Daily news and updates by Proprietor James Sime & the Isotope Staff
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Whitney Matheson & Tim Sale USAToday & Isotope Present: San Francisco Pop Candy Meet-Up w/ Featured Celebrity Guest... Tim Sale, Artist of Heroes!
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The Isotope Communique
James Sime's Mobile Twitter Feed - click here for more Twitter Feed Loading...  Could any of us have asked for a better event last weekend than Whitney Matheson and Tim Sale's amazing Pop Candy Meet-Up? This was an event we'll always remember, as we jam-packed the shop with a wild mash-up of super nice Pop Candy readers, Heroes fans, and our usual fare of local comic personalities and sexy nerds and nerdettes. Whitney turned on tons of folks who are new to the world of comics to armloads of great reads while Tim wowed the crowds with jaw-dropping original inkwash sketches. The event felt a bit like watching 4th of July fireworks as people let out the "oohs" and "ahs" at our gallery which was filled with 16 pages of original art from the Heroes tv show. And the big surprise hit of the night was these jaw-dropping souvenirs and the cocktails that came in them. I'll treasure mine forever! I honestly can't think of a better way we could have possibly celebrated two of my favorite comic people in the world. Both Mr. Sale and Ms. Matheson are two of the most fun and sincere people you could ever ask to meet and quite literally brought tears of joy to my eyes while I read their write-ups on their respective websites. Check them out: Whitney Matheson's Event Photos & Write-Up #1 Whitney Matheson's Event Photos & Write-Up #2 Tim Sale's Event Write-Up I want to express my thanks to the wonderful crowds of cool people who came out to the event. My staff and I met so many friendly new people and from the look of my in-box they had as much fun with us as we did had having them in. Thanks to one and all! Want more? Check out the Isotope's event photos c/o Matt Silady here And for those of you who aren't subscribed to Twitter, you can check out the micro-blog of minutiae during Tim and Whitney's stay over the past weekend from my feed here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 And you can read Whitney's micro-updates here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Honestly, this year has been amazing so far... have I died and gone to heaven or what? Labels: events, photos, Tim Sale, Whitney Matheson
Saturday, March 22, 2008
  Labels: events, Tim Sale, Whitney Matheson  Going up in the Isotope's gallery as we speak! Labels: events, gallery, Tim Sale
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
 Not a Pop Candy Addict Yet?Let Us Introduce You To Whitney This Saturday night, the Isotope will be filled to the rafters with scores of comic book fans and friends all raising a glass to our favorite pop culture queen, Whitney Matheson. For those of you who are already addicted to her daily Pop Candy blog on USAToday, you know exactly why we're so thrilled to have her in. For those among you who are asking yourself "who is this person?" allow me to give you the 411. Known for unwrapping pop culture’s hidden gems with a taste for Andy Warhol, Converse low-tops, Battlestar Galactica, documentary film fests, Y The Last Man, mustaches, weird places to go on vacation, Jane Birkin movies, the theme song to the Garry Shandling Show, Joss Whedon, and countless nifty new bands to get all obsessive over, Whitney always serves up the perfect daily dose of the eclectic and the sublime. Between her Pop Candy blog and her oh-so sexy book about modern living in the 1950's Atomic Home, Ms. Matheson helps direct her readers to all that which is truly tasty. One of the things I like best about her blog is the fact that over the last couple years she's been subversively turning her massive fanbase into the next generation of comic book aficionados. This is undoubtedly why she was selected to be an Eisner Judge last year, where we first met. I was totally blown away by her excellent taste in funnybooks! Want proof? Check out this awesome series of Comics Crash Course columns she wrote recently. Personally, I think this just might be the single best list of 100 suggested comics I have ever seen. Part 1: Must-Reads Part 2: Family Friendly Part 3: Series Part 4: Whitney's Favorites Of course, this Saturday we'll be throwing a rollicking event with both Ms. Matheson and comics legend Tim Sale. Stop on in to say 'hi' and find out why everyone here at the Isotope adores her so much! popcandy.usatoday.com Labels: events, Tim Sale, Whitney Matheson
Friday, March 07, 2008
Most of you have probably already heard about this event over at USAToday and Newsarama...USAToday's ultra-cool pop-culture goddess Whitney Matheson is bringing her popular Pop Candy Meet-Ups to San Francisco for the first time, and I'm just thrilled to get to play host to Ms. Matheson and her armies of super-friendly pop culture loving readers. If you aren't already a regular daily reader of Pop Candy like I am, you're definitely missing out. And if that wasn't enough event to get pumped up about, we're also bringing in Ms. Matheson's person-she'd-most-like-to-meet artist Tim Sale! Mister Sale is the artist who did all the work on the Heroes tv show as well as a ton of some of the most beautiful comics I have ever seen like Batman: Long Halloween, Superman For All Seasons, and Daredevil Yellow, It's a dream come true event. Honestly, what could be better? Read more about this event here Labels: events, Tim Sale, Whitney Matheson
Friday, February 29, 2008
