I've worked at a comic/game store since 2011 as their primary "comic book guy".AMA
>>152172105How do you sleep at night?
>>152172127On my side with a pillow between my legs. Slept like that since I was a child.
>>152172105What's been selling lately
>>152172105How worried are you about retirement and or insurance
>>152172105What's the most profitable item in the store?
>>152172105what has not been selling very well? example: can you say with confidence that x-men is in the shitter?
>>152172151On the DC side the Absolute titles, the compact line, and the DC Finest line are all doing well. As far as mainline single issues Batman stuff obviously sells really well, and basically all the Justice League stuff. Aquaman has been steadily going up over the months for us. I think it's had good word of mouth among regulars.For Marvel it's similar. Spider-man, Ultimate stuff, and X-men are the big ones. We tend to sell more omnis for Marvel than DC. We also tend to sell more variants for Marvel. Kids like the Marvel Rivals comics.The Marvel/DC crossovers sold like crazy and I expect the next one to sell even more.And then for Manga Dan Da Dan has been strong since the anime came out. We still sell a ton of Berserk and Naruto. There's also a lot of girls that buy various romance stuff that I don't remember the names of. We sell more manga than comics these days by quite a bit as I'm sure you could've guessed.>>152172154I'm not really. I've been here for a long time and the store is really successful so I get paid well and have full benefits. I put in around 50 hours a week which is a lot but the owner lets me read anything I want during the slow times so I save money that way.>>152172181Magic cards easily. They were releasing a new set this weekend and the event side was packed all day today and yesterday. Pretty much every night there are at minimum 20 people playing, most nights it's closer to 60, and they ALL buy EVERYTHING when it comes to magic.
>>152172218Other than comic sales in general going down X-men has always been popular for us. Our pull listers have all been reading for years and tend to just keep reading even through quality dips and they all like X-men.There are 2 big things I've noticed, the first is events not selling as well as they did years ago. Dark Crisis and Age of Revelation in particular sold like shit at our store. Even the previously mentioned hardcore readers have slowed down on events and a few stopped buying them altogether.DCKO is doing okay though. better than most recent events.The second is so many people wait for trades these days. We sell a fraction of the floppies we did when I started but we sell more omnis and trades. Absolute Batman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter flew off the shelves when they released. Same with the Invincible Compendiums, Those were really popular for a while, though it has slown down now.
Have you ever met a real life Eltingville Club?What's the age range amongst your customers like?
How are interactions with customers like? Do they generally just go up to buy things, or do long conversations happen?
>>152172282>I put in around 50 hours a week which is a lot but the owner lets meHe's fucking you
what's the worst smell that's ever stank up the comic book store? also can I rape you?
>>152172105Do you ever have a problem with this nigga looking at you when you're trying to do your job?
>>152172339>Have you ever met a real life Eltingville Club?Not to that extreme, no. The closest is a regular that is obviously autistic. He's probably in his early 50's or late 40's and he comes in on Thursday mornings and will just sit and complain to me. Dude HATES manga and gets so upset that it sells better than comics. He calls them "pedo books" and will get very upset when the owner pushes manga advertising over comic advertising.He also has a massive hate boner for Tom King and Scott Snyder. During King's Batman he would pick apart the issues bit by bit and explain how "King obviously doesn't understand Batman."His last eccentricity is that he will buy literally any comic with a sexy variant cover. If it has a female character showing skin, he's the first to tell us that he wants that one in particular. Buys every Artgerm cover as well.>What's the age range amongst your customers like?Pretty varied. Comics tend to be older males but some of our regulars have had kids and they're getting to reading age so I've noticed them buying some stuff with them, mostly Marvel Rivals and licensed cartoon stuff like Adventure Time. Manga runs the gamut of both men and women. Indie comics are also male dominated but women buy those more than the superhero stuff, which I rarely see women buy.
>>152172105Do you guys sell action figures at your store? Thats the main reason why i go to comic book stores anymore. If so what kind do you have?>>152172453>Indie comics are also male dominated but women buy those more than the superhero stuff, which I rarely see women buy.Why are women not interested in capeshit you think?
