The Fifth Hour: Andy the Comic Book Guy/Meet N Greet

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If you thought four hours a day, twelve hundred minutes a week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants of the old Republic, a sol fashion of fairness. He treats crackheads in the ghetto gutter the same as the rich pill poppers in the penthouse. Wow to clearing House of hot takes, break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller starts right now.

In the air everywhere.

Welcome in the beginning of the Fifth Hour with Ben Mahler and Danny G.

Radio, The Weekend is upon us.

This kicking off the weekend, our Friday Funday and a special podcast. Today, special pod Danny G will return. He is scheduled to return on Saturday. But today Danny is away and we are going to chat with our guy from the Overnight Show.

You hear him calling in randomly.

He sends a lot of messages on the Twitter machine or x or whatever it is called. Andy the Comic Book Guy is stopping by today to join us. Now, why are we having Andy the Comic Book Guy on Not just because he's got the gift of gab and he's a fun character on the show, and he's part

But in southern California, this is obviously the base.

And so if you're a fan of the show, we have so many great listeners in La Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara, all over California. Palm springs, the high desert, the low desert, you name it in the geography of southern California. So I'm not expecting anyone to travel to this from a million miles away. But if you're looking for something to do tomorrow and you're a fan of the show and you want to hang out with me, and Eddie's going to be there at least for a

You know, it's kind of funny. I've always heard the Ben Maller Show, but I never really knew what it was until probably maybe, like I don't know, about a year and a half ago, where I really started to like, listen, listen, and then I started calling in. I think this past fall, like last fall, because of the Sabers and Eddie's constant disrespect of them.

Yeah, it is offensive, and Eddie does this all the time. He poops on certain teams that he thinks are below him, and you Buffalo Sabers are at the very top of his list.

You know, he's he's a hockey snob. Andy that's what he is.

You know what's frustrating is the Sabers finished the season with the exact same amount of points as the Penguins. So and I know he's not a Penguins guy, but he kind of is. It's his second team. He won't ever say it is, but it is. He's it is.

Well, that's a whole different issue. The second thing with Eddie, and we've been through this. He says he's a Steeler fan, but he goes to Charger games all the time. I think he's been to like two Steeler games and yeah, yeah, one of those quirky things. And so you started to

Too many? But definitely it is the small business man late hours one for sure. Definitely. Usually my drive homes around midnight at one o'clock so in the morning, so.

When you're driving home late.

Now the comic book store is not open late, so you're hanging out there working.

Oh absolutely not. Yeah, no, I mean I'm not like the people think, like, oh, you're just like reading comics or like, you know, playing Warhammer games. No. No, there's a lot of work that goes on when the story is closed. You got to order that stuff, you got to unbox it, you got to sort it, you gotta price stuff. It's a great life.

One man band.

Obviously you have people that work for you and stuff, but you're you're the guy, You're the steward, you're the proprietor.

That's a big wordy proprietor.

But that's done on a Friday morning.

So tomorrow is the big day.

And I always get nervous the day before a mal Or meet and greet because you never know who's actually going to show up. You're not sure, you know, we hope a lot of people show up. We've done pretty well in southern California. But you don't know what. You don't know that in a song somewhere. So we're doing this. We're having you on Andy to promote the fact that if you're listening in a geographically desirable area within reasonable driving distance, or if you're just bored out of your

Let's start with that. How about that?

It is Brave New World Comics, located in Santa Clarita, California. We're about a twenty five minute drive north of Pasadena.

Okay, so twenty five minutes north.

And when I think of Santa Clarita, I think of an amusement park, which is not that.

Yeah, there is a six Flags Magic Mountain out there if you just were actually like a good twenty minutes before that. So you know, if you're coming from LA or the southern area, Bakersfield I think is the closest place north.

You know, there's a McDonald's right off the highway there that I have stopped at to use the facilities in Santa Clarita up through central California.

When I'm just driving with the wife. We'll stop.

