Celebrating two anniversaries
Midweek update: Speeding Bullet Comics and The Posthuman Project celebrate anniversaries this week
Two things that have been a huge part of my life will celebrate anniversaries this weekend.
First, on Friday, Rodeo Cinema is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the theatrical and VOD release of “The Posthuman Project” with a screening as part of its Superhero Weekend.
The film was written by me and "Flash" TV writer Sterling Gates, and directed by Kyle Roberts (“What Rhymes With Reason”). Kyle and I will be on hand for the screening this weekend. You can find out more details here. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday at Rodeo Cinema Stockyards.
Film synopsis: Denny Burke is finally about to graduate high school. Senior year has been one bad thing after another: a broken leg, a broken heart, and — worst of all — a broken home. With four of his closest friends, Denny goes on one last rock-climbing trip to prove he’s ready to start his adult life… On their trip the five teens receive a genetic boost beyond anything they’d ever imagined. Denny’s soon faced with the first big decision of his adult life: does he give up these powers and stay a normal teenager, or does he keep them…and graduate from the human race?
The theatrical release in early 2015 followed the film’s premiere at the deadCenter film festival in 2014, where it was named best Oklahoma film. In May 2015, the film received a VOD release, and it still can be seen on many video-on-demand services.
This was one of the biggest projects I’ve ever been involved with — literally years in the making. I’m still proud of what this cast and crew accomplished. Almost five years prior to that large release, I had been toying with a story called in my notes at the time “The Event.” It featured teens gaining surprising superpowers and the aftermath of that “event.” What started as a germ of an idea to pay homage to the teen superhero stories of my youth, filtered through my own experiences and ideas, was further developed with Kyle and Sterling into what eventually became “The Posthuman Project.” A long list of cast and crew deserve loads of credit for bringing the story to the screen. Many of those in front of and behind the camera have gone on to many successful projects in the years since. I’d love to see anyone who can make it to the screening Friday — and thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to watch the film over the years.
The other anniversary is for something that amazingly has been an even bigger part of my life. We will celebrate 27 years of Speeding Bullet Comics with a June 28 event.
Artists Mario Wytch, Don Rosencrans and S.A. McClung wil join us at the shop, 614 N. Porter Ave. in Norman, OK, for our 27th anniversary signing from noon-3 p.m. Saturday.
These three have supported Speeding Bullet for years, and we’ve been glad to host them multiple times. We’re excited to bring them all in for the 27th anniversary this weekend.
Don and S.A. will sign brand-new comics that they are debuting in 2025.
Mario (“Sister Powers”) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Posthuman Project with us, and will sign The Posthuman Project comic book along with his other titles. (This is also potentially your chance to get a rare “Spur” ashcan signed by Mario & me — I’ve heard from a few people it’s their favorite work of mine.)
Annette and I took over the former Norman Archives and Millennium Books on June 8, 1998. I had worked at the Archives in high school, and it dated back to the early 1990s as first a used bookstore, then a used bookstore/comic shop hybrid. We went into it with the idea to massively expand the graphic novel selection, which we’ve done successfully over the past 27 years, and I think been an important part of people’s lives along the way.
Manager Dan Nash has been part of the Speeding Bullet staff for over 20 years. Currently he and our part-timer Hunter join my kids — Rachel, Remy and Miranda — as the most frequent folks you might see behind the counter.
Come in and make any purchase on Saturday at the shop, and get a small Speeding Bullet Comics logo sticker to decorate your laptop or Stanley Cup or whatever you want to decorate.
We’re very grateful to have been part of the Norman, Oklahoma community for 27 years, and to have made so many great friends as we did what we could to promote reading, literacy, art appreciation and empathy through our small little corner of the world. I’m very grateful to the staff, volunteers, associates and others who have helped us along the way — we’ve been very blessed to interact with some wonderful people. And we couldn’t do it at all without our beloved patrons, who I am more thankful for than you know. Customers are the lifeblood of a retail shop, and I am so grateful for you all.
Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.