Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Another amazing chapter - Thank you so much!
I run a comic shop (Abstract Sprocket in the UK) so I have great experiences all the time. Like recently sorting out a range of comics for an excited eight year old looking to get into comics. Stuff like that literally lifts my heart!
By the way, I don’t expect this to count as an entry in the competition - I can’t nominate myself! Just wanted to spread the Comic shop love ❤️
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
I don't know that it's a single recent comic book shop experience, but I will say that my local comic book shop has been a saving grace for me during Covid. I've been collecting since I was 11 years old. Went weekly as a kid, stopped during college and grad school and whatnot. But decided to pick up being a weekly Wednesday Warrior again right around the time the pandemic started and it became a constant. A simple, ritualistic pleasure knowing that each week, no matter what other stressors were going on, I could count on driving to my LCS and picking up new issues every Wednesday. Up, Up and Away in Cincinnati, Ohio is the shop, and if you're ever in town, stop by and show them some love. It's clean, organized, and the service is fantastic.
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Yay, thanks for the preview and that awesome Kelly Thompson link that I had missed completely! Also, I'll never forget how my comic book shop was kind enough to actually send me a few weeks worth of my pull lists by mail after my wife and me had our first kid and things were so crazy that we couldn't leave the house for a long while (and I couldn't stop by and pick up my books) . You're the greatest, Comic Room in Hamburg, Germany!
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
In California, we are just starting to relax on the mask mandates due to our COVID-19 pandemic. I still am choosing to wear a mask but it was nice to see the smiling faces of my LCBS employees again after about two years into this pandemic. Including the owner who I have been buying comics at his store for the last 31 years (Santa Barbara, Metro Entertainment). My daughter works part time there too, which is fun.
If you go to a place approximately once a week for the last 31 years, you develop relationships with folks. Kinda like when you see your same dentists (is that a bad example?) and oral hygienist twice a year, they grow on you. I feel blessed to have them in my life for the past 31 years. Not too many small businesses last over 10 years.
Because my daughter works there, when they call me to let me know I have comics in my pull each week, they sometime write on my pull bag "Papa Maka." And if the employee is just reading the bag after calling a ton of people on the list, I'll get a voice message or live call where they say, "Hello Papa Maka, you have some comics in your pull. Look forward to seeing you soon." That cracks me up.
The last time I went in, my daughter was working, so she told the customers she was talking to, "That's my dad! Dad, let me introduce you to . . . " It's not a huge store but it is place where people gather to by comics, play M:TG or Pokemon, and connect to our community. Again, feel so lucky to have this comic store for most of my adult life.
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
My comic book visits, every Wednesday, are so special. The walk there is a time of reflection and the walk back one of excitement for my new pulls! The most memorable trip, however, was a few months ago when, on my walk to the LCS, I bumped into Ian MacDiarmid. I shit you not. Emperor Palpatine himself. He was in town for a play he was doing (which I later saw) and I skittishly stopped him, told him I was a fan of his work and that I am the president of my university's star wars society, which seemed to please him no end! We had a little chat and then I went on my way and picked up my comics, and it all felt rather surreal!!
Comic Book Shops are heaven on earth, can't wait to read everyone else's experiences!! Happy week all and thanks for another great entry xx
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
I have just been lurking so far but I just recently started going back to my local comic book shop (shout out Ssalefish Greensboro!) and I figured I’d finally join in the comments.
I’ve not advanced ordered a comic in 25 years, but I wanted the new SAGA and stuck around for recommendations. I am now the proud owner of volumes of Once & Future, DIE, East of West, brzrkr, and Something is killing the children based on the shop’s tips. I couldn’t be happier to jump back in even though I’m one of the old guys now. It’s really cool to take my son in and show him what I grew up on, see what he likes, and get him into reading much more than he was before.
There is so much out there to consume, I’m now just a big kid again too and it’s been a heck of a way to get a break from the real world and enjoy the amazing art that is out there now.
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
The fault for not showing up to the signing owing to a slight drizzle was mine and mine alone, but I want to give the very polite clerk at Anyone Comics in Brooklyn who tried to find me a copy, signed or unsigned, of NK Jemisin’s Far Sector the day after the fact and apologized that they were out despite me not calling ahead to request a hold still sticks with me and I feel is worth calling out.
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Well, it was a good Presidents Day, but holy moly, those new pages were extremely disturbing. Good job? I guess we *were* warned.
