LOOT Comic Book Store Turned Kids’ Drawings Into Action Figures

The Brooklyn retailer and workshop encourages young readers to create as much as they consume

Brooklyn‘s LOOT operates differently than most comic book stores: a $30 monthly subscription provides customers with unlimited access to the club and its comic collection, as well as the opportunity to take books out one at a time. For those who don’t frequent the brick and mortar store, comics are available for $5 online. LOOT founder Joseph Einhorn’s mission is simple: to give kids access …

Interview: PUMA Hoops Head of Footwear Design, Jeremy Sallee

Digging into the brand's reemergence in the basketball category

In 2018, PUMA reentered the basketball market with the unveiling of the brand’s first basketball sneaker in 20 years: the PUMA Clyde Court, named after the charismatic former NBA player Walt “Clyde” Frazier. Those sneakers reference a storied relationship between the brand and the beloved sport. Shortly thereafter, they announced a shortlist of high-profile players to ink sponsorship deals and Jay-Z as their creative director. This renewed focus on basketball …

The Tangled History of the Letter X

As porn consumption reaches what may be an all-time peak, MEL Magazine writer Chris Bourn wondered “How did X become the edgiest letter?” The 24th letter in our alphabet is the second-least used, but has come to represent all things “adult” and is intrinsically connected to porn. This can be traced back to the introduction of 1968’s audience-advisory ratings, which attributed X to movies with …