HOW TO BUY A COMIC - by Marc Guggenheim
Howdy.
Man, was this a week. Some good. Some bad. A lot stressful. Consequently, yesterday escaped me, so we’re doing a special Saturday edition…
STAR WARS: DARK DROIDS - D-SQUAD #3
On a (significantly) lighter subject, next Wednesday sees the release of the penultimate issue of D-Squad and we’ve got a preview here courtesy of AIPT:
In addition, this issue includes one of my favorite joke of the series:
If you’d care to order (or pre-order) it digitally, click here. If, however, you want to know how you can buy a (gasp) physical copy, well, read on…
A CIVILIAN’S GUIDE TO BUYING COMICS
One of our readers, Todd Ulman, dropped a comment to last week’s newsletter asking where he might pick up a copy of Deadpool: Seven Slaughters, the anthology one-shot that came out this past Wednesday. The question reminded me of an exchange I had on the picket line during the WGA strike. I met a fellow comic book writer who told me an interesting anecdote: He had just had a new comic come out and his grandmother was asking where she could buy it.
Think about that for a minute. Can you think of any other business where a product is sold which “civilians” (people who are not aficionado’s of said product) don’t know how they can buy said product? And if you can think of such a business how do you imagine they expect to stay in business?
Those of us in the comic industry need to put our collective heads together and figure out a way to make it easier for new and casual readers — especially those who don’t step into comic shops — to access our product. This is particularly true for monthly comics (a/k/a “floppies”) as opposed to the original graphic novels and trade paperbacks that flourish (thankfully) at stores like Barnes & Noble or are easily available from Amazon.
Sorry. I invited you to a discussion of how to buy physical comics, not an exegesis on what ails the comic book industry. I digress.
So… how does one buy a physical copy of a comic in 2023?
The best way is to visit your local comic book store (known in the biz as an LCS).
Unfortunately, gone are the days when you could just go to a newsstand and pick up a comic because, well, gone are most newsstands. And even those surviving few carry precious little comics if at all. Consequently, an LCS is your best — if not only — bet.
But it can be intimidating for new or casual readers — like my friend’s grandmother — to enter such a store. But the truth is — and I’ll include some Los Angeles local recommendations below — a lot of comic shops are staffed by warm, knowledgeable folks who will be more than happy to hook you up with what you’re looking for.
In terms of finding an LCS, obviously there’s Google or the search function on your phone’s maps app, but I want to let you know about a handy site called comicshoplocator.com.
When you go to it, you’ll find a very straightforward interface:
All you have to do is enter your location or zip code, hit “GO” and you’ll get a list of stores in your area
Very simple. You’ll also note that Comic Shop Locator also has iOS and Android apps if you prefer to do your searching that way.
As you can tell from the above screenshot, the site also has a terrific essay on why you should do your comic shopping at a comic shop. It’s worth reading here.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, I wholeheartedly recommend the following stores (in alphabetical order):
COLLECTOR’S PARADISE — There are actually three great locations in Winnetka, North Hollywood, and Pasadena. They each have their own vibe, but all are wonderful. The owner Ed Greenburg, does a phenomenal job of curating terrific signing events and also runs a “Collector’s Series” where you can get signed copies of every book in a particular run. You can find out about all this — and much more — at their website: comicsandcards.net.
EARTH-2 COMICS (15017 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403) — a really great local store, brightly lit with a terrific stock of back issues. (Earth-2 also has a sister store in Northridge.)
GALAXY OF COMICS (17306 Saticoy Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406) — a huge space staffed by some truly terrific people — and adorable cats. Great trade paperback selection.
In addition, there is Arsenal Comics in Newbury Park (1610-1 Newbury Road, Newbury Park) and Ventura (3431 Telegraph Road, Ventura). Mentioning them here might be straining the definition of local, but the stores are so great — and the clientele so wonderfully nice — that I’d be remiss if I didn’t include them. You can check out their website here.
All that being said, maybe you don’t live close to a comic shop. In that case, shopping online is your friend. The aforementioned (and great) Collector’s Paradise offers online ordering (and pre-ordering) via their website.
I also recommend midtowncomics.com, the online storefront of Midtown Comics, a terrific chain of stores in Manhattan.
I hope at least some of that is helpful!
Be good to each other.
Best,
Marc
Encino, California
11.18.23
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