>>152172453He's right about king
>>152172419Conversations are pretty rare with random people but our regulars talk to us quite a bit. It's like that when you see the same people week after week for the past decade.>>152172443I volunteer for the hours. I get overtime and I genuinely like my job. The extra money has allowed me to buy a house and I never feel overworked.>>152172446A guy shit his pants once while playing Magic. He tried to just continue on but people started complaining quickly and he got really mad. Owner banned him from the store for life.And no you may not rape me.>>152172451I saw him once but I told him Kirkman's a hack and he got sad and left.>>152172485>Do you guys sell action figures at your store? Thats the main reason why i go to comic book stores anymore. If so what kind do you have?We sell Gundamn models but no action figures. In terms of merch for the comic side there isn't much. Mostly just pins and little trinkets like that. We also sell Squishables which proved REALLY popular. I was surprised they sold as well as they did.>Why are women not interested in capeshit you think?I think it's just a general difference in brain chemistry. Some things just appeal more to men than women and vice versa. There are exceptions of course but I just think superheroes as a concept are pretty male, just like something like Fruits Basket is female. I think the most popular comic with women in the past few years has been Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees they love Animal Crossing with murder.>>152172525Oh I know
>>152172105are you anything like this guy?
Does it smell bad in there?
>>152172538>A guy shit his pants once while playing Magic. He tried to just continue on but people started complaining quickly and he got really mad. Owner banned him from the store for life.How do these people even exist in real life? MTG Fags are subhuman>think the most popular comic with women in the past few years has been Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees they love Animal Crossing with murder.How are superheroes too "violent" for them but then they go and read the comic equivalent to happy tree friends?
Do you fw one piece I heard the card game is big now
>>152172578Stylish murder is more palatable than ugly violence.
>>152172591Its all the same to me, violence is just cool in general especially for how ugly and brutal it is. To me it makes these women phony and hypocrites for shit talking supes for being "depraved and violent" while they jill off to a murder teddy bear
Are there any titles in the store you think deserve more love, ones that customers too often skip for more popular things?
How much of the weekly stuff do you read
>>152172105How often do you see women that aren’t just there because of their kid or boyfriend?
>>152172105What comics do kids buy nowadays?
>>152172631Not OP but homestuck and the unfunnies: reloaded
>>152172105Do you only read capeshit? Do you still like comics?
Do you use LOCG's retailer tools and if so, how has that been working out?
>>152172546I'm overweight but not that severely, in terms of personality not really. I'm a pretty quiet person and tend to just let people talk. I also have a full head of hair so no I'm nothing like him.>>152172560No, it's a big space so bad smells aren't really a thing.>>152172586We don't run One Piece. There's another cardshop that runs most of the alternative TCGs. We only do Pokemon, Magic, and Riftbound though Riftbound is starting to bleed players.>>152172604I really enjoy Oni Press EC horror titles. They're super comfy and a bit nostalfic for me. I also think people are sleepign on Hello Darkness by Sam Humphries. Horror comics are my favorite though.>>152172610A good chunk of it. I read pretty much all the flagship titles from Marvel and DC throughout the week because why not they're free for me and I also read pretty much anything indie that interests me. Anything horror I'll check out and I like a lot of Image and Boom's stuff.>>152172617More than you'd think. Groups of girls that I assume are either in high school or college come in with semi-regularity and they buy magic or board games. Almost never see a girl alone though. If they aren't with a man they're with a friend or 4.>>152172631Marvel Rivals, Adventure Time, Dogman, sometimes Pokemon Adventures.>>152172640see >>152172610 but yes I still very much love comic books. I'm not nearly as jaded as most people around here.>>152172669I don't really mess with that stuff. The owner and his son do all the ordering and what not. I mostly just man the register, stock shelves, menial cleaning, and help people find stuff.
>>152172105How bad are the Pokemon card scalpers?
>>152172105You like the Hulk?
>>152172604Oh I forgot to mention, but I was really disappointed that Blood Honey by Sean Peacock sold like shit at our store. I thought it was very fun but I only personally sold like 3 copies.>>152172695Owner tries his best to avoid them. I don't work the card side ever but I do know that he opens up preorders for the players at the weekly events a week before general preorders. We still get some but usually it's pretty barebones because the players buy a lot of stuff.
Thoughts on the Archie Sonic comics?
>>152172105Most degenerate thing that happened or was said or discussed in the store? And did they get banned or kicked out?
>>152172538I don't think I've ever met a guy who was into Fruits Basket. I remember seeing a bunch of girls talk about it on Neopets in the 2000s. I still have no idea what it is actually actually about.
>>152172678>Adventure Time,How the fuck is adventure time so popular still with the younger generation even after muto and co. ruined it?>DogmanWhy is that so huge? I dont even hate dogman either, im just flabbergasted how popular it is. I saw dav pikley drawing dogman in a theater and all these kids in the crowd were going rabid and freaking out over it.
