Is it Worth the Wait?

Jon did a blog last week talking about All Star Batman and how he doesn't mind the delay. I for one disagree. While I love Frank Miller's writing, I think I could make do without Jim Lee's art. Everyone talks about how good he is, and yes, he is good, but there is a limit to that. Same with people like Brian Hitch and John Cassidy. Hitch is awesome, but I won't buy something just because he is doing the art. I might buy the trade after he eventually finishes it though. He just takes too long. Look, the guy has done three comics in recent memory, The Authority, where he really made his name, a brief stint on JLA, and The Ultimates 1 & 2. But that's in something like ten years! I do make exception for Cassidy, but he's been getting Astonishing out with some pretty good regularity lately, so he might not count. I know Planetary has been waiting on Ellis to finish writing them for most of the series, so you can't really get on Cassidy about that.

So while this was an exceptional story, almost felt like I was reading the Crime Syndicate, would I be happy with one issue a year? No, not at all. You've got to realize the double standard being employed here, if anyone else had taken this long to deliver a Batman book of this importance, they would never work in comics again. But because they are who they are, no one cares. I remember two years ago at the Baltimore retailers convention the top industry brass said they would start having story arcs completed before they started publishing them. This was mostly Marvel, at the time they still had Daredevil:Father and Spider-Man/Black Cat unfinished after a year or more. As well as Daredevil/Bullseye, which they never even bothered to finish. And if you notice, Kevin Smith doesn't work in comics anymore. Though Joe Quesda continues to run Marvel.

-Dan

PS. The awesome image here is another great free DC wallpaper that can be found at DC's website.

UAMOU From Another Planet!

I am really excited to promote the work of Ayako Takagi, an emerging toy designer and comic artist from Tokyo, Japan! All of her products are hand crafted and display a strong appreciation for minimalism and smart design.

So far she has self-published three volumes of her comic, UAMOU From Another Planet which chronicles the adventures of poor UAMOU who became mysteriously separated from his friends and family on a foreign planet.

Her limited edition figures and hand sewn plushes have become a hot commodity amongst collectors involved in the Tokyocube and Vinyl Pulse scene. And no wonder! Her UAMOU + BOO and MAD UAMOU figures are hand cast and limited to only 200 pieces worldwide!

She recently submitted a MUNNY™ for our 2007 MUNNY™ Show called "Chicken Pox UAMOU"! The image below is an installation of her submission amongst her other hand crafted goods. It will be on view in our new gallery space until Thursday, May 31st!



-May

Lonely Heart - The Art of Tara McPherson

Lonely Heart ~ The Art of Tara McPherson

In the poster art world, concert posters are generally designed by men who use psychedelic images of seductive women as the primary way to promote your favorite rock band. Yet, artist Tara McPherson is quickly becoming my favorite concert poster designer, with her stylized characters exemplifying the allure of poster design without the blatant sexism. McPherson has done designs for such acts as Beck, Modest Mouse, Built to Spill and Death Cab For Cutie. Here are 3 of her posters below:





Her book "Lonely Heart ~ The Art of Tara McPherson", as well as her new stationery set, are both currently available at Star Clipper. "Lonely Heart" collects a large portion of her silkscreen posters, illustrations, and personal works of fine art, and includes a foreword by follow poster designer and Smorkin' Labbit creator Frank Kozik.

So the next time you're in, check out the work of the very talented Tara McPherson. I guarantee it will inspire the loneliest of hearts!

- Jon

Best Sci-fi of Last 25 years...

Last week Ben sent me a link to the Entertainment Weekly website. Don't ask me what he was doing there, I don't know. But the page was the Top 25 moments in Sci-Fi over the past 25 years. Okay, not bad. Except for the fact it wasn't "moments", it was tv series and movies, with a best moment picked from that show. Okay, still, not bad. Take a look.

Now I don't want to nitpick too much, otherwise we would be here all night! V, not a bad choice, wouldn't have been in mine, but that's okay. But Total Recall? How about Total Crap? And if you are going to put Terminator & Terminator 2 together, why leave out T3? Which I actually thought was pretty cool, but anyways. And how can you not put Back To The Future 2 & 3 along with the first? It was a %$#%$# trilogy! One story, start to finish, like LOTR. Ass-hats. John Carpenters The Thing is a classic, and deservedly so. "I'd like to come in now." As is Aliens, though I never really liked that final fight in the hanger bay. But ever since it has been the standard by which all other military sci-fi is judged.