> let us know a favorite recent comic-shop experience
>
I have to give a shout-out to my favorite LCBS, Comic Swap in State College, PA. The team there really gave it their all during the pandemic to keep the funny books flowing. They provided a welcome relief to the constant stream of bad news and cabin fever.
I've been with them for 32+ years now due to the great service. While I'm no longer local to them, I still get comics by mail order. The folks there always have excellent suggested new reads and carry a fantastic selection of both big and small press titles.
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Just for the release of the latest Saga #55 actually, I had the opportunity to set up my first real pull list. I've moved around quite a bit since and only really got into comics in a big way in the past ten years or so, so never had the impetus to do anything other than ad-hoc buying when I got around to it. The owner of my local small shop just outside Boston was insanely nice, explained the whole process to me, and just really added that personal tough that makes comic shops so special versus any other shopping experience. I've been in there a few times before and am pretty introverted, so not one to strike up ad-hoc conversation, but it is so nice to feel that could walk in and ask about my interests, recommendations, really anything and feel welcome. Very much looking forward to my next issues of Saga, Monstress, Homesick Pilots, and anything else I discover!
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
I’m new to Boston & have had so much fun taking my 6yo to Outer Limits in Waltham. They have bins of old, used toys. Nothing special but just buckets of action figures - the kind meant to be played with. (No shade to collector toys, just nice to be able to drop in and spend a few bucks for my kid to thrash some superheroes). We’ve also gotten into Bone together, which I love (in addition to my usual, non kid-friendly stuff).
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Honestly I’ve not had a bad experience when going to my local shop Bills Books and More. Most of the employees know me by name and have my books ready when I walk in, and also love to recommend new stuff they think I’d like. It’s also somewhere where I can typically hang out and have a conversation when I have time. Always fun!
Feb 21, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Oh man, this Spectator ride is fun.
Loving Euphoria. Yesterday's episode with Alexi's play was better than I could have imagined. Her and Fez are beyond cute. Favorite characters.
When Saga went on break my local comic shop (shout out to Liberty Comics in "Rocking" Roseville Mi), gave me (not sold) their original saga promo poster from the wall. My favorite moment was surprising them by giving it back to them (lovingly framed) when Saga finally returned. I am so happy to see it back in its place of honor.
Feb 22, 2022·edited Feb 22, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan
I REALLY wanted one more page this time. I missed the smoke but now I can smell it when I look back. I shop at Duncanville Bookstore in Duncanville Texas and it is a real local comic shop in every sense. The owner Andy chooses love of comics and love of people time and again over money and ego etc and it is incredible to see. This is a shop that is family owned and makes people of all ages feel like family. I had a great experience last Wednesday when I went in to pick up my books and had them delivered with a smile, had staff ask about my family and kids and then listened to wildly dorky and lovely Star Wars talk between the cashier and three customers including "this is why you don't mess with a wookie" and origin stories of characters from comics I had never heard of ... all while I flipped through boxes of back issues and looked at Pops my little girl might like. It was pretty much perfect and just another day at DBS all at once. Great stuff.
Feb 22, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
I'm really enjoying the "real time" nature of these releases as you called it. It's such a change of pace from reading through a completed collection, and it's really made me slow down and pay extra attention to Niko's incredible art.
I've moved a lot over the past five years, so my most recent comic book store memory is from this week, setting up a box at a new location to order the reprint of JLA/Avengers that The Hero Initiative is publishing for George Pérez. I'm glad George is around to see all the love his work is getting, and it has been amazing to see the community rally around him.
Feb 22, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
We had an LCS here for a long while that served as a watering hole for the nerdcore in town. Before it was hip to square, they were hosting TCG tournaments, Warhammer games, D&D nights etc. Unfortunately it hommoraged money as it was run by someone who (publically in our papers) apologized for having no prior business experience (but damn they tried). Until it closed, it was always a safe haven for the geeks and nerds. Thankfully there are more shops like that these days, but growing up, this one was the outlier. Always remember em for that. That's what comes to mind first for me anyways.
Feb 22, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
I went to my local comic shop for Saga issue #55 about a week after release (had to postpone my trip due to work and a snowstorm). When I finally got to the store, they were about to close up shop early due to snowy weather, but the owner knew I was there to pick up my reserved copies (due to the almost daily email questions about the opening hours and reminders I was sending him to set aside the issue for me) and was nice enough to let me through the half lowered gate so I could pick them up!
