The importance of comic book stores

If you’re into reading comic books, there are several ways to acquire them. These days digital comics are also a big deal, and I regularly read digital comics on the iPad myself, but more on that subject in a future blog entry. Today I’m going to focus on the printed variant, which comes in several formats. You can buy monthly comic books, so you can get the latest issues once a month, printed on “floppy” paper and filled with advertisments. And if you want to store them, you’ll have to bag and board them for protection. That is why a lot of readers go for collected editions in the form of trade paperbacks. That way you get 5 or 6 issues in 1 edition, with a sturdier cover and no advertisements. One trade paperback or “TPB” will often contain a complete story, so you won’t have to wait a month to see what happens next. The only downside is that you have to wait for it to come out, which usually takes somewhere between 6 months and 1 year. Hardcover collected editions are often released earlier than the trades, and even though they look really nice on your bookshelf, they are also more expensive than TPB’s. And a lot of classic series are also released in an omnibus format, containing 20 issues or more, which makes for a great, long reading experience.

But the thing I really want to talk to you about is where you buy these books. Trade paperbacks and hardcovers are available at any on-line book store, like Amazon for instance, and there are tons of on-line comic book stores as well, but to me there is nothing like visiting an actual comic book store. I just love driving up there, picking up my pull list or other stuff I ordered, browsing around the store for other new books, talking to the people who work there and often meeting new people, who are also into comics or other related stuff. Visiting the comic book store is just a fun experience that you’ll miss out on if you buy all your comics on-line.

Another advantage is that you can actually browse through the books that you’re looking to buy. And most stores will have people working there that know what they’re talking about. I’ve bought books that were recommended to me by the staff of the comic book store, based on the other comics that I was reading, and they turned out great. And if you’re new to comics, there’s no better place to start than a comic book store. If you’re into certain superheroes or other characters that you’ve seen in movies or TV shows, and you want to start reading their adventures in comics as well, they can help you get started.

I remember buying the Dutch translated versions of several Marvel and DC titles at the grocerie store or book store as a kid, but when I started reading the original American versions as a teen, I discovered an actual comic book store just 25 km from where I was living at the time. When I first visited that store about 28 years ago, I was blown away by the fact that such a place actually existed so close to home. And I’ve visited a lot of great comic stores in the Netherlands, in cities like Sittard, Den Bosch, Breda, Amsterdam and Utrecht, but I still buy 90% of my comics at the same store I discovered all those years ago.

That store is Eppo Stripspeciaalzaak in Eindhoven (www.eppo.nl). Eppo is the name of a Dutch comic book character from the 70’s, that the store is named after, and they are celebrating their 40^th anniversary this year. Next to a lot of classic Dutch and European comics, they also sell all the newest releases and a lot of memorabilia. From classic toys and action figures to new merchandise and from board games to Funko Pop! figurines. But it’s also the place where I have my own little “P.O.Box” where they put my pull list comics and the trades I ordered. I can’t make it there every week, but I try to stop by once a month to pick up my books and have a chat with Marc, who is their expert on American comics and manga.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with buying your comics on-line or reading digitally, but you might want to try stopping by one of these stores. The vibe there is mostly great, because everybody there is enjoying their hobby and going home with some fresh stuff to read. Support your local comic book store, people!

Author: comicgeek76

Dutch comic book fan/collector since 1984 View all posts by comicgeek76