It Came From The Book Store Part IV

No trip to Philly is complete without some cheesesteaks!
No trip to Philly is complete without some cheesesteaks!

It’s been a minute hasn’t it? Sorry, I didn’t mean to go almost an entire year without updating. Things got busy, interests and priorities shifted and yeah, here we are. But today is January 7, 2024, which marks 17 years since RVGFanatic launched. I figured it’s a good time as any to dust off the cobwebs and begin, hopefully, a chain of (somewhat) semi-regular updates. If you’re reading this, thanks for still checking in even though I went MIA for nearly a year. I’m doing well, my wife is good, and our son is now a healthy and adorable 19 month old toddler. I’m still playing games whenever I can, I still want to add more gaming reviews to RVG for sure, and I’m still heavily into books. Although now mostly comic books and graphic novels. This post will highlight my trip to Philly last February. Hope y’all are doing well yourselves. On with the show!

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We drove by the Eagles’ home just one week after they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII by a score of 38-35. I did notice that some people took the devastating loss hard, as there was a sort of sad heaviness on many faces.

Good thing it doesn't list a year. Better luck this time!
Good thing it doesn’t list a year. Better luck this time!

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Of course, the first thing my wife and I had to do was dig into some Philly cheesesteaks. We made a beeline for the two highly touted cheesesteak joints: Pat’s and Geno’s.

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I didn’t realize, not being a Philly native or ever visited before, that Pat’s and Geno’s are practically right next to each other. So we didn’t have any time whatsoever to recover from eating at one place to the next. But hey, vacation right? Calories don’t count! Sure…

Reading Terminal Market is a must for food lovers
Reading Terminal Market is a must for food lovers

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I lost count of how many cheesesteaks we tried. They were all delicious. I particularly liked the gumbo there.

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We heard a ton of praise for the pork roast sandwich from Tommy DiNic’s, so we had to sample that. Maybe it was an off day for them but my wife and I both thought it was rather lacking and didn’t live up to the hype. That bad boy next to it, however, was the best sandwich I ate on the entire trip. Better than Pat’s or Geno’s. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant but it’s aptly named the Train Wreck. Damn right. And damn good.

We also checked out Betsy Ross' house
We also checked out Betsy Ross’ house
And of course, you gotta visit the Rocky statue!
And of course, you gotta visit the Rocky statue!
The view from the Rocky steps was spectacular
The view from the Rocky steps was spectacular
Absolutely iconic
Absolutely iconic
Haddonfield and Voorhees exit!? Yes please!
Haddonfield and Voorhees exit!? Yes please!
View from our hotel room
View from our hotel room
For our last Philly meal, this pizza review caught my eye
For our last Philly meal, this pizza caught my eye
Zach with some heavy hype!
Zach with some heavy hype!
Thanks Rosario's! It was definitely delish
Thanks Rosario’s!  It was definitely delish
Love the nostalgic flair to these toys
Love the nostalgic flair to these toys
Atomic City Comics was super badass
Atomic City Comics was super badass

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Walls upon walls stacked with manga, graphic novels and comics! From Marvel to DC to indies, everything was well represented. That group came in shortly after me and they were blown away by the selection. They started geeking out seeing all the Tezuka manga. Pretty cool, haha.

Anyone who appreciates Tezuka is a classy person!
Astro Boy and Tezuka represent!  <3

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It was almost a religious experience for me. I loved seeing all the manga stacked to the high heavens. The classic Lone Wolf & Cub series as well as Inuyasha. Maison Ikkoku too! I already own all of them but it never gets old to see their beautiful spines in the wild.

I found a series I never heard of before
I found a series I never heard of before
Come to find out it was a contest winner type deal
Come to find out it was a contest winner type deal
The art intrigued me enough to pick up
The art intrigued me enough to pick up
I hope I don't regret this blind buy :P
I hope I don’t regret this blind buy :P
At the very least, the art's pretty cool
At the very least, the art’s pretty unique
Picked up a few from this upper shelf
Picked up a few from this upper shelf
Never seen this one before
Never seen this one before
I'm a fan of old manga like this. Instant pick up!
I’m a fan of old manga like this. Instant pick up!
Not for everyone but I dig stuff like this
Not for everyone but I dig vintage stuff like this
I'm a fan of Moto Magio
I’m a fan of Moto Hagio, but never seen this before
Was sold from the back cover alone!
Was sold from the back cover alone!
Respect!
Respect!
You just won't find stories like this anywhere else
You just won’t find stories like this anywhere else
So trippy... it can only come from Japan!
So trippy… it can only come from Japan!
No words needed, haha
… yeah

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One of the best things about exploring these comic book stores is discovering all the cool shit you never knew existed before. I had no idea there was a Mask comic. I always thought the 1994 Jim Carrey Mask movie was an original. But no, before that summer blockbuster there was a Mask comic. So cool! Personally, I have very fond memories of the Jim Carrey film. I shared those memories in my Mask Super Nintendo game review. Can’t wait to read the comic!

Stan "The Man" Sakai!
Stan “The Man” Sakai!
Never knew this predated Yojimbi
Never knew this predated Usagi Yojimbo
Love how colorful and zany it appears to be
Nilson Groundthumper looks like a colorful blast

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But my favorite find from Astro City Comics was this. The Ballad of Yaya. Never knew it existed before, but upon first sight I knew it was right up my alley. There is a serious Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki feel to it. Printed in cute pocket edition size, this 9 volume series takes place in 1937 and follows two plucky children as they navigate the dangers of war breaking out all around them.

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Each volume is only 96 pages, so it definitely leaves you wanting more. I’ve read the first entry so far, and really enjoyed it. It’s a bit sparse but that art is amazing. Definitely the kind of comic to revisit time and time again!

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Shortly after coming home, I looked up Atomic City Comics for fun and was pleasantly surprised to see someone wrote up a feature on it just a few days prior. I was like, “HEY!  I was literally just there!”

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I was very happy to support small business. I bought more than I should have, but I’m glad to do my small part in showing some love and appreciation. It’ll be a sad day if comic book stores like this ever die out completely. You just can’t beat that brick and mortar feel, ya know?

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The proud owner of Astro City Comics
The proud owner of Astro City Comics

Cheesesteaks, iconic statues, historic sites and some cool comic book stores, Philly was a fun visit. I’m excited to take my son on all future trips, now that he is old enough to travel with us. We just came back from Japan and I told my wife that’s the last time we’re traveling without the little goober. Our next trip is to Los Angeles next month, which I know has a ton of good eats and comic book stores galore. Looking forward to checking out a few of those and eating some delicious L.A. food! Happy New Year everyone :)

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