Store Signing with Ramon Villalobos and Sean Miller

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Ramon Villalobos and Sean Miller will be in the shop for a comic book signing on Wednesday, April 16 at 12 pm Noon. Come on down and meet them.

Date: Wednesday, April 16
Time: 12 pm Noon

Ramon Villalobos currently lives and draws at various fast food establishments in Stockton, CA. He was plucked out of relative obscurity to draw What If? Age of Ultron #2: Iron Man for but prior to this he drew the independently published LP, wrote and colored the independently published Vitruvian Underground, and co-wrote and drew the independently published Frank and Elenore In.

He is currently working on another project for Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and another independently published comic called Abstract 3. He also plays a vital role as the Lead Artist of Stockton-Con and is his grandmother's favorite grandson. You can see his work at NewCoolMeat.com.

Sean Miller is a  30-year-old married father of three and native of Stockton, CA. He started his art career in 2012. Most notably, he self-published his book titled, "The Original". He's designed logos and done graphic design work for local businesses and the Lodi High Girls JV water polo team.

Sean is currently working on finishing The Original series and has a special "Silver-age" one-shot featuring The Original due late spring (illustrated by Canadian graphic designer Jeff Mitchell and written by Sean). See more from Sean at his Tumblr blog or at AnchorComics.com.

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Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con 2014 is Saturday May 3rd

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UPDATE 04/30/2014: Doors open at 9 am. We're expecting a huge turnout. Even heard some are going to get in line an hour or more early. Just sayin'.

 UPDATE 04/28/2014: There's an amazing comic book sale for Free Comic Book Day that you won't want to miss. Read all about it.

It is that time of year again. FCBD is only a month away and we have even more planned this year than any other year.

Our Best Comic Book Mini-Con Yet!

As always we will have a Mini-Con with some of Sacramento's best and most creative people. The Sac City Rollers will be here! The 501st Legion! Live Video & podcasts you can be part of! 15,000+ comics to give away for FREE! We will also have Supreme Pro Wrestling in the parking lot, with a full size ring, performing from 9am-11am.

This is going to be the best FCBD so far.  Stay tuned for the full details!


GUEST LIST

Hainanu Saulque - Artist and writer of Union St. Choir

Jared Konopitski - Painter and comic creator

Kyrun Silva - Writer and artist of the new indy title Shaman's Destiny

Michael Dorman - Thrillbent artist and artist for Moonstone's "Black Bat and Domino Lady - The Seer Stone"

Mach Yeager - Artist and writer for Digger Jones Adventurer and artist for John Solo: Secret Agent

Jason Dube - Writer, artist and publisher with Scattered Comics. He has worked on such titles as Scattered, Panda Days, Caffeine Poisoned, and Shadow Hunters.

Chris Cinder - Painter, designer and sculptor with themes that run from Star Wars to Cthulhu and toys with a superhero theme.

Felic Perez Jr. - Inker for the Dark Horse's Never Ending and Penciler for Trixie Dynamite.

Krysten Reis - Writer and artist for the new comic Curious Journey and cover artist for Trixie Dynamite

Sac City Roller - Our official Roller Derby team will be down here with info on their bouts and of of course on their skates.

501st - Everyone's favorite Star Wars group will be down with Storm Troopers and other SWU characters.

Supreme Pro Wrestling - A wrestling ring will be setup in the parking lot where Sir Samurai, Joe DeSoul, Dexter St Jock, D Torch and Bobby Hart will be wrestling from 9-11am.

Fist Full of Potions (podcast) - Local Gaming and geek podcast will be here recording live and talking to guests and fans alike.

Comics and Coffee - Jay Wheeler and ArtOf Fredrick-Allison Jr will be down doing live videos of the event and talking to guests and fans alike.

Richard Curtze - Local artist who has worked with ECV Press and loves to do sketch covers.

Hero Initiative - Helping Comic Creators in Need.

West Coast Avengers - Cosplay helping to raise money for the Shriners Hospital.

Timothy Green -Artist for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and more.

Eric Nguyen - Has worked for DC and Marvel and currently works on Dark Horse's X.

John Cottrell - An independent comic creator who has done work for Dark Horse.

Shane Murphy - Artist and writer for Birdland.

Michael Calero -Local artist will have plenty of great prints for sale.

Melissa McCommon- Artist and Writer for Carnation, Caffine Poisoned and Epic Chaos with a wwwkly web comic as well.

Diamond Comics Interviews Ben

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Ben Schwartz by Junior Bruce
Diamond Comics recently interviewed Ben about how he does things around the shop. The interview will be shared by Diamond with shop owners across the country.

If you've ever wondered about some of the internal aspects at Empire's Comics Vault, then you'll enjoy these excerpts.

