Munster Car Show

The 11th Annual Munster Car Show will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2009, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Munster Community Park. The rain date is May 9. The show is open to all makes and models. Enjoy!

Here's the info:
Munster Car Show
Saturday, May 2
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Munster Community Park
1154 Ridge Rd
Munster, IN 46321
(219) 836-7275

Pate Swap Meet

Texans can proudly hold up the Pate Swap Meet as proof that everything really is bigger in the Lone Star state. One of the largest swap meets in the country, the 37th Annual Pate Swap Meet starts today and runs through Sunday.

Hosted at the Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Pate is a combined fundraising effort for 17 Texas antique automobile clubs. The sprawling facility will be loaded all weekend with parts and pieces for everything from street rods to prewar classics. Admission is free and a free parts hauling service means you can go ahead and buy those oversized parts even though you're far from where you parked.

If go to Pate this weekend, click "Comments" below and let me know what treasures you find.

For more information, click on the logo above.

Chicago G.I. Joe Show

The Chicago G.I. Joe & Action Figure Show 2009 will be held this Sunday, May 3. Sponsored by the Chicago G.I. Joe Collector's Club, the show will take place at Harry D. Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Ill. It will open to the public at 9:00 am and close at 3:00 pm.

In addition to the dealers, patrons will enjoy 1:6-scale and 3-3/4" dioramas and displays of custom figures. Classic G.I. Joe videos will also be shown. No matter which era you prefer -- painted hair figures of the 1960s, flocked hair figures with Kung-Fu grip from the '70s, the 3-3/4" figures of the '80s (through today), or the 12" collector's editions -- if you're a G.I. Joe collector, you don't want to miss this show!

And the admission fees are going to benifit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, so bring a friend or two or three...

Here's the info:

Chicago G.I. Joe & Action Figure Show 2009

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Harry D. Jacobs High School

2601 Bunker Hill Dr.

Algonqin, IL 60102

Show hours: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm (Early Birds 8:00 to 9:00 am)

Admission: $4, under 10 years old is free

Early bird admission: $6

Chicago Toy Show

The Chicago Toy Show is this Sunday, April 26, 2009. As always, the event will be held at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 South Randall Road in St. Charles, IL 60174. The show opens to the public at 8:00 am and will go until 3:00 pm. Admission is $7.

During the 35 (or is it 36 now?) years that the show has been held, it has been known as the Kane Co. show, the Antique Toy World show, or simply, the Chicago show. No matter what you call it, this is one of the finest antique toy shows in the country. Oh yes, it's a doll show, too. Major auction houses come to preview their upcoming auctions, toy dealers and customers from around the world attend, and if you collect toys, this is the place to be.

The show is run by Dale Kelley of Antique Toy World magazine, and the improved facilites at the fairgrounds have made the show even more fun for everyone.

For more information and driving directions, go to the website.

Free Comic Book Day Isn't Free

Several people have asked about Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) lately, and I thought I'd explain a few details.

First, the comics that are free on FCBD are ones prepared and released especially for the event. Most will have the FCBD logo on them, and most stores will have one area dedicated to the free titles. The regular release titles (those that line the store shelves every day) are for sale. Store owners definitely encourage you to browse their shelves, but if you're not a regular comics reader please do remember to take care when handling the books -- condition is important.

Second, those "free" comics aren't really free. The stores do pay for the titles that they hand out on FCBD, and I think this is an overlooked aspect of this festive day. They also pay for the FCBD signs, shirts, and advertising that brought you to their store. Some stores host comics creators for the event and can incur costs bringing these professionals in for signings. Other stores host costume contests, provide door prizes, or offer other costly efforts to make the event enjoyable.

Third, not every store will offer every free comic produced for this event. Store owners select the comics that they think will appeal to the audience most likely to walk through their door and order what their budget will permit. If you couldn't find a particular free comic at your local store, you'll probably have to try another location.

Fourth, spend some money in the store that day. If you're a store regular with a pull list, pick up your comics that day. Better yet, toss in a few titles you've been thinking about trying anyway. If you just came in for the event, give a few titles a try. With the amazing volume and variety of trade paperback collections available, you can pick up on the current storyline of your favorite character by reading a couple of trades. Someone in the store can help you find what you're looking for, just ask.

Fifth, bring the kids. Yes, there are comics appropriate for kids! No, you won't find them at the grocery store like you did when you were a kid. In addition to the good kid-friendly titles produced just for FCBD, there are a number of monthly titles available for young readers and tweens, too. Strike up a conversation at your comic shop on FCBD and they'll help you find them.

If stores don't have good traffic through the door and don't post good sales on FCBD, they won't have much incentive to continue to participate in future events -- and that would be a shame. This event brings a lot of positive attention to the world of comics, and comics readers need to support it in any way that they can.

South Shore Brass Band

On May 2, 2009, the South Shore Brass Band will present its spring concert at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, Ind. The concert will begin at 7:00 and include traditional brass band selections like First Suite and English Suite as well as marches like Americans We and more contemporary pieces.

It should be a great performance in that historic hall. Here are the details:

South Shore Brass Band
In Concert
Saturday, May 2, 2009
7:00 pm

At the
Memorial Opera House
104 Indiana Ave.

