POP!: THE COMIC CULTURE CLUB is an open,
friendly environment where Cleveland-area comic book fans, retailers, and
professionals can gather to discuss all aspects of the industry -- including
comics, movies, TV shows, toys, games, and more! If pop culture is your
passion, POP! is the place to share the love!
CLEVELAND COMIC FANS -- PREPARE TO POP!
POP!: THE COMIC CULTURE CLUB is an open, friendly environment
where Cleveland-area comic book fans, retailers, and professionals
can gather to discuss all aspects of the industry -- including
comics, movies, TV shows, toys, games, and more!
If pop culture is your passion, POP! is the place to share
the love!
THE MEETINGS
POP! will meet twice a month,
on alternating Monday nights, at the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s
Parma Heights Branch (located at 6206 Pearl Road, Parma Heights,
OH, 44130).
POP! sessions are free of charge and open to everyone!
Official meeting dates and times will be updated regularly on our Facebook Group
and Twitter account.
WHAT TO BRING
At POP!, our favorite heroes are YOU! It’s the fans that keep the POP! machine running, so just bring yourself and your unbridled love of all-things-comic! Of course, your friends and fellow fans are always welcome as well. Also, if you want to bring along cool comics, toys, and other related items to share with the group, we’d be thrilled!
THE FORMAT
Each bi-monthly POP! session will be moderated by POP!’s Founders and will follow the same basic format:
1. MAIN TOPIC: Each session will have a specific focus of discussion, announced in advance. The Main Topic will be a broad subject that will serve as a starting point for conversation and encourage member participation, but it will only be used as a basic guideline. Deviation from the Main Topic is acceptable and completely welcome!
2. RECOMMENDED READING: At the end of each session, members
will be notified of a comic book -- either new or classic -- that
will be discussed in-depth at the next meeting. This book will tie
into the Main Topic and will reinforce the overall theme of the
session. Though members are not required to participate in the Recommended
Reading program, doing so will enhance their group experience.
3. MEANWHILE...: An open forum for group members to talk about current events in their favorite titles, recommend books to other readers, debate new developments in the industry, geek out over highly anticipated movies and TV shows, trade juicy industry gossip, and much more! If it’s happening in the pop culture world now, this is the time to discuss it!
4. SHOP TALK: Shifting gears from the creative end of the
comic world, this segment explores the retail side of the industry.
Visiting the comic book shop is a vital part of the fan experience
every week, and Shop Talk gives group members the chance to tell
stories about their experiences buying comics at their favorite
-- or least favorite -- local stores.
5. NEXT ISSUE...: Each session ends with a brief preview of next Wednesday’s most exciting new releases and upcoming industry events. We will also announce the Main Topic and Recommended Reading picks for the following session.
In addition to the Founders, the POP! panel will occasionally include special guests from various corners of the comic industry – from writers and artists to retailers and educators. This will give local fans a chance to discuss the medium with comics professionals on a highly personal level.
POP! STARS
Each person who attends a session of POP!: THE COMIC CULTURE CLUB will be eligible to join our POP! STARS program by signing up on our mailing list.
A POP! STAR membership card will be issued to the group member at the next session they attend. A member’s POP! STAR card will then be punched at each subsequent meeting they attend. After attending 6 meetings, that member will be upgraded to POP! STAR V.I.P. status and will receive a new permanent membership card.
POP! STAR V.I.P. cards will be used to obtain very special promotions (to be announced later), so being a loyal member of the group will definitely pay off down the road!
THE FOUNDERS
POP! is the brainchild of local comic shop icon Jason Fitch and award-nominated comic book writer Marc Sumerak.
Jae Fitch made a name for himself in the Cleveland comic book community
during his decade-long run as manager of York Comics and Cards.
Respected by his customers for his in-depth knowledge of the industry,
it was Fitch’s knowledge of the customers themselves that truly
endeared him to so many and kept them coming back every Wednesday.
Fitch helped make sure the weekly trip to the comic shop was about
more than just new books; it also included long conversations, personalized
recommendations, and healthy debate -- all free of charge! Following
his departure from York, Fitch sought for a way to recapture his
long-standing connection with his customers outside of the shop
environment. Luckily, one of his former customers had the same idea
in mind…
A Cleveland native, Marc Sumerak returned to his hometown after four years on the Marvel Comics Editorial Staff. Since then, he has written over a hundred books for Marvel, including memorable runs on POWER PACK, MARVEL ADVENTURES: SPIDER-MAN, FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SON OF A GENIUS, and many more! An Eisner and Harvey Award nominee, Sumerak continues to write and edit for Marvel, and is also working on his first creator-owned graphic novel (to be released in 2011). A proud advocate of the medium, Sumerak has regularly lectured about making comics at public schools, libraries, and colleges, but is always actively looking for other avenues to reach out to the local fan community. A partnership with his favorite comic retailer (and longtime friend) seemed the perfect opportunity to do just that!
CONTACT US
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Just send us an e-mail at popcomicclub@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Also, for regular updates and special announcements, be sure to join our Facebook Group
and follow us on Twitter!
Thanks for your support! We hope to see you soon at POP!: THE COMIC CULTURE CLUB!
AVENGERS, FANTASTIC FOUR, FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SON OF A GENIUS, GUARDIANS,
HULK, IRON MAN, MACHINE TEEN, MARVEL ADVENTURES, MARVEL AGE, MINI-MARVELS,
MY KINDA PLACE, ORORO: BEFORE THE STORM, POWER PACK, SENTINEL, SPIDER-MAN,
WEAPON X, WOLVERINE, X-MEN and all related characters and likenesses are
TM & copyright 2011 Marvel Characers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
DAFFODIL, HUSK, SPIN ANGELS and all related characters and likenesses
are TM & copyright 2011 Soleil. All Rights Reserved.
TEEN TITANS and all related characters and likenesses are TM & copyright
2011 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.
ALL-GHOULS SCHOOL and all related characters and likenesses
are TM & copyright 2011 Marc Sumerak, Hi-Fi & IDW Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
ABANDONED WAREHOUSE PRESS and all related characters and likenesses
are TM & copyright 1995-2011
Marc Sumerak and Jerry Negrelli. All Rights Reserved.
All other characters and concepts TM & copyright 2003-2010 Marc Sumerak.
All Rights Reserved.
