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My 25th year of reading comics is coming to a close. During this time I've seen good, bad, and what appears to be indifference from the comic companies (those that create and publish, that is). I figure that will continue in a variety of ways, and even perhaps in a cycle. I can live with that, even though I know it will be frustrating. However, this article had a large chance of being my last regarding comics, and it wasn't due to the comic companies. It's due to that part of the comic community I've only been dealing with for the past 15 years, the comic shop.
During the past few months weird things were happening at the local shop. At first some things didn't come in. It wasn't a big deal as missing issues were ordered and just showed up late. Even shipping and ordering errors cause this at times, so I thought nothing of it. Then, last month I found out that a whole month's worth of comics weren't ordered. The final result, I had to go online to find the issues I was missing, some of which had already gone up in price at online retailers (I managed to track everything down at a normal price).
Now, you can say this is my fault for not checking my comics. That would be fair. However, if I have a pull file isn't the purpose of that file to be that I am to receive certain titles regularly? It lets the comic store know what to expect from certain people and what to expect financially on some levels. I've always done my best to be a good customer. I buy what I order. That's my commitment to the store and the hobby in general.
I guess the thing that irks me the most is that this isn't new. In the 15 years that I've been buying comics from comic shops I've noticed that this is actually a trend, and a very worrisome one at that. Looking back historically at the shops I've been to for an extended period they've all presented with the following events (some I've learned from the owners themselves):
- The shop is started by someone who is interested in comics.
- The shop owner/operator gets the business going (usually starting largely with their own collection as a base).
- Over the years the owner loses connection with comics and/or their customers.
- The owners become overly business oriented.
- A major event happens and the business is shaken to its core.
I have been to three shops for an extended period of time (we're talking more than nine months), and all seem to have gone through these series of events. The result of one was going from a hole-in-the-wall shop to a multi-city multi-store chain, back to a hole-in-the-wall. The other was going from a small shop, to a large shop, to a closed shop. The other, is where I am now and I'm waiting to see if the shop can pull itself back together.
Needless to say, being a regular to a third shop going through this I have to ask if this is something that is going to continue on in the hobby and industry. My experience would indicate that it is. From what I've been told the area I'm in now (I just moved here almost a year ago) had three comic shops about three years ago, each in a different city. Now there is one. That doesn't make me think my theory is wrong, that's for sure.
Being a bit less than optimistic as far as a comic shop being "dependable" went, I looked at what my options were if I was going to continue reading comics. I could go almost strictly trade paperbacks, as then I would just get complete story arcs. The problem with that is we're never guaranteed what series will be put into a trade format, and then I could be stuck with having to buy back issues if I wanted to catch up with a series. I considered going exclusively online, but I really don't have the patience to wait two or three weeks at a time to get my comics. It makes sense for the sake of shipping, but if there is an error (and my previous online experiences have had many) you may not find out until it is too late. My last option was to quit reading comics all together (this is where I was leaning most strongly).
So, two weeks ago the "damage" of the missed month played out. I decided I would see what came of it and decide if I was going to quit reading comics, period. I'm sorry but I just don't see dependability in shops anymore. It doesn't matter if it's one I can walk into or its one that exists on the internet only. I don't have faith in them anymore. The result, as I said before, was that I had a number of missing issues (about $50.00 worth), but was able to track them down.
My decision on the matter? I'm sticking with my comics. Not because of the shops. Not because of the companies. Because of the characters and because of me. Who I am is not defined by the comics I have read over the past 25 years of my life, but their influence is there (even beyond my wardrobe). To walk away from comics as a whole would be to walk away from part of myself. Not collecting comics is a Rubicon I can't cross because it's just too complex of an issue for me. I know myself that well.
In closing, I have a final plea to any current and future comic store owners. Know your product. Know your customers. Know how to run your business. Or, at least, know how to be a decent person and tell people when they need to move on.
See you next month.
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