from the Isotope & iFanboy's legendary Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier After-Party, featuring director Dave Bullock, designer J. Bone, and Mister Darwyn Cooke himself.  Click here for more photos from this event We packed in several hundred comic loving folks and many industry superstars into the Isotope over the course of the night. What an amazing time! Additional photos by DJ Bearzbub, Storm, and the lovely newlyweds Chris Vaccaro and Maranda Lee. Read about this event on Newsarama here Labels: Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, Dave Bullock, events, J. Bone, JH Williams III, Paul Dini, Peter Gross, photos, Storm, WonderCon
Monday, February 25, 2008
 Thanks to everyone who came out for the truly great weekend we hosted, to our co-sponsors iFanboy, and especially to our special guests from both Saturday (Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone, Dave Bullock,) and Friday (Ben Templesmith, Antony Johnston). For those folks who couldn't attend we've got hundreds more photographs and hours of video still to be declassified. Not to mention what Ron, Conner, and Josh from iFanboy scored. Watch this space over the next few days for lots more! Labels: Antony Johnston, Ben Templesmith, Darwyn Cooke, Dave Bullock, events, iFanboy, J. Bone
Saturday, February 23, 2008
 click to enlarge Yes tonight is the night, ladies and gents. Our post convention bash kicks off at 9pm tonight in celebration of what was no doubt a huge reception and world-premiere screening of Darwyn Cooke's Justice League: The New Frontier. We suggest grabbing yourself something wonderful to eat before hand at one of the following awesome Isotope-approved restaurants. Thanks to some brilliant co-scheduling, while you're waiting for the Isotope shindig to get happening I'm also going to suggest you all go check out the annual Prism Comics reading and mixer with queer comics creators starting at 7pm tonight only a few blocks away from our front door. Featuring readings from some of our favorite cartoonists Justin Hall, Paige Braddock, Andy Hartzell, Brian Anderson, and more. Very cool! And then, starting at 9pm tonight... Darwyn Cooke, Dave Bullock, and J. Bone arrive in high style at the Isotope for the Isotope's New Frontier After-Party! Co-sponsored by our super cool amigos at iFanboy. Featuring exclusive Darwyn Cooke art prints and jaw dropping glassware! Lots of original art for us to get all obsessive over! Delicious adult beverages by Kirsten Baldock! Swinging ultra-lounge from SF's own DJ Bearzbub! But I don't have to sell you guys on this event at all, do I? It's Darwyn Cooke, baby, you know you wouldn't miss this for the world!  It's just a short walk between the convention and the Isotope's front door! No doubt we'll be seeing several hundreds of you out tonight and tomorrow, so for your event attending convenience, here's where the Isotope is located, and here's a map of available Isotope SF public transportation options. And for our East Bay amigos, here's a handy walking from BART to Isotope map. Bring your IDs and your significant others. Labels: Andy Hartzell, Brian Anderson, Darwyn Cooke, Dave Bullock, events, J. Bone, Justin Hall, Paige Braddock, WonderCon  click here for more Direct links to all sorts of great and even a couple scandalous moments from the event c/o my Twitter feed: 1 2 3 45 6 7 8 9 10 11 Got some photos from this event? Send 'em in and I'll post 'em up. Thanks to everyone who attended and made that party such an incredible blast! And now to prepare the shop for tonight...! Labels: Antony Johnston, Ben Templesmith, events, photos
Friday, February 22, 2008
It's just a short walk between the convention and the Isotope's front door! No doubt we'll be seeing several hundreds of you out tonight and tomorrow, so for your event attending convenience, here's where the Isotope is located, and here's a map of available Isotope SF public transportation options. And for our East Bay amigos, here's a handy walking from BART to Isotope map. Bring your IDs and your significant others. Looking forward Tonight  Tomorrow Night  (more info here) Labels: Antony Johnston, Ben Templesmith, Darwyn Cooke, events
Monday, February 18, 2008
 Fri: Ben Templesmith and Antony JohnstonSat: Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier After-Party Coming up is one of my favorite weekends of the entire year, WonderCon Weekend! And I'm sure you all know how much we like quietly surprising the comics world by throwing the biggest, craziest events all year long in celebration of it. Like last year we're teaming up with our pod and video-casting amigos at iFanboy and we've all been stealthily working behind the scenes to set up two of the most glorious Isotope events we've ever had the pleasure to host. Friday Night:  click to enlarge Australian artist of 30 Days of Night and Fell, Ben Templesmith, and the British writing sensation Antony Johnston, author of the excellent Wasteland and a personal favorite of mine The Long Haul, hit the Isotope in high style from 8pm until the witching hour. Templesmith is bringing in several armloads of original art from Wormwood: Gentlemen Corpse for sale and Johnston will have limited edition printings of his Wasteand scripts created just for this event on hand. Truly an event not to be missed! Saturday Night:  click to enlarge In honor of WonderCon's biggest event of 2008, the world premiere screening of Darwyn Cooke's Justice League: The New Frontier, the Isotope will be throwing a massive after-party along with Mister Cooke, Director David Bullock, and designer of the gods J. Bone. And we (of course) have a few special surprises up our Isotopic sleeves, including the jaw-dropping Darwyn Cooke pint glass made just for this event, and a teeny tiny run of available nowhere else art prints. And in keeping with the event's theme, bartender Kirsten Baldock will be shaking up wonderful cocktails from yesteryear while San Francisco's famous DJ Bearzbub spins classic retro-future lounge over the Isotope's hi-fi. These events are both 21 and up, please. Labels: Antony Johnston, Ben Templesmith, Darwyn Cooke, events, WonderCon
