Kirk Kiefer

My full set of custom-bound Wally West Flash books. Includes all...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:04:00 -0400

My full set of custom-bound Wally West Flash books. Includes all annuals, one-shots, and cross-overs. Why wait on DC when you can bind books yourself?

Here’s a video my girlfriend shot from Nez’s first...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:44:05 -0400

Here’s a video my girlfriend shot from Nez’s first show of his 2013 tour, of “Some of Shelly’s Blues.” We had cabaret seats so were right up by the stage. I’m still in shock.

Solo Show This Thursday

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:06:37 -0400

This Thursday, March 14, I will be doing one of my rare solo shows. Like, Bigfoot rare.

It will take place at The Bard’s Town, 1801 Bardstown Road. Door is $5 and the show will start at 8:00.

Also on the bill is my buddy Lance Whalen, coming all the way from Nashville. The man knows his way around a tune, I can guarantee you that.

I’ll be throwing out some new tunes, as well stuff from Sailing Stones and some Yardsale chestnuts, maybe a cover or two if I feel frisky. After not having played a show since my release show back in the Fall, I’m pretty psyched to get back out there.

So come one, come all, and have yourselves a good time. If Lance or I can’t do it for you, there’s booze there so you’ll have no excuses.

Today’s reading material. And probably tomorrow’s,...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:30:10 -0500

Today’s reading material. And probably tomorrow’s, Wednesdays, and many further days.

life-death-doughnuts: kirkkiefer: My recently-received...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:59:55 -0500

life-death-doughnuts:

kirkkiefer:

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books. Love ‘em!

Holy crap where did you get these I need them in my life

I had my single issues bound and made custom covers for them. See my reply here: http://kirkkiefer.com/post/42318656633/schnickledooger-wafflesforstephanie

Glad you like them!

shigekijkp: kirkkiefer: My recently-received collection of...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:59:02 -0500

shigekijkp:

kirkkiefer:

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books. Love ‘em!

How the heck did this happen… EXPLAIN PLEASE? :D I would LOVE to own Young Justice bound and collected like such!

I had my single issues bound at a bindery - see my post here: See my reply here: http://kirkkiefer.com/post/42318656633/schnickledooger-wafflesforstephanie

I was looking into having some of my old 90's Superboy comics bond, but I am curious as to how much of the page is lost in the binding process. If there is a 2 page spread (or dialogue close to the edge) will there be an odd missing section? Or am I over thinking this and the difference isn't very noticeable?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:20:30 -0500

It depends on what type of binding you go for, but even using oversewn (which has the most gutter loss) you’d be okay more than likely. I use oversewn for my books and it’s not an issue at all. Some binderies can do DFA binding, which is a very strong glue (much stronger than typical trade paperbacks) which has less gutter loss than oversewn. If you don’t plan to remove any ads or have loose pages you can have them smythe sewn as well, which has less gutter loss than oversewn too but is a bit more expensive. I highly recommend checking out the FAQ thread on the Uncollected Editions board for some examples: http://marvelmasterworksfansite.yuku.com/topic/8900/Comic-book-binding-FAQ#.URUV8FrHcVw

But as I said, I go with oversewn and have not had any problems. If you’re interested I can post some pics from some of my other binds that are oversewn.

You can also choose to have your books untrimmed (where the bindery does shave the edges of the pages to be even) if you’re really worried about losing text, but I know at Herring and Robinson Book Binders, who I use, they won’t trim the edge if it would cut off text, but it has never been an issue for me and I’ve had quite a few books bound at this point (25 or so now.)

How much total cost does something like your Young Justice set come out to (sans comics)? Because it costs more for custom covers and the like, correct? Plus shipping books off and everything. I had no idea this was a thing so I'm legitimately blown away. This is so so cool! I've wanted to have Robin properly collected for ages.

