Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by retailers Steve Bennett of Mary Alice Wilson's Dark Star Comics in
Now there's nothing exactly wrong about a comic shop focusing on just Marvel/DC super-heroes; it's just focusing on a niche market that is by its very nature limited and limiting. It doesn't take advantage of the opportunity we've been given to swim in a slightly bigger pool, meaning reaching out so you can sell more comics to more people by emphasizing your strengths. It's just a matter of taking the initial plunge.
When it comes it comes to both merchandise lines and fixtures there's only so much the average comic shop can do; the problem remaining same as it ever was--being under-financed. Dark Star is on the mailing lists of several companies with catalogs that frequently offer the very item we need... if only we could afford it (this month, anyway). Me, I dream of getting one of those metal rolling staircases you see more often in movie libraries than in actual libraries; boy, would that make shelving books a lot more fun.
Of course the 'genuine comic book experience' for a lot of people means a cloistered clubhouse where the socially inept could be assured uncomfortable eye contact would be kept to a bare minimum. But to me it means a friendly, comfortable atmosphere where a big part of the appeal is a (here's another big difference from the Barnes & Borders) knowledgeable stuff who'll actually know what the customers are talking about*.
It's time (as The Tick once mightily intoned) to upgrade the apparatus. I don't mean technologically so much as our attitudes. Now, while things are so good, it's time to step outside our comfort zone and start using our finely honed selling skills to sell more comics to more people. That means graphic novels, manga, comic strip collections (from the latest Dilbert to IDW's upcoming Dick Tracy volumes). Since you're already selling as many super-hero comics are you can, maybe it's now time to consider using some of your shelf space for some of those new horror comics that are coming out later this year (I mean, horror fans have to get them somewhere, it might as well be from you).
And while I know adding on new merchandise lines can always be a risky proposition, it seems to me the failure of national chains of Disney and Warner Bros. stores means there's a vacuum out there that's worthy of occupying when it comes to selling franchise related merchandise. I'm not suggesting anyone out there go heavy on Year Without a Santa Claus ornaments, but if think you couldn't move comic related products like that, do this experiment: put a notepad next to your phone and keep track of every time someone calls or stops in asking if you have any Superman t-shirts.
*We've had dozens of people asking if we had a series of graphic novels called Coheed and Cambria. After the third request I got smart, checked the Internet and found Coheed and Cambria are 'an American progressive rock band whose albums form a pentalogy of concept albums telling the story of two characters, Coheed and Cambria.' As far as I can tell the graphic novels don't exist, yet, but the rumors do because a Website devoted to the band claims 'Lead singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez is also writing a graphic novel series to further illustrate this story'. Knowing this didn't help make me a sale, but the last couple who inquired seemed genuinely relieved to find someone who knew what Coheed and Cambria was.
