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(upbeat rock music)

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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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♪ When did I get here ♪

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♪ When did I leave the dream behind ♪

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♪ Where is the fire, this rebel's turned to ice ♪

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♪ Goodbye to ripped jeans ♪

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♪ So long to summer battle scars ♪

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We appreciate everyone coming out

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for another midnight deal.

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My name is Jermaine Exum.

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Some people call me Lord Retail.

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I'm the manager of Acme Comics

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in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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I've had two jobs in my life.

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My first job was changing oil and inspecting motor vehicles.

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My second job was, as soon as I got off work at my real job,

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I would come around the comic book store and help out.

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Does everybody love Superman or is he just kind of okay?

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Love Superman? Love Superman?

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Just kind of okay?
Yeah.

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You are exactly the type of person

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that I'm glad you're here.

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This week is the week that Action Comics

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That is the first American comic book

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to reach 1,000 issues, which is amazing.

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Now something that DC Comics allowed to have happen

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is that stores, if they wanted to,

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could begin selling that book at midnight.

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You don't have to wait until the next morning,

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Wednesday morning, new release day,

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'cause it's a big occasion.

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Do we have enough copies?

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No.

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Definitive no, we do not have enough copies.

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I'm gonna go with a no.

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Let's come inside.
Cool.

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We're talking to Brian Michael Bendis.

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Anybody know who that is?
Ooh! I know who he is!

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He's in DC now.

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So it is a little overwhelming.

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He's such an iconic character, there's so much history,

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the supporting cast alone.

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There's expectation on Superman, there just is.

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Yeah, more people are worried

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about how I'm going to write Jimmy Olsen than they are

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how I'm gonna write Superman.
(all laughing)

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You know, I keep a good poker face on for you guys,

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but no matter how many times I do that,

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I'm always, like ah!

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(all laughing)

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I'll start ringing people up.

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It will be a super long day for us,

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but I think it's pretty cool

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to be able to set up something like this

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so that Superman fans,

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or maybe even people that aren't Superman fans,

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just want to see what's going on with this 1,000th issue,

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just wanna say that they were out there for it.

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Good luck tonight.

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Yep, thank you.
Thank you very much.

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All right, thanks for coming out, I appreciate it.

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(gentle upbeat music)

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My name is Anthony Desiato.

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For over 10 years, I shopped, worked, and hung out

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at a comic book store in Scarsdale, New York,

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called Alternate Realities.

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I grew up in rural Alabama in the '60s,

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so there were no comic stores.

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You would just bike from Rexall Drugs to Rexall Drugs

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every Tuesday and Thursday and hope for the best,

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and you'd run the spinner racks

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and hope that something would be there.

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I was lucky enough to go to a candy store

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down by the corner.

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I would scrounge around for quarters, nickels, dimes,

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and walk over to the local candy store and luncheonette,

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and I would buy comic books, whatever I could find.

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This was before comic shops were even a thing.

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When I was about 12 or so,

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I discovered that there's comic book specialty stores.

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It was probably about the mid-70s

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that I kind of hit my first comic book shop.

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It was in a town called Highland Park, New Jersey.

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I remember finding my first comic book store

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in the early '70s up in Willimantic, Connecticut,

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a place called Ziesing Brothers.

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It was called Collector's Comic Book Shop.

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The Dragon's Den.

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Fat Jack's Comicrypt in Center City, Philadelphia.

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Geoffrey's Comics in Gardena, California.

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I found Nostalgia Plus on Jefferson Avenue,

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and it was the very first comic store I'd ever been in.

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It fulfilled all the promises.

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Alternate Realities was a place more colorful

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than the pages of a comic book.

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It was like a second home.

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Then, in 2015, after 23 years in operation,

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my comic shop closed.

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That was really kind of the first time

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I was, like, in a place where I got this sense

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that there was a community.

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I hate to say it, it was embarrassing to be collecting

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and reading comic books in the early 80s.

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I was sitting in the cafeteria at lunch

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reading a comic book, and somebody came up and said,

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"Oh, you read those stupid things",

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and I said, "Yeah, I do."

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I was never shy about it.

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I was always proud to be a comic book geek.

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He goes, "Oh, what, did you get that

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"at the comic book store up the street?"

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And I said, "The what?"

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I had friends who read comic books,

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but none of them to the degree that I did.

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Nobody was as into it as I was.

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Left the school, ran up Main Street

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and walked into Pegasus Enterprises,

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and that was the beginning of the end for me. (laughing)

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I was like, "Oh my God, that's a comic book store."

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And I was five, six,

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'cause that's when I started collecting,

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so to be in there with a bunch of the older collectors

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always made me feel a little bit better

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about what I was doing.

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We'd take two buses across town to the mall

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where the store was and we just lived there.

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I would take this back way, and I'd have to climb up

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this steep, rocky incline with a bike over my shoulder,

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climb, climb, climb, get to the top, ride uphill,

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and then I'd have to cross this 100-foot bridge

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that with a good, stiff wind

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would have blown me right over the side.

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My mom said to me,

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"Maybe someday you'll have your own comic book store.

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If this is what you like coming to all the time,

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"all the time, then maybe someday you'll have your own

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"comic book store."

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And here I am.

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Today, my comic shop is history.

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But there's a whole world of stores out there.

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(upbeat rock music)

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♪ Watching the clouds go by as you pull up in your car ♪

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♪ It's so amazing how we managed to get this far ♪

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♪ This rundown boy, so out of touch ♪

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♪ He almost missed his moment ♪

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♪ A thousand miles, my busted car ♪

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♪ And it's time to head west from here ♪

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♪ Let's run ♪

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♪ 'Cause I can't stay ♪

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♪ And I couldn't bear to leave without you ♪

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♪ We're wasting time ♪

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♪ And I'm outside ♪

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♪ So go pack your bags ♪

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♪ Let's leave tonight behind us ♪

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♪ Let's ignore time and exit signs ♪

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♪ We'll drive off in this dusky summer sky ♪

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♪ Let's ignore rhyme and reason why ♪

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♪ Don't look back ♪

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♪ You can never look back ♪

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You have 3,000 stores.

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Comic shops aren't a monolith.

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They're very different everywhere that you go

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and have very different business models.

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90% of them, 85% of them

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are mom-and-pop operations.

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The beauty of comic stores is there's all stripes,

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there's all colors, there's the seedy,

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dumpy, horrible places

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where you wouldn't wanna leave

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a nine-year-old unattended to save your life.

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This is a very family-friendly, kid-friendly...

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You know, anyone in the world can walk in here

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and feel very at ease.

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A lot of it comes with what we stock.

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We have a large all-ages section,

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but a lot of it is just

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the feel that we shoot for in the store

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is it's bright, it's clean, it's colorful.

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It doesn't have that old-school comic book feeling

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which a lot of stores always had.

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I consider The Spider's Web old-school comic book shop.

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We have our new releases, we have our current titles,

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we our have back issue bins, we have our graphic novels,

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we have some action figures, we have some statues.

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What sets the old-school stores apart

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from the new stores is we're more involved

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with the old back issues.

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Some of them are a little more of like a boys club.

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This is very much an old-school comic shop.

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It's the closest you can get

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to stepping into a comic shop back in the day.

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And there's the really nice, upscale, curated stores

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that serve more of a bookstore crowd almost.

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Curated makes us sound smarter than we are.

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We're just trying to stock the things

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that we think are gonna sell.

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Putting comics in conversations,

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specifically the   Conversation in the name is saying,

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"You can talk about

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"all those nerdy things that you love here with us."

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Every comic shop has got its own thing.

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Each store does something uniquely different

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to market itself.

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There's no rule book, there's thousands of stores

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that are doing the same thing

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but just with their own spin on it.

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And you have people who've done it for a year or two.

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You have people who have done it for 20, 30, 40 years.

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Over the years, we've had a lot of people ask us,

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like, "I wanna open my own store,

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what advice can you give",

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and our first advice is always, "Ha-ha! Don't!"

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The running of a comic book store is interesting, I think,

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because the outside perception,

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even by your regular customers, is that it's all fun.

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Comic stores really do carry enormous part of the burden

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in terms of getting your comics

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from my brain to your hands.

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Comic stores are not only an important part of that chain

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but they're the biggest link.

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If you're not in it and you're not of it,

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it's hard to make somebody see

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just how important it is to us,

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to the people who come in every week like clockwork.

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It's like being a school teacher, man.

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You get into it because you love it.

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You better love that job

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'cause you're not getting rich off this thing.

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Our industry is in a,

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it's in an interesting place right now

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because for 20 years now, we've heard expert after expert

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talk about how our industry is dying.

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And it's not dying.

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It's contracting.

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In the 1950s and the 1960s

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and well into the 1970s in America,

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comic book reading and comic book buying

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was a near universal experience.

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When I grew up, there were newsstands.

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drugstores, 7-Elevens, pool halls.

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I used to buy comic books at a porno place.

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I mean, you'd find 'em everywhere.

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They were readily available.

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The first comic shops emerge

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about 1968 in California.

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The number of comic shops increased

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fairly slowly but steadily through the 1970s.

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Back in the early '90s, there was over, what,

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12,000 comic book stores in the United States

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and now there's, what, three maybe, 3,000?

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It's a vanishing breed at this point.

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(upbeat ambient music)

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I think it takes a lot of courage

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to open up your own comic book shop,

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particularly in this market and in the circumstances

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in which the industry is in.

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Comic shops are still viable.

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They're just, I don't think, primary anymore.

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Brick and mortar is not at a great time in America today.

261
00:11:36,830 --> 00:11:40,340
It's not a high-profit, high-margin business.

262
00:11:40,340 --> 00:11:43,350
You win this battle in the comic book world

263
00:11:43,350 --> 00:11:46,060
one customer at a time and one book at a time.

264
00:11:46,060 --> 00:11:49,070
If this was, you know, my main source of income,

265
00:11:49,070 --> 00:11:50,530
there's no way in hell I'd be able to live.

266
00:11:50,530 --> 00:11:52,860
I'd be living in one of these pop boxes, honestly.

267
00:11:52,860 --> 00:11:54,330
There's a transition time, and right now,

268
00:11:54,330 --> 00:11:56,320
I think you're definitely in a transition

269
00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:00,220
going from local comic shops to mass market.

270
00:12:00,220 --> 00:12:02,330
And I don't think local comic shops

271
00:12:02,330 --> 00:12:03,930
are gonna beat Amazon, you know?

272
00:12:05,190 --> 00:12:06,540
Hey! What's up?

273
00:12:06,540 --> 00:12:08,550
Sorry. Customers.

274
00:12:08,550 --> 00:12:10,210
Look, we actually have customers.

275
00:12:10,210 --> 00:12:12,890
It is a broken system.

276
00:12:12,890 --> 00:12:15,290
This is Aw Yeah Comics.

277
00:12:15,290 --> 00:12:17,963
It's beautiful out here in Harrison, New York.

278
00:12:18,900 --> 00:12:20,520
We are one of three Aw Yeah Comics.

279
00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:22,848
There's another in Skokie, Illinois, and Muncie, Indiana.

280
00:12:22,848 --> 00:12:25,020
We're doing a live read-through

281
00:12:25,020 --> 00:12:28,220
of Previews Magazine.

282
00:12:28,220 --> 00:12:30,530
Previews, the monthly catalog that comes out

283
00:12:30,530 --> 00:12:32,990
from Diamond Comic Distributors, are our major distributor.

284
00:12:32,990 --> 00:12:35,137
If you want single issues from any of the major publishers,

285
00:12:35,137 --> 00:12:36,510
you have to go through Diamond.

286
00:12:36,510 --> 00:12:39,600
Shops must order two months in advance.

287
00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:41,800
We have to determine what we feel we're gonna need.

288
00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,080
It can be one copy, it can be 1,000 copies.

289
00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:46,410
Getting that Previews catalog,

290
00:12:46,410 --> 00:12:48,490
I call it the Book of Revelation,

291
00:12:48,490 --> 00:12:51,270
and it's the big Necronomicon, thick

292
00:12:51,270 --> 00:12:53,760
phone book full of information.

293
00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,640
It's a tedious process, it really is

294
00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,830
'cause you got to go through so many items of merchandise.

295
00:12:58,830 --> 00:13:01,350
Ordering comics is difficult.

296
00:13:01,350 --> 00:13:03,820
The good news is there's an enormous range of comics

297
00:13:03,820 --> 00:13:05,490
being published every month.

298
00:13:05,490 --> 00:13:07,510
The bad news is there's an enormous range of comics

299
00:13:07,510 --> 00:13:08,800
being published every month.

300
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:11,320
You're not dealing with 12 or 13 other comics

301
00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:12,153
you're competing with.

302
00:13:12,153 --> 00:13:14,730
There's hundreds of comics available every single week.

303
00:13:14,730 --> 00:13:15,760
The difficult part is,

304
00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:17,860
you don't wanna run out of something too soon.

305
00:13:17,860 --> 00:13:19,323
This is a peculiar product.

306
00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:21,890
It really matters to the customer

307
00:13:21,890 --> 00:13:23,900
that they get it the first day it comes out.

308
00:13:23,900 --> 00:13:25,577
It's happened, I've gotten jerks in here,

309
00:13:25,577 --> 00:13:27,907
"Well, why don't you have this book?"

310
00:13:27,907 --> 00:13:28,987
"Oh, well, it sold out."

311
00:13:28,987 --> 00:13:30,320
"Well, but why? Why?

312
00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:31,153
Why did it sell out?"

313
00:13:31,153 --> 00:13:33,108
"Well, 'cause we ordered X amount

314
00:13:33,108 --> 00:13:35,110
and then that same amount of people came in and bought it."

315
00:13:35,110 --> 00:13:36,363
Sleeper hit that came out this week

316
00:13:36,363 --> 00:13:40,257
that sold extremely well was "Martian Manhunter

317
00:13:41,660 --> 00:13:43,060
Thankfully I ordered

318
00:13:43,060 --> 00:13:44,350
little bit heavier than I was going to.

319
00:13:44,350 --> 00:13:45,320
Thank God 'cause we would have sold out

320
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:47,690
if I didn't order the extra copies.

321
00:13:47,690 --> 00:13:50,470
Yet, you don't want to have way too much of stuff.

322
00:13:50,470 --> 00:13:53,880
People don't realize how short of a lifespan

323
00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:55,300
a single-issue comic has.

324
00:13:55,300 --> 00:13:57,520
Like, if it doesn't sell in the first six days,

325
00:13:57,520 --> 00:13:59,590
that's where 90% of the sales comes from.

326
00:13:59,590 --> 00:14:02,430
A lot of the publishing revenue

327
00:14:02,430 --> 00:14:06,400
that all comics print to publishing depends on

328
00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,370
really depends on

329
00:14:08,370 --> 00:14:11,020
retailers ordering more than they can sell.

330
00:14:11,020 --> 00:14:13,483
You have to learn your market, and every year,

331
00:14:14,460 --> 00:14:17,780
I have a few more books that I know not to order.

332
00:14:17,780 --> 00:14:19,250
I think that people need to understand

333
00:14:19,250 --> 00:14:23,070
that comic shop retailers, we buy all this stuff.

334
00:14:23,070 --> 00:14:24,510
It is not something that we can

335
00:14:24,510 --> 00:14:26,550
just send back unsold copies.

336
00:14:26,550 --> 00:14:28,153
You know, a standard book store gets returnability

337
00:14:28,153 --> 00:14:30,350
that we can only dream of.

338
00:14:30,350 --> 00:14:31,770
Across the board, returnability

339
00:14:31,770 --> 00:14:34,333
is not part of the comics industry.

340
00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:39,000
All right, so it's Tuesday,

341
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,646
so the new books are coming in.

342
00:14:40,646 --> 00:14:45,612
♪ It's four o'clock and I've had my fill of waiting ♪

343
00:14:45,612 --> 00:14:48,093
♪ It's too late to sleep ♪

344
00:14:48,093 --> 00:14:51,124
♪ Too early to be up and out ♪

345
00:14:51,124 --> 00:14:53,671
♪ This is why I'm such a mess ♪

346
00:14:53,671 --> 00:14:56,780
♪ I'm losing my confidence ♪

347
00:14:56,780 --> 00:15:01,124
♪ Maybe I'm insane ♪

348
00:15:01,124 --> 00:15:03,907
♪ I guess I'll talk a little more ♪

349
00:15:03,907 --> 00:15:05,950
♪ To keep you standing at my door ♪

350
00:15:05,950 --> 00:15:07,863
Wednesdays are new release days.

351
00:15:08,980 --> 00:15:11,730
We've signed up for a program in which case we can receive

352
00:15:11,730 --> 00:15:15,420
our shipment on Tuesday to be able to unpack it, sort it,

353
00:15:15,420 --> 00:15:16,630
check it for damages,

354
00:15:16,630 --> 00:15:18,070
get everything put away for subscriptions

355
00:15:18,070 --> 00:15:20,670
so we're ready to go at 10 o'clock in the morning.

356
00:15:20,670 --> 00:15:23,420
We get a very steady crowd, especially on Wednesdays.

357
00:15:23,420 --> 00:15:25,250
It's almost like a routine.

358
00:15:25,250 --> 00:15:26,790
There's a comfort to it.

359
00:15:26,790 --> 00:15:29,900
Wednesdays, we have a few rushes when we open.

360
00:15:29,900 --> 00:15:33,250
We get that, what's up man, like a early crowd.

361
00:15:33,250 --> 00:15:35,300
You see the same people usually at the same time.

362
00:15:35,300 --> 00:15:38,080
Mike Lopez calls the same time every week.

363
00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:39,695
Thank you very much, have a good one.

364
00:15:39,695 --> 00:15:41,864
(register beeping)

365
00:15:41,864 --> 00:15:42,697
Thanks a lot.
Thanks, man.

366
00:15:42,697 --> 00:15:45,197
See you next week.
Be good.

367
00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,440
Here you go, Jack.

368
00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:53,680
Oh, here, you're still waiting on the other

369
00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:54,991
trade for this one, right?

370
00:15:54,991 --> 00:15:55,824
Yeah.
Okay.

371
00:15:55,824 --> 00:15:57,830
So that's the current stuff.

372
00:15:57,830 --> 00:15:59,260
Do you want these on your list, Anthony?

373
00:15:59,260 --> 00:16:00,760
Yeah.
'Cause these are

374
00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:01,840
basically new, that's why.

375
00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:02,673
Yeah.
Okay.

376
00:16:02,673 --> 00:16:03,506
That's fine.

377
00:16:03,506 --> 00:16:06,590
I wanted to take this time in our video today

378
00:16:06,590 --> 00:16:08,840
to talk about our comic book subscription program.

379
00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,330
The word du jour is pre-order.

380
00:16:11,330 --> 00:16:13,107
You're gonna hear from comic book creators,

381
00:16:13,107 --> 00:16:15,070
"Pre-order your comic books."

382
00:16:15,070 --> 00:16:17,000
I saw it already, yeah.

383
00:16:18,940 --> 00:16:22,440
Comic stores live and die by what you're going to buy.

384
00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:26,730
But, man, the system of asking customers

385
00:16:26,730 --> 00:16:30,350
to pre-order stuff is absurd.

386
00:16:30,350 --> 00:16:33,950
It's so antithetical to the way retail works.

387
00:16:33,950 --> 00:16:36,580
I don't go into a shoe store

388
00:16:36,580 --> 00:16:39,477
and look at a picture of a pair of Adidas and go,

389
00:16:39,477 --> 00:16:41,677
"Okay, I want those.

390
00:16:41,677 --> 00:16:43,810
"I'll see you in three months."

391
00:16:43,810 --> 00:16:46,050
Not what you do, you buy things

392
00:16:46,050 --> 00:16:48,060
because they're there in front of you.

393
00:16:48,060 --> 00:16:49,540
All right, everything look good?

394
00:16:49,540 --> 00:16:51,970
Yes, will you add Isola?

395
00:16:51,970 --> 00:16:53,540
I thought I did but I think I must have forgotten.

396
00:16:53,540 --> 00:16:54,373
Yes.

397
00:16:54,373 --> 00:16:55,840
I feel like we don't hear feedback

398
00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,490
from a lot of people on stuff until a week before.

399
00:16:58,490 --> 00:17:00,240
That's the real hard part is getting people

400
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,490
that actually tell you they want 'em and preorder 'em,

401
00:17:02,490 --> 00:17:03,780
get 'em in your system.

