Homecoming
The other day I did something that I haven’t done in a very long time, an impossibly long time.
I went into a comic book shop and bought comics.
Not graphic novels, trade paperbacks or even collections. Just standard monthly comic book issues. It felt right, comfortable and like I was coming home. I used to buy comics on a weekly basis, of course back then they weren’t as expensive, not as well constructed either.
I dipped my toe in the water a couple of weeks ago and bought a Marvel Adventures Iron Man issue. $7.50 it cost which is an outrage. First lesson, if you live in a city don’t buy your comics in a newsagency, they just can’t compete price wise. They also tend to write on the cover, not so much these days but some places still do that, which is fine if you are simply buying to read but at those prices that’s crazy.
No I ducked into a local comic book shop and noticed that the prices had come down to on par with American cover prices thanks to the exchange rate. This got me thinking, four dollars for a comic? I could actually do that. That’s a cup of coffee or four days with of the newspaper (more like three days actually). I don’t feel cheated by this and when the exchange rate changed those guys changed their prices to match pretty quickly which I appreciate.
A couple of days ago I went to the comic book store and picked up some issues of lines that I used to read and a couple of was just curious about. The feel of brand new comics, not yet thumbed through is delightful and as much as I love digital comics actually holding the paper issue in your hands is something else.
Something that might be a happy coincidence is that I picked up Titans #1 so I can start fresh with that series.
Man the paper quality has changed. So glossy and vivid, maybe this is a good thing maybe it’s not, I’m yet to form a strong opinion.
The main thing though about doing this is that it felt like me, a part of me that’s been missing for a long time. It felt really good.
Remember to support your local comic book shop!
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It’s nice to get back to the simple things that give us some joy.
Bettina’s last blog post..Smiley Saturday
I found that place a while ago too, it’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it? Cheers!
Bettina - especially when they have been missing from our lives for such a long time and for no really good reason I can think of
Goaldeebug - it certainly is - I’m glad you’re there too!!
Welcome back to the world of comics Lee. I’ve been visiting my favourite store every month for 4 years now and it’s still something I look forward to.
The shop used to be a 5-minute drive from my house, but I moved to the other side of town and it became a 40-minute drive to get there. I still make the trip every month however as their range is great and the service is fantastic.