My local comic shop closed today. Which is no big deal, right? I mean there's another two comic shops in town, I can always buy books there. Or I can be really hip and get my comics mailed to me from some online authority on comics.
But it is a big deal. One made all too clear to me when Dark Horse published my stuff back in 2006 in the New Recruits anthology. You see, getting published is, I learned, relatively easy compared to actually selling your comics, getting people to actually read your stuff. You can, after all, publish yourself. Not a problem. But selling your stuff - reaching the readers... well, this is where the comic shop comes in. But a comic shop isn't just four walls, a roof and a bunch of spinner racks where you get your weekly fix. A comic shop is people. You see, my local comic shop closed today and it is a big deal for two very good reasons. David Smith and Matt McGowan. These two guys could 'sell' comics. They were very fine salesman and yeah, I'd often walk out of their store with a little more than I initially went in to buy. Which is great. It's great for the customer because the customer ultimately discovers new and exciting things that way, and more importantly it's great for the artists and the writers because their material is reaching audiences that never would have normally given their work a second glance.
Always friendly, always polite and always eager to help their customers - the real shame isn't just that my local comic shop closed today, it's that as of tomorrow David and Matt won't be selling people comics anymore.
I wish them every success in the future in whatever they decide to do.
Ce qui sera, sera.
But it is a big deal. One made all too clear to me when Dark Horse published my stuff back in 2006 in the New Recruits anthology. You see, getting published is, I learned, relatively easy compared to actually selling your comics, getting people to actually read your stuff. You can, after all, publish yourself. Not a problem. But selling your stuff - reaching the readers... well, this is where the comic shop comes in. But a comic shop isn't just four walls, a roof and a bunch of spinner racks where you get your weekly fix. A comic shop is people. You see, my local comic shop closed today and it is a big deal for two very good reasons. David Smith and Matt McGowan. These two guys could 'sell' comics. They were very fine salesman and yeah, I'd often walk out of their store with a little more than I initially went in to buy. Which is great. It's great for the customer because the customer ultimately discovers new and exciting things that way, and more importantly it's great for the artists and the writers because their material is reaching audiences that never would have normally given their work a second glance.
Always friendly, always polite and always eager to help their customers - the real shame isn't just that my local comic shop closed today, it's that as of tomorrow David and Matt won't be selling people comics anymore.
I wish them every success in the future in whatever they decide to do.
Ce qui sera, sera.
thank you for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteThat's a real shame. The death of any small business always is, but a store like this has always been an invaluable source to the likes of me. These days, I just don't have the time to stay on top of the world of comics and what it has to offer, so I love being able to walk into a store where the people behind the counter are passionate about what they sell, can point me in the direction of what will thrill me, and more importantly what I may otherwise pass by.
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