REMEMBERING THAT FIRST LCS... 3 3

[Crops068]

On 1/13/2022 at 11:10 AM, jimjum12 said:

Scott and Amber are the names of the owner's kids at Atomic Comics. I probably visit them once a week or so. One of the best shops around (they have two). It's been a year or so since I ate at Mama Rosa's, as I live 45 minutes away. It is indeed open until 10:30 p.m. Sorry you don't like Bender's. I've been friends with Dave for 40 years, some of my best comic memories are there. Also Trilogy and Comic Kings (Joey is a member here). GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Yep, Jim did good with those two for sure.

Funny enough up until 2018, when I worked in Newport News.  We would take lunches to random eateries, hitting both sides of the water.  Cal's would be a frequent so we could hit up Trilogy to look around, every single time we went poop hit the fan at work and we would end up stuck on our phones trying to remote into random servers to address whatever it was.  Should have bought that WWBN #32 Trilogy had for awhile hanging up, but never pulled the trigger, too late now that ship has sailed.  A.C.E visits were easier, just hit Smitty's and run in.  Or go up to A.C.E. #2 and do any number of places towards Williamsburg off Jefferson.

Comic Kings, I called them looking for a book last summer, great customer service, I was supposed to get by there next time I was in town and I completely forgot when i was back in October!  Thanks for the reminder.

Not sure if you are at all familiar with "World's Best Comics" that is on Warwick Blvd, it originally started on Jefferson Ave.  The owner passed away Nov 2019, not sure who is running it now.

Jersey's Cards and Comics is a good shop that started in the King Flea on Jefferson, opened up a Yorktown store in the mid-90s has some back stock, has a Hampton location that is mostly a gaming/sports card venue.  Bruce runs the Yorktown store and his son Bryan runs the Hampton store.  They also have a Gloucester location, guy that runs that one (his name escapes me at the moment) used to run Imagination Station in the 90s.  I played DND and Magic here throughout High School.

[jimjum12]

On 1/13/2022 at 12:36 PM, Crops068 said:

Yep, Jim did good with those two for sure.

Funny enough up until 2018, when I worked in Newport News.  We would take lunches to random eateries, hitting both sides of the water.  Cal's would be a frequent so we could hit up Trilogy to look around, every single time we went poop hit the fan at work and we would end up stuck on our phones trying to remote into random servers to address whatever it was.  Should have bought that WWBN #32 Trilogy had for awhile hanging up, but never pulled the trigger, too late now that ship has sailed.  A.C.E visits were easier, just hit Smitty's and run in.  Or go up to A.C.E. #2 and do any number of places towards Williamsburg off Jefferson.

Comic Kings, I called them looking for a book last summer, great customer service, I was supposed to get by there next time I was in town and I completely forgot when i was back in October!  Thanks for the reminder.

Not sure if you are at all familiar with "World's Best Comics" that is on Warwick Blvd, it originally started on Jefferson Ave.  The owner passed away Nov 2019, not sure who is running it now.

Jersey's Cards and Comics is a good shop that started in the King Flea on Jefferson, opened up a Yorktown store in the mid-90s has some back stock, has a Hampton location that is mostly a gaming/sports card venue.  Bruce runs the Yorktown store and his son Bryan runs the Hampton store.  They also have a Gloucester location, guy that runs that one (his name escapes me at the moment) used to run Imagination Station in the 90s.  I played DND and Magic here throughout High School.

One thing we have in abundance in the Tidewater Area is great places to eat and great comic shops. Heroes and Villains closed up a while back, the landlord wanted a 12 month commitment and Covid still cast the shadow of shutdowns, so Rich only wanted 30 day renewals. Can't really blame him. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Crops068]

On 1/13/2022 at 11:45 AM, jimjum12 said:

One thing we have in abundance in the Tidewater Area is great places to eat and great comic shops. Heroes and Villains closed up a while back, the landlord wanted a 12 month commitment and Covid still cast the shadow of shutdowns, so Rich only wanted 30 day renewals. Can't really blame him. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Very true, I was sad when I went to eat next door and he was gone back in October, my sub from Anna's was tasty though!