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 10:36:12 -0500

I also got tired of waiting for DC to collect certain books, and since Chuck Dixon and DC are on the outs, I figured it would be a long time, if ever, before any kind of Robin omnibus happened. I had all the individual issues, and then I saw someone post a custom bound book of Secret Six and next thing I knew, I was binding all my back issues. I’ve done the Wally West Flash run, Cass Cain Batgirl, tons of Batman, and have all of the first volume of Birds of Prey ready to roll too.

As far as cost, they come out to be about $30 a book once you factor in shipping and stuff. At Herring and Robinson they charge $18.50 per book with custom cover and shipping is usually $5 or so a book to ship back to me. I go to Kinkos to print the table of contents pages and for a full-color standard laser sheet it’s like $.60 a page. When I ship packages to the bindery I use Fedex and insure the books. It’s more expensive than MediaMail but I trust FedEx not to lose my packages, especially with the insurance. But that’s personal preference really, you could do MediaMail from USPS and get a tracking number and it’d be cheaper. ANYWAY, I just shipped 10 books and it came out to $45 so it’s about $5 a book, if not a little less. $18.50 + $10 shipping (to and from the bindery) and $1.50 for the TOC = $30.

It actually ends up being cheaper for the custom covers. Where the cost of bound books gets really high is in the stamping and text if you’re getting leather or buckram, like in this pic:

With a custom cover you don’t have to worry about any of that. Since money is a consideration for me, the fact that custom covers were cheaper was enticing, plus I felt books like the above, while nice looking, resemble encyclopedias more than comics (though you could always make your own dust jackets for them if you wanted.) Again, it’s personal preference.

Sorry this ended up being so long :) It’s become a really fun hobby for me and I love talking about it so feel free to keep using the ask box if you decide to take the plunge. Lord knows I had a zillion questions when I first got going.

myleswillsaveus: elfgrove: kirkkiefer: herophile: kirkkiefer:...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 08:31:00 -0500

myleswillsaveus:

elfgrove:

kirkkiefer:

herophile:

kirkkiefer:

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books. Love ‘em!

Where. Did. You. Get. These?!

And where can I find them!??!

I made them. Got all the single issues and tie-ins etc, the Sins of Youth trade, and sent them to a bindery. Many binderies that bind comics let you custom-design covers, as I did here. It’s a lot of fun and super-addictive, and you end up with not only a cooler looking collection but also a much easier to read collection.

This is pretty smart. (On the assumption you don’t intend to try to ever resell the issues as collector pieces.) It’s a bit tempting to look into doing the same to mine.

Yeah, I’m reading in to it, since the likelihoods of getting this, the entire run of Impulse, and a huge chunk of Robin ever printed. However, it definitely seems like an investment. No super expensive, but not easy peasy either.

The way I look at it, modern comics are most -likely never going to increase in value, due to high print runs and the increasing popularity of digital comics, so ruining their collector value isn’t a concern for me. Plus, you end up with a one-of-a-kind collectible; I’d be shocked if I put these on ebay and didn’t get more money than I’d get for just the individual issues bagged and boarded.

As far as getting into binding, the Uncollected Editions message board is an amazing resource:

http://marvelmasterworksfansite.yuku.com/forums/2

Their FAQ thread answers a lot of questions. The books above are oversewn and have as many ads removed as I could, plus custom made table of contents pages with custom covers. The process is basically going through each book and removing staples, ads, and back covers, getting them in order, and sending them to the bindery. The bindery gives me the dimensions of the cover/spine so I can make the art, which I send to them, and that’s about it. Cost is about $20 a book. I use Herring and Robinson and they are phenomenal and do a lot of comic binding so are super-familiar with the process. Their site is here - http://www.herringandrobinsonbookbinders.com/html/comic_books.html

And I’m happy to answer any questions.

I just sent my Robin books off (one bind of pre-ongoing stuff, two volumes of Chuck Dixon, and one of Jon Lewis) and will post pics when those come back too.

2014supernova: wafflesforstephanie: kirkkiefer: My...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:40:32 -0500

2014supernova:

wafflesforstephanie:

kirkkiefer:

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books. Love ‘em!

:O

(when we’re these released?)

