Inside the Vortex - 14
The Busiest Summer
Hello from inside the Vortex. We have recovered from the glorious chaos that was Aron Beauregard and Kristopher Triana’s in-store appearance last weekend. It was, without a doubt, our most successful signing yet. Thanks to everyone who came out. And if you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered! A limited quantity of signed copies are available both here in the store and via our website.
This coming weekend, we welcome horror legend John R. Little, who is traveling all the way from Canada to sign copies of his brand-new memoir. We’ll have plenty of those, as well as many of his other books in stock. You are also welcome to bring books from home. That signing takes place this Saturday, June 15, from 2pm to 4pm. A reminder that the Columbia Car Show is this weekend, so there will be no parking on Locust Street in front of the store. Plan accordingly.
And this Friday night, June 14th, is our monthly Writer’s Group meeting. If John R. Little arrives safe and sound from Canada by then, he might sit in. Brian will also be sitting in this month. So bring your questions and pick their brains. Between the two of them, there’s a combined experience of almost 60 years in this business.
This Sunday, June 16th, we’re hosting Dungeons & Dragons from 11am to 3pm.
Later in the month, we’ve got a book release party on Wednesday June 26th for John Urbancik’s The Secret History of the Palace Theater. A reminder that if you live far away, you can preorder a signed copy from our webstore.
Saturday, June 29th, is OUR BIGGEST SIGNING YET as Ronald Malfi, Rebecca Rowland, L. Marie Wood, Jessica McHugh, Vaughn A. Jackson, Stephanie Pearre, Jessica L. Sparrow, Ichabod Cassius Kilroy, and Raw Dog Screaming Press all join us for a MASSIVE book signing from 1pm to 4pm.
The Hershey ComicCon takes place that same weekend — June 29th and 30th. More details here. Why are we promoting someone else’s event? Because the folks who run it are good people. And because their guests include actors from The Terrifier films, as well as a veritable who’s-who of comic book stars (including Mark Waid). We know that will appeal to both horror fans and comic book fans, and our customers are primarily those two groups, and we don’t want you to miss out on something cool.
So yeah, plan on hitting Vortex that Saturday, and then hitting the Hershey ComicCon afterward, or the next day. And that will be your weekend sorted.
A friendly reminder to customers who have comic subscriptions here at the store. You are required to pick up the comics from your pull box at least once a month. Many do not realize that new comics are not returnable, so if your box has several month’s worth of inventory sitting inside of it, that is impacting the store’s profitability and bottom-line. Beginning July 1st, any pull-box that has more than a month’s worth of comics will be put on hold until it is cleared. Thanks for your understanding. We offered the subscription service due to customer requests, but we request that you get your books in full at least once a month.
NEW ARRIVALS THIS WEEK:
In books, we just got copies of Paul Tremblay’s just-released Horror Movie. (Paul will be signing here at the store on August 2nd).
In gaming, we’ve got booster packs and prerelease boxed sets of Magic the Gathering Modern Horizons III. We do not expect supplies to last for long, so get in sooner rather than later.
New this week in comics are Scarlet Witch, Remote Space, and Rifters, among many others.
You may or may not be aware that award-winning filmmaker Mike Lombardo (I’m Dreaming of A White Doomsday, The Stall, Suburban Holocaust) is shooting his next feature film right here inside Vortex. Filming for Dead Format is projected to begin this October.
Mike is crowdfunding this movie. There are 11 days left and the project is 83% funded. If you’d like to help support his efforts, you can do so here.
There are a wide variety of perks you can select, or if you prefer, you can also just donate five or ten bucks. Every dollar goes toward paying the cast and crew and bringing some money into Columbia to help all the other local businesses.
VORTEX BESTSELLER LIST
Our Top Ten Best-Selling Books For Week Of 6/2/2024
1. Toxic Love by Kristopher Triana
2. Yellow by Aron Beauregard
3. That Night In the Woods by Kristopher Triana
4. The Cuck by Aron Beauregard
5. They All Died Screaming by Kristopher Triana
6. Playground by Aron Beauregard
7. Along the River of Flesh by Kristopher Triana
8. The Slob by Aron Beauregard
9. The Secret History of the Palace Theater (preorders) by John Urbancik
10. Pizza Face by Aron Beauregard
Our Top Ten Best-Selling Comics For Week Of 6/2/2024
1. Get Fury
2. Scarlett
3. My Adventures With Superman
4. DC Pride: Tribute To Rachel Pollack
5. Hellverine
6. Monolith
7. The Mammoth
8. Miles Morales: Spider-Man
9. Barbaric
10. Feral
And that does it for this week! Hope to see you soon!
— Brian and Mary
Had I known the store was down the. block from Turkey Hill...I would have come to Pa last week....doh
Thanks for hosting us, my friend. We love the shop and both of you. Can't wait to do it again.