The Mike's Comics Presence On LiveJournal

First, we've recently gone through the first set of allocations in 2008 on Doctor Who figures, and the first allocations of any kind in something like 15 years where we still didn't fill advance orders in full.

For those interested in details, we usually get new toy assortments 12 per case. Most figures usually are released in the assortment at a rate of 2 or 3 per case. On the latest group that arrived, the assortment only had 1 Sarah Jane Smith & K-9 2-pack per case. Shipments were allocated, then we heard there won't be new supplies of this assortment...if they ever come back to the US, it will be after a production crunch ends sometime in September.

The only good news in all this is the figure in question is supposed to be scheduled to re-appear within another assortment in 2008.

While we did still fill almost all orders for that one figure...and filled every order for every other figure in the assortment...there was literally nothing more we could do to get more figures in that assortment. We filled orders in the order they were received. After having that particular assortment listed on our site since late January, it's just the last flurry of orders in late April we couldn't fill, and only for one figure from the entire assortment.

Our apologies to those few customers who didn't have their Advance Orders filled yet...we do hope to fill those orders later in the year, and I promise you we did everything we could to get supplies to cover your order...they simply weren't made available.

So, that brings us to FOUR more assortments of 5" Doctor Who figures. We know in advance (for a change!) these will all be very heavily allocated assortments...a much deeper allocation than this earlier assortment faced. And, we heard they just shipped to us. For all of you looking for specific figures from those assortments, please consider our recent experiences and place your advance orders as soon as possible if you're going to order at all. We want to fill your orders completely and immediately, and we stand the best chance for you when you place your advance orders very early. None of these sets will have more than 75 TOTAL CASES released to the North American market. That's the supply that covers all chain stores, web sites, bookstores, comic shops, everyone. We're getting a fraction of that number. Most of the more popular figures will be released 2 per case in the assortments. So, you're talking about all retailers everywhere in the US and Canada sharing a total of 150 of any given figure...if there's something you want from these assortments, you should expect they're rare here to start with, and will probably be next to impossible to find in a very short time. There are more than 150 people in the US trying to get each new figure...far more.

Again, we're here to take your Advance Orders, and we hope you'll let us know what we can do to help you!

Michael Salvo

Announcing the newest release in the revival of BLAKE'S 7!

Note to individual customers in the United States and worldwide, excluding the United Kingdom - BLAKE'S 7: THE AUDIO ADVENTURES and BLAKE'S 7: THE EARLY YEARS can be purchased from retailers listed at http://www.mikescomics.com/LINKS2.html. If you know a local specialty shop, bookstore, college or library in your area where you think this audio series would flourish, please have them get in touch with us!

Note to US retailers - BLAKE'S 7: THE AUDIO ADVENTURES and BLAKE'S 7: THE EARLY YEARS can be purchased from us on wholesale terms at http://www.mikescomics.com, or from major wholesalers such as Bookazine, Baker & Taylor, and BookStream.

Note to retailers outside the US, apart from those in the United Kingdom - please get in touch with us at the address below, and we will be happy to set you up with an account to carry this groundbreaking series.

Please feel free to contact us by e-mail or telephone if you have any further questions. And, as always, thank you for your support.

---Michael Salvo & Patty Cryan
Mike's Comics
Worcester, MA
Phone: 508-756-9836
Website: http://www.mikescomics.com

=====================================

For Immediate Release

VILA RETURNS

- Michael Keating to reprise cult TV role in audio -

http://www.blakes7.com

LONDON, April 22, 2008: UK-based independent media production company, B7 Productions, has announced a series of prequel audio adventures based on the cult television classic, BLAKE'S 7.

Following the success of last year's audio re-imagining of BLAKE'S 7 [broadcast on BBC 7 over Christmas] and thirty years since the dramatic and shocking finale of the original series, MICHAEL KEATING [Blake's 7, EastEnders] will reprise his most popular role as the cowardly thief, Vila Restal, the only character to appear in all 52 episodes of the original series. The new audio incarnation of Olag Gan played by OWEN AARONOVITCH [Coronation Street] also stars.

BLAKE'S 7 - THE EARLY YEARS will be a prequel series of stories exploring the origins of key BLAKE'S 7 characters prior to them meeting rebel leader Roj Blake. The first of these prequel stories "When Vila Met Gan" has been written by lead writer Ben Aaronovitch ["Classic" Doctor Who, Jupiter Moon], and explores the history and enduring friendship between Gan and Vila, two of the most unlikely rebels to take up arms against the Federation.