Which is kind of weird come to think of it, since Alien 4 was just as good as 2 right up until about twenty minutes before the end. Aliens 4 (Resurrection) actually has one of the fastest "awesome to suck" turnovers that I have seen. You get a quick glimpse of how much it's going to suck during the scene in the lab with all the other clones, but that does nothing to prepare you for the sheer horror of that alien baby. Ugh! I really hope Joss Whedon had nothing to do with that part. Whedon wrote Alien 4, if you did not know, and its a great trip to watch after you've seen Firefly.

So this is turning out to be as big as I thought it might and I'm gonna have to split it into two. Stay tuned for the top 10 after this short break.

-Dan

STAR CLIPPER STL MUNNY™ SHOW 2007 a Huge Success!!!

The 2007 installment of the STAR CLIPPER ST. LOUIS MUNNY™ SHOW was a huge success! This year's show featured 70 well-crafted submissions from regional and international artists. An estimated 1,000 toy enthusiasts attended the reception last Friday! Thanks to all of the artists that participated, with special thanks to Schlafly, Truffes, and Kid Robot for their generous support.

Don't forget to check out Bill Streeter of LO-FI St. Louis' great coverage of the event HERE.

If you missed the reception, don't fret (just be totally ashamed) the exhibition is on display until Thursday, May 31st. You can also check out party pics and a full catalogue and price list through our STAR CLIPPER GALLERY account!


Danager by Star Clipper's very own Dan McNamara!


Ghostrider MUNNY™ by Jon Scorfina & Keith Parson!

-May

The Cosmic Quarter

For those of you who watched "Heroes" last Monday night not only were you treated to an breathtaking season finale, but you also got to see trailers for the new Harry Porter, Transformers, and Fantastic Four movies. All of which looked thoroughly rad, with Michael Bay's Transformers taking the prize for most over the top. However, being the Silver Surfer fanatic that I am, I couldn't help jumping from my seat when they showed the trailer and a sneak peak of one of the scene from the new Fantastic Four movie.

Reprising her role as every uber-geek's fantasy girl Sue Storm, Jessica Alba is faced with more than she bargain for when she encounters the Silver Surfer face to face in this scene:



The Surfer, voiced by non-other than Laurence Fishburne, is simply bad-ass. From what i've read of the Silver Surfer I wasn't aware that he could phase through buildings or absorb rockets into his board, but so goes the power cosmic.

Speaking of the Power Cosmic, it has apparently affected the Franklin Mint as well. In the best movie promotion since the "Snakes on a Plane" phone messages, Twentieth Century Fox and the Franklin Mint are creating a limited edition 4000 pressed "Silver Surfer U.S. Quarter" that will maintain the value of a quarter. For the lucky few who come across what I like to call the "Cosmic Quarter" you can go to the movie website and register to win a Four-day trip for Four to the World Premiere of Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer in London. The grand prize winner will be announced on June 1st.

For more info on the "Cosmic Quarter" check out the coverage on newsarama.com .

- Jon

Series Finale

Well, it’s that time of year again. When people begin to think about the season finale of their favorite television shows. Cliffhangers and shocking secrets, it’s an exciting time for TV.

But while Heroes, Lost, and Veronica Mars (don’t judge me) will be back on the air in a few months, there are a lot of comic book’s that are going the way of Doogie Howser M.D. and Murphy Brown (Really, Don’t judge me). The Series Finale.
We just lost Girls and DC’s mega-series 52, but the losses are going to start piling up soon.

Y the Last Man is on its last story arc. Astonishing X-Men will be putting out their last issue by Joss Whedon (Which is pretty much the end of that series) in just a few short months. And most tragically of all, Terry Moore’s landmark work, Strangers in Paradise, is going to be closing up shop in the next issue.

But all is not lost. All of the previously mentioned books have great TPB libraries, which I guess would be the equivalent of buying a season of Designing Women DVDs (Uh… I guess you can judge me on that one).

