Happy Birthday!

Just a quick note that today is New World Mike's 39th birthday! Going on 40 and still playing with toys!

DC Comicon Review

A new show organized by the promoters of the long running VA Comicon and Baltimore Comicon, the first ever DC Comicon took place last Sunday, May 2nd at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. While technically, not in Washington DC, the show was close enough to count and did avoid most of that annoying beltline traffic.

While the location and access may have caused issues for some people, it did not seem to affect attendance as the place was packed for just about the entire length of the show. We had a constant stream of people at our booth from 1015am to nearly 330pm (and the show closed at 500p!). With the continuing concerns over the economy, this was the second show we have been to in the past three months (see NC Comicon review below) that not only drew a good amount of people, but also people buying.

One of the big draws for the show was the artist Triple Play of JG Jones, Herb Trimpe, and Frank Cho along with a number of others. While we never got a chance to meet with any of the artists due to be soooo busy (not a problem I will ever complain about), I did notice a consistent line for them. The line for Jones started as soon as the show opened and grew to about 50 people by the time he arrived (one site related note - next time make the center aisle a little smaller. The side aisles were blocked on one side by the line of people). I did see a number of sketches by the Fillbach and Luna Brothers, so they did appear to be staying busy as well. Overall, I did not hear any complaints from attendees about access to the guests.

There were some activities supporting the main dealer's room, but once again, it was too busy for me to see any of them. There were about 20 people in costume, but nothing that had that "Oh wow" factor. Hopefully we will see more participation in this next time along with perhaps a program from the school's drama dept (do they have one?)

Overall, this show was a real encouraging sign going into the busy summer convention season, but it was also a testament to the hard work being put on by the promoters. While some people like to gripe and harp on little things, it was an overall success and surpassed a number of expectations. It proves that if you let people know the event is out there and give them a variety of reasons to come (dealer's room, guests, supporting programs), then they will come. Thanks to everyone involved, and we are certainly looking forward to doing the next one.

NC Comic Con Review

With 648 in attendance, the first NC Comicon has to be categorized as an unquestionable success. Additionally, there were lots of bags being carried out, which is great for the dealers as well. It was also good to see some familiar faces from other NC toy and comic events showing support for the new show on the block. The strong turnout makes a strong point that the Triangle area can support a full fledged pop culture show.

The variety of vendors added a unique style to the occasion, moving it beyond the typical "dig-a-rama" of your usual comic book show. Vicious Vestments, Alternative Xchange (I hope I spelled that right), and Wootini all brought items not normally seen outside of the large shows. Heroes Aren't Hard to Find and Brett's Comic Pile loaded in the hard to find comics, and Ultimate Comics set up had a nice mix of blow out books and hot items.

Tommy Lee Edwards had a long line all day long, and this has to be one of the few shows I have come across offering free sketches from an accomplished artist. Christos Gage was promoting his newest books, and I also saw a good amount of people around the indy artist tables as well. And you can't beat having Thor as one of the con runners!

The lines were well managed at the beginning, and the only real issue was the heat in dealer room 1. Of course, it is a good problem to have too many people! Overall, it seemed like there were a lot of satisfied people, both attendees and dealers. Take a look at some of our photos from the show.

Kudos to Alan and company for putting on a great show, and we look forward to being there in November. If anyone has any figure requests...hit us up! We look forward to seeing everyone there again as well as some more new faces.

Quick Store Update

We will be posting a more complete recap of the past Saturday's NC Comicon in the next few days complete with pictures of the crowded and very successful show.

In the meantime, we have put the Amazon storefront on vacation while we update the inventory to account for the high amount of sales along with some cool new figures we picked up.

Thanks to Alan and company at Ultimate Comics for putting forth a great first effort! More thanks to everyone who came out including some familiar faces from the In Pitch shows. And even more thanks to the new people who came out including horror fans, star trek fans, and a whole lot of Green Lantern T shirts!

More to come......

NCComicon - March 13 10am - 6pm!

It's always exciting when a new show debuts, and this one really has our interest. Raleigh has long needed a good pop culture type show, and hopefully, this could be the answer. Promoted by the great folks at Ultimate Comics in Durham, the show is going to be held at the Morrisville Outlet Center across from Raleigh Durham Airport. This is a really unique venue to be having the show in. Bigger than a hotel ballroom, nicer than a National Guard Armory, smaller than a convention center, and centrally located for all of the Triangle, it'll be a good sized and nicely appointed space for the debut show. There is also a large baby consignment sale going on the same weekend at the mall, so you can do shopping for all ages in the family!

