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The comic shop. The LCS. The funny book store.
That last one was what my grandmother and aunts used to call my favorite hangout spot when I was growing up in Chicago. I hated it. Superheroes weren't funny to me. Dudes got socked in the eye! People got killed (Gwen Stacy, Bucky, Captain Marvel)!
Anyway, I'm over it now. And I still got love for my brick and mortar stores. So, welcome to Comic Shop Confidential.
Dwight, Adrian and myself recently sat down for a celebration of the venerable brick and mortars. Specifically our collective experiences here in the Atlanta area over the last three decades. And even though we reference names and places that you all don't know, chances are the experiences are universal. We all come from the same place, right?
We hope you enjoy listening in and don't get too bored. While the battle between digital vs. print rages on, it was nice to pay simple tribute to the guys and gals who've been holding it down for the last 25 years. Salute!
- SWAiN
**This episode is dedicated to Graham Crackers Comics — our official sponsor and the largest chain of comic shops IN THE COUNTRY.
The local comic shop was the place to hang out on the way home from school, and later on from work. We could talk it up with the guys, play some video games, all around good times. then, like so many, it closed down, and i moved on to other things. now that my work comes full circle, i need a shop, and not a one within 40 miles of where i now live.
man, why you gotta rag on Dwight being a cub scout. I was a cub scout....for two meetings...then the scout master ran off with everyone's money. :D
(RE: Wow, that sucks that you have to drive so far to visit an actual shop. I feel extra lucky to have so many available to me here in Atlanta. And don't get me wrong, I wasn't ragging on D about the Cub Scouts. Just putting my unrequested two cents in. Thanks for writing, Mario! - S)
Posted by: Mario Chavez | October 10, 2011 at 14:16
Hey fellas, congratulations on another great podcast. My first graphic novel was 'A Death in the family' as well. Times have sure changed since the 80's but there has never been such great access to the world of comics and the industry as there is now. I live in Australia and the comic world was always a far away land. Conventions! man I didn't even have a clue what they were all about. Now that I have grown and illustrate as much as I can, I really appreciate your insights and opinions on art with the genres that I enjoy. Keep up you important work that you all do.
Will Pleydon - Australia
(RE: Thanks for listening and writing the comment, Will. It's funny how we don't have to be from the same place to actually BE from the same place---LOL! Very cool. Take care, sir, and please stay in touch. - S)
Posted by: Will Pleydon | October 17, 2011 at 05:52
This episode brought back a lot of good memories for me. I think I'm only a few years younger than Dwight and Swain, so I remember how exciting it was being a teenager and going to the comix shop in the mid-1980s (on Fridays back then--maybe I'm dating myself, but new comix day was always more fun on a Friday when you had the entire weekend to read through your pile of books) when every week something like Watchmen or Dark Knight or Nexus or Maus or Lloyd Llewellyn or Ronin would be coming out. It was a pretty special time.
I really love your show and I'm trying to turn as many of my friends on to it as possible. Of all the comix podcasts, yours is the only one which really seems to understand the visual nature of the medium and the importance of craft in creating comix.
I'm not sure if you take requests, but (speaking of the mid-1980s) I would love to hear you guys interview Michael Cherkas, the Canadian cartoonist who co-created "The Silent Invasion" (1986, originally published by Renegade, and then collected by NBM), one of the best graphic novels I've ever read which, unfortunately, most people have either never read or have completely forgotten about.
Anyway, keep up the great work.
Daniel Klos
Baltimore, Maryland
Posted by: Daniel Klos | December 12, 2011 at 17:48