Johnny

Xavier's Spine

Spoilers Ahead!

In the most recent issue of Uncanny X-Men, Prof. Xavier got pulled out of the M'kran crystal, after being tossed in the previous issue. When he came out, not only could Prof. X still walk, but the man had his powers back! That's cool and all, but I had really digged on when Scott threw him out of the mansion because he wasn't a mutant anymore. Well that wasn't the real reason, or the only reason, but it was the one designed to hurt the most. Now Johnny and I have decided that we're gonna start a "No-Prize" contest. You remember "No Prizes", right? Marvel used to give them away like they were nothing when I was a kid. Anyway, in the past Xavier could have one or the other, legs or telepathy. Only for brief periods would he have both, such as in Morrison's recent run on New X-Men. So that's the question, how long, if he keeps the telepathy, will Xavier be able to walk? E-mail me with your predictions, or just respond to this blog. Johnny is going for 6 months, while I'm going for a year myself. If you want to find more about Charley's walking problems, just check out UncannyXmen.net.

-Dan

Raveslinger Born!

I'm not much of a Stephen King fan myself. Read all the Bachman books when I was kid, along with a bunch of Skeleton Crew, just not really my cup of tea. So I never read the Dark Tower series, or any of the his other big books like The Stand. So when I heard that there was going to be a big comic series I wasn't all that jazzed up about it personally. Sure, from a work standpoint its huge, but personally, y'know, whatever.

So I really haven't had anything to say of the whole thing. But I just couldn't pass this cover up. I'm sure this dude is the high-muckety muck of something, I don't know. All I know is he's getting his GROOVE on! Just imagine some boss techno music thumping, some strobe lights, and a smoke machine. Just toss a pacifier around his neck and glowstick in one hand and he looks like he's ready to go! Doesn't he?! Johnny said he's doing the "Blue Steel" look from Zoolander as well, but I wouldn't know.

I can't imagine I'm the first person to see it, but maybe no one else had the guts to tell Jae Lee he just did a cover for "Stomp Tower: The Raveslinger Born". It's the next big thing.

-Dan

PS. I just want to make it clear however, I love Jae Lee's style. With the exception of the really old Wildcats Trilogy book that he did, I have never seen anything by him that I didn't like. And that Wildcats would have been better if they had given him a different colorist anyway.

Buddy Bradley = Safe Sex

I just couldn't stop myself from blogging about this hysterical item. Yes, you are seeing that correctly, it's a Buddy Bradley condom. Now I've read Peter Bagge's Hate series at least ten times all the way through and I don't think Buddy was much of a role model for safe sex, but this condom is still to cool to pass up. Get your very own Buddy condom here. You can thank Nick Main for sending me this link.

Stay safe.

- Jon

The Returns of All Star Batman...Hopefully

Frank Miller and Jim Lee started work on "All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder" in July of 2005. Thus far they've turned out a whopping five issues, with issue 5 coming out just last Wednesday. So the question is whether this is a problem our not, and I've got to argue that Miller and Lee can do what ever the hell they want. Come on, it's Frank "freakin Dark Knight Returns" Miller and Jim "Freakin Hush" Lee. Collectively they've created some of the best written and drawn Batman comics ever. Why do you think they call it All Star Batman!

So let Frank Miller turn every comic he ever created into a movie, and let Jim Lee do whatever the hell he does over at Wildstorm (maybe one day we will get a WildCats #2 also) and just be happy when you get a copy of "All Star Batman", even if it does takes forever. You have to admit its like the icing on the cake when you look on the shelves and out of nowhere that long awaited issue is waiting for you. Especially, when the cover is as foxy as the Miller variant posted above. Va va va voom Wonder Women!

In other Batman news, the sequel to "Batman Begins" is slated for release in 2008 under the working title "The Dark Knight". Christian Bale will be returning as Batman, with Heath Ledger playing the Joker and Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Kate Holmes as Rachel Dawes.

Holy Adam West thats a lot of Batman news!

-Jon

Munny Show a Smashing Success

Thanks to everyone for making the trip out to check out the gallery opening! The show was a huge success, with our trusty door tickers counting more than 1000 people coming in for the show, making the turn out more than twice as high as last year! We'll have pictures of each Munny up on a special website shortly, and the ones that didn't sell last night will be available for sale online!