Interview Excerpt

"We start planning for FCBD January 1st. The first thing we do is review everything that was done the previous year to make sure it all worked smoothly and refine if necessary. Just to keep things fun for the attendees we always add something more to make this year’s FCBD even better. Once we determine what it is that we are adding we begin contacting everyone who will be part of the event to allocate space and to begin promotion. 
For the entire month of May we continue the fun of FCBD each Saturday with FCBD Month. We use this as an opportunity to bring in customers on a weekly basis because if you miss a weekend you no longer qualify to participate in the next Saturday. Through the year we stockpile goodies such as posters, cards, Halloween comics, left over FCBD books from previous years, buttons and other fun stuff and each weekend has theme of Free stuff to give away. 
Each year we give out over 15,000 comics, have a mini-con that features artists, writers, local groups and clubs, derby girls and co-players come down, a fire engine is there for the kids and we have raffles and contests."

 So are you as excited about Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2014 as we are? Did you notice that bit about "we always add something more to make this year's FCBD even better"? Follow us on our various social networks to make sure you hear about what that is this year.

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Repeat Graphic Novel Sale This Saturday

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50% off select graphic novels
Select titles only. Pictured titles
may not be included.
Last week many of you attended Sacramento's first Wizard World Comic Convention. As a result, lots of you missed our graphic novel, trades and collected editions sale.

We've heard you! So, we're bringing it back for one more day!

50% Off Comic Book Graphic Novels

This Saturday, March 15, 2014, receive 50% off select titles of graphic novels, trades and collected editions. The store opens at 11 a.m. See you there.

Revisiting Legion of Super Heroes

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UPDATE: This is a sample of what you'll find when you click on the Reviews/Opinion tab at the top of the page. We also accept submissions from our fans of the comic shop. Enjoy.

  Since day one of reading comics I have been a Marvel Zombie. Not the nicest way to describe those of us who found their love of comics and passion for characters in the 616…but probably an apt one. There were only a couple DC titles I read as a kid and Legion of Super Heroes (LOSH) was my favorite. Back in the day, it was hard to find every issue of a book at your local convenience or grocery store so I missed a lot. As I got older and had more money, I completed some but not all of the LOSH. But it was not till yesterday that I had the opportunity to read a complete run from #283 all the way to the end of the 80’s.

     My good buddy Douglas Briel has spent the last couple years putting together this great run and last night he let me borrow the first box. I opened it to find a reprint of Adventure Comics #247, the first appearance of the LOSH from 1958.  In typical Silver Age fashion, Superboy is introduced to the Legion through a series of humiliating encounters that end in a big laugh as they take him to the 30th century aboard their Time Bubble. Awesome!

     From there Superboy is tested in an unwinnable trial by each of the founding members as part of his initiation. They just aren’t very nice to their idols in the 30th century. But when he humbly accepts defeat they surprise him with membership. From this classic start by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino came a series that still holds a place in my heart.

     The next issue in line was LOSH #283. I don’t think Doug could have started me at a better place than an origin issue for Wildfire. Right off the bat I am reminded why I love these characters so much in a tragic and personal episode where Wildfire tells 3 failed Legionnaire applicants his history. From the loss of his parents, a corporeal body and both of the women he loves to his failure to gain entry to the LOSH his first go around and a year adrift in space. I was 8 the first time I read this issue and I was hooked allover again.

     Roy Thomas was this issue’s scribe, but the last page promised the return of Paul Levitz next issue and he is to the Legion what Chris Claremont is to the X-Men. I have a lot of comics to go through, but I’m going to read one each morning with my coffee so I can make them last. I like dark, and the LOSH can get very dark, but there is something inspiring about the idea that what you do today matters.  These teens in the future are led to do what is right by the legend of a man that did right today. I can’t wait to relive where that takes them.

LONG LIVE THE LEGION!

Ben Schwartz

Sac City Rollers Tickets Now Available at Empire's

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Ben at first bout of the 2014 season.
It goes without saying that we love roller derby. We hope you'll join us at an upcoming bout.

We'll publish bout dates via our social media channels and in the store, but if you need to know the dates sooner, please visit the Sac City Rollers website.

Now You Can Purchase Sac City Rollers' Roller Derby Tickets at Empire's Comics Vault


Before each bout, we'll have tickets for sale in the shop. You can buy them right at the counter. We think this will make it easier for you to join us.

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Welcome to 2014 and What's New at Empire's This Year

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If you blink on December 31, your eyes re-open two weeks into January. That's how fast a year moves. We take that as a sign of good things to come.

In fact, besides the fantastic announcements at this year's Image Con (wow, do they know how to kick off a year!), we too have some new things for you this year.

There's no doubt in our mind that this year's Free Comic Book Day will be our biggest and best ever, especially for our Comic Book Savings Club members. In 2013, we gave away more than 15,000 free comic books. We'll announce numbers again later this year. We're adding a new benefit in 2014: Graphic novels and collected editions are always on sale at 10% off for members. We're also experimenting with a board gaming night for members, so bring your favorite board game and let's play!

