Tag Archive for comic book stores

The Big Bang Theory’s Alice is the future

November 20, 2011 / / 4 comments


Yesterday I was hanging out at the comic book store (like I do) and a couple of teenage girls came in looking for issues of Spider Island they were missing. They joined in our conversation about how digital comics aren’t a replacement for print (one of them said she had the issues on her iTouch but she still wanted to have them). I am clearly a fan of teenage girls in comic book stores, so this was all fun.

After they left, my friend said to me “Those girls give me hope, but I do worry about the boys they’re going to scare once they get to college.”

A few weeks ago, there were an episode of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory where the plot involved one of the main characters, Leonard, meeting a young woman named Alice in the comic book store (you can see her in the screenshot above).

Now, there are probably some things to complain about here — I personally found the whole meet-cute over an issue of John Byrne’s Next Men a little too insidery, but it wasn’t a big deal. And yes, to a large extent, they played up the male characters’ awkwardness at seeing a hot girl in their comic book store.

Still, even with her scant screen time (although I’ve read Alice may be back), I found Alice refreshing. I may be projecting a bit too much here, but I didn’t feel like Alice thought she was a novelty. She wasn’t going into the comic book store so nerdy guys could fawn over here. She was just going there to buy comics. (Later in the episode, we find out Alice makes her own comics, which is also a cool thing to see on a popular sitcom.)

Comic book stores can still be uncomfortable places for women sometimes and women creators are still under-represented at Marvel and DC. These are problems. But gross as that Starfire stuff was in Red Hood and the Outlaws, to me, that’s quickly going to be irrelevant.

The teenage girls in the store yesterday? They absolutely are the future of comics. As are all the young women filling up sequential arts classes to the point where they’re outnumbering the men. In that way, I think a sitcom showing a young woman choosing to go into a comic book store to buy comics for herself is a pretty big deal.

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Nick Bertozzi/Jason Little signing at Big Planet Bethesda

February 27, 2011 / / 3 comments

Comic book stores have a wonderful ability to create a sense of community. (I think all comic stores do this — it’s just the bad comic book stores create a community I’m not interested in being a part of.)

At the Nick Bertozzi and Jason Little signing yesterday at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, that’s what I thought of — that sense of community. The actual purpose of being there — buying Bertozzi’s Lewis & Clark and getting it signed — only took a few minutes. (Due to not having much money, I was only able to buy that. I do want Little’s Motel Art Improvement Service but since my mom expressed interest in reading Lewis & Clark, that one won out. Little and I did exchange buttons, though.)

And while I couldn’t fault the people who got their book signed and left, I thought it was a great excuse to spend a couple of hours in a comic book store. I saw friends, met a few people and finally met Jim Dougan in person. And in the time I wasn’t talking, I enjoyed looking at comics (that I can’t afford right now). I hadn’t been in a comic book store in a while due to the aforementioned “not having much money” bit so I had fun picking up and looking at quite a number of books I had yet to see in person.

To me, that’s what events like this should be about: Giving people a reason to hang out with each other.

Whether someone is reading them or making them, comics can make people feel a little isolated. Reading, drawing and writing usually take place when people are on their own. It’s also not uncommon to feel like you’re the only person you know who likes comics or feel like you can’t discuss them in the way you want with friends or coworkers (I don’t particularly have this problem with my friends, but I know my social circle is probably a bit different from most people’s).

I like comic book stores (the good ones, anyway). I like the feeling of interaction, of feeling like I’m a part of something. Yeah, online shopping is great and social media is a great way for us to keep up with each other, but it’s not the same thing.

Which is a really long way of saying: Yesterday afternoon was the fun of the best kind. And now I have Lewis & Clark to read and enjoy. All in all, that I came away with a comic after having fun feels like a good bonus.

(I forgot I had my camera with me — it’d been a long day — but Mike Rhode of ComicsDC took some photos, one of which I borrowed for this post.)

