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April 1, 2005
 
Purple Earth on Sin City:
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by Eve Marcum-Atkinson
Huntington News Network Writer
 
Huntington (HNN) — Sin City opens today at GHTC's Park Place and the Pullman Square Marquee. As the newest in a successive line of comic book movies, Fan-Addicts across the country ready themselves for more of what they love: collecting. Fan-Addicts, if you don't know, are those who "live the dream" when it comes to their "thang" of interest, whether it be Tim Burton's stop-motion movies, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. Fan-Addicts don't just like or love something, they make it a lifestyle. Comic and Hobbies stores know what to expect when it comes to these avid collectors, and John Horst of Purple Earth Comics is one of the best at being ready for the "Fan Flood".
 
Q: "In preparation for the Movie Sin City, what is Purple Earth doing to be ready for the Fans?"
 
A: "Sin City is Going to Rock", he replied in his best rocker voice. "Heh.. It really is going to be great. Purple Earth is well prepared for the movie. Right now the store is full of merchandise related to the Comic. We have graphic novels, t-shirts, coasters, shot glasses, promotional toe-tags, action figures, etc. And, of course, over the next 4 weeks all the way through April will be the Movie merchandise. They will be releasing brand new posters, action figures, t-shirts, etc." With a note to those Fans who might want to special order a particular something, John says to come by the shop. "There's so much to pick and choose from. I've even got an 18-inch talking Marv."
 
"Yeah, I'm well prepared. And I know that the movie is going to turn a lot of people onto the graphic novel. They're going to want to read it after seeing the movie, Guaranteed. It's going to be hot, and it's going to take a lot of people off-guard. A lot of people are going to go into the movie thinking 'A black and white crime movie... Whatever', but they're going to leave it saying 'Awesome' because it's going to be visually stunning, use black and white with splashes of color, and [have] an excellent cast. It's going to be fantastic."
 
"It's going to show people what comic book movies can be. It's not all super-heros. There were other comic book movies like 'Road to Perdition' and 'Ghost World', but they weren't big enough to show what else a comic book movie can be. But, this will. This is the one we've been waiting for, and it looks exactly like Frank Miller's art work. It looks like each page has been brought to life on the screen."
 
Q: "What other kind of Fan-Addicts merchandise do you expect to have a good draw this summer?"
 
A: "We have a tone of great movies on the way. Fantastic Four, Batman Begins...and the new Tim Burton movie 'Corpse Bride'. All of the 'Nightmare Before Christmas' fans are finally going to be getting a second dose.. and Tim Burton's actually directed it. It's almost going to have that Vincent Price old movie feel along with some 'Nightmare' wackiness. And then there's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'... grim but quirky with loads of colorful bizarre zany imagery and surreal creepiness. We want Burton back in his element and that's what these are going to be, the Burton stuff we love." Q: "Any upcoming events you'd like to let people know about?"
 
A: "May 7th is National Free Comic Day, so come check us out then, but remember it's one day only. Last year we literally had hundreds of people come through the shop on that one day. It was crazy-busy."
 
You can meet John Horst at Purple Earth Comics, located at 1115 4th Ave. in Downtown Huntington, any time between 12-6pm Thursday through Saturday, and 11-7 on Wednesday, or call (304) 697-6120.
 
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