EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a bind with a creaky bit of wood. Now the whole world can look upon the fantastic products of the “WalMart for Superheroes” – 826 National. Yes, this fabulous line of shops has come out with a catalog, essentially cataloging each of their whacky diverse collection of unique items. This book is called “Essentially Odd.”

This book covers all of the 826 series of stores, which are listed as thus: Pirate Store, Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company, Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., The Boring Store, The Echo Park Time Travel Mart, Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair, and Bigfood Research Institute.

Here’s an example of a blurb from the book:

826NYC “Muscle” and “Speed of Light” Canisters:
The general concept for the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company store, from the beginning, was that it was a kind of Lowe’s or Wal-Mart for Superheroes. It would be the place where heroes could come get all the necessities imaginable that one might need for crime-fighting at unbeatable prices. So, we knew that our flagship line had to have that generic feel to it—as though there were a bunch of other fancy, expensive superhero products out there, but ours was the exact same thing only cheaper. Once the label was designed, the hard part would be thinking up a whole range of products that superheroes just wouldn’t be able to live without.
– Sam Potts, 826NYC Designer

And as for the stats:

Essentially Odd features more than 150 pages of color photos of each 826 chapter’s storefronts and products, along with notes and commentary from the product designers. It is perfect for design enthusiasts, 826 fans, or those without enough cash to visit each 826 chapter in person.

Look at all these examples, then if you see this book lying around anywhere, snatch it up! It’s just been released! Into the wild! With all of the other wild books! I mean it! It might be dangerous! Get your gear while it’s hot!