Comic Zone is Closing on Monday, May 30th

It is with a heavy heart that I share this news to anyone following.

As you can tell, we haven’t made a blog post since August, and it was shortly after that when we knew we needed to close. We kept hoping against hope that we could avoid it, and I think we did pretty well to hang on for another 9 months. But it hasn’t been an easy 9 months at all.

When I first realized we would need to close, I felt really sad and depressed for a couple of months. We kept calling people and trying to work out deals to keep the store going, even if we were not involved, or perhaps not AS involved in it. We had lots of nibbles, lots of ideas were tossed around. We even hired a business broker to try to sell the business for us, but in the end, nothing has panned out, and we had to make a decision.

After planning to close the store at the end of December, then the end of January, then February, then March, we finally set a solid date to stay open through Free Comic Book Day and close at the end of May.

And that time is now here.

As I look back over the past three years – we had at least six months of planning before we even opened – I can say that I am really glad we did it. It’s been an amazing experience and we have met some primo quality people… our customers.

In thinking back over the past two and a half years, I realized that we have never had a bad customer in our store. Comic book fans are the BEST people! Intelligent, creative, appreciative, polite. More than anything, I have valued our customers, and more than anything, my heart is heavy for letting them down by closing.

One of the reasons I personally wanted to open the store was so that my sons, my partner, and I could own a business together and learn some of the ins and outs of being entrepreneurs. On this count, I would say that all four of us benefited greatly. It gave us a different mindset to take into the world, and into our next ventures. And for that I am very grateful.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to have worked with my sons in such a setting. It’s a different kind of bonding experience. Oh, it wasn’t all milk and honey, but for the most part, we could discuss and settle our differences in a satisfactory way. Our strength was always our individual gifts. Between the four of us, we had it all covered.

In looking back as to what we could have done better, I would say that our marketing was always our weakest link. We all knew that, and in fact, had hired three different consultants to help us improve on it, but alas, at the end of the day, we didn’t do as well as we possibly could have. If I had it to do over, I would have approached it differently. However, back then, I didn’t know what I know now.

Monday is our final day. I want to end it on a good note. We will be open from 10 am to 6 pm. We will have huge sales all day. We will have pizza, just like when we opened.

I could get all sappy here about how it’s felt like home to be here, how this has been OUR creation, and the joy that I got from that… and how much I will miss having the store. But honestly, there will be time to lament after we are closed. For now, I just want to make the most of the two days we have left.

Hope to see you on Monday!!!

Grant Morrison On Superman

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Here is a video of Grant Morrison interviewed by Wired Magazine’s Adam Rogers. Grant discusses the story behind All Star Superman and other interesting tales. Grant also talks about Superman’s changes over the decades and his writing process.

http://www.wired.com/video/latest-videos/latest/1815816633/comic-legend-grant-morrison-talks-superman-and-more/490934997001

A Bag, A Board, and a Box

This is pretty much a Part 2 on the Toastmasters’ speech I did on investing in comics. This one is about how to preserve your comics by using bags, boards, and comic book storage boxes. Most people who are into comics know this, but this is for those who don’t.

Value is in the eyes of the beholder

I ran across this comic today, and just had to share. It’s so reminiscent of so many people’s attitudes towards comic books. Heck, Action Comics #1 is probably worth MORE than gold staples!!!

Heart of the City

On that note, we had someone bring in some vintage comic books yesterday – from the 1940s and 1950s. Even in bad condition, these comics are worth something! She is going to try and sell them on her own, but if she can’t, we will be working out a consignment deal with her.

Whether or not we get them in our store, it was very exciting to just SEE these comics and touch them! What rare finds!

Investment Returns that will Rock Your World

Today I gave a speech at Toastmasters about investing in comic books. It went over really well! People loved the part about being able to make a billion per cent return on investment.

My good friend was kind enough to video the speech, so here it is in all of its raw glory:

Phoenix Comicon 2010 by Linda

From my perspective, Phoenix Comicon was AMAZING!

