REMEMBERING THAT FIRST LCS... 3 3

[JollyComics]

The years of 1977-79 are my highlighted times in my life. I was 12-14 years old by that time included early Atari and first Star Wars movie.

 

I was surrounded by four LCS, Woolworth, Ben Franklin, 7-11, White Pantry and Walgreens within the walking distance. If I missed the issue, I could use my alternative place to get the issue without missing the rhythm.

 

I loved my moments when I read them while I walked home.

[Reaperron]

My first comic shop experience was Lone Star Comics in Mesquite, Texas inside of Town East Mall. This had to be around 1983 or so.

 

After starting off buying comics at the local convenience stores and drug stores, my first time inside of a "real" comic shop was quite a surprise! Rows and rows of nicely laid out comics.

 

Lots of fond memories in the halcyon days of spending time at the arcade, reading funny books, and hanging out at the food court!

[keever]

 

My First was Million Year Picnic in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. Back then they had two store fronts: one for newer stuff and one absolutely loaded with boxes of back issues.

 

Jerry Weist's shop. When I started collecting in my mid-teens and read my first copy of Overstreet I always wanted to visit that store, in particular. I could never have afforded the airfare from England, or had much to spend there, anyway.

 

It was in a shopping center called the Garage off Harvard Square as I recall. Had weekly auctions in the early-mid-70s when I was there. One week I remember Howard the Duck #1 going for a ridiculous price, think I dropped out at $6 or so. Lots of back issues of books I didn't appreciate at the time, wish I could go back.

[spideyfan68]

Anyone grow up in the mid cities area between Dallas and Fort Worth in the 1970's?

 

There was store called the All American Hero in Hurst TX and it was the first comic shop I visited. I went there in 1977 looking for a Mego Spider-Man. They didn't have Megos but they had complete runs of nearly every Marvel Comic at that time as well as a very sizable DC collection . At the age of 8 I was introduced to collector's comics and walked out with my first book ASM 113. I read it cover to cover until the cover was held on with tape. I returned a few months later and bought ASM 45 and 31. I remember the 31 was my first Ditko issue and as an 8-9 year old I remember not liking the art very much compared to the guy that drew those other books (Romita), . I remember the guy that owned it was great. He showed me and my friends how tell what issue the comic was, basics in grading, how to handle books, etc. In the late 1970's they changed their name to Magic and More, same owner with the same great books. I would go in occasionally in the early 1980's until sadly around 83-84 they closed. From then on I would go to Lone Star Comics on Abrams in Arlington and while a great store it wasn't the same...

[Peter G]

The year was 1985 and Continental Comics in Forest hills Queens NY had this girl working that had the most gorgeous legs. I remember always asking her if I could look at classic silver age off the wall just so i could watch her move as she turned her back and climbed to the most furthest section, stretching to meet my requests to inspect comic books that were thumb-tacked to the wall.

[JAM_NYC]

My first LCS was Mike's Comic Hut, in Flushing, Queens, on Northern Blvd. It was a little store, in the same building as the UA Quartet movie theater. The first time I was ever there, my Dad took me and my sister to see Animal House and we went into the store after the movie. I got my dad to buy me a copy of Iron Man #3 for $5. After that I made many trips there to get my back issues and new comics that the candy stores by my house did not carry. Mike, the owner, was a great guy. He had the greatest bags a store could ever have. The art on them was drawn by George Perez.

 

 

Same here! Mike was a great guy, very sad that he passed away so young. George Perez lived in the neighborhood and was friends with the owner, and was in the store often. Got him to sign my Infinity Gauntlet #1 there.

 

Btw, I still have a bag from Mike's.

[Buzzetta]

Anyone remember Collector's Comics of Wantagh on Long Island ?

 

They were awesome when I was a kid. I even remember standing on line to meet John Romita. I still have the copy of ASM 42 he signed.

[aszumilo]

My first LCS was Mike's Comic Hut, in Flushing, Queens, on Northern Blvd. It was a little store, in the same building as the UA Quartet movie theater. The first time I was ever there, my Dad took me and my sister to see Animal House and we went into the store after the movie. I got my dad to buy me a copy of Iron Man #3 for $5. After that I made many trips there to get my back issues and new comics that the candy stores by my house did not carry. Mike, the owner, was a great guy. He had the greatest bags a store could ever have. The art on them was drawn by George Perez.

