East Side Mags was born on 6/14/2014. According to the Chinese Astrology, one of our lucky numbers is 3 - which is great cuz this is our THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
It also says we were "born" in the year of the Horse so, naturally, we're going to have enough fun to choke one! :)
Since we've hit this legendary 3-year mark, we've decided it's time to up the ante and get in the store exclusive variant game! Lots of publishers offer this for a variety of comics but - like a first tattoo - we wanted it to be meaningful and special to us - before we just go hog-wild and get whatever looks cool.
Our decision happened to be an easy one - GWAR Orgasmageddon #1!
Why such an easy choice?
- Gwar is a kick-ass rock band and everyone knows East Side Mags is all about rock n roll!
- It's written by one of our favorite writers - Matt Miner - who wrote Liberator and Toe Tag Riot - 2 of our favorite Black Mask comics EVER!
- Our store exclusive variant is drawn by Sean Von Gorman - the hardest working man in comics and an the artist behind Toe Tag Riot (see the connection?)
- The comic is lettered by our great friend Taylor Esposito - who has himself lettered something like 400+ comics across a plethora of publishers!
- Lastly - did we mention we LOVE rock n roll?
To celebrate our new-found exclusive variant cover, Taylor Esposito, Matt Miner and Sean Von Gorman will be here in person from 1pm-6pm, signing copies of the East Side Mags exclusive, sketching and talking about rock n roll til you're blue in the face! And we wouldn't have it any other way!
We'll also have PLENTY OF OTHER 3RD BIRTHDAY SURPRISES along the way so stay tuned...
Keeping to our rock n roll theme, we're excited to culminate the day with a kick-ass punk show featuring 2 bands that are near and dear to us:
Thee Volatiles @ 8PM- After a nearly 16 year hiatus, the trailblazing indie rock quartet, Thee Volatiles, which came of age in the late 1980s underground East Village DIY club scene, has been rocking again with disarming energy and intensity. There was never much tawdry glamor with Thee Volatiles; just raw nerves, and thankfully, we can all start scratching that itch once again.
Hollywood Ave Reunion @ 8:45PM - For those who don't know, Jeff was in a band called She Could Be King. His band played a TON of shows with a kick ass rock band called Hollywood Ave from Essex County! Hollywood Ave had an amazing run, playing shows all over the East Coast and a HUGE fan base with their catchy riffs, sing-a-long lyrics and witty banter on stage. They were one of the last remnants of the massive punk scene North Jersey became known about for decades! NOW - they're BACK and better than ever after a brief hiatus as Policemen in Pickups. East Side Mags is PROUD to have HWA back in action and even more proud to bring them to our store for a reunion show unlike any other!