Mike Sterling, Comics Guy

Oh yeah. I can just see those covers.

It's not as if comics haven't centered stories around real life criminals before, but it's safe to note that this is something quite different.

Or it was just the current zeitgeist, who's to say. Mature reader comics with violent content were already part of the marketplace, it's not that big of a jump into utilizing actual, real killers (especially one as notorious as Dahmer).

Eclipse was getting lambasted for these cards long before they were released, probably just based on solicits 'n' promotions, so it's still possible they might have paved the way for Boneyard's entry into the direct market, finding sales via controversy.

Okay, it appears that the first True Crime card set from Eclipse, the one. that got all the negative attention, came out sometime in the first quarter of 1992. Boneyard Press' first comic, a biography of Jeffrey Dahmer, came out just around the same time, maybe a tad later.

Ah, it was ol' Bill on art, I couldn't remember!

I *think* I still have a copy of this in my collection, though I may have sold it early on after opening my shop. I'll have to check.

Eclipse did a lot of "Current Politics" type stuff...I know he did a graphic novel with Alan Moore along these lines, but I can't remember trading cards. But it's been a while, maybe he did!

Coincidentally, I had Googled the name of one of the guys responsible for these kinds of books just a few days ago, and I was shocked to see he was the same age as me! He was doing these comics when he was in his mid-20s, which, I mean, I guess that's the age to do "edgy" stuff.

Ugh, I remember when that was a whole genre we had to deal with. I think we even passed on ordering a lot of those at the time.

Yeah, that bit on the cover is especially gross.

I need to look back and see what was "Ground Zero" for the lurid serial killer comics/cards in the direct market. I want to say it was the controversy over, and ensuing sales/demand for, the Eclipse Comics "Serial Killer" cards, but I'm just working off 3 1/2 decade-old memories.

A copy of the PSYCHO KILLERS CELEBRITY STALKERS SPECIAL comic (1993) book, featuring several lurid headlines on the front.

I literally gasped when I came across this comic in a pile of books I was processing. Jiminy Christmas, I had successfully forgotten about this thing.

whoops should be "isn't" not "aren't" but thank you for the thematically appropriate response

Uh oh, Vince Gilligan up to his old tricks of making shows a significant portion of the audience aren't prepared to understand?

Just take David Bowie's "Let's Dance," replace every occurrence of the word "dance" with "fart."

...Oh, I'm sorry, the game is "ruin," not "improve," my mistake.

I bought all of these as they came out, including the specials, and I still can't believe there are as few of these as there are. It's a wonderful comic.

Runnin' my mouth off about the shop on local BBSes? That sounds like me.

[busts through wall Kool Aid Man style, with pen and notepad in hand] "I'M HERE FOR MY SCOOP"

Me, getting prepped for surgery on Wednesday:

Nurse: "So what do you do for a living?"

Me: "I own Sterling Silver Comics, a comic book store in Camarillo."

Nurse: "Oh, I should bring my kids by!"

Me: "Absolutely, I've got plenty of comics for kids!"

#alwaysbehustling

An afternoon reminder: today is the 22nd anniversary of my comics blog, and it's your fault for not stopping me: www.progressiveruin.com/2025/12/05/s...

Make America Goofy Again

c'mon Netflix, I'd settle for a mere single billion of dollars if you wanted to buy me out, I'm a bargain

phew been busy all morning, sure hope there hasn't been a giant business merger or anything in the meantime

Why, yes, it *is* the 22nd anniversary of my comics blog, because I just can't seem to stop doing it: www.progressiveruin.com/2025/12/05/s...

Dreamed I got a chastising message at work that said, “You should know the names of all the Muppets,” and someone stuck up for me, saying, “I don’t think this one has a name,” and they attached a picture of like a white Gonzo with no eyes

The shipboard cannons going off in his muscles constantly would keep him awake at night.

I don't know what else the can do, beyond making these two-part stories and telling people to come back for "PART TWO ON SALE IN TWO MONTHS!"

I actually had cataract surgeries a few years back, as after some earlier eye surgeries the cataract format accelerated, so I just went ahead and had those taken care of. What fun!

Ah, no worries, I am taking it Extremely Easy today. I've not seen this particular phenomenon before, but I expect they're working hard on avoiding it with the Superman/Spider-Man crossovers next year.