402
00:17:03,780 --> 00:17:06,160
If 17 people are asking for a thing,

403
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:08,550
maybe that means there's 13 more people

404
00:17:08,550 --> 00:17:10,140
that won't say a word, but if it's on the shelf,

405
00:17:10,140 --> 00:17:11,350
they're gonna buy it.

406
00:17:11,350 --> 00:17:12,780
Maybe I need to order 40 copies,

407
00:17:12,780 --> 00:17:14,040
maybe it's 50 copies.

408
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:15,910
That's the thing I have to figure out

409
00:17:15,910 --> 00:17:18,930
as I'm going line by line by line.

410
00:17:18,930 --> 00:17:19,763
Ho-ho-ho-ho!

411
00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:22,990
Hello there, Santa just wanted to take a moment

412
00:17:22,990 --> 00:17:24,610
to spread some holiday cheer

413
00:17:24,610 --> 00:17:26,220
in the form of a request

414
00:17:26,220 --> 00:17:29,690
to please pick up your hold books from Challengers

415
00:17:29,690 --> 00:17:30,720
because if you don't,

416
00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:34,960
you may find some coal in your hold box and coal is no fun.

417
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,220
Comics are wonderful fun!

418
00:17:37,220 --> 00:17:38,053
Ho-ho-ho-ho!

419
00:17:39,270 --> 00:17:40,750
When you sign up for a subscription service

420
00:17:40,750 --> 00:17:42,827
at a store, you are basically saying,

421
00:17:42,827 --> 00:17:44,670
"I'm gonna buy these books from you",

422
00:17:44,670 --> 00:17:47,173
so we order those books extra for you.

423
00:17:47,173 --> 00:17:48,790
We were just noticing we hadn't seen you

424
00:17:48,790 --> 00:17:49,742
in a little while, though.

425
00:17:49,742 --> 00:17:51,163
I know, that's why I'm here.

426
00:17:51,163 --> 00:17:53,820
A big, big complaint for retailers, I know,

427
00:17:53,820 --> 00:17:55,960
is people who don't pick up their pull lists.

428
00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:57,970
It's a problem with every shop, no matter how big,

429
00:17:57,970 --> 00:17:59,280
how small, how successful.

430
00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:00,880
Usually after about a month we'll call them.

431
00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,600
We just want you to tell us, but people get embarrassed,

432
00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:07,940
or the number of people that move and don't tell you.

433
00:18:07,940 --> 00:18:10,127
And sometimes they do come in, "Sorry, I was out of town",

434
00:18:10,127 --> 00:18:12,130
"Sorry, I lost my license for a while,"

435
00:18:12,130 --> 00:18:13,850
any number of things.

436
00:18:13,850 --> 00:18:16,400
But then you get those people who just ghost,

437
00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:17,810
they just disappear on ya.

438
00:18:17,810 --> 00:18:21,110
People don't realize little things like that

439
00:18:21,110 --> 00:18:24,000
get compounded because maybe that person

440
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,090
is not the only one doing it.

441
00:18:26,090 --> 00:18:31,030
Delinquent customers wouldn't be as much of a problem

442
00:18:31,030 --> 00:18:34,550
if we weren't stuck with all the stuff that wasn't sold.

443
00:18:34,550 --> 00:18:36,630
That's where the system is hideously broken,

444
00:18:36,630 --> 00:18:37,990
has always been hideously broken,

445
00:18:37,990 --> 00:18:40,940
but it just gets more and more hideously broken every year.

446
00:18:44,773 --> 00:18:47,356
(upbeat music)

447
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,510
Back in February of 2015,

448
00:19:07,510 --> 00:19:10,550
was the day I decided I had had enough.

449
00:19:10,550 --> 00:19:12,751
When Steve announced that the store was closing,

450
00:19:12,751 --> 00:19:15,900
it was after a long line of misfires.

451
00:19:15,900 --> 00:19:18,327
Steve had told us for a long time,

452
00:19:18,327 --> 00:19:20,420
"The lease is ending, the store is closing,"

453
00:19:20,420 --> 00:19:22,170
but we would never believe him because every few years,

454
00:19:22,170 --> 00:19:24,230
he would extend the lease, he would extend the lease.

455
00:19:24,230 --> 00:19:26,640
You never quite know if it's going to happen

456
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:30,093
or if it's sort of just chitter-chatter or anything else.

457
00:19:30,940 --> 00:19:32,640
I guess he figured out it's time,

458
00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:34,520
and he made this announcement on Facebook

459
00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:38,677
where he kind of passes the blame from himself

460
00:19:38,677 --> 00:19:40,920
and maybe his failures of running the business

461
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,800
over the last few years to everybody else

462
00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:45,170
having been the issue.

463
00:19:45,170 --> 00:19:46,660
People who were reservists

464
00:19:46,660 --> 00:19:48,010
that didn't pick up their books.

465
00:19:48,010 --> 00:19:49,280
I don't regret making the announcement.

466
00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:50,870
I know there was a lot of controversy about it

467
00:19:50,870 --> 00:19:53,250
because of the way I said it, but that's the reason I did it

468
00:19:53,250 --> 00:19:56,400
was because people kind of drove me to it.

469
00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:00,160
But as an outside observer looking in

470
00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:01,670
and being intimate with the store

471
00:20:01,670 --> 00:20:03,320
for a very long time, you know,

472
00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:05,640
that store, towards the end, was very sick.

473
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:07,535
It was not operating 100%.

474
00:20:07,535 --> 00:20:09,330
It was dying.

475
00:20:09,330 --> 00:20:10,850
My own observation from seeing him,

476
00:20:10,850 --> 00:20:13,630
I think he was just physically worn down.

477
00:20:13,630 --> 00:20:15,560
I don't think he had the energy or the spirit

478
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:16,770
to keep it going.

479
00:20:16,770 --> 00:20:19,595
We had the option to keep going with the lease.

480
00:20:19,595 --> 00:20:21,340
At that point, I said, "You know what?

481
00:20:21,340 --> 00:20:23,470
Enough is enough, I'm tired, it's killing me."

482
00:20:23,470 --> 00:20:26,029
This is kind of like this is his life.

483
00:20:26,029 --> 00:20:29,210
All of his hours, all of his efforts

484
00:20:29,210 --> 00:20:30,460
were put into the store.

485
00:20:30,460 --> 00:20:34,360
While I was surprised more so

486
00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:37,690
that he actually was going to do it finally,

487
00:20:37,690 --> 00:20:40,140
it wasn't one of these things, like, "Holy cow,

488
00:20:40,140 --> 00:20:41,150
I can't believe it's happening."

489
00:20:41,150 --> 00:20:42,520
It was sort of, "You know what?

490
00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,320
My friend deserves to have a little bit of peace."

491
00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:47,210
But that doesn't mean that the feeling didn't hurt.

492
00:20:47,210 --> 00:20:50,200
I mean, I definitely, it was very selfish of me.

493
00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,380
I mean, it was heart-wrenching to know that, again,

494
00:20:53,380 --> 00:20:56,913
this place that I love so much was gonna be gone.

495
00:21:00,134 --> 00:21:01,640
How's it going, Paul?
What's going on, Edison?

496
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:02,947
You know, same old same.
Chilling?

497
00:21:02,947 --> 00:21:03,780
Yeah.
All right.

498
00:21:03,780 --> 00:21:05,850
How are you liking your DC books?

499
00:21:05,850 --> 00:21:08,020
They're nice, I appreciate it.

500
00:21:08,020 --> 00:21:11,090
Anytime I'm trying to gauge interest on a book,

501
00:21:11,090 --> 00:21:11,923
just conversation.

502
00:21:11,923 --> 00:21:13,440
We talk to 'em about stuff outside of here,

503
00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:15,260
movies, video games, television,

504
00:21:15,260 --> 00:21:17,510
it's not always comics all the time.

505
00:21:17,510 --> 00:21:19,880
I think being able to connect with people

506
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:23,290
on a personal level is what this is all about.

507
00:21:23,290 --> 00:21:24,730
So this is your first time to Vegas?

508
00:21:24,730 --> 00:21:26,550
Yes, it is, I just got here last night.

509
00:21:26,550 --> 00:21:29,707
Yeah, Skottie Young, he did an image series

510
00:21:29,707 --> 00:21:30,810
"I Hate Fairyland."

511
00:21:30,810 --> 00:21:31,688
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right?

512
00:21:31,688 --> 00:21:33,096
Which was just crazy hyperviolent,

513
00:21:33,096 --> 00:21:35,180
so they put him on Deadpool after that.

514
00:21:35,180 --> 00:21:37,310
The second issue, which we just sold out of,

515
00:21:37,310 --> 00:21:39,100
has the Avengers literally just do

516
00:21:39,100 --> 00:21:41,370
like a five-page beatdown on him.

517
00:21:41,370 --> 00:21:43,140
I talk to people about comic books

518
00:21:43,140 --> 00:21:44,600
all day, every day.

519
00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:48,530
I start making connections of people who like this,

520
00:21:48,530 --> 00:21:50,600
have a chance of liking that.

521
00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:53,010
My role, as I've defined it,

522
00:21:53,010 --> 00:21:55,570
is not to simply bring up a sale.

523
00:21:55,570 --> 00:21:57,790
It's not to put Spawn back issues

524
00:21:57,790 --> 00:21:59,250
back in the correct numerical order.

525
00:21:59,250 --> 00:22:00,810
That's not the job.

526
00:22:00,810 --> 00:22:02,510
The job is to connect people

527
00:22:02,510 --> 00:22:04,710
to the best stories on the shelf.

528
00:22:04,710 --> 00:22:08,700
It is to get people their very first comic book.

529
00:22:08,700 --> 00:22:10,640
It's a huge responsibility.

530
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:12,390
If a book is bad and someone says, "How's this book,"

531
00:22:12,390 --> 00:22:14,230
we'll tell them straight up, "Don't buy it."

532
00:22:14,230 --> 00:22:15,210
Like, money or not,

533
00:22:15,210 --> 00:22:16,950
you're gonna walk away and be mad at us.

534
00:22:16,950 --> 00:22:19,710
You try to find the right book for the right person,

535
00:22:19,710 --> 00:22:21,000
and then they have faith in you

536
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:22,496
to try to find something good.

537
00:22:22,496 --> 00:22:24,770
This person reads nothing but Marvel.

538
00:22:24,770 --> 00:22:27,240
Cool, I want him to read this Dark Horse book this week,

539
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,060
but I know that he likes action/adventure,

540
00:22:29,060 --> 00:22:30,368
and I know what type of movies he likes,

541
00:22:30,368 --> 00:22:32,560
so I can suggest to sell that to him.

542
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,500
This is our weekly live new releases video

543
00:22:35,500 --> 00:22:37,540
where we talk about the things that are coming out tomorrow,

544
00:22:37,540 --> 00:22:38,780
which will be New Comic Book Day.

545
00:22:38,780 --> 00:22:39,613
Tomorrow is the 4th.

546
00:22:39,613 --> 00:22:40,840
For those of you who haven't watched

547
00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:42,620
any of our live new releases video before,

548
00:22:42,620 --> 00:22:45,400
basically, I just talk about the major new releases

549
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:46,690
for the New Comic Book Day.

550
00:22:46,690 --> 00:22:49,530
One of the big releases for this week is Batman 50.

551
00:22:49,530 --> 00:22:51,700
I think what sets comic book stores apart

552
00:22:51,700 --> 00:22:53,844
from other types of collectible stores

553
00:22:53,844 --> 00:22:58,330
or establishments is you want something you don't know.

554
00:22:58,330 --> 00:23:00,130
I don't think you're really

555
00:23:00,130 --> 00:23:02,487
talking to people in the local supermarket about like,

556
00:23:02,487 --> 00:23:03,942
"Oh, you've got the brown eggs."

557
00:23:03,942 --> 00:23:06,536
When someone calls us "The Comic Book Store",

558
00:23:06,536 --> 00:23:08,500
I say, "No, a store is where you go

559
00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:10,380
to get like toilet paper.

560
00:23:10,380 --> 00:23:13,980
A shop is where you go to look at all the cool things,

561
00:23:13,980 --> 00:23:17,280
and compare and check and take it all in."

562
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:18,770
Part of what goes into a recommendation

563
00:23:18,770 --> 00:23:20,917
is that I know this person likes book A,

564
00:23:20,917 --> 00:23:23,255
book B, and book C.

565
00:23:23,255 --> 00:23:26,340
And I talk to them enough to know that

566
00:23:26,340 --> 00:23:27,290
this is because of the art,

567
00:23:27,290 --> 00:23:28,620
this is because of the writing,

568
00:23:28,620 --> 00:23:30,370
this is because of the subject.

569
00:23:30,370 --> 00:23:32,840
And then, I pull back

570
00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:34,770
and I look at what else has that subject matter,

571
00:23:34,770 --> 00:23:35,603
what else has art like that?

572
00:23:35,603 --> 00:23:38,430
Something that I actually recommended a while ago for you

573
00:23:38,430 --> 00:23:40,550
was this series, I'm about to have the artist in.

574
00:23:40,550 --> 00:23:42,130
And I hand them 20 things, they go, "Not that,

575
00:23:42,130 --> 00:23:43,122
not that, not that.

576
00:23:43,122 --> 00:23:44,870
Oh, that! Yes, I love it."

577
00:23:44,870 --> 00:23:46,380
And they walk away with it.

578
00:23:46,380 --> 00:23:47,890
It's not like that everywhere.

579
00:23:47,890 --> 00:23:50,005
There's too many people that you're like

580
00:23:50,005 --> 00:23:50,838
"This, this, this,"

581
00:23:50,838 --> 00:23:52,657
and you give 'em a stack of books and like,

582
00:23:52,657 --> 00:23:53,760
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, what else?

583
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:54,770
Uh-huh, uh-huh, what else?

584
00:23:54,770 --> 00:23:55,603
Okay, thanks."

585
00:23:55,603 --> 00:23:56,510
And then they leave.

586
00:23:56,510 --> 00:23:57,970
Hey, I got a couple things for you.

587
00:23:57,970 --> 00:24:00,490
I believe these are yours.
Yes.

588
00:24:00,490 --> 00:24:01,930
That you asked for.
Yes.

589
00:24:01,930 --> 00:24:03,610
And this I'm giving to you for free.

590
00:24:03,610 --> 00:24:05,330
It's a damaged copy, but I want you to look through there.

591
00:24:05,330 --> 00:24:06,600
That's the one I was telling you about.

592
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:08,510
The appeal of coming to a comic shop

593
00:24:09,370 --> 00:24:11,110
is the experience.

594
00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:12,360
And I've been to plenty of shops

595
00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:14,170
where they just don't want to deal with you.

596
00:24:14,170 --> 00:24:16,880
And I'll even try to engage in conversation,

597
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:18,800
and they're just like, "Yeah, cool, great.

598
00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,210
Okay, it's $11.75."

599
00:24:21,210 --> 00:24:24,130
Why? Why? I could sit home and order that on Amazon.

600
00:24:24,130 --> 00:24:26,830
Some comic shops if you read their reviews online

601
00:24:26,830 --> 00:24:29,820
on Yelp and Google, and some of the stores

602
00:24:29,820 --> 00:24:31,260
don't always do the best job of that,

603
00:24:31,260 --> 00:24:32,886
of making people feel welcome.

604
00:24:32,886 --> 00:24:34,410
People make assumptions

605
00:24:34,410 --> 00:24:36,610
about why you're there or who you're buying for,

606
00:24:36,610 --> 00:24:39,630
or what you're reading, or asking for something,

607
00:24:39,630 --> 00:24:41,577
and then somebody immediately says,

608
00:24:41,577 --> 00:24:43,100
"Oh, is this for your boyfriend?"

609
00:24:43,100 --> 00:24:45,750
It's unfortunate 'cause it's a definite barrier,

610
00:24:45,750 --> 00:24:49,410
I think, to getting people into comics.

611
00:24:49,410 --> 00:24:52,740
I feel like the very best of it is welcoming.

612
00:24:52,740 --> 00:24:54,040
You do want to tell someone

613
00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:55,410
about this awesome Batman story.

614
00:24:55,410 --> 00:24:56,360
You don't want to penalize them

615
00:24:56,360 --> 00:24:58,880
because they didn't read "Batman: Year Three."

616
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:00,130
You want to say, "Hey,

617
00:25:00,130 --> 00:25:01,450
I'll bet you haven't read "Batman: Year Three."

618
00:25:01,450 --> 00:25:02,490
You've got to see this."

619
00:25:02,490 --> 00:25:05,530
Every Tuesday night, I take it upon myself

620
00:25:05,530 --> 00:25:07,643
to do homework, to read as much as I can

621
00:25:07,643 --> 00:25:09,920
to know about what's on the shelf,

622
00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,070
so Wednesday morning, I know what I'm talking about.

623
00:25:12,070 --> 00:25:15,650
So, this is an example of what I got to get knocked out.

624
00:25:15,650 --> 00:25:18,313
So, I've already read this material.

625
00:25:19,630 --> 00:25:21,400
I got to get this knocked out.

626
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,250
Amazing Spider-Man is in here, I got to read that.

627
00:25:23,250 --> 00:25:25,880
So it's gonna be an even later night.

628
00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:27,570
I think when you go to a comic book shop,

629
00:25:27,570 --> 00:25:29,938
if they don't share that same passion for you,

630
00:25:29,938 --> 00:25:31,630
it really kind of messes up

631
00:25:31,630 --> 00:25:34,820
the entire purchasing experience.

632
00:25:34,820 --> 00:25:36,450
If you put a bunch of people in here

633
00:25:36,450 --> 00:25:39,730
with the same titles who

634
00:25:39,730 --> 00:25:41,860
maybe don't read the books,

635
00:25:41,860 --> 00:25:44,950
they don't know the customers,

636
00:25:44,950 --> 00:25:46,900
you're not gonna get the same sort of feedback,

637
00:25:46,900 --> 00:25:49,010
you're not gonna get that level of excitement.

638
00:25:49,010 --> 00:25:50,480
It's really breaking the fourth wall.

639
00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:53,600
Him and this artist, Greg, are in this book

640
00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:55,740
and interacting with Airboy.

641
00:25:55,740 --> 00:25:58,630
The passionate must-buy

642
00:25:58,630 --> 00:26:02,350
from a comic shop person is gold.

643
00:26:02,350 --> 00:26:04,870
I mean, where do, you can't pay for that.

644
00:26:04,870 --> 00:26:06,470
They call me a dealer in here.

645
00:26:06,470 --> 00:26:08,463
Yes, he is, he's a pusher.

646
00:26:08,463 --> 00:26:11,100
He's like, "Here, try this, read this, yeah."

647
00:26:11,100 --> 00:26:13,250
Read one or two issues, hooked.

648
00:26:13,250 --> 00:26:15,360
And he comes back.
Yes.

649
00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:18,450
What else is good this week?
What's good this week?

650
00:26:18,450 --> 00:26:20,893
I really like Infidel

651
00:26:20,893 --> 00:26:23,056
They want to know from us, "What do you guys know

652
00:26:23,056 --> 00:26:25,925
about all this that I need to know about?

653
00:26:25,925 --> 00:26:26,758
What's good here?

654
00:26:26,758 --> 00:26:27,710
What's good here?"

655
00:26:27,710 --> 00:26:29,157
The thing that makes Infidel effective,

656
00:26:29,157 --> 00:26:31,190
and I was reading it and I was getting super creeped out

657
00:26:31,190 --> 00:26:32,950
and wondering, "Why is this happening",

658
00:26:32,950 --> 00:26:36,500
is that the main character sees something crazy

659
00:26:36,500 --> 00:26:39,020
at the same time that you, the reader, see something crazy

660
00:26:39,020 --> 00:26:40,088
and That makes it super effective.

661
00:26:40,088 --> 00:26:42,350
I work for General Motors Corporation

662
00:26:42,350 --> 00:26:45,570
and in marketing and sales,

663
00:26:45,570 --> 00:26:48,935
and I used to always tell him that his customers

664
00:26:48,935 --> 00:26:51,620
are your best investment.

665
00:26:51,620 --> 00:26:54,130
Yes, I do work at Acme Comics, that's where I work,

666
00:26:54,130 --> 00:26:56,130
but what I'm really doing is I'm working

667
00:26:56,130 --> 00:26:59,610
for the people that shop here.

668
00:26:59,610 --> 00:27:01,730
Tom King's killing it, and Tom tweeted yesterday

669
00:27:01,730 --> 00:27:04,690
that it is man, if you keep taking the stuff out of order,

670
00:27:04,690 --> 00:27:06,165
I'm gonna cry.
Sorry, sorry.

671
00:27:06,165 --> 00:27:07,731
I'm gonna cry.
Sorry.

