A Comic Book Store-Y

Special IssueAmanda Siino — Published October 18, 2011

Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, the X-Men and Thor have all been big hits on the silver screen in the last few years, but before they were mingling with each other on the DVD racks, you could find them all spending time together on the shelves of comic book stores.

Comic book adaptations for film and TV are bringing more and more curious first-timers into the stores, according to Rob Steal of 1,000,000 Comix, nestled right next to Concordia’s downtown campus a block west of Guy St.

This presents comic book stores with a bit of a conundrum, since it’s the loyal weekly buyers—seldom approve of these adaptations—who are the heart and soul of the comic book store operation.

Wednesdays are new release days in the comic book universe, and “85 per cent of [our clients] comes [then],” Steal said.

Though the store is tucked away on quiet Pierce St., it still draws a steady flow of customers young and old, wearing suits or scrubs or scruffy student duds, and most customers depart with a “Catch you next week!” to Steal.

For many customers, after perusing this week’s wares, it’s not uncommon for them to stick around for friendly conversations about anything from next week’s issues to the latest issues in their own lives.

True to the stereotype, women are still a rarer sight in comic book stores, but Rachel Burke, a Vancouver native and McGill student, is a new weekly buyer at Millennium Comics, a store based in the upper Plateau.

“About less than a quarter of the buyers I have seen are women,” she said.

Before going into the store over a month ago, she would mostly buy or trade books on Amazon, but Burke started going every Wednesday to buy issues from DC Comics’ The New 52, a re-launch of all the existing DC titles with 52 new first issues.

“One week I went on Thursday, and some of the 52 I wanted, like Wonder Woman, were already sold out,” she said.

That level of popularity for The New 52 titles seems to be the trend for other stores as well; at 1,000,000 Comix, Steal said, “Every single one is sold out.”

That kind of dedication to new issues like these from weekly buyers can certainly be daunting for newcomers. “I was intimidated at first because [comic book stores] are usually pretty snobby—but they were actually friendlier than I expected,” said Burke.

“They’re very nice, but they always speak in French with everyone, so it’s difficult for me to nerd out with them, which is often the best part,” she admitted. “But when they are less busy, they always make an effort to speak with me in English.”

Steal agrees that this seemingly closed community wouldn’t turn away new faces.

The devoted group—Steal, for instance, claims to have read everything in the store—doesn’t always embrace nerd status, however.

“I’m not a nerd,” said Steal.

“Nerds are supposed to be smart—we’re more like dorks,” added customer Marc.