#comicbookshops

By: Elizabeth Almeida

             Let me preface by saying that I first bought my comics in a book store, they were in the corner on maybe four upright spinning racks with a very limited selection. I only went for Scooby-Doo comics, but when they stopped selling them I stopped looking at and buying comics all together. In this dark period  I did start going to fan conventions where I would pick up old back issue comics, especially X-Men and Fantastic Four. This helped curb my need for comics, but it proved prove not to be enough. When I graduated high school, I decided to take a year off, and in this year was when I entered my first comic book store.

           I had been wanting to get back into comic books, but I didn’t know where to start. I was following Marvel on twitter when I saw they posted about a character named Captain Marvel. Now I had been out of touch with comics for quite some time, the only female superheroes I really knew were those featured in X-Men, just characters only part of a group, not with their own separate comic. Clinking on the article I saw two new writers are attached to a new Captain Marvel arc. This arc would lead Captain Marvel into Civil War Two with Iron Man (after becoming obsessed with Captain Marvel I later divulged in Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run of the character and fell in love with her work).  Continuing on, this little article about Captain Marvel got me hooked, I started to read more about who she was, and about her comic book history. By the end of several Google searches I knew I had to have this comic. This is where fate stepped in. On the other side of town I knew there was a small comic book shop. And around this time my brother had  started studying for his nursing exam. Now this seems completely unrelated but to study my brother would go to the library which was right near the little comic book shop! It took a little convincing for him to let me tag along, but he gave in and I was on my way to my first comic book shop!

           I walk into this small store, with white walls filled with posters and lined with old book and magazine shelves. It lined the left wall all the way to the back, in the middle were tables and other shelves carrying a variety of other books. On the right was a little counter with a dated cash register, there wasn’t even a computer. In fact the whole store seem pretty dated but to me it added to its charm. In truth it was all very overwhelming, the place was filled with everything comic book related. There was no one else in the store besides me and an employee. He greeted me kindly and let me to my own devices. I breathed slightly better, I was grateful he didn’t quiz me on the origins of Captain Marvel or stare me down to make me feel like I didn’t belong. I knew all too well the stereotypes of a woman being in a comic book store.

           It was difficult to find the issue of Captain Marvel I wanted, I didn’t even know about New Comic Book day or that the series was already three issues deep. After figuring out the alphabetical system in its messy shelves, I finally found Captain Marvel. There were several back issues, which threw me off a bit but by remembering that the new arc included our beloved Carol with short hair I found it no time. Well I found the third issue, but I grabbed it quickly and triumphantly. My first comic book from a comic book store. After securing the issue under my arms I walked about the store in no rush, taking in the different titles and quirky things about the store. I had a lot of research to do, there were some titles and characters that jumped out at me I made a mental note for later.