672
00:27:07,731 --> 00:27:10,440
I'm gonna cry, you'll see big man tears.

673
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,240
My role, any good retailer's role,

674
00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,435
is a little bit of a shopkeep,

675
00:27:15,435 --> 00:27:16,999
a little bit of a stock person,

676
00:27:16,999 --> 00:27:20,080
a little bit of a bartender, a little bit of a therapist,

677
00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:21,863
and a little bit of a buddy.

678
00:27:24,940 --> 00:27:29,420
So, the performance aspect of being a comic shop retailer,

679
00:27:29,420 --> 00:27:32,650
it's a real thing, you're in character.

680
00:27:32,650 --> 00:27:33,900
I'm a musician, I've been doing that

681
00:27:33,900 --> 00:27:36,840
for a long, long time, and I know how it is.

682
00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:38,210
You don't feel like doing a gig,

683
00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:39,840
you don't feel like being onstage, guess what?

684
00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,080
Shut up, slap on a smile, and get on stage.

685
00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:43,530
It's a performance.

686
00:27:43,530 --> 00:27:46,510
And there's a lot of that here actually.

687
00:27:46,510 --> 00:27:47,597
Matt, the owner, makes fun of me sometimes.

688
00:27:47,597 --> 00:27:50,110
He says, "Well, I know when Shawn has a story

689
00:27:50,110 --> 00:27:51,450
about something, I'm gonna hear about it

690
00:27:51,450 --> 00:27:53,410
seven or eight times in the course of a day."

691
00:27:53,410 --> 00:27:56,510
I'm here to facilitate, I'm here to make sure

692
00:27:56,510 --> 00:27:58,742
they enjoy their shopping experience.

693
00:27:58,742 --> 00:28:01,167
Even the ones I don't like. (laughing)

694
00:28:01,167 --> 00:28:02,910
The comics get them in,

695
00:28:02,910 --> 00:28:05,560
and the retailer gets them back.

696
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,650
And most of them, it's kind of a cult of personality

697
00:28:07,650 --> 00:28:09,140
around the owner.

698
00:28:09,140 --> 00:28:10,250
I'm keeping my comics over here.

699
00:28:10,250 --> 00:28:11,890
You don't get to, you know what?

700
00:28:11,890 --> 00:28:13,610
They have comics on this side of the table, too.

701
00:28:13,610 --> 00:28:15,451
Yeah, we're not to the hardcovers and trades yet.

702
00:28:15,451 --> 00:28:16,410
They even have a poster here.

703
00:28:16,410 --> 00:28:17,730
Marc Hammond is a character.

704
00:28:17,730 --> 00:28:19,260
You talk to most of these people,

705
00:28:19,260 --> 00:28:20,860
they're really interesting people.

706
00:28:20,860 --> 00:28:23,400
Before I did this I used to build houses,

707
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,203
and I blew out my knees.

708
00:28:26,410 --> 00:28:28,090
And my wife asked me, "Well, what do you want to do?"

709
00:28:28,090 --> 00:28:30,630
I said, "I want a comic book store."

710
00:28:30,630 --> 00:28:32,030
I went to school for illustration,

711
00:28:32,030 --> 00:28:33,290
and I have a degree in illustration

712
00:28:33,290 --> 00:28:34,850
and a degree in art history.

713
00:28:34,850 --> 00:28:36,860
I taught for many years before this,

714
00:28:36,860 --> 00:28:39,190
and it led me to an incredibly dark depression

715
00:28:39,190 --> 00:28:41,083
that I could not fight on my own.

716
00:28:42,340 --> 00:28:44,200
This has not! (laughing)

717
00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:45,580
I was working some bullshit job

718
00:28:45,580 --> 00:28:47,870
at a call center doing auto insurance.

719
00:28:47,870 --> 00:28:50,360
Now I'm selling $10,000 Hulk

720
00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:51,870
Besides being a comic shop owner,

721
00:28:51,870 --> 00:28:53,290
I am also a creator.

722
00:28:53,290 --> 00:28:55,389
I do a comic strip called "Collectors"

723
00:28:55,389 --> 00:28:58,180
which is a semi-autobiographical,

724
00:28:58,180 --> 00:29:00,420
Sunday-style comic strip about my wife and I,

725
00:29:00,420 --> 00:29:02,230
and my comic book collecting, and all the nerdy stuff

726
00:29:02,230 --> 00:29:03,830
she puts up with living with me.

727
00:29:07,462 --> 00:29:10,910
Yes, that's with these local creators this Saturday.

728
00:29:10,910 --> 00:29:12,570
That's from 2:00 to 6:00, and we're gonna be

729
00:29:12,570 --> 00:29:14,284
reconfiguring the middle of the store-

730
00:29:14,284 --> 00:29:17,430
That's awesome.
Hopefully you can make it.

731
00:29:17,430 --> 00:29:20,270
Ralph always talks

732
00:29:20,270 --> 00:29:23,750
as if he's living in East Germany

733
00:29:23,750 --> 00:29:25,100
and he's worried about the secret police

734
00:29:25,100 --> 00:29:26,410
overhearing what you're saying.

735
00:29:26,410 --> 00:29:28,730
It's very hard to get a straight answer out of him.

736
00:29:28,730 --> 00:29:29,823
He gets very nervous.

737
00:29:33,249 --> 00:29:36,960
I used to have a pull box at Ralph's store, all right?

738
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:38,320
So I have a close relationship with Ralph.

739
00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:39,760
I love Ralph, I love his store.

740
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,500
It is strange today because you're here filming.

741
00:29:42,500 --> 00:29:44,660
Techno isn't pulsing, you know.

742
00:29:44,660 --> 00:29:47,640
He is a bit of a raver on the quiet.

743
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:49,750
This guy gets up every morning and jogs.

744
00:29:49,750 --> 00:29:50,590
I used to live near him,

745
00:29:50,590 --> 00:29:51,940
so every morning I'd see him jogging.

746
00:29:51,940 --> 00:29:52,923
Every morning he jogs, and that's great.

747
00:29:52,923 --> 00:29:54,670
I mean, this guy's super healthy.

748
00:29:54,670 --> 00:29:57,590
But when he's in the store, it's the same high energy.

749
00:29:57,590 --> 00:29:58,880
For a guy that's vegan,

750
00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,130
this guy got crazy amounts of energy.

751
00:30:01,130 --> 00:30:03,520
So, it's hard to kind of keep up with him

752
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:05,787
in the store sometimes 'cause he's very much like,

753
00:30:05,787 --> 00:30:07,240
"Yeah, yeah, it's over here.

754
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:08,200
Let's go over here, you want to check this out?

755
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:09,050
If you like this,

756
00:30:09,050 --> 00:30:11,890
then here's 50 other million things as well."

757
00:30:11,890 --> 00:30:13,670
Oh, geez, the guy is always running around.

758
00:30:13,670 --> 00:30:15,230
You've seen him. (laughing)

759
00:30:15,230 --> 00:30:17,910
Yeah, he's always busy, always helping people,

760
00:30:17,910 --> 00:30:19,530
fixing stuff on the shelves.

761
00:30:19,530 --> 00:30:21,170
Yeah, I'm kind of a hyper person,

762
00:30:21,170 --> 00:30:25,030
but it is kind of, yeah, second nature, and I just been,

763
00:30:25,030 --> 00:30:27,220
yeah, I'm doing this for, well, 23 years now,

764
00:30:27,220 --> 00:30:29,120
so I just love comics.

765
00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:30,530
I love sharing them with people

766
00:30:30,530 --> 00:30:32,538
and finding new favorites for people.

767
00:30:32,538 --> 00:30:36,187
And I just love being at the front of the store.

768
00:30:37,610 --> 00:30:39,400
See you guys next week. -All right, dude, take care.

769
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:41,580
All right, talk to you soon.
See you, Jermaine.

770
00:30:41,580 --> 00:30:45,290
Jermaine Exum, Jerome X-Man, Jamaican Cowboy.

771
00:30:45,290 --> 00:30:47,410
There are many names that I'll answer to.

772
00:30:47,410 --> 00:30:48,800
Jerome sometimes.

773
00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:50,230
I just stopped fighting that battle.

774
00:30:50,230 --> 00:30:52,602
Someone thinks my name is Jerome, then so be it.

775
00:30:52,602 --> 00:30:54,480
I believe you're asking me

776
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,930
about Jermaine's alter ego, Lord Retail.

777
00:30:58,930 --> 00:31:00,630
Are you familiar with his alter ego,

778
00:31:00,630 --> 00:31:01,810
the other name he goes by?

779
00:31:01,810 --> 00:31:03,490
Lord Retail? Oh, yeah. Mm-hm.

780
00:31:03,490 --> 00:31:07,350
Jermaine likes to say that he didn't give himself

781
00:31:08,290 --> 00:31:10,820
the nickname Lord Retail.

782
00:31:10,820 --> 00:31:13,690
Out of the blue, a customer that I'd known

783
00:31:13,690 --> 00:31:16,610
for a number of years, science-fiction writer,

784
00:31:16,610 --> 00:31:18,900
award-winning writer, M.A. Foster,

785
00:31:18,900 --> 00:31:22,390
one day, he simply started calling me "Lord Retail."

786
00:31:22,390 --> 00:31:25,570
But I would like to point out that he definitely decided

787
00:31:25,570 --> 00:31:27,310
to keep using it and makes sure

788
00:31:27,310 --> 00:31:28,760
that everybody else knows about it

789
00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:31,810
instead of the one person who called him that one day

790
00:31:31,810 --> 00:31:33,780
when nobody else was around.

791
00:31:33,780 --> 00:31:35,430
So it could've stopped right there?

792
00:31:35,430 --> 00:31:36,750
It could've stopped, it could've stopped,

793
00:31:36,750 --> 00:31:37,840
but it didn't.
How did it continue?

794
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:41,240
I had to pick a name for a message board.

795
00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:45,010
The name does lead in a certain way, it does.

796
00:31:45,010 --> 00:31:46,470
It sets a certain tone.

797
00:31:46,470 --> 00:31:48,850
It's kind of like a trademark sort of a thing.

798
00:31:48,850 --> 00:31:52,068
And I think it helps to sell, and it helps

799
00:31:52,068 --> 00:31:53,660
create a persona,

800
00:31:53,660 --> 00:31:56,030
especially in this setting

801
00:31:56,030 --> 00:31:57,870
'cause it's kind of like having a secret identity

802
00:31:57,870 --> 00:32:00,210
or a superhero identity sort of a thing.

803
00:32:00,210 --> 00:32:04,620
And he's got kind of like the whole iconic look to him

804
00:32:04,620 --> 00:32:05,810
with the fedora.

805
00:32:05,810 --> 00:32:07,740
People, hopefully, have come to expect

806
00:32:07,740 --> 00:32:11,250
an honest answer about a thing from me

807
00:32:11,250 --> 00:32:12,877
as part of the Lord Retail brand.

808
00:32:12,877 --> 00:32:14,180
"Do I need to buy this comic book?

809
00:32:14,180 --> 00:32:15,353
Is this any good?"

810
00:32:15,353 --> 00:32:17,150
An honest answer.

811
00:32:17,150 --> 00:32:18,340
Hey, I have an awesome autopilot.

812
00:32:18,340 --> 00:32:20,360
My autopilot always knows what he's talking about.

813
00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:21,252
But me, personally?

814
00:32:21,252 --> 00:32:22,587
30% of the time.

815
00:32:22,587 --> 00:32:24,770
Okay, what does that mean?

816
00:32:24,770 --> 00:32:26,380
If I'm being candid, that is probably

817
00:32:26,380 --> 00:32:27,940
my least favorite thing about Jermaine

818
00:32:27,940 --> 00:32:29,730
is how cryptic he is,

819
00:32:29,730 --> 00:32:32,750
especially when it's just something so simple

820
00:32:32,750 --> 00:32:34,230
that he can just tell you

821
00:32:34,230 --> 00:32:37,500
without having to unfold the layers.

822
00:32:37,500 --> 00:32:40,300
I don't know if he's trying to use it to build suspense.

823
00:32:44,340 --> 00:32:46,840
Well, I know I never had to order

824
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:48,380
an "Action Comics

825
00:32:48,380 --> 00:32:51,260
I've had to order "Action Comics

826
00:32:51,260 --> 00:32:53,380
and other things like that over my time,

827
00:32:53,380 --> 00:32:54,450
but I've never had to quite order

828
00:32:54,450 --> 00:32:56,320
an "Action Comics

829
00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:57,473
I know I was doing the order,

830
00:32:57,473 --> 00:33:00,110
I think I, like, texted you guys or called or something,

831
00:33:00,110 --> 00:33:01,923
and I was like freaking out.

832
00:33:03,370 --> 00:33:06,690
In my mind, I'm thinking about our regular customers,

833
00:33:06,690 --> 00:33:09,080
I'm thinking about maybe people that want to see

834
00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:12,930
Brian Michael Bendis' first DC Comics Superman story.

835
00:33:12,930 --> 00:33:15,383
I'm thinking about the people I normally deal with.

836
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:21,770
In total, maybe had about 250 copies.

837
00:33:21,770 --> 00:33:24,590
I feel like I'm being super clear about a thing,

838
00:33:24,590 --> 00:33:27,130
with your inquisitive mind, you're saying, "Wait a minute.

839
00:33:27,130 --> 00:33:28,350
Let's read between those lines.

840
00:33:28,350 --> 00:33:29,716
Let's peel back some layers."

841
00:33:29,716 --> 00:33:30,870
There's no layers, there's no lines.

842
00:33:30,870 --> 00:33:33,060
When it sounds like you're saying something,

843
00:33:33,060 --> 00:33:34,757
and then I take a beat and I realize,

844
00:33:34,757 --> 00:33:36,060
"No, he didn't say anything",

845
00:33:36,060 --> 00:33:39,230
I might follow up with some more questions.

846
00:33:39,230 --> 00:33:41,670
He is Lord Retail, and I've never seen anybody

847
00:33:41,670 --> 00:33:43,850
who is better at selling comic books than Jermaine is.

848
00:33:43,850 --> 00:33:45,750
I've been trying to figure out for a long time

849
00:33:45,750 --> 00:33:50,680
where is that line between Lord Retail always on duty,

850
00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,100
representing the comic book industry,

851
00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:54,940
trying to improve things across the board,

852
00:33:54,940 --> 00:33:55,930
help other retailers.

853
00:33:55,930 --> 00:33:57,120
Where is the line?

854
00:33:57,120 --> 00:33:59,610
And Jermaine the comic book fan.

855
00:33:59,610 --> 00:34:03,640
I don't necessarily separate my life, my personal life,

856
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:07,160
from the store, and when I'm at home,

857
00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:08,780
I read a lot of comics, man.

858
00:34:08,780 --> 00:34:11,767
I honestly work, like, 80 to 100 hours a week, on average.

859
00:34:11,767 --> 00:34:15,100
And at this point,

860
00:34:15,100 --> 00:34:16,679
it's just what I know.

861
00:34:16,679 --> 00:34:19,680
There's days like where maybe I have like two hours

862
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:20,807
and I don't have anything to do, and I'm like,

863
00:34:20,807 --> 00:34:21,870
"Oh, I should watch a movie."

864
00:34:21,870 --> 00:34:23,440
I don't know what to do with myself.

865
00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:28,440
Running a comic book store entails a lot more preparation

866
00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,871
and grinding stuff in the background

867
00:34:32,871 --> 00:34:35,120
that the customer never sees.

868
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,100
I think there are people that they think

869
00:34:37,100 --> 00:34:40,347
that I have this awesome job because I get to sit around

870
00:34:40,347 --> 00:34:42,743
and read comic books all the time.

871
00:34:44,290 --> 00:34:45,770
There's always work to do.

872
00:34:45,770 --> 00:34:48,076
Everything from general just cleaning and maintenance

873
00:34:48,076 --> 00:34:51,470
to bagging and boarding and pricing back issues,

874
00:34:51,470 --> 00:34:53,650
or doing story packs,

875
00:34:53,650 --> 00:34:57,590
or doing your diamond orders, or...

876
00:35:00,100 --> 00:35:01,960
Well, that's it, that's all of it.

877
00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:03,110
A lot of times I just sit around

878
00:35:03,110 --> 00:35:04,760
and read comics on a Sunday, shh.

879
00:35:05,620 --> 00:35:07,527
It's really hard to like, when somebody asks like

880
00:35:07,527 --> 00:35:09,030
"How much time does it take,"

881
00:35:09,030 --> 00:35:10,730
because it takes all your time.

882
00:35:10,730 --> 00:35:13,710
Whether it's just basic stuff for a comic store,

883
00:35:13,710 --> 00:35:15,810
whether it's sorting, organizing, buying collections,

884
00:35:15,810 --> 00:35:17,540
things like that, that's time-consuming enough,

885
00:35:17,540 --> 00:35:19,590
but you're getting in new orders,

886
00:35:19,590 --> 00:35:21,060
you're putting stuff out,

887
00:35:21,060 --> 00:35:22,930
you're dealing with customers, you're talking,

888
00:35:22,930 --> 00:35:25,240
you're online, you're updating the website,

889
00:35:25,240 --> 00:35:26,590
you're running to the bank,

890
00:35:26,590 --> 00:35:28,800
you're running to Sam's Club to get drinks and snacks,

891
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:30,240
you're running all over the place.

892
00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:32,530
We do a ton of conventions too,

893
00:35:32,530 --> 00:35:35,590
so now you need to travel halfway across the country

894
00:35:35,590 --> 00:35:37,900
all the time and you're away from home.

895
00:35:37,900 --> 00:35:39,600
It's hard, you question sometimes

896
00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:41,080
like "Why the hell am I doing this shit?"

897
00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:44,957
Like it's nonstop, it's not a lot of gain.

898
00:35:44,957 --> 00:35:48,713
How do you have a million-dollar comic book shop?

899
00:35:50,642 --> 00:35:52,340
You start with two million dollars.

900
00:35:52,340 --> 00:35:54,550
My main business before we opened here,

901
00:35:54,550 --> 00:35:57,870
I own a large tattoo shop locally

902
00:35:57,870 --> 00:35:59,280
and it's pretty well known

903
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:02,770
and that paid my bills, so we wanted to do this

904
00:36:02,770 --> 00:36:05,980
more as a labor of love, but we were able to do it

905
00:36:05,980 --> 00:36:08,030
because it wasn't our main jobs,

906
00:36:08,030 --> 00:36:09,267
main source of income.

907
00:36:09,267 --> 00:36:10,100
Welcome.

908
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:13,483
All right, so $37.98.

909
00:36:14,390 --> 00:36:16,360
We've reached a growth period

910
00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:19,940
where we're paying our bills.

911
00:36:19,940 --> 00:36:22,780
I have a great support system outside of the store.

912
00:36:22,780 --> 00:36:26,860
I have a wife who works really hard

913
00:36:26,860 --> 00:36:29,491
and takes care of three children.

914
00:36:29,491 --> 00:36:33,160
I have in-laws who lent me a bunch of money

915
00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:35,040
and whose house we rent.

916
00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,847
I'm lucky and I'm privileged to be able to do this.

917
00:36:37,847 --> 00:36:40,070
I don't recommend anyone else do it.

918
00:36:40,070 --> 00:36:41,785
You're buying something, I'm happy.

919
00:36:41,785 --> 00:36:43,170
(laughing)

920
00:36:43,170 --> 00:36:46,140
People don't open stores to become rich.

921
00:36:46,140 --> 00:36:47,580
I'm sure there's a few that have,

922
00:36:47,580 --> 00:36:51,370
but most of us, we scrape by, but we love comics.

923
00:36:51,370 --> 00:36:53,680
I'm usually a very like black-and-white,

924
00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:55,503
ones-and-zeroes kind of person.

925
00:36:55,503 --> 00:36:58,260
If you look at it that way, there's absolutely zero reason

926
00:36:58,260 --> 00:36:59,123
you should ever be doing this.

927
00:36:59,123 --> 00:37:00,530
My name is Lord Retail.

928
00:37:00,530 --> 00:37:01,900
I own a mansion and a yacht.

929
00:37:01,900 --> 00:37:05,416
No, it's not really, not really how it works.

930
00:37:05,416 --> 00:37:07,999
(piano music)

931
00:37:18,020 --> 00:37:19,890
After Steve announced that the store was closing,

932
00:37:19,890 --> 00:37:21,240
I had a conversation with you, Anthony,

933
00:37:21,240 --> 00:37:24,100
about what are we gonna do to help?

934
00:37:24,100 --> 00:37:25,040
It had a lot of components.