They have a really good bathroom at McDonald's, so if anybody needs to take a whiz while visiting the comic book shop, I'm sure you probably have bathrooms too, But we This is a wonderful McDonald's right off the freeway, not far from Wow.

How much did they pay you for that? Geez cau, I get a cut.

It just provided great toilet paper. Just absolutely wonderful. So you got the comic book shop Brave New World, Right, is that the name of it?

I get it right? Did I screw it up?

Yes, Brave New World Comics.

Correct, Yes, this is a work I've noticed.

I don't know you, Andy, we're gonna meet for the first time tomorrow, but I can tell from your calls that this is a life's passion. That this is not I don't think this is something that you just kind of fell into, right, this is something you wanted to do to own your own comic.

Book shop for a while.

I mean, kind of tell me the backstory on how you ended up finally pulling it off, because it's not easy to get in that world.

It's pretty crazy. It kind of just happened. I moved out to LA in two thousand and nine, and I was pursuing a different career at the time, but for a nine to five my guy that I ordered comic books from, I traveled for the three years prior, from like two thousand and six to two thousand and nine, I worked as a traveling actor. It was great. It was wonderful. So like right out of college, I only played lead roles. I did it for three years. It was wonderful. Then I was like, yeah, I'm going to

So I had the story wrong. I thought this is something that you know you had wanted to do when you were young.

I've always loved comics, don't get me wrong. I mean I've been reading them since nineteen ninety I was six at that time to date myself.

But yeah, first comic that you fell in love with? Was there one that stood out of you? Oh?

Definitely The X Men, hands down. The X Men and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which have a new movie out right now. I'm going to see it with my daughter right after this call. As we prepare for tomorrow nice and yeah, but uh yeah no, so it's it's uh, definitely the X Men, hands down. Jim Lee's X Men. Jim Ly's an artist. He's now the publisher of DC Comics, which is it's kind of like if you know, you worked as a producer at ESPN and now you like

Around you bring up yeah, yeah, I had your daughter.

You decided, Hey, I got to kind of move on from the acting thing full time. Because the conversation working in the radio business. My wife has a stable job, so I'm like, my position is, at least one of us has to have a somewhat stable job if both has messed up jobs where we could lose our.

Job at any moment.

The math on that the back of the napkin math and he is not going to work out right, It's.

No, my fiance is they nurse that city of Hope out here in the San Gabriel Valley, so much respect her. Yeah, I used.

To live right here, right near the City of Hope. That's quite the drive though, right, that's a bit of a drive.

It is quite the drive.

I mean it's not that bad. No, it's not quite the drive at all, and everyone should make it this Saturday, August nineteenth from two to five. Yeah, that is not that bad of a drive if you.

Had every day, if you had to make that, you'll like your wife to go to the City of Hope. You know, the same, Gabriel, because you live in the Saint Gabriel Valley. That that's a bit of a job. But a chance to meet, you know, the stars of the radio show and hang out with you and there's all kinds of great things. We'll get into in a couple of minutes about the comic book shop and what people can expect, and it's a big event. It's not just the malor meet and great there's other stuff going on.

It's so funny you bring that up, So you know, I really did take it seriously, and I know people do say that, but truly, like it was a really great time when I reflect back on it. But honestly, like I have no desire to do it. I just think it's so ridiculous.

Now you're all grown up, you still own a comic book shop, but I do below you. And yeah, I Austin.

I had a lunch, like a business meeting with some guys, and you know, we were all talking about you know, family and kids and stuff like that. And one of the guys is like, his daughter, she's going to school to learn acting, and she's going to school in New York and she wants to work on Broadway, like that's the goal and all that, and we were talking about the different things. Now, when you were traveling around as an actor though as a thespian, were.

You on cruise ships? Were you like, what was your gigs?

