The day I realized my comic shop owner knew more about my hobbies than I did

Last month I walked into my local shop, J&M Comics in Oak Park, to grab the new issue of The Immortal Hulk. Tony behind the counter looked at my stack and said, 'You know you are buying all the wrong runs, right?' He told me I was chasing the big event comics but skipping the smaller stories that actually matter to me. It hit me like a hammer on a hot roof. For 3 years I had been grabbing whatever had a crazy cover or a big crossover, but I never stopped to think about what I actually liked. Now I am going through his recommendations from last month and I am really into books I would have passed over before. Has anyone else had a shop guy or girl totally flip how you see your pull list?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.jessica18d ago

Had a buddy who finally admitted his shop guy was picking better comics than him.

betty_ward19d ago

Honestly that guy Tony sounds like a real one. Most shop owners just want to push the big titles that sell fast, but the good ones actually pay attention to what you grab. I had a similar moment at my place when the owner asked me why I kept picking up the same kind of murder mystery books when I clearly liked the weird sci-fi ones better. It stung a little at first because I thought I knew my own taste, but he was right. Now I let him toss a couple random picks into my stack each month and I have found some amazing small press stuff I would have never touched before. It's like having a buddy who just gets you, even if you didn't know what you wanted yourself.