Happy days

OK, so the sun is shining and the weather is awesome. It’s a perfect day in the neighborhood and in honor of that today I bring to you Five Things I’m Happy About Today:

1) American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest

I’ve been a bit behind on my reading due to work duties and starting an MBA program, so when I finally got out into the real world and my LCS, I found I had missed the debut of American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest a couple of weeks ago. OMG! A five-part spin off from the oh-so-delicious American Vampire series is better even than a new pair of shoes – and if you’d seen my closet lately, you’d realize that’s saying something.

It’s written by Scott Snyder, who has done such a wonderful job with American Vampire, (up for an Eisner this year) and illustrated by New Hampshire native Sean Murphy of Joe the Barbarian (the comic is also up for an Eisner this year), so I’m expecting great things when I sit down to read to read it later with – what else? – a nice, thick, red, robust Cabernet. In a big-ass glass.

2. Locke & Key Vol. 3

It’s coming out this week. Finally. I have been waiting forever for Volume 3 of this incredible Eisner-nominated Joe Hill-penned comic with beautiful art by Gabriel Rodriguez. I finished Volume 2 months ago, and with a couple of issues of the third story arc sold out at my comic book store, decided to wait for the TPB. It was a long wait, but one that I’m sure will be worth it. Marketing 500 may suffer this week; I’m going to have Locke & Key to read.

My recommendation for this one is what my local watering hole calls a Dirty Mary Martini – a dirty Martini with tomato juice and blue cheese-stuffed olives. They look a little like eyeballs. Perfect.

BTW: Hill tweeted today that the series is set for six books of six issues each: Welcome to Lovecraft, Head Games, Crown of Shadows, Keys to the Kingdom, Clockworks and Omega.

Also, his comic The Cape – based on a short story in 20th Century Ghosts - is up for an Eisner this year. Any chance there’s a new novel on the horizon, too? That would make me a very, very happy girl.

3. Game of Thrones

Sean Bean aka Eddard Stark

I have been disconsolate since HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones concluded for the season (Oh, Sean Bean, we hardly knew ye) and not even the return of True Blood or making my husband refer to me as Khaleesi has been able to lift my spirits. Sure, I’m now reading the George R.R. Martin novel (Really? Two middle initials?), but the news this week that a comic adaptation of the first book is coming was just the sugar on my Corn Flakes. Bantam Books announced it will be published by Dynamite Entertainment – which also publishes one of my faves, The Boys. (In an ironic twist, The Boys is the kind of book I have to hide under my mattress so my child won’t find it. Is that so wrong?)

Look for Game of Thrones in September. It should go nicely with a good bottle of ale.

4. X-Men First Class

For the past few months it’s been all “Thor” this and “Green Lantern” that, but

James McAvoy aka Charles Xavier

the real star of the show is this X-Men prequel (with a hilarious cameo by Hugh Jackman).

James McAvoy. Michael Fassbender. Be still my aging heart. More importantly (or at least as importantly) an awesome story and cool version of X-Men origins, even if they aren’t really comic-accurate. It was still lots of fun and the opener to what’s expected to be a trilogy – that will conclude about the time I’m 50. Wait for me James McAvoy! By the time you’re my age, I’ll only be, um, 65-ish. We’ll share a yard of ale – just like in the movie. Then I’ll fall asleep.

5. My LCS is up for an Eisner Award

My LCS

Double Midnight Comics, my uber-awesome LCS, is up for a Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award at ComicCon. The award is presented annually to one comic book retailer. According to ComicsPro.org, “Since 1993, The Eisner Spirit Award has been presented to an individual

retailer performing an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large.”