Future episodes will feature the characters of Avon [written by Ben Aaronovitch], Jenna [written by Simon Guerrier], Travis [written by James Swallow], Cally [written by Marc Platt], and of course the series wouldn't be complete without a story exploring the origins of the rebels' arch-nemesis Supreme Commander Servalan, who we meet as a young, ambitious cadet officer with "family connections".

An "extended" special edition CD [and download] of "When Vila Met Gan" will be released for retail on 2 June 2008, with a recut version to be broadcast on BBC 7 in the summer.

Michael Keating says of his return to the role of Vila: "It's exciting to return to the character of Vila especially in this format and to discover the origins of his friendship with Gan."

Audio Director Andrew Sewell comments: "Vila was one of the most popular characters of the original series and we're absolutely delighted to welcome Michael back to a role that contributed in no small part to the show's enduring popularity."

Sewell adds: "From the moment Michael Keating uttered his first lines it was as if we'd been teleported back thirty years - that's the beauty of audio and of course the energy and enthusiasm which Michael brings to the role."

About… Blake's 7

In the original series, broadcast on the BBC [circa 1978-1981], Terry Nation, one of Britain's foremost television writers of the 1960's and 1970's, gave the world a vision of the future, a future where the galaxy is ruled by the iron fist of a galactic federation, in which freedom and justice are things of the past. Into this vision he cast a small band of outlaws, who by pure chance found themselves in control of the most powerful space vessel in the known galaxy - the Liberator. Led by the enigmatic Roj Blake this group of rebels would strike at the heart of the Federation and change the face of science fiction television forever.

To this day, BLAKE'S 7 retains a cult following second only to "Doctor Who".

About… Blake's 7 - The Early Years (When Vila Met Gan)

30 years since the dramatic and shocking finale of the original series, Michael Keating reprises his most famous role as the cowardly thief, Vila.

Earth, 2230 AD. A time of social and political turmoil…

Olag Gan wants to marry the woman of his dreams. Vila Restal wants to steal anything that isn't nailed down. When they form a partnership, a perfect combination of strength and skill, it seems that nothing stands between them and the easy life. But fate hates to give a sucker an even break and the course of true love never did run smooth.

About… Blake's 7: The Audio Adventures

Re-imagining the classic TV series, the Blake's 7 audio adventures [written by Ben Aaronovitch, Marc Platt and James Swallow] were first made available on the new SCI FI Play broadband player section of the SCI FI CHANNEL website and the broadcast on BBC7 over Christmas 2007. They star DEREK RIDDELL [The Book Group, Ugly Betty] as the eponymous rebel leader, Roj Blake, COLIN SALMON [James Bond, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency] as computer genius Kerr Avon and DANIELA NARDINI [This Life] as Supreme Commander Servalan. Other cast members include CRAIG KELLY [Queer As Folk] as Travis, CARRIE DOBRO [Babylon 5] as Jenna, MICHAEL PRAED [Robin of Sherwood] and DOUG BRADLEY [Hellraiser].

The trilogy "special edition" box set of BLAKE'S 7 - THE AUDIO ADVENTURES [3 X 60 minutes] is available from all good retailers.

About… B7 Productions

B7 Productions develops and produces original multi-platform programming and formats for radio, television and film. One of the company's major projects is the audio, animated, and live action revival of the cult sci-fi television classic "Blake's 7". Following its debut feature "Mrs, Palfrey at the Claremont" [UK Producer for Claremont Films], B7P is currently working on its next feature "Recognition Gap". TV projects include documentaries "Famous Monster" [biography of Forrest J Ackerman] and "Space Babes, Wasp Women, and Scream Queens" [the women of sci-fi and horror], period sitcom "The Victorians" and the much anticipated live action revival of the cult SF classic "Blake's 7".

We are now taking orders for the following items from Big Finish Productions, which are being held in accordance with an established street date of Wednesday, April 16th. We will not ship these items for arrival in customers' hands before their street date... these items will start shipping on April 14th.

AUDIOS:

* STARGATE SG-1: GIFT OF THE GODS {#1.1], the first release in the new STARGATE audio series, featuring Michael Shanks and John Schwab.

* THE EIGHTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES: THE SKULL OF SOBEK [#2.4], featuring Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith.

* SAPPHIRE & STEEL: SECOND SIGHT [#3.1], featuring Blair McDonough, Anna Skellern, and Lisa Bowerman.

* THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, a full cast dramatization of the novel by Gaston Leroux, featuring Anna Massey, James D'Arcy, Alexander Siddig and Peter Guinness.

BOOKS:

* SHORT TRIPS: DEFINING PATTERNS [#23], edited by Ian Farrington and featuring stories by Ian Briggs, John Davies, Lizzie Hopley, and many more.

As always, thank you for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

On a cheerier note than our earlier post, here are the latest items we've received in stock this week.

