by Matthew Russell - Posted 2 years ago
Welcome my CryptoComics Compatriots. We are just getting settled back in. We decided to end the debate Who is better; Marvel VS DC. We made the trek to Mile High Comics in Denver Colorado.
You didn't ask for it, but I can now add my own POV to this tale. You are welcome.
Frey has been giving me far too much crap on our various shows for being a DC fan. Yes, my heart is at its core, DC Comics fan, and Frey loves to rub the movies in my face as well as sales for various comics.
I feel like your narrator is merely being a baby about it at this point.
And how DC had their “bloodbath”…
And how DC left Diamond...
And how DC ended SOOOOO many of its ongoing titles….
And how…and how… come to think of it, DC has had a VERY rough year. The general shut down was not kind to the Distinguished Competition.
Alright, maybe this was a little childish on my part, but I might have had a few too much to drink and threw down on Facebook.
The dirty punk fired back. The next thing you know, almost all our friends decided to chime in and it might have gotten a little out of control! It was great though. Everyone had a very steadfast opinion that they defended to the death.
We had no choice. We had to take this to the ultimate comic authority; Mile High Comics.
The Thunderdome.
So, we waited until Friday and packed up our bags and headed out the door. You know what that means…Road Trip!
It took like, 4 hours for Matt to find his purse. Purse pants win yet again.As soon as we announced it, I was amazed at how many friends asked us to pick them up along the way. If we took everyone, we would have had to rent a bus and zig zag across America. Unfortunately, couldn’t afford that.
We each took some back up. Frey brought along his son, and I brought along Joe (our fearless leader) and we hit the road from Idaho to Denver.
Classy as always.
He had to take over the wheel eventually, and then I controlled the radio!!!
The kind of stuff I’d imagine is strategically used in political prison torture chambers...
We pulled into Denver fairly late Friday night. After a 91/2 hour drive, we arrived. Instead of stopping at the hotel first, we went straight to Mile High Comics. Yes, they were already closed for the night, but to us, this store is our Mecca. We had to check it out first.
We got lost.
So we crashed at the Hotel and came back first thing in the morning. We ran in like little kids at Disneyland. The sights, the smell, the feeling of nerdome at its best. We were home.
You said you wouldn't tell the world about me skipping!
The first thing we did was take the tour and see everything they had to offer. It was truly amazing how large the store is and how cool their merchandise is. As soon as you walk in there is the original art on the Bristol Board (2-page spread from Todd McFarlane penciled and inked).
I pet the cat. Because I am a man of culture.
Frey came up with the idea of a scavenger hunt. I gotta say since we are in a place that has virtually EVERYTHING, why not.
My original idea of a dance-off didn't pan so well.
We had some pretty cool challenges and yep, they had everything.
Find the first comic we ever owned. I actually started to choke up a little on this one. I found a copy of my first comic book ever. I learned to read just so I could find out what happened in it. Eventually, it was stolen from me back in 2000. I have never been able to find that issue since.
Unfortunately, it was a little too expensive for this spur-of-the-moment trip, but I am going back to get it…soon!!! I will have to share out a video of that when I get it.
Beta Ray Bill rules!
Find the perfect place to start a collection for those just getting into comics. I couldn’t pick just 1 so I found 2 comics but I have to give it to Frey. He found the perfect place where many people actually started a collection.
I totally win.
Find the grail, the one thing you would pick up if money wasn’t an object. Basically, what would I have if I was still a bachelor? (Who am I kidding, if it wasn’t for my wife, I would have died years ago from something like malnutrition or neglect.)
This also marked the first time in our trip that I agreed with Matt, without Matt’s wife he would have died years ago.
The toy that changed our lives. The toy I picked was designed to highlight damage (perfect to give a kid) and Frey found the toy that almost killed him. I’m still trying to figure out the logistics of that.
If you didn't ever choke on a toy from the 80s, was it ever truly a toy from the 80s?
With the hunt officially over, we started to look for creators we know. We found a bunch of Chad Hardin’s books. Darren Davis had some killer 10th Muse section. I found an entire box of Nexus from Mike Baron, a recent addition to our family.
We also firmly apologize for any drooling residue that may be left behind.
One of the things that throw you off when you first walk into Mile High Comics, there is a cat. As it turns out, this is the best safety net one could hope for. This cat keeps the mice away.
Could you imagine the devastation that 2 mice could cause in a store like that? 1 month could literally eat away their massive inventory.
Well, this cat really seems to have taken a liking to our infamous Joe. That cat followed Joe around almost the entire time we were there.
In the story we are writing of the history and lore behind Crypto Comics it’s canon now, Joe is a Disney Princess and can sing with animals while sneaking a snack.
We were able to leave some swag behind that Mile High would give out to anyone that wants some. We left a bunch of TCT Buttons. Those went quick!
People were talking about the stickers and how cool they were. Some of the stickers belonged to GypsyLief art, the new Chad Hardin & Jemma Young book Temerity. We left some stickers for Stormy Daniel’s Space Force from Darren Davis and TidalWave. Chad Hardin Art & Hellbringers were also extremely popular.
It was always so good to the public’s reaction to the ultimate Indie comics that appear on our Marketplace.
My business cards were left behind. I feel like they may have just been too beautiful for anyone to believe they were free.
The entire reason for our initial nerd-trip was to finally answer the question Marvel VS DC; Which is better. After all the playing was over and we had seen everything (so we thought) we finally got to interview the employees.
They had been given the questions earlier in the day but were able to think about it in order to give the perfect answer. Unfortunately, they would now allow us to film their answers, but they would allow us to quote them.
And the answer finally is…neither.
Everything depends on the character, the story, the art. In the end, neither is better. Indie also throws its hat in the ring with excellent characters and amazing storylines.
So, the next time you hear Frey start picking on me for being a DC Fan, call him out and let him know that even Mile High confirms that DC is every bit as good.
Look, what it comes down to is the stories and the characters. The creators who bring us these amazing tales. The fans have formed a platform to celebrate these creations. And the Mile High Cat, who I feel should be all our official mascot at this point.Look, what it comes down to is the stories and the characters. The creators who bring us these amazing tales. The fans have formed a platform to celebrate these creations. And the Mile High Cat, who I feel should be all our official mascot at this point.
My nightmares are filled with the Batman theme song. I hope you all understand what we go through with this content.
I will say this to officially conclude the topic. Viva La Indie!!
