Sam Sierra is a long-time customer.

Besides reading comics, he used to make awesome fan art that we would sell in the shop.

Sam’s moved on from fan art now. His kids had this amazing idea about a comic and well…we’ll let Sam and his kids tell you all about how they got started and about the comic itself:

Come by on January 18 between 2pm and 5pm to meet Sam and his wonderfully talented family, grab a copy of Dynamite Monkey #1 and get it signed before they all go on to do BIG things. That way you can say you met them way back when!

And if it wasn’t clear before, this comic is perfect for ALL AGES and will make a great addition to any collection!

Jeff Ryan knows his pop culture icons.

You can tell by the sheer number of books he’s written about everything from Disney to Star Wars!

Now, this Bloomfield-local’s newest edition about Spider-Man, brings all the behind-the-scenes goodness from the lives of the Romitas - John Romita Sr. and Jr. for those who aren’t familiar. These are two of the most iconic Spider-Man artists Marvel ever turned out aside from Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby themselves!

About the author: Jeff Ryan is the author of Father and Son Issues: The Secret History of Spider-Man. It covers the lives of John Romita Sr. and John Romita Jr, and their six decades drawing Spidey behind the scenes for Marvel Comics. He's the previous author of books about Princess Leia, Mickey Mouse, and Super Mario, and he lives in Bloomfield with his family.

Jeff will be here on December 14 from 2pm-5pm and his books make the BEST GIFT for any of your family or friends that love video games, movies, animation or comics!

Come hang out for the holidays!

Welcome to our 2nd Annual Saturday Morning Cartoon Club Art Show!

We’re super excited to do this but not nearly as excited as the students!

From 10am-12pm noon, our regular Saturday Morning Cartoon Club students will be set up in our event space at the back of the shop, convention style, with their artwork out for display AND SALE!

It’s their chance to showcase their hard work for friends, family and customers for the holidays! Come support our budding local artists.

Please also bring CASH to make your purchases from the students directly. Students retain 100% of their sales.

John McGuire is no stranger to the horror / punk scene in NJ. So it’s no surprise that he, along with friends Geo Collazo, Brian Shutter, Lou Morgue and Sally Cantirino have put together this amazing new RPG and we’re the lucky ones who get to bring it to you for a FREE DEMO just in time for Halloween!

According to John - Zombie Braineaters! is designed to be picked up and played with minimal prep, and, in this zine, you’ll find everything you need to run a quick one-shot adventure for a gory good time!

About Zombie Braineaters (rated PG-13): "The Hunger" Body Spray was designed by Prometheus BioLabs, a bio-pharmaceutical company and manufacturer in New Jersey. The main selling point of this body spray was a proprietary recipe that included special pheromones to enhance your sexual appeal. It worked, albeit too well, and became nearly impossible to keep on the shelf, resulting in a nationwide shortage of the scent.

Prometheus BioLabs, in the name of profit, cut corners to rush out a batch to its top two markets, the Jersey Shore and New York City, in time for Memorial Day Weekend.

On the evening of May 27th, 1988, news outlets across the Tri-State Area reported a breaking story of violent incidents at two of the clubs - where Pro Bro, Prometheus' home beauty division, were hosting promotional events dubbed "Hunger Parties" where people began uncontrollably biting and clawing at each other's flesh, resulting in severe injuries to 138 of those partygoers, and multiple arrests.

The next morning's 6 A.M. news broadcast began with a shocking update to the story in which many of the injured succumbed to their wounds overnight and, in a horrific turn, reanimated and began attacking the local medical staff.

By mid-day on May 28th, the undead had overtaken a large swath of the Jersey Shore, several counties in northern NJ, and three of the five boroughs in NYC.

For the Tri-State area, the world's end came not from a bang but a series of bites.

That was day one.

Today is Day 92.

The basics of how to play: Zombie Braineaters! Suburban Decay In The U.S.A. is a survival horror gauntlet in which the expectation is that the character you start with may not be the character you end with. Once your character dies, you immediately roll for a new one, rejoin the group, and keep running until the end of the adventure.