THESE EXIST?!?!?!?!?! ASFGJHJKL

They exist at my house only :) See my reply here: http://kirkkiefer.com/post/42318656633/schnickledooger-wafflesforstephanie

But seriously, book binding is a blast and easy to get into, there are lots of great resources out there. I’m happy to answer any questions.

schnickledooger: wafflesforstephanie: kirkkiefer: My...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:38:47 -0500

schnickledooger:

wafflesforstephanie:

kirkkiefer:

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books. Love ‘em!

:O

(when we’re these released?)

Dude, where I can buy these? Are they on Amazon?

Unfortunately you can’t just go buy these on Amazon- they are custom-bound books I had made. I took all the single issues, tie-ins, the Sins of Youth TPB etc. and had them bound at a bindery. I designed the covers and table of contents for the books (well, the second volume I just nicked the Sins of Youth art and modified it a bit). Pretty sweet huh?

It’s a very addicting hobby, and it makes your comics look sweet and they’re easier to read than dealing with long boxes and taking single issues out of their sleeves etc.

I have had quite a few other books done (and have plenty more prepped and waiting to go to the bindery, including a six book set of the first volume of Birds of Prey!), here are some pics:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100336136112714.2365048.38303542&type=1&l=5d7df83b17

herophile: kirkkiefer: My recently-received collection of...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:57:19 -0500

herophile:

kirkkiefer:

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books. Love ‘em!

Where. Did. You. Get. These?!

And where can I find them!??!

I made them. Got all the single issues and tie-ins etc, the Sins of Youth trade, and sent them to a bindery. Many binderies that bind comics let you custom-design covers, as I did here. It’s a lot of fun and super-addictive, and you end up with not only a cooler looking collection but also a much easier to read collection.

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books....

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:46:00 -0500

My recently-received collection of Young Justice bound books. Love ‘em!

EDIT: Getting lots of questions where these can be purchased- unfortunately you can’t, they are one of a kind custom-bound books. I took all the single issues, tie-ins, the Sins of Youth TPB etc. and had them bound at a bindery. I designed the covers and table of contents for the books (well, the second volume I just nicked the Sins of Youth art and modified it a bit). Pretty sweet huh? You can do this yourself though!

It’s a very addicting hobby, and it makes your comics look sweet and they’re easier to read than dealing with long boxes and taking single issues out of their sleeves etc.

I have had quite a few other books done (and have plenty more prepped and waiting to go to the bindery, including a six book set of the first volume of Birds of Prey!), here are some pics:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100336136112714.2365048.38303542&type=1&l=5d7df83b17

Just another day at the post office

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 12:37:42 -0500

I just had quite the post office experience. I was standing in line with 12 other people while the single employee (who has only been working there for two weeks) was seemingly trying as hard as she possibly could to set new records for absolutely, painfully slow service even for postal employee standards. “Jack and Diane” was playing on the PA, just to make things more hellish.

While I was waiting, a woman walked in, ignored the line, and began asking the postal worker about picking up a package. The worker, who clearly could barely handle working the computer, let alone do that and talk to some random customer yelling questions at her, said she’d have to ask someone else, thankfully trying to blow off the woman. The woman then began just talking aloud to anyone, saying the email she got said it was from “FedEx” but the message said to “pick up your package at the nearest post office.”

Now, at this point it already occurred to me that maybe this woman had just gotten a spam email with a virus attached, but surely no one is dumb enough to get an email like that and go to the post office trying to get a package, right? I pushed the thought away.

Someone in line asked the woman if she could just ask the sender whether the package was sent USPS or FedEx and the woman replied “No, I don’t think so”, which again made me think “surely… this woman was expecting a package and received an email about it…”

Then the woman was just standing there, talking to whoever would listen. The postal worker asked her zip code and after hearing it was 40204, explained that maybe she needed to go to the downtown or St Matthews branch. The woman said she’d already been downtown and was told to come here (the Highlands branch). She continued to just stand there, ignoring the fact that everyone else was waiting in line. She said she’d gotten three emails. “They were in my trash” she said to no one in particular.

