We Read Comics!

This entry is a part rant, part mission statement, and part callout to all the other comic shops out there. As you may, or may not, know, there are literally thousands of comic selling shops across this great land of ours. No surprise, really. Even with the shaky economy, the industry is booming. A quick gander at the lineup of comic related films coming out of Hollywood will reinforce this fact. And it is not just the films. With the deluge of great stories and amazing talent working in comics right now, I will, and have, gone on record to say that this is truly the Second Golden Age. But this is not my point of discussion today. Today we talk about the retail side of the business.

Again, there are an amazing number of comic specialty shops, not to mention traditional bookstores, where collector and fan alike can purchase their weekly supply of 4-color crack. So what sets aside one shop from another? Why should you, the dollar conscious consumer, choose any shop over another? We all carry the major books. The better shops (ours included) will have an expanded Independent book section, and hopefully a Kid Friendly section featuring not just the latest Archie books, but also an eclectic sampling of some of the better, and smarter, alternative kid’s titles. Any shop worth its salt will carry the major books from the Big 4 so, though selection is a consideration, I believe you need to dig deeper to find the quality most important to choosing your shop.

Is it customer service? Yes, in a sense. Good customer service is an essential component to any business, especially a business in the retail or service industries. You must provide your customer with not only a satisfying product, but a satisfying experience. To a degree, the quality of our product is dictated by our suppliers (the publishers and creators), but the one product, the one service each shop can provide their customer, is knowledge. And here we return to the title of this column.
We. Read. Comics!

Sounds simple, and maybe a bit obvious, no? I mean, we sell comics, so of course we read them. Don’t we? Sadly, you’d be surprised how many shops I’ve come to discover, by personal experience, and by complaint from new customers, that employ people who do not read comics. And I am not talking about the ‘Oh yeah, I read Watchmen’, or the ‘Yeah, I read Superman: Red Son…it was the best, er, only comic I read last year” person. Reading a comic a year does not make you a reader! And you are doing your customer, your industry a disservice if this is the reading habit you follow. You must love what you sell to sell it effectively. I feel it my responsibility, and also my pleasure, to read as many comics, Trade Paperbacks, and Graphic Novels as I possibly can each month. I do this not only because I love the form, but also to provide my customer, my friends, with the best and most knowledgeable service possible. And I read a wide range of titles in many different genres. I read most all the Vertigo titles, but I also read about 2 dozen superhero titles each month. I’ve read great indy books like Essex County, The Rabbi’s Cat, and Persepolis, and I’ve also read Korgi, Bone, and It Ate Billy on Christmas. And yeah, I read AG Super Erotic. I read everything I can get my hands on, because It is my belief that if you are in the business of selling comics, and you do not read comics, then you should not be in the business of selling comics. If you don’t read, why did you get in to begin with? And if you did at one time love comics and have fallen out of reading? Well, I have 2 suggestions: 1) Start reading again. You won’t be sorry you did. As I’ve said, there are more great stories and creators creating them than ever before, or 2) get out of the business. Please. You are not helping your customers and you are not helping the public’s perception of our industry.

So there you are. Sound harsh? If it does then you are just the person I was targeting with this rant. For those of you out there who love, and read, the comics you sell. Bravo! You’re doing it right, and I look forward to seeing you, and talking about comics with you, soon.

Read On!

J-Roy!