Once again, I bring you news of a special event at my abso fave local comic book shop!! Personal bias aside, I was a customer from Day One (Jan. 21, 2012). I reconnected with the owner and sole proprietor, Carlos Camara. He accommodated (and still does) my every single demand. That’s no easy feat since I’m extremely high maintenance ;-P This stalwart individual whom I affectionately nickname the Kingpin of Comics isn’t just about amassing the almighty dollar. He truly is a man of the people – he makes all the people that walk in the door feel welcome. There’s no discrimination, no favoritism.
This day was specifically chosen by DC Comics as their ‘national holiday’. Hey!! It just hit me!! DC used to go by National Publications in its inception :0 At any rate, one reason is to promote the upcoming twenty-part weekly maxi-series BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL. This is a prequel to the year-long BATMAN ETERNAL weekly that concluded in April. Scott Snyder is the spearhead but the main writer is James Tynion IV.
Gotham Central has chosen to participate in this nationwide for obvious reasons: awareness of its existence, exposure to its location, reeling in new customers. Those aren’t the only things. Customers were given the token free BATMAN: ENDGAME SPECIAL EDITION that reprints BATMAN {2nd Series} #35 and serves up an eight-page preview of BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL. The Batman Day logo on the cover makes it a no-brainer. However, with this gratis gift (already bagged and boarded) for preservation, a custom-made sketch card is inserted so that anyone can ask local artists to let their imaginations run wild. Mr. Camara also held a raffle for a much-coveted work of art: the Batman Black & White Statue designed by Michael Turner!!! An extremely hot item!!
The day wouldn’t be complete without an appearance from the Dark Knight himself!! In this case, a professional cosplayer who goes by the moniker TDKRises Toronto Batman. It may be a little long and doesn’t necessarily roll off the tongue but since there’s already an established Toronto Batman, this is the next best thing. This man has major moolah!! Like his alter ego Bruce Wayne, he arrived in a sleek silver Lamborghini. Sweet ride indeed!
The Bat was extremely approachable and an amusing conversationalist. He obliged photo ops, browsed through back issues, and struck a chord with illustrator R.B. White.
R.B. White was the big draw for this gathering. I will admit that I had a vague notion of his fame. If the information is accurate, his body of work is extensive and spans four decades. I was pleased to learn that he has become a Canadian citizen and resides in Oakville. In fact, I learned his ‘secret origin. I don’t really know if I should state it but I can’t resist – he’s Serbian!! He and TDK Rises Batman talked up a storm in their native tongue. Mr. White was extremely down-to-earth. He is currently keeping his fingers crossed to gather funds for his latest endeavour: POISON HEART.
The ginormous collective known as Spent Pencils are troopers through and through!! Their membership is always in flux but they number approximately thirty. New faces have been invited into the super-friendly group: Michael Simbajon, an indie man who finally decided to play with others; Michaela Clair, a really recent recruit as on FANeXpo.
But wait! There’s more!! Established veterans Oliver Castañeda, Rico Valdes, and Gerard de la Costa.
The day wouldn’t be complete without the winner of the grand prize!! The lucky ducky was none other than Marco. That’s it. No last name. Probably better that way. He might have been jumped by me or some other Bat-fan.
There was a storewide sale discounting 15% from all items (statues, apparel, POP! figures, back issues). Mr. Camara sweetened the deal even more by offering custom Oreo cookies to the attendees: birthday cake, brownie, lemon, peanut butter, etc. Yummy yummy for everyone’s tummy 😉
On that note, please drop by Gotham Central Comics & Collectibles any day of the week. Follow them on Facebook as well as Twitter @GothamCentral1 Not only am I a customer, I’m a volunteer, and a good friend ^_^