Again, special thanks to May and all the Star Clipper staff for working their b*tts of to make this show so special!



-ben

Munny Show 2Nite!

STAR CLIPPER ST. LOUIS MUNNY SHOW
International artists showcase talent in unique toy exhibition from May 18-31, 2007!

WHAT: MUNNY is a 7-inch tall, customizable vinyl action figure designed by renowned toy trendsetter and retailer Kidrobot. MUNNY can be drawn on, painted, dressed or even molded, and its versatility has inspired a creative movement among toy lovers and art world celebrities alike. Artists and designers from across the world will create custom vinyl pieces using MUNNY and other “platform” vinyl toys for this unusual exhibition. This year’s event will also include a toy swap before the
formal opening of the show with special giveaways and surprises! Over 50 local artists and 12 international designers will create a MUNNY for the exhibition!

Featured artists include Bil Betsovic; Neil Burke of Born Against/MRP/MONOROID; BURN353; CUPCO!; Lisa Marie Godfrey; Matt Kindt, creator of SUPER SPY comics; Jason Kochis; LE MERDE; Jim Mahfood, creator of 40oz Comics; Martin Mazorra, founder of CANNONBALL PRESS; NANOSPORE; Matthew Rodriguez; SHAWNIMALS; Ayako Takagi, creator of UAMOU; grafitti artists Justin Tolentino and Peat Wollaeger and many more!

VISIT: www.munny.starclipper.com · show@munny.starclipper.com. Be sure to “FRIEND” us through www.myspace.com/stlmunnyshow!

WHO: Star Clipper is the region’s premier independent retailer of graphic novels, comics, toys and pop culture collectibles. We are pleased to partner with Kidrobot (www.kidrobot.com), Schlafly Beer (www.schlafly.com), and Truffes (www.truffesfinefoods.com) to bring this event to St.Louis.

WHEN: Friday, May 18, 2007
Opening Reception 7-10 PM
Blind Package Toy Swap 6 PM
Sounds by DJ AGILE ONE featuring DJ CRUCIAL, with a special guest appearance by DJ NEEDLES!

WHERE: Star Clipper
6392 Delmar in the Loop
St. Louis, MO 63130
(314) 725-9110
www.starclipper.com

WHY: The St. Louis MUNNY Show was organized to spotlight the phenomenon of custom-designed vinyl toys. The 2006 MUNNY Show (the first of its kind in the Midwest) was an enormous success and demonstrated the breakthrough popularity of vinyl toy culture.

CONTACT: May Tran, Show Organizer
Star Clipper
(314) 725-9110
may@starclipper.com

Who Should Hulk Smash?

World War Hulk has started and Hulk is ready to bring it. So I ask you
loyal blog readers, which character are you most looking foward to be
pummeled by Hulk? Obviously, I'm stoked that Ghost Rider is going to be
fighting him in Ghost Rider #12. The cover looks Jammin':



But an even more interesting battle is what Star Clipper's other John,
lets call him Lil John, is anticipating: Hulk Vs. Xavier as seen below:



That's what you get for making Hulk angry!

Lou Ferrigno Forever!

-Jon

Spidey-3

So my friends and I went and saw Spider-Man 3 over the weekend. I don't really want to get into it too much in case you haven't seen it, but in general there seemed to be a lot of cheeze and corn going around. The first time there was a shot of a giant crowd cheering Spidey on it felt fake. The third time it was just ridiculous. A lot of the shots and scenes that were supposed to be there for comic fans felt forced and staged.

Thats not to say that it didn't have its good parts, the final battle with Spider-Man, Venom, Sandman, and Hobgoblin(that is his name, right?) was absolutely amazing, and my personal favorite. Though to be honest, it had lots of shots with the crowd wringing theirs hands while Spidey was getting his ass handed to him and lots of generic cheering and "You get em' Spidey" when he was winning.

And as loathe as I am to say, probably the best acting in the whole movie was Bruce Campbell. Dude's in it for about ten to fifteen minutes, and he completely steals the entire scene.

