I can’t tell you how busy we have all been the last couple of weeks.  My dad is finally out of the hospital and starting to do better.  He is able to come up to the store more and more which helps all of us.  Mom has been run ragged trying to take care of Dad and my Grandfather on top of taking care of the store’s books.  As far as myself, well, everyone knows I come in late and go home early because I have nothing to do, right?  My mom would tell you that I have been busy buying these last couple of months and, in part, she would be right.  We have bought several toy and comic collections and we have been frantically trying to get everything priced and out for sale.  Probably the nicest collection we bought was a toy collection from the Plano area that we went and picked up about six weeks ago.  In it were several nice boxed pieces from the GI Joe, Star Wars, Star Trek, Transformers and MASK toy lines.  Some of the Star Wars pieces included a NICE Millennium Falcon in its original box, a B-Wing in its original box, a Battle Damaged X-Wing in its original box and a HARD to find Remote Controlled Sandcrawler in its original box.

From the GI Joe toy line we got 12 different boxed vehicles.

We got 20 boxed Transformers including Rodimus Prime, Optimus Prime, Thrust, Grimlock, Ram Jet and a GREAT looking Jetfire.

Finally, we got over 20 boxed pieces including some Star Trek, MASK and Batman.

We also had a gentleman come in and trade us some of the best looking 12 inch vintage GI Joes from the 1960’s that we have ever owned.  We got in 8 of the 12 inch figures including the Action Soldier, Deep Sea Diver, MP Soldier, Green Beret Soldier and several more action figures.  We also got two of the GI Combat Jeep sets as well as a number of accessory sets. 

On top of all of this, last week we bought some vintage toys from the 1950’s and 1960’s including a Hot Wheels track, several Disney items and a walking robot called The Great Garloo!!  It will take us a week or so to clean up this new batch of toys and get them ready to sell but they will be a great addition to the store.  As you can see, we have been busy but that is not a bad thing!!  Keep an eye on our ebay store under the name of Duncanville Bookstore (AndyMac2570) because alot of these items will be featured on there!!

I know I just posted a piece last night but I just had to post another today.  We bought something today that is pretty rare and I just love getting comic books and toys that I have never owned before.  We had a gentleman come in with three of the hardest to find Four Color Donald Duck issues there are.  It makes me proud to have the following issues now in stock:

 Four Color #9  Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold

Four Color #29 Donald Duck and the Mummy’s Ring

Four Color #108 Donald Duck in The Terror of the River

All three issues are extremely difficult to find.  The Four Color #9 is in Good-/Good condition with the bottom staple detached but all the pages are complete.  The Four Color #29 is in Fair Condition but is missing two page wraps and it has two page wraps loose but complete.  The Four Color #108 is in the best condition at a Very Good.  The cover is nice and tight and all the pages are complete.  All three issues have art by the legendary Disney artist Carl Barks.  The Four Color #9 was released in 1942, the Four Color #28 was released in 1943 and the Four Color #108 was released in 1946.  This adds to their rarity because any comic book released in and/or before the wartime years is scarce because of the paper drives that were common place.  I know that many of you could care less about Donald Duck or “Funny Animal” comics, preferring the superhero comics but these are truly rare examples of what comic books were back in a simpler time and should be appreciated more.  “Funny Animal” books are a hard sell in today’s comic book world but I promise you these will not last long.  I have had three dealers already tell me that they should be gone by MegaCon in Florida, if not before.  Matter of fact, we have a respected comic book dealer coming in this weekend that has asked us to hold them for him to look at, so these gems may already be gone but you can bet that there will be a nice stack of Silver Age or Bronze Age keys to take their place.  Either way, we come out a winner.  Enjoy and I will talk to you soon!

