REMEMBERING THAT FIRST LCS... 3 3

[Capn17]

My first LCS was Comic Kingdom in Detroit, MI.  I remember we would always go when my cousin from PA was in town.  He was big into comics and helped introduce me to them as well.  Probably the first time I went was around the age of 7 or 8.  Was always amazed at how many comic books there were.  Looking around at all of the cool posters.  Unfortunately neither the original nor the sequel (Comic Kingdom II in a suburb) are around anymore.

[Shadow]

My kingdom for a time machine...

[Bonthan]

On 2/21/2019 at 9:40 AM, Schmakt said:

Was this store eventually near Biltmore Mall?

Was there a previous location?

There were 2 main stores in Asheville when I started buying in the early 90's... I'm pretty sure Super Giant and DW was my first real shop too, but for some reason I'm thinking Super Giant was the name of the other store off of, like, Montford Ave or something.

One of the 2 was on a pretty steep hill, I seem to remember for some reason. (Or maybe I'm completely thinking of another city!)

EDIT: Pastimes was the other shop at the time!  Looks like it's still around but in a new location...

My first purchases of comics came off the spinner rack at Ideal Drugstore on Haywood Rd in Asheville. I still have them, they’re in my Ideal Drugstore box. I bought comics for a couple of years from them. However, the first actual shop devoted to comics I ever walked in was Super Giant when it was on Merrimon, Pastimes was at the bottom of the hill. The days of when the con was at the mall in Hickory. My buddies mom drove him and I to DW’s, mine wouldn’t because she refused to make a left turn on the road. I sold a decent stack of golden age Sheena that came from a relative to Dennis for 20 bucks. I turned around and bought bags, boards, and a short box, as this was the first time I had ever seen these items before. He was a grumbly kind of guy and I remember him saying, “if somebody walks in here and says he’s been missing these books from his attic, then I’m gonna come find you”. As an 12 year old he scared the out of me. After that location he moved to Brevard Rd, the same road as the now defunct Biltmore Square Mall. You cannot talk about the good old days of comics in Asheville without DW’s name coming up by the second sentence.

 

That’s right, I traded a stack of golden age comics for supplies.....get on my level please.

[Gaard]

When I was a kid (circa: 1976),  I put a stack of silver age comics in a paper bag and rode my bike to Cliff's Book Store. I was located on Division Ave, in the 'bad' part of town but close enough to the beginning of the 'good' part that I figured I was safe. Anyway, when I got there (quite the bike ride, especially holding onto a paper bag filled with comics) I asked Cliff how much I could get for them. He put down the fat cigar he was puffing on and proceeded to remove the comics. He didn't take them out of the bag through the top of the bag, he ripped the sack down the side and took them out the newly formed opening. When he needed to get the lower comics out, he ripped further, and so on. When he was done, he offered me about 5 bucks. Keep in mind this was about 20 to 30 silver age books. Seeing as now I had no way of bringing them back home (he had shredded the bag), I accepted - and cried the whole way home.

[kaculler]

My first comic shop was Classic Movie and Comic Center in Farmington, MI back in 1977.  The main floor was filled with movie posters, movie stills and other memorabilia.  If you went down a twisting staircase (decorated with artwork by Terry Austin), you came to the comic section.  They had tons of comics along with paperbacks and sports cards.  They used to call me and my brother whenever they got a collection of Richie Rich comics and we would go up there to try and fill some gaps in our collection. 

 

They moved to Livonia, MI in 1981 which was nice because it was a lot closer to my house.  I started working there in 1986 and kept working there throughout high school, college and after I started teaching full time, though it was mainly just Saturdays at that point.  The store closed in 2005, but I have a lot of good memories from the store.

[ADAMANTIUM]

Here is the post from 2018

On 11/9/2018 at 9:36 AM, ADAMANTIUM said:

A LCS near me was called Keith's Comics, which was quite a ways form where we lived at the time. I was only old enough to see it while parents were driving and ask to go in. Didn't really know what I was looking at or what to look for etc

As I got older I did the 7-11/Grocery store thing, but I'm proud to say that I go to Keith's now, which is a little further down the road from where they were in the 80's.

Here is them celebrating 30 years, and a few other LCS from around DFW  

 

 

[PunisherPunisherPunisher]

Mine was the Phantom Zone here in Sydney back in 1990, back issues galore which I would go through for hours and every new book on the market, went downhill in about 94 and now the store doesn't exist anymore.

