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In-Store Events

Coming Soon!

March 3, 2007: STAPLE! Small Press and Independent Media Expo!
STAPLE! 2007 arrives just in time to satisfy your indie jones. Meet guest of honor Dean Haspiel (sponsored by Austin Books & Comics) along with first time attendee Top Shelf Comics. Be sure to check out the above link for a complete list of artists.

Also attend the very special Austin Books & Comics pre-party on March 2nd. We'll have *food* and drink and lively conversation... and maybe even a special or two.

April 21, 2007: Manga Melee II!
It's time for the second annual MELEE! Save on all Manga, Meet Special Guest Creators and get door prizes!

May 5, 2007: Free Comic Book Day
FCBD 2007. (That's Free Comic Book Day, for the acronymically-impaired.) Bring the kids; the focus of this event is really shifting towards younger readers. Don't take that to mean there won't be books for the experienced reader, though. Several of the companies involved will provide sample and anthology issues to help broaden your interests -- for free. In fact, there should be something for everyone. So bring the seniors, too.

Events You May Have Missed!

February 17, 2007 (Saturday): Scott McCloud Meet & Greet
Were you among those that got to meet comic theorist and outright good guy Scott McCloud? We served really cool decorated cupcakes. The line wrapped around the store (almost). Thanks Scott and the McCloud family!

February 10, 2007 (Saturday, 7-10pm): Pantheon High Manga Release Party
We celebrated old-world style with a special event celebrating the release of Pantheon High Volume 1 Manga by local creator Paul Benjamin.

Imagine a modern-day world in which multiple deities of all religions actually exist. Norse Gods roam Asgard, Greek Gods rule Mount Olympus, Egyptian Gods orbit around Ra, Japanese Gods bestow luck and wisdom... Now imagine that the demigod children of these various deities all go to the same private high school in Los Angeles, California...

February 6th (7th), 2007 (Tuesday Night, 11:59pm): Stephen King's Dark Tower Gunslinger Born #1 Midnight Release Party!

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

With those words, millions of readers were introduced to Stephen King's Roland-an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic. Now, in a comic book personally overseen by King himself, Roland's past is revealed! Sumptuously drawn by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, adapted by long-time Stephen King expert Robin Furth (author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance) and scripted by New York Times Best-seller Peter David, this series delves deep into Roland's origins-the perfect introduction to this incredibly realized world, while long-time fans will thrill to adventures merely hinted at in the novels. Be there for the very beginning of a modern classic of fantasy literature!

48 PGS./CARDSTOCK COVER/Parental Advisory ...$3.99
©2007 Stephen King. All rights reserved.

November 17-19, 2006: Austin Books Sale: Set SALE For Comic Treasures
Twas a massive beast, uh, blast. Check out pictures on FLICKR.

October 7, 2006: 24-Comic Book Day III
The third 24 Hour Comic Day was another success. We had 22 artists produce over 400 story pages. Full info on past events here...

April 22, 2006: Manga Melee!
Manga on SALE, Special Guest Creators, Door Prizes and Bubble Tea. A fun time! See the pictures on FLICKR.

April 1st, 2006: Comics Jam War
On April 1st, 2006, comic book creators gathered in Austin Books & Comics for an international event. Twelve hours later, the drawing stopped.

That's Comics Jam War.

March 25, 2006: Supplies!
"These should have boards in them... Bloody savage" -- Brodie Bruce (Mallrats)

Storewide savings on SUPPLIES. Spring cleaning!

STAPLE! Party!

Getcher STAPLE! On... Man, who knew. A pre-party is just so cool. Everyone is still hyped about the show and ready to get on with the fun (without the ensuing fatigue). We were in last year, this year and from now on... if you'll have us. Food. Beer. Music. Artists. Cool.

CBLDF Fundraiser

Friday, January 3rd, 2006 was our first Comic Book Legal Defense Fund -raiser party. With special guest Terry Moore we raised almost $2200 for the CBLDF. I would like to offer a special thanks to Terry and Robyn Moore for their time; Clayburn Moore, who joined us unexpectedly; and the tireless staff of Austin Books & Comics for making this such a fun and memorable evening. Even Dave.