>>152172726Not OP but I think the fact that Dogman came out at a really fast pace (and even now its still annually) helped a lotIt's partially like why DOAWK was popular growing upThere was always a new book to look forward to and it'd come out without delay
>>152172704Not really. I don't like Marvel in general very much desu.>>152172707Never read them or had any interest in them. I remember them being fairly popular on our pull lists though.>>152172710Magic player made a rape threat towards another persons wife during a game. I wasn't there for it but from what I heard he lost, stood up and yelled "I'LL FUCKING RAPE YOU" before storming out. Obviously he was banned for life.>>152172722From what I've gathered it's about animals that turn into hot boys when the MC hugs them or something like that.>>152172726I don't know. I've never read any Dogman because I'm not 8 but it felt like it was overnight that it just blew up. We didn't even carry it at first but so many people came in asking about it that we started. Now they're in their own cardboard display with a cut out of Dogman at the top and everything.
>>152172779>Not really. I don't like Marvel in general very much desuThread DISCARDED then. Enjoy your day.
>>152172779>Magic player made a rape threat towards another persons wife during a game.Why are TCG fags so fucking disgusting and autistic? Honest question
So it seems like you've read many Marvel and DC comics from the last two decades. What were your favorite ones? People always complain about the low quality of those years, and it's also pretty obvious. Oh and, did the MCU increase comics sales?>>152172453>Dude HATES manga and gets so upset that it sells better than comics. He calls them "pedo books">He also has a massive hate boner for Tom King and Scott Snyder.>he will buy literally any comic with a sexy variant cover. If it has a female character showing skin, he's the first to tell us that he wants that one in particular.Hey that's just a regular /co/micsfag
>>152172795Hyperborea hulk
>>152172453>he comes in on Thursday mornings and will just sit and complain to meWhy did this make me laugh?
>>152172453>Dude HATES manga and gets so upset that it sells better than comics. He calls them "pedo books">He also has a massive hate boner for Tom King and Scott Snyder.>he will buy literally any comic with a sexy variant cover. If it has a female character showing skin, he's the first to tell us that he wants that one in particularHoly BASED!!! TranimeFAGS get the rope!!
>>152172105Are the customers as disgusting and obese as the stereotype claim they are?
>>152172105just want to say thanksmy comic shop has a real g. he talks to everyone about their retarded shit (including me). 60% of the reason I still go is for our discussions. Rivals. Manga. All cape. Indie too. More shops need guys like you.
Have you done signings at the store? Any fun or awful stories about that? I went to one of my first not too long ago
>>152172847>>152172105Yeah you're cool OP. Thanks for not being an asshole, I'm scared of comics becoming completely irrelevant so stores are always important
>>152172833I notice this sometimes in other situations and I suspect some lonely autists figured out that workers can't leave a conversation easily while they're working and have to maintain a polite customer service front.
>>152172864Part of why I still go is because when I was shy and terrified of seeming like a nuisance, some worker talked to me about a series I was picking up. Ended up talking about how Marvel editorials are shit and got recommended Perez Wonder Woman. He even told me that I could get it off IST in case I never came back. I get every direct market exclusive from that store now as well as some of the smaller tpbs
>>152172795Understandable, I'll see ya around Hulk>>152172808A question as old as the genre of game itself. I wish I knew the answer.>>152172812>So it seems like you've read many Marvel and DC comics from the last two decades. What were your favorite ones? People always complain about the low quality of those years, and it's also pretty obvious.I'm easily pleased so I like a lot of what I read so I'll just give a few favorites of the 2020's.>DCBatman Dark Patterns, Absolute Wonder Woman, Warworld, Aquaman Andromeda>MarvelI really dug Benjamin Percy's Ghost Rider, Ryan North's Fantastic 4, and Immortal Hulk>Oh and, did the MCU increase comics sales?Not noticably no. The Ultimate and Absolute stuff has done for them than the MCU ever did.>>152172844No they're pretty normal people. There are quite a few obese people but I do live in America after all.>>152172847>>152172864Thanks. I love my job and I genuinely love when I do talk to people about comics. It's the perfect job for me.>>152172860We try to get one on occasion. It's mostly indie people since we're not in a major city but back before covid we got Claremont for a FCBD signing. That was really exciting for everyone. I had a short conversation with him about God Loves, Man Kills (my favorite X-men story) and he was super nice. Seemed happy to see how much I enjoyed the story.The owner had Claremont sign his copy of Captain Britain #1. Which was super cool to see in person.We also got our first store variant a while ago. I won't say the book as to not dox us but it was a local artist who convinced the publisher to do it so that was cool.
