Our BulletCon gossip columnist Jeri dishes out more dirt on our suspects:

Wow! Just wow! This might be just the juiciest gossip column I’ve ever written!

So, there was this little thing that happened at Speeding Bullet’s BulletCon the other day. Maybe you heard about it. It was a MURDER!

I figured things were getting bad between those boys and girls, but not THAT bad! Anyway, enough about the past. Let’s get into the naughty new present and unwrap all the rumors surrounding this scandal!

We all knew that Barb O’Rella had been seeing Vic Veneer behind Mike Maxx’s back, but which one whacked Vic? Or did either of them do it?

The word on the gossip-vine is that Vic told Barb she was cut off and that they were through. And trust me, hell hath no fury like a pretty, spoiled girl scorned! Especially if someone tells her her roots are showing.

Furthermore, since it was never officially confirmed that Barb and Vic had gone their separate ways, she’s trying to prove they were married by common law. What?! How long had she been cheating on Mike?

Barb had this to say, “I mean, sure, I stayed at Mike’s and Vic’s places, but Vic was a far better alphabetizer, so that has to count for something.”

The well-justified rumor buzzing around is that Mike is FURIOUS. I can’t say that I blame him. A dead man is getting more action than he is.

And Mike isn’t the only one upset by Barb’s exploitation of the expired. Vince Veneer, Vic’s twin brother, is fuming from what I hear. As it stands, Vince is Vic’s only living relative, so he stands to inherit all of Vic’s wealth and somewhat considerable assets, but Barb is threatening to throw a wrench in those plans as she challenges the will.

That girl is something else. I don’t want to see another murder, but omg what it would do to my popularity. Mmm…

What else is there to say? Oh! Something else out of the rumor mill is how strange Jim Strong has been acting. I heard he was seen slipping pieces of paper in his dollar boxes the night of the murder with tears in his eyes. What’s that about? I wish I could crack him wide open to find out! He’s not nearly as much fun as Barb. He should let loose and let me have some fun with him!

As for the other suspects in the murder, Dave Dust is busy being a sweet, boring, old man, shuffling around town to talk to all the others about what they think happened, and A. Archimedes Jones just sits on his high horse accusing Dave of the most heinous acts and saying things about the others that would make ME blush.

That’s about all for now, but I’ll leave you with one last thing. Speeding Bullet is offering a reward for those who can figure out who murdered Vic, and even though authorities have already been though, Annette Price says they didn’t do a very good job combing back issues at the murder scene for clues. So, yeah.

NORMAN — Fictional authorities responded to a 911 call from Speeding Bullet Comics, 614 N Porter Ave. The police were led to a cardboard corpse. They were not able to find a pulse. The killer is still at large as of press time. 

Police have not released the names of any suspects, but they insist they are following up on strong leads. 
At approximately 5:50 p.m. Monday night an unidentified caller placed an emergency call from within the establishment.  The shop had just begun its inaugural in-store BulletCon — where back issues are as low as 20 cents each! — when the murder was reported to have happened. 

A police representative said the victim sustained several knife wounds, abrasions around his neck and a bullet wound to the leg.

Several cardboard cut-outs were sighted in and around the premises. Witnesses at the scene claimed to see the victim, Vic Veneer, 30, bleeding and lying on the floor of the store, but others say he has been seen around the area since then. 

“This won’t affect the BulletCon or our fabulous selection of new comics coming in Wednesday,” said Annette Price, co-owner of Speeding Bullet.  “If anything, more people should come in and check out the chalk outline. Most of the blood is gone though.”
 

The biggest event of the young year starts this weekend. Speeding Bullet Comics kicks off the decade by unleashing their first ever in-store convention, BulletCon 2011.
Major fictional dealers are confirmed to be in attendance — Mike, Dave, Vince, Barb, Jim, and Jones.
These dealers have had confrontations in the past! When these six are together — could it mean murder?
Find out as BulletCon kicks off Friday at Speeding Bullet Comics!

Fans can get great deals on comic book back issues, many available at Speeding Bullet for the first time.