Friday, February 15, 2008
 More info here Labels: cartoons, events, Ken Pontac, Marv Wolfman, Tommy Yune
Thursday, January 31, 2008
February 15th begins what I can only promise is jaw-dropping 2008 in-store event schedule. Come join us as we team up with the fine folks at Notemine to kick off San Francisco's famed Animation On Display convention with a bang of atom-splicing proportions! Animania-A-Go-Go features DJ MacMini spinning a selection of the sexiest nerdiest tracks to get your backsides in gear! Superstar Tommy Yune who you know from his work on Robotech and Speed Racer! The writer of Happy Tree Friends, LazyTown and classic CG cartoon ReBoot , madman Ken Pontac! And the beyond-legendary comics authoring architect of Teen Titans, Tomb of Dracula and Crisis on Infinite Earths... the one, the only... Marv Wolfman! Nice! Now go watch some cute and violent fuzzy critters get bloody: Happy Tree Friends. Labels: cartoons, events, Ken Pontac, Marv Wolfman, Tommy Yune
Thursday, November 01, 2007
 Thank You From All of Us to All of YouFor a Halloween That Truly Rocked It's been a crazy post-Halloween day here at the Isotope. With an outrageous interview for the up-coming issue of Punks: The Comic due and a live interview with Comic Book Talk Radio taking up a goodly portion of my day, So now I'm definitely ready for a nice relaxing dinner and a quiet evening at the Sanctum Sanctorum. But I had to take the time to thank all of you who attended last night's incredible Monster Mosh Halloween Party we threw with our friends at The Onion, Triple Cobra, Ms Monster, B-Minus Comics, and 12 Galaxies. That was one hell of a great party! We expected to pack the house to rafters and beyond, but honestly, we had no idea we'd be seeing upwards of 200 more people than our wildest expectations could have ever hoped for in attendance! And talk about the costumes! After seeing how so many of the major Bay Area Halloween costume hot-spots have been watered down year after year, it was really exciting to see so many amazing costumed SF sexpots out last night dressed to the nines. Everyone saw so many jaw-dropping outfits that there really was absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind why San Francisco is the greatest city on Earth, and it brought a tear to my non-Nick Fury patched eye when I was given a big hug and told "Yay! Halloween is fun again!" by a pretty young lady who I honestly have no idea if I have ever met before. Because, yes. And yay. Halloween is fun again. As my way of showing my appreciation to each and every one of you who came out and made that the great party that it was I'm going to thank you in one of the best ways I know how... with a trio of swoon-inducing Audrey Hepburn pictures.    click to enlarge You people kick ass. Labels: Audrey Hepburn, events, Halloween, Ms Monster, thanks, Triple Cobra
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
 The craziest Halloween bash happens tonight at 12 Galaxies! Click here for more info Labels: costumes, events, Halloween, Ms Monster, Triple Cobra
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Instead of going to the Castro and getting hauled off to jail this year, why not spend your Halloween in high Isotope style? click to enlarge This year we've teamed up with our friends at the world's greatest newspaper The Onion, the best band in the entire city Triple Cobra, the non-speaking order of the Grande Chartreuse monastery who make the fabulous Chartreuse Liquor, the crazy gentlemen behind B-Minus Comics, and our all-time favorite cable access horror hostess Ms. Monster! This is going to be absolutely legendary. Monster Mosh 2007 @ 12 Galaxies 2565 Mission St (@ 21st) Wednesday, October 31st. Doors at 8:30pm Labels: Aaron Farmer, contests, costumes, culture, events, Halloween, Marc Nordstrom, Ms Monster, San Francisco, shows, The Onion, Triple Cobra
Friday, October 05, 2007
 Jacques Boyreau's Super Trash Film Fest presented in wall-size glory on the Isotope front window! More info here Labels: events, Jacques Boyreau, movies
Monday, October 01, 2007
The Isotope proudly presents a one-night film fest featuring the legendary cinematic historian, b-movie poster curator, exploitation auteur director, and trash film connoisseur Jacques Boyreau! Author of two of the swingin' sexiest must-have coffee table books ever printed, Trash: The Graphic Genius of Xploitation Movie Posters and the stunning The Male Mystique: Men's Magazine Ads of the 1960s and '70s as well as the cinematic whitesploitation visionary behind the anti-classics Planet Manson, I Do, I Die, and the science fiction LSD epic Candy Von Dewd, Boyreau is invading the Isotope with a 13 foot movie screen and hundreds of reels of lost b-movie exploitation cinema gems. You'd better believe I am looking forward to this! Also be sure to also check out Boyreau's Super Trash Peepshow slideshowing and talk featuring vintage artwork from trash films and other forms of disreputable pop culture at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts the following night. You know where I'll be! Labels: culture, events, exploitation, Jacques Boyreau, movies, ridiculous
Saturday, September 29, 2007
 On Tap For Tonight @ the IsotopeThe Man, The Legend, The Artwork Tonight is the night, my amigos... the Isotope becomes ground-zero for Planet Earth's only month-long original art gallery showcasing of every single slackjaw-inducingly gorgeous page and cover from JH Williams III's amazing panel-shattering Batman arc with Grant Morrison. Meet the man, and maybe even score yourselves one of these original pages...  click to enlarge The Isotope Communique is hosting a daily virtual museum of JH Williams III Batman original artwork. Read about it here or feast your eyes and see yesterday's art page here. Labels: comics, events, gallery, JH Williams III
Thursday, September 27, 2007
