Alright, gang, I’ll keep this short because I still have presents to wrap. . .lol.  Have a very Merry Christmas and I’ll see you in the new year.  As always, thanks for checking out my artwork and thanks for supporting Fright-Rags.  TK

 Greetings from your Shipping Manager.  I hope you guys are having a great holiday, I’m almost done with my Christmas shopping and I couldn’t be happier.  I’d like to say thanks to everyone who purchased our newest Re-Animuppet release last week, I still can’t believe how fast they went.  Keep an eye on your inbox next week for a shipping confirmation as I will be shipping the rest of the orders so that you guys can get them in time for Christmas.  Hopefully, this will add to your Ghoul-tide cheer.  For my drawings this week I went into my vault and pulled out a portrait of Stephen King that I did a few years back.  Being a huge fan of King’s work, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to draw a portrait of him.  One of these days I’ll get around to doing portraits of Lovecraft and Poe.   The other one was a drawing I did about a month ago.  If you like my artwork, feel free to check out my store over at Zazzle where you can get my art on t-shirts, mousepads, stickers, etc.  Here’s the link:  http://www.zazzle.com/kilmerkid  Thanks for checking out my work and, as always, thanks for your support of Fright-Rags.  – TK

Greetings from your shipping manager.  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Here are a couple more sketches for your viewing pleasure, one of them a tribute to legendary horror artist Bernie Wrightson.  I recently picked up a collection of his work from his time at Creepy magazine, what an amazing talent.  The intricacy of his linework and shading never ceases to blow me away.   Keep an eye out next week for our Re-Animuppet release as well as some old favorites.   Have a great weekend and, as always, thank you for your support of Fright-Rags.  – TK

When I was a kid, my favorite time of year was from June-December. Ok, I guess that’s half the year. But I just loved summers (i.e. no school), and that led to fall and of course, Halloween – my favorite time of year. But after that was Thanksgiving and then finally, Christmas. It was like June was the apex of that first giant hill of a roller coaster, and the rest of the year was downhill…wind in your face and all. But like a roller coaster, it was always over before I knew it. And then it was back up that long hill (click, click, click) of January through May before I could experience the rush again.

I was taking a walk with my children today (shown above) and I felt a familiar feeling come over me. The air had a crispness to it that I had not felt in awhile. The sky, brightly lit by the sun, was clearer than before…almost as if it was in high definition. And then I realized what it was. It felt like…September. I could never put my finger on it as a kid, but September always had a “feel” to it. It wasn’t quite summer…but it wasn’t quite autumn either. It was this strange in-between time of transition as one season ended, and another began.

And it was at this moment I took a deep breath of cool air, let the sun shine on my face, and welcomed September. It’s time to let summer go for another year and embrace this change of seasons. An almost seamless transition, one that could pass you by quickly if you don’t stop and take a look around.  Soon the leaves will fully explode into the fiery colors of autumn, and the wind will no longer carry any hint of warmth. The nights will get shorter and then, oh yes, it will be All Hallow’s Eve…. But I will enjoy the transition from summer to autumn while it lasts,  and that’s what September is for.

Do yourself a favor and step out side right now and take a look around. This won’t last much longer. And before you know it, the malls will be jam-packed with ho-ho-holiday cheer. So start now and enjoy this moment…and every moment as we speed down the hill toward the end of the year.

- Ben

Starting Wednesday, June 9, we will be discontinuing over 20 designs as a part of our
“Shirt Massacre” sale.

What’s that you ask?

It’s a semi-annual sale where we will be cutting slaughtering designs on our site. You will only have 5 days to get what is left of these particular shirts, which will be marked down to rock bottom prices. But once the time is up, the designs will expire and taken off the site for good.

How long will I have to get these?
The sale will run from Wednesday, June 9 – Sunday, June 13. Five days…that’s it. And when the time is up, the designs are gone…

What designs will be cut?
You’ll have to wait until Wednesday to find out…

What if you don’t have my size?
Unfortunately we may not have all the sizes in all the designs that are being cut. And since this is remaining inventory, what you see is what you get as they will not be reprinted.

How much will they cost?
You’ll find out on Wednesday. But lets just say that, well, we’re slashing prices on these…

Does that mean all of your designs will eventually get cut?
Yes. Eventually all designs will get the axe. Some may stick around longer than others but since this will be a semi-annual thing, expect designs to get cut more often…

Why are you doing this?
Simple. All good things must come to an end and in order for us to keep concentrating on newer and more kick-ass designs, it’s necessary to let go of the ones that have been around for awhile.