We sold 159 tickets and had 142 attendees at the event Friday night. We consumed over 30 pizzas, a keg of Shiner and quite a few cases of soda. I hope a good time was had by all. We certainly enjoyed it.

I'd also like to make another mention of our sponsors. Donations were made by Antarctic Press of San Antonio (Signed Neotopia TPBs and a page of original art by David Hutchison), Clayburn Moore (signed busts, signed Buffy and Witchblade toys), Lone Star Press (The Killer Outfit novels), Penny Farthing Press of Houston (The Victorian #1 Jim Steranko LIMITED VARIANT COVER - signed by Steranko), Terry Moore (page of SiP original art) and Viper Comics of Dallas (boxed set of Dead@17 TPBs, Dead@17 The Protectorate #1s, The Middleman TPBs, The Middleman v. 2 #1s). Together these donations added almost $500 to the fund

Bill Williams Signing

Wednesday January 25, 2006 we had Bill Williams in to sign copies of Robin #146 (and later #147). Both Infinite Crisis crossovers are still available signed.

Crisis of (Almost) Infinite Backstock SALE!!
November 18th - 20th (the weekend before Thanksgiving) we had our Third Annual Fall sale. As with the other two, we again offered 50% off back issues ($10 and less) and hundreds of TPBs and GNs marked down 50%+.

This year we also offered some extra specials. We offered 10% all other in stock merchandise including New Comics, Statues and Toys and even our Showcase Comics. To make this sale more memorable (and expedite checking-out), we created a back entrance to the store complete with cash register, credit card machine and "counter monkey". We even rented a second location (within the same complex) to run a CLEARANCE SALE. Inside we offered over two hundred boxes of comics at $1 each and Statues & Toys marked up to 75% off. We are very happy with the results. And, judging by the response, so were you.

Look for the next sale the same time next year - the weekend before Thanksgiving. Save your pennies!!

David Hopkins and Scott Zirkel Signing

Saturday, August 13th, we had guests David Hopkins and Scott Zirkel from Viper Comics. David is the writer of Karma, Incorporated and Scott is the writer of the soon-to-be-released A Bit Haywire. Pizza, Soda, Comics. Gotta love it.
Check out David's website and his writer’s commentary.

STAPLE! Pre-Party and DVD Release Party
Austin is a hip town and we are proud to have been part of the first STAPLE! Small Press Expo held March 5th. Guests and patrons traveled to Austin from as far away as Baltimore! to soak in all the indy glory. The organizers were even able to donate $1000 to the CBLDF. Thanks again to Chris, Nate and all the members of the STAPLE! gang for all your hard work.

We held a pre-party March 4th where we entertained many of the guests and fans in a casual atmosphere. Something-more-than-snack foods and adult beverages were provided as social lubricant. Fun was had by some and we will do it again next year. Check the AustinBooks.com homepage for information as STAPLE! '06 approaches.

On July 1st, we had a STAPLE! DVD release party. We again provided snacks and adult beverages and effectively had a COMIC BOOK HAPPY HOUR! Check out the DVD. It's really fun and provides several insights to the self-publishing world. We have them in stock now for only $18.50. You can check out the DVD cover here.

Nov 18-20, 2005 - Crisis of (Almost) Infinite Backstock Sale
Nov 19-21, 2004 - Monster Sale 2004.2
May 21-23, 2004 - Monster Sale 2004.1
Dec 5-7, 2003 - Monster Sale 2003 (The Original)

Shaman King was an infinitely popular manga from a few years back that still attracts a wide audience. It took some of the basic concepts of shamanism and wove a story for a mass audience around them. It was a powerful concept that obviously resonated with many people. Included among them was Austin writer Brian Prioleau, who always wondered if he couldn't take the concept further to create a contemporary adventure story. So he did a little research about the origins of shamanism and found the mythology of the original Shaman King, a Siberian shaman named Geser. He wrote a book about an American Shaman King and would love to have you check it out at his website.