Edited November 18, 2019 by PunisherPunisherPunisher

[troydivision1]

BAM! Comics in North Miami circa late elementary (grade) thru middle school.
Originally across a side street from our local Publix.
Mom went grocery shopping, I went comic shopping.
Only rule was I had to be back in time to help bag the groceries.

Most formative memories of that place -
They had a lots of Tank Girl stuff and it helped shaped my reading experience on what older comic fans read.
(They were actually kind of jerks to customers / fans...they once called me out for buying Liefeld's run on New Mutants comics when they came out)

Edited November 28, 2019 by umyeahwhatevers

[BigDaddy1]

First comic was (and still is) All Heroes Comics, in Rochester NY. As a kid I had always wanted to get into comics but didn't;t have any money. Once I got a job, I started collecting and have been very happy with the store! Also recommend it to anyone, he is very helpful and gets a lot of older comics in his shop.

[conan09279]

Outer Limits in Waltham, MA  Been going there for more than 30 years now.  

[GeneticNinja]

I read though the whole topic. This is a good one as I would like to open a comic shop one day. I have a good idea for it.

Like many here, I remember that old comic smell and the smell of the wood displays in a few comic shops. Those were my favorite and frequently visited shops. I remember that older comic smell more than the new comic smell. Also, I remember visiting one of Moondog's shops a few times when I was young. The reason that stands out is because it was the only comic shop I ever visited in a mall. But for some reason, I can't remember the first comic shop I ever went to. I know I went to comic shops mostly on the weekends. They were rarely if ever crowded. Which is fine for me as I don't like crowds. I recall only once going to a crowded comic shop. Perhaps that was on a rare Wednesday. I didn't learn about new comics on Wednesdays until I was older.

 

I know some of the first comics I owned were probably record comics. Like these Amazing Spider-Man and Batman comics I found cleaning out our old record cabinet. I haven't found the comics for the Superman and Hulk records yet. I had a few He-Man comic records too. But He-Man started a bit later in the 80s. It's very possible that these Amazing Spider-Man and Batman comics are my first owned comics.

 

 

Also, I owned a DC Poster Book with some pretty Wonder Woman posters. I believe Adam Hughes did a homage of one of those posters. I would always watch Super friends on TV. This was probably around the time of the Mego Batman and Robin with magnetic feet. Also the Spider-Man figure with the motorized web that would pull him up. I think I had an Indiana Jones figure around this time too.

I know I went to a lot of department store book areas in places like Marshall Fields or perhaps Macys or Burdines. Plus other mall bookstores. I would always look for Choose Your Own Adventure and Three Investigators books back then. I remember when I went to malls, the first thing I would do is check the directory and look for toy stores, bookstores, and arcades. Places like Crown Books, B. Dalton, and Walden Books. Also Kroch's and Brentano's bookstores. Sadly, none of those stores are around anymore.

 

I remember Kroch's and Brentano's because I found an old plastic bag from the store. Also I recall the white and black color design in all their stores. I do have a slight disappointing feeling when I think of comics from bookstores. I know the comics were probably on a spinner rack near the magazines. But I recall them always having older issues I already owned or titles I didn't want. I do remember getting or always seeing G.I. Joe comics on the spinner. But like I mentioned, it wasn't until very late that I learned that new comics came out on Wednesdays. But I believe my memory isn't completely clear because I'm older. I feel a gap between the time of going to bookstores and finding that first comic shop. And I know for sure that the comic shops where I remember that old comic and wood smell were comic shops I visited in my teens.

 

I know I went to an actual newsstand that sold comics. But that was during middle or high school. And I think I would go to a comic shop around that time as well. But I remember getting Amazing Spider-Man issues at that newsstand. It was a very small stand with mostly newspapers, magazines like Time, and I think a shelf of comics. I doubt a spinner as there wasn't much room to stand. I was a kid and perhaps only two or three kids could get inside that newsstand.

 

I am starting a search to attempt to find those old comic shops. But I think the majority closed down like the arcades and amusement areas of that time. I know I asked Moondog if he had old photos of his mall shop because that mall is now closed. I was attempting to find a shop around the Florida islands but I'm having trouble locating that one too. But I'm just getting started.