All you’ll need to play Zombie Braineaters! is a writing implement, paper, and four of the seven standard polyhedral dice: d12, d10, d8, d6 if you are rolling in person or a dice roller if you are on Discord or Zoom.

So come by on October 26 between 2pm and 5pm and join us for a rousing rendition of Zombie Braineaters with host / creator John McGuire!

East Side Mags in association with Indie Arts Montclair and now Out Montclair are proud to bring back our annual ZOMBIE WALK 2024!

Due to overwhelming attendance last year, we’re bringing in some heavy hitter make up artists so we can make sure everyone is taken care of as efficiently as possible. Make-up will be $5 per person (all ages) and we’ve included some examples of the zombie make-up being provided by our professional make-up artists*:

*Please keep in mind final make-up may not look EXACTLY like the images. The images here are examples of what the final make-up could look like.

Below is where you can purchase your make-up session:

• Please schedule your make-up time based on the available time slots.

• Each reservation is for ONE appointment. If you are a “party of 3” you will have to make 3 separate appointments and purchase each appointment separately.

• Please keep in mind that we are starting the walk at 5:20pm so all appointments are timed accordingly.

• Please do your best to keep your appointment. We know things “pop up” and will do our best to accommodate everyone but we can’t guarantee make-up if you miss your appointment time.

• EVERYONE needs an appointment to get make-up - kids, adults, grandma, your auntie - everyone. If all spots fill up, we will do our best to see about expanding the offering, adding make-up artists, etc.

• Please be patient with us. While we’ve run this event since 2017, this is the first time using a scheduling system and we’re still trying to get the hang of it.

• Any questions, please contact jeff@eastsidemags.com as soon as possible

We’re stoked to welcome our make-up artists: Leo Valle, Aaliyah and more artists to be announced soon!

The actual walk will start at 5:20pm and we’ll creep, meander and claw our way around Montclair Center - horrifying businesses and patrons alike - in a zombie-like but non-aggressive manner.

We’re zombies but we’re also respectful of others so please don’t be a dick.

Our amazing friends at Indie Arts Montclair will have some super-scary merch available! All proceeds from merch sales go to support IAM. Details coming soon.

We’ve also got the return of MR HAUNT who will be judging a costume contest so if you’ve got your Halloween costume ready, come dressed to scare and we’ll “zombify” your costume and you could win some fabulous prizes!

More information and fun will be added as we get closer. Follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram for updates!

Stay tuned…

East Side Mags is stoked to announce that we’ll be hosting local comic creator Taku Ward and his newest comic creation - THE TALE OF THE ONE-INCH BOZO!

About the comic: "The Tale of One-Inch Bozo" is a 40-page, all-age adventure comic about a one-inch tall boy who gets lost in a forest filled with all sorts of dangerous animals and monsters. A retelling of the Japanese folktale, "The One-Inch Samurai," read to find out what it really takes to become a samurai as a one-inch boy in a big, big world.

About the creator: Taku Ward is a cartoonist born and raised in New Jersey. He attended and graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a Bachelor's Degree in Cartooning in 2020. His comics have been published in anthologies such as Level Ground Comics' "The Greatest Hits: A Comic Mixtape," Chidrawgo's "I Like Robots," and The Nib's "Cities" issue. During his free time, Taku likes to work on his comics, go on walks, and pet his cats.

This comic is perfect for all ages including kids so bring the family, your friends and yourself and come on down and check out this amazing comic by an equally amazing creator! And support local creators and comics!

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

And we’re pulling out all the stops this year with not one but TWO amazing local food vendors and TWO extremely talented local artists, ONE MASSIVE SALE, give-a-ways, your favorite cosplayers & characters and a few surprises!

With over 40 different titles from almost a dozen or more different publishers to choose from, the free comics are by far the most attractive part of the day. Come by early to grab some of your favorites or take the opportunity to try out a new title or publisher that you’ve been meaning to dive into! That’s what the day is REALLY about - trying new things and embracing what you love! Check out some of the awesome comics that will be available:

Next up - the SALE!

