Every boy needs a comic shop or the "Watchmen" preamble

I was originally going to write about "The Watchmen," but this came out.

It is cool and sad and the end of an era when things that are yours (mine in this case) become the world's.

An important part of every geek's life is having "their own" comic book shop. A comic book reader needs a comic book shop and I have had one, literally, since I was in 4th grade.

That is the year I moved away, Monday through Friday, from my home in Cottonwood Heights to the Family Support Center in Sugarhouse. My parents were full-time house parents for a crisis nursery funded by the United Way called The Family Support Center. My parents were attempting to make extra money so they could pay off their mortgage sooner and we went back to the old neighborhood on weekends.

It meant I moved away from my friends at Butler Elementary (worst website ever) and moved into the boundries of Hawthorne Elementary (much better website).



My first and best friend was Josh Platus and among our shared interests were Star Wars and comic books. I have lost touch with Josh because stupidly, as a teen, I didn't value having friends in two places and so when my father had a heart attack and we left the crisis nursery as a full-time family (Mom worked there for years after) I was just glad to be back home. Josh was a cool guy and a good friend and I should have stayed in touch and been a good friend. Sorry Josh!

Josh and I visited the legendary and awesome Cosmic Aeroplane to get our back issue comics. (That link is a pretty informative, worthwhile story). It turns out we were in the middle of an important collection of golden age comics as well. Read about it right here.

I liked Daredevil and he liked Captain America and I love my memories of that store. I loved the smell and the weird postcards and the used books and the creaky wooden floors and the crazy-haired people who worked there. I didn't know it, but I had stumbled upon comic books at the perfect time, and the coolest used book store at the perfect time. I wish I could smell that store one more time.

Then it was on to the Baseball Card shop on Highland Drive and then Nightflight Comics in the now razed Cottonwood Mall. Even while on a two year stint of church service in New York City, my dedicated mum and/or sister picked up my comics each month so that I could read two years worth when I returned home.

These days I shop at Dr. Volts, mostly because when I forget to go in for a month or two, all my requested comics are still there and the owner doesn't complain that I am late. I suppose my relationship with a comic book shop will last as long as there are comic book shops in Utah. I could always go to a mail subscription if that fell through but I prefer to buy them in the flesh. Now, on to "The Watchmen."