While not loaded with guests yet, Tommy Lee Edwards and Christos Gage are great snags for the show. Both are great fan friendly creators, and this venue should provide for some quality fan interaction with them.

Another high point of this show is the variety of dealers. With a deliberate aim of providing a full spectrum of pop culture options, there is more than your standard "comic show" rows and rows of long boxes. So, if your inner geek is into things other than comics, don't let the "Comicon" name throw you off. Check out:

Wootini - custom and designer artist vinyl figures.
Gamefrog - video and internet gaming retailer and center
Vicious Vestments - Alternative Lifestyle Clothing
alternativeXchange - alternative music, movies, posters, books, and more

And if you are into comics and you are anywhere around the central to eastern NC areas, you have to be there. The strong comic dealer line up includes
Ultimate Comics (naturally)
Brett's Comic Pile - promoter of the VA Comicon and great selection
Earl Shaw Comics - regional show dealer with lots of older books
The Carolina Comic Club
and six more great dealers!

And of course, there is us! We will be continuing our successful "20/20" sale promotion of 20% any total purchase of $20 or more. On the comic front, we will be featuring another great selection of at least 32 half boxes of 50 cent books, new additions to higher end books, and a new "Buy 1, Get One Free" variant and signed books sale. For the toys, we will be continuing our clearance of some misc movie and TV related older figures as well as
GI Joe - 25th, A Real American Hero, DTC, Extreme, and Sgt. Savage
Marvel Legends - Toy Biz and Hasbro
Charmed
Farscape
House of the Dead
DC Direct
Star Wars! - clearing out older Power of the Force figures and more at $3 each or 8 for $16!
McFarlane - Spawn, Terminator, Aliens vs. Predator, Conan, and more

We are really looking forward to this show, and hope to see a lot of support for it. See you there!

VA Comicon - Winter Style!

It has been a crazy winter thus far with the weather. Here at New World Command Central in Eastern NC, we have gone from snow to mid 60s to wind storms and back to a possibility of more snow. Making things even more aggravating is that it seems that the snow and rain have been coming in every weekend since Christmas!

Of course, our snow ills are nothing compared to the Snowmaggedon through the Mid Atlantic and Northeast. So, what's a good cure for the snow blues? Well, besides no more snow, how about a good comic book show! And that is what the VA Comicon is, a good, no make that great, comic book show.

So, if you are anywhere around the Richmond, Washington DC, Norfolk, or northeastern NC areas, and you are reading this blog, you owe it to yourself to check out this show. A great array of dealers including show promoters Brett's Comic Pile and Guy Rose, regional comics legend Heroes Aren't Hard to Find, Cards, Comics, and Collectibles, TNT Comics, All American Comics, and many more bring an incredible variety of books from the latest hotness to Golden Age greatness.

Not just a dealer's room show, there is also a cool assortment of artists in attendance including the hot Tsunami Studios (Kelly Yates, Rick Ketcham, Randy Green, John Wycough, and more), Kevin Sharpe, and the always cool Louis Small, Jr (you owe it to yourself to get a sketch from him). Additionally, get your horror on with Fangoria magazine in attendance.

Of course, we are bringing a selection of comics and toys as well. We have added in four and a half new boxes of fifty cent books (lots of GI Joe, Batman, Detective, and Thing in there) along with some additions to our higher priced books. On the CGC front, a slew of slabbed Joes will be available along with John McCrea Wolverine 100 book from Hero Initiative. This is a one of a kind book, and these do not show up on the market very often, so don't miss your chance.

Toys, you want toys? Well, we will definitely have toys as well. We will be bringing some random clearance figures from recent purchases. These have some out of the ordinary items in them, so they will be definitely worth a look. Other lines will include DC (Batman and some Justice), Marvel Legends (Toy Biz and Hasbro), McFarlane Hanna Barbera, Terminator, AvP, some Dawn figures, more Predator, GI Joe (yo Joe) and some hard to find Charmed sets.

Our show promotion is going to be a "20/20" sale with 20% off on all purchases of $20 or more. This will apply to everything we have, so pick up some more 50 cent books to make that $20 level!

If you made it down this far, one last thing to consider. Due to our upcoming addition to the New World family, this will be our last VA show until August. So, if you see something you like, make sure to pick it up since we won't be back for awhile!

Looking forward to seeing some of the greatest comic fans out there, and hope to see you there!

