Marc Bowker

Happy birthday, little Jason Vorhees! Born Friday June 13th, 1946. The only deranged monster whose birthday we should be celebrating this weekend. And sure as shit not with a military parade. #Fridaythe13th #NoKings

Sad to hear that comic book writer Peter David has passed away. His 12 year run on The Incredible Hulk was epic! And his contribution to Marvel comics during his lengthy career cannot be overstated. He was one of us, and he will be missed.

That last part.

And delivered by the best possible character to do it.

Super7 just laid off staff in 16 states. They blame one thing: tariffs.

Game publishers are adding tariff surcharges. Apple’s being threatened with a 25% tariff unless they move iPhone production to the U.S.

This isn’t smart trade policy—it’s chaos.

💸 Tariffs I’ve paid so far: $1,864.

"I want to be clear that this reduction in staff is a direct result of the tariffs applied to our industry. The preceding six months before the tariff announcement had been Super7’s best since the inception of the company nearly 24 years ago. Then the landscape changed overnight."

Age limits. Term limits.

CNN has become HSN for Tapper’s book. This is just embarrassing.

Vietnam desperately wants Trump’s 46% tariffs lifted. They offered to reduce tariffs on US to zero, but that really won’t do much to change the trade deficit that Trump’s obsessed with. So they did this and approved Musk’s Starlink. Now expect a deal soon on tariffs for Vietnam.

The Painted Porch bookstore blew me away—from the Stoic virtues and Rage Against the Machine lyrics on the windows, to the epic book tower at the center of the store, to the warm, welcoming staff. It exceeded my already high expectations.

How Stoicism hides in your favorite superhero stories | Marc Bowker | TEDxFaurotPark What if the villains we’re really fighting aren’t out there—but in here?  Anxiety. Depression. Self-doubt. In my TEDx talk, I reveal how the ancient wisdom of the Stoics and the modern mythology of superheroes helped me face those battles—and how you can become the hero of your own story. Marc Bowker is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience as the owner of Alter Ego Comics, an award-winning comic book store located in downtown Lima, Ohio. With deep expertise in comic retail, he has helped shape the local and national comic book community, offering valuable insights into building a successful and sustainable business in the niche world of comics. As a certified Heroic Coach, workshop instructor & speaker, he specializes in guiding small business owners to increase their energy, productivity, and connection. Drawing from personal experience living with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder after a nervous breakdown in 2016, Marc is dedicated to helping fellow entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of mental health while achieving peak performance in both business and life. He and his wife, Angie, live in Lima and have three children. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

If you liked Thunderbolts, then you’ll like my Ted Talk about anxiety, Stoics, and superheroes bit.ly/4cEFMpD

Out today for #NCBD:

⚔️ Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1
🤖 Energon Universe Special 2025
🚙 Transformers #20
🚗 Transformers Vol. 3

Head to your local comic book shop and pick them up now!

Started / Going

When Grace Clements walked across the stage at her university’s commencement ceremony this week, she leaped onto the school president and gave him a giant bear hug — bringing him straight to the ground.

Jim Clements, the president of Clemson University, is Grace Clements’s father. wapo.st/4d9Md42

First printing available at @alteregocomics.bsky.social

Zero ships from China are bound for California’s top ports. Officials haven’t seen that since the pandemic | CNN Business On Friday morning, West Coast port officials told CNN about a startling sight: Not a single cargo vessel had left China with goods for the two major West Coast ports in the past 12 hours. That hasn’t ...

On Friday morning, not a single cargo vessel had left China with goods for the two major West Coast ports in the past 12 hours. That hasn’t happened since the pandemic.

Six days ago, 41 vessels were scheduled to depart China for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. On Friday, it was zero. ZERO.

When does the winning start? Wars are still raging in Ukraine & Gaza, a new war has broken out w/India-Pakistan, we’re bombing Yemen, allies & trading partners hate us, economic growth is negative, prices are going up, Iran is close to a nuke, and now they’re talking martial law.

I urge you to listen to this podcast. Fact & history-based look at where our country is, how it got here, and where it could be going.

Thank you, sir!

Time for another round of Tariff Talk—because when your government is actively working against you, you speak up.

NPR invited me to share my story earlier this week n.pr/3YCFh9I.

The Trump tariffs against China - imposed due to "unfair trade practices" - have so far cost my small business $1093.

Time for another round of Tariff Talk—because when your government is actively working against you, you speak up.

NPR invited me to share my story earlier this week n.pr/3YCFh9I.

The Trump tariffs against China - imposed due to "unfair trade practices" - have so far cost my small business $1093.

Trump's tariffs are showing up in Americans' receipts Small businesses are scrambling to figure out the cost of tariffs. Most are passing on some of the cost to American customers.

Thanks to @npr.org for featuring me in this interview n.pr/3YCFh9I

Grateful to Business Insider for sharing how Trump Tariffs are impacting my small business.

How Stoicism hides in your favorite superhero stories | Marc Bowker | TEDxFaurotPark What if the villains we’re really fighting aren’t out there—but in here?  Anxiety. Depression. Self-doubt. In my TEDx talk, I reveal how the ancient wisdom of the Stoics and the modern mythology of superheroes helped me face those battles—and how you can become the hero of your own story. Marc Bowker is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience as the owner of Alter Ego Comics, an award-winning comic book store located in downtown Lima, Ohio. With deep expertise in comic retail, he has helped shape the local and national comic book community, offering valuable insights into building a successful and sustainable business in the niche world of comics. As a certified Heroic Coach, workshop instructor & speaker, he specializes in guiding small business owners to increase their energy, productivity, and connection. Drawing from personal experience living with anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder after a nervous breakdown in 2016, Marc is dedicated to helping fellow entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of mental health while achieving peak performance in both business and life. He and his wife, Angie, live in Lima and have three children. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

🚨My TEDx Talk is now LIVE on the official TEDx Talks YouTube channel! 🎤🔥

“How Stoicism hides in your favorite superhero stories.”

🎥 Watch it here: bit.ly/4cEFMpD
👍 If it resonates, give it a like.
💬 Leave a comment to let me know your biggest takeaway.

Study links heavy drinking to brain injuries, Alzheimer’s The researchers found that heavy drinkers had 133 percent higher odds of developing vascular brain lesions than those who never drank.

Consuming more than eight alcoholic drinks a week is associated with brain injuries linked to Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, a recent study in the journal Neurology suggests.

Beneath the Trees is so freaking good! It’s the top selling graphic novel of 2025 at @alteregocomics.bsky.social.

I’m a Soybean Farmer Who Voted for Trump. I’m Begging the President to End the Trade War. The tariffs on China could put us out of business by 2027. All our blood, sweat, and toil could vanish with the stroke of a pen.

www.thefp.com/p/im-a-soybe...