We’re offering - for ONE DAY ONLY - 20% OFF EVERYTHING in the store like:

• Graphic novels

• Toys

• Statues

• Novelty items

• Select wall books and minor keys

• Comic sets

• Funko POPs

• and more!

Items NOT included in the sale are the following items:

• New comics

• Dollar comics

• Supplies

• Cards

• Artwork by local artists

We are also offering ALL BIN BACK ISSUES at 50% OFF! If it’s in a bag & board and sits in our bins, it’s 50% off! It’s that simple!

Please note: anything on hold prior to FCBD, in pull boxes or previously reserved before May 6, 2023 are NOT eligible for FCBD discounts. Fully stamped reward cards also cannot be combined with FCBD discounts.

Hmm. What’s a good pairing with a really good read? Delicious food!

East Side Mags is proud to welcome back Notorious BBQ! Montclair’s #1 BBQ-maestro will be here with deliciousness like you’ve only seen on Food Network! David will be here starting at 12pm and will have the smokey goodness on hand until he sells out! If you’re not following Notorious BBQ on Instagram then you don’t know about the monthly pick ups - and you should! Make sure you follow and keep up with David and crew!

But what’s savory without sweet to follow! That’s where we’re proud to bring you: A Butter Life! Jenny is true perfection in her craft. This year’s theme is Cookies, Comics & the Force - Star Wars inspired cookies based on various Star Wars characters (4-5 kinds) and fan-favorite Batarang cookies! Each cookie will be individually wrapped or in a sampler box, available for purchase directly from Jenny herself! The sugary deliciousness will be here from 10am-2pm.

And what would Free Comic Book Day be without beautiful art from local artists? Local legends and up-and-coming artists Paul Belliveau (10am-2pm) and Ava Schrager (3pm-7pm) are going to be here sketching for customers on blank cover comics and more! Got a favorite character? Or maybe an idea of a mash-up like Winnie the Pooh crossed over with Spawn? Or a motorcycle-riding Ariel the Little Mermaid? Or how about a group of 6 or 7 chipmunks all fighting it out with lightsabers? Just talk to Ava and Paul! They’ll make it work and, most importantly, they’ll make it look SPECTACULAR on a blank cover comic!

And stick around because we’ve got give-a-ways for kids like stickers, lollipops and more. We’ll have exclusive FCBD stuff like Funko POP Vinyl X-Men #1 Comic Covers featuring Gambit, Spider-Man 2099 tin lunchboxes, Deadpool fleece blankets, Doop and Sentinel plushes and the highly-coveted Invincible Omni-Man vs Invincible Funko POP Moment figure. We’ll also have dozens of cosplayers throughout the day and you can see the likes of who have shown up in the past! This year is expected to be no different and you’ll never know (or guess) who’ll pop their heads in!

The fun starts at 9am and goes until 7pm so come hang out with us and let’s party like it’s 2024!

If you know East Side Mags then you know we love to read and, besides a comic shop, the best place to find something cool to read is a library!

Our fantastic friends at Montclair Public Library (MPL) is partnering with us for Library Night on February 17!

All day - come by East Side Mags and show us your MPL Library Card and get 15% off all your purchases!*

*Discount restrictions may apply - check with our staff for details.

You can reach out to us with any questions or you can check out montclairlibrary.org/read/ for details on our and other great events with MPL!

Welcome to our 1st Annual Saturday Morning Cartoon Club Art Show!

We’re super excited to do this but not nearly as excited as the students!

From 10am-12pm noon, our regular Saturday Morning Cartoon Club students will be set up in our event space at the back of the shop, convention style, with their artwork out for display AND SALE!

It’s their first time EVER being able to showcase their hard work for friends, family and customers.

Show your support by coming out to see what these amazing artists aged 10-17 have been working on and please consider purchasing something directly from them! If you do decide to make a purchase, please make sure you bring cash as they’re kids and they don’t have Venmo or PayPal. :)

Thank you in advance for supporting young artists!

A long time ago, in a comic shop just across the street, we hosted Mario Candelaria for a signing about a book he wrote called ASHES with our friend Karl Slominski. Mario was such a super cool guy and we had so much in common that we became fast friends!

