Fresh Loaf

Approximate number of people who gathered in Centennial Olympic Park to watch the presidential inauguration: 1,000

Temperature in degrees, with wind chill included, at 9:05 a.m. on Jan. 20 in Atlanta: 11

Number of people who attended the Georgia Democratic Party’s inaugural brunch in Washington, D.C.: 700

Approximate number of people who watched the ceremony at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church: 250

Time people began lining up Tuesday morning outside Manuel’s Tavern to watch the ceremony: 9

Time the restaurant normally opens on weekday mornings: 11

Number of extra copies the AJC printed of its Jan. 21 edition to meet collectors’ demand: 225,000

Price in dollars of a limited-edition bottle of Hennessy cognac issued for the inauguration: 60

Price in dollars of a limited-edition Spiderman comic book featuring President Obama at Oxford Comics: 75

Price in dollars of an inauguration ceremony ticket offered on the Atlanta Craigs List: 1,000

Number of ads on Atlanta Craigs List offering sex in D.C. port-a-potties on inauguration day: 1

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WEB SITE: Oxford Comics' Zack Overton flips through the special-edition comic.

Inaugural Obama-mania extends to our nation’s comic book stores as the retailers can’t keep enough copies of The Amazing Spider-man #583, which features Barack Obama on the cover and a six-page story in which the 44th president plays a supporting role. Oxford Comics proprietor Mike Van Houten said that retailers didn’t pre-order enough copies and demand “went nuts,” until first editions were selling for $75 a piece when they went on sale on Jan. 14. Van Houten says that more than 500 customers reserved copies of the second printing, which went on sale today, and that more than 2,000 copies of the third printing will be due in the store next week.

The story, incidentally, finds photographer and Spider-man alter ego Peter Parker attending the inauguration where he sees two Barack Obamas — one of which is longtime Spider-foe the Chameleon, a master of disguise. According to the AP:

Parker decides “the future president’s gonna need Spider-Man,” and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor.

I know Barack loves the game, but basketball? Really? The first African-American president has to use basketball to prove his real identity? Oh well, I guess there are worse stereotypes they could have.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Tell all your friends! It’s time for the 8th annual CL Fiction Contest Party!

Joins us TONIGHT from 7-9 p.m. at Eyedrum (290 MLK Jr. Drive, Suite 8, 404-522-0655, www.eyedrum.org).

We received more than 200 entries and had to whittle them down to our three faves. It wasn’t easy, believe us. We had amazing help from our three local judges: award-winning children’s author Carmen Deedy; author, playwright and professor Phillip DePoy; and bookworm, aspiring author and Wordsmiths Books marketing guru Russ Marshalek.

The party, which is FREE!! and open to the public, is a great chance to mingle with writers in the community, listen to author readings from the three winning stories, dance to some smooth party jams by local band Night Moves Gold and indulge in refreshments from Highland Bakery.

Aside from the readings, live music and food, Wordsmiths Books will be on hand to sell books, CL will open up its press closet for a book swap and party co-sponsors Oxford Comics and Eyedeology, who’ll be collecting old eyeglasses, will have tables at the event.

Come help Creative Loafing support Atlanta’s burgeoning literary scene. We think you’ll like what you hear.

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Max Arbes and CL’s Debbie Michaud spread the word about tonight’s party to celebrate the 2009 Fiction Contest winners! Join CL, along with Wordsmith’s Books, Oxford Comics, Highland Bakery, local band Night Moves Gold, and more at 7 p.m. tonight, Thurs., Jan. 8, at Eyedrum (290 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 8. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org.)

Air Loaf is broadcast weekdays on 1690 WMLB-AM at approximately 8:10 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 6:20 p.m.

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Tell all your friends! It’s time for the 8th annual CL Fiction Contest Party!

Joins us Thurs., Jan. 8 from 7-9 p.m. at Eyedrum (290 MLK Jr. Drive, Suite 8, 404-522-0655, www.eyedrum.org).

We received more than 200 entries and had to whittle them down to our three faves. It wasn’t easy, believe us. We had amazing help from our three local judges: award-winning children’s author Carmen Deedy; author, playwright and professor Phillip DePoy; and bookworm, aspiring author and Wordsmiths Books marketing guru Russ Marshalek.

The party, which is FREE!! and open to the public, is a great chance to mingle with writers in the community, listen to author readings from the three winning stories, dance to some smooth party jams by local band Night Moves Gold and indulge in refreshments from Highland Bakery.

Aside from the readings, live music and food, Wordsmiths Books will be on hand to sell books, CL will open up its press closet for a book swap and party co-sponsors Oxford Comics and Eyedeology, who’ll be collecting old eyeglasses, will have tables at the event.

Come help Creative Loafing support Atlanta’s burgeoning literary scene. We think you’ll like what you hear.

Bookmark It

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Mike Van Houten, 39, has been running Oxford Comics since he was 13 years old, originally as part of the beloved (and sadly, defunct) Oxford Books. The store’s busiest day of the year is Free Comic Book Day, held this year May 3.

What’s Free Comic Book Day like?

It’s a carnival atmosphere. People come in costume, and we have artists signing their comics and doing sketches for kids all day. It’s grown each year and brings people from all over. It’s our biggest day of the year.

I’ve got 5,000 comics from each of the 20 publishers waiting in boxes that we’re gong to give away. All the major publishers sent at least two titles, one for a general audience and one for children.

When did Oxford Comics begin?

Oxford Comics grew out of the old Oxford Bookstore. It started in 1980 when I was 13 years old. [Oxford Books owner] Rupert LeCraw was a very open-minded man, and he was impressed that a 13 year-old wanted to open a comic shop in his store, so he said, ‘Go ahead, give it a try.’ I did it all through high school and college, and when I graduated from college, the business had expanded enough that I could do it for a living. Due to various factors, Oxford Bookstore had to close, and I combined the three shops into a standalone comics superstore on Piedmont Road in 1996. Based on our square footage and number of titles, we’re one of the largest comic shops in the nation.

Are there any misconceptions about people who shop at comic book stores?

A big change in the last five years has been a huge increase in the number of girls and women. (more…)

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