On the whole, they could have cut about an hour out of it and made a really great movie. But as my friend Nick said when we came out of the theatre, it was the "Batman Forever" of the Spider-Man franchise. Okay, not that bad, but the comparison isn't far off.

-Dan

Oh That Wacky Alan Moore

Just want to say congratulations to Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie! Alan and Melinda got married this past Sunday, May 13th in what I hear was a very beautiful ceremony. Neil Gaiman was in attendance and even snapped some pictures. Check out his site and then check out the Journal part for the pics. Styling!

-Dan

Speed Racer

So the other day here at Star Clipper, I was talking to customers (As I am sometimes wont to do) and the topic of Spiderman 3 came up. Which really isn’t that surprising. I mean, it’s something that people have been talking about for a while now. And where better to discuss it than at Star Clipper?

That wasn’t the strange thing here. This is: No less than three separate occasions, people mentioned a movie that they would rather see. A movie, that apparently everyone wants to see. Speed Racer.

I’m not joking. I couldn’t have made this up if I tried.

And by the third time this was brought up, I admit, I was curious too. So I did a little looking into it. And it’s coming out next year.

There still aren’t many details about the story itself, but there is a bunch of information about the people working on it. The Wachowski Brothers (of Matrix fame) are directing and working on the screenplay. Emile Hirsch (you might have seen him in Lords of Dogtown) will be playing speed. Christina Ricci (she played as Wednesday Addams) is cast as Trixie. Matthew Fox (probably best known as Jack on NBC’s Lost) will play as Speed’s rival Racer X. And they threw in John Goodman as Pops Racer just for fun.

I’m not actually sure what they’re going to be doing with everyone’s favorite racecar driver, but whatever it is, they’re doing it in a big way.

Joel Silver, the movie's producer, has even mentioned that the entire movie may be shot in front of a green screen.

I’m just going to mention this one more time. This blog was not a joke. The picture at the top is.

-John

Drinky Crow Tonight on Adult Swim

Tony Millionaire and Eric Kaplan's "Drinky Crow Show" premieres tonight, Sunday May 13, on Adult Swim at 11:45. If you want to make sure the show continues on the Adult Swim line-up make sure to express your love for Drinky Crow on the message boards at adultswim.com. If you don't have cable don't fret, the pilot episode is also available in it's entirety here.

So sit back with your Maakies collections, have a few brews, and remember you were reminded about "The Drinky Crow Show" tonight by that good old Star Clipper Blog!

Chug-a-lug!

-Jon

52 and Count...ing Down.

So now that 52 is done, I've heard a lot of complaining. "They said they were going to do this, that, and the other thing and they never did!" True enough. At the start there were many things that they had planned on doing that they never did. And they did tons of stuff they never planned on doing originally. And that's fine. Life is fluid, why should art be static? You put four writers of the caliber you had on 52 in the same room together and nothing is going to last past ten issues before some one comes up with a better idea. That's just the way it is. So no, it didn't end up being what they said it was going to be. But it was still fantastic! I'll bet only a few of you noticed that in one issue not only did they free Lobo from his pacifist ways, but also explained to us old time LSH fans where the Emerald Eye of Ekron comes from! And a new multiverse!? How can you not love that! We get the Atomic Knights, Earth X, Earth S, Earth 2 and 3, and who know what else yet to come!

Newsarama interviewed all the guys involved just recently, so jump on over there and see what they had to say about it.

All in all, I think 52 was a wonderful success, and the first issue of Countdown did not let down either. Weekly comics are the new thing, get used to it.

-Dan

Art Out of Time

By now, I imagine most our blog readers know I'm a huge classic comic strip collector. I was the first person to buy the amazing "Little Nemo in Slumberland" collection, and i'm always recommending Windsor McCay, as well as, George Herriman, Charles Schutlz, and Hank Ketcham to anyone I can. So you can imagine my excitement when two new books came in dedicated to early 1900's comics. The first book, "Art out of Time - Unknown Comics Visionaries 1900 - 1969", collects comics by 30 artist that have been overlooked by time. If you look thorough a copy, make sure to read my personal favorite strip in the collection "Sparky Watts" by Boody Rodgers, I guarantee it will blow your mind! Oh hell, here is an image from "Sparky Watts" that you should enjoy.