AUDIOS:

DOCTOR WHO - THE DARK HUSBAND [Big Finish #106], featuring Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, and Philip Olivier as Hex.



DVDs [Region 1]:

DOCTOR WHO - THE TIME WARRIOR, featuring Jon Pertwee as The Third Doctor and introducing Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane, with a guest appearance by Jeremy Bulloch.



DOCTOR WHO - TIMELASH, featuring Colin Baker as The Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri, with a guest appearance by Paul Darrow.



As always, thank you for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

Hi Everyone:

We've got a lot of good, loyal customers. Some of them keep us aware of interesting situations, and we're grateful for their support and vigilance. Unfortunately, interesting isn't always constructive.

We've heard from numerous sources of one such situation that currently portrays us falsely in a negative light. We feel this would be fueled further by speculation and rumor...effectively gossip.

So, first, if you hear something, please feel free to come to us. As always, we'll try to address matters factually.

Second, please don't add fuel to this fire by adding to speculation. Big fires get people burned. We value our customers, and we don't want them hurt because they play into the hands of someone trying to provoke matters. Words are already being twisted and taken out of context and facts are being ignored or spun for the convenience of those interested in creating unwarranted problems...as they often are in these situations. Don't let your well-meaning words, even in defense of us, be fodder for such irresponsible misuse.

We're sure this will blow over in the fullness of time.

People who deal with us know how we conduct ourselves, and while the current situation is unhelpful, it's rather transparently ridiculous to our customers and contrary to our universally strong relations with reputable retailers and our suppliers. People who have noted the sources of these other comments understand the nature of gossip, and note the sources don't ever stand behind their false words in the light of day. And that tells you all you're likely to need to know right there.

If anything, becoming the target of this kind of thing is just something that happens in business. It comes with the territory when you're successful. Please don't panic into doing something here. It's not worth the consequences.

Michael Salvo

test post, please ignore.

We've been very busy sorting through and cataloguing the many different types of items acquired in the Special Buy we mentioned in our last entry, so we hadn't had the chance until now to let you know of our newest DOCTOR WHO titles on DVD:

* PLANET OF EVIL, featuring Tom Baker as The Fourth Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith

* DESTINY OF THE DALEKS, featuring Tom Baker and introducing Lalla Ward as Romana II

More titles in this series can be found on our Doctor Who DVDs Page.

As always, thanks for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

We've acquired some intriguing merchandise from a British importer's warehouse, and are starting to catalogue the contents on the Mike's Comics site.

Keep an eye on this blog for updates and highlighted items. For those of you on Facebook, we will also have an ongoing thread at the Mike's Comics fan group on its discussion board.

Thanks, as always, for your support.

---Michael and Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

More good stuff from the world of DOCTOR WHO.

TOYS:



* Micro-Universe 3 Figure Pack

* Micro-Universe 7 Figure Pack

AUDIO ADVENTURES:

* Eighth Doctor Adventures #2.2 - Max Warp

* DW#105 - The Condemned



As always, thank you for your support.

---Michael and Patty

http://www.mikescomics.com

Those of you awaiting the newest release in the Eighth Doctor Adventures, Season Two, please read this link.

http://www.mikescomics.com/26Feb2008.html

We are very sorry for the inconvenience.

---Michael and Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

As part of our on-going commitment to give the best possible, best available service and pricing to our customers, most of you reading this will already know the lengths to which we try to go so you'll have no reason to shop anywhere else for the products we offer.

You'll also be aware we have several subscription plans for audios, including the ones at http://www.mikescomics.com/SUBSCRIPTION1.html.

Now, for the upcoming month, we're about to give subscribers a price on many Big Finish audios, including the entire Doctor Who main series, that can't be matched...including a better price on CDs than a new download service that doesn't provide a physical product. As subscribers know, we'll also waive postage charges when these ship with your subscription parcels, so the discount really does beat even the pricing of downloads, and gets you the physical CDs almost all of you want.

We have a commitment to customer loyalty. We understand our retail customers are simply the best in the world, and our promise to try hard to be the best isn't just talk.

However, this offer can only go to subscribers, and we'll be mailing this offer to subscribers with their next parcels. With over 60 titles priced below $10, many below $8, and some as low as $3.99, we're confident we're doing all we can to honor your loyalty to the physical CD products we offer.

If the initial offer is well-received, we will consider expanding this pricing for subscribers to the remainder of Big Finish's audio line, while our current inventory holds out...and possibly a while longer. But, depending on demand, we may limit quantities, and we will deal when necessary on a first-come, first-served basis. If you don't already have your subscriptions through us, don't wait, because this offer will come soon and is scheduled to be gone by March 20, 2008...or sooner, if demand matches the value this deal offers.

