Being Nostalgic.

One of the top collector shops in Birmingham is Nostalgia and Comics. A staple of Birmingham’s retail experience since the late seventies, it’s also been a popular shop of visiting musicians and actors who shop there whilst performing at the theatre or concerts. Hayley Williams of Paramore fame has popped in, this also includes comedian Lenny Henry who has a standing order at Nostalgia, and local comic creators like Ian Edginton and Lew Stringer visit the shop on a regular basis.
The shop has a massive standing order list and every Wednesday, the shop get’s jam packed with loads of suits, students and others like me wanting to get their new comics. My memories are a bit vague but it all began as a kid, when I used to get comics from the Great Bridge indoor market with my Nan and I bought Marvel UK reprints from newsagents. Then one day I went to Nostalgia with my uncle and I’ve been going there ever since. I remember a sense of awe, I just picked up an issue of Secret Wars and l left there thinking I’ve never seen so many comics in my life.
Ever since I started buying comics there, I’ve seen staff come and go; in fact two of them went off in completely different directions. The shop’s previous employees have included reviewer Richard Bruton who’s written a great account of working at Nostalgia on his blog RHB Fictions and Ben Mc Cool who’s become a popular writer on such titles like Captain America, Action Comics along with his creator owned book Choker. Ben is currently working on Pigs, a tale about Russian sleeper agents in modern day America for Image Comics.
During the 1980s the shop had all sorts of appearances from top comic creators, I’m kicking myself that my favourite artist Arthur Adams came for a signing there. I must have been 8 or 9 years old at the time. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he comes back for a signing soon.
The shop regularly gets appearances from creators and actors like Robert Englund of Nightmare on Elm Street fame and new Conan actor Jason Momoa. In May I wrote about writer Paul Cornell and Jimmy Broxton’s visit to the shop as part of Free Comic Book day. I decided to talk shop with Manager Dave Hopkins and employee Mike Gee about Nostalgic times at the shop.
When did you start working for the shop and what were times like?
I started work in 1983. When the shop first opened it was on smaller premises and I wasn’t around. (Phil Clarke, who used to own the shop, moved here in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s.)
At the time I started, there weren’t many products around. There were Star Wars toys and a few graphic novels by Marvel and DC – as well as by publishers that don’t exist anymore such as First and Pacific. But there wasn’t the massive expansion that we have seen in recent years.
Amazingly enough, we’ve still got customers that have been coming in here that started coming in then – and you know yourself that once you get hooked on comics you stay hooked for quite a while.
What do you think a good comic shop needs to be to get customers in?
Comic shops had the reputation of being dark and dingy places. There was also the reputation of the Comic Book Guy behind the counter playing heavy metal music… Therefore, we try and play a wide range of music in the store. The store’s quite big, quite open and quite light, and we try and have stuff in that will appeal to all comic customers. Like I said, we’ve got European comics and independent comics – but we’ve got your Spider-Man and Batman.
We provide a regular order service so that people don’t want to miss their comics. All the staff are reasonably knowledgeable about different things, so anyone is able to make suggestions about what they want to read. We’re always willing to help. You’ve just got to offer a good service, like most things really. We’re a business and we’ve got monitor that, but I think service is the main thing. As long you’ve got somewhere where people can feel free to come in and approach, and you can have a bit of a chat about comics and films and things like that, and that’s what people like.
What got you into comics?
MG
Everyone thinks that’s an easy question to ask but I don’t think it is. Nobody in my family is into it, my family isn’t into anything much. I think my dad bought me a load of comics as a kid. They were second hand ones. He found them from somewhere or someone had given them to him. And I read them when I was 9 and 10 and I read books from newsagents since I was thirteen. My parents forced me out of it, they said I’d grown out of it and stuff but as soon as I got my first job when I was 16, I got back into it. I came back to Nostalgia and Comics and that was it. I’m 25 this year so nine years solidly every week without fail unless I’m on holiday or something.
Would you say there are trends in mainstream comic books?
MG
Within the media, there are definitely trends. In the early nineties, when I was reading as a kid the big guns, pouches, muscles, the things that Rob Liefeld drew, was huge at the time and that’s dropped off completely. No one really draws like that anymore but everyone was trying to copy that style at the time. The trend at the moment for the past seven or eight years is the big crossover that’s something you can’t go a year now without a crossover. The two big publishers with Marvel and DC can’t go a year without them. But people like that, they like stories linking with each other and big huge events. The crossover thing is like anything, it can be milked for what’s its worth or it’s done properly it can be a really good story. I don’t have huge problems with crossovers, I’ll read them as much as anyone else will. Civil War was great up to issue 3 and then it dropped off and 4, 5, 6 it got a little worse and then the end felt like a massive anti-climax.
Secret Invasion wasn’t so bad that was a bit better but Siege, this was just a scheme to line up the characters to where they want to be. In One More Day in Amazing Spider-Man, they decided that they didn’t want Spider-Man to be married to Mary Jane anymore so they created a massive event to get rid of it. I think events work better in individual comics, take a look at Invincible Iron Man which has been running for 25 issues until it got re-numbered.
Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca have done every single issue. Their arcs aren’t stereotypical, 4 or 6 issue arcs, 5 Nightmares was 8, and World’s Most Wanted was 15 issues long which is a huge event in the Iron Man world. It’s kind of glazed over because everything else that’s going on and that was brilliant and flawless. Iron Man is one of the best books out there on the shelf. It’s his own book, with his own villains, and it’s his own story and his own supporting characters. He doesn’t rely on having anyone else doing anything. I mean he’s in the Avengers and will be forever but, Fraction’s kept that separate up until now and hopefully it’ll stay that way.

