ITEM #1: ZOMBIEMANIA INVADES GEM! This week, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum hosted the official US launch of my book, Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For, co-authored with our own GEM Registrar and fellow zombie movie fan Andrew Hershberger. On Thursday, October 4, from 6pm-9pm, GEM offered free admission to the museum and some Halloween-themed munchies. Both authors were in attendance – well, why wouldn’t we be really, this is where we work after all – to sign books and chat about the undead. It was also a great excuse to get a jump on the fall schedule and start celebrating Halloween early.

But the spooky fun will go on, and GEM is the place to find it! October means one thing to me and many others out there in pop culture-land – Halloween – and that makes this month just about the best time to pay tribute to all things character-based, creepy, comic-y and probably collectible, too. With everyone contemplating costumes from Spider-Man to Captain Jack to a can of beer (I can’t stand ‘inanimate object’ costumes, but I figured I’d throw one in there for verisimilitude), surely the home of “pop culture with character” is one of the best places to visit this month, especially on the most important night of all, October 31st! Costumes are always encouraged!

As for Zombiemania, Andy and I will also be promoting the book in Pittsburgh as part of the big Zombie Fest convention near the legendary Monroeville Mall – site of George Romero’s original Dawn of the Dead – on October 27-28, 2007. We’ll probably be doing a couple other signings in the Maryland area shortly, and of course you can keep up with everything book-related at www.zombiemania.com. Tell ‘em Bub sent ya. 

OK, the commercials are over for this week, you can look again.

*  *  *

ITEM #2: Steve Meyer, comic book collector and all-around nice guy, dropped by GEM recently to reclaim two of his cherished Victorian Age comic books that had been on loan to us for the first year of our existence. The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck (1842) and Journey to the Gold Diggins by Jeremiah Saddlebags (1849), both of which resided in the Victorian/Platinum Age case in our comic book gallery, “The Story of Four Colors,” are now safely back in his care. It’s just one of many instances of fellow comic book aficionados and collectors taking part in this vast project of showcasing and promoting the history of American pop culture. We’re proud to have featured Meyer’s books here at the museum, and this is a good opportunity to mention how glad we are to have the support of so many dedicated collectors that have offered their collectibles, research, and support to enhance our exhibition. If you’ve visited GEM before, or even a few times before, you’ll want to come back soon and see some of the changes throughout the museum as we rotate items in the various galleries and welcome new additions to the exhibition from previous and new lenders. As we enter our second year, things are going to get more interesting.

That sort of became a commercial again, but it’s hard to avoid. 

*  *  *

Don’t forget to

Visit Geppi’s EntertainmentMuseum online at www.geppismuseum.com

or in person at 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201 or call (410) 625-7060