[jimjum12]

On 1/13/2022 at 12:50 PM, Crops068 said:

Very true, I was sad when I went to eat next door and he was gone back in October, my sub from Anna's was tasty though!

Richard and I spent a short time as clerks at "Amid The Ages" in the early 90's. He quit to open his own shop, a ballsy move that paid off. He made his money. The main drawback from closing for him is boredom. You really are from around here. Were you around for "Tenth Inning"? He's still open but cards only now. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[reptilekingdie]

On 2/3/2015 at 8:05 PM, reptilekingdie said:

There were two in San Antonio this was the first one I ever went to and I remember one of the owners her name was Sharon really nice. That's were I bought my first adult comic Faust 1 love that book, Cards, Comics and Coins on Military Dr near I35 on the south side. Then there was the greatest shop in history in SA, Dungeons on Fredrickburg Rd on the north side. The biggest selection of back issues in SA at that time and I do believe to this day. It was massive. Damn I miss that shop.

 

[Crops068]

On 1/13/2022 at 1:33 PM, jimjum12 said:

Richard and I spent a short time as clerks at "Amid The Ages" in the early 90's. He quit to open his own shop, a ballsy move that paid off. He made his money. The main drawback from closing for him is boredom. You really are from around here. Were you around for "Tenth Inning"? He's still open but cards only now. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

If I recall, Heroes and Villains was originally Heroes 2.  Heroes 1 was in Grafton Station and when the owners of Heroes (and they felt the name) decided to leave the area they wanted a unexpected amount for the name to stay Heroes.  So thus it was changed to Heroes and Villains.

10th Inning started as a shop in where Burlington (it might even have been called Burlington back then but had shop space like a mall) is now on Mercury and then moved where they are now, my older brother used to get baseball cards from them.  If I remember right, Don is the owner's name.  They have the weirdest hours, I have no idea how they have stayed open all these years, great place to find vintage cards though for sure.  This was the last comic purchase I made from them around 11yrs ago, they still had a bunch of random early to mid 80s comic back stock but I know they were looking for buyers then.  Was a great $25 buy for sure.

 

I grew up right behind Toys'R'Us (now Ollies), my dad is still there. So much has changed over the years.  That same brother is one of the owners of a Vape business down where High's was near Aberdeen (they have a few locations though).  So yep, I am most definitely a local from the area.

[The lips]

A wonderful shop in Newcastle, UK called Timeslip. 
The excitement of my first trip there has never left me. 
I bought my first comic there, a Bronze Age FF. It’s where I also picked up my Silver Surfer 1 for £5 which was lot of money to me back then !

Not long after, around 30 years ago, it was bought by the Forbidden Planet group so it became a chain. It was here where Stan Lee in person signed said Silver Surfer 1. 
what I wouldn’t give now for one final trip to Timeslip. 

[Bob Troub]

On 2/3/2015 at 1:33 PM, ThreeSeas said:

The first comics shop that I ever went to was Campus Comics in Lansing, MI. It was in 1984. I bought from them on a weekly basis until they closed up in 1998. It was in the basement of a building along Michigan Avenue close to Michigan State University.

 

I remember one time being in there talking to Darren, the owner, and a hoodlum looking fellow came in to sell a book that a "relative" gave him. Darren gave the guy $20 for it. After the guy left Darren told me that it was the very same book that was stolen from the wall display of his store the week before.

 

Darren said that a group of young guys came in to look at comics and then they left without buying anything. That evening he noticed the book was missing from the wall display. Of course he did not have enough evidence to go to the police as he did not witness it and had no other records to back him up. If I remember correctly I think it was a Superhero book worth close to $100. This was in the mid-80's.

