One of my weekly blog-visits is Valerie D'Orazio's Occasional Superheroine (hat-tip to JS). When D'Orazio announced a forthcoming gig as writer for a Punisher one-off, I made a mental footnote to look into it. Now, here we were, with this store still very much in business. I asked my daughter if she'd mind stopping for a quick visit. She said no, so in we went.
With both of my daughters in adolescence stores now fall into two categories: 1) the kind where I find a chair while the girls dive in; 2) the kind where the daughters stick to their father's side like a pair of extra ribs, because the only subject of interest is When can we get out of here? Even though the girls can spend hours poring over comics at home, the comic book store fell decidedly into the latter category.
First of all, the place was packed.
Kinda like this. |
For all the talk of on-line gaming, there was a distinct absence of internet technology. I saw one Blackberry in use, but other than that, nothing. I noticed an open door revealing a plain white room illuminated by fluorescent lights, furnished with folding tables and chairs. I took a closer look, expecting to see laptops or computer monitors. Instead there were companies of guys playing an elaborate card game (Magic, from the looks of it). I moved back to the racks, found what I was looking for, then bought it and left.
When we reached a discreet distance from the shop, I said, “Did you notice anything about that place?”
My daughter shrugged. “Like what?”
“Like, you were the only girl there.”
“Well, I noticed that.”
“Did you notice anything about the guys in there?”
“Like what?”
I shook my head and sighed. “Your grandmother used to worry I'd take up permanent residency there.”
2 comments:
I think the reason the comic book store was so crowed was that Magic had just released a new expansion.
Yes, I play MtG...
I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever fess up! Thanks, man -- I know one other MtG player, but he never comments.
It could be that most of the customers were going to find their way into the games room. Maybe things were going to kick into high gear when the store hours were over and the guy behind the counter could join them.
Post a Comment