As always, we encourage you to post your thoughts and feedback. So feel free to leave a comment below!

MY OLD LIBRARY

I would spend hours there – looking up information, writing papers, etc. Of course, this was all well before the internet and computers…it was the Dewey decimal system at its finest. But while doing work, I would always wander off to the fiction section and take a look at the books. I was never one for the “young adult” section – I thought those books were lame. No, I wanted cool stuff – adult fiction. And not just any adult fiction – horror.

Even at as early as 8-9 years old, I could be most found in either the occult section or the horror section of books at that library. It was around that time that I heard of Stephen King. It was the mid-80s and King was arguably at the height of his popularity, so his name was everywhere…so were his books. And how beautiful they looked… Cujo with the glistening fangs on the cover, IT, with the hand coming up from the sewer. If the story inside those pages was half as intriguing (and scary) as those images, I wanted it. So most trips to the library ended the same way…a scrawny little kid (myself) walking home with piles (and I do mean piles) of hardcover books. Sometimes I had 8-10 books in one trip – and they were all horror.

Now, if you do the math, I only had about 2 weeks with these books before they were due back to the library. Did I read them? Heck no. Sure, I tried… I would get 10 pages into one, 30 into another, but my attention span would wane if there was no carnage in the first few pages. That’s not to say the stories weren’t good – I’ve since read my fair share of them – but I was just too young to grasp them completely.

What I did mostly was just simply gaze at them. I’d arrange them on my floor and stare at the covers like they were Picassos or Van Goghs. I was so entranced by them and the type of imagery they evoked in my mind (did Cujo really look like that? Was Christine that bad ass of a car?) that they told me the story themselves. It was the idea of the books, and what they had waiting inside that captured me. And it all came from the eye-catching covers that I couldn’t ignore.

Below are some of my favorites from when I was a kid. What about you? Did you have a similar experience? What are some of your favorites? Post your comments below!

It seems to me some of these would look cool on a shirt…

I like to plan at least a few months in advance so we’ve always got designs being worked on. Some have been sitting here for a little while, and others are being worked on right now. I do like to keep things coming out regularly, but I’m also not trying to bombard people every chance I get…I just want a nice flow to how we put new products out.

And while I’m itching to get new designs, we’re actually being held back a bit by forces out of our control. Reprints to current designs been delayed a few weeks because the factory is out of several sizes of the black shirts we need. Apparently it will level off at the end of this month, but until then, things are a bit on hold with our reprints, as well as any new designs being released…well, on black shirts anyway.

With all that going on, I’ve had to shift some things around which is going to make April quite a bit crazier than originally planned. As of right now, we have TWO pretty big events coming up this month. And even though I wouldn’t normally squeeze such unique events into one month, I think it might actually work for the better in some cases as they are focused on two very different crowds.

MONDO COLLABORATION
First up is collaboration with one of my favorite companies – Mondo (www.mondotees.com). If you don’t know them, do yourself a favor and check the link out. Not only do they do some great shirts, but they also put out amazing limited edition screenprinted posters. And when owner Justin Ishmael contacted me about working together, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

The result is a shirt and poster combo that will be sold together on our site. Justin and his crew designed the poster, and I worked with Brandon Minga  (http://brandonminga.com/) on his breathtaking design for the t-shirt….which, for once, is not on black (I can hear the gasps now). It will be sold as a combo (not separate) and limited to 200 shirts/posters. As for what movie we’re basing it on…well, lets just say it has been called “the worst movie of all time”. Plan on it to hit the site around April 13.

ANOTHER EXTREME EDITION
Finally, there is one more very special event we are holding at the end of April. However, this will be an invitation only event – meaning only those on a special list will be notified of the event, and have a chance to order. Why a separate list? Simple. Because I don’t want to bombard those of you who aren’t interested with a series of emails that you don’t care about.

So, be sure to check your inbox on April 23. You will receive instructions on how to get on the list and become a part of this event…and yes, a teaser on what it’s about so you’ll know if you want in or not. If you sign up, then I’ll send you more information. If you don’t sign up, you won’t hear another word from me about it again. If you’re familiar with our past Extreme Editions, then that is what you can expect this time as well…and I’ll leave it at that.

EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK!
Once that is over, I plan on taking a break from some of this crazy stuff and get back to beefing up our main line with some amazing new designs. We’ve got a great mix coming in this next line-up – alot of work from some new artists and, of course, more Zornow! I hope to start putting these out as early as next month.

Earlier this evening, while  I had all the new designs open in Photoshop, I thought I’d take a quick screenshot of them. So go ahead and click the thumbnail image below to enlarge the image for an exclusive sneak peek at new designs!

As always, I want to hear your comments/thoughts/opinions. I enjoy your honesty, so let me know what you think of our crazy month ahead, or the new designs…or whatever is on your mind. Thanks again!

- Ben

WHY NOT USE AMERICAN MADE SHIRTS?
While looking for a new manufacturer, I tried out several brands, a few of which were made in America. However, many of the brands did not have the range of styles I was looking for. For instance, while the new shirts we are using are exactly like American Apparel from sizes S-L, I could not use American Apparel for the larger sizes because they are too form-fitting when you get to bigger sizes like XL-3X. And they do not  currently offer a relaxed fit shirt that would fit the demand from our customers who wear those sizes. As for the other American made shirts, price did become a factor. While the new shirts we are using do cost more than our current style, similar shirts by other American manufacturers were double or triple that cost. Using them would force us to raise prices even more, which was a major concern for me.

SO, ARE THESE MADE IN SWEATSHOPS ALL OVER THE WORLD?
NO, these are made in one factory in Mexico that upholds the rights and laws of proper working standards and fair treatment of employees. Here is a statement from the manufacturer:

Alstyle Apparel recognizes its responsibilities to workers for the conditions under which its products are made and that these responsibilities extend to all workers producing products or services for Alstyle. We believe that good workplace standards, decent health and safety requirements, fair pay and conditions, and care for the environment are important elements in business success.

However, it is worth noting that all the fabric used to manufacture these t-shirts is grown in the USA. So the cotton itself is from the USA, it’s just sewn in Mexico.

IF THE SHIRTS ARE THINNER, WHY ARE THEY MORE EXPENSIVE?
Although the newer shirts we will be using are lighter weight, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are manufactured at a lower cost, or more easy to produce…in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Please take a look at the images and information below to help you understand the differences in the fabric. (The images below were taken from Gertex Textile)

CARDED COTTON (OLD STYLE)

Carding is a brushing method that removes tangles from cotton yarn, but does not fully re-align them, meaning they will not all go in the same direction. This results in cotton made up of uneven, thicker, and shorter strands which are much coarser and “scratchier” to the touch. This method is also easier to manufacture and cheaper as well.

RINGSPUN/COMBED COTTON (NEW STYLE)

Ringspun, or combed, cotton is a technique that removes any uneven or short strand of fiber, producing yarn that is more uniform and much softer than carded cotton. It is made up of longer strands of fiber that are more tightly wound resulting in a stronger cotton with a better surface for printing. However, it is also labor intensive, which means it’s more expensive to produce.

For more information, please visit these sites:
WikiAnswers
WiseGeek

HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE SIZE I WEAR?
As I stated in the previous post, the only major changes in fit will be on the smaller sizes (SMALL – LARGE). Any size larger than that (X-LARGE – 5X-LARGE) will be a similar fit to what we currently offer, but made of a softer, ringspun cotton. Please see the information below to determine how your size may or may not be affected.

SMALL – LARGE
- 4.5 oz
- 100% combed ringspun pre-shrunk cotton
- slightly tapered fit (similar to American Apparel)

X-LARGE – 3X-LARGE
- 5.5 oz
- 100% combed ringspun pre-shrunk cotton
- relaxed fit (similar to our current shirts)

4X-LARGE and 5X-LARGE
- 6.1 oz.
- 100% pre-shrunk cotton

WHEN ARE YOU MAKING THE SWITCH?
Any new design we release will be on this new style of t-shirt. That said, we will be releasing 7 new designs on February 1, so that is when we will begin carrying designs in the current style.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR OLD DESIGNS?
Any current/old design we reprint after February 1 will be on the new style of t-shirt. However, there will still be some Gildans in stock for awhile as we phase them out. I will make every attempt to let the customer know (on the product page) which sizes are available in which size.

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