The Lovely Comic Store Thread by NervousPete

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

The Lovely Comic Store Thread

POSTED BY: NERVOUSPETE
UPDATED: Thursday, August 18, 2005 13:24
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Monday, August 1, 2005 7:58 AM

And he was righteous in his anger. And he smote. Lord, how he smote the foolish comic store. And the fans did applaud, and the clerks did weep, and God was in his heaven and Fox were someplace special...

But what of the lovely comic book stores? Those that you want to hug, filled with lovable characters and people with alarmingly normal social interaction skills?

Shops with personality! Shops with odd trinkets! Shops where the owners are more likely to be reading Margeret Atwood, Ballard, Camus and Vonnegut than Star Trek Fleet Manuals!

Magical shops!

I hope to set a ball rolling:

Comicville in Leeds is filled with funsters who respect their customers and place orders with an eerie efficiency. They play largely quality music and have an alarming number of Mexican Day of the Dead trinkets. They host a cool Halloween night at the local Phono (I went as Shawn from Shawn of the Dead) and are Browncoats.

The staff are *gasp* of BOTH sexes and attract a fair share of personable hipsters due to their charming personalities, prominent indies and reasonable prices. Honesty compells me to say that they do sell some awful novelty jokeshop tat on the ground floor, but that's to stay afloat, I swear!

Give it a try, then pop into the nearby Fab Cafe/Bar with its dancefloor Dalek, 50's sci-fi memorabillia and top offbeat tunes. (*Sigh* living here in Cardiff I miss it all so much)

Comicville
2, Merrion Centre
Leeds
West Yorkshire LS2 8NG
Tel: 0113 244 2441

Who's next? We've blasted the damnable fools, now let us laud the Comic Stores of Champions!

Nervous Pete

"If you can keep your head whilst others... eurgh! Ack! I've spilt my ink! Ugh! Ink on my trousers! Agh! Ink on my shirt! My only hope! The window! Aieeeeee!" (Falls to death)
- Jonathan Nash

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Monday, August 1, 2005 8:41 AM

CHRONICTHEHEDGEHOG

The Comix Shoppe in Swansea is brilliant, nice small shop with comics downstairs and roleplay and miniatures upstairs.

The older staff member is fantastic, you can just go in and chat with him about stuff (and he gave me a free comic once so I gotta love him) and the younger is always nice though not as forthcoming as the other (though he looks scarily like Banky from Chasing Amy so he gets props for that)

Not sure of the address, but for anyone who knows the town head into the arcade near zeitgeist (opposite derricks) and it's on the left.

Also got to put in a mention for Forbidden Planet in Birmingham, as I went in there the other day and they were playing firefly on the tv behind the counter.

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Monday, August 1, 2005 8:46 AM

KNIBBLET

Two lovely comic book stores:

Shinders is a small Twin Cities chain. Shinders stores are always clean and well lit. The clerks are helpful and polite. They don't jack up prices and they board and bag everything.

Nice ... Shinders. Nice.

Big Brain Comics is located on Washington Ave in Mpls. They've got more comics and genres of comics than you shake a stick at. If it has ever been conceived, it's at Big Brain ... even erotica.

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/MN-Firefly/

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Monday, August 1, 2005 9:35 AM

CHRISISALL

Modern Myth in Northampton, Mass. has an owner who is courteous, helpful, and more knowledgeable than any other I've ever met, and Newbury Comics in nearby Amherst has more comic-related toys than you could fit in your house (plus, they were the only ones that had a Serenity comic for miles...)!!

Pluggin' Chrisisall

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Monday, August 1, 2005 9:35 AM

EMBERS

Oh I visit comic book stores in different cities whenever I can...and I really love them!

Berkeley, CA: Comic Relief is fabulous, a tiny store that is filled with chewy goodness. The clerks/owner I met were all helpful and fun to talk to.

London, England: some little shop near where Portobellow Rd meets Pembridge Road (not far from the Noting Hill Gate Underground station), I visited it when I was there a couple of years ago and liked it a lot.

Portland, Maine: I was just up there recently and they had all kinds of fun alternative postcards and other goodies that make a comic book store unique.

New York City: and I'm ashamed to say I can't remember the name, I should ask the friend who took me there, because the place was huge and had everything you could ever imagine.
eta: the store in NYC with EVERYTHING in a huge store that takes up two full floors is:
Midtown Comics, here's their website:
http://www.midtowncomics.com/

and my local comic book store:
Spuds in Ottumwa, Iowa: they are always helpful, never price gouge, and always have some fun and interesting things:
They have the Anya action figure w/the bunny suit
(which I may have to buy...)
and I even found Monty Python & the Holy Grail action figures (which I DID buy!)
eta: AND they had ordered 'Serenity' without my even having to ask ahead of time for it!

Join my crew: Fairfield Fireflies
http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=gro
ups.main&searchby=F

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Monday, August 1, 2005 10:46 AM

CAPTBAGGYTROUSERS

When in Boston, Massachusetts, be sure to visit Comicopia
464 Commonwealth Avenue
Kenmore square, Boston MA
02215
617 266 4266

The best selection, the friendliest staff, and a nice, clean, well-arranged store. Tell Matt and Kaitlin I said hello.

History repeats the old conceits

http://topshelftvshow.com
Updated! Improved! Shiny!