935
00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:26,830
We had the statue area, we had the comic books,

936
00:37:26,830 --> 00:37:28,610
we had the graphic novels, we had toys,

937
00:37:28,610 --> 00:37:30,340
we had a back room that was completely full.

938
00:37:30,340 --> 00:37:32,750
We had steel shelving that was still together.

939
00:37:32,750 --> 00:37:34,180
I mean, there was so much stuff

940
00:37:34,180 --> 00:37:35,930
that needed to be assessed.

941
00:37:35,930 --> 00:37:37,970
It was very heartwarming

942
00:37:39,660 --> 00:37:42,440
to see everybody come back and lend a hand.

943
00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:46,210
It was really symbolic of the shop as a whole

944
00:37:46,210 --> 00:37:48,767
because it wasn't just Steve doing it,

945
00:37:48,767 --> 00:37:50,520
and it wasn't even just

946
00:37:51,430 --> 00:37:53,530
the really close friends of the store doing it.

947
00:37:53,530 --> 00:37:55,110
It was just like customers.

948
00:37:55,110 --> 00:37:57,314
I mean, it really meant a lot to so many different people,

949
00:37:57,314 --> 00:37:59,740
and over the course of a full week,

950
00:37:59,740 --> 00:38:01,830
we got that store from

951
00:38:02,860 --> 00:38:06,340
a fully operating business to an empty

952
00:38:06,340 --> 00:38:08,470
four walls and a carpet.

953
00:38:08,470 --> 00:38:11,610
I was stunned when I saw how stark

954
00:38:11,610 --> 00:38:13,548
and barren and empty.

955
00:38:13,548 --> 00:38:15,380
It hit me like an avalanche.

956
00:38:15,380 --> 00:38:16,987
It really floored me.

957
00:38:16,987 --> 00:38:18,334
The slatwall coming off the walls,

958
00:38:18,334 --> 00:38:20,553
that was like the big thing to me

959
00:38:20,553 --> 00:38:23,480
because that's like, okay, there's no going back.

960
00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:24,930
Like everything else that was taken out,

961
00:38:24,930 --> 00:38:27,610
you could sort of put back in if you wanted to.

962
00:38:27,610 --> 00:38:28,750
It lost the look.

963
00:38:28,750 --> 00:38:30,180
We had a very particular look,

964
00:38:30,180 --> 00:38:32,360
and even with things removed from the store,

965
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:34,330
with that slatwall being up,

966
00:38:34,330 --> 00:38:36,040
it still looked like our store.

967
00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,260
But the slatwall coming down and getting carried out,

968
00:38:38,260 --> 00:38:42,350
that was like, "Okay, this really is the shop closing."

969
00:38:42,350 --> 00:38:44,410
It's the end of, like, the gatherings,

970
00:38:44,410 --> 00:38:46,950
it's the end of most of us hanging out together.

971
00:38:46,950 --> 00:38:49,340
I mean, it kind of was.

972
00:38:49,340 --> 00:38:52,040
The very last thing was the sign,

973
00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:53,970
and I didn't even hesitate, like, we had gotten,

974
00:38:53,970 --> 00:38:55,628
the last box left the store,

975
00:38:55,628 --> 00:38:56,710
and I was like, "We're not done yet."

976
00:38:56,710 --> 00:38:59,380
Took the ladder, I went up, and I took down that sign,

977
00:38:59,380 --> 00:39:01,560
and in that moment, just sliding the sign

978
00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:04,080
out of the light box that it was in

979
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:06,430
was very cathartic in that, it was like it's gone.

980
00:39:06,430 --> 00:39:10,100
We went back inside, and I had Drew take a photo of me,

981
00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:11,710
and it was completely empty space,

982
00:39:11,710 --> 00:39:13,220
and you wouldn't even recognize the space

983
00:39:13,220 --> 00:39:14,680
from a space down the street.

984
00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:16,420
And while I might be smiling in that photo,

985
00:39:16,420 --> 00:39:19,410
I think, inside, it was just complete turmoil,

986
00:39:19,410 --> 00:39:20,463
knowing that this spot, this place

987
00:39:20,463 --> 00:39:22,980
that meant so much to me for so long

988
00:39:22,980 --> 00:39:25,423
was completely gone and it is never coming back.

989
00:39:28,530 --> 00:39:29,690
Y'all can still talk, we're just,

990
00:39:29,690 --> 00:39:30,830
It's just a Facebook Live video,

991
00:39:30,830 --> 00:39:32,138
we're showing all the new releases.

992
00:39:32,138 --> 00:39:35,300
Joe Hill's The Cape: The Fallen.

993
00:39:35,300 --> 00:39:36,450
The biggest challenge that we face,

994
00:39:36,450 --> 00:39:38,210
both our store and I think our industry,

995
00:39:38,210 --> 00:39:39,730
is getting people in the door.

996
00:39:39,730 --> 00:39:42,010
It's the biggest thing going in Hollywood right now.

997
00:39:42,010 --> 00:39:45,031
Billions of dollars being made based on our fiction,

998
00:39:45,031 --> 00:39:48,020
the fiction that we sell on a daily basis.

999
00:39:48,020 --> 00:39:50,500
But what the comic companies sell

1000
00:39:50,500 --> 00:39:53,050
is a fraction of what they sell for one movie.

1001
00:39:53,050 --> 00:39:55,930
At the end of the day, diamond single issue numbers,

1002
00:39:55,930 --> 00:39:59,859
the number one book covers between 100,000 and 200,000.

1003
00:39:59,859 --> 00:40:01,686
100,000 people, that's your market?

1004
00:40:01,686 --> 00:40:03,160
Used to be that comic books,

1005
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:06,450
if they sold 100,000 copies, they would cancel them.

1006
00:40:06,450 --> 00:40:08,900
You're dividing 100,000 people by 3,000 stores.

1007
00:40:10,445 --> 00:40:12,603
Are you gonna copy your dad's hairstyle one day?

1008
00:40:13,770 --> 00:40:14,916
You can say no, it's okay.

1009
00:40:14,916 --> 00:40:16,930
(laughing)

1010
00:40:16,930 --> 00:40:19,790
We've always needed to get new readers,

1011
00:40:19,790 --> 00:40:21,963
and it's harder than ever to do that today

1012
00:40:21,963 --> 00:40:24,530
with all the streaming services available.

1013
00:40:24,530 --> 00:40:28,790
As far as video games, books, seasons of things,

1014
00:40:28,790 --> 00:40:32,230
people are bombarded and overwhelmed with media.

1015
00:40:32,230 --> 00:40:33,893
Oh, right, yeah, they, yeah-

1016
00:40:33,893 --> 00:40:35,270
I wonder if they're gonna bring him back

1017
00:40:35,270 --> 00:40:36,390
for that all in one.

1018
00:40:36,390 --> 00:40:38,340
They might if there's enough of an interest.

1019
00:40:38,340 --> 00:40:39,210
But you can't lie, man,

1020
00:40:39,210 --> 00:40:40,627
you called everything out though.

1021
00:40:40,627 --> 00:40:42,570
Even before it happened, you told me

1022
00:40:42,570 --> 00:40:44,390
exactly what's gonna happen rinse and repeat

1023
00:40:44,390 --> 00:40:45,750
and they're doing the same exact thing.

1024
00:40:45,750 --> 00:40:48,640
Yeah, as long as they do it in a fun way, it's fine,

1025
00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:50,380
but then that's when it's time to jump off

1026
00:40:50,380 --> 00:40:51,620
and do other things.
I know.

1027
00:40:51,620 --> 00:40:55,130
To me, the greatest detriment to the industry

1028
00:40:55,130 --> 00:40:56,430
over the years

1029
00:40:56,430 --> 00:40:59,090
hasn't been the advent of online purchasing,

1030
00:40:59,090 --> 00:41:02,909
hasn't been anything technology based.

1031
00:41:02,909 --> 00:41:06,633
It's Marvel and DC Comics specifically.

1032
00:41:07,750 --> 00:41:12,750
It's ridiculous that we're supposed to guess

1033
00:41:12,830 --> 00:41:16,517
two months in advance what's gonna be hot

1034
00:41:16,517 --> 00:41:19,010
with three lines of description.

1035
00:41:19,010 --> 00:41:21,140
Could the publishers make it easier?

1036
00:41:21,140 --> 00:41:23,080
Well, the main way publishers can make it easier

1037
00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:25,170
is by doing their job better.

1038
00:41:25,170 --> 00:41:28,367
And speaking as someone who was a publisher for decades,

1039
00:41:28,367 --> 00:41:31,673
for the most part, we tried to do our job well.

1040
00:41:33,340 --> 00:41:36,350
Just sometimes we didn't.

1041
00:41:36,350 --> 00:41:38,570
Marvel, DC, Boom, IDW, Dark Horse, Image,

1042
00:41:38,570 --> 00:41:40,010
none of them really owe us anything.

1043
00:41:40,010 --> 00:41:41,650
The only compact that we have with them

1044
00:41:41,650 --> 00:41:43,030
is that they're going to try to give us

1045
00:41:43,030 --> 00:41:44,609
the best quality books that they can

1046
00:41:44,609 --> 00:41:46,997
as close to an on-schedule time as they can.

1047
00:41:46,997 --> 00:41:49,823
And I think that a lot of the retailers,

1048
00:41:50,670 --> 00:41:52,450
including myself at times, are disappointed

1049
00:41:52,450 --> 00:41:53,860
because sometimes we don't get that.

1050
00:41:53,860 --> 00:41:55,380
There are certain titles that they produce

1051
00:41:55,380 --> 00:41:57,197
that does feel like they're kind of phoning it in.

1052
00:41:57,197 --> 00:41:59,460
"Hey, we need to pad our sales for this quarter,

1053
00:41:59,460 --> 00:42:00,500
we have to have a certain amount

1054
00:42:00,500 --> 00:42:02,080
of square footage on everybody's newsstand,

1055
00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:03,558
so we have to have a certain amount of titles."

1056
00:42:03,558 --> 00:42:06,930
A lot of retailers will take that personally.

1057
00:42:06,930 --> 00:42:09,800
All the pressure is on us.

1058
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:12,827
The retailer, they are Marvel and DC's customer.

1059
00:42:12,827 --> 00:42:14,990
We are, we are buying from them

1060
00:42:14,990 --> 00:42:17,770
and then we then resell to the public, to the fan,

1061
00:42:17,770 --> 00:42:18,627
to the end-of-line customer.

1062
00:42:18,627 --> 00:42:20,576
There you go, sir.
Thank you much.

1063
00:42:20,576 --> 00:42:22,594
You're welcome.
Thank you.

1064
00:42:22,594 --> 00:42:24,043
Have a good one, Anthony.
Guys, have a great day.

1065
00:42:24,043 --> 00:42:25,203
Thanks, you too.

1066
00:42:26,310 --> 00:42:28,400
So you're liking all this DC Comics stuff so far?

1067
00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:30,580
Yeah, I notice I'm moving more over

1068
00:42:30,580 --> 00:42:33,590
from Marvel to DC, independent.

1069
00:42:33,590 --> 00:42:34,880
And this is what they're telling me

1070
00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:36,430
when they come to the register,

1071
00:42:39,327 --> 00:42:40,570
"I've been collecting comics

1072
00:42:40,570 --> 00:42:43,343
for year and years, decades, Marvel.

1073
00:42:44,370 --> 00:42:46,560
I love these characters,

1074
00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:49,340
but these stories are atrocious."

1075
00:42:49,340 --> 00:42:53,113
I had that happen here Friday with like four customers.

1076
00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:56,370
I'm one of those people too.

1077
00:42:56,370 --> 00:42:59,370
If you run a bake shop, the quality of what you sell

1078
00:42:59,370 --> 00:43:00,830
is up to how you bake.

1079
00:43:00,830 --> 00:43:03,800
If you run a comic shop, the quality of what you sell

1080
00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:05,360
is up to other people.

1081
00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:06,920
Even though I own all this,

1082
00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:08,820
I'm still a fanboy.

1083
00:43:08,820 --> 00:43:10,500
And it kinda bothers me.

1084
00:43:10,500 --> 00:43:13,810
They completely lost sight of their core readership.

1085
00:43:13,810 --> 00:43:15,870
When retailers gripe,

1086
00:43:15,870 --> 00:43:19,599
one day, Marvel's gonna say, "Okay" and DC's gonna say,

1087
00:43:19,599 --> 00:43:21,710
"All right, we've done everything for you,

1088
00:43:21,710 --> 00:43:23,620
and you guys can't sell our product,

1089
00:43:23,620 --> 00:43:25,170
we have to transition",

1090
00:43:25,170 --> 00:43:26,390
and I think you see initiatives

1091
00:43:26,390 --> 00:43:28,260
to sell to the mass market.

1092
00:43:28,260 --> 00:43:31,130
And I don't think it's retaliatory,

1093
00:43:31,130 --> 00:43:33,260
I just think it's inevitable.

1094
00:43:33,260 --> 00:43:35,540
I think a lot of publishers are now becoming

1095
00:43:35,540 --> 00:43:37,761
more cognizant of the fact that they can't just market

1096
00:43:37,761 --> 00:43:41,270
to the 30-to-50 white male crowd

1097
00:43:41,270 --> 00:43:43,747
that has kept this industry afloat.

1098
00:43:43,747 --> 00:43:45,320
They're trying to grow the industries

1099
00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:46,960
outside of the comic shops,

1100
00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:48,830
and that's important.

1101
00:43:48,830 --> 00:43:51,300
And a lot of times, when they talk about that,

1102
00:43:51,300 --> 00:43:52,780
a lot of retailers get nervous,

1103
00:43:52,780 --> 00:43:55,080
because they feel like they're gonna get left in the dust.

1104
00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:57,300
Comics content,

1105
00:43:57,300 --> 00:44:00,030
pages that I'm writing and artists are drawing,

1106
00:44:00,030 --> 00:44:02,690
the primary delivery to the fans

1107
00:44:02,690 --> 00:44:04,410
I don't think is going to be

1108
00:44:04,410 --> 00:44:07,560
monthly comics bought in direct market shops.

1109
00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:09,760
How do you do business when you're not

1110
00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:11,330
the primary channel anymore?

1111
00:44:11,330 --> 00:44:13,500
I think it's gonna come sooner than people think

1112
00:44:13,500 --> 00:44:16,023
and it's gonna happen a lot faster than people think.

1113
00:44:17,690 --> 00:44:22,690
A lot of people see comics in a limited view

1114
00:44:23,450 --> 00:44:25,960
because it's never been presented to them

1115
00:44:25,960 --> 00:44:26,793
any other way.

1116
00:44:32,230 --> 00:44:33,610
Alternate Reality Comics

1117
00:44:33,610 --> 00:44:35,860
has more of the bookstore model

1118
00:44:35,860 --> 00:44:39,630
to showcase the many kinds of different stories, genres

1119
00:44:39,630 --> 00:44:41,010
that comics do represent.

1120
00:44:41,010 --> 00:44:42,440
I have no new release wall.

1121
00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:45,400
Graphic novels are intermixed with the singles.

1122
00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:48,800
I don't alphabetize any of my titles.

1123
00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:52,200
So the store is displayed in such a way as to show off

1124
00:44:53,220 --> 00:44:55,933
every goddamned thing that's imaginable.

1125
00:44:56,900 --> 00:44:58,850
That really means that we,

1126
00:44:58,850 --> 00:45:00,830
we change up the displays often,

1127
00:45:00,830 --> 00:45:04,430
we keep a lot of books out that are not necessarily

1128
00:45:04,430 --> 00:45:06,200
your expectations.

1129
00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:09,750
And that's the major spot where we differ

1130
00:45:09,750 --> 00:45:10,710
from everyone else.

1131
00:45:10,710 --> 00:45:13,740
Well, not everybody's a superhero fan.

1132
00:45:13,740 --> 00:45:18,120
You have to cater to as wide an audience as you can.

1133
00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,620
The layout allows someone to focus on what interests them,

1134
00:45:21,620 --> 00:45:23,500
and if they don't know what interests them,

1135
00:45:23,500 --> 00:45:27,271
to see how wide a medium it is.

1136
00:45:27,271 --> 00:45:28,360
They're a medium.

1137
00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:31,313
It's a form of entertainment amongst itself.

1138
00:45:31,313 --> 00:45:33,907
If you come in, the first thing I think is not,

1139
00:45:33,907 --> 00:45:35,850
"You're a superhero person."

1140
00:45:35,850 --> 00:45:38,920
It's my job to try to connect with that person

1141
00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:40,810
on a way of something they're gonna like.

1142
00:45:40,810 --> 00:45:42,400
We believe comics are for everyone.

1143
00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:44,330
We believe anyone can read a comic book,

1144
00:45:44,330 --> 00:45:47,360
especially nowadays, everyone's conversant.

1145
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:51,020
What we've found is you get more people

1146
00:45:51,020 --> 00:45:53,440
that want stuff because you're offering stuff

1147
00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:55,690
that reaches a broader group of people.

1148
00:45:55,690 --> 00:45:58,880
The reason why our LGBTQ book section

1149
00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:02,700
is so big right now is because people keep

1150
00:46:02,700 --> 00:46:04,090
coming in and buying it.

1151
00:46:04,090 --> 00:46:07,437
Going to a store, meeting fans, talking to the owner.

1152
00:46:07,437 --> 00:46:09,270
I think that's very important for a creator.

1153
00:46:09,270 --> 00:46:12,446
Also, sort of seeing how the face of readers

1154
00:46:12,446 --> 00:46:14,300
are changing as well.

1155
00:46:14,300 --> 00:46:18,810
My fallback is my audience is just like me.

1156
00:46:18,810 --> 00:46:20,200
Or my audience is like all my friends.

1157
00:46:20,200 --> 00:46:21,610
That's not really the case,

1158
00:46:21,610 --> 00:46:24,280
so being aware of that is very helpful.

1159
00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:26,890
That's the only way this, I think the industry

1160
00:46:26,890 --> 00:46:29,123
will grow creatively

1161
00:46:29,123 --> 00:46:31,303
and grow a wider audience.

1162
00:46:31,303 --> 00:46:33,136
How come he's?

1163
00:46:34,110 --> 00:46:35,437
Because Eddie Brock got the suit

1164
00:46:35,437 --> 00:46:37,187
and he tried to destroy Spider-Man.

1165
00:46:38,270 --> 00:46:40,369
But he didn't?

1166
00:46:40,369 --> 00:46:42,490
Spider Man beat him up?

1167
00:46:42,490 --> 00:46:43,417
Yep.

1168
00:46:43,417 --> 00:46:45,540
'Cause Peter Parker's a lot smarter.

1169
00:46:45,540 --> 00:46:48,530
This young crew here comes in for all of our signings

1170
00:46:48,530 --> 00:46:50,280
and they get comic books and they play pinball.

1171
00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:51,500
Always there.
They like the Pop! Vinyls.

1172
00:46:51,500 --> 00:46:54,599
That generation is who's gonna carry this medium

1173
00:46:54,599 --> 00:46:56,520
into the future.

1174
00:46:56,520 --> 00:46:57,730
And I think some publishers

1175
00:46:57,730 --> 00:47:00,210
are finally starting to get that.

1176
00:47:00,210 --> 00:47:02,410
Also, just kids are awesome, man, they're funny.

1177
00:47:02,410 --> 00:47:05,308
So what do you all say when you come into the store?

1178
00:47:05,308 --> 00:47:07,550
Ah yeah, agents in the house!

1179
00:47:07,550 --> 00:47:12,180
It's important that publishers have new and exciting ideas

1180
00:47:12,180 --> 00:47:14,860
and not just new storylines but new formats

1181
00:47:14,860 --> 00:47:16,810
and new creators and new characters,

1182
00:47:16,810 --> 00:47:19,600
and better representation of the world outside

1183
00:47:19,600 --> 00:47:20,921
of everybody's windows.

1184
00:47:20,921 --> 00:47:22,690
But they also need to let people know

1185
00:47:22,690 --> 00:47:23,590
that these exist,

1186
00:47:23,590 --> 00:47:25,400
and they need to find those people.

1187
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:26,950
You can have the highest level of traffic

1188
00:47:26,950 --> 00:47:28,020
outside your doors

1189
00:47:28,020 --> 00:47:30,020
and you could still have nobody come in,

1190
00:47:30,940 --> 00:47:34,140
which is honestly a metaphor for our entire industry.

