When reviewing my blog goals for this year, I noticed that I don’t blog about the comic books/graphic novels I read. I’ve been a fan for years, recently more so than normal. As a matter of fact, I read more comics than my husband (a staunch and ardent Marvel fan) which is a fact that continues to startle him. Our boys are comic/graphic novel fans as well. Therefore, I opted to create a (hopefully) regular feature about our family of comic book lovers! I may come up with a catchier name…but we’re going with this for now:
This first post will deal with finding a family-friendly bookstore, specifically things you want to avoid! My family has had our fair share of bad experiences. Why go through them on your own if we can warn you in advance?
When the lease on our favorite comic book store ended and they were forced to close, I was devastated. The shop was just 15 minutes from our home, a real treat and convenience. We’re a family of comic book readers (well, readers in general) so finding a store we could call our own is very important.
Now that our schedule has calmed down a bit, I decided it was time to shop around for our “new” family comic book store. One might think this is an easy task. It’s quite the opposite actually. As we visited each store, I kept a list of store characteristics/attributes that would make it a perfect fit for our family. I spent so much time thinking and planning that I realized this would make a perfect blog post.
I’m not going to specifically mention the stores we mentioned (yet!), but following are the not-so-nice things I experienced in the afternoon we spent “shopping” comic book stores:
1. No Girls Allowed
This, by far, is the most prevalent and pervasive issue. While things have changed as of late, there are still many comic book stores that can’t comprehend that women would read comics. In our most recent experience, I went into a store with my nine-year-old-son. I went promptly to the wall of new issues. The creepy, skivvy comic store owner proceed to say “Those are primarily adult comics. You’ll find comics for him over here.” I responded, stating that I was looking for myself (thank you very much!). I intended to find the issues I was looking for, but instead got irritated and walked out the door. This isn’t the comic book store for us.
Meanwhile, my husband was parking the car. Before he had a chance to walk in, my son and I both shaking our heads in disgust.
What to look for: When entering a comic book store, women and men should be treated the same. Don’t assume a woman is there by force, or only because she’s shopping for someone else. Women read comics, too! If you aren’t happy with the way you are treated, ladies, don’t stand for it. Walk out, speak up!
2. Don’t Touch the Comics!
Imagine a comic book store in which you couldn’t pick up an issue and flip through it to see if it was something you’d be interested in reading? Yep, it exists. This happened while trying out a comic book store in a local shopping mall. My husband picked up an issue and didn’t turn two pages before he was met with “Sir….sir…you can’t read the comic unless you buy it.” Really? Really!? He put the it down and we walked out the door. Not the comic book store for us.
What to Look for: A display of comics that allow you to peruse issues before you buy. I’m not saying that you should be given the ability to read an entire series, but I am of the mind that you should be able to browse before you buy.
3. No Kids Allowed
Same store as above. The front of the store is full of kid-geared merchandise. Fantastic, right? Not so much. My boys are 15 and 9. They are well-behaved, respectful children. So when they are followed around a store by a salesperson who feels the need to fix and straighten everything they touch, they are offended. I understand the want/need to keep a shop neat and tidy, the comics free of damage or wear. It’s not our fault that you opened up a comic book store right next to an ice cream shop. My children are respectful of books and know how to treat them properly.
Second example: skivvy comic book store mentioned above. There was a kids section. On a shelf higher for me to reach. Oh, and a spinner with like 2 issues. Lesson learned: not the comic book store for us.
What to Look For: A store with a dedicated corner/area for children to browse, ideally not right next to the graphic/explicit series. Additionally, generally you can tell how a store feels about children by how they greet you when you walk in the door.
In coming weeks, I will share the names of the comic book stores we have adopted as our own. I’m thrilled to find a place were we can be ourselves (nerdy, comic book geeks) and connect with other readers just like us.
Do you have any do’s/don’ts in finding a comic book store, family or no?
Stay tuned for more posts in this series. I hope to feature some of the titles we’ve embraced individually and as a family, as well as get some suggestions from you!
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