Fast forward to 2020. The world is shut down and Mario reached out to us to see if we were ok and if we needed anything. Just that one touch - it meant the world to us in a time where we felt no one could hear us.

Now - the world has been re-opened and Mario is pumping out great idea after great idea! We’re super happy to have him here (just in time for the holidays) with 2 of his most recent works: Killchella and Tales from the Pandemic!

About Killchella: A group of friends attending a music festival in the desert face a bloody night of terror when an enigmatic pop star named Topanga Cornell recruits her most fanatical devotees to assist in a mass sacrifice ritual at her big return concert.The quest for good vibes quickly becomes a fight for survival as the crew tries to escape Topanga and her gang of blade-wielding obsessive fans she lovingly refers to as her "fawns" who will do anything #ForHerLove.

About Tales from the Pandemic: Band of Bards proudly presents Tales from the Pandemic, a retro pulp-styled collection of chaotic Twilight Zone-inspired short stories written and curated by Mario Candelaria, the twisted mind behind Killchella. Each story offers a skewed look at the lives of regular folks trying to make sense of peculiar encounters in a world that's caught in the throes of a pandemic.

Come meet Mario on November 25th from 2pm-5pm and get copies of these awesome all-in-one trade paperbacks, signed and ready for reading (or gifting)!

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

And we’re pulling out all the stops this year with not one but TWO amazing local food vendors and an extremely talented local artist, a MASSIVE sale, give-a-ways, your favorite cosplayers & characters and a few surprises!

With over 40 different titles from almost a dozen or more different publishers to choose from, the free comics are by far the most attractive part of the day. Come by early to grab some of your favorites or take the opportunity to try out a new title or publisher that you’ve been meaning to dive into! That’s what the day is REALLY about - trying new things and embracing what you love! Check out some of these awesome comics that will be available:

Next up - the SALE!

We’re offering - for ONE DAY ONLY - 20% OFF EVERYTHING in the store like:

• Graphic novels

• Toys

• Statues

• Novelty items

• Select wall books and minor keys

• Comic sets

• Funko POPs

• and more!

Items NOT included in the sale are the following items:

• New comics

• Dollar comics

• Supplies

• Cards

• Artwork by local artists

We are also offering ALL BIN BACK ISSUES at 50% OFF! If it’s in a bag & board and sits in our bins, it’s 50% off! It’s that simple!

Please note: anything on hold prior to FCBD, in pull boxes or previously reserved before May 6, 2023 are NOT eligible for FCBD discounts. Fully stamped reward cards also cannot be combined with FCBD discounts.

Hmm. What’s a good pairing with a really good read? Delicious food!

East Side Mags is proud to welcome back The Beastro! After all the wild, rave reviews from last year, we wanted you to know we HEAR YOU! We SEE YOU! And you’re right - The Beastro is the best private chef/caterer this side of the Hudson and he’s back with delicious East Side Tacos from the other side of Cinco de Mayo! Come by and try out his delectable shells filled with a variety of savory goodness!

But what’s savory without sweet to follow! That’s where we’re proud to bring you: A Butter Life! Jenny is true perfection in her craft. Cookies, scones, rice crispies treats and more - Jenny is bringing out all the stops to show you what a sweet-tooth really needs.

And what would Free Comic Book Day be without beautiful art! And geez - do we have something special for all of you! Local legend and up-and-coming artist Paul Belliveau is going to be here sketching for customers on blank cover comics and more! Got a favorite character? Or maybe an idea of a mash-up like Winnie the Pooh crossed over with Spawn? Or a motorcycle-riding Ariel the Little Mermaid? Or how about a group of 6 or 7 chipmunks all fighting it out with lightsabers? Just talk to Paul! He’ll make it work and, most importantly, he’ll make it look SPECTACULAR on paper!

And stick around because we’ve got give-a-ways for kids like stickers, lollipops and more. We’ll have exclusive FCBD stuff like the sought-after Etrigan FCBD Exclusive POP Vinyl (regular or blacklight chase; limited quantities; while supplies last). Spider-Man himself will be here and he’ll be bringing some of his web-tastic comic book friends with him throughout the day (who knows who you’ll see? pics from previous years below) and we’ve got some surprises too!

