Excelsior, Star Clipper

Any business that survives 20 years is doing something right, but this is doubly true if the business in question is a comic-book shop. The comic industry has seen a more than a few economic busts wipe out shops nationwide, but the really great stores have managed to stay in business despite the lulls. Star Clipper Comics (6392 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-9110 or www.starclipper.com) is one of those rare, really great shops. And tonight it celebrates two decades of Star Clippin' with its 20th Anniversary Art Show, which features works by fifteen local artists and customers, such as Jenny Cimino, Dan Zettwoch and Nick Main. Owners A.J. and Ben Trujillo honor the past by bringing back the shop's original owners, Sonny and Carol Denbow, so they can be properly feted for their contribution to the store's longevity. And then at midnight on Friday and Saturday (October 3 and 4), Star Clipper presents Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro, one of the more spiritually uplifting anime films, just down the street at the Tivoli. Cat Bus totally rules. Admission to the art show is free, tickets to the movie are $6.50. The art show remains on display through Friday, November 21.
Oct. 3-Nov. 21, 2008