>>152172935>has done for them than the MCU ever did.I still can't believe it. And all that dumb synergy just causes more problems, unnecessary ones because it didn't even help
>>152172935Who are the most popular variant cover artists, you think? Do the Jim Lee covers sell hotcakes, Peach Momoko? Also I hope you enjoyed the recent UXM run
>>152172969That is why Thor and Hulk comics are so KINO! No synergy.
Do you sell any tabletop games or plushies?
>>152172969It blows my mind as well. I got into comics in the 2nd grade because I saw X-men and loved it so much that I begged my Mom to buy me comic X-men comic books. Bless her because she went out and got a random stack of floppies from her coworker of 90's X titles. They were out of order and had no continuity but I read those over and over until my Mom found a comic shop through a friend.So it blows my mind that so many people watch all of the MCU stuff and never once think to go out and buy a comic book. People love these characters in the movie and never think "I want more, let's see what the source material is like." Not even out of curiosity.>>152172978Jim Lee sells well, Artgerm sells well, Momoko sells well, Daniel Warren Johnson has started to rise up there as well. The wrestling themed DCKO covers have been really popular. This one in particular has had quite a bit of interest since it was revealed.>>152172992Squishables are the only plushies but we have a lot of tabletop games. Board games are definitely the #2 money maker behind Magic at our store. Been seeing quite a few people buying the Stranger Things DnD collab stuff as of late as well.And with that I'm off to bed. It's been fun chatting. I hope you guys found it interesting.
>>152173016Bye anon. Thanks for the thread
>>152172141Between your feet or your knees?
>>152172578>How are superheroes too "violent" for them but then they go and read the comic equivalent to happy tree friends?Women love ‘real life crime’/murder mystery stuff because at the heart of it they focus on *relationships* between people and there’s one thing women love it’s watching and judging other people and who they’re talking to. That and cute animals, it’s not that surprising.
>>152172779>I've never read any Dogman because I'm not 8I read one thanks to a storytime thread here on /co/. The kids are right, it's actually good stuff. I'm not planning on going out and buying it for myself, but it was actually creative and funny with a surprisingly enjoyable story, the kind of kids book I would've loved as a kid. I totally get why it's big now.
>>152173016Goodnight, thanks for being a cool guy.
>>152173079>Women love ‘real life crime’/murder mystery stuff because at the heart of it they focus on *relationships* between people and there’s one thing women love it’s watching and judging other people and who they’re talking to. So they dont love murder for violence sakes but for ancillary reasons, and are sociopathic about judging people and feeling self righteous? The worst of both worlds
>>152172678>Almost never see a girl alone though. If they aren't with a man they're with a friend or 4.That tracks, most women have a negative view of places like comic stores and so travel in groups for protection.Its also why almost every physically based "get women into X initiative fails" trying to attract singular women will get you nowhere because they will see they are the only women and bail unless they are to autistic to have been socialized by other women.Women go in groups or not at all.
What was the worst customer interaction you have?
>>152173119Women are all about the social, for both good and bad.
>>152173147>That tracks, most women have a negative view of places like comic stores and so travel in groups for protection.Why do bitches love to fearmonger about men and treat us like we are animals?
>>152172808Its because it attracts the kind of person that is a centralizing point between numbers autist, fantasy gooner, and gacha addict..t play magic myself and have to deal with those types.And magic in particular has historically had a rep as the "Éliteist Game" because of it being the first and using traditional fantasy art for the first two decades of its existence attracted snobs.In contrast the other stereotypes are that Yugioh is the ghetto game where the most interplayer crime happens.And Pokemon is either kids or pedos.
>>152173175>In contrast the other stereotypes are that Yugioh is the ghetto game where the most interplayer crime happens.What do you mean by "interplayer crime"?
>>152172105are comicbooks returnable?do you have old comics form 2020 and 2015 at one dollar each one?do you make some disccount?how many funkos represent your CBS income?how many warhammersr epresent your CBS income?who many MTG represent your CBS income?
