Of Comics and Their Shoppes

     I don't really buy comic books anymore. At least, not in the month-by-month sense, where I follow an ongoing series. Back in the day I even had a subscription to X-Men so that it would be sent to my house every month. As recently as four or five years ago, there used to be three or four titles that my wife and I would run out to pick up on a monthly basis. Now, there's nothing.
     I'll still buy a trade paperback or two. But only if its on sale, and only if it is not part of a series that goes on too long. Generally, I like to wait until a series has ended its run, so that I can just gorge on the whole thing at once (much like the way I watch TV series, once they get to Netflix).
     I chalk a lot of it up to my impatience, but it's just as much about frugality as well. For starters, a single issue is up to around $5 now, which is pretty insane for a 20-30 page comic.  I mean, I don't feel like I'm getting a lot of value for my dollar; that comic doesn't take me more than 15 minutes to read. I'd actually be getting more for my money going to the movies, even at $12 a ticket. Not to mention if I'm following an ongoing series, that 30 pages is all I get for an entire month. Hell, I can't even stand waiting a week to get 43 minutes of content while watching a TV show on the air. I honestly can't even imagine how comic books make any money, considering what crappy value they give their customers.
     I wouldn't care if it weren't for the fact that I have some strange, deeply-imbedded longing to read comics. Actually, what I really miss most of all is just the act of going to the comic shop. Part of it is the nostalgia, while part of it is the feeling of retreating to a sanctum full of "my people." Like going to a convention, there's something comforting (even if somewhat smelly) about being surrounded by geeks.
     And I mean real geeks, not the people who think they're gamers because they play Rock Band or think they're nerds because they like the new Batman movies or The Avengers. No, I'm going to have to go a little hipster on you now: I'm talking about geeks who read comics before they became movies and still get together to roll funny-shaped dice and pretend to be wizards. People who have--and may still be--outcasts because of their interests and hobbies.

     See, there aren't any good comic and game stores around me. I mean there are plenty in my town and the neighboring towns, but none of them quite have the variety of the one I got used to growing up. It could just be rose-colored glasses, but the comic shop of my childhood really did seem superior to all the ones I can go to now. Part of it was the selection; most of the shops around me now are comic shops, with only a slight interest in games and other miscellaneous geek stuff (like miniatures and movies). Or there are shops that just sell games (including more "mainstream" board games), without any comics. It's hard to get a one-stop geek shop in my area.
     Of course, even if there were good comic stores around me, would I go to them? Could I think of a justification for the gas and time to drive out there? I mean, I don't really want to buy comics, unless they have a truly excellent bin of TPBs on sale. I don't buy anything full price anymore: not movies, music, books, or comics. I can always wait and find them on sale or used (or both). So all I really want to do is walk around down the aisles, window shopping, pawing at things, and generally being a nuisance to the employees of the shop without actually spending any money. And that just seems like a real dickish thing to do.
     I guess this is all part of growing up, trying to be responsible and all. And maybe some day a comic will come along that is so mind-blowingly amazing that I have no choice but to rush out and get it as soon as I can.
     I'm open to suggestions...