Bob Howard, Bad Kids Press, and Modern Myth Wine Project - A Tale of Two Industries, Part 1

Two Wines Inspired by Two Comics! Part 1 Covers Publisher Bob Howard, Red Menace Merlot, and The Adventures of the GWF

This one has been a long time coming! Full video at the bottom.

Back in December 2021, I saw a solicit for a book called FRANKENROCKER (which will be featured specifically in Part 2.) I loved the title and look of the comic, so preordered it sight-unseen. The first issue blew me away with its committed eccentricities and jaw-droppingly intricate art, and I proceeded to preorder nearly every comic from the small press publisher, Bad Kids Press.

Then the 4th and final issue of Frankenrocker dropped, there was this full page ad in the back:

It had to be a joke. “No way in hell…” I thought to myself. But hey, cute ad! I closed the book and went on with my evening, but soon thought…wait, why would anyone joke about making a wine based on a punk rock outsider art comic? Was the odd marriage of the two the joke? The word “joke” started to ring hollow in my head.

So I Googled it - it was real.

The Modern Myth Wine Project

I was able to find the direct importer/distributor of the wine, Pipeline, a specialty import and branding branch of Arborway Imports. The wine was only available in Massachusetts - a state that cannot legally ship to anyone out of state, hell, you can’t even buy alcohol IN Massachusetts with an out-of-state driver’s license! That’s insane! (please follow

Fermentation

by

Tom Wark

to learn more about the USA’s draconian “three-tier” alcohol distribution model and how states routinely abuse this to create unconstitutional, protectionist alcohol laws.)

Anywho, after realizing there was no way to purchase the wine legally from California, I reached out to the two-man team at Pipeline and the wheels of putting together this two-part episode and Substack story slowly began to turn.

Pipeline was gracious enough to send both Dallas and myself a sample bottle of their first two Modern Myth wines, each based on a different Bad Kids Press comic. We then got in touch with BKP’s co-founders, Bob Howard and Roel Torres, and this two-month-long story short: we finally sat down with both of them the first week of November to discuss the comics, the wines, and how this all came to be.

What About Bob (Howard)?

Bob is a Boston local, starting as a collector and hobbyist seller, becoming a regular at comic and collectibles shops for trading and selling items second-hand.

He then started working at a local comic shop to learn the trade from the brick-and-mortar retail side - a different beast than just being a weekend warrior! Bob was then offered the opportunity to learn the wine and liquor trade by working at Berman’s Wine and Spirits, owned by Gregg Berman (remeber that name, he’ll be back!) in Lexington, MA.

Between these two experienes, plus a number of years working at Walmart, Bob had the confidence to co-found his own brick and mortar comic store: COMICAZI, which won the “Spirit of Comics” Retailer Eisner Award in 2017.

Comicazi soon amassed a collective of local creators (as all the best shops do), and decided to dabble in publishing, first with a series of anthologies via crowdfunding, then they upgraded by purchasing their own printer, and in December of 2021, their first solicitation was carried by Diamond/Previews for comic shops nationwide, with Frankenrocker and the Jailbait Punks #1.

Where does the wine come into play?

Bob never lost his contacts within the wine world, and his thoughts about how wine and comics could go together, in ways that would benefit both industries, kept tickling the back of his brain. He eventually reached out to his old wine mentor, Gregg Berman (told ya he’d be back!), and the two agreed that there was potential in the marriage of the two.

Which brought about the creation of The Modern Myth Wine Project (originally called the "Storytelling Wine Project”) where Gregg would source the right wine to fit the flavor and tone of the character/comic, for a price point that seemed best to bring in a new crossover audience.

Frankenrocker Cote du Rhone was the first, followed by the release of Red Menace Pays du Gard Merlot, based on the Bad Kids Press comic, The Adventures of the GWF (Galactic Wrestling Federation!). Both sell for the incredibly affordable price point of $14.99 per bottle!

Red Menace character by Raul the Third; Red Menace Merlot; The Adventures of the GWF #1 (starring Red Menace)

A wine marked as a “Pays” means it’s a “countryside” wine, sourced from grapes in a larger delineated area, kind of like a “California” wine rather than a “Napa” or “Santa Barbara”. These wines tend to be exceedingly enjoyable, if somewhat simple - there’s some complexity, the wines are still well made, but these are the wines the locals drink daily, and are rarely exported to the Americas! Well worth seeking out.

Watch the full Interview with Bob Howard

Click below to watch our long ramble with Bob - fully clickable chapters are available in the video description if you follow it over to YouTube, along with links to all the products mentioned. We talk about “The Adventues of the GWF” comic, the Red Menace Merlot, how wine and comics are a match made for each other in ways not particularly obvious, longform vs. short form storytelling, thoughts on the glut of content in the modern era and the streaming wars, we covered a LOT, and had a blast!

Part 2 with Frankenrocker and creator/co-founder of Bad Kids Press Roel Torres coming next week!