Another amazing chapter - Thank you so much!
I run a comic shop (Abstract Sprocket in the UK) so I have great experiences all the time. Like recently sorting out a range of comics for an excited eight year old looking to get into comics. Stuff like that literally lifts my heart!
By the way, I don’t expect this to count as an entry in the competition - I can’t nominate myself! Just wanted to spread the Comic shop love ❤️
I don't know that it's a single recent comic book shop experience, but I will say that my local comic book shop has been a saving grace for me during Covid. I've been collecting since I was 11 years old. Went weekly as a kid, stopped during college and grad school and whatnot. But decided to pick up being a weekly Wednesday Warrior again right around the time the pandemic started and it became a constant. A simple, ritualistic pleasure knowing that each week, no matter what other stressors were going on, I could count on driving to my LCS and picking up new issues every Wednesday. Up, Up and Away in Cincinnati, Ohio is the shop, and if you're ever in town, stop by and show them some love. It's clean, organized, and the service is fantastic.
Yay, thanks for the preview and that awesome Kelly Thompson link that I had missed completely! Also, I'll never forget how my comic book shop was kind enough to actually send me a few weeks worth of my pull lists by mail after my wife and me had our first kid and things were so crazy that we couldn't leave the house for a long while (and I couldn't stop by and pick up my books) . You're the greatest, Comic Room in Hamburg, Germany!
In California, we are just starting to relax on the mask mandates due to our COVID-19 pandemic. I still am choosing to wear a mask but it was nice to see the smiling faces of my LCBS employees again after about two years into this pandemic. Including the owner who I have been buying comics at his store for the last 31 years (Santa Barbara, Metro Entertainment). My daughter works part time there too, which is fun.
If you go to a place approximately once a week for the last 31 years, you develop relationships with folks. Kinda like when you see your same dentists (is that a bad example?) and oral hygienist twice a year, they grow on you. I feel blessed to have them in my life for the past 31 years. Not too many small businesses last over 10 years.
Because my daughter works there, when they call me to let me know I have comics in my pull each week, they sometime write on my pull bag "Papa Maka." And if the employee is just reading the bag after calling a ton of people on the list, I'll get a voice message or live call where they say, "Hello Papa Maka, you have some comics in your pull. Look forward to seeing you soon." That cracks me up.
The last time I went in, my daughter was working, so she told the customers she was talking to, "That's my dad! Dad, let me introduce you to . . . " It's not a huge store but it is place where people gather to by comics, play M:TG or Pokemon, and connect to our community. Again, feel so lucky to have this comic store for most of my adult life.
My comic book visits, every Wednesday, are so special. The walk there is a time of reflection and the walk back one of excitement for my new pulls! The most memorable trip, however, was a few months ago when, on my walk to the LCS, I bumped into Ian MacDiarmid. I shit you not. Emperor Palpatine himself. He was in town for a play he was doing (which I later saw) and I skittishly stopped him, told him I was a fan of his work and that I am the president of my university's star wars society, which seemed to please him no end! We had a little chat and then I went on my way and picked up my comics, and it all felt rather surreal!!
Comic Book Shops are heaven on earth, can't wait to read everyone else's experiences!! Happy week all and thanks for another great entry xx
I have just been lurking so far but I just recently started going back to my local comic book shop (shout out Ssalefish Greensboro!) and I figured I’d finally join in the comments.
I’ve not advanced ordered a comic in 25 years, but I wanted the new SAGA and stuck around for recommendations. I am now the proud owner of volumes of Once & Future, DIE, East of West, brzrkr, and Something is killing the children based on the shop’s tips. I couldn’t be happier to jump back in even though I’m one of the old guys now. It’s really cool to take my son in and show him what I grew up on, see what he likes, and get him into reading much more than he was before.
There is so much out there to consume, I’m now just a big kid again too and it’s been a heck of a way to get a break from the real world and enjoy the amazing art that is out there now.
The fault for not showing up to the signing owing to a slight drizzle was mine and mine alone, but I want to give the very polite clerk at Anyone Comics in Brooklyn who tried to find me a copy, signed or unsigned, of NK Jemisin’s Far Sector the day after the fact and apologized that they were out despite me not calling ahead to request a hold still sticks with me and I feel is worth calling out.
Well, it was a good Presidents Day, but holy moly, those new pages were extremely disturbing. Good job? I guess we *were* warned.