 

 

Same here! Mike was a great guy, very sad that he passed away so young. George Perez lived in the neighborhood and was friends with the owner, and was in the store often. Got him to sign my Infinity Gauntlet #1 there.

 

Btw, I still have a bag from Mike's.

 

I never got a chance to be there when George was. It was quite a ways from my house, so, only got there on my way home from school. Wish I still had one of those bags. There was another version that was also done by Perez.

 

There is a Facebook page dedicated to Mike's Comic Hut. George posted a few times on there.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/83701524860/

 

Here are couple others that George did for the Mike.

[JAM_NYC]

Anyone remember Collector's Comics of Wantagh on Long Island ?

 

They were awesome when I was a kid. I even remember standing on line to meet John Romita. I still have the copy of ASM 42 he signed.

I never went that far out to the island back in the day. The closest would be Best Comics International back when they were on Northern Blvd. in the Manhassett area. Still go to their current location today, the owner Tommy is a nice guy, and always does right by me. Sets aside PCH for my girl because he knows she enjoys it. Great place to buy statues, too.

[JAM_NYC]

My first LCS was Mike's Comic Hut, in Flushing, Queens, on Northern Blvd. It was a little store, in the same building as the UA Quartet movie theater. The first time I was ever there, my Dad took me and my sister to see Animal House and we went into the store after the movie. I got my dad to buy me a copy of Iron Man #3 for $5. After that I made many trips there to get my back issues and new comics that the candy stores by my house did not carry. Mike, the owner, was a great guy. He had the greatest bags a store could ever have. The art on them was drawn by George Perez.

 

 

Same here! Mike was a great guy, very sad that he passed away so young. George Perez lived in the neighborhood and was friends with the owner, and was in the store often. Got him to sign my Infinity Gauntlet #1 there.

 

Btw, I still have a bag from Mike's.

 

I never got a chance to be there when George was. It was quite a ways from my house, so, only got there on my way home from school. Wish I still had one of those bags. There was another version that was also done by Perez.

 

There is a Facebook page dedicated to Mike's Comic Hut. George posted a few times on there.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/83701524860/

 

Here are couple others that George did for the Mike.

 

Great stuff! For some reason, the 2 things I remember most about his store was the amazing wall books, and that wonderful smell of old paper. Pre-internet, being able to see silver age keys like FF #1 up close and personal was a rare thing for me. My ten year old self was in heaven.

 

My main stores after Mike's closed down was Reeni's (spelling?) in Bay Terrace shopping center, and Chameleon Comics in Flushing. Chameleon is still around, they moved to downtown Manhattan near the WTC.

[The Mad Irishman]

My first shop was the One Book Store on Mill Avenue in Tempe, AZ. It was a small college-town store, but it was amazing for a kid who loved comics. So many great memories there...I'd head over for my weekly trip with my mom, grab my books, and then we'd head over to the Chuckbox (an amazing burger joint). There was a copy of Amazing Fantasy 15 that was on the wall for months, with the astronomical price tag of $150 bucks. I started saving up for it, but it sold before I could grab it. Knowing how bummed I was about that, my mom bought me a copy of ASM 129 instead. Still have that book, too Great memories, great topic!

Edited February 8, 2015 by The Mad Irishman

[Reaperron]

Those Mike's Comic Hut bags are great! Love those!

[01TheDude]

I have been hesitant to add my experience to this thread because most people had a sense of wonderment or joy involved with that first time in an LCS. Mine was much more subdued, primarily because it was a few years after I had stopped actively collecting books.

 

It was around 1980 in the south suburbs of Chicago in Tinley Park. The shop was in my home town - I cannot recall the name of it -- perhaps it was something really basic like Comics Store. Anyway-- I only noticed it because it had a great location. Center of town next door to a long standing coffee and donuts shop that was across from the train station. What I remember first about the store was the wall of books behind the counter which were pretty decent in terms of keys of the time etc but 5 feet away from the customers. That was not an easy task to accomplish because this place was tiny -- maybe a 12 by 12 room, fairly bright from the two large windows on the corners (terrible for the wall books no doubt).

 

Anyway-- I went in the check it out. The dank smell of comics smacked you in the face and was a brisk change of pace from the wonderful smell of donuts next door. There was one guy working there-- couldn't remember a thing about him other than he was the typical comic book store guy type. I don't recall him being very welcoming-- perhaps because his store was not doing as well as he had hoped. Not sure as I think he only lasted a few years.