After much preparation, the day finally arrived where we could set up our booth. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the week, I had been stricken with an abscessed tooth and, although on the mend, was still recuperating, so I didn’t participate in this part. Still, I was very encouraged to learn that we had a great opening night – making more money at the Con than we did in the store! This would continue to be the trend for the next few days, although I also noticed that store activity was also greater than usual. Comics were in the air.

On Friday, I had the privilege to work our booth all day, along with Avery and Sean. Andy manned the store for the few hours we were open. I really enjoyed myself! It was great to be a part of the energy, to watch the Con really gaining momentum, as costumes became wilder and more prolific as the weekend unfolded. The vendors were all gearing up for Saturday, purported to be the busiest day of the Con. I absolutely loved that we had the WorldWide Villains and Tosh Delaney in the booth next to us, since they have been guests at our store many times and it felt like home. Andy had also done some art in Tosh’s newest publication, so that was cool too.

We had a good Saturday, although I wasn’t at the Con during the day. I was at the store from 10 am till 7 pm; and we had a pretty good day at the store too! I actually enjoyed hanging out there, although my thoughts were constantly with our booth at the Con – the guys were all so busy, they didn’t update me on anything until almost closing time!

After I closed the store, I headed out to the Con so that Avery and I could attend the Guests of Honor Dinner. The table settings were festive and impeccable. The food was great. The company was superb! We got to sit with Tony Parker and a few others that we hadn’t met before. I was sort of surprised that there were no speakers or introductions of the Guests, but all in all, it was a fun night.

Sunday morning, I headed out for the last day of Con – I had a couple of hours before the store opened. Things were already gearing up for the final day. We had decided to run a blow-out sale which moved a LOT of merchandise for us – something that we really needed to do. So, again, a great success.

When I closed the store, I headed back for the inevitable loading. It got complicated. I think the system may have been the best it could be, but it broke down in a few places, and I was stuck waiting for over an hour. We finally worked everything out, loaded up the car with all it could hold in all of 5-10 minutes, and Avery and I headed back to the store. Andy and Sean waited for Sean’s friend to come with the truck for the bulk of the boxes.

I still need to enter the sales and we still need to put away the comics we still have left, but all in all, it was an awesome weekend!

You can see pictures at our Facebook page.

Archetypes in comic books add value

Look, up in the sky, it’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Superman!

As co-owner of Comic Zone, the only comic book store in Scottsdale, I can tell you with utmost confidence that comic books are not just for kids anymore.  Today, I am going to tell you about the value of comic book characters.  By exploring the archetypes of three popular comic book heroes, I will show you how they have made a difference in the values and morality of our society.

Carl Jung, a pioneer in the field of psychology, focused on the psychoanalytic features of the archetype. He defined an archetype as “a universal and recurring image, pattern, or motif representing a typical human experience.” Archetypes are patterns and behaviors; primordial images which are part of our psyche and social systems.

Today, I will be talking about Superman, Wonder-Woman, and The Joker

Superman is one of the most popular, and longest-known comic book superheroes of our time. Superman was introduced in 1938, and has retained his popularity all of these 72 years. I would say that Superman represents the consummate HERO archetype.

Christopher Vogler, a protégée of Joseph Campbell describes the Hero Archetype as the protagonist or central character, whose primary purpose is to separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice himself for the service of the Journey at hand – which is to answer the challenge, complete the quest and restore the Ordinary World’s balance.

Superman most certainly does that. He came from another planet – Krypton – and realizing his extraordinary strengths, he uses them to fight for truth, justice, and the American Way.  Superman reminds us to value our fight for freedom, to be the hero fighting for the causes we believe in, and to serve the good by our actions.

So remember, when you see a wrong to be righted, just tap into the Superman inside of you and fly to the rescue!

Next we have Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman was created in 1941 by Moulton Marston, who set out to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman. Wonder Woman didn’t just stop criminals – she reformed them!  Wonder Woman represents the strong woman archetype, a prevalent archetype known in ancient Irish history as the sovereignty goddess of the land.  Wonder Woman teaches us that women can be strong in a different way from men. She, in part, gave rise to the feminist movement that swept our country in the 1970’s. To this day, Wonder Woman is an icon for the strong woman – who is simultaneously a champion and a warrior, as well as compassionate and beautiful. Wonder Woman teaches people, especially women, to believe in themselves.