The store has always been involved with local comic conventions and artists making an appearance at the shop. How did that come about?
That’s a good question. I don’t really know how it came about… I remember we did two or three conventions back in the ‘80s. In particular I remember a big convention back at the NEC at the Hotel Metropole, either in ‘77 or in ’78, and Jim Steranko was there. There hadn’t been much in the way of conventions previously. Either Phil suddenly decided to put one on, or he had met some artists and they suggested it. But it was good to do, because it was the time when the British artists and writers who worked for 2000AD started to get work from America, such as Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Kevin O’Neill, Mike Mc Mahon and David Lloyd. These and all the people that worked on seminal books in the ‘80s were guests.
In addition, we had American guests including Howard Chaykin, Walt Simonson, Arthur Adams, John Romita Junior and people like that. I think Phil just felt that he wanted to get involved with, and managed to organise, a few conventions. Then, it tailed off a bit and, just recently, they’ve started up again.
What was it like having artists like Walt Simonson and John Romita Junior visit?
It was great. I think it was editor Ann Nocenti who came with John Romita Junior when they were doing X-Men. The shop was literally packed and you almost couldn’t move around.
We had Garth Ennis once – he came for a Preacher signing. We had him upstairs and the queues went downstairs and out of the shop. It just depends… if you get the right person, then people will from miles around just to see them. The good thing about comic creators is that they generally work on own if they are an artist or a writer; therefore, they like to meet their fans and they seem quite approachable. It’s always been a nice thing that you can have people in the shop that fans can talk to.
Would you say there are trends in mainstream comic books?
MG
Within the media, there are definitely trends. In the early nineties, when I was reading as a kid the big guns, pouches, muscles, the things that Rob Liefeld drew, was huge at the time and that’s dropped off completely. No one really draws like that anymore but everyone was trying to copy that style at the time. The trend at the moment for the past seven or eight years is the big crossover that’s something you can’t go a year now without a crossover. The two big publishers with Marvel and DC can’t go a year without them. But people like that, they like stories linking with each other and big huge events. The crossover thing is like anything, it can be milked for what’s its worth or it’s done properly it can be a really good story. I don’t have huge problems with crossovers, I’ll read them as much as anyone else will. Civil War was great up to issue 3 and then it dropped off and 4, 5, 6 it got a little worse and then the end felt like a massive anti-climax.
Secret Invasion wasn’t so bad that was a bit better but Siege, this was just a scheme to line up the characters to where they want to be. In One More Day in Amazing Spider-Man, they decided that they didn’t want Spider-Man to be married to Mary Jane anymore so they created a massive event to get rid of it. I think events work better in individual comics, take a look at Invincible Iron Man which has been running for 25 issues until it got re-numbered.
Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca have done every single issue. Their arcs aren’t stereotypical, 4 or 6 issue arcs, 5 Nightmares was 8, and World’s Most Wanted was 15 issues long which is a huge event in the Iron Man world. It’s kind of glazed over because everything else that’s going on and that was brilliant and flawless. Iron Man is one of the best books out there on the shelf. It’s his own book, with his own villains, and it’s his own story and his own supporting characters. He doesn’t rely on having anyone else doing anything. I mean he’s in the Avengers and will be forever but, Fraction’s kept that separate up until now and hopefully it’ll stay that way.

