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Jan
19

Why Comic Book Stores Rock

By | Blog, Culture

Action Comics #1 (June 1938). The début of Sup...

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I have been recently introduced to comic books, something I never was into when I was a kid. As a result, I have found myself going to various comic book stores. Going into a comic book store is a pretty alien experience for me as I don’t know a thing about comics but the experience so far as been great. My first store was in Portland, Oregon where I was trying to find some comics to start with. The guys there were patient, understanding and found me some great comics. Later, at Nuclear Comics in Orange County, I discovered a new comic with the help of the staff there.

One of the things I truly love about these stores is that they are so niche and the staff really knows there stuff. It reminds me of small, independent book stores of old. Today, the small bookstore is all but gone, replaced by the megastores. These stores are huge and cater to the masses. The staff is friendly enough but you’re really not going to be able to get down into an in depth conversation about a particular kind of book and what they recommend. No fault on them, it’s the nature of the beast. But comic book stores are small and dedicated to a particular crowd and the staff really knows their comics which they are happy to talk about. At the same time, I found no snobbery or ill will toward newcomers. There is a passion and excitement at these stores and that breads sales.

Comic stores are also unique in that they specialize in a product that has not yet been duplicated digitally. With all the fancy eBook readers and web tablets, no one has produced a device that can replicate a full color comic in all it’s glory. This puts them in a better position than the rest of the publishing industry which is daily being eaten alive by digital technology.

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