No I refused to do cruise ships. Cruse ships really wanted me. I was really good at the musical theater. Thing no I did. Probably my favorite thing I did was I played Romeo and Romeo and Juliet. I was twenty three. It was in Jackson Hawayoming at Off Square Theater. I think they're still around. This was probably two thousand and seven. So if you're from Jackson haw Wyoming and you lived there in two thousand and seven and you saw rome and Juliet. You saw Andy the Comic book Guy as Romeo.

Andy the Comic book Guy.

I have never been to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but when I did stuff years ago and I did a little work with the Dogs, one of their trainers retired and moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And I remember this guy telling me, Oh, it's amazing the outdoors, you know, And there's apparently a big like celebrity conclave there in Jackson Hole where like people.

Apparently Hearston Ford owns a ranch out there or something. I don't even know. I didn't really do any of that. I just I was in the little downtown area and we had to perform. I didn't really have time, like truly it was. It was rehearsed for about two and a half weeks. We rehearsed every day every except Sundays. We had Sundays off, and then it was perform eight eight shows a week. So we performed six and then two and one day, two and Saturday, and we were

Now, do you get crap from your friends in Buffalo and your family in Buffalo because you know, normally, and I've been to Buffalo before, Southern California kind of looked down upon among the you know, the hardy people that grew up in Buffalo with lake lizards, and they think everyone in La is, you know, a softy right because you know, it's perfect weather other than it gets a little too hot sometimes, so you know, back home.

That is an interesting take, I would say, because it's true. But I think that's a generational take. I think I'm a millennial. I don't know if that really matters, but I would say most of my peers that are similar in age, everybody kind of just respects where we're all at. Honestly, at this point in time, and there's really not a lot of that. The only time I do get shit like that, which does happen, is when I go to

Explain.

That's a great point we should talk about.

But as someone that grew up in whether even though I got family on the East Coast and stuff. My brother lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, which is near Green Bay, which is one of the coldest places, kind of like Buffalo with the weather they have there. But I was fascinated for someone that hasn't really experienced the bad way, Like the worst I've been to I was at a World Series game where it snowed years ago, and that was pretty bad and I got very sick after that

Bill Oh dude, I don't fuck her oundry. I don't know if I say I'm sorry, but it's true, like I do not mess with the weather and I don't mess with the water. And that's one thing they kind of teach you growing up back in Buffalo. It's true, like you just don't mess with it. Lake Euri will kill you in a second if you screw around with it and the weather. You just be prepared. And I

You were going.

Now you're in my jersey, my jersey on top of all of it.

Its Mafi. You gotta have the jersey on Andy or it doesn't work. Of course.

Yeah, your daughter, I assume she her memories are of southern California, right, even though you traveled around.

She's born and raised there, but she's been around. I brought her quite a bit of places. I feel like for kid her age.

Now, does she race the cold weather or does she say, Dad, what the eff are you doing here?

You know, it's funny she doesn't get cold. She's like a Viking. I don't know what it is. My kid doesn't really get cold. It's so weird. She kind of speaking of making fun of She kind of makes fun of me about that that I get cold. She doesn't.

I didn't get cold for the longest time.

You know. It was gotten a little older. I guess that's what happens and recently. But when I was younger, like it was a cold day, like SOCl cold, I would have the window open, I'd have a fan in the window blowing the cold there in. I could not be cold enough. I loved I loved the chill. But now I guess the blood thins as you get older.

Andy.

Yeah, man, I don't know what it is. But California cold is different. It like cuts to your bone, like and I only it only gets that cold for me in like February and January and Buffalo. I'm like, no, I'm good like with the wind, but like here, I don't know what it is, man, Ben, It's like it is cold. It just like cuts through everything.

No, it is different because you're not used to it too.

It kind of comes out of nowhere and then you're like, wait, so let's get back to the meet and greet though. So it's tomorrow and it's in the afternoon here in so Cal two o'clock till five o'clock.

Correct, that's the the.

