The 22-year-old comic book virgin
Walking into a comic book shop for the first time is like walking into Narnia. You are transported to a place where multiple universes, amazing characters and magical powers exist. A place where the forces of good team up against evil. A place where normal people leading real lives take upon great responsibilities and danger to protect the citizens of the universe. A place where, no matter what your social status or upbringing, you can come together and get lost in the pages of a story. I found this place at Comic Book Collector at 779 Dundas St.
The store was carefully stocked with action figures, models, board games, cards, posters and, most importantly, comic books. The owner, Tim Morris, greeted me kindly, and when I told him that this was my first time in a comic book store, he was glad to show me around.
Before heading to the store, I decided to do a little online research about the current state of comic books so I wouldn't be completely lost. I had always been a big fan of superhero cartoons and movies growing up, but these comics were completely different from what I knew. These comics had characters like Spiderman, The Avengers, the X-Men and The Justice League living in alternate universes, with new characters alongside them being rebooted from a different author trying to put a new spin and revamp the series.
“I haven't seen numbers like these in years for comics”, said Morris. “X-Men, The Justice League and Batman are selling particularly well.” He explained that he thinks the success from these comics stems from their fresh starts. “These reboots are drawing in new fans and bringing back old fans who are excited to start the series from the beginning; when a series restarts back to zero, it's an exciting thing to be a part of.”
I asked Morris to give me a starter pack — the essentials for a first-timer looking to dive into the world of comics. I picked up Justice League #20, Walking Dead #1 and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. He told me these were some of the most popular and also had a wide range of styles and characters to give me a perspective to what people were reading.
Comic Book Collector has been in London since 1979, making it London's oldest comic shop. Morris took over in 2001 and has been running the place ever since. He told me that the biggest change he has seen over the years was the stories. “Back in the day, one comic would tell an entire story from start to finish; now these story arks last over multiple issues.” Spanning stories over multiple issues is not only a way to keep the reader interested, but to sell more comics and it's definitely working. In May 2013, 35 million comic books were sold, raking in $125 million worldwide, up 11 per cent from the same time last year.
“I believe comics are still so popular because of the great stories they can tell, matched with the equally amazing artwork … Most of these comics are still hand-drawn by the artists, being digitally colored with millions of colors available,” said Morris. “They are pretty amazing pieces of art.”
Morris and I talked about how comic book films have taken over Hollywood, with tons of recent top-grossing movies being based on comic books, and in the next three years, 12 more films are set to be released. “These comics have dedicated fanbases with proven stories that work; I can see why Hollywood is picking up these stories and adapting them. It just makes sense.”
With the industry booming and becoming more prosperous, comic book creators have been trying ways to bring in more customers to keep this train going. Online issues of comics have become popular, with over a million downloads per month on people's phones and tablets. Marvel and DC sell their comics online for cheap and issues can be downloaded instantly. They even do same-day release issues of comics for a little extra cash, but it saves you the trip to the store. This new way of reading the latest issue might be convenient, but Morris said he thinks the old ways will press on. “Just like records, people like to have a physical copy to hold ... There's nothing more satisfying than coming into the store and leaving with a comic in hand.”
My step into the comic book store was the beginning of a long relationship. My roommates were just as excited when I brought the comics home, saying they haven't read any comics in years. After I was finished, I passed them along, hoping to spark a flame and start a new fan on their journey. My three copies got me hooked and I'll definitely be heading back every month to drop some money and get the newest copy to see how the world was saved once again.
The store was carefully stocked with action figures, models, board games, cards, posters and, most importantly, comic books. The owner, Tim Morris, greeted me kindly, and when I told him that this was my first time in a comic book store, he was glad to show me around.
Before heading to the store, I decided to do a little online research about the current state of comic books so I wouldn't be completely lost. I had always been a big fan of superhero cartoons and movies growing up, but these comics were completely different from what I knew. These comics had characters like Spiderman, The Avengers, the X-Men and The Justice League living in alternate universes, with new characters alongside them being rebooted from a different author trying to put a new spin and revamp the series.
“I haven't seen numbers like these in years for comics”, said Morris. “X-Men, The Justice League and Batman are selling particularly well.” He explained that he thinks the success from these comics stems from their fresh starts. “These reboots are drawing in new fans and bringing back old fans who are excited to start the series from the beginning; when a series restarts back to zero, it's an exciting thing to be a part of.”
I asked Morris to give me a starter pack — the essentials for a first-timer looking to dive into the world of comics. I picked up Justice League #20, Walking Dead #1 and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. He told me these were some of the most popular and also had a wide range of styles and characters to give me a perspective to what people were reading.
Comic Book Collector has been in London since 1979, making it London's oldest comic shop. Morris took over in 2001 and has been running the place ever since. He told me that the biggest change he has seen over the years was the stories. “Back in the day, one comic would tell an entire story from start to finish; now these story arks last over multiple issues.” Spanning stories over multiple issues is not only a way to keep the reader interested, but to sell more comics and it's definitely working. In May 2013, 35 million comic books were sold, raking in $125 million worldwide, up 11 per cent from the same time last year.
“I believe comics are still so popular because of the great stories they can tell, matched with the equally amazing artwork … Most of these comics are still hand-drawn by the artists, being digitally colored with millions of colors available,” said Morris. “They are pretty amazing pieces of art.”
Morris and I talked about how comic book films have taken over Hollywood, with tons of recent top-grossing movies being based on comic books, and in the next three years, 12 more films are set to be released. “These comics have dedicated fanbases with proven stories that work; I can see why Hollywood is picking up these stories and adapting them. It just makes sense.”
With the industry booming and becoming more prosperous, comic book creators have been trying ways to bring in more customers to keep this train going. Online issues of comics have become popular, with over a million downloads per month on people's phones and tablets. Marvel and DC sell their comics online for cheap and issues can be downloaded instantly. They even do same-day release issues of comics for a little extra cash, but it saves you the trip to the store. This new way of reading the latest issue might be convenient, but Morris said he thinks the old ways will press on. “Just like records, people like to have a physical copy to hold ... There's nothing more satisfying than coming into the store and leaving with a comic in hand.”
My step into the comic book store was the beginning of a long relationship. My roommates were just as excited when I brought the comics home, saying they haven't read any comics in years. After I was finished, I passed them along, hoping to spark a flame and start a new fan on their journey. My three copies got me hooked and I'll definitely be heading back every month to drop some money and get the newest copy to see how the world was saved once again.