> let us know a favorite recent comic-shop experience
>
I have to give a shout-out to my favorite LCBS, Comic Swap in State College, PA. The team there really gave it their all during the pandemic to keep the funny books flowing. They provided a welcome relief to the constant stream of bad news and cabin fever.
I've been with them for 32+ years now due to the great service. While I'm no longer local to them, I still get comics by mail order. The folks there always have excellent suggested new reads and carry a fantastic selection of both big and small press titles.
Just for the release of the latest Saga #55 actually, I had the opportunity to set up my first real pull list. I've moved around quite a bit since and only really got into comics in a big way in the past ten years or so, so never had the impetus to do anything other than ad-hoc buying when I got around to it. The owner of my local small shop just outside Boston was insanely nice, explained the whole process to me, and just really added that personal tough that makes comic shops so special versus any other shopping experience. I've been in there a few times before and am pretty introverted, so not one to strike up ad-hoc conversation, but it is so nice to feel that could walk in and ask about my interests, recommendations, really anything and feel welcome. Very much looking forward to my next issues of Saga, Monstress, Homesick Pilots, and anything else I discover!
I’m new to Boston & have had so much fun taking my 6yo to Outer Limits in Waltham. They have bins of old, used toys. Nothing special but just buckets of action figures - the kind meant to be played with. (No shade to collector toys, just nice to be able to drop in and spend a few bucks for my kid to thrash some superheroes). We’ve also gotten into Bone together, which I love (in addition to my usual, non kid-friendly stuff).
Honestly I’ve not had a bad experience when going to my local shop Bills Books and More. Most of the employees know me by name and have my books ready when I walk in, and also love to recommend new stuff they think I’d like. It’s also somewhere where I can typically hang out and have a conversation when I have time. Always fun!
Oh man, this Spectator ride is fun.
Loving Euphoria. Yesterday's episode with Alexi's play was better than I could have imagined. Her and Fez are beyond cute. Favorite characters.
When Saga went on break my local comic shop (shout out to Liberty Comics in "Rocking" Roseville Mi), gave me (not sold) their original saga promo poster from the wall. My favorite moment was surprising them by giving it back to them (lovingly framed) when Saga finally returned. I am so happy to see it back in its place of honor.
I REALLY wanted one more page this time. I missed the smoke but now I can smell it when I look back. I shop at Duncanville Bookstore in Duncanville Texas and it is a real local comic shop in every sense. The owner Andy chooses love of comics and love of people time and again over money and ego etc and it is incredible to see. This is a shop that is family owned and makes people of all ages feel like family. I had a great experience last Wednesday when I went in to pick up my books and had them delivered with a smile, had staff ask about my family and kids and then listened to wildly dorky and lovely Star Wars talk between the cashier and three customers including "this is why you don't mess with a wookie" and origin stories of characters from comics I had never heard of ... all while I flipped through boxes of back issues and looked at Pops my little girl might like. It was pretty much perfect and just another day at DBS all at once. Great stuff.
I'm really enjoying the "real time" nature of these releases as you called it. It's such a change of pace from reading through a completed collection, and it's really made me slow down and pay extra attention to Niko's incredible art.
I've moved a lot over the past five years, so my most recent comic book store memory is from this week, setting up a box at a new location to order the reprint of JLA/Avengers that The Hero Initiative is publishing for George Pérez. I'm glad George is around to see all the love his work is getting, and it has been amazing to see the community rally around him.
Also, can't wait for new SAGA tomorrow!
We had an LCS here for a long while that served as a watering hole for the nerdcore in town. Before it was hip to square, they were hosting TCG tournaments, Warhammer games, D&D nights etc. Unfortunately it hommoraged money as it was run by someone who (publically in our papers) apologized for having no prior business experience (but damn they tried). Until it closed, it was always a safe haven for the geeks and nerds. Thankfully there are more shops like that these days, but growing up, this one was the outlier. Always remember em for that. That's what comes to mind first for me anyways.
I went to my local comic shop for Saga issue #55 about a week after release (had to postpone my trip due to work and a snowstorm). When I finally got to the store, they were about to close up shop early due to snowy weather, but the owner knew I was there to pick up my reserved copies (due to the almost daily email questions about the opening hours and reminders I was sending him to set aside the issue for me) and was nice enough to let me through the half lowered gate so I could pick them up!