James Robinson & Isotope Comics at Bloomingdale's in SF
13 Posted on Oct 15, 2009 in articles by Ron Richards |
Fans of DC Comics in San Francisco were given a special treat last night. To celebrate the launching of the DC Comics line of clothes in the Men's Department of Bloomingdale's, the department store teamed up with Isotope Comics to throw a swanky cocktail party with the highlight being a signing by DC Comics writer James Robinson, of Starman and Superman fame.The comic fans came out in droves as the men's department was decked out with a DJ, multiple bars serving cocktails and of course DC Comics clothes as far as the eye can seen. James Robinson, looking dapper and a smile, gladly signed comics such as World of New Krypton and Blackest Night Superman for the legions of fans who lined up and waited patiently. Isotope Comics proprietor James Sime, also looking dapper (as always), gladly handed out comics to everyone to get signed. I have to say that while there was a line the entire time for James Robinson, everyone was in great spirits, enjoying their cocktails and soaking up the the scene.
We often talk about how important it is to get new readers into comics and this sort of crossover event is the exactly the type of thing the comic industry should be doing more often. Bloomingdale's treated James Robinson like a rock star (as they should), with signage throughout the store and a solid effort to publicize the event. While there were many comics fans on hand, there were also non-comics fans drawn into the spectacle. If some of them were able to get a comic to take home, maybe they'll become a loyal reader. Who knows. If we don't try, then it will never happen, so I applaud Bloomingdale's and Isotope Comics for giving it a try.
In addition to spreading the word about comics, there were the DC Comics themed clothes, which I have to admit were pretty darn cool. T-Shirts adorned with art from the years of DC Comics, from the golden age all the way up to the modern age. My favorites were a red t-shirt with a print of the Flash and the classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow Neal Adams cover art. But there was seriously something for all DC Comics fans, ranging from Batman to Superman to the Justice League. The only downside was the pricetag. $62 dollars for a t-shirt? While cool, that's a bit pricey even for me. I'll hang back and wait for them to go on sale in a few months. But if you've got the dedication for fashion and wallet, then go get your DC Comics t-shirt today!
We had a blast at this event and even took some pics that you can see below (please excuse my shoddy photography skills):
Comments
Love the shirts.
If only Robinson offered Josh a drink....That interview would've went much smoother :)
Posted by TheNextChampion on 10/15/09 at 03:27 PM
Thanks for the great write-up and for attending that fun bash with us, Ron! James Robinson and I had such a blast, and the Bloomingdale's folks were blown away by all the sexy nerds and nerdettes who came out. Last night was a really great event, I will treasure the memories forever.
More pictures are here: http://bit.ly/UVTea
Posted by JamesSime on 10/15/09 at 03:37 PM
Wish I could have gone. Sadly I can't make it into the city during the week. :-(
Posted by drakedangerz on 10/15/09 at 03:50 PM
Good times with good friends! It was really weird to be in a setting like that, but it was great to see folks that might not be as "geeky" as a lot of us enjoying a comic party. $62 for a t-shirt is absolutly INSANE though.
Posted by CHUNK on 10/15/09 at 04:03 PM
The shirts are great, it's a shame those prices are disgusting. Bloomies can suck it.
Posted by AMuldowney on 10/15/09 at 05:53 PM
I was enjoying looking at the shirts and didn't notice the price. How bad could it...
62 FUCKING DOLLARS!!!??
Posted by TheNextChampion on 10/15/09 at 06:02 PM
That was so awesome and it was great seeing you there, Ron! (Also James Sime and CHUNK!)
Just like the roller derby girls did at the Isotope last month, it was like the Isotope took over the top floor of Bloomingdales for an evening and it rocked. It was fun showing the casual shoppers and store staff how we party, with cocktails and comics.
Oh yeah and while the t-shirts did look nice, the other thing I didn't like about them along with the price tag was the fact that they seemingly only went up to XL. So I guess they're not interested in selling any of them to a big fat broke XXXL-wearing comic book nerd like me. Oh well.
Posted by kenkneisel on 10/15/09 at 06:19 PM
It will be a cold day in hell when I buy a t-shirt for 39 or 62 dollars. crazy.
Posted by Bryce31 on 10/15/09 at 06:20 PM
Fun!
Posted by powerdad on 10/15/09 at 07:04 PM
I would totally spend $62 to buy that lady's cut DETECTIVE COMICS shirt fot a special lady.
Posted by conor on 10/16/09 at 01:18 AM
@conor: That sentence reads totally different when you look at it on the main page.
For a sec I was gonna respond: 'You put the wrong word in caps' :)
Posted by TheNextChampion on 10/16/09 at 01:26 AM
Those are some fucking awesome shirts! But seeing as my attempts to get Oliver Warbucks to adopt me have gone sour, i'll have to hope the price drops soon.
Posted by WinTheWonderboy on 10/16/09 at 03:29 AM
The Flash t-shirt is nice. But I think they need to fix the description:
"Short sleeve crewneck in a bold red. On the front is DC Comic's superhero, Flash Gordon."
Posted by Ghazzi on 10/15/09 at 02:55 PM