The fun starts at 9am and goes until 7pm so come hang out with us and let’s party like it’s 2023!

Everything is better with friends. That’s a universal absolute.

And there’s nothing like making new friends. Like Jon Ellis. Jon wrote a comic book mini series called Fraternity and apparently he’s friends with a lot of our friends so we’re hosting a signing called Jon Ellis & Friends! Cuz we’re all friends. And friends are the BEST!

About Fraternity:

Wyatt's roommate has been acting strange ever since he joined that frat...
After suffering a tragic loss, Wyatt can't wait for a fresh start away at college. Too bad freshman year isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when you're a grieving introvert. If it weren't for his best friend, Jake, Wyatt would never leave his room. But when Jake joins a mysterious fraternity, Wyatt unearths something sinister. Now Wyatt must fight to save his friend or risk losing him to Amaymon, King of the Southern Gate!

Joining Jon for this all-star event is Scott Bryan Wilson - writer extraordinaire behind a variety of comics like Pennyworth from DC Comics and Savage Tales from Dynamite but most notably his recent series with rockstar artist Liana Kangas called Trve Kvlt.

About Trve Kvlt:

Marty Tarantella has been flipping burgers for 15 years. He has no kids, no hobbies, no love interests, and, essentially, no life. But what he does have is a plan to change everything. Years of watching the daily rhythms of the neighboring stores has given Marty the idea for a perfect heist, but when he accidentally steals a supernatural weapon from a cult full of violent lunatics, the resulting Satanic panic will be way above his minimum-wage pay grade. Nothing can prepare you for the coming of Trve Kvlt, a deliciously horrifying and hilarious new series!

Then we’ve got local legend Rich Douek joining the fray. Rich has left his mark with books like Road of Bones, Sea of Sorrows, DC’s Superman Red & Blue, TMNT Universe, Magic the Gathering comics and so many more! Now, he’s recently released Breath of Shadows from IDW.

About Breath of Shadows:

It's the mid-1960s, and Jimmy Meadows should be on top of the world. His band's most recent album just went gold, and they're riding a wave to international fame. But Jimmy is driven by only one thing: where to get his next fix. With his band at the end of their ropes and his life falling apart, Jimmy thinks he may be finished, until a friend tells him about a controversial method deep in the jungles of South America that can help him kick his addiction for good. But is clean living actually in Jimmy's future, or will he instead unleash horrors beyond his wildest nightmares? A new expedition into the heart of horror from Rich Douek and Alex Cormack, the team behind Road of Bones and Sea of Sorrows!

And finally, rounding out this amazing quartet of comic writers is Chris Condon with his now-legendary series from Image Comics called That Texas Blood featuring Jacob Phillips (son of Sean Phillips of Brubaker/Phillips fame) with 3 full volumes out so far with more to come.

About That Texas Blood:

Sheriff Joe Bob Coates questions his effectiveness as the aging lawman of Ambrose County, Texas as chaos descends following an explosive highway confrontation and the mysterious death of local rogue Travis Terrill. Michael Lark (LAZARUS, Daredevil) calls the series "The best damn comic I've read in years."

Don’t miss this one. We’ll have 4 amazing writers in house with over a half dozen different titles that are sure to entertain, keeping with East Side Mags’ promise of “something for everyone”!

Come hang out!

East Side Mags is bringing the holiday gift to YOU - our friends and loyal customers.

Just in time for back-end of Chanukah, a few days before X-Mas and about a week and a half until we ring in 2023 - we are PROUD to announce that 2 of the industry’s most excellent creators will be seated in this hallowed hall to sign copies of their equally excellent graphic novel - OUTRAGE!

Of course, we’re talking about long-time friend Reilly Brown and his cohort / partner / co-creator and Deadpool co-creator FABIAN NICIEZA!

