Local Horror – Get Your Hands On A New Horror Comic Anthology
All month long, some of the local “Destroy the Brain!” writers including myself, will be taking a look at the frights, scares, and events that are happening right here in our home town, St. Louis. The first of such articles is regarding the release of a cool new horror anthology in comic-book form. Spirits of St. Louis is a collection of thirteen scary stories focusing on the city of St. Louis and incorporating many St. Louis artists and writers. The release of the new comic is tomorrow night, Wednesday Oct. 13 from 5:00 – 10:00 at Star Clipper in the “Loop.” Read on for more info on the event and how this ghastly collection of comics came about.
Spirits of St. Louis is a work from a local group called “Ink and Drink Comics”. What began as a group that simply sat around local bars, putting back a couple of rounds, interjecting some creative ideas, and discussing the highs and lows of the comic industry, quickly turned into a springboard for a new project. As the story on the group’s website goes: One of the attendees asked, “What would everybody think of doing an anthology of horror stories focusing on St. Louis or showcasing local creators?” Six or seven rounds later, many of the other attendees, with characteristic eloquence, responded, “Huh?” Now after all of the hard work of over 20 different artists and writers, Spirits of St. Louis is set to rise up to scare local horror readers. Included in the anthology is a story that follows a repairman working at the Lemp Mansion while another is more of a horror/comedy involving a giant tentacled beast. The collection seems to have a little bit for everyone. In a recent interview with Jon Scorfina, one of the contributors, he stated, ” The second anthology, tentatively titled Shots in the Dark, will be a crime anthology with a planned release of March 2011, with a third Science Fiction anthology planned for later that year.” Star Clipper, who is known for selling everything from Robert Kirkman’s Walking Dead to the work of the local comic artisit living up the street from you, will host the event at their store which is located at 6392 Delmar in University City, MO. At the release, many of the local contributors to the book will be available for comments and autographs. Also, in the spirit of the “Ink and Drink” tradition … there will be free beer.
Keep checking back all month long for other horror events happening all over St. Louis.
Michael Haffner
Somewhere between growing up on a steady diet of Saturday morning trips to the local comic-book shop, collecting an unhealthy amount of action figures, and frequent viewings of Ray Harryhausen and Hammer Horror films, came forth a nerdy boy that was torn between journalism and the arts. In high school, Michael found himself writing a movie column for the school newspaper. Yet, he went on to get a BFA in Studio Art at Webster University. When not writing about films, you can still find him discussing classic horror, collecting action figures, and reading Batman. Clearly, not much has changed.