Read #1ComicADay with Empire's Comics

Last Tuesday, Ben and I were meeting to plan great things for the comic shop (I'm the marketing maven). He says to me, "I want to start reading one comic book everyday."

This sounds like one of his cockeyed plans to get me to read through some of the titles that are piling up in my "Read Pile." Turns out I have a bad reputation for keeping up on the titles I love. Just ask Joey or Patrick or Jake or the pugs...

But this is different: this time it's for himself. We commiserate about how life and work and business and the business of life get in the way and how comics get pushed aside far too easily.

And then, well... things got in the way. Two days go by but I still hadn't read anything -- not even on "New Comic Book Wednesday." So, today, Thursday, we're meeting again (there's always lots to do right before Free Comic Book Day Festival).

Before we start working, Ben says, "I want to read one comic everyday, so that's what I'm going to do first."

"Ok. Me too." So he reads Low and I read Think Tank (by Matt Hawkins who you can meet at FCBD Festival, by the way).

And thus begins a new movement, a new initiative! You are invited to join us, even if you already read one comic (or more) every day. But if you don't, we're ok being a movement of two (haha, pathetic!).

Ben will post his reads on Instagram/Twitter and I will post mine on Twitter. We'll be hashtagging it with #1ComicADay.

Turns out that this works really well: we both read three books today.

Our favorite shop highlights from 2015

We're 22 days away from Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con 2016 and poised to give away 20,000 free comic books!

Here's a look at just one of the pallets of boxes that we received. There were two of these. Loading and unloading these into the trucks really gave us quite the workout this morning.

So, as we draw closer to the ultimate day of the year, we thought we'd take a moment to reflect on the moments that made 2015 an amazing year -- all 15 of them!

Which of these were your favorite Empire's moments?

We'd love to hear about it. Let us know in the comments, please.

Top 15 Moments of 2015

1. One of Ben and Jen's long time favorite comic book authors, Barbara Kesel (listen to the interview) joined us at Creative Women Mini-Con 2015. On top of that, Mairghread Scott (listen to the interview), the first woman to write a Transformers comic book and author of Toil and Trouble, also joined us!
2. At FCBD Mini-Con 2015, we had food at the event -- the Italian shaved ice booth and the Wandering Boba food truck.
3. We started having live models once a month for our artist group to sketch.
4. Our Graphic Novel Discussion Group really took off and has continued into 2016.
5. Captain Dylan Hunt came into our lives.
6. We put a 65" giant screen television in Empire's Comics Lounge.
7. We rearranged the store to give it a brighter and more spacious feel.
8. Empire's Movie Crew had a blast at the movies. We had a huge turnout for Avengers.
9. Empire's Open Podcast (now called Cracking the Vault) really came together with an amazing crew -- Jake, Amy, Tony, Patrick, and regular special guests -- and lots of entertaining, clean talk about comics related topics.
10. We started having a reserved section for Empire's Roller Derby Crew at all the Sac City Roller games.
11. Ben and Cody Stark spoke on a panel at the Intergalactic Expo (which took place on Earth in 2015).
12. Ben served as the costume contest judge at Crocker-Con.
13. We saw Mad Max at Studio Movie Grill.
14. On Back to the Future Day, we packed the shop and played the movies and counted down to when the future became the past.
15. Sac-Con outgrew the Scottish Rite Temple, expanding in a huge way.

That's our list.

Please let us know in the comments what made 2015 great for you. 

And now, onward! We have a post headed your away about what's new in 2016 and a whole lot of posts about this year's Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con!

(left: after-hours comedy night at Empire's)

2012 Pumpkin Carving Contest

Get your pumpkins ready! Carve them up. Take some pictures. Send them to us at empirescv@gmail.com, and we'll post them for the fans to vote on.
Prizes and Recognition
Winners will be the top three submissions with the most votes, and they will receive:

- Grand prize: $25 in regular priced back issues
- Second prize: $15 in regular priced back issues
- Third prize: $10 in regular priced back issues
- Everyone wins bragging rights!

Critical Information
To be counted in the contest you must submit 2 pictures with your name and phone number as follows:

1. A picture of the carved pumpkin
2. A picture of you with your carved pumpkin

Displayed Pumpkins and Free Comic Books
If you bring your pumpkin in to the store for display, we'll give you 3 free Halloween comics when you drop it off. By the way, those same comics will be available for everyone on Halloween, and they'll still be free.
And now for the complete rules. Yawn...