How have things changed since you became a part of FPI?
They haven’t changed too much. We still keep our own identity, and people still know us as Nostalgia and Comics so we are still a fairly independent store. Our main aim is selling comics and graphic novels, and it always will be. We probably do better as we’ve now got their support to help us out on certain things – and, maybe being part of a chain, I don’t know if we get better service or not, but it’s not affected us too much.

How do you feel about new comics coming on Wednesday then Thursday?
It doesn’t bother me too much from my own personal standpoint; it’s been quite a good thing. We get the books in on Tuesday to put out on a Wednesday, so, if on a Tuesday when we’ve got the books, if I’ve under ordered something or if it’s a hot book, you can get the order in with Diamond on a Tuesday afternoon or a Wednesday morning. Then you know you’re going to get the stock in for the weekend – so that way it’s worked out better for us.
Are readers getting tired of Marvel and DC and flocking over to books published by Image and other companies – or is it just an illusion of change?
I don’t think so. There is the thing with Image where they seem to release lots of number ones every month, and a lot of them sell out – but I don’t know if that is a bit of self publicity on Image’s part, or if they are not printing as many as they could be doing or what.
Marvel and DC are still the main bread and butter because they still sell the most in the shop. I can’t imagine anything there’s ever going to be something by Image or Dark Horse will do that will scale the heights of X-Men, Avengers or the Green Lantern and Batman titles.
Walking Dead did well, but it’s the graphic novels that go the fastest is what we’ve tended to find with the Vertigo Imprint. We don’t have a huge amount of sales with the actual comics, but when the books come people seem to graduate on the novels. Graphic Novels like Scalped and the Unwritten sell really well.
What is the small press scene like through a retailer’s point of view?
It’s one of those things that we like to support. You never know, somebody who’s done a small press comic could turn out to be the next big thing. Obviously, it’s a labour of love for a lot of people. So you’ve got to try and get them out there. From a retailer’s point of view, it’s difficult to persuade a reader to change their buying habits, and it doesn’t do us a great deal. But again, it’s from people who have put a lot of heart into it.
As a retailer what are your thoughts on Free Comic Book Day?
It’s something that we try and support; we always try and enjoy ourselves and the last time we did it we all got dressed up! We tried to make bit of an event of it this time as we had guests here. But we try not to put any limit on what people can have. Every year, word seems to spread around and more people turn up to get comics. It’s difficult to tell if it translates into more people buying comics but it’s a good thing.
What’s been your favourite comic over the years?
See, this is the tough one! I don’t know but, probably, my favourite character is Daredevil. I’ve always liked Daredevil and, although I haven’t read any Daredevil comics for a long time, I’m still reading the Brian Michael Bendis run from a while back which I enjoy. I also obviously enjoyed reading the Frank Miller run. I really enjoy Walking Dead too – that’s a fantastic book.
I’ve managed to persuade my wife to read that and we really look forward to the next book coming out. It’s always been a strong seller for us; it’s one of those things that picked up steam with the comic and, every time a book comes out, we have to order more and more. It’s been a consistently good seller for us. It’s been really good in the fact that we’ve got people who have regular orders with us, and who buy Marvel and DC comics, and when the show was on TV they went, this is really good and have you got the books? Yeah, of course we’ve got the books!
If comics go digital only, how will you react to it?
It hasn’t quite caught on yet with comics. It’s kind of difficult but I suppose it’s the same with movies and music. Once you can start downloading things, it’s not that difficult to start downloading them for free. But then the people who publish books aren’t going to get any money to pay the people to write.
I do think with comics it’s not too much of a problem. There’s a hardcore bunch of people who buy comics. It’s the same with mail order; there are people who don’t like mail order because they want to come in and see and read the comics. But I am aware that it could prove to be a problem. I don’t know how will work for retailers – whether you would be able to be able to get computer stations so people can download them there and then. I really don’t know what the future holds, to be honest.
You can follow @NostalgiaComics on Twitter and Facebook them as well. I’ve taken some more pics of the shop on my Flickr page. Special thanks to Mike Gee and Dave Hopkins.

Posted: 29/6/2011
Categories: Comics / Shops

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