 The Best Weekend All Year LongSo Much To Do, So Little Time! Wow, what a phenomenal weekend we're going into here in SF! I've seen a whole lot of folks in from out of town in the past two days so if you're in from out of town... "welcome" and I'm giving you all a high-five for having excellent timing! So, what's going down during the best weekend all year long in the greatest city on Earth? SF Love Parade & After-Party - We all know that San Francisco is without a doubt America's most open-minded city, so it was naturally the first choice to host the American version of Berlin's world-famous Love Parade. This massive parade and street party down the city's main thoroughfare of Market Street and culminates in a gigantic outdoor festival at the end of the route. Right out in front of city hall (that's how we do it in San Francisco, baby)! Not to be missed. ArtCar Fest 2007 - The largest congregation of crazy, beautiful, goofy, and brain-meltingly outrageous ArtCars on the entire coast! You haven't truly lived until you've cast your peepers on jaw-dropping automotive glories like Ripper the Friendly Shark, Cowasaki, The Mirror Image, and the gothic majesty of the you-have-got-to-see-it-to-believe-it Carthedral. There just isn't anything more wonderful than seeing these beauties rolling down SF streets. 6th Annual Docfest - San Francisco's famed documentary film fest is one of my favorite reasons to snuggle down into a movie theater seat, scarf popcorn by the handful, and get hypnotized by the silver screen. This year's flicks include American Scary which answers all those burning questions you have about great TV horror hosts and hostesses of yesteryear, Luchando a flick about sex-working hustlers in Cuba's gay underground, What Would Jesus Buy? a cross country anti-consummerism bus ride with Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, El Mechanico Loco the highly praised look at a punk rock hotrod racing team, and the downright awful sounding Absolute Zero, a flick about a railway worker freezing to death trapped inside a refrigerated cooler car full of animal carcasses. I'll definitely be checking out a few of these! Folsom Street Fair - The quintessential San Francisco street fair! This event is always one of the most fun of all of the crazy events we have here in SF, and this year the organizers have upped the ante with the addition of an "erotic artists' alley" full of some of our favorite local comic creators including Justin Hall, Steve MacIssac, and Drub. I've gotta give the Folsom Street Fair a standing ovation for showing so much appreciation to the art form of cartooning this year. Nice! And lest we forget the very best thing happening all weekend... JH Williams III @ the Isotope - Oh, I'm completely biased, I know! But seriously, who wouldn't want to come to the world's sexiest comic book store to meet one of the greatest living masters of the comics artform? One look at Mister Williams work on Promethea, Desolation Jones or his current run on Batman will get you just as mouth-foamingly manic about his art as we all are! Labels: culture, events, JH Williams III, movies, music, ridiculous, San Francisco, shows
Saturday, September 15, 2007
 The Isotope is ecstatic to be ground-zero for Planet Earth's only month-long original art gallery showing of every single page and cover from JH Williams III's amazing panel-shattering Batman arc with Grant Morrison. Including the yet-to-be-published Batman #669! If you haven't seen these pages already I can promise you that your jaw will drop when you do... Mark your calendars for our massive opening reception bash with the man himself on Saturday, September 29th. Starting at 8pm and going through to the midnight hour. And yes, pages of Mister Williams' beautiful artwork will be available for purchase! Ahhhh... it's good to be part of the Isotope family, isn't it? Labels: Batman, comics, events, gallery, Grant Morrison, JH Williams III, schedule
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Indulge yourself in 100 photos from last weekend's wonderful Mike Carey in-store bash. We got some great shots from the event thanks to our amigo DangerBob. check 'em out here Included for your viewing pleasure in this set are Carissa Koo's awesome poloroids, thanks so much for sharing them with us, Carissa! Labels: events, Mike Carey, photos
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
 Last Saturday night we threw what I will always remember as one of my favorite events. My staff and I all got to see a lot of really cool new-to-SF people that I personally can't wait to see more of, have cocktails with one of the industry's greatest talents, and everyone got an excuse to share our collective love for wonderful comics together. Truly, a wonderful 8pm to midnight! And Mike Carey did so much more than just live up to his reputation as one of the nicest and most fun people in the comics industry to spend time with... he reminded us all why we love throwing and our guests love attending these kind of events so much. It is with great pride and a manly tear that my staff and I got to read Mister Carey's thoughts about his trip to the SF Bay Area and our event on his blog at mikecarey.net, reprinted here for your reading convenience... and because it made us all so happy! And then day three. Not just a signing this time - a signing party. And not at a comic book store - at Isotope, the comic book lounge, on Fell Street. Oh man, I can’t begin to tell you what this was like. Huge crowd, fantastic atmosphere, unforgettable experience. James Sime used to be a barman at one stage, and he has a bar built into the store for the events he runs. He also has a collection of toilet seats on which all his guests have done sketches, and an exhibit of incredible costumes made by Kirsten Baldock (who wrote the wonderful Smoke and Guns for AIT/Planetlar - buy it now!). Doctor Strange has to be my favourite, but Lady Blackhawk is also very cool. The party went on until well after midnight, and was still in full swing when I left. I signed loads of books, and met loads of people. I don’t want to name names, because I’m bound to leave someone out, but Jesus, what a welcome. Actually, what the hell, I will name names: James and Kirsten obviously, Ash, Josh, Adrienne of the Sequential Tarts, Jim, Carissa, Jeremy and Jason of Night Shade Books, Matt Silady, Mike Choi (who’s doing an issue of X-Men with me), Sean, Sara, Corky… Those are some of the people who put the evening right up there among the highest highlights of the tour - and made me feel like I was at home, among friends, just kicking back and having a great Saturday night. James, thanks again for the hospitality. It was a total, total blast. (snif)! 