Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk is a weekly column by Kendall Swafford of Up Up Away! in Cincinnati, Ohio.  This week, Kendall takes issue with Bennett’s comment’s on Superman’s costume, offers his opinion on ComicsPro, and talks about holiday sales to date.

I like Steve Bennett, my fellow ICv2 columnist.  He’s been in my store several times, and he a genuinely congenial fellow.  But I have to disagree with Steve’s recent position on Superman, and his argument that the costume has outlived its usefulness (see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--Go Ahead, Tug On Superman's Cape").  And yes, he wrote that column weeks ago, I know.  I’m just that far behind.

Superman’s costume made no more sense in 1938 than it does today.  Appearing more akin to a circus strongman than an alien from far, far away, what Superman’s costume does more than anything else is inspire us, much like the American flag does (or should).  One thing I learned while I was riding the wave of Superman #703 (see "Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk--My Happy Ending") was that Superman still has the power to inspire people, even if it’s only to get up off the couch and buy a copy of his comic book.

I’m not looking at Superman with the rose-colored tint of nostalgia.  I’m looking at what Superman represents, more than any other fictional character I can think of.  That symbol of hope was something we were desperate for back in the 1930s, and a little bit of hope would go a long way for a great many people today.

Since the X-Men film made its debut back in 2000, we seem to want to almost apologize for the colorful costumes that comic book super-heroes wear.  Bryan Singer made two fine films, but the characters’ looks were not exactly straight out of the comic books!  Then there’s always Christopher Nolan’s approach; make the film SO good that even the fanboys will overlook the fact he’s turning into Robo-Batman.  Personally, I favor Jon Favreau’s method; make the film exactly like the comic book, and make no apologies for it.  Sadly, we’ll never know what Favreau had up his sleeve with Iron Man 3.

I don’t want my super-heroes in street clothes.  We come to super-hero comics to escape reality, don’t we?  And while I think there are heroes whose costumes can be compromised (Captain America comes to mind), I think Superman is off-limits.  Superman represents nobility and idealism in its purest form.  We’ve become so cynical as a society that we can no longer accept someone like Superman for who and what he is; a hero in the purest sense of the word; an ideal to which we should all aspire.  The costume is part of the package, you can no more discount what that costume represents than you can the American flag.

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No store is an island.  I don’t really believe in friendly competition, however.  I am on very good terms with most of the comic stores in Cincinnati, with the exception of the ones that open (and close) within spitting distance of my store.  Most stores will only draw a crowd from so many miles away; most comic fans will only drive so far on a regular basis to feed their habit.  The ones that like your store enough to travel out of their regular traffic patterns will visit far less frequently, others will settle for a store that is less than their ideal rather than go out of their way.  So there’s really no reason to help out another store outside of my store's "gravitational pull."  Unless you’ve opened your store hoping to do another store harm (see above) we as an industry all benefit from a healthy local market that is well covered by well-run stores.

Which brings me to ComicsPRO. Membership in ComicsPRO is the smartest investment you can make in your business.  Getting personal attention from publishers like Image Comics, IDW Publishing, or BOOM! Studios.  And DC Entertainment is worth the price of admission.  Member benefits alone more than pay for the membership; from deals on Squishables to reduced merchant processing fees to savings on health care benefits.  The Annual Membership Meeting is coming up, and I hope you’ll consider attending.  Non-members are welcome, and there’s no better way to find out what ComicsPRO is all about.  Speaking from experience, I’m a better retailer because of the friends and colleagues I have in ComicsPRO.  Readers of this column certainly know I’ve managed to ruffle a few feathers, and stick my foot in my mouth more than once!  And at times, it’s been a voice of reason from a fellow ComicsPRO member that’s brought me down off the ledge.  My biggest regret has been that I haven’t been able to contribute to the organization in any meaningful way.  I hope to change that going forward, but the more members we have, the more hands we have on deck.  Think about it, go the ComicsPRO Website for more info, and I’d love to see some new faces in Dallas next year!

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It’s been an odd holiday season this year.  Heading into the final week before Christmas shows our foot traffic is up over last year, with the average transaction total basically flat vs. 2009.  Holiday spending is up 18% over our year-to-date average.  Anecdotally, I’ve noticed people are spending later, waiting until the last minute to buy.  Is it because the holiday isn’t until the weekend, giving them a false sense of having more time to shop?  I know I’m not done shopping yet, mainly because I can’t get out of MY store long enough to visit any other stores! I hope to recap this year’s sales trends, both holiday and non-holiday next week.

I want to thank everyone for tolerating my lunatic ramblings of the past year.  I’ve come to learn that a column such as this comes with the burden of responsibility, and I hope everyone knows that no matter what I say, I say it all with respect, and with a passionate desire to keep us all moving forward.  Have a safe and happy holiday.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely  those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.