The second book is "The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger", published through Fantagraphics. Lyonel Feininger was responsible for two little known strip called The Kin-Der Kids and Wet Willies Winkie's World. Like the artist in "Art out of Time", Feininger was under-appreciated for his time. So check these books out and rediscover the majesty of many brilliant overlooked artist. It's a blast from the past!

-Jon

FCBD (Pt. ?)

So this years FCBD has come and gone already, though the day itself seemed to last forever! I picked up three pretty good books myself though: the Virgin Comic's Special, Image's Astounding Wolfman (with bonus Brit backup) and Dark Horse's anthology featuring The Umbrella Academy. Now, out of the three, the Dark Horse anthology was the best, but the best single story still goes to the back-up Brit story. This may have to do with my famialarity with the character though, and my excitement at the prospect of a new ongoing Brit comic.

But the Dark Horse book was really they stand-out collection in my mind. All three stories, Umbrella Academy, Pantheon City, and ZeroKiller really hooked me. So much so that I'll be picking all three up now. This isn't the first time Dark Horse has tried it's hand at "super-hero" comics, but it's probably their best. I think they have seen how many "super-hero" books at Image, even Vertigo to some extent, are about heroes who have no super powers per se. A fabulous example of this is the ex-Image addition to Dark Horse, Fear Agent! Another great book that should fit right in with the what Dark Horse is trying to do.



-Dan

First Iron Man Movie Images Revealed

2007 might go down in history as the year of the comic book movie. Thus far we comic lovers have enjoyed Ghost Rider, 300, TMNT, and highest grossing opening weekend film ever: Spider-Man 3. The list doesn't stop there, over the summer we can look forward to Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, The Transformers, and Neil Gaiman's Stardust. But don't think there is nothing is in store for you in 2008, because Paramount Pictures have announced that they are making Iron Man, currently the most hated guy in the Marvel Universe thanks to that rotten civil war, into a over-the-top hollywood action flick for next year. Cheers!

With Robert Downey Jr. cast as everyones favorite alcoholic Tony Stark, Terrence Howard as James Rhodes/War Machine, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Iron Man looks like it is building up to be pretty darn good. Just look at these impressive screen shots.





And my personal favorite... Classic Iron Man!



So gear up, if you will, because the comic book movie is where it's at!

-Jon

Johnny's First Blog

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." And millions of fan's followed Roland and his ka-tet, a he quested for his Dark Tower. And when Stephen King finished his magnum opus with the seventh book-- many fans and wannabe gunslingers felt saddened that the adventures were over.

Then came Marvel's Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born mini series. With amazing art (say thankee) by Richard Isonov, and a coice that ings like the word-slinger himself: Sai King.

The story follows a young Roland in the adventure he tells of in Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass. And for the first three issues, is was the same as reading the book (with the exception of a couple of pages in the back of each book with a it on the history of Mid-World).

However, with issue #4, it goes a bit "behind the scenes" in the comic itself. I'll do my best not to say too much, but will say we get to see a little more of Walter O'Dim.

For a book/story that starts out as great as this one, it's nice to see it not only living up to its potential, but doing it in style.

-Johnny

Madness

Hello, we might have met before, I'm Apocalyptic Movie Fan! 28 Weeks Later is right around the corner, and you know what happens when movies are right around the corner? Free Movie Passes! That's right, for a very limited time Star Clipper has passes to see 28 Weeks Later next Thursday at Ronnie's. There are a little over a hundred left, so hurry quick. If you don't make it be sure to look for the fabulous zombie display for some consolation prizes.

-Dan

NICO BERRY/TRUE 54 FATCAPS @ STAR CLIPPER!

Star Clipper will be receiving 1 carton (thats only 6 units!) of the very limited edition 6” Nico Berry FatCaps early next week!

Brooklyn-based graffiti writer and designer, Nico Berry, applies his spraycanoflage pattern to the mighty FatCap!
 The 6" version from the hugely popular Montana FatCap toy mini-series features Nico's style and his tag, 
TRUE 54. The Nico Berry FatCap even has a rattle ball in the head so it sounds like a real spray can! Only 750 
pieces rattling worldwide!