We've recently restocked our Telos line of non-fiction titles, which delve into the making of the original DOCTOR WHO television series and its 21st-century revival and spin-offs.

A selection to whet your appetite:








All titles and their prices can be found on our Doctor Who books page at http://www.mikescomics.com/BOOK1.html.

As always, thank you for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

SPECIAL OFFER! VALID UNTIL 11:59PM EST, MARCH 1, 2008
FOR EACH $100.00 YOU SPEND IN ANY INDIVIDUAL ORDER ON ANY COMBINATION OF:

* BBV AUDIOS
* BLAKE'S 7 AUDIOS
* THE SCARIFYERS AUDIOS
* ANY DVDs, INCLUDING DOCTOR WHO, BBV, AND SPECIAL ORDERS
* ANY VHS VIDEOS
* ANY USED ITEMS, OR ITEMS LISTED ON OUR USED PAGES
* ANY TARGET, VIRGIN, OR BBC BOOKS

YOU MAY ADD YOUR CHOICE OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SIX OPTIONS FROM IN STOCK ITEMS:

* ANY ONE(1) BIG FINISH 2CD OR 3CD AUDIO FOR $12.88, INCLUDING DOCTOR WHO MAIN SERIES TITLES
* ANY ONE(1) BIG FINISH 1CD AUDIO FOR $5.99
* ANY ONE(1) BIG FINISH DOCTOR WHO MAIN SERIES TITLE FROM #'s 26-63 FOR $11.88
* ANY ONE(1) BIG FINISH DOCTOR WHO MAIN SERIES TITLE FROM #'s 1-25 FOR $7.88
* ONE(1) SERIES ONE BLAKE'S 7 AUDIO CD SET FOR $41.99
* ONE(1) COPY OF BLAKE'S 7 AUDIO CD EPISODE 1 FOR $4.99

FOR USA CUSTOMERS, ON ORDERS CONTAINING PURELY CDs, DVDs & BOOKS, THIS OFFER INCLUDES THE OPTION OF FREE USPS MEDIA MAIL SHIPPING AND HANDLING!

Some relevant links:

Doctor Who Audios Index

Doctor Who Books

Doctor Who DVDs

Other links can be found on our home page.

Thanks, as always, for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

We wanted to alert you to some DOCTOR WHO items which we've gotten into stock over the last few days:

* The Last Time Lord / Cyber Adventures LCD Game



* The Diecast TARDIS



More items like this can be found on our Toys Page.

As always, thank you for your support.

---Michael & Patty

Jazzy Johnny remains tops with us.

The newest audio adventure releases from Big Finish Productions are here:

DOCTOR WHO #104 - THE BRIDE OF PELADON [double CD]



Featuring Peter Davison as The Fifth Doctor, with Nicola Bryant as Peri and Caroline Morris as Erimem.

BERNICE SUMMERFIELD 8.6 - THE WAKE [single CD]



Featuring Lisa Bowerman and Miles Richardson.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

We have received our supply of the seven-disc boxed set edition of TORCHWOOD - SEASON ONE. Please check our DVD page for pricing.



You may reach us to place your order by telephone or e-mail. Contact information can be found on the entry page for our Web site.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

After unavoidable and lengthy delays, we have received the first set of signed bookplates from the authors who contributed to SHORT TRIPS #20: DESTINATION PRAGUE.



The total run of these bookplates is limited to sixty [60], some of which have already been shipped to customers who have purchased this book from us.

We are still taking orders for SHORT TRIPS: DESTINATION PRAGUE, and will provide signed bookplates with each purchase of the book while supplies last, and at no additional charge. Due to the nature of this limited run of bookplates, this should be one of the rarest DOCTOR WHO items ever made available.

For any of you wondering if you should be getting Short Trips, we hope this is incentive to get you into this outstanding series as a regular reader.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

From Big Finish, on audio CD:

DEAD LONDON (BF#2.1) - the first chapter in the second season of The Eighth Doctor Adventures.

THE CATALYST (BF 2.4) - the fourth and final chapter in the second season of The Companion Chronicles, featuring Leela, companion to The Fourth Doctor.

From the Character Options toy line, we have finally received our shipment for the Flight Controlled TARDIS with figures, and we have filled all advanced orders on this product.

Thanks for your notes and calls so far here in the New Year, and we appreciate your continued support.

---Michael & Patty
http://www.mikescomics.com

We have received GIANT SHANDA ANIMAL 12 directly from Shanda Fantasy Arts, and the first story in the anthology should be of interest to DOCTOR WHO fans.

This comic is marked Mature Audiences only, and an age statement will be required for purchase.