Store mascot Rolly the Pug
Speaking of savings programs, last year we started Rolly's Comic Book Reading Club for Children, a.k.a., Rolly's Reading Club (for short!), and we only had a soft rollout. This year, you'll be hearing lots more about it. How fantastic is it? Well, for kids 12 and under, comics from the kids shelf are always -- that's right, ALWAYS -- on sale. Plus, to encourage reading during the summer, we'll be rolling out a summer reading program with more incentives.

Now, here's a highly experimental, and hopefully, fun program that we're trying through March -- it's called the Rolly Button Program. Earn Rolly buttons by interacting with the store in one way or another (there's a whole chart of things you can do to earn buttons). Then, when you've collected enough buttons, redeem them for cool prizes, like store merchandise, or discounts (there's a whole chart of prizes too)! Ready to play? Start collecting today. You can earn 1 Rolly button by letting us know what you think about what we have planned this year in the comments section of this post. Be sure to show your comment to Ben when you're in the store, so he can give you a button.

Comic book videos
We'll continue bringing you up-to-date with highlights from each week's new comic books via our award winning (not really) YouTube channel, EmpiresCV.tv, where we've already amassed 134 weekly episodes, plus special guest shows by local comic book enthusiasts. In 2014, we're re-starting our comic book podcast. Yes, it's back by popular demand.

Last year we started featuring local artists on our art wall. This year watch for the return of the art gallery at Empire's Comics Vault. Know someone who should show in our gallery? Have them contact Ronnie via email.

Last but most definitely not least, we'll be promoting our favorite roller derby team and invited you to join us for their bouts! Long live the Sac City Rollers!

We hope you a great year too. What's on your list of things to accomplish in 2014?

See you in the shop!

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Dear Sac City Rollers: Thanks For A Great 2013

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We Heart Roller Derby

This year has been an amazing year. One of the things we loved the most about it was the Sac City Rollers. They even made an appearance at our 2013 Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con and on EmpiresCV.tv, our YouTube channel.

We're really looking forward to another great year with them in 2014 and hope that many of you will be able to join us on a game night. We guarantee you'll have a good time.

Learn more about Sac City Rollers.



Members Appreciation Party and Games

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Friday night about 30 members of our savings club program and their guests joined us for pizza, drinks, board games, comic book reading, and video games.

If you're thinking about saving money on your comics, join the club before December 31 in order to get maximum benefits in 2014.

Board games, card games and video games

In the game department, Injustice was a hit, but so were Princess Bride: Storming the Castle, King of Tokyo, and Love Letters.

We has so much fun and made so much noise playing games that we're checking our calendar to see what day each week would be good for a regular game night.


Celebrating 10 years in comics


A special gift, "The Pug People And Their Prized Pug," an original painting by Jared Konopitski, was presented to Ben Schwartz in celebration of the store's 10-year anniversary.





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Giving Back: Do it for the kids of the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento

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This Saturday we're hosting a toy drive to benefit the children at the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento.  All proceeds and donations will go toward making their holiday a special one.

This amazing organization serves the needs of children and families affected by abuse, neglect and other issues. The success stories that have come from this organization will bring tears to your eyes. Now's your chance to show your compassion for children going through a difficult time.

Toy Drive & Art Fundraiser
This event, hosted by Sacramento Comicbook Creators Group & Empire's Comics Vault, is an important annual tradition and a way that all of us -- our community of comic book readers -- can give back to our community. Please join us for this special event.

Date: December 14, 2013
Time: 11am - 8pm
Note: Empire's Comics Vault will receive your toy, gift and monetary donations through Thursday, December 19, 2013.

There are two ways to participate:
  1. Donate a gift. Purchase a toy and drop it off at the shop. Purchase a toy at the shop and donate it. We'll give you 25% off the purchase price. Better yet, check the specific wishes of a child and donate one or more of those items. Gifts must be un-wrapped only please.
  2. Bid on or commission original artwork at our in-store event. Arts from the Sacramento Comicbook Creators Group will be on hand for commissioned work. You can also participate online via the livestream of the event.
Learn More About the Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento
"The Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento is committed to positively impacting the lives of children, youth, and families affected by abuse, neglect, behavioral health issues, and trauma in California." - Source: http://www.crhkids.org/

Website: Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento

Announcing 2013 Pumpkin Carving Contest Winners

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Congratulations to the winners of our 2013 pumpkin carving contest! To claim your prize, please connect with Ben in the shop any day Tuesday through Saturday.

First place: Pumpkin 03
Second place: Pumpkin 05 - Why So Serious?
Third place: Pumpkin 04



Prizes and Recognition
Our winners receive the following:
  • Grand prize: $25 in regular priced back issues and your picture proudly displayed in the shop until next year's winner takes your spot.
  • Second prize: $15 in regular priced back issues
  • Third prize: $10 in regular priced back issues