This is kind of my first blog. I have another blog but its just for a story I'm writing. It its all prose-y and fiction-y.
This won't be.
I don't want this blog to be a pity party or a big old whinny bitch fest of how hard my life is and how hard it is to be a small business owner and blah blah blah. But I do have some whining to to before we get under hand just so you have all the facts. So bear with me and gird your resolve for some 13 year old sounding prattle.
My name is Austin Mansell and I own Comics Cube. Comics Cube is a relatively new comic shop in Bonney Lake, Washington. I opened up October 1st 2010. Just over six months ago now. It has engulfed my life, my time and my psyche. Being a small business owner with zero experience or knowledge of business and doing pretty much everything on your own is pretty consuming. It's also pretty expensive.
This blog will hopefully do a couple of things:
1. Entertain You.
I wanna share the thing I love the most in the world with people. Comics. Its the whole reason why I opened the shop. Comics are amazing. I love them. I have since I was a tiny little person. I'm also a pretty opinionated angry bastard so I have plenty to say on the topic with that in mind it leads me to point number two!
2. Venting
I got shit to say. Shit about the industry. Shit about the creators, both good and bad shit mind you. Shit about what I think people should be reading and what I think people should avoid. Also venting about owning the shop and spending my time here and all that jazz. Hopefully it won't be too annoying and will more often be mildly hilarious and ridiculous.
3. Advertise/Marketing Nonsense
Maybe this blog will bring some more people in or keep people around or something. Not a huge focus to me but whatever helps the shop is dandy by me.
That's pretty much it so far. I'm also gonna talk about my experience from going from fan to retailer and how thats changed my perspective and what not but hopefully this will be fun for you and fun for me and maybe get you to read some stuff you haven't yet. That's pretty much it to start with. I'll end on the best note I could ever think of, which is to start right off the bat with the best recommendation I can think of.
Scalped.
It is the best book being written and it has been the best book being written since it started. No ongoing title consistently impresses me to the level Scalped does each month. It's almost unbelievable to me how god damn good this book is and how its only continuing to get better and better. Here's the cover to the first issue. Go find it somewhere.
http://www.dccomics.com/vertigo/graphic_novels/?gn=7722 has a link where you can read the first issue. Do it. Get ready to get sucked in. If you dig it, get the first trade. Buy it from me or buy it somewhere else, I don't really care as long as you read it. Because it's a book that deserves your attention. Next entry is gonna be more of an in depth look at Scalped. But mostly it's gonna be a big old love fest for Scalped and exactly why I think it's so damn good.
Cheers,
Austin
I spend a pretty regular amount of time at the shop (meaning i am here roughly 3-4 days a week :P) and when I am it's a lot like a bar. Everyone sits and does there thing but no matter where you are at in the room your part of the shop and part of the conversation. Usually it only takes one visit and Austin knows your name and a lot of the other regulars will remember you as well.
ReplyDeleteHowever with that experience in mind and the general enjoyable conversation that the shop seems to breed I'm a bit excited for this blog. As I am relatively new to the comic world I don't know much about the history or the industry let alone any of the artists or companies.
So Austin with that being said I look forward to reading this so I can kind of learn more about you as well as your passion.