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Vault of Midnight

December 30, 2009 / / 2 comments

Over Christmas, I went to visit my brother in Michigan, so we of course stopped in at Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor. (The store’s Facebook page is more up-to-date than the site.) I’ve mentioned Vault of Midnight previously here, but it’s worth its own post.

It reminds me a lot of a toy store with its bright interior and colorful art. Yes, they do sell quite a number of toys (usually of the vinyl/collector type, but they do have Uglydolls and such) and games (role and board), but comics are the star here.

I’d say that Vault of Midnight runs more mainstream than a lot of other comic book stores I frequent — most of the indie stuff occupies two small shelves downstairs — but they do have an impressive selection of comics and art books. The open and airy layout leads to a comfortable environment for browsing. I saw a few things I didn’t see elsewhere.

While we were there, I’d say that there were more women/girls than men/boys in the store for a bit (the store’s proximity to University of Michigan probably helps on that account) and I thought that was pretty great. The staff was friendly and attentive.

Ann Arbor may not be on your list of places to go, but if you’re nearby, check out Vault of Midnight. It’s a store I’d like to have closer.

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Comic Swap

November 12, 2009 / / 2 comments

I’m in State College, Pa., for a few days because I had some time off, it was within driving distance and I had a free place to stay. Before my grad student friend left me to go teach his class, he said “The comic book store is that way.”

As much as I love the stylishness of stores like San Francisco’s Isotope and Brooklyn’s Bergen Street Comics, I love when a classic comic book store is done right. Comic Swap is just that.

While it’s in a basement, the store bright, clean and well-organized. The graphic novel shelves are the first thing you see, and they’re arranged by category and then alphabetical by title (a set-up I prefer, because I’m often more likely to remember a title than the creator). To the right is the floppies, interspersed with minicomics (some by local creators) and to the left is manga, back issues and other comic-related peripheries (role-playing games, etc.).

The store is fairly small and even though it’s not overly packed with goods, it’s obvious whoever runs this store has put a lot of thought into it. The graphic novel selection had a lot of great titles, ranging from the classics to the smaller gems. I also loved the extensive children’s section (I think every comic store needs one). I think it’s great they sell minicomics alongside the big titles from D.C. and Marvel.

The staff was friendly and my brief chat with them was great. They seem like they’re having fun.

I encouraged my friend to go there — he’s a sometimes comics reader but felt a little intimidated by the Batman and Spider-Man signs in the window. I told him he has nothing to worry about. It’s a lovely, comfortable store. I know State College is a college town, but any city would be lucky to have a place like Comic Swap.

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Bergen Street Comics

June 7, 2009 / / No comments

I am newly arrived home from New York. The train ride was a train ride — fairly comfortable overall (I did doze for a bit) but the Metro ride home and then the walk back to my car weren’t too thrilling (hey, the plan sounded like a good idea on Friday when I left … I think I could’ve sprung for a taxi in the end). I’ll start digging through my pile of comics and stuff tomorrow.

But that’s not the point of this post at all. My last stop in New York was Brooklyn’s Bergen Street Comics. It’s a gorgeous store and if it was nearby, they would be taking all my money. The layout is excellent — children’s comics within easy reach of little hands, graphic novels organized by genre rather than author or title, and a table in the middle with selections of note. The single issues line the walls. It feels like shopping in a boutique bookstore rather than a comic book store.

I am not, overall, a hater of traditional comic book stores — you know, the sort that have lots of T-shirts and posters and action figures. Some of them do this kind of thing very well and they can be fun. But others don’t and they can make some of us a little uncomfortable sometimes.. Those sorts of stores aren’t welcoming to the people who were never superhero fans but will read graphic novels like Persepolis.

Bergen Street Comics is a store for those people. It’s far from being some snobby, intellectuals-only place — owners Amy and Tom are very friendly and welcoming and obviously love comics of all sorts. It’s a store for everyone and that’s an awesome thing to me. They know what they’re doing.

I wish them all the success they deserve and I hope to get back there one day.

(There were many things I would’ve bought, but I picked up The Color of Earth from First Second. Really, First Second needs subscription plans.)

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