Let’s talk about the magic of the LCS!

So, superhero comics are not doing to well. I mean, they’re keeping afloat and all, but between the economy and the fact the demographic they aim for is small and getting smaller, things could be better. Which is why we need all the good comic bookstores we can get!

My first comic store was a good stretch away from where I lived, to the point where my parents complained about the gas it took to get there. But the only other local one didn’t really get the titles I liked, or have a decent array of back issues. It was pretty good, but these days it doesn’t even sell comics, just video games.

My old store was…interesting. It wasn’t creepy at all, and no one reacted to my gender or age. The owner of the store was always friendly to me. The problem was, he wasn’t friendly to a whole lot of other people. Many times when I went there, he’d be getting into arguments about the stupidest things- from parking places to “How dare you try to get a good deal on this comic”! I always made sure not to get on this bad side.

But, like I said, he was very nice to me. I was a regular customer, I never went in there without buying anything, I was enthusiastic and he said I had good taste. I really liked the guy who worked for him, Mike. We shared a mutual love for Cassandra Cain and often complained about the evil plotline, which had only just been rectified at the time, and geeked out over cool comics about her. Unfortunately, Mike disappeared one day. I have no idea why. Probably he’s gotten fired by arguing with the store owner over the pricing of comics or something.

But the store owner also geeked out with me too. I remember the day I got Robin #174, and he said “You think Stephanie’s going to come back in this one?” and I was like “I HOPE SO!” *bounce bounce* and he said “Well, it’s really interesting” all dramatically. Next week he asked me if I was happy, and I said “Yes! I am ecstatic!” and he said “I’m happy too, it would have been stupid if it turned out not to be her.”

Also, once, he gave me a couple of free comics, and an entire X-23 trade for free. It was very nice.

But the store had one major flaw- the owner was absolutely psychotic about touching the comics without buying them. You couldn’t look through the ones on the rack, they were all bagged up and you were, under no circumstances, allowed to look through a comic before buying it, unless you wanted to walk up to the desk, and had the store owner observe you carefully, making small whimpering noises and shouting “Don’t bend it!” if you didn’t treat it with the required delicacy. I tried this once, had no desire to repeat the experience, and from then on, bought the comics (including back issues) without looking through them. This led, as you can imagine, to a lot of lousy purchases.

But recently, a brand new comic store opened three minutes from my house. There, we are allowed to look through the rack all we want. I even got to check to see if Babs could walk again at the end of the last Oracle issue, put it back with satisfaction, and not bother to buy because I knew how bad the writing was. As long as you do buy something, the store owner doesn’t mind if you peruse. And he’s very nice, very welcoming and gave me and my friend John a bucketload of free comics during the Grand Opening.

He’s fun to talk to and geek out with (We both support Cass as Batgirl! Glee!) and he thinks I’m funny. His pregnant wife, son and occasionally his dog hang out there too. It’s really fun, and I had a fabulous FBCD there. There’s also several 50 cent boxes with lots of good comics in them, which I plan to mine for all they’re worth.

At first I felt a crushing sense of guilt for abandoning my old LCS. The store and it’s employees had never done wrong by me, and it had been a good store. I made a few half-hearted attempts to go there once a month. But like I said, it was pretty far away, and I could practically walk to the new one if I wanted too (not that I would, it’s a pretty long walk and there’s a lot of traffic).

The guilt has lessened a lot now and I’ve convinced myself it is perfectly okay to switch to a closer comic book store that has a more relaxed atmosphere to boot. I’m not betraying anything. Still, I’m terrified I might run into the old store owner and have him confront me over my disloyalty. One time I got a gift certificate there and had to sneak in. The store owner asked me where I’d been, and I mumbled something about being busy. He was shocked to think that someone would ever be too busy for comics. I felt bad afterward.

But you know what? I love my new store, and I’m going to do my darnedest to keep it in business, it’s so convenient. I’m very happy with my comic store experiences, and I’m glad I’ve never come across a creepy joint. The closest was a place in NYC when I went there, where this one guy wouldn’t stop staring at me.

For people who have had problems (especially girls) here’s a map at Girl Wonder designed specifically to point out non-creepy stores. Zoom out if you’re having trouble seeing it. Here it is.

And if you’re ever in NC, swing by Comic Envy! (Or Pastimes. But whatever you do, don’t park in the place by the store window)