Valparaiso, IN 46383

Tickets available by calling:
(219) 548-9137
For more information, email:
info@mohlive.com

$12 adults
$10 seniors
$7 students w/i.d.

S.P.A.C.E. con

The Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (S.P.A.C.E.) is this weekend, April 18-19. One of the best shows of the year for indie comics creators and fans, S.P.A.C.E. will take place at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus, Ohio. The show is open from 10am to 6pm on Saturday and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday. Admission is $5 for one day or $8 for both.

The exhibitor tables are sold out and the programming schedule offers a varitey of panels, discussions and cool exhibits. Check out the website for more info and have a great time at the con!

Farm Toy Show, Walnut IL

Attention farm toy collectors!

For those of you in the north-central Illinois area this Sunday, April 19, the 23rd Annual Farm & Toy Show will be held at the Bureau Valley North school gym. The school is located at 323 S. Main St. in Walnut, Illinois, and the show will run from 9am to 3pm. For more information call (815) 303-8764.

Sounds like a nice show!

2009 Eisner Award Nominees

The 2009 Eisner Award nominees were released this week, and it's a very diverse list that features entries from 38 publishers. Named for famed cartoonist Will Eisner, the awards are the Oscars of the comics world and are handed out each year during a ceremony at Comic-Con International San Diego.

The nice thing about the list is that it serves as a "recommended reading list" for the summer. I'm already familiar with quite a few of the titles nominated, but those that I don't know will spark conversations for the next several months. I must admit that Willie & Joe is a personal favorite, and I'll be cheering for it.

Classics Illustrated: The Raven

Just received a review copy of Classics Illustrated: The Raven and other Poems from the folks at Papercutz.

Their successful revival of the Classics Illustrated series continues with this collection of Edgar Allan Poe's masterpiece, "The Raven," and other poems including, "Eldorado," "Annabel Lee," "The City in the Sea," "The Sleeper, " "The Haunted Palace," and "The Conqueror Worm" as interpreted by Gahan Wilson, the hilarious and insightful cartoonist for The New Yorker.

Wilson's style is perfectly suited to Poe's turn of phrase, as his artwork moves across the page with the cadence established by the words. But don't take my word for it. At $9.95 this modern classic is a bargain -- so order two copies and donate one to your local library!

Interview with Thom Zahler

For my column, "The O'Brien Factor," in issue #1652 of Comics Buyer's Guide magazine, I had the pleasure of interviewing writer/artist/self publisher Thom Zahler. Zahler is the creator of Love and Capes, a super hero/sitcom/romance comic book about Mark, the super hero, and Abby, his normal bookstore-owner girlfriend.

The comic is brilliant, but don't take my word for it, Zahler posts panels to the website so you can check it out for yourself. Then you can feel free to click on "Comments" below and tell me what you liked about it.

My intervew with Zahler included much more material than I could use in the magazine, so I'm posting the unabbreviated version of his answers HERE. I'll add another question/answer every couple of days, so be sure to check back often.

Charlotte Auto Fair

The Charlotte Auto Fair began yesterday and goes on through Sunday at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hosted by the Hornet's Nest Region AACA club, the event is billed as the "Largest Collector Vehicle Event in the Southeast," and with an expected crowd of 150,000 and 10,000 swap meet vendor spaces, I can't dispute the claim.

The AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) will be holding its National Spring Meet car show on Saturday, April 4, in conjunction with the Auto Fair. This is one event I'm adding to my "Gotta Get There Someday" list. Hope you have great weather, Charlotte!

Free Comic Book Day

Let the countdown to Free Comic Book Day begin! We are just one month from one of the best events of the year, and I can't wait.

For those of you who might not be aware, on the first Saturday in May comics created especially for the event will be offered free of charge at participating comic shops nationwide. No kidding -- free comics. So there's no misunderstanding -- the only comics that retailers will have for free are those created for the day -- regular releases on their shelves are not free.

This year's selection of FCBD comics is one of the best lineups yet. Material for all ages and reading levels mean that there will be comics for everyone. Got kids that don't read yet -- Owly & Friends from Top Shelf is full of wordless adventures. Go to the site and click on "The Comics" to see a complete lineup.

Don't know where to find a comic book shop? Use the FCBD locator on the site, just type in your zip code and it will give you a list of shops in your area. Many shops are planning special events that day, so you may even find comics professionals making appearances. Call the shop in advance to find out what they are planning. If you're a professional, please add your appearances to the growing list on the site -- and join in the discussion on CBGxtra.

We're only a month away, so get the word out to teachers, librarians, comics fans and everyone else you know. Be sure to add the event at your local shop to community calendars, as well.

The BIG READ

The Columbia College Library is presenting a month-long series of events for the annual BIG READ. The featured book is Ray Bradbury's masterpiece, Fahrenheit 451.

What is the BIG READ? Glad you asked. From the site:

In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts released a report entitled, Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading, and its findings revealed that during the period 1982-2002, reading has declined at a high rate among all ages, but particularly in the younger age groups. As a result, the National Endowment for the Arts developed the BIG READ initiative in 2006 to address this problem, with the fundamental goal of restoring reading to the center of American culture.

Visit the site and check out The BIG READ. You don't have to attend the events to get a lot out of this series -- heck, go buy a copy of the book and follow along online.

Reading less as a society is a scary thought. Or are we just reading more junk?