Be sure to check out Nico Berry’s webpage for more great images of his graffiti, tags, and freelance work with Thrasher magazine, and Mecca clothing.

-May

We Have A Gallery

So...you thought there wouldn't be a post today...and you were very nearly right. Needless to say, it's been an eventful couple of weeks here at the clip joint. Enough so that FCBD hasn't gotten nearly the attention it deserves. But the weather is supposed to stink anyway, right! Alas, there will be some good stuff on sale, and FCBD is always worth at least checking out the stuff that came in, right!

And another thing: for those of you who do make it in for FCBD tomorrow, you'll get to welcome AJ back to full-time work at Star Clipper! After six years with the St. Louis Science Center, AJ has decided to renew her energy and focus on Star Clipper. That or she thinks I'm driving the place into the ground! So come out and welcome her back.

But as for the post title - the gallery is essentially finished. The floors are down, everything is painted. We're still missing a couple of details, the trim is getting done Tuesday, I still have to get the electronics, etc. But it's basically there. So another reason to stop by tomorrow. You can check out the gallery!

-b

Free Comic Book Day is This Weekend!

Star Clipper is participating in Free Comic Book Day! This event is the perfect opportunity to introduce your friends and family to the wonders of your favorite comic book store. From super-hero fables to slice-of- life yarns to adventure thrillers and beyond, Free Comic Book Day has a comic book for everyone!

Come and pick up your choice of select free comics while stock lasts. Selections will be available from top industry publishers such as Archie Comics, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Drawn and Quarterly, Fantagraphics, IDW, Image, Marvel, Oni Press, Tokyopop, Virgin, and many more!

In conjunction with Free Comic Book Day, Star Clipper will be having a sale this Saturday!
Bring your friends and family! This Free Comic Book Day event and sale is sure to help introduce budding readers into a series they'll love, and maybe our old-timers too.

Look for entire graphic novel series slashed to half price, while all graphic novels in the store will be marked down. Apparel, toys, statues, novelties and more will also be discounted. Come in early to get the good stuff!

-ben

SCIENCE IDOL: Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest

Show off your artistic and comedic talents in support of independent science by entering the 2nd annual Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest hosted by the Union of Concerned Scientists! Cartoonists Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury), Tom Toles (Washington Post), and Dave Coverly (Speed Bump) will participate in a panel discussion to choose the winning finalists. The public will then vote on the grand prize winner, who will receive a trip to lunch with Toles in Washington, D.C.

The goal of this project is to underscore the fact that political censorship has prevented public awareness of important environmental issues that affect our daily lives. Political interference in the scientific community has allowed FDA approval of harmful drugs, and prevented the public from hearing the truth about global warming.

Last year’s winner, James MacLeod from Evansville, IN created an articulate comic that resonated with the artistic, scientific, and political communities.


Any support and publicity the contest can achieve would be greatly appreciated. A promotional flyer for display and dissemination can be found here.

It’s time to put your creative energy towards an important political cause! Enter by May 22nd!

-May

Make Mine Vintage Marvel

I love me some vintage marvel comics. For me, the Silver and Bronze ages were the years when Marvel comics reigned supreme, concentrating on character development in the Silver age and and reintroducing horror comics in the Bronze. Some really great comics came out in the 60's and 70's and thankfully we have Marvel Essentials to relive the adventures.

So, if you are looking to get a non-comic reader just as hopelessly addicted to vintage marvel as I am, we have the perfect starter here at Star Clipper: The Art of Vintage Marvel Postcards and Notebook sets. The sets collect 100 classic comic book covers from the 1960's to the 1980's. Featuring some of the most popular superheroes of all time, from Silver Surfer, the Hulk, and Spider-Man to the Fantastic Four, Captain America and the X-Men. The artist on these cover are some of the legends of the industry, including Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John and Sal Buscema and John Romita, Sr. so you get a pretty amazing history lesson as well.

You know your friends will love you so much more if you send them a Spider-Man or Wolverine postcard in the mail. Once they have a taste, then you can hit them back by going in halfsy on the new Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus we have in stock collecting the first 40 issues of Spider-man. Only $99.99.

Thanks for reading true believers!

-Jon