We Visited The Retro Emporium in Kent, WA.

Regular followers of thestevestrout.com have probably caught wind of my push to promote great comic shops, gaming shops, arcades, anime stores, and other awesome nerd and pop culture establishments. We recently visited one of the coolest shops around, the Retro Emporium in Kent, WA. 

The shop is PACKED wall to wall with everything from vintage Garbage Pail Kids and A-Team trading cards, retro gaming gear and wear, to comics, toys and pop culture memorabilia. That's just the tip of the iceberg. They even have a mini arcade  set up with quarter-op machines!

SDCC 2019 Highlights

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you probably know this past weekend was San Diego Comic Con. Especially if you read OUR site. 

Unfortunately thestevestrout.com couldn't be there to cover the show, but we still want to share some of the highlights from the biggest weekend in geek and pop culture.

Guest Post: Josh Cook Visits Another Castle Games

As you've probably noticed, I've been putting out the call for guest posts promoting and sharing your experiences at your favorite comic, toy, collectible, gaming, anime and geek shops here at thestevestrout.com. I caught wind of our friend, writer, and fellow geek, and recurring guest here at the site, Josh Cook takin his family on lots of nerdy excursions as of late, so I told him about this idea for the new feature. He loved it and jumped right in with this post about his trip to ANOTHER CASTLE ARCADE in Edmonds, Washington. This place sounds fantastic. Check out Josh's account from his day out with the fam! Thanks for reading, and if you would like to share your favorite geeky shop or destination, let me know.- Steve (@thestevestrout)

Josh Cook (July 2019) When Steve asked me to write up this post, I was like, “I’ll get right on that, yo” 

Comic Book Swap Meet Recap!

The Comic Book Swap Meet made a big return this past weekend. If you've been following thestevestrout.com long enough, you know that the Comic Book Swap Meet is the mini comic con I produce here on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula, just west of Seattle. Hope you enjoy this quick recap of this fun event. I put a lot of love into these shows for you all.

San Diego Comic Con Info

It's San Diego Comic Con Week, and I wanted to drop some quick show info about some con exclusives and events.

The following is just the tip of the iceberg as to the happenings, events, collectible exclusives, and panels going down during the godfather of all comic and pop culture shows...

ICYMI: The Comic Book Swap Meet returns July 13th!

I'm excited to announce the return of the Comic Book Swap Meet on July 13th.

If you didnt know, the Comic Book Swap Meet is our own "mini comic con" we produce here in Chimacum, Washington on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula, just west of Seattle. 

The 2019 edition of the show features a great lineup of guests, including:

Jeremy Colwell

Jeremy Colwell, our guest of honor, is a comic artist who is currently doing the color work on the Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover series, which just launched volume 3 of IDW and DC's epic crossover event.  He is also known for He-Man/Thundercats, Powerpuff Girls, and Super Angry Birds among many other titles.

With this year being Batman's 80th Anniversary, and the Ninja Turtles turning 35, this is a great chance to celebrate these fan favorote franchises, meet an artist on one of the hottest selling comics today. 

CD Poe

CD Poe is a popular artist on the northwest convention scene, and favorite regular at the Comic Book Swap Meet. 

His fantasy themed art has been featured by Valiant Comics and can be found on the labels of one of the areas favorite ice cream companies, Viking Ice Cream, based in Poulsbo, WA. He Will be joining us again by popular demand with his original art prints and more. Be sure to visit his table at the show!

Blood and Gourd 

Representatives from the Blood and Gourd comic series will join us with art and copies of their owner produced series about mutant pumpkins waging war on humans. Check out our preview on the comic in Cool Projects #21 by clicking HERE, and come and grab the first 3 issues of one of the best produced indie comic books going.

Blacky Shepherd

We mentioned Batman and TMNT having anniversaries this year, but ww also have another iconic character celebrating a milestone, as Vampirella turns 50 this year, Vampirella. Our next guest, Blacky Shepherd, is an artist on a popular series featuring Vampirella, in Vampirella vs Re-animator from Dynamite Entertainment.

Mr. Shepherd is a rising star on the comic scene, having worked on other popular titles such as Voltron: From the Ashes, Pumpkinhead (based on the 80s horror franchise) and recently doing cover work for the G.I. Joe comic.

On top of these great comic creators, we will be joined some some local indie creators, along with a bunch of great vendors selling comic books, collectibles, and so much more. 

We will also be giving back to the community by offering discounted admission for attendees who bring a non perishable food item for our local food bank, as well as a raffle for another local charity.

The Comic Book Swap Meet takes place July 13th at the Tri Area Community Center in Chimacum Washington. Admission is only $5 or discounted to $3 if you bring a non perishable for the food bank. We look forward to hanging out with you! Cosplay is highly encouraged!

This event wouldn't be possible without our amazing area sponsors:

www.valiantentertainment.com

Be sure to visit Anime Kat at 114 W 1st St. In Port Angeles WA and online at www.animekat.com for an extensive collection of anime, manga, Magic the Gathering, and so much more!

Ferino's Pizzeria is our favorite pizza joint in the area, and one of our favorite places to kick back with some great pizza with friends and family. We even bring along games to hang and play. Stop in for bite at 846 Ness' Corner Rd., Port Hadlock, WA. Check out their menu at www.ferinos.com 

The Retro Emporium in Kent, WA has one of the the areas best selection of collectibles and nerdy fares. Check out the shop at 328 Meeker in Kent and tell them we sent ya. They also have a great online selection at www.sweetgyrldesigns.etsy.com

Brocante is located at 105 W 1st St in Port Angeles and has one of the largest selection of antiques, collectables, records with a nice selection of comics too! They will bring a variety of goodies to the Comic Book Swap Meet on July 13th. They are also developing an online marketplace, but for now, stop by www.etsy.com/shop/BrocanteSound

The Printery, baaed in Port Townsend, WA is the areas 'go to' place for all your printing needs, providing top quality work at competitive prices. Check out the wide array of services the Printery provides at www.printery.com

We appreciate all of our fantastic sponsors, and hope you check them all out too!

Stay tuned here and at Facebook.com/ComicBookSwapMeet for the latest on the Olympic Peninsula's own "Mini Comic Con"!

Steve Strout is the media mastermind (haha) behind this site, host of the Comic Book Swap Meet, nerd, terrible artist, gamer, convention goer and comic book reader who spends more time rescuing toys from thrift shops than a normal adult should. He is also known around the northwest for his promotion of live music and stand-up comedy events and is the creator/producer of the Comic Book Swap Meet mini convention, and Olympic Peninsula Comedy Competition (which will make it's big return soon!). Follow him on Instagram at http://instagram.com/thestevestrout, and  He can be reached for comments at ptcomedy@yahoo.com on twitter at @thestevestrout