From what I’ve experienced, none of the retailers I’ve visited is going to be able to handle my off the rack shopping needs to the level I was once used to. It isn’t always the same titles each month, either. I’m making multiple trips usually two out of four weeks in a given month.
This are not terribly obscure titles, especially for shops in a major metropolitan area. Off the top of my head, some other titles I’ve had to bounce between stores to pick up have been All-Star Western, Captain America & Bucky, I… Vampire and Elric. It took me three trips to find The Twelve #11. I ended up buying #2 and #3 at the same time. My record is visiting five different stores while looking for Flash Gordon #2. At least two of those three titles, you would really expect to be in stock for the weekend, let alone over the noon hour.Ī bit later in the afternoon, I was able to slip out and make a trip to the second store of the day, which did have those three in stock. I picked up a few books, but at 12:30 in the afternoon (for a store that opens at 11am), he was already out of Punisher, Wonder Woman and Batman. Does this sound odd to you? Let me tell you what I did yesterday afternoon, on Comic Book Day.Īt lunch, I went down to my first retailer of the day. There are three here that I visit on a regular basis, but I can’t actually call any of them great for the simple reason that you can’t buy off the shelf at any of them. You’ll get that with a small store if your tastes are a little different from the normal clientele and its worse if you aren’t pre-ordering one to three months in advance.Ĭurrently, I’m in San Francisco. When I had an extended visit dealing with some estate issues in 2004, I vividly remember having to catch up on Queen & Country while visiting Chicago. When things sell out a month ahead of time at the distributor level, if shelf copies weren’t ordered, I would just be out of luck.
I may or may not get it, especially with independent comics. It’s a smaller shop and I really have no option but to say what I want a couple weeks ahead of time. There aren’t a ton of shops, and I’m in for roughly a 40 mile drive to get my comics. When in Iowa, I actually cross the Mississippi River back into Illinois to buy comics. With so much publishing centered in Manhattan, it’s important to understand that the act of buying a comic is not quite so easy elsewhere.Īt various times, I’m had occasion to make an extended family visit in Iowa. If you live in other places, you may not be so fortunate. The comics consumer has multiple choices for complete shops. New York and Chicago are exceptionally good places for comics retailers.