The cost keeps going up, so why not take SEPTA.

One year ago I was visiting another comic book shop to purchase my new releases every week, then they were pushed back to a few days late, and finally coming in a week late, and eventually only promised to arrive. Any retail comic book shop will not last without new books (this one proved my point). Since I wanted new books every week I had to find a new comic book shop to frequent.

I had the choice of the Garden of Earthly Delights (yes that is the store name) but I didn?t like the vibe of the place. The owner is great, it was one of the employee?s that I felt I bothered when he was talking to another patron about some card playing game (possibly Magik) and barely gave me the time of day. I even asked a few questions and instead of answering properly, I was given easy answers of yes and no and I was told a book I knew came out never came out.

My next choice was ?Ontario Street Mart? which looks like a one warehouse flea market, but they kept the new releases on a rack and they already had them bagged and boarded for free. The problem was they opened at 12 and since I work nights by the time I got home it would be about one or two O?clock. A great comic book shop though. It was even featured in the movie Unbreakable.

Another choice was a decent drive away but I stopped going there so very long ago because the proprietor thought I should spend more money in his store which offended me. No thank you I will stick with my New Mutants and no I am not going to purchase Heathcliff. There are a few more but the one I opted for was the one I was lucky to frequent as a kid?..Fat Jack?s

This shop is one of the furthest away from me that I would frequent with some regularity. If another shop didn?t have a book, it was Fat Jack?s. If I needed a back issue, it was Fat Jack?s, and if I had some extra money, once again it was Fat Jack?s. Fat Jack?s is in Center City Philadelphia. I leave work at 7 every morning on Wednesday and instead of taking my car into the city for the commute (during rush hour traffic) I take the bus. Sure, I still budget the $140 in gas I did a year ago, but ever since Bagged and Boarded, well boarded up, I save that much more in gas. I spend about half of my monthly budgeted amount leaving me a seventy dollar a month surplus.

I could put that money away. I could collect more comic books, but space is an issue, not to mention I am trying to only collect what I really like and need to read right away (I know I am addicted). This way I can wait and purchase the trade paperbacks when they come out. I figure this will save me space and when the book comes out in a 9.8 white pages I can spend my money on that. Let?s do the math, the cheapest a ?modern/just out? book is about $32.99 each, average trade book out when it hits the shelf $29.99, normal comic book amount in that book 6, formula for money spent 32.99x6 + shipping/handling + 29.99 = so much more than what I am saving in gas.

Thanks for reading

Tnerb