Yeah, the store is open from ten to five that day, but we're saying the event is two to five. Yeah, and we're gonna have a lot going on. It is the Malor Meet and Greet. Absolutely. It is also the six year anniversary of my ownership of the store, which is very exciting. I bought it August first, well, I bought it in July of twenty seventeen, but the first day was August first of twenty seventeen. So we're celebrating that as well.

That's great.

So you're gonna have all content you mentioned and all this is online if you didn't see it the other day. But one thing I noticed when I was in Maine last week, Andy and I did a last minute thing, like, hey, I had a little extra time.

I drove from Boston up to Maine. I'm like, hey, anybody want to come hang out.

Most people kind of skim social media, they might not pay attention. So maybe you're hearing this for the first time. Everything will be on social media. But at the same time, we'll just kind of walk you through everything again. So it's your stores anniversary and there's all kinds of you got all kinds of promote you're going for it. Andy, this is a big thing if you're into the comic book Whore and my dad, may he rest in peace,

That well, yeah, yeah, that's true. We have those in a showcase. So don't worry. It's all right. I'm sure everyone will be okay. But yes, we have some exciting stuff happening. So a bunch of our customers, they do have their own small businesses. So one of our customers makes her own plushes, she's going to be there. One of our customers makes his own T shirts, he's going to be there. We have like this. One of our neighbors right up the block is the Old World Emporium.

It's just you know, I was thinking when I woke up today, that's the thing I would like to get tomorrow, would be I thought.

So you know, Also, we're going to have a performance, a fifteen to twenty minute performance.

Now.

This this performer performs at the Magic Castle. He won America's Got Talent Season one, I believe or he was a finalist. I'm not sure. My good friend, he's professional juggler, comedian. I've in piseel and he's going to do a performance. I believe that's happening at between two fifteen and two thirty. So you want to show up on time if you want to see that, because I think he's got a

Yeah, a Magic.

Castle andy for those that are not from me, I think most yes, you have to know somebody to get in the Magic Castle, and to be a magician working there, you got to be pretty good, and they don't let you in there. Right, it's not an amateur hour. That's a big deal to be in the Magic Castle. And I've never been. I assume you've probably been a bunch of times.

Right, Wow, I've been twice. I've been twice. It is absolutely worth the experience. I will say, it is the only Like I I'm definitely that guy that when you like watch like a ghost show or whatever, I'm like, okay, yeah, whatever. But I will say, this man, this one magic trick. I have no idea how this guy did it, and it to this day blows my mind. And I'm like, he's obviously not a wizard. It was some sort of illusion,

Will taste of it tomorrow at the at the meet and greet.

Well, he's a juggler comedian.

Though, you know, well, you'll be entertained, you'll be mesmerized.

I will absolutely be entertained. Yes, yes you will. Of course, we're gonna have a sale obviously, that's just fun. We're gonna have a sale. One of our customers, he also makes his his own princeton, makes his own comic book. It's kind of like a doctor who kind of comic. He's going to be there. His name is Liam Dao. We're going to also have Carbon Panther props, owned by one of our customers, Aaron Toft. He makes props locally here in LA for kind of like small budget movies

So it's great. And there's no RSVP, right, there's now you.

May no, no, no, it's just come on show up. The Meller Militia obviously as well, and we have a very special Bromo pack for the Mellor Militia. Just find me at any point in time and say go Bills, and you're going to get a Brave New World Comics Mellor Militia Ben Meller Show, Meet and Greet exclusive variant comics pack for free. Valued depending on which one you get, because they're all blind valued it up to fifty bucks nice with five up to five of our store exclusives

Speak easy situation.

But yes, a Raider fan or a forty nine er fan, Rang Dauphins fan, you still have to. You have to go down and genufleck to Andy to say go bills. But then you make out like a bandit there because Andy will hook you up with some stuff.

And I'll tell you what, if you don't want to say go bills, I get it. You at least have to say squish the fish.