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Monday, August 1, 2005 11:31 AM

GUNRUNNER

Empire Comics
1176 Mount Hope Ave.
Rochester NY 14616
585-442-0371

A small place with a helpful staff. When I picked up issue #1 of Serenity I got to talking to the clerk about Firefly and he seemed surprise how well a canceled show is doing. Hopefully he will follow my advice and pick up the DVDs and we can have a store run by a fan when issue #2 comes out.

EV Nova Firefly mod Message Board:
http://s4.invisionfree.com/GunRunner/index.php?act=idx

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Monday, August 1, 2005 12:25 PM

HELL'S KITTEN

Quote:
Originally posted by Knibblet:
Two lovely comic book stores:

Shinders is a small Twin Cities chain. Shinders stores are always clean and well lit. The clerks are helpful and polite. They don't jack up prices and they board and bag everything.

And this is an example of Knibblet's space dementia. Isn't it cute?

Shinders so does jack up the prices - listen not to the Knibblet! - but I've been a comic geek for a while now. Anyhow, Big Brain is indeed fabulous; I think that's where Jhonen Vasquez showed up one day.... Squee!

But my most favoritist in the Twin Cities is Hot Comics in... um... New Hope! That's it, Hot Comics in New Hope. Best store ever. They order all sorts of good stuff for me, including all the issues of "Serenity" and the "action" figures.

无党派人士

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Monday, August 1, 2005 3:17 PM

EMBERS

BTW if anyone is still looking for 'Serenity' #1
they still have them (at discount) here:
Midtown Comics, here's their website:
http://www.midtowncomics.com/
they list both Jayne & Inara covers available now

Join my crew: Fairfield Fireflies
http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=gro
ups.main&searchby=F

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Monday, August 1, 2005 4:46 PM

HONORBOUND

Quote:
Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:
Quote:
Originally posted by Knibblet:
Two lovely comic book stores:

Shinders is a small Twin Cities chain. Shinders stores are always clean and well lit. The clerks are helpful and polite. They don't jack up prices and they board and bag everything.
And this is an example of Knibblet's space dementia. Isn't it cute? Shinders so does jack up the prices - listen not to the Knibblet! - but I've been a comic geek for a while now. Anyhow, Big Brain is indeed fabulous; I think that's where Jhonen Vasquez showed up one day.... Squee!

But my most favoritist in the Twin Cities is Hot Comics in... um... New Hope! That's it, Hot Comics in New Hope. Best store ever. They order all sorts of good stuff for me, including all the issues of "Serenity" and the "action" figures.

无党派人士

You beat me to the punch... I was going to mention Hot Comics in New Hope!!! Aren't they great people!?!

A kind word turneth away wrath, but not as well as superior firepower

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Monday, August 1, 2005 5:58 PM

NEUTRINOLAD

If you live in Northern California in the Bay Area, the best place to go is Brian's Books, Cards and Comics at the corner of Bowers and the El Camino Real in Santa Clara, just north of San Jose. By far the best in the Silicon Valley.

http://www.brians-books.com/

Especially for back issues and graphic novels, but mostly for subscription service at a good discount.
Andy is the owner. Go figure.
Browncoats always welcome.

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Monday, August 1, 2005 6:11 PM

ROCKETJOCK

Flying Colors in Concord, California is truly world-class; a broad variety of mainstream, smaller press, manga, and esoterica combined with an eye-catching selection of collectables and memorobilia.

And an occasionally magnificent quarter box -- I recently found a Dell Ten-cent Uncle $crooge, a Gold Key Mary Poppins movie tie-in with a cover so thick it could pass for a picture-book, Archie comics so old that Josie hadn't met the Pussycats yet -- all for a quarter each. The owner likes to salt the mine as Summer approaches, I think. More power to him. Aaah, the guilty pleasures of the cheapskate collector...

"Do you know what the definition of a hero is? It's somebody who gets somebody else killed." -- Zoë Warren

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Thursday, August 18, 2005 9:54 AM

BENZ

Quote:
Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:
Quote:
Originally posted by Knibblet:
Two lovely comic book stores:

Shinders is a small Twin Cities chain. Shinders stores are always clean and well lit. The clerks are helpful and polite. They don't jack up prices and they board and bag everything.
And this is an example of Knibblet's space dementia. Isn't it cute? Shinders so does jack up the prices - listen not to the Knibblet!

无党派人士

The price-jacking has been tapering off over the past year and is almost gone. Said jacking was mostly due to under-ordering. When Shinders inventory dipped too low, they used to raise prices. This meant that even new books (like Serenity #1 and 2) would be jacked if they sold better than predicted (ie the demand was higher).

My goal for Shinders is to cultivate new comic readers, and I feel the best way to do that is to have new comics available at cover price. I spend many, many hours determining what I hope to be the correct order levels to both have books for everyone that wants one and keep prices at cover. This doesn't always work out, but I try.

If you have concerns or problems with anything in the comic area of Shinders, please feel free to contact me at bzwolinski@shinders.com

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Thursday, August 18, 2005 1:24 PM

KNIBBLET

Thanks for reporting in, Mr. Shinders Man. I do lots of shopping at Shinders and I've never had a bad experience. My shop is the one in downtown St. Paul and * cannot attest to the actions of places less .... civilized.

To all the Twin Cities folk who've answered on this thread, have you joined our group yet? We're putting together a Midnight shindig for Serenity's opening. The link is below and I'm coordinating the ticket requests for the theatre.

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/MN-Firefly/

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