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Just left the comic shop in Portland and the vibe is totally off now
I mean, I went to my usual spot on 3rd Ave yesterday to grab a new issue. The whole back wall, which used to be all indie titles and creator-owned stuff, is just gone, replaced with Funko Pop displays. The owner said they 'had to follow the money' but it feels like they're pushing out the actual readers. It's just a toy store with a comics section now. Has your local shop changed like this too?
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wyatt_fox682mo ago
Man, that's rough. I used to think those Funko things were harmless, just extra stuff for the shop. But hearing they replaced the indie wall? That's the heart of the place. It stops being a comic shop and becomes a gift shop that happens to sell some floppies. My local spot did the same thing last year, cleared out the small press shelf for board games. It just kills the vibe for finding new stories.
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alicebarnes2mo ago
The real gut punch is when you see the indie creators who used to get shelf space now just selling at cons or on Etsy. I met a guy at a zine fest last month who said his local shop cut his mini comics for more Pokemon card displays. Those little books were how I found half my favorite artists, and now they're just gone. It feels like the shops are forgetting what built their community in the first place.
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luna_wells5728d ago
You ever know someone who hand-drew mini comics in middle school? My friend had his whole series on consignment at a shop, owner called it "rising talent." Then one day they just trashed the old box for a tacky Funko wall.
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