'Scuse me, I think I've got something in my eye... It's quite honestly times like this that make me fall in love my job all over again. Thanks for the very kind words, Mike... and do please come back and visit us again soon! Labels: events, glory, Mike Carey
Saturday, July 21, 2007
To Do Tonight: For your event attending convenience, here's where the Isotope is located, and here's a map of available Isotope SF public transportation options. And for our East Bay amigos, here's a handy walking from BART to Isotope map. Bring your ID and your significant other. Familiars welcome! Labels: events, Mike Carey
Sunday, June 24, 2007
 The Isotope proudly hosts the assembled Brian K. Vaughan Caballeros for an afternoon of good cheer and company. Starting fresh and early at 11am! For your caballero event attending convenience, here's where the Isotope is located, and here's a map of available Isotope SF public transportation options. And for our East Bay amigos, here's a handy walking from BART to Isotope map. I'll be seeing you all later today! UPDATE: Although the Caballeros didn't hit the Isotope with the show of force they threatened us with... the Isotope staff came prepared and served up ice-cold bottles of Y The Last Beer to those who did!  Labels: Brian K Vaughan, events
Saturday, June 02, 2007
For your consuming indulgence, some delicious pictures from last night's Homeless Channel launch -slash- Isotope 6th birthday bash. If you see me making a funny face or two... blame the booze. I do!Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR. (click here for low-tech photo-viewing courtesy of Flickr) Labels: events, Matt Silady, photos
Friday, June 01, 2007
 In celebration of Matt Silady's debut graphic novel The Homeless Channel. Labels: comics, events, Matt Silady  Today is Marilyn Monroe's 81st birthday... and also, today is the day that the Isotope turns 6. Life, as they say, is good! Labels: events, glory, Isotope love  Silady's Book Invades Comic Stores EverywhereAnd The Homeless Channel Rocks the Media! Regular readers of the Communique already know about Matt Silady, as I've written about this homegrown hero before and because I'm throwing a great big bash in his honor tonight (which, incidentally, features one of my favorite flyers in recent memory). Matt's a great guy and we were all blown away by the sheer quality of his first shot at a graphic novel. This guy's going places! Now personally I want people to get exposed to this smart, original, creative new voice in the world of comics, so I couldn't be more thrilled to see how much attention The Homeless Channel has been generating in the comics media and beyond. And what better use of the IsoSite than to break out some glasses and pop the cork in celebration of the good things in life? Do take some time out of your hectic schedule to check out SFist's review, Beaucoup Kevin's review, Pop Culture Shock's review, Fractal Matter's review, Parakkum's review, Cincinnatus' review and yes... even Warren Ellis' review! And if that's not enough goodness... check out these interviews with Matt with SFist, The Contra Coasta Times, The California Aggie, Newsarama, Sequential Tart, Silver Bullet Comics, Your Mom's Basement, Pink Raygun, Scryptic Studios, Pop Syndicate, Books Are Pretty, and on iFanboy to read all about Mister Silady and his new original graphic novel The Homeless Channel... and then stop in later tonight to meet the man! What a media darling. Go go go Matt Silady! Labels: comics, events, Matt Silady
Friday, May 25, 2007
Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR. Labels: Ed Brubaker, events, photos
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Launching homegrown hero Matt Silady's new book The Homeless Channel as only the Isotope can!UPDATE: Check out Jason McNamara's glorious unpublished intro to Matt's book. Damn good stuff! Labels: comics, events, Matt Silady
Saturday, May 19, 2007
 As Newsarama reports Isotope Bartender Kirsten Baldock (armed with her 1935 Old Mister Boston Guide) is resurrecting some delightfully noir adult beverages from the golden age of cocktailing for your pleasure. Bring your IDs. UPDATE: For your event attending convenience, here's where the Isotope is located, and here's a map of available Isotope SF public transportation options. And for our East Bay amigos, here's a handy walking from BART to Isotope map. Labels: Ed Brubaker, events
Monday, May 14, 2007
