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Daily by MB on
17 February 2010
After trying on multiple occasions to have this “play date” and being unsuccessful at coordinating our schedules, Ronnie and I finally took time today, to visit some comic book stores. We both miss the industry so much, and neither of us allow ourselves the luxury of purchasing much, for fear that it will recreate our former addiction. But, it’s good for us to at least be aware of what’s out there, and what the current climate is like for retailers. So, we have vowed to try to visit our area stores every once in a while.
We made one comic store stop (the little Lone Star store not a half mile from my house) and then had lunch . . . I introduced him to Mi Tierra—another place I hadn’t been in way too long. My Caribbean lasagna was delicious and today’s soup was amazing! Then, to the second Lone Star store, this time the flagship store on Cooper Street. For all the reasons it’s still difficult to think about supporting Lone Star Comics, one has to admit that at least they are still hanging in there. No back issues at all (that’s all online, now) and the odd mix of non-comic paraphernalia is a bit disturbing, but I have to say I was impressed with their selection of games. The stores are clean and well-ordered, if not well-organized. And, the staff seemed to be glad to be there.
Not so true of our third and fourth stops—3D Comics in far east Arlington and Y2K Comics in Fort Worth. At 3D Comics, the first impression was not good—what appears to have once been a big glass window in the front has been replaced with plywood and seems to be a permanent arrangement. Not pretty. Kinda made me wonder how it got broken and what part of town I was in. The man behind the counter was all too eager to help us (I had the feeling that we were the first fish to swim into his net in quite a while) and yet when we actually found something we wanted, he didn’t have it. The store was very small, very old school and contained only comics, as far as I noticed. There seemed to be a gaming area in the back, but no games to speak of for sale. Maybe there was Magic, the Gathering somewhere, but it’s small and I must have missed it. Only a handful of graphic novels, and not enough interesting stuff to make me want to go back.
Y2K Comics was just as disappointing, but for different reasons. 3D may have had a very small selection and nothing to really keep my attention, but the new comics he did have were at least new, and the guy was friendly. At Y2K, the first thing that greets you is four feet of empty miniatures racks right inside the door. One can easily deduce that the product would get awfully sun-faded that close to the big front windows, but then wouldn’t you think to take down the rack? Or move it to a more useful spot? The giant wall of windows makes the store feel more inviting, but it is a challenge to the storekeeper. In this case, though, the challenge is not being met. Empty racks and damaged product speak for themselves. Almost every book in the front of the store was faded horribly by the sun. On the big “new comics” wall, the seemingly large selection was arranged only roughly by alphabet, and I never did figure out the system. And, closer inspection revealed that some of the books were as much as five years old! It’s definitely easier to “look” like you have a good selection if you never rotate your stock! We were greeted, but I got the distinct feeling that that was because Ronnie spoke first. The man there seemed unhappy to be there and I didn’t feel welcome. Most of the racks sported a hefty layer of dust that could easily have been many months’ worth. Even the signage in the store was unpleasantly worn and crumpled. Little tags that say “new” under this week’s books look like they were probably first created when the store’s name still had a futuristic sound. And this is what fills the void we left.
What our excursion did, of course, was to remind us what great stores we used to run, and how much we really miss doing it. And, at the risk of sounding overly conceited—how much our old customers would likely appreciate the return of Heroes Comics!
While at Lone Star, I did allow myself to buy a remaindered book, although now that I’m into reading it, I don’t know why it had to be marked down. It is the subject of my photo, and a darned good read. The art is fun and contemporary, and the story is very well-told. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone, especially to women, and especially to anyone who has had cancer touch their lives in any way—and really, isn’t that all of us?
Ronnie and I had a great time and ended our day at the Firehouse Grill (where they have Rahr’s Iron Thistle on tap!) where we were just in time for the start of the Pub Guys Sports Edition show. It was a great show where the guys debated the “what is a sport” issue! Well worth listening to, you can download it from the Pub Guys website and enjoy!
~MB
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