Andy McMahon

Duncanville Bookstore - owner

972-298-7546 

Here it is two weeks into 2008 and I am just now getting a chance to write this post.  You have to forgive me for being a little late but a lot of things have happened this last week.  As many of you may know, my Father has had a tough time with complications from his knee surgery he had the first week of December but he is fighting through it.  Then, my mother was attacked by our warehouse cat for no good reason.  14 staples and a whole lot of bruises later, she is getting better but is still moving slow.  Needless to say, we no longer have a warehouse cat.  Throw in a busy Christmas season, a great Wizard World Texas show and a good San Antonio show and that makes for a hectic last couple of months.  The good news is business is still going very well at the store.  We had a GREAT November and December with a lot of new faces coming through the door.  We added 20 or more people to our free subscription service we provide.  For those who do not know, let me explain some aspects of the subscription service:

We provide our customers a free comic book subscription service.  You can sign up through the store by filling out a form at the check out counter, which lets us know which specific issues we can reserve for you on a monthly basis.  For example, if you collect Uncanny X-Men, you check the box on the form and we pull you that issue and place it in your file every time that comic comes out.  You can also access the pull list through our website.  When you come to the Duncanville Bookstore home page, look at the right side and you see a link called Weekly Pull List.  Click on that link and it will take you to a page that will list EVERYTHING that will be coming into the store on the following Wednesday (or if there was a holiday, the day new comics will arrive).  You can just go down the list and click on the box next to the item you want and, at the end of the list, give us your name and contact information and click submit and we will get an e-mail will your reserve list.  It really is a simple process.  We will have the Weekly Pull List page updated by Friday afternoon of each week and you can click and submit after that.  The advantages of using our subscription service is that you are GUARANTEED to get the issues you want because we do our pulls before we ever put the new comics on sale to the general public.  If you have been in the store in the last couple of months, you may have noticed that we are selling out of titles pretty quick in some cases.  Also, probably the best reason for signing up for the subscription service is that you get an automatic 15% discount on any and all items in our store, anytime you come in or when you order from us.  Finally, if you live out of the area, we ship comics and collectibles worldwide, so feel free to call us up and set up an account and you can get your items in a timely manner and get them well protected.

We have also been making a big push on ebay the last couple of months, which has helped the bottom line quite nicely.  As any one that knows me, I did not get into this business to be an on-line dealer or an ebay dealer but the industry has changed.  I prefer to look our customers in the eye and make sure they are happy with their purchases.  I also like to get to know the people we deal with on a regular basis.  The internet is very impersonal in that regard but we reach a potential customer base that is simply incredible.  I never thought I would be shipping comics to places like Japan, China or Australia but sure enough we are.  I will be using this forum to update you on the ebay auctions we are putting on.  This week, I have put on over 50 auctions in our ebay store (id: DuncanvilleBookstore) with another 100 planned for the next couple of day.  Renee Burris has listed 35 live auctions (id: AndyMac2570) with another 50 or more scheduled for the next three to four days.  She has been listing everything from older TV Guides to Star Wars action figures and I have been concentrating on comic book sets and key issues.  As you may know, if you win anything on ebay, you can pick your items up at the store, free of charge.

We just got back from a show in San Antonio last weekend.  Chris Fulton, David Cavin and I had a great time, like always in San Antonio.  This was David’s first out of town show and I think he now knows why Chris and I always so tired after that trip.  We drive five hours, we set up our location, which takes about 7 hours, we sleep for about 6 hours, we get up and finish setting up, we do the show for about 8 hours, we tear everything down, which takes 3 hours or more, then we drive home for five hours.  We usually get back into town around 2:00 am but we have a blast.  Chris has done shows with me for over three years and he has been the glue that has held things together out on the road.  He is our convention specialist and he has really come into his own.  If he leaves us and opens his own business, I will kill him though.  Just kidding Chris.  I know he is here for life.  He is part of the family now.

 One of the reasons business has really started to take off around here is we have expanded our advertising over the last six months.  We have an ad in the Wizard Magazine under places to go.  We will be in the next four issues for sure and hopefully have an ad through the next year.  We have upgraded our ad in the up coming Overstreet Guide.  We have a business card sized ad as well as a location listing coming up.  I just placed an ad in the Comics Buyer Guide for the next twelve issues in their Comic Shop Locator section.  We have placed ads in the Dallas Morning News and have plans on doing so on a monthly basis for the next several months.  We are getting our name out there which helps keep the doors open and the collections coming in.

