Coast-to-Coast Comicdom: Butterfly Country
Illustration by Dean Trippe |
July 15
Washington, DC
I showed up at Hertz to pick up my car at 7 a.m. They didn’t have the Corolla I reserved three months ago and attempted to up-sell me on a RAV4. I thanked the man for offering me an SUV to drive cross country but asked if I could get something with better gas mileage. He told me to hold on for a little bit and he’d see what he can do. Just for the hell of it I asked him if he likes comics. He said, “No. We have a Camry available.”
Harrisonburg, VA
Blue Ridge Comics was closed. I figured they would be. Looks like they recently downgraded their retail space. They were also having a GN (graphic novel) sale. I would have loved to talk to them. A car at the Liberty Gas Station was blasting Michael McDonald. Whoever used the bathroom before me missed everything. Off to a great start.
Roanoke, VA
Stopped by B & D Comics. I figured it to be a store that serviced college students. Turns out it’s mainly locals who shop there. They’ve been open for 26 years. The '90s were great for them, as one would imagine. They were moving tons of books every week; never even needed to push anything. They felt the strain after the crash but they’ve seen a sharp upturn lately. According to owner Terry Baucom, the first X-Men movie brought the kids back and they’ve been coming ever since.
Neil Rickman was an employee there. He’s been frequenting B & D since he was 9 years old; buying Batman and X-Men books. He joined the army and has visited comic shops all over the states. He says B & D feels like coming home. Great community vibe, great customer service. He’s going to college on the G.I. Bill now. Terry gave him a job while he takes his classes. Community-friendly comic shops, that’s already turning into the thrust of whatever final piece I come up with.
Went to lunch with cartoonist Josh Ginter. He insisted he pay for the meal, and we went to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. Breakfast of Champions for us Comic Folk. His cartoons were good, I could see him (with a little guidance) doing art chores for some Oni book. I tried to get at the heart of why, after “5-7 years of doing comics,” he hasn’t been able to really establish himself as a cartoonist. I can think of several reasons but, honestly, end of the day I think it comes down to Roanoke itself. From what I can tell, he’s one of two cartoonists in Roanoke (Dave Dumeer being the other one). He works a day-job at UPS, has a family, and really can’t go to conventions. B & D is the only comic shop that carries his book. He just doesn’t know how to get out of Roanoke.
Bristol, TN
Mountain Empire Comics, owned by Robert Pilk. Real friendly guy. Shelves lined with mainstreams, indies, and old EC and Dell comics. 24 years in business. We talked about the '90s, the movies, and the kids, but I latched onto his description of Bristol as “a very conservative town.” I asked him if parents ever give him any grief, particularly with adult-oriented comics. He said yes, but a little dialog quells any fears. I mentioned Planet Comics, a shop in Oklahoma City where the owners were fined and jailed for selling adult comics to adults. “Yeah, that poor guy. That was rough. I felt bad for him. Wrong place at the wrong time.” I’ll be asking a lot about Planet Comics when I get to Oklahoma City.
Knoxville, TN
Knoxville let me down. Comics Exchange had a sign that said, “I assure you, we’re open.” They were closed. My hostel was closed, too. No idea why. I imagine the proprietor and all of the residents were at the Widespread Panic concert that seems to be taking this city over tonight. I got a room at a Motel 8 after drinking the night away. I went to Comics Exchange before heading out, but nothing substantial came out of the conversation. Friendly guy, I just don’t think I was into it.
July 16
Nashville, TN
I was supposed to spend an hour or two in Nashville, but it’s impossible to spend only an hour or two with a guy like Dean Trippe. He took me to two shops, The Great Escape and Rick’s Comic City. If I lived in Nashville, a large portion of my income would go to Great Escape. Fantastic selection of comics, CDs, movies, etc., etc., etc. Rick’s was more of a traditional comic shop. I got to listen in on their weekly comics review. Most of it was superhero stuff and over my head, but they were a great bunch of guys and we got to talk at length about being a completist and the collector’s mentality.
I went with Dean and Jason Horn to dinner. Mexican. I got the carnitas, but it was more like a pork chop. Afterward we went back to Dean’s house, where he sold me on every pitch he’s currently developing. A young-adult Lois Lane pitch, a Batman in Africa pitch, a “super secret” project which was, honestly, one of the greatest goddamn things I’ve ever heard in my life. Dean is using the internet to break out of a city with no real comics scene and becoming one of the most liked cartoonists in the process. I could listen to him talk about Superman and Batman all day, and my brain normally shuts down at the mere mention of their names. Enthusiastic, talented, and a clear vision – if Dean’s not a top editor at DC within 30 years it would be criminal (he’d have to move to NYC for that, of course). I’ve never met anyone in my life that could get me half as jazzed about the funny books.
Trivia fact: There’s a replica of the Parthenon in Nashville. The pond in front of it contained at least one dead duck.
Jackson, TN
Nothing to say. I wanted to get to Memphis tonight, but hanging with Dean and Jason was just too much fun. I drove as far as I could before pulling into a Days Inn. A sixer, some peanuts, and my laptop – time to get to work.
Some of the theories I'm working on so far: Community-friendly comic shops thrive. They know their customers, they know their creators, they know their neighbors and they do everything they can to welcome all of them.
Cartoonists that use the internet Web 2.0 style can succeed no matter where they live.
Questions: Why isn’t Dean Trippe working regularly at Marvel or DC? He’s a respected cartoonist who wants to do nothing but superheroes. That seems like a contradiction. A wonderful, bring-a-smile-to-your-face contradiction.
Recommendations: What are you still doing here? Go read Butterfly!
Energy level: Knoxville beat me up. Nashville got me jazzed. Memphis here I come!
- Jason Rodriguez