 Recently Declassified VideoFrom the Isotopic Vaults While the upcoming Ed Brubaker Criminal launch here at the Isotope promises to be a jazz-infused event of mythically noir proprotions, complete with amazing cocktails from yesteryear courtesy of bartender Kirsten Baldock's 1935 Old Mister Boston Guide, and therefore the event will be nothing like the footage you are about to see! We thought it was good time to celebrate one of our favorite Brubaker in-stores of times past with this freshly declassified video footage from our Sleeper launch event. Enjoy! UPDATE: My in-box has been flooded this morning with requests for that awesome Motorhead cover of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper." Click here for your own copy, and while you're there be sure to check out "Highway To Hell" and the video of Lemmy and Mikkey destroying a car! Labels: Ed Brubaker, events, video  The Isotope Communique Proudly PresentsA Day Long Celebration of Everything Brubaker With the first volume of Ed Brubaker's fantastic Criminal hitting the shelves last Wednesday and an up-coming launch event here at the Isotope, we couldn't be more excited about this multiple Eisner-nominated comics author right now. But don't get us wrong, we're no Johnny-come-latelys when it comes to the Brube. We've thrown our share of Brubaker in-store events before (like this one & this one & this one), but honestly... it's been a while. So we decided it was time to fly him and his wife in for a big, glorious Isotope style bash. But it wouldn't be a day long celebration if all we did was talk about our up-coming event, would it? So over the course of the day we'll be pointing you towards great Brubaker gems you might not have read yet and will absolutely thank us for suggesting, de-classifying some vintage Isotope video of one of our previous Brubaker in-stores, and finishing up with the press release for what is perhaps the coolest comic contest ever (well, if not the coolest comic contest ever, it's at least the most dangerous)! All we can say is it's a damn good day to be a Brubaker fan. Labels: comics, Ed Brubaker, events
Saturday, May 05, 2007
In celebration of the fifth annual Free Comic Book Day stop on in and pick up some great new free reads on us. Starring these great books... and many many more!           
Friday, May 04, 2007
Mark your calendars! Labels: Ed Brubaker, events
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
 Riffner's Quick Step Takes Home the GoldFifth Annual Isotope Mini-Comic Award The internet comics news sites are alight with the news that many of you already knew, the talented Max Riffner has won the fifth-annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics for his fantastic Quick Step. Max was the hit of the convention and the star of the night during our beloved and massive Ape Aftermath bash, where he received the love of the assembled mini-comic aficionados in attendance. Speaking of which, if you missed this year's festivities you really missed out... our staff and guests were all in agreement that this was our best APE event yet. Thanks to all who attended! We could tell you more about Max's book, our award ceremony, and how much fun everyone here, but why not see what the comics press has to say? Wizard (that's right, Wizard) is running the feature story, with Newsarama, Comics Worth Reading, Comics Reporter, the Beat, Journalista, and even the great Phil Hester all chiming in with their two cents about the event and Max's big win.  Check out Quick Step on Max Riffner's website and while you're at it, don't forget to check out this artist's profile on Mister Riffner. Congrats Max. You deserved it, man! Labels: events, Isotope Award, Max Riffner, minis
Friday, April 20, 2007
 Featuring the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics Award ceremony with Danica Novgorodoff & Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, the Top Shelf Happy Hour with publisher Brett Warnock, and hot jams by DJ Bearzbub. Labels: Alternative Press Expo, Bearzbub, Brett Warnock, Danica Novgorodoff, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, events, Isotope Award, minis
Thursday, April 19, 2007
 The Isotope Recommends:An APE Weekend-A-Go-Go Can you feel that? It's your heart racing with the knowledge that we're right on the edge of the best weekend all year here in San Francisco... the weekend of the Alternative Press Expo. We here at the Isotope love APE for far too many reasons to list, but most of all we love APE weekend because it's the weekend that's all about the love for comics. As usual, there's a ton of things going on during APE weekend, as the convention spirit always spreads through the city offering comic creators and fans an excuse to launch gallery shows, set up workshops, and throw parties in celebration of comics. It's easy to fill up your schedule with so much going on, so allow us to select out a few events to recommend. There's some stuff going on at other shops and at a few galleries and cool spots we like as well... but a body can't do everything, so here's our suggestions:  Jeffrey Brown @ Giant RobotOur amigos at Giant Robot kick off APE weekend right with a in-store signing with alt-comix giant Jeffrey Brown. Who would want to miss that? Friday, April 20th Giant Robot Store 618 Shrader @ Haight 6:30pm - 8:30pm  Going Ape!Readings by queer cartoonists Paige Braddock, Abby Denson, Tim Fish, Robert Kirby, and the hilarious Justin Hall. We suggest grabbing yourself some dinner while you're there! Saturday, April 21st 3 Dollar Bill Cafe 1800 Market St @ Octavia 7:00pm - 10:00pm You didn't think we were going to forget to mention our very own APE AFTERMATH, did you? This event also features the Top Shelf Happy Hour with publisher Brett Warnock, hot tunes from one of our favorite sonic engineers DJ Bearzbub, and two of our former mini-comic award winners... the brilliant Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, and the Eisner Award nominated Danica Novgorodoff. Ah yes... APE weekend! What could be better! Labels: Alternative Press Expo, Bearzbub, Brett Warnock, comics, culture, Danica Novgorodoff, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, events, Isotope Award, Justin Hall, minis, music, San Francisco, Top Shelf Productions
Sunday, April 15, 2007