Empire's Pumpkin Carving Contest Rules

1. Contest Description. Empire's Pumpkin Carving Contest (the "Contest") is designed to encourage eligible U.S. entrants ("Entrant(s)") to express their creativity by carving a pumpkin. Empire's Comics Vault's Facebook Fans will choose the winning entries and prizes will be awarded in accordance with these Official Rules. This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Inc., Google, Inc., or any other social media sites used to promote this contest.
2. Sponsor. The Contest is sponsored by Empire's Comics Vault ("Sponsor"), a California company with principal place of business at 1120 Fulton Avenue, Suite K, Sacramento, CA 95821, USA.
3. Binding Agreement. In order to enter the Contest, you must agree to these Official Rules ("Rules"). The Rules consist of the terms and conditions on this page. Because these Rules form a legally binding agreement with respect to this Contest, please read them carefully. If you do not agree to the Rules, you are not eligible to participate in the Contest or to win any of the prizes. You agree that registration for this Contest and/or a submission of an entry in the Contest constitutes your agreement to these Rules.
4. Eligibility. This Contest is open to any legal resident of the United States age eighteen or over, except employees, agents, or representatives of the Sponsor. Only one pumpkin per Entrant is allowed. At the time of submission of a pumpkin, each Entrant must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent U.S. legal resident (e.g., must be able to show proof of legal permanent residence, for example, a "green card"). Employees, interns, contractors, and official office-holders, as well as their immediate families, of the Sponsor, its affiliates, and any representatives or agencies of the Sponsor or other persons professionally connected with the Contest are not eligible to participate. This Contest is void where prohibited.
5. Contest Period. The Contest begins on October 27, 2012 at 12:00:01 A.M. Pacific Time (PT). The Contest ends on November 5, 2012 at 9:00:00 P.M. Pacific Time (PT).
6. How To Enter. To enter, submit to the Sponsor via email two photographs of your carved pumpkin ("Entry") as follows: (1) the carved pumpkin alone, and (2) a photo of you next to your carved pumpkin. The Sponsor's email address for submissions is "empirescv@gmail.com" and/or "empirescv@hotmail.com." Either email address may be used. Pumpkins may not be carved at the Sponsor's principal place of business. Contest Rules and instructions are posted at http://empirescomicsvault.blogspot.com/search/label/Pumpkin%2012 ("Contest Website").
7. Submissions must be sent to one or both of the following email addresses:
8. 
   empirescv@gmail.com
   empirescv@hotmail.com
9. 
   Entries sent by means other than email to email address listed above will not be considered eligible entries. Submissions must be: (i) complete (as determined by Sponsor); (ii) received no later than October 31, 2012, by 12:00:00 A.M. Pacific Time (PT). Any submission not meeting the aforementioned criteria will be disqualified. The Sponsor accepts no responsibility for submissions lost, delayed, damaged, defaced, or mislaid, howsoever caused.
10. Conduct. By entering the Contest, you agree to comply with and be bound by the Rules, which will also be posted on the Contest Website. Failure to comply with these Rules may result in your disqualification from the Contest. You further agree to comply with and be bound by the decisions of the judges, which are final and binding in all respects. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Entrant it finds to be: (1) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest; (2) violating the Rules; (3) violating the terms of service, conditions of use or general rules or guidelines of any of the Sponsor's property or service; (4) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person; or (5) failure to provide documentation verifying U.S. citizenship or permanent U.S. residency. Any false information provided within the context of the Contest by any Entrant concerning identity, postal address, ownership of rights or non-compliance with the Rules may result in the immediate disqualification of an Entrant from the Contest. The Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it believes in its sole and unfettered discretion, infringes upon any third party right, violates any law or otherwise does not comply with these Rules. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY PROPERTY OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, EMPIRE'S COMICS VAULT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
11. Selection of Winners. Entries will be judged by any person who participates in the voting process by voting for their favorite entry in the comments section of the forthcoming blog post on the Contest Website. Decisions are final and binding. In the event there are not enough eligible entries, not all prizes will be awarded. If a winner is not able for whatever reason to accept his or her prize, then the Sponsor reserves the right to award the prize to another Entrant.
    Online public voting starts on November 1, 2012 at 12:00:00 P.M. Pacific Time (PT) and closes on November 5, 2012 at 9:00:00 P.M. Pacific Time (PT). Empire's Comics Vault will then select the three entries with the most votes, or Facebook "Likes", to receive prizes. In the event of a tie, the Sponsor will select the entry.
12. Prizes. One (1) Grand Prize: The entry with the most votes will receive $25 in regular-priced back issues. One (1) 2nd Place Prize: $15 in regular-priced back issues. One (1) 3rd Place Prize: $10 in regular-priced back issues. 
13. Media Activity: By participating in this Contest, you agree and hereby grant the Sponsor permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and publicly display your Contest submissions for any purpose, such as, but not limited to, press and media communications, without any compensation or attribution to you. You also agree to participate in any media or promotional activity regarding the Contest. You agree that the Sponsor may use your name and likeness to administer and promote the Contest and to conduct media interviews and promotional events.