 

I still remember the look Darren gave me as the thug was showing him the book. I could tell he was livid, but he kept his cool so the theft ended up costing him $20 instead of the possible $100 or more he would have lost if the punk decided not to sell. I did not know about the theft until after he bought the book back and told me about it. It's bad enough being ripped off, but to have a friend of the thief bring the book into the same store a week later to sell is nuts.

Good memories of Campus Comics.....Darren was a great guy....I remember vividly the crowds gathering every Thursday night, waiting for the new comics to come out.....

East Lansing had 2 lcs, Campus Comics and Curious Book Shop......Campus is long gone, Curious is still there, but he no longer sells new comics...

[BrainDamageComics]

On 11/9/2018 at 8:25 PM, rptcomics said:

YES!!! Exactly! Oh wow   That just blew my mind- i remember he always said to me "this book will blow your mind"  

So cool that you know him. For sure, what a great guy and store. First time I went there it was on Prospect avenue, then a few yrs after he moved down the block to a bigger building on the corner of Greenwood avenue and Prospect avenue. I think he went to Florida after, but not sure. I wasn't going there like everyday. I would go on Holidays/B-day to go get a cool book, haha, then one year he wasn't there .

Recall any books that you bought from him that standout?

I know I'm extremely late to this thread, but It's great to find people speak about Brain Damage Comics after all these years. 

My name is Benny and Carlos was my dad. I grew up in both stores and have some very special projects in the works that will pay respect to my late father who passed away in 2012...

 

Thank you all for the nice memories you have shared. 

[BA773]

On 2/3/2015 at 7:16 PM, GeeksAreMyPeeps said:

My first shop was Flashpoint, on the north shore of Long Island. They moved a few times within the Port Jeff area as they grew, until they finally disappeared in the crunch of the late '90s. I actually was first going there for Doctor Who merchandise, but started getting into comics when I won a few in a trivia contest they held.

Did you remember what did you won?

[s-man]

My original haunt was Treasure Island in Springfield MA, owned and operated by this guy... Sykes.  The place is long gone but I still have some comics I bought from there including a set of Wolverine Ltd Series 1-4 still in decent condition and the first version of Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe complete set.  I used to scour through his 25 and 50 cent bins and his glass case held the first X-Men 1 that I would drool over every time I went there.

[BeardedBubba]

On 1/13/2022 at 12:45 PM, jimjum12 said:

One thing we have in abundance in the Tidewater Area is great places to eat and great comic shops. Heroes and Villains closed up a while back, the landlord wanted a 12 month commitment and Covid still cast the shadow of shutdowns, so Rich only wanted 30 day renewals. Can't really blame him. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

I grew up in Virginia Beach, VA.  My first shop was Comics and Things on Holland Rd.  I used to walk up there in the late 80s-90s and buy comics and cards.  Good memories of buying all the X-Men 1 covers.  😁

[jimjum12]

On 2/2/2024 at 7:19 AM, BeardedBubba said:

I grew up in Virginia Beach, VA.  My first shop was Comics and Things on Holland Rd.  I used to walk up there in the late 80s-90s and buy comics and cards.  Good memories of buying all the X-Men 1 covers.  😁

That was Larry, wasn't it? He ended up putting on the Pembroke Mall show. Those mall shows were the rage for a few years. This area is very strong, the whole state for that matter. Strong enough that when I started doing mail order, after almost 15 years I've only had a handful of sales from Virginia. GOD BLESS ... 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Some shots of Bender's a couple years ago. They're still open after over 40 years.

 

The back room

Edited February 2 by jimjum12

[Dr. Balls]

Not my first LCS, but certainly the one I remember when I discovered there were stores that just sold comic books back when I was 10-11 years old:

It was a comic shop back in 1983/1984 in the iconic Cinderella City mall in Lakewood, CO - it was in the basement, which was aptly called “Cinder Alley”. It was paved in cobblestone and felt like it was right out of D&D (which is what I was also into).

I don’t remember the name of the store, but I can still feel the faded memories of excitement walking down “Cinder Alley” to get to it, with my mom upstairs shopping at JC Penney or wherever.

