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mr. lee's comics emporium

Started by Hawkman,

31 posts in this topic

Hawkman

Hawkman

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Posted

anyone know anything more about this guy?

 

 

 

Mr. Lee's Comics Emporium was owned by Mr. Lee, an irascible, thickly accented, middle aged Korean-American. Why he chose to open a comics shop was a mystery to me.

 

Anyone who spent any time whatsoever in his store quickly realized that his favorite saying was, "What, you stupid?"

 

Rarely did he ever have a conversation with anyone. Rather, he shouted invective and attempted to upsell everyone with a "What, that all you get?" and a sneer. You could be buying one or a hundred comics and he said the same thing.

 

He was completely over the top and without any social graces. Among the many hysterical things I recall:

 

A father getting upset and going after him for asking his famous "What, you stupid?" of his eight year old son. I doubt the father would have hit him had Mr. Lee not escalated the situation by asking the father if he was too stupid to see he "make a stupid boy, like you."

 

Attempting to get a mother who came in to by Archie comics for her kid (Mr. Lee didn't have any on hand) to purchase a group of Eros comics because "they teach him to grow-up real quick". When the women questioned the suitability of this material fo children and Mr. Lee's sanity, he launched into his "What, you stupid" rant and threw the astonished woman out of his store. He then announced to one and all, "Boy be sissy all his life, just like all you."

 

Mr. Lee on the phone to Diamond screaming at the operator that he had to speak with "Mr. Guppy, NOW!" He always referred to Geppi, whom he frequently cursed and blamed for all the ills of the industry, as Mr. Guppy. To the best of my knowledge he never did get to speak with "Mr. Guppy".I knew he was mispronouncing Geppi's name on purpose by the self satisfied smile on his face whenever he said it.

 

The many, mostly illegal uses he tried to make out of his back room. Never once, despite being repeatedly shut down and fined, did he ever attempt to get proper permits or business licenses. Every time his back room was closed down he went into a tirade of how the government was killing small business in America.

 

Over the course of the dozen or so years he was in existance the back room was many things.

 

A gym (a weight bench and a few weights he would promote by saying, "You fat. Go lift weights in gym. Five bucks.").

 

A restaurant (that was either his mother or another elderly relative cooking back there on a few hotplates- food was pretty good,though).

 

A card room (this one got him a hefty fine and some legal expenses),

 

A babysitting/childcare service (the parents were crazier than he was).

 

A nap-time place for the homeless (modeled he said after the tiny Japanese businessmen hotels - basically a bed in a closet, only Mr. Lee's offered a nasty blanket and the floor).

 

And my all time favorite, a happy-ending massage parlor. ("What you no like girls? You sissy boy? You have best time ever."). This one also cost him some money - and an arrest.

 

I think he was saved from legal hassles more than a few times by the fact that he had several customers who were policemen and they found him as entertaining as I.

 

Though I was never present to witness it, others told me of the times he attacked shoplifters. I have no reason to believe he wouldn't do this as despite his slight build and short stature he had the total lack of fear one finds among some of the insane.

 

I was witness to him telling a young woman who was repping something for Marvel that her ideas for improving his business were - what else - stupid. And if she wanted to improve his business to "take off clothes and stand in store window." He then proceeded to show her how to do a burlesque routine using a comic in each hand as if they were fans. "You hold Captain America up top and cover bottom with Wolverine, or maybe for you Hulk."

 

The Mr. Lee stories are endless, but sadly, for me at least, there is no more Mr. Lee's. All I know is one day I showed up and the place was empty and his landlord had no info as to his whereabouts.

 

I like to think that somewhere Mr. Lee is asking a customer "What, you stupid?" and providing laughs for anyone with a taste for the absurd."

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BlowUpTheMoon

BlowUpTheMoon

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That's why i made this post. Was told this story is true, but what's posted is all i know.

So you heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy? Did he also tell you about the alligator in the sewer?

 

A Google search for "mr. lee's comics emporium" turns up nothing.

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cd4ever

cd4ever

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That's why i made this post. Was told this story is true, but what's posted is all i know.

So you heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy? Did he also tell you about the alligator in the sewer?

 

A Google search for "mr. lee's comics emporium" turns up nothing.

 

http://www.manta.com/ic/mt68grx/ca/comic-emporium-inc-the

 

Proprietor Andrew Lee. (shrug)

 

Someone needs to go there and ask for the happy ending.

 

 

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BlowUpTheMoon

BlowUpTheMoon

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Posted

That's why i made this post. Was told this story is true, but what's posted is all i know.

So you heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy? Did he also tell you about the alligator in the sewer?

 

A Google search for "mr. lee's comics emporium" turns up nothing.

 

http://www.manta.com/ic/mt68grx/ca/comic-emporium-inc-the

 

Proprietor Andrew Lee. (shrug)

 

Someone needs to go there and ask for the happy ending.

 

 

Thanks for the link. :foryou:

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bronze_rules

bronze_rules

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Posted

That's why i made this post. Was told this story is true, but what's posted is all i know.

So you heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy? Did he also tell you about the alligator in the sewer?

 

A Google search for "mr. lee's comics emporium" turns up nothing.

 

http://www.manta.com/ic/mt68grx/ca/comic-emporium-inc-the

 

Proprietor Andrew Lee. (shrug)

 

Someone needs to go there and ask for the happy ending.

 

 

comic emporium closes shop. hm

thecomicemporium.jpg

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Larryw7

Larryw7

Posted
Posted

That's why i made this post. Was told this story is true, but what's posted is all i know.

So you heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy who heard it from a guy? Did he also tell you about the alligator in the sewer?

 

A Google search for "mr. lee's comics emporium" turns up nothing.

 

http://www.manta.com/ic/mt68grx/ca/comic-emporium-inc-the

 

Proprietor Andrew Lee. (shrug)

 

Someone needs to go there and ask for the happy ending.

 

 

comic emporium closes shop. hm

thecomicemporium.jpg

 

Where's the back room?

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