The last point I want to make before signing off is that our inventory is growing at an amazing rate.  We have been able to pick up alot of good items over the last several months.  We finally have our overstock inventory in order and we now have a system in place to make sure the boxes stay filled with the back issues you are looking for.  We have turned alot of that over to Mel Johnson and he really has done a great job.  The problem is we have so much stuff coming in that I am afraid Mel, Chris and I will never get caught up but I guess that is a good problem to have.  If you have comics or toys you no longer want, remember, we do give store credit for items or we will pay cash.  Also, we will pay a finders fee if you let us know about a collection that is out there.  Call me and I will give you the details.

Well, it is time for me to get out of here.  I plan on doing this on a regular basis.  If you watch the website in the next couple of weeks, you send more and more for selling.  The shopping cart is working and we are getting things ready to go, so watch out.  Next time I will touch on some of the great items we have gotten and let you know what our convention schedule will be for the year.  I hope everything is going well with you and yours and please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

 Andy McMahon

Duncanville Bookstore - owner

972-298-7546    

I am sitting here on Tuesday August the 7th trying to finish up all the last minute details here at the store before I jump on a plane and fly to Chicago.  We are doing Wizard World Chicago this year and it has been a chore to get ready for, believe me.  We have had several little set-backs happen this last couple of weeks but amazingly we got everything ready and loaded and we are ready to sell our butts off in Chicago.  My father is already in Chicago with the truck loaded with our stuff.  He and Adrian left on Sunday so they could take their time and show Adrian a little bit of the country he has never seen before.  This is his first trip out of state so I hope he has a good time.  Mel and I will be flying out late tonight so we can be there for setup on Wednesday.  Normally, it would be Chris flying out with me but his full time job said he had to work so Mel was able to fill in for this trip.  Chris will certainly be missed but Mel is excited to be going and should do fine.  Speaking of Mel, he took his first trip out of town with us to San Antonio a couple of weekends ago and found out first hand how much work Chris and I do on these trips.  I think it surprised him a little but he did well and I think he had fun.  We will see what he thinks about Chicago after we get done.  He might not want to go back out on the road again!  San Antonio is such a neat little trip.  The show generally attracts about 1000 people per show and they are so friendly.  They really make us feel at home when we go down there.  We have also made alot of friends down there with other dealers.   John and Aida with Cool Hot Collectibles have become dear friends of ours.  They are special people who have alot of fun doing the shows.  It is always a pleasure to see them.  We have been trying to talk them into coming up to Dallas to do a show.  I think they would enjoy themselves.  We also enjoy seeing Gary from Toy Matrix.  He gets some of the coolest vintage toys.  He is a nice guy and he is always up here at the Plano and Richardson shows so if you get a chance, stop by his booth and say hi.  I promise you will not be disappointed.  Finally, the dealer that has become such a great friend of all of ours lives close to San Antonio.  Scott Robson of Forgotten Treasures has really taken us under his wing and helped me so much over the last several years.  I can’t thank him enough for all the things he has done.  When you see him at the shows, take a close look at what he has.  He always comes up with some of the coolest comics and toys in the room.  Here are some pictures of our setup we had in San Antonio:

Well, that will do it for today.  Mel and I are off to Chicago to meet Dad and Adrian.  My Mom will manage the store and Chris will be here on Saturday.  Everyone wish us luck and I will talk to you soon.  Please remember, if there is anything we can help you with, just give us a call or shoot us an e-mail.

