Tag Archive for 'Wayne Wise'

Podcast Episode 048 - Phantom of the Awesomecast

It’s the AudioShocker’s first birthday! To celebrate, the podcast hit the road and recorded live at Phantom of the Attic Comics on Craig Street in Pittsburgh, PA during New Comics Day on Wednesday, September 17. 2008. Joining Neal and Nick are guests Wayne Wise and Scott Hedlund. The crew talks about Dave Sim and Cerebus, Wonder Woman, the aging comic book fanbase, graphic novels vs. mini series, Drunk Duck, Strumhaus, Grey Legacy, and tons more comics topics.

 
 AudioShocker #48 [59:08m]: Play Now | Download

Check Out the New Phantom of the Attic Comics in Pittsburgh

From the White Hen Pantry in Geneva, Illinois where I bought Age of Apocalypse: Omega to San Francisco’s Isotope “the comic book lounge” where owner James Sime ran down the bus so I could get back to my hotel, I’ve bought comic books all across the United States.

Without a doubt, the best of the best is the Phantom of the Attic (PotA) comics division on S Craig St in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Save for a few missing summers and a few months spent in Brooklyn, I’ve been shopping at PotA for going on eight years now and the experience only gets better with time.

Phantom of the Attic's new front door

PotA used to sit in a cramped second-floor space where they had it all… but it was small. Now they’ve moved across the street into a gorgeous loft with tons of room and even more comics. If PotA’s previous space was a like a delicious Dagwood sandwich of comic book merchandise, then the new PotA is a bountiful smorgasbord of comics, graphic novels, manga, toys, and more.

Wayne Wise at the Phantom counter

Wayne Wise (seen above) is a longtime PotA employee and my comic book mentor. He let me in on a few interesting facts about the relocated shop. I was surprised to learn that all the racks are custom made. The design allows for individual clear plastic shelves to be interchanged every Wednesday as the new books hit:

Phantom's comic book racks

Back issues are now stored inside large custom drawers that have been balanced to accommodate the cumbersome weight of two long boxes:

Phantom's back issue drawers

Continue reading ‘Check Out the New Phantom of the Attic Comics in Pittsburgh’

ComicShocker - Bendis, Next Men, and Hair

So my friend and comic book mentor Wayne Wise recommended I try Next Men a couple months back. This 1990s John Byrne series from Dark Horse Comics is solid. I bought the first 12 issues at my LCD for a few dollars (seriously, something like $8.00).

The stories are great, but often the letters pages are better. In Next Men #8, I discovered this classic letter written by none other than comic book mega-writer Brian Michael Bendis:

Way to rip on Bendis, John Bryne

All I have to say is: ZING! Damn, Bendis. John Byrne was ripping on your hair way back before you even lost it!

Nice Chester Cheetah shirt, BMB

I wonder: have these two creators ever met? They must have by this point. I hope they talked about this letter. Seriously.

P.S. If you haven’t already noticed, I changed the way I’m naming this column. The whole “Week whatever 2008″ system was just ineffective. How is anyone ever going to know what the post is about like that?