14. Privacy Notice. By participating in this Contest, you agree that the Sponsor can collect your personal information, and that if the Sponsor cannot collect the required data, you may not be eligible to participate in the Contest. Any personal information collected during the course of the Contest by the Sponsor will only be used for administering this Contest and for other purposes as outlined in these Rules. You will have the right to access, review, rectify or cancel any personal data held by the Sponsor by writing to Empire's Comics Vault (Attention: Privacy Related) at the Sponsor's address listed in Section 2.
15. General Conditions. This Contest is governed by the laws of the State of California, United States. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. By participating in this Contest, you agree to be bound by the terms of these Rules and by the Sponsor's decisions, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest. Return of any prize/prize notification may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Any potential winner who cannot be contacted within five (5) business days of attempted first notification will forfeit his or her prize. Potential prize winners may be required to sign, notarize, and return an affidavit or declaration of eligibility, a liability/publicity release, an I.R.S. Form W-9, within three (3) business days and provide any additional information that may be required by the Sponsor. Failure to comply within this time period may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. The Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Contest or in the announcement of the prizes. Entrants certify that their submission is original and that they are the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted submission (or if they are not sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submission, that they have obtained the necessary permission to include the submission in the Contest) and that they have the right to submit the submission in the Contest. Each entrant agrees not to participate in the Contest in any manner that might: (i) infringe any third-party proprietary, intellectual property, industrial property, personal rights or other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or confidentiality obligation; or (2) otherwise violate applicable law in any countries in the world.
16. No Recourse to Judicial or Other Procedures. To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, to seek injunctive relief, or to any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Contest are hereby excluded, and you expressly waive any and all such rights.
17. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU INDEMNIFY AND AGREE TO KEEP INDEMNIFIED EMPIRE'S COMICS VAULT AT ALL TIMES FROM AND AGAINST ANY LIABILITY, CLAIMS, DEMANDS, LOSSES, DAMAGES, COSTS AND EXPENSES RESULTING FROM ANY ACT, DEFAULT OR OMISSION BY YOU AND/OR A BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY BY YOU SET FORTH HEREIN. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU INDEMNIFY AND AGREE TO KEEP INDEMNIFIED EMPIRE'S COMICS VAULT AT ALL TIMES FROM AND AGAINST ANY LIABILITY, ACTIONS, CLAIMS, DEMANDS, LOSSES, DAMAGES, COSTS AND EXPENSES FOR OR IN RESPECT OF WHICH EMPIRE'S COMICS VAULT WILL OR MAY BECOME LIABLE BY REASON OF OR RELATED OR INCIDENTAL TO ANY ACT, DEFAULT OR OMISSION BY YOU UNDER THESE RULES INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION RESULTING FROM OR IN RELATION TO ANY BREACH, NON-OBSERVANCE, ACT OR OMISSION WHETHER NEGLIGENT OR OTHERWISE, PURSUANT TO THESE RULES BY YOU. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU AGREE TO HOLD EMPIRE'S COMICS VAULT, ITS RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND ASSIGNS HARMLESS FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE CAUSED OR CLAIMED TO BE CAUSED BY PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST AND/OR USE OR ACCEPTANCE OF ANY PRIZE WON.
18. Third Parties. The Sponsor is not responsible for the policies, actions, or inactions of others, including Entrant’s parents/legal guardian or representatives that might prevent the Entrant from entering, participating, and/or claiming a prize in this Contest.
19. Intellectual Property. By registering for the Contest and/or submitting an entry you agree explicitly that your submission is indeed an original creation. Any intellectual property infringement, misuse or plagarism of another’s work in any form or state will result in immediate disqualification and forfeiture of eligibility to receive all awards, recognition and prizes. You also agree to allow the Sponsor to make public statements regarding any disqualifications and any grounds for disqualification. All intellectual property and industrial property rights in any entries that belonged to the Entrants will remain with the Entrants, but the submissions will otherwise become the property of the Sponsor, and will not be returned after the Contest. You grant the Sponsor permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and publicly display your Contest submission for any purpose, including display on the Sponsor's website, without any attribution or compensation to you.
20. Internet. The Sponsor is not responsible for electronic transmission errors resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission. The Sponsor is not responsible for theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of Contest materials, or for technical, network, telephone equipment, electronic, computer, hardware or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind. The Sponsor is not responsible for inaccurate transmissions of or failure to display Contest materials on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or any combination thereof. If for any reason the Internet portion of the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest.
21. Severability. If any provision(s) of these Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.
22. Winner List. The names of the winners will be posted on the Contest Website within one (1) week of the end of the Contest.