 Great Comics and Great CocktailsTop Shelf's Brett Warnock Serves Them Up You already know Brett Warnock as the man who, with his co-publisher Chris Staros, has been serving up top shelf comics like Lost Girls, Blankets, From Hell, The Surrogates, and Unlikely for ten years now. But unless you attended last year's APE Aftermath Top Shelf Happy Hour, you may not yet know him as a man who serves the finest in top shelf cocktails. Join us at APE Aftermath from 7pm until 8pm for the Top Shelf Happy Hour and witness one of your favorite publishers making one of your favorite drinks. Trust me, folks, Brett's margaritas are not to be missed! Check out Top Shelf Productions' website Labels: Alternative Press Expo, Brett Warnock, events, Top Shelf Productions
Saturday, April 14, 2007
 The Bash of the Year Just Got BetterGoodbrey Flying in From London He's been called "the Grant Morrison of mini-comics" and anyone who has checked out his minis or has encountered his on-line hypercomics will know why. Goodbrey's experimental road trips through a psychotropic Unfolded Earth took home our third-annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics as well as an International Clickie Award. And it is with great happiness that we announce that Mister Goodbrey will once more be flying in from London to attend APE and the Isotope's own APE AFTERMATH... where he will once again stand atop the world's highest stage and help us and Danica Novgorodoff present the fifth-annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics to this year's lucky winner. With his amazing experiments in surreal graphic fiction hitting store shelves in graphic novel form (courtesy of publisher AIT/PlanetLar) mere days before APE, what could be a better time than during APE AFTERMATH to congratulate Goodbrey on his success and pick up a freshly printed copy of Last Sane Cowboy & Other Stories? Check out Daniel's website Labels: Alternative Press Expo, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, events, Isotope Award
Friday, April 13, 2007
 The 2006 Isotope Award WinnerReturns to Scene of Her Triumph With a quiet little book about a bear, a robot, and a stuffed frog Danica Novgorodoff wowed our judges, dazzled the comics industry, and took home the much-coveted 2006 Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics... and let's face it, she stole our hearts while she was at it. An artist, designer, painter, author and photographer her work has been popping up like crazy this past year. From cover design on Gene Yang's oh-so popular American Born Chinese and Gipi's gorgeous Garage Band (which just hit comic store shelves this week) to designing fliers for the band Wilco for the Barrymore Theatre in James Sime's hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. Danica's been everywhere! Not only is our beloved Danica a featured guest for this year APE AFTERMATH, she will also be attending next weekend's Alternative Press Expo with copies of the amazing A Late Freeze in hand, and you won't want to miss seeing her soak up the love when she once again stands upon the world's highest stage and helps us present the fifth annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics! And could we be among the very first to see top-secret pages of her as-of-yet-unannounced original graphic novel The Crossing? Oh, my dear friends, I think we might be! Check out Danica's website Labels: Alternative Press Expo, Danica Novgorodoff, events, First Second Books
Thursday, April 12, 2007
In conjunction with our absolute favorite comic convention anywhere, the Alternative Press Expo. Watch the video from APE AFTERMATH 2006, pack your ID, and come join us for the awarding of the fifth annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics. It's going to be one hell of a good time. ... Labels: Alternative Press Expo, Brett Warnock, Danica Novgorodoff, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, events, Isotope Award, Top Shelf Productions
Friday, March 23, 2007
 Celebrating The Hometown HeroMindy Owens Party in Pictures Regular Isotope Communique readers already know all about homegrown hero Mindy Owens, the huge Runaways fan who went professional earlier this week writing her all time favorite comic and getting paid to do it! So we'll dispense with all the jibber-jabber about how cool we think this is and about how much we love working in an industry where things like this happen, and we'll cut straight to the chase. Roll camera!    Check out the rest of the photos from this event over on Brian K. Vaughan's board in a thread we like to call The Greatest Story in Comics. You go, Mindy! Labels: comics, events, Mindy Owens, photos
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Author Mindy Owens autographs her first issue... ... and is crowned "Queen of Comics"  Mindy Owens @ the Isotope Labels: events, Mindy Owens, Runaways
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
 Hometown Gal Does The RunawaysBecause Mindy Owens is Awesome Ever notice how Mark Wahlberg keeps making movie after movie about true stories of fans who make the bigtime by becoming the lead singer of their favorite band or a wide receiver for their favorite football team? Those Wahlberg films might have a similar theme, but frankly, we don't care. Those are the kind true stories that touch all the world's hearts and bring a tear to the eye of anyone who ever had a dream. With that in mind, let us tell you the true story of Mindy Owens, a comic fan whose inspirational story is the stuff of major motion pictures. Since the series inception, Mindy has loved the Runaways comic. And has proven time and again why she is why she is the biggest Runaways fan on the planet with evangelism and enthusiasm to spare. When popular original series author Brian K. Vaughan decided to leave the series and Marvel announced that they were going to replace him with none other than Joss Whedon it looked to us here at the Isotope that the series was going from strength to strength... and that was before we knew who was writing the issue in-between these two legendary authors. You guessed it, it's Mindy Owens! Debuting her first comic work with this week's Runaways Saga, Ms. Owens isn't only writing her all-time favorite comic book, going professional at the biggest comic publisher in the industry right out of the gate, and cashing that Marvel Comics paycheck with the picture of Spider-Man on it that comic fans the world over covet... but she's also getting a big bash thrown in her honor right here at the Isotope! Come and join us and celebrate the launch of this homegrown hero's first book, won't you?  And while we're on the subject of people who are awesome, we suggest taking a listen to the title track from the new Dollyrots album "Because I'm Awesome." Labels: comics, events, homegrown hero, Mindy Owens, Runaways
