You can't take the memories from me.

I've been slow to post the past few weeks because the past few weeks have had some memories attached to them.

Thanks to Facebook's Memories feed, I've been reminded about a lot of things that have happened over the last few years some good and some not-so-good. It kind of puts me in a low place, so I tend to not get out and do a lot or get on the computer very much. 

July 2nd, 2010 was the day that they found the tumor in my wife's brain. It was exactly six months from birth of my daughter and totally out of the blue. From that point on our lives were turned upside down. Though we were never told to start planning for a funeral, we knew that it would happen somewhere down the line. It's hard to live for the moment when you don't know when time is up, but in retrospect, we do it every day already. We were just on a little faster schedule.

July 3rd, 2018 was the day my good friend, Ron Dunn, passed away from a brain tumor. He was there for me when Carroll passed and I miss him very much. He was a good man who survived pancreatic cancer some years ago, but then it metastasized in his brain. To celebrate his surviving the first cancer, he knocked off a bucket list item by writing "The Wisdom of Solomon" which we carried on our shelves. It was a story about a Christian finding out that there is intelligent life in the universe and as simple story-telling style as his was, it was a really good story. He wrote a sequel to it which was really just a continuation of the main story and just as good. He was a great story teller and an even greater friend.

And last but not least, June 2014 was the month that things got to rolling on opening up A Galaxy Called Dallas Comics. I mean, looking back, it moved really quick. But you know what? I wouldn't change it. I will open another shop. I just don't know the timeline or the location or anything else except that I know that this is what I want to do. I love putting books into the hands of people to read and love. It's my way of giving back to the world. As great as these memories are, here we are five years on and the shop is no more. To hammer it home, the property managers finally cleaned the shop out. The Kid noticed the other night when she and some friends went with their Grandpa over to the shopping center to watch fireworks. She came home in tears saying that they had taken away her life because she had spent half her life in the shop. Yes, a little dramatic but the kid's been through a lot in her short life. We talked about how we made so many great memories and no matter how much cleaning they do in that space, they can't take those from us.

Follow this website, our Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram as I deal in a post comic shop world.

Alterna Comics and Where To Find Them

When A Galaxy Called Dallas was open for business, we proudly carried Alterna Comics. Great stories at a great price!

Alterna was founded by Peter Simeti in 2006 and is creator-owned. FUBAR Vol. 2 was #6 on the New York Times Best Selling Graphic Novel List in 2012 and in 2016 they released The Chair - a death row horror thriller. It is now streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Itunes, and more.

Some stores have been reluctant to add them for many reasons, but you can find it at several DFW shops. Go to the Alterna Comics Store Directory and you'll see where to buy.

Oh, and I forgot the best thing. Alterna Comics are printed on newsprint just like back in the day. That means they smell great but most of all, they are inexpensive. With single issues ranging from $1.50 to $1.99 and trades from $9.95 to $14.95, you can't go wrong. But news came out just a few days ago to look out for 80+ pages for $4.99. Take that big boys!

Alterna Comics Website

Free Comic Book Day 2019 and so much more!

The May 4th  weekend is going to be hectic for some geeks out there as a plethora of events happen around the DFW area.

Free Comic Book Day 2019

The biggest thing (to me at least) is Free Comic Book Day. For those of you new to the event, FCBD was an idea from Joe Field at Flying Colors Comics. This will be the 18th year of FCBD and always falls on the first Saturday of May. As per Flying Colors website, the goal of FCBD is "to reach out to new comic book readers, to call back former readers and to thank current fans."

Pretty much all comic shops take part in this event in some shape or form. The big things are the free comics (over 50 titles for all ages) that shops will make available. There will also be items specifically produced for this event, creator signings, contests, costumes, and so much more. The easiest way to find a comic shop near you is to go to Comic Shop Locator.

In addition to FCBD, it's also Star Wars Day. This is celebrated on May 4th each year. As in May the 4th be with you. Star Wars Day celebrates everything Star Wars and is every where from comic book shops to book stores and even retail stores. There are some Star Wars titles that will be among the many free comic books to pick up.

And if this is not enough, Fan Expo Dallas will be happening all weekend long. So many celebrities, comics, toys, etc. that it can get a little overwhelming without a little planning.

Check out the links and plan for a fun-filled weekend and be sure and let us know how much fun you had!

All-Con Hits the DFW Area

This weekend marks the 15th year of All-Con.  All-Con celebrates all things geeky and if it weren’t for this convention, the A Galaxy Called Dallas blog and eventually comic shop might not have been. 

Aaron Douglas

I and my wife went to the 2009 con and it’s where I met Peter Mayhew, Aaron Douglas, James Hampton and my favorite, Anne Lockhart. I have always been a fan of the original Battlestar Galactica and meeting her was cool, but this weekend will be amazing! It’s a reunion of seven cast members including Dirk Benedict.

Anne Lockhart

This show boasts over 400 events spanning all fandoms and is a “can’t miss” for all geeks. Tickets are still available online until 3/16 or you can just go and pick up tickets there. I plan on hitting a day or two and will return with photos. Please feel free to share your favorites!

Peter Mayhew

Hit the All-Con link for more info.

Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame - Official Trailer

It's here! It's here! Now with added Avengers! Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame will hit theaters April 26th. Take a look and let us know what you think!

Back to the daily blog . . . 

So, it's been a week since we shut the store down. I still wake up with the urge to do store stuff. Four and a half years of putting everything into trying to make the shop a community, sacrificing my health and sanity. Now, I have plenty of time to focus on my health and my daughter, but I still want to be a part of the Geek Community.

There are a few things that I want to focus on in the Geek Community. The first is helping relations between your Favorite Local Shop (FLS), be it comic or game. Helping customers understand how those shops operate, order and help their communities and help shops communicate with their customers better.

I, also, want to help readers find more ways to access info about comics and games without overloading their mailbox. I'll still talk about the major events and products, but I'll work on finding other information sources that will allow you make better decisions about what you read.

And last, I would like to go back to the roots of what A Galaxy Called Dallas started out as. March 16, 2009, I posted my first post on the blog. I wrote about conventions, local authors and other members of the Geek Community. I would like to return to that reporting by focusing on local creators, events, websites, and shops that go above and beyond.

Oh, and you may find me waxing nostalgic about our time as a comic book shop. I'll post photos, talk about events that we ran, and our favorite customers. We hope to be back in business in the next two years. I may even discuss ideas for the new store and ask for your input. So, stay tuned as we move on to our next adventure.

Donny Cates visits A Galaxy Called Dallas Comics August 2017