A Sign of End Times - Saints Win Super Bowl 44

It was an absolutely amazing game. I was predicted either a Colts blowout or a close game down to the wire, and so it was until about three minutes left. When Porter grabbed that interception, I was literally jumping up and down in the living room, screaming the entire way. And when the trophy was presented, well, let's say it was an emotional moment. I am so happy for the team and for the city. The curse is dead, let the new day begin for New Orleans. Oh, and I will pay well for some beads from that victory parade.

Now, past the emotional spiel, let me just give my two cents on the game (along with everyone else). The onside kick has to be one of the gutsiest calls in football history, let alone Super Bowl history. The Colts recover that ball, and the route could be back on. The Saints recover, and the momentum tips heavily in their factor. The Saints special teams have to be given a tremendous amount of credit for the game, both for that play, for consistently containing the Colts return game, and for Hartley keeping the Saints in it. After listening all week how the Colts had the advantage in the kicking game, Hartley had to take a lot of satisfaction in his performance.

One item I have not heard any commentary on is how similar this game was to the Giants victory over the Patriots a few years back. Objectively speaking, the Saints have more talent than that Giants team. But, the way Indy played the game was very similar to the way New England played and ultimately lost. Both teams seemed to be just going through the motions, confident that they were good enough to win. The team's attitude seemed to be one of almost entitlement - that the other team could not match them and would eventually fall to the side. Instead of playing to win, like the Saints and Giants were, they were playing not to lose. Look at the three runs Indy did right before the half. Playing it safe with the expectation of getting the ball first after half time. The continued short passes with very little pushing deep after the first quarter. The complete abandoning of the running game after the first quarter even though IT WAS working. All signs of an overly confident bordering on arrogant team that underestimated their opponent. The lack of intensity - of the will to power - really surprises me given the fact the Colts have lost so many times in the playoffs already.

Meanwhile, the Saints had the will to power. Up and down the roster, each player was up for the occasion. And more importantly, they were disciplined. None of the stupid penalties that were present in the Minnesota game. This was a team that wanted to win, that knew they could win, but also knew they would have to go out and EARN the victory. Brees was truly the MVP, but just about every person on the team made a critical contribution to the victory (Lance Moore anyone?). It was truly a TEAM effort, and when I say TEAM, don't forget the crowd as the 12th man. Like some sort of Voodoo version of the Force, you could almost feel the collective willpower of the Who Dat nation pulling for their team.

It truly is a victory for the ages. Savor it, because the Saints earned it.

Who Dat say dey going to be dem Saints? Nobody, because we're World Champs!

Hell Freezes Over - Black and Gold Superbowl!

Having grown up through the 80s and 90s in New Orleans, one got used to the fact that the Saints were not going to the Super Bowl. Even though hope springs eternal every year, you always knew deep down that this wasn't going to be the year. A belief that the team usually confirmed fairly early in the season. Even in the years where the team had promise, the inevitable failure came (remember the season where they lost three games to miss the playoffs, one of those games to the lowly Detroit Lions). I can still vividly remember the "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" quote after a Saints/Cowboy game as well as the original "Woulda, coulda, shoulda" tirade from Jim Mora.

With no other professional sports franchise in the area when I was growing up, it was every boy's dream (or it should have been) to play for the Saints in a Superbowl. There were no other teams to challenge the Saints hold on the Big Easy's populations, and their hard luck seasons embodied the laid back attitude of the city and its eternal faith.

Then came Katrina, and the laughing stopped. I had moved out of the city many years before, but I still had family there. Watching the news, hearing from people still in the city, and then later seeing the devastation first hand brought me to tears. Hang outs, favorite restaurants, and former friends and acquaitances - gone. Lost to the winds and waters. The city needed something as a diversion, to get away from the ever-present reminders of the devastation. Mardi Gras helped, but that only lasts two weeks. The Saints could be more. However, it was not to be for the next four years. The Superdome was repaired, but the voodoo curse had not blown away.

With the incredible run at the beginning of this season, the silent demon seemed to fade away. This may just be the year. Then came the three losses at the end of the season, and the demon came screaming back. Even a crushing victory over the Cardinals could not silence those nagging doubts. After all, there was Mr. Comeback, Brett Favre and his purple posse with their own complete set of storylines and Super Bowl ambitions.