And here’s the dish on the dealers from our inside gossip reporter, Jeri:

Barb O’Rella is just a sexy beast. Even though Mike is her man, she makes sure to get the boys to fall at her feet. Rumor has it that Vince is doing more than just some flirting and falling though. We all know how much she loves to go under the knife, but did you know she likes to play them as well? This babe is bonkers for blades! She takes self-defense classes and apparently can teach us all a thing or two about keeping a man in line. Follow Barb on Twitter for clues

Vince Veneer is the hot that just won’t stop. He’s handsome and successful and really giving Mike and Dave, the top 2 dealers, a run for their money. From what I hear, when he’s not stealing their business and their employees, he’s stealing their women. I did just say that. I cannot get enough of this man. Lucky for me there’s two of him! That’s right, ladies. Vince has a twin brother, and his name is Vic. Follow Vince on Twitter for clues

Mike Maxx is the omnipresent party boy. This jet-setter has been spending a lot of time away from his lovely lady-friend, Barb, to visit film sets and work his Hollywood connections. Some of my contacts on the inside of his circle say he’s aware of Barb’s “activities” with Vince, and he isn’t very pleased. Follow Mike on Twitter for clues

Dave Dust is a fading star. The former top seller, he’s now holding at No. 2. He’s boring sometimes and so nice it’s gross. I swear, the only time Dave is ever interesting is when he disappears. The Dark Knight must have taught him a thing or two about sneaking off. Mmm, Christian Bale. Whoops! I got sidetracked. Anyway, I wonder if he’s got issues with Mike being Nol 1 or, more importantly, if he’s worried about Vince stealing his No. 2 spot in the market share. Follow Dave on Twitter for clues

Archimedes Jones loves the indie books, and he’s incredibly pretentious. He treats Dave like he’s got daddy issues or something, and everyone else is just dirt to him. He probably takes a shower every time someone shakes his hand. I guess he thinks being so dang smart gives him permission to be a brat. Follow Archimedes on Twitter for clues

Jim Strong isn’t a bad person. I feel like he’s hiding something from us that I should’ve picked up on by now. He’s got a tattoo on his neck, but I don’t think it’s that bad. Tats are all the new acid wash jeans, er, flannel shirts, er, I’m showing my age. Whatevs. Even though Jim has always been super friendly toward me, I’m pretty sure he’d like to try his shaky hand at doing one of Barb’s many plastic surgeries. I’ve noticed he’s been hanging around Vince a lot more. What’s that about? Follow Jim on Twitter for clues

Learn more about our suspects and find clues to their activities by searching their tables at Speeding Bullet’s BulletCon, Feb. 11 through Mar. 11. Follow their Twitter feeds, plus find clues in Speeding Bullet’s weekly electronic newsletter, the Speeding Bulletin! (Subscribe to the Speeding Bulletin by following the link on the left side of our home page.)

Like a shot into the heart of winter, BulletCon 2011 arrives hot on the scene. This year, burning emotions go hand in hand with … murder! Cuddle up with some long-lost comics at Speeding Bullet and help solve the mystery with us!

Here’s what we know: We’ve invited six fictional comic book dealers to share their wares in our Ricochet Event Center from Feb. 11 to Mar. 11. At their tables you’ll find thousands of back issues that won’t fit on our sales floor at rock-bottom convention prices. But we got a tip saying that one of our cardboard cutout guests will die on Friday!

We can’t stop it before it happens. And we can’t resuscitate the victim. (A couple of us practiced CPR on some shipping boxes, but it didn’t work. No lungs. Go figure.) So, we’re going to do the next best thing and solve the murder!

We need YOUR help! We’ll provide you with the backstory when you come in Friday or later, and you can check out the murder scene, which may have clues lying around in back-issue comics (hint, hint). You can even give the cutouts the once-over to see which one just looks guilty. The suspects will even have Twitter feeds you’d do well to follow (hint, hint).

You don’t have to do this out the goodness of your heart. But we are giving away a prize of a $100 gift certificate!

All you have to do is guess who did the deed and their M.O. by Mar. 11. Then, if you guessed correctly, you’ll be entered into a drawing with all the other expert sleuths to see who nets the dough.

Easy, right? Come in to Speeding Bullet or check the website for more details. And wear your thinking cap! There’s adventure afoot!

Ed, our awesome UPS driver, came in with a mountain of goodies just moments ago. I’ll be unpacking it all for the next couple of hours. See you soon!

I got to Speeding Bullet without any problems today. The snow plows have been through and Porter Avenue has a very fine layer of packed snow, but is very manageable.

We expect new comics to arrive sometime today, but we don’t know when. It depends on when the UPS truck can get to Norman. I’ll post an update here as soon as the comics arrive.

Due to extreme blizzard conditions, we’re staying home reading our comics today. The store will not be open Tuesday, Feb. 1.

We hope to reopen tomorrow for new comics, but you might want to call ahead before you get out in the snow. We’ll also have updates on this website. Stay warm, everyone!