1191
00:47:34,140 --> 00:47:36,060
One of the things that we do here is,

1192
00:47:36,060 --> 00:47:38,730
we set up at a local theater, it's not too far from us,

1193
00:47:38,730 --> 00:47:41,090
anytime there's a big Marvel or DC or Star Wars

1194
00:47:41,090 --> 00:47:42,520
or any genre-related film,

1195
00:47:42,520 --> 00:47:44,670
while we're there, we're able to hand out business cards

1196
00:47:44,670 --> 00:47:46,120
or flyers for different events.

1197
00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:48,950
We have picked up quite a few different comic subscribers.

1198
00:47:48,950 --> 00:47:49,783
So it'll be 41.

1199
00:47:50,750 --> 00:47:52,220
I don't know how many times my wife and I

1200
00:47:52,220 --> 00:47:53,440
have gone somewhere,

1201
00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:55,810
like a party or a get-together,

1202
00:47:55,810 --> 00:47:59,280
and people ask us, "What do you do?"

1203
00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:01,570
and we tell them we own a comic book shop,

1204
00:48:01,570 --> 00:48:02,630
and then they say, "Oh my God,

1205
00:48:02,630 --> 00:48:04,590
that last Avengers movie, oh, it was so great!"

1206
00:48:04,590 --> 00:48:06,330
Or "Oh, the Thor movie!

1207
00:48:06,330 --> 00:48:08,820
Oh, Thor's my favorite character, I love Thor so much."

1208
00:48:08,820 --> 00:48:10,660
And then we ask them, "Well, are you reading the comic?

1209
00:48:10,660 --> 00:48:11,493
It's really good, right?"

1210
00:48:11,493 --> 00:48:13,004
"No, I don't read comics."

1211
00:48:13,004 --> 00:48:15,008
So is this based on the animated movie

1212
00:48:15,008 --> 00:48:16,206
that's coming out, then?

1213
00:48:16,206 --> 00:48:17,730
Or is the animated movie based on this?

1214
00:48:17,730 --> 00:48:20,044
Yeah, the animated movie's more closely based on that

1215
00:48:20,044 --> 00:48:21,000
than that is on...

1216
00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:22,430
Right, 'cause that came out first.

1217
00:48:22,430 --> 00:48:24,040
I think people are expecting there to be

1218
00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:26,070
some sort of like lightning bolt,

1219
00:48:26,070 --> 00:48:28,740
and suddenly, there's a billion comic book readers

1220
00:48:28,740 --> 00:48:29,870
It's not gonna happen.

1221
00:48:29,870 --> 00:48:31,140
That's kinda what we're dealing with here.

1222
00:48:31,140 --> 00:48:33,530
Just because you like Ant-Man on your movie screen

1223
00:48:33,530 --> 00:48:35,260
'cause you like Paul Rudd,

1224
00:48:35,260 --> 00:48:36,980
doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna run

1225
00:48:36,980 --> 00:48:39,440
to read the comic, 'cause it's a whole different medium.

1226
00:48:39,440 --> 00:48:41,560
Everyone knows how to sit in front of a TV screen

1227
00:48:41,560 --> 00:48:43,623
or a movie screen and consume.

1228
00:48:45,110 --> 00:48:46,380
Some people even, to me,

1229
00:48:46,380 --> 00:48:48,480
comic books seem so second-nature to read,

1230
00:48:48,480 --> 00:48:50,560
but I've done it since I was five years old.

1231
00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:52,730
They're not sure what order to read them in.

1232
00:48:52,730 --> 00:48:54,670
Do you read the words first, then the pictures?

1233
00:48:54,670 --> 00:48:55,840
Do you read across the page?

1234
00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:57,120
Do you read down?

1235
00:48:57,120 --> 00:48:58,348
Do you read across the spread?

1236
00:48:58,348 --> 00:49:01,057
It sounds insane for me to say that

1237
00:49:01,057 --> 00:49:02,670
to anybody in comics,

1238
00:49:02,670 --> 00:49:04,580
'cause it's the easiest thing in the world,

1239
00:49:04,580 --> 00:49:06,690
but we take that for granted, man,

1240
00:49:06,690 --> 00:49:08,420
there's so many adults who don't know

1241
00:49:08,420 --> 00:49:09,679
how to read comics.

1242
00:49:09,679 --> 00:49:12,262
(piano music)

1243
00:49:16,862 --> 00:49:19,529
(keys jingling)

1244
00:49:22,558 --> 00:49:23,870
There was closure.

1245
00:49:23,870 --> 00:49:26,390
The store didn't get passed on to anybody else,

1246
00:49:26,390 --> 00:49:28,360
and so we were all able to just come to terms

1247
00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:30,220
with this place, this gathering place

1248
00:49:30,220 --> 00:49:33,110
that meant so much to us was now gone.

1249
00:49:33,110 --> 00:49:36,176
However, it's being kept on life support.

1250
00:49:36,176 --> 00:49:38,843
(lock clatters)

1251
00:49:39,790 --> 00:49:41,430
Okay, folks.

1252
00:49:41,430 --> 00:49:42,890
Welcome to Alternate Realities.

1253
00:49:42,890 --> 00:49:45,680
Steve had plans to dismantle the store,

1254
00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:47,540
and I was on board with this idea

1255
00:49:47,540 --> 00:49:50,520
of moving everything into storage for a short time

1256
00:49:50,520 --> 00:49:52,470
until he was able to figure out

1257
00:49:52,470 --> 00:49:53,770
what to do with it.

1258
00:49:53,770 --> 00:49:56,963
A lot of you have not seen what we became.

1259
00:49:58,130 --> 00:49:59,853
Anyway, don't faint.

1260
00:50:02,150 --> 00:50:03,793
Welcome to Alternate Realities.

1261
00:50:04,684 --> 00:50:06,184
There's a treasure trove here.

1262
00:50:08,930 --> 00:50:11,170
Anyway, you have to be skinny to come in,

1263
00:50:11,170 --> 00:50:12,003
but come on in.

1264
00:50:14,497 --> 00:50:17,610
But what Steve has done is to set up the store

1265
00:50:17,610 --> 00:50:19,560
into two Westy's units.

1266
00:50:19,560 --> 00:50:21,043
This is room number two.

1267
00:50:27,240 --> 00:50:29,713
This is where I kept the merchandise.

1268
00:50:31,650 --> 00:50:32,560
This is actually a huge room.

1269
00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:33,860
You can't tell with all this stuff in it,

1270
00:50:33,860 --> 00:50:35,740
but when it's empty, it's gigantic.

1271
00:50:35,740 --> 00:50:38,150
And in a very real sense, there are elements that,

1272
00:50:38,150 --> 00:50:39,920
if you were to squint your eyes,

1273
00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:41,520
you would feel like you were back in the comic shop.

1274
00:50:41,520 --> 00:50:44,100
He has set it up to look like the comic shop.

1275
00:50:44,100 --> 00:50:45,430
And I don't know if that's something

1276
00:50:45,430 --> 00:50:47,430
that he needs for himself,

1277
00:50:47,430 --> 00:50:48,790
'cause he's having trouble moving on,

1278
00:50:48,790 --> 00:50:51,290
moving past the idea of not being an owner of the store

1279
00:50:51,290 --> 00:50:53,163
and having this community.

1280
00:50:54,070 --> 00:50:57,295
I've been asked, "Why do you keep doing it this way?

1281
00:50:57,295 --> 00:51:00,240
You're renting warehouse space, which is not cheap."

1282
00:51:00,240 --> 00:51:02,770
I still enjoy it, in a way.

1283
00:51:02,770 --> 00:51:05,750
Because for me, I still open up a box

1284
00:51:05,750 --> 00:51:10,090
that's buried, and it's like Christmas.

1285
00:51:10,090 --> 00:51:10,923
You know, you open it up

1286
00:51:10,923 --> 00:51:13,000
and it's like all this stuff from the 60s

1287
00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:15,150
that I'd totally forgotten I had.

1288
00:51:15,150 --> 00:51:17,130
It's all kinds of what I consider to be

1289
00:51:17,130 --> 00:51:18,093
the good stuff.

1290
00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:21,340
And we've got a lot of the bad stuff too,

1291
00:51:21,340 --> 00:51:22,427
don't get me wrong.

1292
00:51:22,427 --> 00:51:24,040
"Angela

1293
00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:26,120
These are all "Angela

1294
00:51:26,120 --> 00:51:28,040
are these ever gonna be worth anything?

1295
00:51:28,040 --> 00:51:29,390
Unlikely.

1296
00:51:29,390 --> 00:51:30,670
Unopened, oh, there's a whole case

1297
00:51:30,670 --> 00:51:32,457
of "Uncanny Avengers

1298
00:51:33,470 --> 00:51:35,260
If you ever need it.

1299
00:51:35,260 --> 00:51:37,940
In some cases, we only have one.

1300
00:51:37,940 --> 00:51:41,460
In other cases, we have a dozen.

1301
00:51:41,460 --> 00:51:42,760
I think a lot of people would say

1302
00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:45,330
that it has so little value, why bother?

1303
00:51:45,330 --> 00:51:46,870
But I think to myself,

1304
00:51:46,870 --> 00:51:48,970
if everything's worth a dollar

1305
00:51:48,970 --> 00:51:51,850
and I've got 250,000 of them,

1306
00:51:51,850 --> 00:51:53,806
it's silly to just throw it away.

1307
00:51:53,806 --> 00:51:56,730
I have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

1308
00:51:56,730 --> 00:51:58,890
And the simple answer is,

1309
00:51:58,890 --> 00:52:01,140
what he says and what he does are very different.

1310
00:52:01,140 --> 00:52:03,230
I mean, he's been saying, "Yep,

1311
00:52:03,230 --> 00:52:05,370
I'm gonna be methodical, I'm selling stuff."

1312
00:52:05,370 --> 00:52:07,140
But what I did for the past year,

1313
00:52:07,140 --> 00:52:08,410
for the past couple years was

1314
00:52:08,410 --> 00:52:09,930
I'd take a box, I'd put 'em all in order,

1315
00:52:09,930 --> 00:52:11,430
and then I'd label it and put it away

1316
00:52:11,430 --> 00:52:13,321
so I knew where it was.

1317
00:52:13,321 --> 00:52:17,620
And as crazy as it sounds, it will sell when I put it up.

1318
00:52:17,620 --> 00:52:19,063
I just need to put it up.

1319
00:52:20,070 --> 00:52:22,820
But it's contradictory,

1320
00:52:22,820 --> 00:52:26,233
'cause I don't see the actions to do so.

1321
00:52:27,300 --> 00:52:30,410
I really wish that the next time I come to New York,

1322
00:52:30,410 --> 00:52:31,940
and I say this every six months,

1323
00:52:31,940 --> 00:52:33,870
that those storage lockers will be empty.

1324
00:52:33,870 --> 00:52:37,440
Because until they are, the store is still alive.

1325
00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:39,857
But it's not the same place.

1326
00:52:39,857 --> 00:52:42,357
(lock clicks)

1327
00:52:46,089 --> 00:52:50,100
And there you have it, Alternate Realities.

1328
00:52:50,100 --> 00:52:51,323
Gone but not forgotten.

1329
00:52:55,974 --> 00:52:58,641
(upbeat music)

1330
00:53:03,231 --> 00:53:04,064
Pops?

1331
00:53:05,562 --> 00:53:07,810
Pops?
No pops, no.

1332
00:53:07,810 --> 00:53:09,360
We don't do any of that junk.

1333
00:53:13,220 --> 00:53:17,730
I had Pops for two years and I never had the right ones.

1334
00:53:17,730 --> 00:53:19,240
Some comic shops,

1335
00:53:19,240 --> 00:53:21,210
the comics are almost marginalized.

1336
00:53:21,210 --> 00:53:24,640
You've got, and this is not to criticize any other store,

1337
00:53:24,640 --> 00:53:26,830
you've got a wall of Pop! Vinyls.

1338
00:53:26,830 --> 00:53:29,300
Yeah, so we probably at any given time have like

1339
00:53:29,300 --> 00:53:31,520
around a thousand different Pops in stock.

1340
00:53:31,520 --> 00:53:34,180
We started by focusing on gaming.

1341
00:53:34,180 --> 00:53:36,110
We kinda fell into the Pops, it was something we liked

1342
00:53:36,110 --> 00:53:38,960
and we went with it and we ended up kinda

1343
00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:39,800
blowing up with it.

1344
00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:42,800
I got ones that I care about, but I'm not collecting Pops.

1345
00:53:44,270 --> 00:53:46,513
It's a lot, it's the new Beanie Babies.

1346
00:53:46,513 --> 00:53:47,346
It's plastic Beanie Babies.

1347
00:53:47,346 --> 00:53:49,900
That Beanie Baby thing really gets on my nerves,

1348
00:53:49,900 --> 00:53:52,000
not because, 'cause they could've been right,

1349
00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:53,570
but honestly, like, it really,

1350
00:53:53,570 --> 00:53:54,880
even in the last year you're seeing

1351
00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:56,920
so many new people get in all the time.

1352
00:53:56,920 --> 00:53:59,210
They're fairly cheap for the basic ones,

1353
00:53:59,210 --> 00:54:00,280
and they hit on everything.

1354
00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:01,970
They have every license you can imagine.

1355
00:54:01,970 --> 00:54:03,920
And I think it's done a lot for the industry

1356
00:54:03,920 --> 00:54:05,010
'cause it's brought in all these people

1357
00:54:05,010 --> 00:54:06,820
who never woulda bought this stuff before

1358
00:54:06,820 --> 00:54:08,340
and gotten them to buy a lot of other things.

1359
00:54:08,340 --> 00:54:10,740
But there's definitely the two sides

1360
00:54:10,740 --> 00:54:12,700
that really are at war with it all the time.

1361
00:54:12,700 --> 00:54:15,000
People come in looking for Pops all the fucking time.

1362
00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:15,833
But you know what?

1363
00:54:15,833 --> 00:54:16,970
There's a Walmart right there,

1364
00:54:16,970 --> 00:54:18,600
there's a GameStop right there,

1365
00:54:18,600 --> 00:54:20,550
there's a Michael's right there.

1366
00:54:20,550 --> 00:54:22,490
You go to a gas station, you fill up your gas tank,

1367
00:54:22,490 --> 00:54:23,580
they give you a free fucking Pop.

1368
00:54:23,580 --> 00:54:24,413
I mean, they're just, they're everywhere.

1369
00:54:24,413 --> 00:54:26,869
A lot of comic book stores seem to be

1370
00:54:26,869 --> 00:54:28,960
becoming hobby stores.

1371
00:54:28,960 --> 00:54:31,160
And I think that's kind of a shame.

1372
00:54:31,160 --> 00:54:32,160
They'll have the toys,

1373
00:54:32,160 --> 00:54:33,590
they'll have the T-shirts, they'll have the posters,

1374
00:54:33,590 --> 00:54:36,530
they have all sorts of stuff,

1375
00:54:36,530 --> 00:54:39,560
but the comics seem to be a small part of the business,

1376
00:54:39,560 --> 00:54:42,720
where to me, it's my major business.

1377
00:54:42,720 --> 00:54:46,130
Like really, at what point does a store that carries

1378
00:54:46,130 --> 00:54:48,390
that kinda stuff stop being a comic book store?

1379
00:54:48,390 --> 00:54:49,280
Well, the name of the store

1380
00:54:49,280 --> 00:54:51,300
is Parts Unknown: The Comic Book Store,

1381
00:54:51,300 --> 00:54:54,040
and it's "The" Comic Book Store.

1382
00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:55,144
All we sell is comics,

1383
00:54:55,144 --> 00:54:57,050
'cause that's where my passion is,

1384
00:54:57,050 --> 00:54:58,840
that's the stuff that I really love.

1385
00:54:58,840 --> 00:54:59,903
And there's something original about it,

1386
00:54:59,903 --> 00:55:02,440
there's something American about it.

1387
00:55:02,440 --> 00:55:04,700
I think it's just short-sighted for any shop

1388
00:55:04,700 --> 00:55:08,026
to not diversify what they sell.

1389
00:55:08,026 --> 00:55:11,420
I came in as a purist, I'm just comics,

1390
00:55:11,420 --> 00:55:14,149
but I kinda warmed up eventually to Magic,

1391
00:55:14,149 --> 00:55:16,730
I even play a little bit now,

1392
00:55:16,730 --> 00:55:21,250
and I see the importance of not being set in your ways

1393
00:55:21,250 --> 00:55:25,100
as fandom or geekdom is only one thing,

1394
00:55:25,100 --> 00:55:26,710
because there's all kinds.

1395
00:55:26,710 --> 00:55:29,730
It's the older mentality that's just like

1396
00:55:29,730 --> 00:55:31,167
they're set in their ways and

1397
00:55:31,167 --> 00:55:32,730
"This is not what a comic store was",

1398
00:55:32,730 --> 00:55:34,140
and they don't adapt.

1399
00:55:34,140 --> 00:55:35,870
Markets are cyclical,

1400
00:55:35,870 --> 00:55:39,410
and I wanted other lines that maybe didn't correlate.

1401
00:55:39,410 --> 00:55:42,123
And I think it really smooths out your sales a lot.

1402
00:55:42,123 --> 00:55:46,163
We've made it over 25 years selling comic books,

1403
00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:50,500
and those other stores will die.

1404
00:55:50,500 --> 00:55:53,520
To your mind, it dilutes the concept of the comic store,

1405
00:55:53,520 --> 00:55:55,430
which is very pure, it's very tribal.

1406
00:55:55,430 --> 00:55:56,993
I get that, I really do.

1407
00:55:58,202 --> 00:55:59,540
And if that's a viable business model for you,

1408
00:55:59,540 --> 00:56:00,373
that's terrific,

1409
00:56:00,373 --> 00:56:01,920
but I think you're in the minority.

1410
00:56:01,920 --> 00:56:03,330
The stores that are gonna be in trouble

1411
00:56:03,330 --> 00:56:04,163
in the coming decade

1412
00:56:04,163 --> 00:56:06,120
are the stores that refuse not just to change

1413
00:56:06,120 --> 00:56:07,679
but even to consider to change.

1414
00:56:07,679 --> 00:56:11,160
They are only looking at how

1415
00:56:11,160 --> 00:56:12,640
they've always done it,

1416
00:56:12,640 --> 00:56:15,820
not realizing that that is not going to work anymore.

1417
00:56:15,820 --> 00:56:17,450
Brick-and-mortar retail is so tough,

1418
00:56:17,450 --> 00:56:20,360
and I think you're seeing a lot of stores kinda revert

1419
00:56:20,360 --> 00:56:22,780
back to, maybe everything's a cycle, right?

1420
00:56:22,780 --> 00:56:25,330
Where a lot of them are focusing on back issues

1421
00:56:25,330 --> 00:56:27,780
and collectibles and the hard to get stuff

1422
00:56:27,780 --> 00:56:30,810
and interactions with creators, which are great.

1423
00:56:30,810 --> 00:56:33,440
Right now, I think what could save comics

1424
00:56:33,440 --> 00:56:35,500
is the collectability of it.

1425
00:56:35,500 --> 00:56:40,500
The collectability is what drives most people, I think.

1426
00:56:40,773 --> 00:56:43,750
I do have a customer that told me when he reads his books,

1427
00:56:43,750 --> 00:56:46,290
he puts on white museum gloves

1428
00:56:46,290 --> 00:56:47,940
to not get oils and stuff on there,

1429
00:56:47,940 --> 00:56:49,783
which I thought was insane.

1430
00:56:49,783 --> 00:56:52,090
And then that night, I'm at home and I'm reading a comic,

1431
00:56:52,090 --> 00:56:53,660
and I could feel it,

1432
00:56:53,660 --> 00:56:55,950
I could feel my oily fingers on the book,

1433
00:56:55,950 --> 00:56:57,760
and I said, "Oh! Maybe he's got a point."

1434
00:56:57,760 --> 00:57:00,310
Collectibles, even though people

1435
00:57:00,310 --> 00:57:02,720
are selling them for next to nothing online,

1436
00:57:02,720 --> 00:57:03,900
the condition's so important.

1437
00:57:03,900 --> 00:57:06,330
So I think, for myself and a lot of people,

1438
00:57:06,330 --> 00:57:08,230
being able to pick it up, have it in your hands,

1439
00:57:08,230 --> 00:57:09,920
look at it, that makes a big difference

1440
00:57:09,920 --> 00:57:12,160
and people are willing to spend a little more.

1441
00:57:12,160 --> 00:57:14,827
(upbeat music)

1442
00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:23,690
Whether we admit it or not,

1443
00:57:23,690 --> 00:57:27,323
but we were collectors as soon as we got our first toy,

1444
00:57:28,540 --> 00:57:31,080
put it on a shelf, put it away.

