Getting Personal: It's Not Funny
Greg and I have been together for ten years and ten months. I'm the novel reader, he's the comic book reader. In that time we've been together, he's faithfully collected comic books and graphic novels. He used go to the store every week. Now, it's every couple of weeks, just because it is a bit of a drive for us now.
When we first started dating, Greg went to Store A. He left Store A when he found Store B, because Store A's owner was a bit of an ass, constantly messed up Greg's file, and never apologized or made up for it. And when you're a comic collector, getting the issues when they're released is a big deal. BIG deal. Store B's owner was much cooler, far more friendly, and if he ever missed a book in the file, he's always apologize and track down the issue.
The last time Greg and I were at Store B was two weeks ago. Today I was feeling antsy at work and didn't want to stay home all evening, so I suggested to Greg that we go to Knoxville so I could eat some place GOOD (yay, Mexican!) and he could get his comics. So that's what we did. Only when we got to the store, there was a crowd of people standing around, the walls were white, and a sign on the door said the store would be closing on Saturday, October 17th.
Store B's owner didn't realize we didn't know. He'd been trying to get a hold of everyone to let them know, but he had the kind of family emergency that requires you to literally drop EVERYTHING, sell your home and business in a matter of weeks, and move North. I feel bad for him. I mean, REALLY bad, because it was sudden. He was wearing a black Firefly/Serenity t-shirt with dinosaurs that said "Curse your sudden and inevitable betrayal!" I commented on how appropriate that was, and he said I was the first one to get it. When you're the owner of a comic book shop, which is the mecca for geekdom, and said geeks ASK what your shirt means? Well, that's just sad. :)
At any rate, we refuse to go back to Store A on principle, but that leaves us with zero choices. There's a good store a good couple of hours away, which means we'd have to go once every couple of months and that could get annoying. There's the mail order subscription possibility, but that involves shipping and such and also annoying.
It's sad. Sure, Greg can catch up on some of his series by getting the hardcovers when they're released, but not all series are a WHEN, and plus, for a comic book collector, first-print single issues are a big deal.
So we're bummed. I'm bummed for Greg, and for Store B's owner and his wife, and I'm trying to think of SOMETHING that could work. The two solutions I mentioned above are the only ones I've come up with, so we'll see. I'd hate to see him quit, because that's, like, his ONE hobby. Like reading books are my hobby, you know?
Anyway, file this under "Reasons We Need to Get the Hell Out of Here." As if we needed another.
When we first started dating, Greg went to Store A. He left Store A when he found Store B, because Store A's owner was a bit of an ass, constantly messed up Greg's file, and never apologized or made up for it. And when you're a comic collector, getting the issues when they're released is a big deal. BIG deal. Store B's owner was much cooler, far more friendly, and if he ever missed a book in the file, he's always apologize and track down the issue.
The last time Greg and I were at Store B was two weeks ago. Today I was feeling antsy at work and didn't want to stay home all evening, so I suggested to Greg that we go to Knoxville so I could eat some place GOOD (yay, Mexican!) and he could get his comics. So that's what we did. Only when we got to the store, there was a crowd of people standing around, the walls were white, and a sign on the door said the store would be closing on Saturday, October 17th.
Store B's owner didn't realize we didn't know. He'd been trying to get a hold of everyone to let them know, but he had the kind of family emergency that requires you to literally drop EVERYTHING, sell your home and business in a matter of weeks, and move North. I feel bad for him. I mean, REALLY bad, because it was sudden. He was wearing a black Firefly/Serenity t-shirt with dinosaurs that said "Curse your sudden and inevitable betrayal!" I commented on how appropriate that was, and he said I was the first one to get it. When you're the owner of a comic book shop, which is the mecca for geekdom, and said geeks ASK what your shirt means? Well, that's just sad. :)
At any rate, we refuse to go back to Store A on principle, but that leaves us with zero choices. There's a good store a good couple of hours away, which means we'd have to go once every couple of months and that could get annoying. There's the mail order subscription possibility, but that involves shipping and such and also annoying.
It's sad. Sure, Greg can catch up on some of his series by getting the hardcovers when they're released, but not all series are a WHEN, and plus, for a comic book collector, first-print single issues are a big deal.
So we're bummed. I'm bummed for Greg, and for Store B's owner and his wife, and I'm trying to think of SOMETHING that could work. The two solutions I mentioned above are the only ones I've come up with, so we'll see. I'd hate to see him quit, because that's, like, his ONE hobby. Like reading books are my hobby, you know?
Anyway, file this under "Reasons We Need to Get the Hell Out of Here." As if we needed another.