Join us as we discuss our favorite comic shops and the things we love and hate about the stores we patronize!
Jonas's PickInvincible presents Atom Eve and Rex Splode #1 (starts at 1:00)
Join us as we ruin the entire Invincible storyline for Sean Leslie! (who reads the book in trades) and give away every single spoiler in the next few issues!
Picking up right where the first ATOM EVE miniseries left off! See the secret origin of Rex Splode! See what shaped him into the man who tragically sacrificed himself in the Invincible War. Witness his first meeting with Atom Eve and learn their stunning secret!
Creators: STORY BY: Robert Kirkman / ART BY: NATE BELLEGARDE & BILL CRABTREE
Sean's PickSweet Tooth #3 (starts at 9:30)
Having recently gotten back his sketch and signed copy of Sweet Tooth #1 Sean is on the Lemire loving bandwagon!
Hunters, cultists, mutants and shantytown pimps all want a piece of Gus, the boy with deer antlers. All that stands between them and him is Jepperd, a killer from the apocalyptic wasteland with motivations of his own. As Gus goes out into what's left of the world, he'll find out that no one is quite what they seem.
Creators: STORY BY: Jeff Lemire / ART BY: Jeff Lemire
John's PickFreak Angels (starts at 11:30)
Short of comic money? WEBCOMICS are the answer! Or you can actually spend your hard earned money and buy the third trade thats just been released about the FreakAngels.
Twenty-three years prior to the inciting action of “FreakAngels,” twelve children were born at the exact same moment, each with pale skin, purple eyes, and a unique but decidedly superhuman ability. Seventeen years later, the world as we know it came to an end. Six years after the apocalypse, 11 of the 12 FreakAngels do what they can to make life easier for the remaining inhabitants of the now-flooded, future London.
Creators: STORY BY: Warren Ellis / ART BY: Paul Duffield
Henny's PickGreen Monk (starts at 22:18)
Green Monk follows the adventures of a Monk cast out of his order, wandering a mythical Russian countryside. His only companion is a magical blade of grass that draws him into a brutal struggle against a terrifying foe.
This guy Brandon Dayton Drew a page a day and came out with such an amazing product you really have to pick one up. Brandon works for EA Salt Lake as a concept artist and owes his entire career to Henny.
Creators: STORY BY: Brandon Dayton / ART BY: Brandon Dayton
It makes Sean mad, but I often buy trades and hard covers in the store. For some reason I just like to go into a store and pick something up and decide if I want it and buy it – and be able to take it home that day and not have to wait and worry about the delivery.
ReplyDeleteIt bugs me when I am charged for bag and board. When I was a kid, I think they were free and I think they should still be free.
I also love like Jon said the social experience of hanging out in the store with other geeks.
Like Sean, I really like Captain Comics in Boise. They have cards (something the stores here don’t have), action figures, used trades, a decent trade/HC selection and what appeared to be decent back issues. It was well organized and a cool atmosphere.
Now here is my essay on the 3 main comic shops in Utah:
Store #1
Has the best selection of trades and hard cover collections. Very limited back issues – and what they do have is highly marked up. They also have a good selection of toys and statues, but they are also highly priced. The person running the place is unfriendly and offers terrible customer service. You cannot open the comics and you can expect to be yelled at, reprimanded, or have the cops called on you at any moment. They do bring in creators sometimes, but the events are very inclusive and are used to reward their customers and not to bring in new customers.
Store #2
Has a pretty decent selection of trades/hard covers (particularly more indie stuff than the competition) and action figures. A great dollar bin and quarter bin. Very limited back issues. New issues are unbagged which make them good for viewing, but also can lead to them getting bent up. The person running the place is uninformed about comics but is nice. Unfortunately also lazy and makes little attempt to help you or encourage your continued patronage (even if you’ve been going there for years, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t recognize you). They seldom have signings, but do have regular sales.
Store #3
Does not offer the best selection of trades/hard covers or action figures. Relatively large back issue selection at reasonable prices. And great customer service. They know you by name and make you feel welcome. They also make it clear they appreciate your patronage. They do have regular signings and sales. It’s a cool place to hang out and the comics are bagged but you are welcome to open them.
I have a lot of stories about bad customer service from store 1. They do not deserve my patronage. I never really felt comfortable or appreciated as a customer at store number 2 and I often get frustrated with the way things are organized. So now I go to store #3 and I love going there as often as I can.
I still go to store 2 now and then for the quarter and dollar bins or if I am looking for a trade/hard cover. And I only go to store number 3 as a last resort to find a book the others don’t have (because it’s out of print or hard to find).
Too bad store number 1 is so full of itself or else the three stores could work together to have a cool Utah comiccon or even just a more cohesive Utah comic scene.
Great comments. I understand the impulse buy and not wanting to wait to order book online. But atthe same time, when comics are so expensive these days, why not make that dollar stretch as far as it can so you can get even more comics?
ReplyDeleteYou have a great summary of the three major stores in Salt Lake City. They all have their pros and cons. Hopefully the comic scene will keep growing and every city will get even more choices of comic book stores.
I might start getting my bags and boards on the side now too. I like the idea of waiting to bag up your books until after their read. Maybe I'll just get them un-taped.
ReplyDeleteA quarter seems reasonable for a bag and board, but if their half as much at Store #2 (that is, if he even remembers to charge you for them) then I feel like I should stop paying that quarter. I'll have to see how much bags and boards cost in bulk and maybe stop getting them at the store.
I'm with John on the whole "experience" thing. I enjoy all the ritual and tradition around comics almost as much as the comics themselves. I love dude-ing it up at the store on Wednesdays, I love looking at all the new stuff, I love sorting my comics and entering them into comicdb.com. I get previews but I don't do much more than look at the covers of the upcoming issues because I like to be surprised. I buy most of my trades and hardcovers in the store, but Sean's right. It's just a foolish thing to do. I've got to stop.
I've gotta stop too. But the Powers hardcover comes out tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAnd I kind of have to have it tomorrow.
I think Sean needs to open a comic shop one of these days.
ReplyDeleteCORRECTION:
ReplyDeleteI said "And I only go to store number 3 as a last resort to find a book the others don’t have (because it’s out of print or hard to find)."
But talking cryptically got me confused. I mean I love comic shop 3 and I only go to 1 as a last resort.