1445
00:57:31,080 --> 00:57:33,580
I pretty much collect a little bit of everything.

1446
00:57:33,580 --> 00:57:36,950
My main love is G.I. Joes.

1447
00:57:36,950 --> 00:57:39,530
A child of the 80s.

1448
00:57:39,530 --> 00:57:42,200
It goes deeper than comics, it's more than that.

1449
00:57:42,200 --> 00:57:46,518
There's something totemic about having

1450
00:57:46,518 --> 00:57:48,310
Batman action figures.

1451
00:57:48,310 --> 00:57:50,160
The stories are the central part of it,

1452
00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:51,850
but then you want to experience it

1453
00:57:51,850 --> 00:57:52,970
in different ways.

1454
00:57:52,970 --> 00:57:56,350
That's part of the appeal of all of this stuff,

1455
00:57:56,350 --> 00:57:58,684
is that it's a really tangible way

1456
00:57:58,684 --> 00:58:00,703
to celebrate something that you love.

1457
00:58:16,030 --> 00:58:18,950
As a kid, I didn't have a ton of the figures.

1458
00:58:18,950 --> 00:58:20,740
My neighbor had most of 'em,

1459
00:58:20,740 --> 00:58:22,710
so I got to play with them every day,

1460
00:58:22,710 --> 00:58:24,420
but then I went home without them.

1461
00:58:24,420 --> 00:58:27,254
So, you don't think about it much as a kid,

1462
00:58:27,254 --> 00:58:29,430
but at the end of the day,

1463
00:58:29,430 --> 00:58:31,810
you're left without any figures.

1464
00:58:31,810 --> 00:58:32,810
As I got older,

1465
00:58:32,810 --> 00:58:34,750
when I came across them, I tried to pick 'em up

1466
00:58:34,750 --> 00:58:36,290
whenever I found 'em.

1467
00:58:36,290 --> 00:58:38,530
I didn't anticipate that it would get

1468
00:58:38,530 --> 00:58:39,910
as large as it did.

1469
00:58:39,910 --> 00:58:42,790
Some I've got nine or 10, some I've only got one.

1470
00:58:42,790 --> 00:58:46,541
It almost became an obsession.

1471
00:58:46,541 --> 00:58:49,647
Part of the thing about being a comic book fan is,

1472
00:58:49,647 --> 00:58:52,840
and I consider it to be kind of the eternal struggle

1473
00:58:52,840 --> 00:58:55,190
of a fan is the whole completist nature.

1474
00:58:55,190 --> 00:58:57,150
You wanna make sure you get complete runs.

1475
00:58:57,150 --> 00:59:00,210
Whether that run is 12 issues or 24 issues or 50 issues

1476
00:59:00,210 --> 00:59:01,210
or whatever it is,

1477
00:59:01,210 --> 00:59:02,910
you always wanted to be involved

1478
00:59:02,910 --> 00:59:05,240
in however long that run was gonna be.

1479
00:59:05,240 --> 00:59:07,060
It keeps the drive,

1480
00:59:07,060 --> 00:59:09,750
and I think it continues the hunt,

1481
00:59:09,750 --> 00:59:13,010
and I think the hunt is probably the best part about it.

1482
00:59:13,010 --> 00:59:14,267
I used to get everything.

1483
00:59:14,267 --> 00:59:16,710
If there was 10 different colors of something,

1484
00:59:16,710 --> 00:59:17,543
like I needed 'em all.

1485
00:59:17,543 --> 00:59:18,840
And the companies prey upon this,

1486
00:59:18,840 --> 00:59:21,350
this is how they survive.

1487
00:59:21,350 --> 00:59:24,300
The great irony is that you look at a room like this

1488
00:59:24,300 --> 00:59:25,700
and you'd think that I'm a completist,

1489
00:59:25,700 --> 00:59:27,860
when in fact, there are what I would consider to be

1490
00:59:27,860 --> 00:59:29,900
huge gaps in my collection.

1491
00:59:29,900 --> 00:59:30,940
If you had infinite space,

1492
00:59:30,940 --> 00:59:32,130
every collector's just doomed.

1493
00:59:32,130 --> 00:59:33,100
It's not even a money thing,

1494
00:59:33,100 --> 00:59:34,584
'cause you'll make it work, you know?

1495
00:59:34,584 --> 00:59:38,770
For a small room, I got a lot of stuff.

1496
00:59:38,770 --> 00:59:42,397
Moneywise, probably I have spent

1497
00:59:42,397 --> 00:59:45,110
$40,000 to $50,000.

1498
00:59:45,110 --> 00:59:47,390
It's funny, because I say that to my mom,

1499
00:59:47,390 --> 00:59:48,490
because she always gets freaked out

1500
00:59:48,490 --> 00:59:49,660
by the amount of money that I spend.

1501
00:59:49,660 --> 00:59:51,830
I said, "Listen, I could be smoking crack."

1502
00:59:51,830 --> 00:59:52,950
I instantly go to crack,

1503
00:59:52,950 --> 00:59:54,700
like that's probably a terrible place to go,

1504
00:59:54,700 --> 00:59:57,970
but my hobbies can consist of other stuff

1505
00:59:57,970 --> 00:59:59,820
where there's no return from.

1506
00:59:59,820 --> 01:00:04,240
The statues are gonna range between 360 to 550.

1507
01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:06,270
It becomes, like you gotta make sure

1508
01:00:06,270 --> 01:00:07,457
you got your ducks in a row, because if not,

1509
01:00:07,457 --> 01:00:09,370
you'll definitely be sunk.

1510
01:00:09,370 --> 01:00:10,620
I was a big fan of Power Girl,

1511
01:00:10,620 --> 01:00:12,910
and it was important to have the Trinity,

1512
01:00:12,910 --> 01:00:15,000
and that's kind of where the DC stuff ends.

1513
01:00:15,000 --> 01:00:18,020
Everything is at least with like stuff.

1514
01:00:18,020 --> 01:00:20,040
I can't just randomly put stuff together,

1515
01:00:20,040 --> 01:00:22,460
'cause that would drive my OCD crazy.

1516
01:00:22,460 --> 01:00:24,050
You may think it's a toy room,

1517
01:00:24,050 --> 01:00:26,960
but for me, it's a memories room.

1518
01:00:26,960 --> 01:00:28,780
Batman really was an escape for me.

1519
01:00:28,780 --> 01:00:30,400
My parents split when I was very young,

1520
01:00:30,400 --> 01:00:32,910
it was kind of a rancorous upbringing.

1521
01:00:32,910 --> 01:00:36,290
And so it kinda started out as this place that I could go

1522
01:00:36,290 --> 01:00:37,890
where the rules were very simple:

1523
01:00:37,890 --> 01:00:39,759
the good guys won, the bad guys lost.

1524
01:00:39,759 --> 01:00:41,770
It grounds you.

1525
01:00:41,770 --> 01:00:46,770
You can disappear into a world that would not have existed

1526
01:00:47,560 --> 01:00:50,060
if you did not start collecting before.

1527
01:00:50,060 --> 01:00:52,210
Preserving it is what drives me,

1528
01:00:52,210 --> 01:00:55,260
because I think it's great to hold a toy

1529
01:00:55,260 --> 01:00:57,320
that's 30 or 35 years old.

1530
01:00:57,320 --> 01:01:00,017
There always seems to be a human interest

1531
01:01:00,017 --> 01:01:01,827
and a need to collect things,

1532
01:01:01,827 --> 01:01:05,412
and people are interested in old stuff and rarities.

1533
01:01:05,412 --> 01:01:07,665
(crowd chattering)

1534
01:01:07,665 --> 01:01:08,552
Need any help?

1535
01:01:08,552 --> 01:01:11,125
I'm just looking at some of your stuff up top here.

1536
01:01:11,125 --> 01:01:13,160
If you need help, just let me know.

1537
01:01:13,160 --> 01:01:15,840
That one's 20, which is a lower grade copy.

1538
01:01:15,840 --> 01:01:16,840
It's 20 bucks.
Sure.

1539
01:01:16,840 --> 01:01:17,673
But it's a first print.

1540
01:01:17,673 --> 01:01:19,580
If you want a little like a mid grade,

1541
01:01:19,580 --> 01:01:21,307
a little higher grade, that'd be like 40 to 150.

1542
01:01:22,170 --> 01:01:23,003
Yeah, do you have that here?

1543
01:01:23,003 --> 01:01:24,787
Yeah, you wanna see them?
Sure.

1544
01:01:24,787 --> 01:01:28,518
♪ I left the show tonight ♪

1545
01:01:28,518 --> 01:01:30,867
♪ I feel hopeful once ♪

1546
01:01:30,867 --> 01:01:35,867
♪ Another chance, another life ♪

1547
01:01:36,792 --> 01:01:39,423
♪ This lack of sleep ♪

1548
01:01:39,423 --> 01:01:42,699
♪ These lack of worlds that are unique ♪

1549
01:01:42,699 --> 01:01:46,061
♪ Oh, bottle, keep me warm tonight ♪

1550
01:01:46,061 --> 01:01:48,473
This is the store in Jersey I'm always showing you.

1551
01:01:50,140 --> 01:01:52,603
It's the life of a comics slinger.

1552
01:01:55,290 --> 01:02:00,290
Zapp! Comics has always had a focus on back issues.

1553
01:02:00,800 --> 01:02:03,660
I've been doing this for 25 years, and before that,

1554
01:02:03,660 --> 01:02:06,550
I had about eight or 10 years of buying back issues

1555
01:02:06,550 --> 01:02:07,970
as a teenager.

1556
01:02:07,970 --> 01:02:12,280
Back issues encompasses all different levels

1557
01:02:12,280 --> 01:02:13,410
of price point,

1558
01:02:13,410 --> 01:02:15,563
all different levels of interest in buyer.

1559
01:02:20,820 --> 01:02:23,010
Me, I deal mostly in comic books made

1560
01:02:23,010 --> 01:02:25,650
from the 1930s up until the 80s,

1561
01:02:25,650 --> 01:02:26,960
but we still deal with comic books

1562
01:02:26,960 --> 01:02:28,773
from the last 20, 30 years as well.

1563
01:02:30,955 --> 01:02:33,829
There it is, the Holy Grail of Holy Grails.

1564
01:02:33,829 --> 01:02:37,580
"Action Comics

1565
01:02:37,580 --> 01:02:39,400
We just auctioned this off last week

1566
01:02:39,400 --> 01:02:43,020
and it sold for $2,052,000.

1567
01:02:43,020 --> 01:02:44,537
That's a great business model if you're like,

1568
01:02:44,537 --> 01:02:47,030
"Sure, here's our showroom of CGCs.

1569
01:02:47,030 --> 01:02:48,270
They're behind a locked door,

1570
01:02:48,270 --> 01:02:49,980
and I'll escort you around and show you

1571
01:02:49,980 --> 01:02:53,222
our 'Uncanny X-Men

1572
01:02:53,222 --> 01:02:55,830
Terrific! That would be awesome.

1573
01:02:55,830 --> 01:02:57,769
I kind of would love that.

1574
01:02:57,769 --> 01:03:01,186
(key clattering in lock)

1575
01:03:04,930 --> 01:03:06,003
Kind of the atmosphere we have

1576
01:03:06,003 --> 01:03:07,780
that we're creating here at Torpedo

1577
01:03:07,780 --> 01:03:12,435
is one of a premier, premium actual comic book store.

1578
01:03:12,435 --> 01:03:14,190
Torpedo's owned by John Dolmayan,

1579
01:03:14,190 --> 01:03:16,217
who's the drummer for System Of A Down.

1580
01:03:23,000 --> 01:03:25,380
So our Fortress of Solitude here is,

1581
01:03:25,380 --> 01:03:29,010
these are kind of our mid-range CGC comics.

1582
01:03:29,010 --> 01:03:32,450
We also have in the vault itself

1583
01:03:32,450 --> 01:03:35,432
about $2 million worth of incredibly high end

1584
01:03:35,432 --> 01:03:37,113
CGC books as well.

1585
01:03:38,340 --> 01:03:40,290
That's the big-boy room.

1586
01:03:40,290 --> 01:03:41,741
That's the no joke,

1587
01:03:41,741 --> 01:03:45,120
swipe your credit card as you go in kinda room.

1588
01:03:45,120 --> 01:03:46,470
It's set up to look like a vault.

1589
01:03:46,470 --> 01:03:48,980
You can see in here that it all looks like

1590
01:03:48,980 --> 01:03:50,440
safe deposit boxes,

1591
01:03:50,440 --> 01:03:52,370
but this is like the Holy Grail room.

1592
01:03:52,370 --> 01:03:54,280
That's where the "Batman

1593
01:03:54,280 --> 01:03:56,620
that's where the "Action Comics

1594
01:03:56,620 --> 01:03:59,503
Anything that's about $3,000 to $175,000,

1595
01:04:00,830 --> 01:04:04,593
$200,000 books are in there, properly displayed.

1596
01:04:11,880 --> 01:04:15,290
We're all about showcasing these books to people.

1597
01:04:15,290 --> 01:04:16,920
Everything is bagged and boarded in this store,

1598
01:04:16,920 --> 01:04:18,000
absolutely everything is.

1599
01:04:18,000 --> 01:04:19,370
New books on the wall.

1600
01:04:19,370 --> 01:04:21,730
Back issues have two boards in 'em.

1601
01:04:21,730 --> 01:04:23,010
It looks like a museum but it's not.

1602
01:04:23,010 --> 01:04:24,080
Everything here is inventory.

1603
01:04:24,080 --> 01:04:26,831
Everything here is trying to churn and burn

1604
01:04:26,831 --> 01:04:28,773
and rotate out of here.

1605
01:04:30,500 --> 01:04:32,951
388.14.

1606
01:04:32,951 --> 01:04:37,951
How much is this?
300, here, look.

1607
01:04:39,174 --> 01:04:40,580
What do you think?

1608
01:04:40,580 --> 01:04:43,322
I'm getting Dark Knight, four of 'em, that's-

1609
01:04:43,322 --> 01:04:45,612
You're getting four of 'em?
Yeah, all four.

1610
01:04:45,612 --> 01:04:47,368
Well, you can have this for 275.

1611
01:04:47,368 --> 01:04:48,708
Oof.

1612
01:04:48,708 --> 01:04:50,680
Nah, nah.

1613
01:04:50,680 --> 01:04:51,550
No?

1614
01:04:51,550 --> 01:04:54,570
I would probably say the thing I find interesting

1615
01:04:54,570 --> 01:04:57,910
about the back issue market at this point in time is

1616
01:04:57,910 --> 01:04:59,110
it's never been hotter.

1617
01:04:59,110 --> 01:05:01,300
There's such an interest in it.

1618
01:05:01,300 --> 01:05:03,010
It is shocking to me

1619
01:05:03,010 --> 01:05:05,720
how even being in this for over 30 years,

1620
01:05:05,720 --> 01:05:09,515
seeing how incredibly aggressive people are nowadays.

1621
01:05:09,515 --> 01:05:12,047
You got some new stuff in?

1622
01:05:12,047 --> 01:05:14,733
We got crazy new stuff in.
I saw the video.

1623
01:05:15,980 --> 01:05:16,880
Mysterio, gone already?

1624
01:05:16,880 --> 01:05:19,429
Yep, five and seven are gone too.

1625
01:05:19,429 --> 01:05:22,180
(phone rings)

1626
01:05:22,180 --> 01:05:23,340
Zapp! Comics.

1627
01:05:23,340 --> 01:05:25,290
Yeah the 90s stuff is usually bulk.

1628
01:05:25,290 --> 01:05:26,630
If you want to bring them in, I can take a look at 'em.

1629
01:05:26,630 --> 01:05:27,583
I don't know if we're gonna take 'em.

1630
01:05:27,583 --> 01:05:30,000
Because we have so much of the 90s stuff.

1631
01:05:30,000 --> 01:05:31,940
We have one main warehouse,

1632
01:05:31,940 --> 01:05:34,300
which is right down the street from our shop here in Wayne.

1633
01:05:34,300 --> 01:05:35,596
We almost view it as like owning

1634
01:05:35,596 --> 01:05:37,085
a piece of real estate,

1635
01:05:37,085 --> 01:05:39,430
and it keeps paying dividends over and over.

1636
01:05:39,430 --> 01:05:40,957
I have to keep feeding the beast, I call it.

1637
01:05:40,957 --> 01:05:42,380
You just gotta keep feeding it.

1638
01:05:42,380 --> 01:05:46,360
I'm constantly seeking some new, fresh collections.

1639
01:05:46,360 --> 01:05:49,582
They're turning over so fast, I can't keep enough in stock.

1640
01:05:49,582 --> 01:05:53,670
I just got it yesterday, so I'm not in a hurry.

1641
01:05:53,670 --> 01:05:55,180
I would do 140 even,

1642
01:05:55,180 --> 01:05:56,697
is the very best I would do.
Okay.

1643
01:05:56,697 --> 01:05:58,000
Here's some advice:

1644
01:05:58,000 --> 01:05:59,404
Get rid of all that "Walking Dead" shit

1645
01:05:59,404 --> 01:06:02,540
and buy that Flash 105.
Yes, yes.

1646
01:06:02,540 --> 01:06:03,373
Because in five years,

1647
01:06:03,373 --> 01:06:04,630
you can buy that "Walking Dead" shit

1648
01:06:04,630 --> 01:06:05,942
all over again for dirt cheap.

1649
01:06:05,942 --> 01:06:07,040
All over again.
Yep, for dirt cheap.

1650
01:06:07,040 --> 01:06:08,910
Most comic book stores in this country

1651
01:06:08,910 --> 01:06:11,336
are either not willing to, unable to,

1652
01:06:11,336 --> 01:06:14,310
or just don't care about doing high-end back issues.

1653
01:06:14,310 --> 01:06:15,520
Back issues in general,

1654
01:06:15,520 --> 01:06:17,700
even though people can buy most of the stuff

1655
01:06:17,700 --> 01:06:19,950
on websites and eBay and everything,

1656
01:06:19,950 --> 01:06:22,890
the demand is still there to buy back issues in person,

1657
01:06:22,890 --> 01:06:25,239
and whether it's here or at conventions,

1658
01:06:25,239 --> 01:06:28,040
people still love to dig through back issues

1659
01:06:28,040 --> 01:06:29,270
and see what they're buying.

1660
01:06:29,270 --> 01:06:31,622
They love the haggling, they love grabbing up the books.

1661
01:06:31,622 --> 01:06:35,133
They love the fetishization of the object.

1662
01:06:37,380 --> 01:06:39,650
They have some type of connection from their childhood,

1663
01:06:39,650 --> 01:06:41,017
there's a nostalgia there.

1664
01:06:41,017 --> 01:06:42,610
It's a wide range, it's a huge spectrum.

1665
01:06:42,610 --> 01:06:44,480
It could be, we get doctors and lawyers.

1666
01:06:44,480 --> 01:06:45,960
People who are blue collar workers,

1667
01:06:45,960 --> 01:06:49,130
white collar workers, billionaires.

1668
01:06:49,130 --> 01:06:50,850
The one thing that is the common denominator

1669
01:06:50,850 --> 01:06:52,870
is people are passionate about these characters.

1670
01:06:52,870 --> 01:06:54,829
Comic books aren't just for kids.

1671
01:06:54,829 --> 01:06:58,001
They've shaped the lives of hundreds of thousands

1672
01:06:58,001 --> 01:06:59,250
of people around the world.

1673
01:06:59,250 --> 01:07:01,832
I've met customers who became lawyers, doctors,

1674
01:07:01,832 --> 01:07:03,560
police officers, and firefighters

1675
01:07:03,560 --> 01:07:05,434
because they were inspired by superheroes

1676
01:07:05,434 --> 01:07:07,090
to try to do good.

1677
01:07:07,090 --> 01:07:09,650
So I think that's a really important thing to remember.

1678
01:07:09,650 --> 01:07:12,860
The idea that I wanna be a hero to my kid

1679
01:07:12,860 --> 01:07:14,300
comes from that.

1680
01:07:14,300 --> 01:07:16,700
The idea that I wanna be a hero to my students at school

1681
01:07:16,700 --> 01:07:17,810
comes from that.

1682
01:07:17,810 --> 01:07:21,690
Everything that I do kinda stems from that place of

1683
01:07:21,690 --> 01:07:24,970
comic book superheroes and those archetypes of superheroes,

1684
01:07:24,970 --> 01:07:26,810
and I just try to live up to them.