At that point I finally had to ask “did you actually order anything?”

She replied “I’ve ordered stuff before.” As if, you know, because she had ordered something online ten years ago it explained why she’d begin receiving random emails from “FedEx” over the past week. But then added “but nothing recently.”

OH MY GOD. I’ve met some stupid people, but to get spam emails purporting to have tracking numbers and to ACTUALLY GO TO MULTIPLE POST OFFICES to get non-existent packages? That is… I had and have no idea how to put into words that idiocy involved.

“They’re fake,” I said to her, incredulous. Trying to find a way to get her to convince her, I added, “How could some random person at fedex know your email address based on your mailing address?” She just kind of stuttered until another woman spoke up saying “I’ve gotten those emails too. They just have viruses attached.” The woman just looked around and left.

But some good came from this - next time I have to explain to a customer at my day job how easy it is to tell a fake fedex or USPS email from a real one, I will just remember that at least they aren’t dumb enough to just wander from post office to post office trying to pick up packages. I can only imagine how much money this woman has sent off to Nigerian princes.

Here we go, it’s a new year and a new episode of Sampler!...

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:45:00 -0500

Here we go, it’s a new year and a new episode of Sampler! This is the big season finale, full of plot twists and scary things and whatnot. Oh my god, the whatnot.

You can also view it on youtube.

cogitamusergosum: Movie Pitch for Home Alone 5: It’s 2018, and...

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:24:27 -0500

cogitamusergosum:

Movie Pitch for Home Alone 5:

It’s 2018, and Kevin McCallister is a tired man in his mid-thirties. He’s spending this Christmas at home, alone again, because he’s alienated his family and never made any meaningful connections with other human beings. When he learns that Harry and Marv have reformed and are being released from prison, he concocts a plan to lure them to his home and fret them with a series of cunning traps. Kevin’s goal is to make them angry enough that they’ll finally kill him.

"Call Home" among Louisville Magazine's top local songs

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:24:00 -0500

"Call Home" among Louisville Magazine's top local songs:

Yep, WFPK DJ Marion Dries named “Call Home” among her choices for top local song in this month’s Louisville magazine. Neato! Click the link above to check that out.

So feel free to pick up a copy of the album on bandcamp or CDBABY or iTunes or, if you feel like shopping locally, at Matt Anthony’s Record Shop. It makes a great gift for yourself or someone you like… or hate. It’s pretty all-purpose, really.

Yes, after a three month hiatus, Sampler returns! Picking up...

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:10:00 -0500

Yes, after a three month hiatus, Sampler returns! Picking up where Ep.2 left off, Ted rises from a pile of drum equipment like a phoenix rising from Arizona, with a weird (and comedically convenient) sort of amnesia. Colin documents.

You can also watch it on YouTube

Coming soon: new episodes of Sampler! Yes, Sampler, your...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:30:34 -0500

Coming soon: new episodes of Sampler! Yes, Sampler, your favorite web series that you haven’t yet found the time to watch. What is Sampler, specifically?

Well, that’s a tough one. Sampler stars Colin Garcia and Ted Stevens as themselves. It follows the unlikely path they take as they try to prepare for the release of a new album. You see their ups, their downs, their fights, their hugs… it’s got it all, really. There’s comedy, music, shenanigans, and pirates!

To be blunt, it’s a comedy series in the style of, well, maybe if Tim and Eric directed This Is Spinal Tap? Maybe? Maybe not? If Tim Burton directed My Little Pony? If David Simon wrote an episode of Meerkat Manor?

Anyway, there are three episodes and counting, so please, get caught up, share the laughter, and come back for more SAMPLER.

Kirk and Colin talk Yardsale, weird news, and more

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:05:56 -0400

Kirk and Colin talk Yardsale, weird news, and more:

Kirk and Colin were guests this past weekend on Louisville Music and Comedy weekly. Tunes are played, things are discussed, and tables are bumped.