Silent auctions for hot books. Back issue boxes. New releases. Everything you’d expect. I waited eagerly every two weeks to go blow my allowance there. Man, wonderfully simple times when you are a pre-teen reading comic books and playing with G.I. Joes.

 

Edited February 2 by Dr. Balls

[Robot Man]

On 2/2/2024 at 2:22 AM, s-man said:

My original haunt was Treasure Island in Springfield MA, owned and operated by this guy... Sykes.  The place is long gone but I still have some comics I bought from there including a set of Wolverine Ltd Series 1-4 still in decent condition and the first version of Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe complete set.  I used to scour through his 25 and 50 cent bins and his glass case held the first X-Men 1 that I would drool over every time I went there.

Love the “10 minute reading limit” sign…

[zzutak]

Díck Swan: Comic World (1969)

Some of the old-timers around here no doubt know Díck well.  In 1969, when Díck was just 15, he opened one of the country's very first comic shops: Comic World in San Jose.  He later became a co-owner of the Comics & Comix retail chain and sole owner of Big Guys Comics in Mountain View.  One of the hobby's true good guys.  Here's a more recent pic:

 

[Hschwartz]

I never went to any of 's stores but I had a few comics that had his date stamp on the splash page during the Seventies.

 

 

[Pittsburgh]

My dad was in the Air Force and we lived at RAF Lakenheath for 9 years (my 7-16 ages) so I did not have an American LCS until I was 17.  My formative years were spent reading Beano, Hot Shot Hamish and Dennis the Menace (the British version) and watching Grange Hill and cricket.

However, we did have a Stars and Stripes on base where I would get my Hulk's, Wolverine's and such.  Mark Jewelers comics everywhere.  BUT ... I remember tearing the perforation part of the MJ insert even though I wasn't buying anything.  Weird - I know.  Additionally, I own exactly zero of those comics today as mom or dad must have thrown them out at some point.

My first LCS that I went to was Cramer Comics (I believe) in Cumberland, MD.  I used to go and play pinball and buy comics (not a whole bunch, but quite a few).  In typing this, I Google'd Cramer Comics and this article appeared about Gary Cramer from July 2019:  https://www.times-news.com/allegany_magazine/cramer-vs-cramer-drawn-together-we-now-join-our-story-already-in-progress/article_a461eaf0-99cb-11e9-a2b2-eff413bd23eb.html.  I remember him being an artist and musician and this brought it all back to light.

What a bunch of great memories!

[alecholland]

My first LCS was Rock Bottom Comics in Columbia Missouri. 

My friends Randy and Dan took me there and introduced me to the Claremont-Byrne X-Men. It was by far the most popular title at the time. From there I got into New Teen Titans, Micronauts, ROM, Cerebus, Heavy Metal, Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella.

Glenn was the owner and I never thought he liked me much, but he tolerated me because I was friends with Randy and they really got along great. I bought my first back issues there which were Submariner 1 (silver age) and Superboy 84 (silver age). I think I paid $10 each for them at the time. It was a lot of money to me at the time but I saved money from my paper route to buy them.

Rock Bottom Comics was also right next to Ernie's Cafe & Steakhouse which was one of my favorite restaurants in Columbia. They had great diner food and original artwork hanging in the diner by Chester Gould, creator of Tracy.

[ThothAmon]

The original location for Empire Comics on Mt. Hope Blvd. in Rochester. It was tiny, but it’s where I bought my first “expensive “ back issue, Richie Rich 1. $50 or so circa ‘76. The store moved to a larger location a mile or so away pretty quickly as it was so successful and I dropped plenty there over the next 20 years. Rochester had plenty of great comic book stores in the 80s on but Empire Comics was the trailblazer. Box graphics are for later locations. 


https://bleedingcool.com/comics/recent-updates/building-an-empire-from-flea-market-dealer-to-helping-sell-a-1-million-dollar-comic-four-decades-of-empire-comics/