name it. One thing that isn't easily associated with the wet, salty air of the coastline is a comic book shop! I may have missed a hidden little hole in the wall while hitting the shopping areas of town (both touristy and non) but I wouldn't be surprised if there was no such shop.

Down near Pier 1, however; I found this quaint little shop tucked into the back room of a micro-mall on the 'strip' that sells clay mugs that are crafted into faces that could easily be found in a 1970s cartoon intended for adults (think "Light Years") or maybe some hippie calendar of gnomes and mushrooms.Directly outside of this shop, there are two boxes of comics, bagged and boarded; just waiting to find new homes. On the front of the boxes, a paper sign gloriously announces, "Vintage comics- around 15 years old- $1.50 ea. or 4/$5.00"

Well, that sounded like an invitation to browse to me and so my fingers began their walking, stepping through each and every book. Within these home crafted boxes, I found a lot of Image books, including Savage Dragon; some Ultraverse books like Mantra and even DC's Metal Men mini-series from the early 90s and a four consecutive issue run of Marvel comic's the Punisher, issues 79 - 82. This may not have been a golden pick that puts my kids through college, but it is a pretty cool find for a town that doesn't really have a comic book store.

Cannibal Corpse?! I thought this was about comics?

Image via Wikipedia

I didn't get to hit the local "bookstore" to snatch up my stack of 4 color escapist magazines this week because Rockstar Energy Drink's Mayhem Festival hit town (and by town, I mean, across the state) to devastate the Pacific Northwest and I had to go...no, really, I HAD to go, I am a big Behemoth fan and they were playing (I already missed them once last year). Well, I also was dying to see Trivium, Slayer, Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, and Cannibal Corpse....that's right, Cannibal Corpse!

Of course, by now, you are sitting here thinking, "What in the world does this have to do with comics, man?!" To which, I will say:

The shows were great and the energy was stratosphere. There were so many different people from various walks of life there to watch incredibly talented bands perform wonderfully twisted music, I wouldn't have asked for anything more!

Again, you ask, "Seriously, what about comics?" I then say:

Among the T-shirt and CD covered vendors, sitting on a table, I found the most amazing thing...
A Cannibal Corpse comic book! (Well, graphic novel, if oyu wanna get all technical and whiney about it). That's right a glossy paged comic chocked full of short stories! WOW! The cool thing is, each short story seemed to be based off of a different song from their latest release, Evisceration Plague! How freakin' cool is that?! The book was bagged with the album and the bundle cost me no more than 20 coin so I had to get it, even though that means I now have two copies of their album.

The day went on and I had an amazing time, jumping in the pit to some of the heaviest bands in America (and successfully protecting my comic book treasure). Moshing and headbanging, yelling and singing. The day couldn't get any better....or could it?

Taking a break from the constant slamming, I made my way back to the vendor booths (I am a sucker for spending) and was only half surprised to see band members signing their autographs for appreciative fans. After peering into the crowd of fans for a moment, I caught glimpse of the artists at the signing booth...Cannibal Corpse! A wave of giddiness washed over me and I instantly dug deep and fast for my newly acquired bagged book and just about pulled the plastic from it at light speed, then I charged the line and waited....and waited...In real time, it was two or three minutes tops, but in eager anticipation time, it was an eternity on slow motion! I got to the front of the line and proudly displayed the book and watched as each of the members of this long running and well respected band put their diabolical John Hancock on MY comic book! I continued down the line with a handshake and a 'thank you' until I gathered each musician and then got lost again in the crowd of metalheads, goth girls, and freaks...jealously guarding my latest prize possession.

I walked out of that concert (barely) with some incredible memories, richly colored bruising and great merchandise but the one possession I prize over all others is my Cannibal Corpse comic book, fully autographed by one of the nicest death metal bands ever (sorry guys if this ruins your reputation for being evil)!

I have been trying to locate a link for you to buy this book but have been unable to do so. For now, check out this merch from Cannibal Corpse:

Character spotlight on: She-Hulk

Welcome to the debut of my character spotlight segment. I plan on shining some light on great characters that may not be getting proper treatment. This is me, doing my part to help raise awareness and trying to stop the horrible and unaddressed issue of character neglet!

Image via Wikipedia

This entry is to spotlight one of the strongest women in comics, the Sensational She-Hulk. This 29 year old, emerald skinned, comic book good girl is an incredible asset to a character stable. As Jennifer Walters, she is a skilled attorney that is just as passionate about fighting legal battles as her 6' 7", superheroine counterpart is eager to bust heads! Always thinking of more than just mercenary tactics and brawling, She-Hulk has even been able to put her villain bashing abilities to professional use as she has been recently seen traveling across the country as a bounty hunter for bail skippers.

She-Hulk is one of the last characters that Stan Lee created for Marvel and has starred in no less than four on-going series including the Savage She-Hulk (her first comic which lasted to nearly 30 issues) and the Sensational She-Hulk which saw John Byrne take the emerald Avenger through 60 issues of comedy, parody in which her jade jaws were often talking directly to the reader.

She may not be a requirement in the Marvel stable like Spidey, Mutants, or even the Hulk, but her depth and richness of character is one that could go toe to toe with her cousin and win, every time!

Free Comic Books

Image via Wikipedia

Always looking for ways to increase reader activity, Marvel Comics has set up a new program online that offers free comic books every single week!

That's right, FREE comics, every Monday! Now, Marvel die-hards will recognize this as Marvel's Free Mondays, the program that offers free DIGITAL comic books to readers for download and this is not quite a new concept, Marvel has been running their Free Mondays since as far back as May of 2008.

The downfall of this "free" stack of digital comic books is that, you actually must be a member of Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited subscription service, which costs $59.88 (or, $4.99 a month).

Is this really a way to bring quality comics to devoted fans or merely a push to stop printing fees and save the comic industry money. More importantly, will this medium stick and are we looking at the future of comic books? We will see what the collective collector says.