You Used to be Able to Get Comics at Circle K?
Over the weekend I spoke with a friend about comics. We’ve had multiple conversations about comics and video games. We often have very different stylistic and content preferences when it comes to these type of things, but I was interested in hearing what got him hooked on comics in the first place. Justin started reading the Sonic Blast comics ever since he could read. I learned that Circle K was the place to get all of his comics. The lobby counter had entire racks full of new issues.
He told me about the time he was in the shop and picked out a brand new issue of Sonic, still wrapped in that pristine plastic. He then took this comic to school where he spilled a Gatorade all over it, completely destroying the new issue. Not to worry though, he looked it up and they aren’t worth anything currently.
Over time he drifted away from comics yet Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novel pulled him back in. He appreciates the seemingly innocent connotation that is attached to comics which in reality are actually stocked with darker and more sophisticated content. Comics and graphic novels form a sort of hobby that allows for an escape from the real world. By following certain artists or writers one can find other pieces they never expected to. Finding interesting comics is a form of entertainment itself.
I asked Justin how he thought the sentiment regarding comics has changed and he replied, “It’s cool to be a nerd now!” Even though his statement is one-hundred percent true and comics are more accepted now as an art or form of entertainment, he still feels as though less and less people are reading them. Perhaps this is a call to action. More people need to get back into comics!