>>152172105What are some of your favorite foods? Any favorite restaurants you like to eat at? And so you prefer dining in or taking to go? Or just drive thru? Along with that, any restaurants you wish you could eat at more often, not for whatever reasons, can’t? Any preferred flavors, or brands, of chewing gum as well? Or do you not chew gum all that much?
>>152173169On average we are bigger and stronger and historically have had a tendency to take what we want leading to men being seen as threats or protectors/providers outside of very high trust societies.Add in that the provider supporter dynamic that defined the relationship between genders dissolved over the 20th century leaving only the threat of force with no conception of protection to contrast it.The way it was described to me that made it click is to imagine that half the people in the world were all just walking around, eating, sleeping, ect, with knives on them at all times, and you don't have one. Most of them will never use the but there is always a chance that one of them will and that chance is the source of the fear.
>>152173224>The way it was described to me that made it click is to imagine that half the people in the world were all just walking around, eating, sleeping, ect, with knives on them at all times, and you don't have one. Most of them will never use the but there is always a chance that one of them will and that chance is the source of the fear.They still shouldnt hate me for no reason. I dont care if theyre weaker thats no excuse for misandry
>>152173186The most players doing shit like stealing from each other, and getting physical over games. The anime aired on the basic cable package channels for a lot of kids growing up and so for a lot of poorer class kids it became their card game of choice leading them to bring the "ghetto mentality" with them into the game.
>>152173232In a vacuum yeah, but your going up against a cultural fear drilled into women since the dawn of time. And fear makes people irrationalAlso as a heads up, your entire posture during this conversation while clearly coming from a position of pain, also is the exact kind of emotional presence that makes women think your definitely going to stab them if given a chance.
>>152173326>Also as a heads up, your entire posture during this conversation while clearly coming from a position of pain, also is the exact kind of emotional presence that makes women think your definitely going to stab them if given a chance.So what, men should just take this level of insult and dehumanization without a peep in defiance back? Whats your solution to the problem of women treating men like rabid dogs? Why should i show them an once of respect if they dont respect me back, huh?
>>152172726i work in a library where kids come after school. i've observed girls really like dork diaries and harry potter, and boys like dogman.>>152173353>why don't small fragile women trust me, i'm screaming at the top of my voice
>>152173356>small fragile womenDont be a white knight
>>152173353You got three optionsReestablish women's reliance on men, which will likely take till you old or dead anyway to reassert, and won't solve the underlying fear just force them back into dependency.On a personal level find a women that still resonates with the classical supporter-provider dichotomy, this is what all the self-help dudes are advising towards, but the amount of this kind shrinks as the years go by.Or to accept that fear and endure it as the best you can be while stopping other men then they do become a "problem" until after generations men go from being culturally seen as dominant brutes to strong but submissive care providers and keeping it there for long enough that the idea of men as violent fades out of living memory.Also if the world was truly just it would be a lifeless dessert thanks to an eye for an eye, all cooperation and social engagement relies on someone bending the knee and taking an unfair deal with the hopes of balancing out the scale in the long run.Trust me I tucking hate it also, becoming aware of this has given my a constant underlying level of stress in public but if my options are to become a hollow grinder to get a gold digger, or accept potentially getting spiritually pegged, if I want to have a woman's love and the potential to have biological kids of my own, ill take the blow.
>>152173439I just want to go out and punch the shit out of some random bitch every day now. I hate their guts and they deserve every amount of misogyny and violence coming their way. Also i hope i can finally gather the courage to kill myself today too. If im gonna be alone and even my fake faggot "friends" dont talk anymore then i dont wanna go on
>>152173462You can do that, or accept that your pride is holding you back and suffer the indignities of the .And then go to therapy, not to "fix yourself" (doing that requires creating an environment where the fixing can be done in the first place), but to start the work of cognitively adjusting yourself to endure the pain the world throws at you.
>>152173508Therapy doesnt help enough anymore, especially since its mostly telehealth now
>>152172141Do you have a dedicated leg pillow? If not, how did you avoid you and your bed partners sniffing your night farts?
>>152172453omg he's the average /co/ user
>>152173520Yeah that shit sucks man. My last bit of advice for you which is what I do, is to compartmentalize the parts of yourself which both want to punch all women and kill yourself into a separate internal monologed that you can then argue with and take advice from when necessary while not letting it have mastery over you.Not in a sctizo way, but in a the internal voices one uses to read character dialogue in a book kinda way.Otherwise its up to you man.
>>152173541Alright ill try that i guess, thx
>>152172105Do you like pizza?
>>152172453Wow I say this and look lie him