 

It probably didn't help that he kept some weird hours and would not be open most of the time - even if you were there at his posted "open" times. But it was a comic book store and it was intriguing because I heard and read about them -- the amazing stores in New York etc-- from the Overstreet Guide or other places-- and this was a far cry from that. Perhaps I was too old to get that excitement factor/wonderment but what I do recall clearly was how expensive his books were and that the condition was not as good as the ones I owned already. I think I brought a few in myself to see if he was a willing buyer/trader-- which he was not. I think I found one or two books that I liked and bought them for the heck of it (support a business type move). He seemed nonplussed (or was is non-pulsed, as in dead) by the whole scenario.

 

I think I tried going there a few more times but he always seemed closed. And then the store was simply gone. I think the place was at one time a new stand type of business-- something he tried to emulate as well. But it just didn't pan out.

 

Far more interesting was the first comic shop I went to when I moved to Tampa. That was Green Shift Comics and this was about 1985. The difference in atmosphere and attitude were unbelievable. Wall books on multiple walls-- racks and racks of interesting stuff everywhere and displays. There was more to it than comics as well which was helpful if you brought a friend so they had something to do. I didn't buy much if anything though-- I was a college kid with a drinking budget that replaced my comic book budget. Book money was for textbooks by then. But it was a really nice store which I believe is still there. Seems like the last time I went in there in the early 1990s or so there was a greater amount of head shop supplies/look and feel with comics being less of the focus. Or maybe that reflected my change in focus.

 

So I basically missed out on the whole LCS experience most folks here have had for the most part.

[DR.X]

It was around 1980 in the south suburbs of Chicago in Tinley Park.

 

You talking about the shop that was in a small strip plaza on Oak Park Avenue?

[01TheDude]

It was around 1980 in the south suburbs of Chicago in Tinley Park.

 

You talking about the shop that was in a small strip plaza on Oak Park Avenue?

 

no sir-- across from the train station off of Oak Park Ave and that road that runs to the south side along the Rock Island train tracks -- this was a tiny shop next to a donut/coffee joint-- where the road forks.

 

 

for some reason, I am remembering going there a bit more often earlier than the 1980s-- they also sold some candy I like. It is tough to remember things like this from 37 years or so ago. Now that I think on it, it may have been towards the end of my collecting sometime around 1978/79 -- so where it is located would make an easy trip on my bike. I think the main thing stopping me from buying a ton of stuff is the guy didn't have quarter bins-- just $1 and above books-- which at the time seemed like a lot when you could get a brand new comic for 25-35 cents.

 

[DR.X]

I'm going to have to rack my memory a bit. Trying to place that shop.

 

I know there was on over on 111th and Crawford on the south/west corner. Another one over in Country Club Hills on Crawford and 183rd, but this one you are mentioning is eluding me for the moment. There was also Friendly Franks on Cicero over in Worth.

[01TheDude]

I'm going to have to rack my memory a bit. Trying to place that shop.

 

I know there was on over on 111th and Crawford on the south/west corner. Another one over in Country Club Hills on Crawford and 183rd, but this one you are mentioning is eluding me for the moment. There was also Friendly Franks on Cicero over in Worth.

 

he may have moved but left no sign telling people-- not sure.

 

the original place was at about 174th/175th and Oak Park Ave.

 

There was another place I would go but I don't think they had comics-- to buy my AFX/Tyco electric racing slot cars. That was further south on Oak Park, past the roller rink.

[01TheDude]

here's the bad part-- my memory is so bad from this time period now that I may have pieced together some weird corrupted memory of how the guy was at the store.

[DR.X]

to buy my AFX/Tyco electric racing slot cars.

 

Still have my whole monstrous set I put together, including the famous Cobra Climb, Cobblestone bridges, and Y-Turnouts. Throw in a few curved crossovers and your in business.

[01TheDude]

to buy my AFX/Tyco electric racing slot cars.

 

Still have my whole monstrous set I put together, including the famous Cobra Climb, Cobblestone bridges, and Y-Turnouts. Throw in a few curved crossovers and your in business.

 

-- sounds like a cool setup. Did you ever own the double loops? or that one piece of track where the cars would criss-cross? Man-- I probably had 4 sets and all the track that came with them. Add that to the Sizzlers with the high banked corners and all the hot wheels/matchbox, various SSP cars including the Demolition Derby Cars etc-- all that stuff went out the door in a garage sale my mom had. Somebody came along in the mid 1980s and got one heck of a nice set of stuff. I don't miss it though. I can still remember that burnt plastic smell from the controllers.