1685
01:07:26,810 --> 01:07:28,050
I think really the best part,

1686
01:07:28,050 --> 01:07:29,480
more than me buyin' a book here,

1687
01:07:29,480 --> 01:07:31,610
is really selling somebody that book

1688
01:07:31,610 --> 01:07:33,370
that they wanted their whole life.

1689
01:07:33,370 --> 01:07:36,600
It really is fun to see the expressions on people's faces

1690
01:07:36,600 --> 01:07:37,618
when they come up to the booth and go,

1691
01:07:37,618 --> 01:07:40,220
"Is that a reprint of 'Action Comics

1692
01:07:40,220 --> 01:07:42,740
and I say, "No, no, it's a real copy",

1693
01:07:42,740 --> 01:07:45,020
and their eyes get so big and bright

1694
01:07:45,020 --> 01:07:46,867
and their jaw drops and they're

1695
01:07:46,867 --> 01:07:48,910
"Oh my God, I can't believe this is 'Action Comics

1696
01:07:48,910 --> 01:07:50,440
And they go crazy.

1697
01:07:50,440 --> 01:07:51,861
Is it okay if I hold it?
Yeah, sure.

1698
01:07:51,861 --> 01:07:52,875
Ah.

1699
01:07:52,875 --> 01:07:56,570
And it's wonderful to also expose people

1700
01:07:56,570 --> 01:07:58,839
to these vintage comic books that they might not necessarily

1701
01:07:58,839 --> 01:08:02,090
have seen anywhere else before.

1702
01:08:02,090 --> 01:08:04,392
These are books that have survived

1703
01:08:04,392 --> 01:08:06,270
multiple presidencies.

1704
01:08:06,270 --> 01:08:07,643
They've survived world wars,

1705
01:08:07,643 --> 01:08:10,260
they've survived paper drives.

1706
01:08:10,260 --> 01:08:13,714
We are a custodian of the past, of high-end books,

1707
01:08:13,714 --> 01:08:16,700
of the importance of comic books

1708
01:08:16,700 --> 01:08:18,320
before they disappear.

1709
01:08:18,320 --> 01:08:20,420
Thank you so much.
Sure, my pleasure.

1710
01:08:22,130 --> 01:08:23,963
We're here at Aw Yeah Comics,

1711
01:08:23,963 --> 01:08:26,827
and we're gearing up for our big

1712
01:08:26,827 --> 01:08:30,213
"Action Comics

1713
01:08:31,090 --> 01:08:32,752
You see we got some balloons going on.

1714
01:08:32,752 --> 01:08:35,560
All right, so let's go inside.

1715
01:08:35,560 --> 01:08:38,160
I have an interesting ritual when it comes to any big event

1716
01:08:38,160 --> 01:08:39,480
that we do.

1717
01:08:39,480 --> 01:08:40,650
About a week beforehand,

1718
01:08:40,650 --> 01:08:42,720
I will start having anxiety dreams

1719
01:08:42,720 --> 01:08:44,120
that no one is coming.

1720
01:08:44,120 --> 01:08:46,080
The only things I think about are

1721
01:08:46,080 --> 01:08:47,360
how much money we have into it,

1722
01:08:47,360 --> 01:08:48,660
how much money we have to make that day

1723
01:08:48,660 --> 01:08:49,560
to break even.

1724
01:08:49,560 --> 01:08:51,270
I will stress out right until about

1725
01:08:51,270 --> 01:08:53,000
the first 20 people show up.

1726
01:08:53,000 --> 01:08:54,530
To create community,

1727
01:08:54,530 --> 01:08:57,120
you have to host community.

1728
01:08:57,120 --> 01:08:58,240
That's where the idea came from,

1729
01:08:58,240 --> 01:08:59,073
it was just like, "Well, man,

1730
01:08:59,073 --> 01:09:00,780
what if there was a comic book store

1731
01:09:00,780 --> 01:09:04,040
that was also that community space?"

1732
01:09:04,040 --> 01:09:05,610
It's not so much that they're setting up

1733
01:09:05,610 --> 01:09:08,200
a coffee shop and store.

1734
01:09:08,200 --> 01:09:10,500
Yes, they're doing these things as two retail businesses

1735
01:09:10,500 --> 01:09:11,820
that sort of play into each other.

1736
01:09:11,820 --> 01:09:12,800
But it's bigger than that.

1737
01:09:12,800 --> 01:09:15,640
They're making it a go-to destination.

1738
01:09:15,640 --> 01:09:18,010
People my age have gone to comic book stores forever.

1739
01:09:18,010 --> 01:09:19,190
They go there because it's comfortable,

1740
01:09:19,190 --> 01:09:20,260
it's something they've always done,

1741
01:09:20,260 --> 01:09:21,310
it's like a habit now.

1742
01:09:21,310 --> 01:09:23,690
But millennials are buying experiences.

1743
01:09:23,690 --> 01:09:25,290
Not just having a special sale,

1744
01:09:25,290 --> 01:09:26,270
'cause anyone can do that,

1745
01:09:26,270 --> 01:09:30,610
but having a signing, having a book club,

1746
01:09:30,610 --> 01:09:32,970
having some type of experience interaction

1747
01:09:32,970 --> 01:09:34,590
where you are a part of something,

1748
01:09:34,590 --> 01:09:35,910
where you're connected with something.

1749
01:09:35,910 --> 01:09:39,620
The key is to remain part of people's routines.

1750
01:09:39,620 --> 01:09:41,986
So the signing that we had in April, gosh,

1751
01:09:41,986 --> 01:09:43,410
honestly, it was one of the biggest ones

1752
01:09:43,410 --> 01:09:45,520
we've ever done, it was for "Action Comics

1753
01:09:45,520 --> 01:09:47,670
So it was Peter Tomasi,

1754
01:09:47,670 --> 01:09:49,530
who was at the time was writing

1755
01:09:49,530 --> 01:09:51,760
Superman and Super-Sons,

1756
01:09:51,760 --> 01:09:54,280
Jerry Ordway, major Superman artist,

1757
01:09:54,280 --> 01:09:56,010
Walter and Louise Simonson,

1758
01:09:56,010 --> 01:09:57,890
Louise also wrote quite a bit of Superman,

1759
01:09:57,890 --> 01:09:59,420
and we had a special surprise guest,

1760
01:09:59,420 --> 01:10:00,860
the former publisher of DC Comics

1761
01:10:00,860 --> 01:10:02,473
Paul Levitz showed up, so that was pretty cool.

1762
01:10:02,473 --> 01:10:04,460
They got a really large audience

1763
01:10:04,460 --> 01:10:05,650
for a store of their size,

1764
01:10:05,650 --> 01:10:08,480
I was really impressed by the marketing effort

1765
01:10:08,480 --> 01:10:09,830
and success of that.

1766
01:10:09,830 --> 01:10:11,680
By far the biggest, like the most people

1767
01:10:11,680 --> 01:10:13,880
we've ever had for a signing at this store.

1768
01:10:13,880 --> 01:10:15,950
Not every signing's gonna be a line out the door.

1769
01:10:15,950 --> 01:10:17,040
Sometimes, you have a signing,

1770
01:10:17,040 --> 01:10:19,170
it doesn't matter how great the person or the book is,

1771
01:10:19,170 --> 01:10:20,440
10 people show up.

1772
01:10:20,440 --> 01:10:23,690
This is what matters! (laughing)

1773
01:10:23,690 --> 01:10:24,650
It was a great experience

1774
01:10:24,650 --> 01:10:27,390
seeing those folks there,

1775
01:10:27,390 --> 01:10:28,993
being able to talk to them,

1776
01:10:29,850 --> 01:10:32,780
thank them for, I guess, a great childhood

1777
01:10:32,780 --> 01:10:37,310
and great stories that they in a sense read to us.

1778
01:10:37,310 --> 01:10:39,900
Mr. Levitz, a pleasure, sir.

1779
01:10:39,900 --> 01:10:40,894
I don't know if you can see them,

1780
01:10:40,894 --> 01:10:42,580
but there's a young man standing at our counter

1781
01:10:42,580 --> 01:10:44,310
and this is his very first comic book.

1782
01:10:44,310 --> 01:10:47,572
Can I get a round of applause?
(crowd applauding)

1783
01:10:47,572 --> 01:10:49,610
These guys as well?
Yes, please.

1784
01:10:49,610 --> 01:10:51,900
I want people that are seeking out doing

1785
01:10:51,900 --> 01:10:53,660
different events with us that aren't necessarily signings.

1786
01:10:53,660 --> 01:10:56,200
We did an album, we did a record opening

1787
01:10:56,200 --> 01:10:58,580
for a local pop artist and it was great.

1788
01:10:58,580 --> 01:11:01,460
We had DJs and dancers and drag queens

1789
01:11:01,460 --> 01:11:02,293
and it was ridiculous,

1790
01:11:02,293 --> 01:11:04,070
and it was something I've never, ever seen

1791
01:11:04,070 --> 01:11:05,530
any other comic store do.

1792
01:11:05,530 --> 01:11:09,460
I believe that Amalgam's still fulfilling its goal

1793
01:11:09,460 --> 01:11:12,353
even if every person that walks out doesn't become

1794
01:11:12,353 --> 01:11:13,600
a comic book person,

1795
01:11:13,600 --> 01:11:15,853
they still become a part of our community.

1796
01:11:18,328 --> 01:11:20,911
(piano music)

1797
01:11:25,890 --> 01:11:28,930
There was a lot of hope that these friendships

1798
01:11:28,930 --> 01:11:30,600
would last and persist forever,

1799
01:11:30,600 --> 01:11:31,940
and I'm not saying that they won't

1800
01:11:31,940 --> 01:11:33,080
and they haven't,

1801
01:11:33,080 --> 01:11:36,090
but it has not been as easy as it was.

1802
01:11:36,090 --> 01:11:38,120
The store closed and obviously,

1803
01:11:38,120 --> 01:11:41,930
there are certain people that I see,

1804
01:11:41,930 --> 01:11:44,450
I can't say just as often, I'm not gonna lie.

1805
01:11:44,450 --> 01:11:46,280
The store was a gathering place.

1806
01:11:46,280 --> 01:11:48,980
My routine typically was to come in and spend

1807
01:11:48,980 --> 01:11:53,010
a sizeable amount of Saturday in the store.

1808
01:11:53,010 --> 01:11:54,230
There were tons of people.

1809
01:11:54,230 --> 01:11:55,560
There were times six or seven of us

1810
01:11:55,560 --> 01:11:56,950
would meet for lunch,

1811
01:11:56,950 --> 01:11:58,510
or we'd meet and go to a movie

1812
01:11:58,510 --> 01:11:59,700
and then go to dinner.

1813
01:11:59,700 --> 01:12:03,857
You didn't call up anybody more or less and say,

1814
01:12:03,857 --> 01:12:04,992
"Hey, I'll meet you at the store."

1815
01:12:04,992 --> 01:12:06,840
You'd say, "You know what? I'm gonna go to the store

1816
01:12:06,840 --> 01:12:09,020
and see who's there, and I know so many people

1817
01:12:09,020 --> 01:12:10,710
and I'm friends with so many people

1818
01:12:10,710 --> 01:12:12,310
that I'm going to run into someone there

1819
01:12:12,310 --> 01:12:14,480
that I can have a chat with, that I can talk with,

1820
01:12:14,480 --> 01:12:16,170
maybe grab dinner with, whatever."

1821
01:12:16,170 --> 01:12:17,593
I don't see that happening now.

1822
01:12:17,593 --> 01:12:20,110
I mean, I don't even know

1823
01:12:20,110 --> 01:12:23,370
when we try to get all together at all.

1824
01:12:23,370 --> 01:12:27,330
We still have beautiful, strong, solid friendships.

1825
01:12:27,330 --> 01:12:29,470
But for whatever reasons, you know,

1826
01:12:29,470 --> 01:12:30,680
life is getting in the way now.

1827
01:12:30,680 --> 01:12:32,980
People are moving on, people are moving away,

1828
01:12:32,980 --> 01:12:34,210
people are getting married,

1829
01:12:34,210 --> 01:12:37,170
and it's getting very difficult to now pick up the phone.

1830
01:12:37,170 --> 01:12:40,200
The AR crew is definitely fractured.

1831
01:12:40,200 --> 01:12:44,290
I feared most losing that kind of sense of community,

1832
01:12:44,290 --> 01:12:46,550
the ability of the store to bring everybody together.

1833
01:12:46,550 --> 01:12:49,770
One thing that I've done less shopping,

1834
01:12:49,770 --> 01:12:52,395
I've gone less frequently to stores.

1835
01:12:52,395 --> 01:12:55,080
But I'll usually go to Fat Moose

1836
01:12:55,080 --> 01:12:55,975
and pick up some stuff.

1837
01:12:55,975 --> 01:12:58,790
The fascinating thing about Fat Moose is

1838
01:12:58,790 --> 01:13:01,660
the whole atmosphere is tremendously similar

1839
01:13:01,660 --> 01:13:05,112
to what we all experienced at Alternate Realities.

1840
01:13:05,112 --> 01:13:07,453
But I still feel like an outsider,

1841
01:13:08,530 --> 01:13:10,380
it's not the same, I'm still conscious

1842
01:13:10,380 --> 01:13:12,993
that that's their club and I'm just a visitor.

1843
01:13:25,040 --> 01:13:25,873
I got something else to talk about.

1844
01:13:25,873 --> 01:13:27,135
Uh-oh, what do we got?

1845
01:13:27,135 --> 01:13:27,968
(laughing)

1846
01:13:27,968 --> 01:13:29,686
Why I gotta get the shitty one, man?

1847
01:13:29,686 --> 01:13:30,519
What happened?

1848
01:13:30,519 --> 01:13:31,352
Look at all that.

1849
01:13:31,352 --> 01:13:32,551
You know Justin does your pulls, right?

1850
01:13:32,551 --> 01:13:33,446
(laughing)

1851
01:13:33,446 --> 01:13:35,450
As soon as I said something to Justin,

1852
01:13:35,450 --> 01:13:37,840
he was like, "You know, Matt pulled out the binding, right?"

1853
01:13:37,840 --> 01:13:39,393
Wednesdays at Fat Moose,

1854
01:13:40,554 --> 01:13:41,600
it's a gathering.

1855
01:13:41,600 --> 01:13:43,560
We have X amount of customers who just come in.

1856
01:13:43,560 --> 01:13:44,393
They want their books,

1857
01:13:44,393 --> 01:13:46,380
they say, "Hey, how are you, good to see you",

1858
01:13:46,380 --> 01:13:47,520
and they're out.

1859
01:13:47,520 --> 01:13:48,660
But then we have my favorite people,

1860
01:13:48,660 --> 01:13:50,120
who come in and hang out.

1861
01:13:50,120 --> 01:13:53,230
Hang out so long that their wives are calling them.

1862
01:13:53,230 --> 01:13:54,400
How was the spine on this one, sir?

1863
01:13:54,400 --> 01:13:55,330
Acceptable?
I checked the rest out.

1864
01:13:55,330 --> 01:13:56,245
Okay, good, good, good.

1865
01:13:56,245 --> 01:13:57,078
The rest of them are accept or adequate.

1866
01:13:57,078 --> 01:13:58,340
Good, good, good. (laughing)

1867
01:13:58,340 --> 01:14:01,276
We're on the second floor, above a dry cleaner.

1868
01:14:01,276 --> 01:14:03,282
Our entrance is in the rear.

1869
01:14:03,282 --> 01:14:05,030
If you don't know we're here,

1870
01:14:05,030 --> 01:14:06,960
we're almost impossible to find,

1871
01:14:06,960 --> 01:14:09,200
but that's kinda fun because it's a destination.

1872
01:14:09,200 --> 01:14:10,507
I get calls all day of people going,

1873
01:14:10,507 --> 01:14:13,330
"I'm looking for your store and I can't seem to find it",

1874
01:14:13,330 --> 01:14:14,877
and I say, "Well, where are you?"

1875
01:14:14,877 --> 01:14:16,450
"I'm outside of a dry cleaners"

1876
01:14:16,450 --> 01:14:17,480
and I say, "Okay, look up."

1877
01:14:17,480 --> 01:14:18,937
And they look up and I'm leaning out the window.

1878
01:14:18,937 --> 01:14:20,790
"We're up here, the door's in the back."

1879
01:14:20,790 --> 01:14:21,623
Yeah, hold up.

1880
01:14:21,623 --> 01:14:23,130
Who's a real comic book fan in here, yo?

1881
01:14:23,130 --> 01:14:24,900
In here? Comics are for nerds.

1882
01:14:24,900 --> 01:14:26,413
(guys laughing)

1883
01:14:26,413 --> 01:14:28,409
Best Batman, Adam West, no?

1884
01:14:28,409 --> 01:14:31,630
Adam West.
Best Batman, Adam West.

1885
01:14:31,630 --> 01:14:33,670
Everybody's really gotten to know each other,

1886
01:14:33,670 --> 01:14:37,270
and we've got everything from middle-aged lawyers

1887
01:14:37,270 --> 01:14:39,980
to young guys right out of high school.

1888
01:14:39,980 --> 01:14:43,100
It's a bit of a gang, it's a bit of a club,

1889
01:14:43,100 --> 01:14:45,490
and it's a very open club.

1890
01:14:45,490 --> 01:14:47,143
If somebody comes in for the first time

1891
01:14:47,143 --> 01:14:49,440
and they're looking for something specific

1892
01:14:49,440 --> 01:14:50,273
and I'm busy,

1893
01:14:50,273 --> 01:14:51,890
one of my customers will take them around the store.

1894
01:14:51,890 --> 01:14:53,149
You all set?

1895
01:14:53,149 --> 01:14:54,833
I got the DVD.

1896
01:14:54,833 --> 01:14:56,050
Thank you very much.

1897
01:14:56,050 --> 01:14:58,210
I still prefer to go to the store.

1898
01:14:58,210 --> 01:15:00,180
I still prefer to have the hard copy.

1899
01:15:00,180 --> 01:15:02,650
I still prefer to have that feeling

1900
01:15:02,650 --> 01:15:03,590
of going to the store,

1901
01:15:03,590 --> 01:15:07,180
and part of it is replicating that excitement of

1902
01:15:07,180 --> 01:15:09,010
being a 10-year-old, a 12-year-old.

1903
01:15:09,010 --> 01:15:11,180
It's not just because that's the only way to get it,

1904
01:15:11,180 --> 01:15:12,300
'cause it's not the only way to get it,

1905
01:15:12,300 --> 01:15:16,410
but I choose to do it because I like that ritual of it,

1906
01:15:16,410 --> 01:15:18,640
and the store really kinda plays into that.

1907
01:15:18,640 --> 01:15:21,140
And part of that comes from what we sell is escapism.

1908
01:15:21,140 --> 01:15:22,220
And we sell fiction,

1909
01:15:22,220 --> 01:15:24,490
and people want not just to read a good story,

1910
01:15:24,490 --> 01:15:26,110
but sometimes they need to unplug from life

1911
01:15:26,110 --> 01:15:26,943
for a little bit

1912
01:15:26,943 --> 01:15:28,780
and this is one of the places that they come.

1913
01:15:28,780 --> 01:15:30,260
My weeks revolve around it.

1914
01:15:30,260 --> 01:15:32,770
I mean, it's like Wednesday is the best day of the week.

1915
01:15:32,770 --> 01:15:35,223
I mean, in the last 11 or 12 years

1916
01:15:35,223 --> 01:15:36,350
that I've been coming here,

1917
01:15:36,350 --> 01:15:38,680
I've maybe missed three Wednesdays?

1918
01:15:38,680 --> 01:15:41,620
And had to come on a Thursday or a Friday.

1919
01:15:41,620 --> 01:15:44,110
I've built a really strong friendship with Ralph

1920
01:15:44,110 --> 01:15:44,943
over the years too.

1921
01:15:44,943 --> 01:15:48,810
This countertop is like a confessional.

1922
01:15:48,810 --> 01:15:50,990
I don't know what it is about working here

1923
01:15:50,990 --> 01:15:52,350
and about this countertop,

1924
01:15:52,350 --> 01:15:56,440
but people come in here and they just unload their bullshit.

1925
01:15:56,440 --> 01:15:58,850
There are so many people that are comic fans

1926
01:15:58,850 --> 01:16:00,380
and that read comics regularly

1927
01:16:00,380 --> 01:16:03,010
that may not have anybody else in their life

1928
01:16:03,010 --> 01:16:05,900
who has the same love for the medium that they do.