Okay, there you go, squish the fish. So either one of those will work.

And as an added bonus, and I have not baked cookie recently because I ate too many of my cookies.

So I have the drops on the podcast exactly.

Yeah, well, Danny'll put some in later, I'm sure, but so so anyway, so I've decided since Eddie ripped my cookies like a schmuck, he took a shot at my baking, and you know, Coop kind of belittled some of the stuff. So I've decided to make some cookies. Now, I'm still not one hundred percent sure. I think I'll go basic. Everyone loves chocolate chip. I might make some other cookies also, but I definitely will have chocolate chip.

I think I'm going that direction.

And awesome a bunch of them, and it's pretty much first come, first served. When they're gone, they're gone. I said, I'm not going to bake more. I don't think you have an oven in the back of your store.

Andy, No, No, Now that said, we do have a coffee shop next door. So if you're feeling some coffee, there's that next door, literally right next door, and then right around the corner are two pretty good bars. But I mean we can play everything by ear. You know, you got we got stuff to do.

I get it sending, but that the main part, the meat of the meet and greet for our purposes. There is like two to four, but it'll go.

On, and you know, I'm gonna stay and you know, hang out as long as people are there to hang out with me and all that.

I'm looking forward. Now. I can't say the same about Eddie and Coop.

I don't know what's going on with those guys, but I I plan on being there for the duration. I'm looking forward to it. We'll have a good time. It'll be Yeah, it's gonna be great.

One more thing.

That never goes well, Andy, the one more thing.

I always say that on the calls. One more thing. No, So at four o'clock we have the Brave New World Comics epic Raffle every year, and we are having the epic Raffle again this year. We're raffling off about fifteen dollars worth of product, pretty pretty high end stuff. Usually it's a like huge thing, but we decided this year to make it even huge err by really focusing on high end prizes. So there's some pretty dope stuff that's

Out comic store? Is this all just comics? Is there any sports stuff in the back or we?

Yeah, So, usually I would have more sports stuff ready. Right now, I'm gonna have a lot as much as I can. We have a shit ton of cards. We have so many cards, but I take them out seasonally and usually I drop them week one of the NFL season, just because I got to update the prices everything, you know how that goes. So, but I will have a selection available for at least militia that I would guesstimate might show up who I think teams they might like.

On a table and break a table like Real Bill's Mafia. Probably not right, that would be.

Hey, I did announce twice every year, actually not even twice. What is it, four years in a row now, Josh Allen's played in the playoffs just in case people forgot, but four years in a row, and every year I said, if the Bills make it too, they don't even have to win it, if they just make it to the super Bowl, I will power bomb off our balcony into a table.

Okay, and that's happening recorded for posterity sake.

I'm sure, yes, when you do it.

Yeah, my life insurance plans good, that's great taking care of I can write it off as a marketing expense. It's wonderful. Like, really, where out you have to delete this podcast the week I do it though.

Well, Andy, thank you so much for hosting this event tomorrow. I can't wait to meet you and everyone's going to be there, hopefully have a great turnout. And I'll check out some of the comic book stuff. I'm sure he'll bring back some of the older stuff, will bring back memories.

Yeah, do you remember what your dad used to like do you have any memory of like specific I think I don't think you ever said it.

Yeah, so he he had some old like Superman stuff, but he loved like, you know, random crap like Alfredy Newman, that kind of stuff.

Mad Okay, yeah, I think Mad magazine guy.

He collected that, and you know some of the Spider Man, Batman those were when he was a kid. That's pretty much all they had when he was growing up. So a lot of that stuff, and then as we were kids, he had gotten some different random things.

And so I'll check it out.

But Andy, I will end it here, and again thanks to everybody who's going to show up, and everything's in the description on the podcast.

Thank you for your thanks for hosting this, Andy, I appreciate it.

Yeah, thanks for coming, guys, I'm really excited. I'm very excited to meet and greet with you and the Mallard militia and just have a great time.