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Hey all, I was on a little hiatus, but I've encountered a few things that
have pissed me off lately, and I figured I'd share them with you.
Namely, crappy comic stores.
Ever go into a store, and had this kind of dialogue?
- "Do you have that copy of [insert comic here] I reserved?"
- "Sorry, I sold 'em".
- "But I had it on my reserve!!"
- "Sorry, Them's the breaks!"
Oooh, this happened to me and a couple friends of mine in the past and you
gotta wonder how these guys can do business! We've got a
CHAIN of comic stores here in Montreal that do business like this, and they
are unfortunately fairly big! I don't know why! There are tons of
other great stores people could go to, where the owners care about the
collectors, and not about simply selling all their copies as fast
as they can. It just makes me wanna tear the guy's head off! What the hell
is the point of having a freaking reserve set up, just so he can
sell it to the first person who comes in after he's sold his last shelf
copy?!?! What a freaking a-hole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*ahem* but I digress... There should be a certain etiquette. Kind of like
the comic code, but for comic stores. You do business badly, you're out!
Back to selling fake jewelry on the street for you, pal! Get the hell out
of the comic business.
Here's another good one, you live in an area that's scarce in comic stores,
but "gasp!" you find one!!! You hurriedly grab your polar bear coat ( Keep
in mind, I live in Canada, land of permanent snow and igloos ), hop onto
your dogsled, and head down to the closest comic igloo!!! You run in, only
to realize, this guy only sells the shiniest, airbrushiest of Image Comics
and high priced back issues. He's a money grubbing moron. A store that only
sells the high seller and gives not a CRAP about good quality ( and I mean
good quality by comics that actually have good writing/story rather than
just well drawn T&A ). A store where you can only use your debit card if
you're buying more than 10$ worth. A store where if you're browsing, they
kick you out.
I believe in what Neil Gaiman had to say about comics, how you've gotta sell
GOOD comics, INTERESTING comics, and not just the "big shiny covers". What
the hell is wrong with the world today that quality has gone out the window,
and all people care about is everything big and flashy? Where great stores
that sell a HUGE variety of stuff are struggling to stay open, and the
shitty no-good money grubbing scum are reaping the benefits. Where the store
owners who will bend over backwards to get whatever you're looking for are
the ones struggling to keep their stores open, and the ones who'd rather
piss in your face than help you are the ones who get the city's kudos. What
the hell is up with that?!
There is no justice for the world of comics, I tell you!!!
Stephane Morrell
(xipetotec)
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