New Comic Book Savings Program Starts January 2013

Update 10/30/2012: Detailed program information and an FAQ are now available.

Every week folks come in to buy new comic books -- and they're not part of our comic book saver program. But so what, it's not like our program has been that spectacular. For the uninitiated, a comic book saver is a list of the titles you'd like held for you each week by your favorite comic shop. This ensures that you don't miss an issue due to low print rates or hot titles selling out. Of course, with those saved titles, you'll get free bags and boards to protect your books; but again, so what! After all we're already known as the store who gives free bags and boards to anyone buying titles from the shelf of current titles.

Announcing Our New and Improved Comic Book Savings Program

Special: Sign up for our new program in November or December 2012 and you'll qualify for Advanced Title Selection for Free Comic Book Day 2013 (FCBD). For more information on that, see #7 below.

Our new program gives you plenty of reasons to sign up. We've even included a link to download the new form at the bottom of this post. Ok. So. Here's 9 Reasons:

1. Signing bonus. You'll get a 10% discount when you sign up. Use it on that purchase or your next one.
2. There's no obligation. Signing up is free. You're never obligated to buy a title you don't want to read anymore. Also, if you try the program and it's not a perfect fit, you can go back to picking out your favorite titles on your own every week.
3. Free comic books.  How about one free comic of your choice? Then next a free comic we think you might want to give a shot. Another month, we'll give you a coupon for one free book for a friend.
   
    
4. Exclusive member events. Party. Eat. Drink. Be Merry (or Pippin). Meet other pop culture enthusiasts. Get first rights on invitations to events with special comic book guests.
5. Previews magazine at 50% off -- Always. It's the thick comic book catalog that comes out each month. It'll help you keep up on what's coming up from your favorite artists, writers, and publishers in the months ahead.
6. Special members only savings. We have some amazing sales for special occasions. Unfortunately there aren't special occasions every month. In those months, you'll could receive a discount coupon that let's you pick your own day for your own special occasion and comic book savings.
7. FCBD Advanced Title Selection. If there's a comics fan holiday, this is it. There's usually upwards of 50 free titles -- yes, totally free -- on the 1st Saturday in May each year. Best of all, Empire's Comics Vault celebrates this day by letting fans take 1 of each of those titles if they want. That means really, really long lines and a long wait. But not for you! What if you could get in an hour early? What if your line were shorter? What if you could select some titles a month before the event, have us pull them for you, and then pick them up at your convenience on or after FCBD? We're working out a way to beat the line!
8. Annual Saver Sale. At least once a year, we'll throw a sale just on the items in your saver -- and were not talking about a measley 10% off. It'll be worth your while.
9. Something new every month. If eight isn't enough, how about twelve? Each and every month, there will be something new and delightful headed your way. 

So what's the hold up? Print out this form and bring it in. Or complete one in the store.

Saver_Form_2012-2013.pdf Download this file

Empire's Comics Vault Presents The Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con

We're doing two amazing things for Free Comic Book Day 2012, a.k.a., FCBD 2012, and you're all invited.

1st Amazing Thing We're Doing

We're giving away more than 10,000 free comic books to Sacramento's comic book reading fans and to people who've never read a comic book in a long time - or ever! On Saturday, May 5 come out to Empire's Comics Vault for your free comics.

2nd Amazing Thing We're Doing

To make this year's Free Comic Book Day, a.k.a., FCBD, the best ever, we're having our own mini comic book convention, a.k.a., Mini-Con, and inviting some of our best friends to join us. On May 5, you'll meet some of Sacramento's amazing comic book creators, writers, artists, geek groups, and more.

Amazing Bonus Thing We're Doing

We're letting two people Skip The Line at FCBD 2012! "Meet" some of the folks who'll join us on the first Saturday in May and find out how you could be one of the two people skipping the line in this nifty vid. Be sure to read the complete Skip The Line rules.