A review of the Heroes last episode in Salon uses "comic book" storytelling as a pejorative several times, while at the same time the reviewer seems to be enjoying the very thing she's slamming. That is, she enjoys the good parts of the show (not comics) but dislikes the bad parts of the show (comics.) Sometimes, the reviewer will give a back-handed compliment, as if to say the guilty pleasures of a story may be due to comic books, but the real depth comes from somewhere else. Aarrgh.

Absolutely drives me nuts. Just as many of the people who are reading, "THE ROAD", by Cormac McCarthy would never admit that they're reading Science Fiction.

Great stories can be told in ANY format, in ANY genre. So can BAD stories.


I've been talking about how slow business has been, which is a normal part of May. But four times in the last 10 days, a slow day has been turned into a good day by the same customer. Every once in a while, I get a customer who dives head first into the world of comics, like a kid in a candy store, and has the money, apparently, to indulge.

I always try to slow down that person, just a little, despite needing him to change slow days into good days. Because he'll burn himself out. A customer who spends 1000.00 in one month, and then never spends another dime, is not worth as much as a customer who spends 50.00 a week for a year.

I always make certain that I don't recommend anything I don't like, that I try to steer him toward quality as much as possible, and away from any speculation. But if the customers insists on buying 'alternate' covers, despite my warnings, I just try to give him the best deal I can. I asked him yesterday where he was getting his information, and he mentioned the biggest Internet sites for comics, so he's not uninformed.

I hope he'll settle into be a good strong, steady reader of comics from my shop.

But he sure has helped boost sales this month.