Four quarters and some five minutes later, the demon was dead. Finally silenced through a series of plays and perhaps some Divine Intervention leading to the 40 yard strike off the foot of Garrett Hartley. There were shouts of joy from my household, and yes, there were again tears for the city. But these were tears of relief, of disbelief, and incredible joy. To paraphrase long time Saints play by play man Jim Henderson (who I grew up watching on WWL-TV), Hell has frozen over, the Saints are going to the Super Bowl. And unless you are from south Louisiana, you have no idea how good it feels to type that.

New World Mike - Member of the Who Dat Nation - Eastern NC chapter.

New Features

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Daily Specials Update

Big Finish.......you always want a big finish. So, to finish up our 10 Days of 2010 promotion, we are bringing out some of the rare items.

So, for Saturday, take 25% off all Bowen busts in stock. This includes the ultra rare Destroyer along with the retired Silver Surfer, Beast, and more! Make sure to take a look at the Vision bust which is signed by Avengers creators Roy Thomas and George Perez!

And on Sunday, in between the big football games, take a look at all the other busts and statues in our storefront which will also be 25% off! This includes Diamond, Hard Hero, Gentle Giant, and Dynamic Forces items. Highlights include the very rare Dynamic Forces Mystique bust, the uber cool GI Joe Snake Eyes Wall Statue, X-Men Evolution Product Samples and more! Remember, this is all the non Bowen busts and statues (the Bowens are on sale on Saturday!).

All statues and busts are inspected before shipment and fully insured. Pick up what you really wanted for Christmas!

And on a football note, thank goodness the Saints have a bye weekend.

Daily Specials Update

Our 10 Days for 2010 promotion continues until Jan. 10th with 10% off all purchases over $10 at our Amazon storefront along with our daily specials!

Jan. 7th - Yo Joe! 1/3rd off all GI Joe items in our storefront. Yo Joe!

Jan 8th - Spider-Man Classic Web Armor - Regular 9.99, 1/2 Price for 4.99 - click here

I will be announcing the weekend specials on Friday, but a hint would be.....superheroes and limited editions.

Amazon Sale Continues!

We are having lots of fun and positive feedback with our "10 Days of 2010" sale at our Amazon Storefront. You still have until Jan. 10th to get 10% off any purchases of $10 or more.

Additionally, our daily specials continue through the 10th as well. Remember, this is the ONLY place to get advance notice of the upcoming daily specials and no confirmation code is needed. The reduced price will show once you start the checkout process with Amazon.

Jan 4th - One Third off all Star Wars and other Sci Fi items!

Jan 5th - One Half off GI Joe Resolute Two Packs including the ultra rare Destro and Shockblast two pack!

Jan 6th - One Half off all Sports related figures including McFarlane sports!

Please email us with any questions, and we look forward to seeing you in the New World.

First 10 Days of 2010 Amazon Sale Plus Raleigh, NC Toy Show!

We're bringing in 2010 with a cool sale at our Amazon storefront. From Jan. 1 to Jan 10th, you can get a 10% discount off any purchase over $10.00 from our Amazon store. No codes, no forms, nothing extra needed, just buy more than $10, and get 10% off. Nice and simple. Take a look at look here to see our varied selection.

However, what makes this a cool promotion is the Daily Specials we will be running. Each day, for one day only, we will be discounting a special product or class of products from 25% to a whopping 50%! And it's not going to be the low end stuff, great lines like Star Wars, GI Joe, Bowen, and Diamond Select will all be represented!

The only place to find out in advance what the upcoming daily special are will be HERE! We will post a couple of days of the schedule here so you can plan to pick up that item you really wanted for Christmas but did not get.

Jan 1st - Half Price Spider-Man 3 Black Symbiote Armor Figure. Normally $12.99, sale price $6.49. Click here for more info.

Jan. 2nd - One Third off all Disney Bean Bag Plushes/Disney Beanies. Includes great characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, and more!

Jan 3rd- Half off Brian Uhrlacher and Reggie Bush All Star Vinyls. With these being limited editions of 250 and 500 respectively, these are a great deal!


We will be posting the next few days worth of specials on Sunday.


Also, we will be at the Inside Pitch Toy and Collectibles show in Raleigh, NC next weekend - Jan 9th and 10th. We're bringing approx 14 boxes of 50 cent comics along with some higher end books and some new CGC books. And it wouldn't be a complete show without us bringing a lot of figures including Marvel Legends, McFarlane toys (mostly sports), GI Joe, and a variety of assorted items. This will be the first show for a number of figures we have picked up from some recent collections. If you are in the central or eastern NC area, come on by. Visit www.insidepitch.com for more info.

Happy New Year Ya'all!