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May 3rd could be the busiest day on your social calendar…if it weren’t also finals season. So here are at least 3 ongoings around St. Louis we meant to write about (and one more we already have) but haven’t gotten around to during finals.

• Webster University will be hosting a Global Ecology Conference, which looks a lot more interesting than that sounds. Starting at 10am learned people will be giving lecture until 5pm, including visiting professor Kumar who has organized the conference. Or you can skip class and show up for vegetarian dinner with local eats, cocktail, and famous vegan and Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich. The whole day is only $15 for students (free for Webster Students) or $25 for the general public.
• Some enterprising business folk have organized a fiesta on Cherokee Street so that we can celebrate Cinco de Mayo (on the 3rd of May). And a couple other spots around town will be hanging up pinatas and serving cervesa this Saturday.
• Free Comic Book Day is on Saturday. Check the site for the closest participating store near you, but we would suggest running but Star Clipper in the Delmar Loop, who will host live appearances by a pair of superheros. And while you’re there, be sure to check out the display from the 3rd annual Munny Show and pick up your free comic book.
• Kinematifest, Webster University’s first animation and interactive media festival.  Films will be screened almost immediately following that Ecology Conference Dinner

Keep up with local events, even when we don’t have time to write about them - subscribe the 61revised.com events calendar.

So it’s really nothing like that, but the Wash U’s Kemper Art Museum (Skinker and Forsyth) is hosting a showcase of Korean comics. From their description:

Korean Comics: A Society through Small Frames features works by twenty-one of North and South Korea’s most talented cartoonists, drawn from the 1950s to the 1990s. On display in the Museum’s Teaching Gallery, this collection of comics provides a decade-by-decade glimpse at the evolving social realities in contemporary Korea, ranging from popular children’s entertainment to aggressive forms of political commentary.   

  The exhibit is open until December 17th, so take your time. If you want company, I’m planning on going fairly soon. 

This Saturday, Star Clipper will host an evening with three legendary (legendary if you’re in to that sort of thing) cartoonists: Peter Bagge, Jim Blanchard and Johnny Ryan. The three are the creators of Hate, Trucker Fags in Denial and Angry Youth Comix, respectively.

If those titles don’t sound appealing or familiar, it’ll help to know that Bagge is most famous for his character Buddy Bradley (pictured above) who appeared in Hate. Bagge has also drawn comics for MAD and the Weekly World News.

Bagge is legendary, but Blanchard and Ryan both deserve serious credit for their outstanding work. The cartoons the three produce are often cynical, abrasive, sarcastic and grotesque. They’re also hilarious. (But, obviously not for everyone)

The evening starts at seven and will be a gallery reception of sorts, with the cartoonists showing off drawings, paintings, books and toys.

Star Clipper is located in the Delmar Loop, just west of Rag-O-Rama.

Although you wouldn’t have learned about it reading their blog, we just got notice that Star Clipper is having a one-day 20% sale today, August 14th.  Why?  They seem to think it’s because it’s too damn hot to get us customers in there doors; according to their message -

Come in to Star Clipper today, August 14th, and get 20% off books, comics and magazines! Finally, global warming is paying off!!
There’s no better way to keep cool than with great savings. Just be sure to mention this message! Sorry, not combinable with any other offer.

Could be a good way beat the heat as their site suggests, but those less interested in comics, graphic art, manga, etc available at this UCity mainstay might still try our previous tips out instead.  But for those of you brave enough to fight off a heat index over 100 degrees, we suggest you keep your cool this afternoon inside the store as long as possible.

Just because you couldn’t get a date to Nerd Prom this weekend doesn’t mean you have to get stood up.  St. Louis is having it’s own comic convention of sorts, albeit a little more comic centric. 

The Spector Club Comic Show, now in its 30th year of operation, has it’s next show this Sunday, July 29th from 10:00am-2:30pm at the American Legion Post #111 in Shrewsberry.  There you’ll find sci-fi collectible, toys, and of course a large selection of collectible comic books to buy/sell/trade.  To say nothing of all the new friends you’re sure to make who won’t look at you funny when you’re making a joke about the Tick.

And while it may have slipped under our radar in the past, this ongoing show series has more dates coming up, which can be found on the STLcomics.com blog .  More info on the event can be found on the Upcoming event page for the show as well as in the Highway 61 Upcoming group.

Call it flattery, call it plagiarism, but I’m pulling a Hurst and starting my own weekly feature.

Every week I will scour music blogs (who scour the net) to find the best in free aural goodness. I will then post a link here on Thursday.

This week’s Song of the Week (or SOTW as the cool kids will no doubt be calling it) comes from cartoon mastermind James Kochalka and his band James Kochalka Superstar. This mp3 is posted on his homepage, which also features a semi-regulary podcast and a daily comic strip. (If you haven’t heard of Kochalka and his diary strips, visit the site)

So, without further adieu, I present Hwy61’s first ever SOTW, James Kochalka Superstar’s “When Frampton Comes Alive.”.

I’m a firm believer that graphic literature has a bum rap in society. Sure, Time Magazine did put Watchmen on one of their ‘best novels ever’ type of lists, but that seemed more like stuffy editors saying “Look how cool we are!” than serious critics giving an art form the respect it deserves.

If you agree and are looking for some more like-minded individuals, head over to on July 13th to see Scott McCloud. McCloud is touring to promote his third book, the wondeful, Making Comics but will answer whatever questions you throw at him from 4-7pm.

McCloud has written some of the best comic analysis ever, so come to learn and bring your favorite stuffy editor along with you.

This isn’t really a St. Louis story, but there are a lot of BPs around here, and there are a lot of comics readers, too.

This morning, I turned on the TV and saw this ad for BP:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rklKyFMUME]

Cute? Yes. But it looked familiar.

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