a big hit in the comics/zine department at HBML has been the first three issues of BULLSHIT FRANK AND GORILLA JOE, a zine by the inimitable MICKEY ZACHILLI. unlike a lot of “independent” comics / zines you find nowadays, this comic is neither a bunch of telephone doodles you’re trying to pass off as spirtuality, or just a non-story about a tiny dude walking around in a weird land. gorilla joe is a beard with sunglasses, and bullshit frank is an excitable nouveau hairstyle with st:tng bumps on his nose. together they form a friendship full of quips and funny ideas, and then there’s another character that is akin to the holy ghost. all of this is drawn in a great scribbly style with screen printed covers (in truly disgusting color combos).
despite the zine format, BSF&GJ is a newspaper-style comic strip- each page is it’s own standalone piece, sometimes playing into a larger narrative, sometimes not. not to be over-analyzing here, but all together, the effect is a good look at a great friendship, told over a long time, in infinitesimal glimpses. and like all good comic strips, there is the wonderful constancy: as dagwood still collides with the mailman, gorilla joe smokes endless cigarettes, bullshit frank continues to low-level pester, and the path of the hurricane can be charted by the location of birdeyes (currently in the kitchen). oh, and even though it’s obnoxious to make references all the time, check out the cameo in that last link by kazuo umezu’s cat-eyed boy
, aka the best comic book character ever!!! mickey doesn’t quite go the horror route, but there is a satisfying menace to it all, or animal-like ambivalence.
visit mickey’s webiste, read her comics online, buy the comics from your stupid desk, sleep over at her house and wake up with a drooly cat sitting on your actual wig.



our pal jenine bressner was recently featured on the “CNN money” webiste, pretty funny if you know her at all. the article’s OK, but the picture (above) is the best, with that “criminal” lighting and clearly communicated apprehension.
jenine is a glass artíste, a craftsperson par excellance, and boy oh boy is she a talker and a hugger and a person who walks up to you and shakes you and you’re like “whoa! ok!”. needless to say, she’s been a big emotional support for us since years ago, and she’s always herself and it always works– GOD BLESS. there’s a decenter interview here, her own webiste is here, and her photostream (with cuter pictures) is here.
yaay jenine!


HBML exclusive! each order gets 2 bandanas: one pink, one grey. $10
SOLD OUT!!!!!!
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Clarice >> 22
t-shirt >> Salted Slug
Skirt >> ReGenE
Scarf >> Scarf City
Glasses >> New Wage
Point of fashion >> spring hero
Current Obsession >> Hero Cliks

Tennis Dreyfus >> 24
Jacket >> Jon Dhoe
Skirt >> Valid Joint
Shoes >> Devoe Flow Train
Hat >> Den of Equippage
Point of fashion >> chaotic good
Current obsession >> Drug Traffic

Tadashi>> 22
Jumpsuit>> Phone Book
Tie>> gift from my ex-aunt
Glasses>> Smeg Head
Hat>> Wet Boxing Holiday
Point of fashion>> working rabbit
Current obsession>> waiting
also:
1, 2, 3, 4.
so, last saturday, in celebration of our expanded clothing room, we had an open call fashion shoot at the store. little andrew set up hot lights, backdrops, and berets, and even though it was raining really hard, a good crowd of folks came out to participate, picking out excellent outfits and struttin’ they stuff. i’ll be dishing them out over the next few days…

Kaori>> 19
shoes>> Vivienne Westwood
pants>> at Underpant Stuffers
hat>> Beanie Babies
vest>> at Vested Interest
point of fashion>> plastic chicken aperture
current obsession>> typewriters
1,
2,
3.
it’s the ass-end of winter, some would say the toughest part. here’s some summer haircut pics to make you insane, from danzig day:

cj gets the haircut from our noble nonunion hairstylist pat scully.
more pictures after the cut:
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