About Outrage:

How many times have you wanted to reach through the Internet and strangle someone? Or, at the least, give `em a swift kick in the nuts? Yeah, everyone feels the same way. But... what if you could? Anonymously. Quickly. Violently. Would you...? Outrage is the story of a mysterious individual who can navigate the Internet and physically manifest at the source of the vile bile that spews throughout social media. Along with an array of weaponry limited only by his imagination, Outrage can exact swift, merciless justice on anyone who triggers, humiliates, mortifies, stalks, hawks, balks or otherwise abuses someone on the Internet. And also, anyone who doesn't know the difference between their, there and they're.

Come by on December 21st for the coolest holiday gift that will surely WOW the whole family - a SIGNED copy of Outrage by Reilly and Fabian! They’ll be here from 4pm-7pm signing copies and chatting with customers!

We can’t wait for the holidays to kick off! This one’s gonna be an OUTRAGE!

UPDATE (3/19/20): In light of recent events regarding COVID-19, Free Comic Book Day is being postponed to a date TBD later in the Summer. Please stay tuned for more information. As always, feel free to reach out to us directly via the Contact Page, phone, email, Facebook, etc. We thank you for your understanding and still look forward to an awesome FCBD in 2020!

It’s the most. wonderful. time. of the YEAR!!!

It’s Free Comic Book Day at East Side Mags! And we’ve got a TON of great stuff going on so won’t you join us?

First and foremost, we’ve got FREE COMICS! Check out some of the awesome titles available:

Next, we’ve got a MASSIVE SALE going on:

• 50% off ALL BIN BACK ISSUES

• 20% off just about everything in the store including (but not limited to)

  • Funko POPs

  • Action figures

  • Statues

  • Select Wall Books

  • Novelty items

  • Toys

  • Trade Paperbacks and Hardcovers

  • T-Shirts and Hoodies

  • DVDs

  • and MORE!!!

Don’t forget we have silver age to modern age comics for ONE DOLLAR and new/modern comics for TWO DOLLARS!

We’ve got Keiki Explorers Summer Camp here with information about their amazing summer program (with a few surprises!).

We’re also rolling out the return of our new and improved COMMUNITY ART PROJECT!
We’ll have a GIANT 6’ x 8’ canvas with plenty of brushes and paint for everyone who comes by to use! The giant canvas will be made up of smaller canvases ranging from 6” x 12” up to 24” x 30” to create one large canvas! Once the canvas is finished, we’ll be breaking it apart and raffling off the pieces with 100% of the proceeds going to support Allwood Play & Learn in Clifton, NJ!

We are also donating 10% of our total days’ proceeds to Allwood Play & Learn!

Finally, we’ve got our famous ESM DOLLAR RAFFLES with awesome prizes to be announced on our Facebook page and Instagram as we get closer to the event!

Don’t miss this amazing day full of art, fun, comics and community!

And now a message from the honorable JP - KING of the NJ Comic Shows:

Join us on Sunday, December 8th for our Clifton Show! America's favorite and longest running monthly comic book show!

The show runs from 10-4 at The Clifton Community Recreation Center, 1232 Main Ave, Clifton, NJ 07011.

Admission is FREE as always during our regular show hours of 10-4!

But... more and more collectors want first pick.... So... from 8:30 to 10:00 there will be a $5 early bird admission charge. Early birds must use only the front entrance to the building. For security reasons, only vendors loading in can use the back entrance prior to 10.

Our dealers' room is SOLD OUT again!... all of your regular friends will be here as well as some new faces. Once again we will have everything from CGC investment grade keys to 25 cent readers... supplies and some action figures as well.Our notorious no minimum bid auction is NOW AT 1:30!

Be sure to check out our website: http://www.njcomicbookshows.com/

Like us on Facebook at NJ Comic Book Shows

Upcoming shows:

Old Bridge 12/1

Wayne 12/29

Clifton 1/12


See ya There!

JP

Mark your calendars! December 7th, 10am-3pm Brookdale is hosting its annual Holiday Marketplace with amazing vendors from the area.

Buy unique, hand made gifts this season for family and friends!

Some of our vendors include East Side Mags, The General Store, Pretty Handy, Mellowworks, Hipster & Co, Bowered and Bare and so many more.

Spread the word and bring friends and family.