Andy McMahon

Duncanville Bookstore - owner

972-298-7546

Last weekend, Duncanville Bookstore had a GREAT show at the Dallas Comic-Con that was held at the Richardson Civic Center.  We met alot of great people and moved ALOT of comics and toys.  We always have such a great time at the shows because we see people that do not come into the store and/or we interact with on-line.  Also, we get to see our friends who are dealers from all over the country.  Scott Smithhart from Beaumont, Scott Robson from New Braunfels and Boyd Rowden from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area are some of the finest comic book and toy dealers in the country and we are happy to count them as friends.  We also get to pick up alot of great items through trades and buying and this time was no exception.  We picked up several of the latest variant covers that we had sold out of recently as well as several older issues.  We also picked up a great collection of older Heavy Metal magazines from our friend Donald, including the number 1 issue.  But the item that I am the most proud of is a copy of Batman #23!  This has a GREAT early Joker cover and it is the earliest Batman comic book I have ever owned.  Call me a fanboy but that is just too cool!  It graded out out a Good/Good+ and it will be at the store for sale but I doubt it will last too long.  Finally, I want to take a minute to thank some people who, without their help, we would not be where we are today.  Thanks to Bill and David for helping load and unload all the great product and cage we take to the show.  You guys were a lifesaver.  Second, a big thank you to Mel Johnson.  This was his first full show and he did GREAT!  He has been a long time customer who has recently joined the team in helping prep for the shows and put items on ebay.  He is doing great and will be an asset to the store for a long time to come.  Next, we need to say thank you to the guy who has allowed us to grow into what we are today and will help us grow into something much, much bigger, Chris Fulton.  He is the glue that holds this operation together.  Alot of the cage configuration is his idea and, I must admit, we do look impressive in any given room we are in and the credit goes to him.  Thank you my brother!  Finally, I personally want to thank my mom and dad.  They are co-owners of Duncanville Bookstore and without them, none of this would be possible.  I owe them big.  Thanks to everyone who we see at the shows and we see in the store and we will talk to you soon!  Below are some pictures of our set-up and the crew.  Take a look and if there is anything we can help you with, please let us know!

 Andy McMahon

Duncanville Bookstore - owner

972-298-7546

Left to Right: Melvin from the Bronx, David the Kid, Andy the Boss, Chris “The Worm” and Harold “Daddy Mac”

This is the first entry on our website so please bear with me.  I will be using this forum to let you know what is new at Duncanville Bookstore, where we have been, where we are going and much, much more.  I will try to keep the entries coming on a regular basis so please check back often! 

Today’s entry deals with a fabulous collection of Flash comic books we just recently aquired.  We were lucky enough to purchase this collection from our good friend John Higgins.  He is a long time collector who has decided to let some of his collection go to make room for newer issues.  We have bought many great runs of comics from him over the last several months and this run of Flash comics are more of the same.  The collection starts at issue #118 and goes through issue #350 which is the last issue of Volume 1.  It includes many of the keys including:

Issue #123 - Golden Age Flash in the Silver Age & First Earth II

Issue #130 - First Gauntlet of Super-Villians (Rogues Gallery) 

Issue #135 - First Yellow Costume for Kid Flash

Issue #139 - First Professor Zoom

Issue #165 - Barry Allen Weds Iris West

Issue #175 - Second Superman/Flash Race

Issue #179 - First Earth-Prime

and many, many more!  Everything has been bagged, boarded and priced and is now available at the store.  If you are an internet customer and there is a particular issue you are looking for, just send us an e-mail and we will get back to you promptly.  Here are some pictures of some of the key issues:

Before I go, I would like to take a minute and thank the people who have sold us their collections over the years.  Without you, the comic dealers of the world would have little to sell.  I am talking about people who love comics but due to circumstances out of their control, they have to give up their comics and/or toys, even if it is only temporary.  We thank them for choosing us and we promise to find your items a good home.

I hope you enjoy reading about the comings and goings of our little shop here in Texas and I hope you check back in from time to time and watch us grow.  If there is anything we can ever do to help you find an item you are looking for, just send us an e-mail or give us a call.  We will talk to you soon and good luck collecting!

 Andy McMahon, Duncanville Bookstore, 972-298-7546, AndyMac2570@aol.com

We are currently developing our site to better keep you informed on upcoming events at our store, the latest trends and fantastic sales. It’s news worthy of the Daily Planet!