1929
01:16:05,900 --> 01:16:09,040
And as a human being, we want to relate to people

1930
01:16:09,040 --> 01:16:10,160
by the things that we like,

1931
01:16:10,160 --> 01:16:12,370
and if we like something, we want someone else to like it.

1932
01:16:12,370 --> 01:16:14,420
You ever watch the show "Cheers"?

1933
01:16:14,420 --> 01:16:17,460
A lot of shops use that analogy of "Cheers", you know?

1934
01:16:17,460 --> 01:16:19,950
And you build up over years where there's a comfort

1935
01:16:19,950 --> 01:16:21,350
and there's a friendliness.

1936
01:16:21,350 --> 01:16:22,470
It's nice, it's like a clubhouse.

1937
01:16:22,470 --> 01:16:23,620
There's a lot of people here.

1938
01:16:23,620 --> 01:16:25,367
The conversation usually goes through the store,

1939
01:16:25,367 --> 01:16:27,050
'cause most customers, they don't know each other

1940
01:16:27,050 --> 01:16:28,110
but they see each other enough.

1941
01:16:28,110 --> 01:16:29,340
He didn't even have any powers.

1942
01:16:29,340 --> 01:16:30,670
Batman sucks.

1943
01:16:30,670 --> 01:16:31,850
What?
He's the most ineffectual

1944
01:16:31,850 --> 01:16:33,280
superhero of all time.

1945
01:16:33,280 --> 01:16:34,210
He's terrible.

1946
01:16:34,210 --> 01:16:36,870
Batman has had hundreds of writers and artists

1947
01:16:36,870 --> 01:16:38,300
and most of them were awful.

1948
01:16:38,300 --> 01:16:40,103
Most of them were average or awful.

1949
01:16:41,700 --> 01:16:42,580
There's very few heights.

1950
01:16:42,580 --> 01:16:43,910
There's very few high peaks.
Listen.

1951
01:16:43,910 --> 01:16:46,530
When Ruben comes in, Ruben talks to anybody,

1952
01:16:46,530 --> 01:16:48,786
so he kinda gets everybody going.

1953
01:16:48,786 --> 01:16:51,120
Says the guy with the Plastic Man T-shirt.

1954
01:16:51,120 --> 01:16:51,973
Yeah, Plastic Man, that's good stuff.

1955
01:16:51,973 --> 01:16:53,900
Like the worst superhero out of all of them.

1956
01:16:53,900 --> 01:16:56,330
I'd rather read a Plastic Man than a Punisher.

1957
01:16:56,330 --> 01:16:57,820
Are you serious?
Yeah, absolutely.

1958
01:16:57,820 --> 01:16:59,040
You're making that up.

1959
01:16:59,040 --> 01:16:59,925
No!
You're lying.

1960
01:16:59,925 --> 01:17:00,860
No, I'm not.

1961
01:17:00,860 --> 01:17:02,480
You ever read the original Plastic Man?

1962
01:17:02,480 --> 01:17:05,660
No, 'cause I'm not that, you know...

1963
01:17:05,660 --> 01:17:07,350
No, Plastic Man?
You're not that what?

1964
01:17:07,350 --> 01:17:09,960
Plastic Man is like a comic comedy thing,

1965
01:17:09,960 --> 01:17:11,220
it's not a superhero.
It can be,

1966
01:17:11,220 --> 01:17:13,206
but it can be dark also.

1967
01:17:13,206 --> 01:17:14,200
They were a lot darker than I expected.

1968
01:17:14,200 --> 01:17:15,290
Plastic Man cannot be dark.

1969
01:17:15,290 --> 01:17:16,850
You've gotta be outta your mind.

1970
01:17:16,850 --> 01:17:17,700
Listen.
Outta your mind.

1971
01:17:17,700 --> 01:17:19,024
Hey, there's a Punisher shirt right there.

1972
01:17:19,024 --> 01:17:21,730
There's two shirts in your closet,

1973
01:17:21,730 --> 01:17:24,030
a Plastic Man shirt and a Punisher shirt.

1974
01:17:24,030 --> 01:17:25,440
What are you wearing?
Plastic Man all the way.

1975
01:17:25,440 --> 01:17:26,715
Probably Plastic Man.

1976
01:17:26,715 --> 01:17:27,911
Really?

1977
01:17:27,911 --> 01:17:30,111
The amount of-
Do you guys know each other?

1978
01:17:30,111 --> 01:17:32,861
(guys laughing)

1979
01:17:36,600 --> 01:17:37,624
Thanks, man.

1980
01:17:37,624 --> 01:17:38,930
Have a good day, fellas, see you next week.

1981
01:17:38,930 --> 01:17:41,150
The comic shop is something special.

1982
01:17:41,150 --> 01:17:42,280
There's nothing else like it,

1983
01:17:42,280 --> 01:17:43,660
there's no other store like it.

1984
01:17:43,660 --> 01:17:45,950
I have no formal business training.

1985
01:17:45,950 --> 01:17:47,730
I'm sure that there's people that they spend

1986
01:17:47,730 --> 01:17:49,033
billions of dollars trying to figure out

1987
01:17:49,033 --> 01:17:50,707
how to duplicate this.

1988
01:17:50,707 --> 01:17:52,970
"How do we duplicate this in a laboratory setting?"

1989
01:17:52,970 --> 01:17:53,820
I don't know,

1990
01:17:53,820 --> 01:17:56,690
but it's been happening in Greensboro

1991
01:17:56,690 --> 01:18:00,203
over my 22 years, I'm a result of it.

1992
01:18:01,944 --> 01:18:04,900
I just wanna show you these beautiful treats

1993
01:18:04,900 --> 01:18:06,140
that Angelo bring us.

1994
01:18:06,140 --> 01:18:06,973
See? Look at that.

1995
01:18:06,973 --> 01:18:08,100
Isn't that beautiful?

1996
01:18:08,100 --> 01:18:09,324
From his father's place.

1997
01:18:09,324 --> 01:18:13,180
Say I post at four o'clock on a Thursday

1998
01:18:13,180 --> 01:18:14,660
that we're closing early.

1999
01:18:14,660 --> 01:18:16,700
I will have customers immediately assume

2000
01:18:16,700 --> 01:18:18,120
that I must be sick,

2001
01:18:18,120 --> 01:18:20,696
and they will call to see if I need anything.

2002
01:18:20,696 --> 01:18:22,600
They check on me, like they adopted me.

2003
01:18:22,600 --> 01:18:23,873
Aw, what?

2004
01:18:25,030 --> 01:18:26,870
They made me a birthday card!

2005
01:18:26,870 --> 01:18:27,720
Today is my birthday

2006
01:18:27,720 --> 01:18:29,250
and I've had two separate groups of kids

2007
01:18:29,250 --> 01:18:30,917
come in and bring me birthday cards today.

2008
01:18:30,917 --> 01:18:32,640
And that's awesome.

2009
01:18:32,640 --> 01:18:36,410
Those connections are, for me,

2010
01:18:36,410 --> 01:18:38,377
a majority of the reason that I do this.

2011
01:18:38,377 --> 01:18:41,170
A lot of the customers I've known for most of their lives.

2012
01:18:41,170 --> 01:18:43,070
Since they were in middle school to now

2013
01:18:43,070 --> 01:18:44,390
when they're bringing their own kids in,

2014
01:18:44,390 --> 01:18:46,080
since I've been here for so long.

2015
01:18:46,080 --> 01:18:47,660
When I would read something awesome,

2016
01:18:47,660 --> 01:18:49,500
I would want to tell somebody about it.

2017
01:18:49,500 --> 01:18:51,350
Now I get to do that for a living,

2018
01:18:51,350 --> 01:18:53,026
I get to tell somebody about this cool thing

2019
01:18:53,026 --> 01:18:54,960
that I saw in a comic book.

2020
01:18:54,960 --> 01:18:56,310
After all those years of being a kid,

2021
01:18:56,310 --> 01:18:57,878
of being just alone with my comics,

2022
01:18:57,878 --> 01:19:00,900
now I have this whole world of different people

2023
01:19:00,900 --> 01:19:02,398
with different perspectives.

2024
01:19:02,398 --> 01:19:04,546
That means everything to me.

2025
01:19:04,546 --> 01:19:08,280
If you didn't have workers at the comic shops

2026
01:19:08,280 --> 01:19:10,328
who genuinely love the material,

2027
01:19:10,328 --> 01:19:13,200
so much of what has happened in the field

2028
01:19:13,200 --> 01:19:15,050
would never have happened.

2029
01:19:15,050 --> 01:19:18,540
It's a lot of saying, "I hate this place,"

2030
01:19:18,540 --> 01:19:23,444
and also remembering that I wouldn't trade it for anything.

2031
01:19:23,444 --> 01:19:26,421
It'll break your heart and also make your day,

2032
01:19:26,421 --> 01:19:27,576
you know?

2033
01:19:27,576 --> 01:19:30,423
I think I've spent my life well.

2034
01:19:31,300 --> 01:19:33,150
I'm one of the lucky ones

2035
01:19:33,150 --> 01:19:35,533
that got to live out their dream.

2036
01:19:35,533 --> 01:19:39,190
There's a human element, I can't quite explain it,

2037
01:19:39,190 --> 01:19:41,310
but there's a human need to want to be

2038
01:19:41,310 --> 01:19:44,640
physically out there with other like-minded people.

2039
01:19:44,640 --> 01:19:46,980
Already, we are in the minority.

2040
01:19:46,980 --> 01:19:48,600
I mean, yes, we're less the minority

2041
01:19:48,600 --> 01:19:49,830
with each passing year,

2042
01:19:49,830 --> 01:19:52,400
but we're still iconoclasts,

2043
01:19:52,400 --> 01:19:54,801
we're still, we're looking for our own kind.

2044
01:19:54,801 --> 01:19:56,700
Everybody's looking for their own tribes

2045
01:19:56,700 --> 01:19:57,573
and so are we.

2046
01:19:59,568 --> 01:20:02,230
(shutter snapping)

2047
01:20:02,230 --> 01:20:04,710
It's weird, it's almost a self-validation.

2048
01:20:04,710 --> 01:20:06,750
Like there's a place set up specifically

2049
01:20:06,750 --> 01:20:08,670
for something that I love,

2050
01:20:08,670 --> 01:20:11,330
therefore what I love has value

2051
01:20:11,330 --> 01:20:13,920
because there's others like me out there,

2052
01:20:13,920 --> 01:20:15,240
which is not something you get

2053
01:20:15,240 --> 01:20:17,270
when you bicycle from drugstore to drugstore

2054
01:20:17,270 --> 01:20:19,460
but something you get when you go into a comic book store.

2055
01:20:19,460 --> 01:20:21,160
If that's what's going on,

2056
01:20:21,160 --> 01:20:24,870
then I think that the comic book store can endure,

2057
01:20:24,870 --> 01:20:26,610
because the comic book store has a place

2058
01:20:26,610 --> 01:20:29,397
that cannot be duplicated by "add to cart."

2059
01:20:30,480 --> 01:20:32,840
The space that a comic shop occupies

2060
01:20:32,840 --> 01:20:34,930
can be many things.

2061
01:20:34,930 --> 01:20:37,633
A third place between work and home,

2062
01:20:37,633 --> 01:20:39,103
a time capsule,

2063
01:20:39,960 --> 01:20:41,700
a clubhouse,

2064
01:20:41,700 --> 01:20:42,533
a community,

2065
01:20:44,010 --> 01:20:47,370
or even a cherished memory

2066
01:20:47,370 --> 01:20:51,930
of the best afterschool job a shy kid who loved comics

2067
01:20:51,930 --> 01:20:54,243
could possibly ask for.

2068
01:20:54,243 --> 01:20:55,568
(soft rock music)

2069
01:20:55,568 --> 01:20:58,214
♪ I need to start again ♪

2070
01:20:58,214 --> 01:21:00,520
So why do I wish the store was still around?

2071
01:21:00,520 --> 01:21:03,093
The store, see, like that's the thing.

2072
01:21:04,180 --> 01:21:06,300
It's always referred to as "the store."

2073
01:21:06,300 --> 01:21:07,820
I miss saying "I'm going to the store"

2074
01:21:07,820 --> 01:21:09,170
and everybody would know what you mean,

2075
01:21:09,170 --> 01:21:10,143
you know what I mean?

2076
01:21:10,143 --> 01:21:11,538
I think a lot of my friends,

2077
01:21:11,538 --> 01:21:13,010
a lot of the friends associated with the store

2078
01:21:13,010 --> 01:21:15,430
will tell you that the most important thing

2079
01:21:15,430 --> 01:21:17,180
about the store was the friendships

2080
01:21:17,180 --> 01:21:18,530
and the fun that we had, right?

2081
01:21:18,530 --> 01:21:20,043
I don't even have to think about that.

2082
01:21:20,043 --> 01:21:22,260
It's our friendships.

2083
01:21:22,260 --> 01:21:25,030
The legacy of the store is nothing to do with

2084
01:21:26,279 --> 01:21:29,960
the comic books themselves or the physical location.

2085
01:21:29,960 --> 01:21:31,400
It's just a building.

2086
01:21:31,400 --> 01:21:35,300
What AR symbolizes is the relationships

2087
01:21:35,300 --> 01:21:36,670
that were built out of that.

2088
01:21:36,670 --> 01:21:39,840
The crew, the AR crew, is really the legacy

2089
01:21:39,840 --> 01:21:41,400
of Alternate Realities to me.

2090
01:21:41,400 --> 01:21:44,733
I definitely know that there are a number of people there

2091
01:21:44,733 --> 01:21:47,470
who I became friends with because of the store,

2092
01:21:47,470 --> 01:21:49,320
and I'm still friends with to this day,

2093
01:21:49,320 --> 01:21:50,700
and I figure I'm gonna be friends with

2094
01:21:50,700 --> 01:21:52,240
for the rest of my life.

2095
01:21:52,240 --> 01:21:53,790
I even officiated your wedding.

2096
01:21:54,840 --> 01:21:56,610
And I met you at the store! (laughing)

2097
01:21:56,610 --> 01:21:57,860
So there you go.

2098
01:21:57,860 --> 01:21:59,910
I'm not heartbroken the store's closed.

2099
01:21:59,910 --> 01:22:01,860
The store itself?

2100
01:22:01,860 --> 01:22:03,910
I don't miss the store itself.

2101
01:22:03,910 --> 01:22:05,210
I miss the people in it.

2102
01:22:05,210 --> 01:22:08,940
One of the regrets that I had was that

2103
01:22:08,940 --> 01:22:11,920
I didn't make an impression on the world.

2104
01:22:11,920 --> 01:22:13,397
It was after we closed the shop

2105
01:22:13,397 --> 01:22:16,140
and I sat down and I realized

2106
01:22:16,140 --> 01:22:17,800
it's like being a teacher.

2107
01:22:17,800 --> 01:22:22,032
And suddenly, your old students come by and say,

2108
01:22:22,032 --> 01:22:23,550
"You had an influence on me."

2109
01:22:23,550 --> 01:22:26,520
It's a good memory for a lot of them.

2110
01:22:26,520 --> 01:22:28,350
And that's all I needed to do.

2111
01:22:28,350 --> 01:22:30,820
And I believe that's true, but beyond that,

2112
01:22:30,820 --> 01:22:32,010
it was a physical space,

2113
01:22:32,010 --> 01:22:34,180
and everybody should remember that

2114
01:22:34,180 --> 01:22:36,521
or remember what that place meant to us.

2115
01:22:36,521 --> 01:22:38,780
It was like lightning in a bottle.

2116
01:22:38,780 --> 01:22:40,920
The second I walked through that store,

2117
01:22:40,920 --> 01:22:42,460
I was transported back in time,

2118
01:22:42,460 --> 01:22:44,450
and the time that I was transported back to

2119
01:22:44,450 --> 01:22:46,570
was when I was a kid working at that store,

2120
01:22:46,570 --> 01:22:48,660
and I think that was one of the best times of my life,

2121
01:22:48,660 --> 01:22:51,200
but not being able to go to that store,

2122
01:22:51,200 --> 01:22:54,140
for me, it's now I'm like displaced in time,

2123
01:22:54,140 --> 01:22:54,973
so to speak,

2124
01:22:54,973 --> 01:22:56,798
and I'm kind of like spiraling out,

2125
01:22:56,798 --> 01:22:59,180
looking for something again, like an anchor

2126
01:22:59,180 --> 01:23:01,473
to who I was at one point in my life.

2127
01:23:02,400 --> 01:23:05,938
And so the store as that location was everything.

2128
01:23:05,938 --> 01:23:07,649
(piano music)

2129
01:23:07,649 --> 01:23:10,560
I visited 20 comic shops across nine states

2130
01:23:10,560 --> 01:23:12,460
to make this documentary.

2131
01:23:12,460 --> 01:23:13,910
And everywhere I went,

2132
01:23:13,910 --> 01:23:16,380
I wore an Alternate Realities shirt

2133
01:23:16,380 --> 01:23:19,250
bearing the crest of my fallen store

2134
01:23:19,250 --> 01:23:21,550
to remind myself that I come from a place

2135
01:23:21,550 --> 01:23:23,715
of great friendship and fun,

2136
01:23:23,715 --> 01:23:25,870
and to bring a little bit of AR

2137
01:23:25,870 --> 01:23:27,313
to each store I visited.

2138
01:23:28,350 --> 01:23:31,070
My comic shop is history.

2139
01:23:31,070 --> 01:23:32,890
But through the symbol we wear,

2140
01:23:32,890 --> 01:23:34,560
the memories we keep,

2141
01:23:34,560 --> 01:23:36,540
and the stories we tell,

2142
01:23:36,540 --> 01:23:39,253
my comic shop is everlasting.

2143
01:23:41,380 --> 01:23:43,938
And I still have one more stop on my journey.

2144
01:23:43,938 --> 01:23:47,382
♪ Heavy heart out on the road ♪

2145
01:23:47,382 --> 01:23:48,830
♪ Long time ♪

2146
01:23:48,830 --> 01:23:50,770
In the world of comic books stories,

2147
01:23:50,770 --> 01:23:52,130
death holds little power

2148
01:23:52,130 --> 01:23:54,810
over the heroes and villains on the page.

2149
01:23:54,810 --> 01:23:57,350
In the world of comic book stores, however,

2150
01:23:57,350 --> 01:24:00,253
a shop that closes almost never comes back.

2151
01:24:01,100 --> 01:24:02,770
But what if it did?

2152
01:24:02,770 --> 01:24:05,090
Alternate Realities served its purpose

2153
01:24:05,090 --> 01:24:06,850
and earned its rest.

2154
01:24:06,850 --> 01:24:10,250
But what if there came a day when AR was needed again,

2155
01:24:10,250 --> 01:24:13,970
to reignite old friendships and forge new ones?

2156
01:24:13,970 --> 01:24:16,290
Perhaps, one day,

2157
01:24:16,290 --> 01:24:18,090
people driving along Central Avenue

2158
01:24:18,090 --> 01:24:21,741
will turn and see a familiar sign once more,

2159
01:24:21,741 --> 01:24:23,366
up in the sky.

2160
01:24:23,366 --> 01:24:27,783
♪ Feels like I'm running back to you ♪

2161
01:24:31,997 --> 01:24:34,997
(upbeat rock music)

2162
01:24:51,860 --> 01:24:53,097
And I'm outta gas.

2163
01:24:53,097 --> 01:24:55,030
(laughing)

2164
01:24:55,030 --> 01:24:55,863
How 'bout now?

2165
01:24:55,863 --> 01:24:56,940
Will they be in frame now?

2166
01:24:56,940 --> 01:24:58,600
Wow, that's a brutal question.

2167
01:24:58,600 --> 01:24:59,842
Don't put that, don't put that in.

2168
01:24:59,842 --> 01:25:02,175
(laughing)

2169
01:25:09,274 --> 01:25:11,452
Sometimes, I can't think of the right words

2170
01:25:11,452 --> 01:25:13,470
to fill sentences.

2171
01:25:13,470 --> 01:25:15,780
I'm just hoping I can get to the end of the sentence

2172
01:25:15,780 --> 01:25:19,080
with enough words that it makes a complete thought.

2173
01:25:19,080 --> 01:25:20,938
You still have it?
What?

2174
01:25:20,938 --> 01:25:22,110
(laughing)

2175
01:25:22,110 --> 01:25:22,943
There we go.

2176
01:25:26,112 --> 01:25:29,327
Ow! (laughing)

2177
01:25:29,327 --> 01:25:31,160
What the hell is that?

2178
01:25:33,003 --> 01:25:36,086
(soft strings music)