Halloween came early this weekend as New York Comic Con took over the Javits Center and surrounding area. I stopped in briefly to see if the Topps stand was selling the new Garbage Pail Kids series, “Disgrace to the White House”, and faced a crush of humanity as I tried to make my way to the Drippy Donald cards. Best thing I saw on the way there was probably the dude dressed as Barf the mog (half man, half dog– he’s his own best friend). Until the Spaceballs sequel actually happens, it’s the only thing we’ve got. Click through our slideshow to see who else made the scene, and then check out scenes from the cosplay cruise that served as an after-party.
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It’s Showtime at Beetle House, the Tim Burton Theme Bar Facing a Cease and Desist
Meet your host, “Juice”(Photo: Nicole Disser)
The idea of a Tim Burton theme bar opening in the East Village is so weird on so many levels that I started to drive myself bonkers unpacking the implications of this so-called Beetle House. Would this be an ironic ode to Tumblr culture and fan fiction? A comment on how themed consumer culture has reached bizarre peaks? As it turns out, Beetle House is actually just a completely earnest theme bar and restaurant dedicated to the beloved, oh-so-spooky-creepy films of Tim Burton. Which hasn’t stopped it from getting smacked with a cease-and-desist from the director’s minders.
“I was like, ‘Why don’t we open a bar?'” co-owner Zach Neil recalls telling Brian Link, his business partner and BFF who was suffering from “massive depression” last year. “Bars are fun, it’s like having a birthday party every night. People come in, they hang out, you drink, hang out, everything’s good.”