Saturday, March 03, 2007
 J.M. DeMatteis @ IsotopeSaturday, March 3rd. 8pm If you didn't make it out on last night's Tiki Tour with Adam Beechen and the guys from iFanboy, we have to tell you that you really missed out. That was immense! But the weekend festivities aren't over just yet. On tap for later tonight is the event that will surely be one of our biggest bashes all year long, J.M. DeMatteis @ the Isotope! We're going to be packing the shop wall to wall with sexy nerds and nerdettes for one of our six hours post-convention celebrations that are the stuff of comic industry legend. Mister DeMatteis will be hanging out, rubbing shoulders with industry muckety-mucks, signing books, telling stories, and generally soaking up the abundant love. If you like this industry legend's work as much as we here at the Isotope do, we think this will be a night you'll always treasure. Remember to pack your ID because Josh will be checking them at the door! Here's a handy map for all you folks from out of town. click to enlarge Labels: events, JM DeMatteis, WonderCon
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
No doubt you already know all about the Isotope's plans for WonderCon weekend. So let us introduce you to the creator you'll be touring tiki bars with this Friday night...  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Adam Beechen! Labels: Adam Beechen, culture, events, ridiculous, tiki bars, WonderCon
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
 Tiki Tour w/ Adam BeechenFriday, March 2nd Break out your finest Hawaiian shirts, by extremely popular demand, the Isotope is once again hosting the perfect event for out-of-towners looking to find the coolest spots to drink in SF... our world famous tour of San Francisco tiki bars! Since the ancient days of yore, the great tiki gods above made blessed the beautiful city of San Francisco with such an over-abundance of watering holes of the tiki variety that it makes others weep with fruity cocktail and indoor rainfall envy. And so for half a decade the Isotope honors the great Island Lords by paying tribute upon the bar stools of the city's many tiki bars. Legend tells that those who can complete the tour are granted the wonderous gift of never-hangover. But no man or woman has ever managed to master the great tour of tiki. The brave still try... Our featured guest superstar for this event is comic author Adam Beechen! Beechen is rocking the DCU recently with a smokingly good run on Robin, taking over Teen Titans, and he's one of the architects of the massively hyped and oh-so secret Countdown. Mister Beechen swears to us us that he's not going to reveal the covert details only he and a few others know about DC's massive Countdown mini-series. But can he resist letting those classified secrets slip when the intoxicating power of the Tiki Tour begins flowing through his veins and clouding his judgement? We think not! Enlarge the flyer here. See last year's Tiki Tour here. J.M. DeMatteis @ IsotopeSaturday, March 3rd The Isotope couldn't be more proud to be flying in Mister DeMatteis especially for this event! Last year's WonderCon celebrations here at the Isotope included the great Grant Morrison, and there is only one man in the entire comic industry who has made a similar career out of defying those same kind of high art/high pulp boundaries of typical comics classifications as Mister Morrison. And that's J.M. DeMatteis. Author of seminal works that redefined what American comics were and are, Mister DeMatteis is one of the industry's only creators who effortlessly walks back and forth across the line between high art and high pulp comics. Among his hundreds of credits DeMatteis is the writer of Moonshadow, Justice League International, Blood: A Tale, Stardust Kid, Dr. Strange: Shamballa, Abadazad, and the incredible Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt. We're thrilled to be celebrating this industry giant who was not only was doing Vertigo a full ten years before there even was a Vertigo, but was also writing the best Spider-Man comic of our lifetimes... at the same time! Enlarge the flyer here. See last year's WonderCon Bash here. For you hundreds of folks in from out of town who want to swing by the shop while you're here, either to attend our Saturday night bash or just to check out the digs, we're always happy to see you. And don't sweat the city driving, WonderCon is a mere 6 blocks from our front door. Click here for the map The Isotope's huge WonderCon Weekend celebrations are co-sponsored by our pod-and-video-casting amigos at iFanboy. Slip on your sexiest gear, fix your hair, and try not to sleep with the staff... your wild weekend is about to be broadcast worldwide! Labels: Adam Beechen, culture, events, JM DeMatteis, podcasts, tiki bars, WonderCon  Labels: Adam Beechen, culture, events, iFanboy, podcasts, tiki bars, WonderCon
Saturday, February 24, 2007
 Labels: events, iFanboy, JM DeMatteis, podcasts, WonderCon The Waiting is OverWonderCon 2007 With the way new comic cons have started multiplying like rabbits the past few years deciding which ones to skip and which |