All women are Wonder Women!

And finally, we have the Joker.

The Joker is a perfect example of the Trickster archetype – a being who, by using chaos and mischief, breaks all of society’s rules to challenge the Hero.

If you saw the recent box office hit, The Dark Knight, you know that in the movie, the Joker was the typical trickster, causing chaos left and right as he even had the hero, Batman, questioning himself and his motives.

The trickster exists to break down old forms and to make us question the structures within which we live so that we can arrive at a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Tricksters are unpredictable and often unassuming. They trick us into thinking!

Have you learned something today about what comic books can show us about ourselves and the world?

See? Trickster energy at work!

In conclusion, comic books have intrinsic values that help shape our view of the world. Superman reminds us that we all have a hero in us. Wonder Woman reminds us that we all have a strong and beautiful self if we but believe in it. The Joker reminds us to question the world and our structures so that we can keep on growing.

Why So Serious??? Why So Serious??? Let’s put a smile on that face!

Do comic books motivate students to read?

I am wanting to develop the idea that reading comic books can inspire students to read who would otherwise be not interested in reading. I know within my own family, one of my sons was definitely NOT a reader. However, once he started reading comic books and graphic novels, his eyes were opened, and he now avidly reads books on other topics, such as real estate investing. Sometimes, all it takes is one good spark from some sort of reading material to change a person’s perspective on reading.

I knew a man who never read anything until he picked up the Lord of the Rings. Suddenly, worlds opened up to him, and he became an enthusiastic reader for life because of that one book.

I was researching some of the papers that have been written about this, particularly this one:

http://graphicclassroom.blogspot.com/search/label/Master%27s%20Thesis

Unfortunately, this particular paper, although it presents a lot of great ideas, did not find any conclusive evidence to support or deny his theory about motivating students to read by using comic books. However, I have talked with a special education teacher who raves about the effects that comic books have had on her students.

Obviously, more research is needed.

Captain America #602

A customer just came in the store and asked us if we had any more copies of Captain America #602. No, he had the last copy in his hand. I asked if he wanted us to order him more copies, and he said that he doubted if we could get anymore because they are being recalled. Huh? That’s news to us!

So, as soon as we left, we started researching, and found that no, they are not being recalled at all, but they ARE going to be changing the future printings, as there is a page that can be conceived as very controversial in the current issue. You can read more about it here. Apparently, Marvel had their letterer fudge in some content to the blank protest signs, and the result is this snafu.

My first reaction as a retailer was to go out to eBay and find out if we can snag some more copies quick, but most folks have already raised prices to $9.99 with all sorts of dramatic comment about how they are being recalled, pulled from shelves, etc.

If there is a wave of demand, we haven’t yet seen it – just that one customer – and by the time we could get our hands on more, it will probably have blown by.

Retailers are always up against challenges like this. When Amazing Spider-man #583 came out with Obama on the cover, it was all the rage, so we ordered extras of that one, and of some of the other Obama comics that were out at the same time. And now they sit on our “Obama” shelf, the frenzy passed.  Would the same thing happen to this one, should we get more copies?

For me, I am just as happy as can be that comics are making the news. All attention helps.

The Value of Comics

I’ve been thinking about what makes a comic book valuable.

Aside from holding it for something like 30-50 years, there are other characteristics that make a comic book hold its value. A main characteristic is if it is the introduction of someone who becomes a major player in the world of comics. For example, the first appearance of Batman was in issue #27 of Detective Comics and if you can find a mint condition issue of that comic, it has been valued at $300,000! Do you realize you can buy a house with that one comic?

I already mentioned a second characteristic – keeping the comic book in mint condition. This is really important, although even if only in good condition, a comic book of this sort can yield 1000% appreciation.

Thirdly, holding a mint comic book with a primary character’s first appearance for a couple of decades is a surefire way of making sure you get a great return on your investment.

Next time you come into Comic Zone, ask us about some of our “special” issues. Good chance that you can get a real gem at a good price now, hold it until you are ready to retire, and your golden years can be spent in style.