PAUL POPE + JOE CARABEO TAKE OVER RED BANK! Secret Stash Signing and THB Film Premiere November 6!

WEPAAAAAAAA! NEW JERSEY CRUSADERS, CLEAR YOUR CALENDARS—PAUL POPE IS COMING TO THE SECRET STASH, AND HE’S BRINGING A WHOLE DOCUMENTARY WITH HIM!

Oh, this is a beautiful double feature for comics fans. Acclaimed cartoonist Paul Pope and filmmaker/comics creator Joe Carabeo are heading to Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, for their first signing appearance together. Then they’re taking the celebration to the big screen with the New Jersey premiere of Carabeo’s documentary Paul Pope: THB.

The date is Friday, November 6, 2026. The signing runs from 3 to 5 p.m. at the legendary comic shop, followed by a 6 p.m. screening as part of the fifth annual SModcastle Film Festival. The film is scheduled in Block 03, Screen 3, and Pope and Carabeo are slated to join a Q&A after the screening block.

And here’s a little extra WEPA for the occasion: according to the organizers, this will be Pope’s first-ever signing in New Jersey. The documentary is also nominated for the festival’s Best Documentary award. Not a bad way to spend a Friday, huh?

Let’s talk about why this is exciting. Pope’s work has always felt like it comes from an artist determined to follow his own frequency. From THB and Batman: Year 100 to Battling Boy and One-Trick Rip Off, his comics have a visual identity you don’t confuse with anybody else’s. The linework, the energy, the design sensibility—this is an artist who makes a page feel alive.

His career also reaches beyond comics into fashion, branding, illustration and multimedia. That makes a documentary about his creative world an especially intriguing proposition. When somebody’s influence stretches across so many corners of visual culture, there’s a lot more to explore than a conventional career highlight reel.

Carabeo brings experience as a director, writer and independent comics creator, with projects spanning comics, short films and documentary work. That crossover matters here. This isn’t simply an outsider pointing a camera at a cartoonist; it’s a filmmaker who also understands the hustle of making art and getting it into the world.

I’m especially interested in the chance for fans to hear directly from both artists at the Q&A. A screening gives you the finished film. A conversation afterward can reveal the choices, challenges and happy accidents that helped shape it. That’s where the creative gold often hides, baby.

Seriously, think about the lineup: spend the afternoon at a beloved comics shop, meet the artist and filmmaker, then head to a documentary screening and Q&A. That’s a full-on celebration of comics culture, not just another autograph stop.

Signing: Friday, November 6, 2026, 3–5 p.m.
Location: Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, 65 Broad Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701
Film: Paul Pope: THB
Screening: November 6, 6 p.m., SModcastle Film Festival, Block 03, Screen 3
Q&A: Scheduled after the screening block

For venue information, visit Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. For the film screening, see the festival’s Block 03 ticket page. Check with the organizers about availability and admission before making the trip.

THE CRUSADER CALL: Indie comics, an iconic artist, a filmmaker with serious creative hustle and a chance to celebrate it all in person? That’s a Friday worth circling in RED. WEPAAAAAAAA!