Edited April 30, 2020 by GeneticNinja

[Summydad1]

Dragons Tale in Atlantic Beach Florida. I grew up in Jacksonville Beach and Dragons Tale was about a 20 minute bike ride. It was pretty big by LCS standards. They were the corner location in a strip mall that was shaped like an L. They had attached gaming rooms and other collectible games and figures. I went from the late 80’s till maybe 95 when I stopped collecting. They had a long wall of comics where they displayed the new books and tons of alphabetized and organized back issues. Two very distinct memories are collecting the Knightfall run and death of Superman event. Also having Wolverine ongoing series as my first pull. I am a VALIANT lover and remember every new series they released. Harbinger 1 was “the” book to have along with Rai 0. VALIANT was on fire in the early 90’s. If memory serves, the owners name was Dave. He was always fair to us kids and never took advantage. He would hold books and let us pay a little at a time. He had a glass case upfront with the expensive books. The only expensive book burned into my memory was Hulk 181. It was way out of my price range at the time. I would love to go back in time for one hour to any random day in 1992 and just walk around. Also, in the same strip mall was a baseball card shop called Fenway Freddie’s. We would usually stop there too but most of the employees were not very tolerant of 3-4 12 year olds raising hell in the store. 

[littledoom]

Comics Galaxy and Comics Odyssey .... true comic shops w healthy back issues bins galore... both long closed.. great comics over the years

[csaag]

My 1st "comic store" would be the spinner rack at the back of a local pharmacy where I'd meet the friend who got me into collecting.

Occasionally  we'd take the bus/train into Center City Philly to hit Fat Jack's Comic Crypt  and whatever else may have been nearby.

Not long after a LCS opened about 3 miles from my house where I'd ride the bike to weekly.  Even if I knew no new comics were coming out, I'd go just to look thru the back issue bins

[PeterPark]

My first comic shop was The Bookie owned by Hal Kinney in East Hartford, CT. It was really great. I remember looking at a nice ASM 6 in their glass case back in 1990. Someday, I told myself...

Took me til 2003 but I finally got one for $76 on eBay. Not bad for VG.

I was there when Superman died and Batman got broken...Hal was a local legend running a comic con in town for decades. 

His presence and his business is sorely missed.

[Jeffro.]

2 hours ago, PeterPark said:

Hal was a local legend running a comic con in town for decades. 

His presence and his business is sorely missed.

Loved those shows at the East Hartford Elks (it was the Elks hall, wasn't it?)

[PeterPark]

2 hours ago, Inappropriate Spock said:

Loved those shows at the East Hartford Elks (it was the Elks hall, wasn't it?)

Yeah it was!  The Elks Hall building isn't even there anymore. They put in a multilevel climate controlled storage facility.

The successor(s) to those shows still exist, albeit in two different incarnations: the almost-monthly show in Plainville and the East-of-the-River Comic Show in Enfield.

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by PeterPark

[KCOComics]

51 minutes ago, PeterPark said:

Yeah it was!  The Elks Hall building isn't even there anymore. They put in a multilevel climate controlled storage facility.

The successor(s) to those shows still exist, albeit in two different incarnations: the almost-monthly show in Plainville and the East-of-the-River Comic Show in Enfield.

 

I can't say I went to Hal's shop,  but I did go to the shows in the 90s! 

It's funny you mention the ASM 6 because I distinctly remember seeing that book at a show. 

I just moved back to CT after many years in MA so I'll need to check out the shows after the pandemic. 

My shop growing up was Grand Slam in Vernon CT.  I'm not sure when they went out of business but it's been gone for a long time now. 

[PeterPark]

1 hour ago, KCOComics said:

I can't say I went to Hal's shop,  but I did go to the shows in the 90s! 

It's funny you mention the ASM 6 because I distinctly remember seeing that book at a show. 

I just moved back to CT after many years in MA so I'll need to check out the shows after the pandemic. 

My shop growing up was Grand Slam in Vernon CT.  I'm not sure when they went out of business but it's been gone for a long time now. 

I used to go there as well but I was more in between The Bookie and Buried Under Books

[KCOComics]

2 hours ago, PeterPark said:

I used to go there as well but I was more in between The Bookie and Buried Under Books

I went to college at CCSU in 2002ish and commuted from a small apartment in Manchester while working at best buy in Manchester. 

I use to go to Buried under twice a week.  I dropped by with my son a few years ago and I know the names changed. 

They didn't have a ton of SA, but I picked up some cool books over the years.