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same energy for if you use up all the emotional (and literal) labour of a comic shop and then buy the books on amazon. https://twitter.com/ten_bandits/status/1346435949979455489
Also, while we're on the topic;
There is ZERO reason to use Amazon for comic books/graphic novels. None. Not a one. I don't care if you live in buttfuck nowhere, if you can buy things on Amazon, you can buy them from an indie comic book store.
There is ZERO reason to use Amazon for comic books/graphic novels. None. Not a one. I don't care if you live in buttfuck nowhere, if you can buy things on Amazon, you can buy them from an indie comic book store.
The ONLY exceptions are;
a) the book is discontinued/out of print and Amazon has second hand copies.
b) your lcs tells you 'hey, get it from Amazon bcus *reason*'
That's it. Anything else is because you want to save a few quid - at least be transparent if you're gonna be tight.
a) the book is discontinued/out of print and Amazon has second hand copies.
b) your lcs tells you 'hey, get it from Amazon bcus *reason*'
That's it. Anything else is because you want to save a few quid - at least be transparent if you're gonna be tight.
At Dark Side, I would occasionally get enquiries about big, hardback art books. The kinda thing that retails for £100+. I would check out my supplier, then Amazon and tell folks, 'Hey, this book is gonna be £100 from me. Amazon have it for £50 so I'd go there if I were you.'
And I meant it. I couldn't compete with Amazon's insane prices and I didn't want folks to feel ripped off.
Nine times out of ten, those folks would say, 'No, thank you. I'd like to get it from you. I'd rather pay the extra to support the comic shop.'
My angels.
Nine times out of ten, those folks would say, 'No, thank you. I'd like to get it from you. I'd rather pay the extra to support the comic shop.'
My angels.
Point being, most of the time, on average items (not the high ticket stuff,) Amazon saves you... maybe £3-4. And you'll almost certainly get a dog-eared book from an underpaid worker stuck in a warehouse owned by the richest man on Earth.
But that £3-4? That purchase that you wanted to scrape a few quid from? For a LCS, it might mean they can pay their rent after a shitty January. It means they'll still be there when you want to browse books irl. It means they can work harder and better to give you an experience--
--that Amazon could never dream of replicating.
Because Amazon aren't fostering their community.
They're not making safe, welcoming, diverse spaces for misfits and outcasts. They're not helping you through a bad week, or introducing you to your new favourite thing.
Because Amazon aren't fostering their community.
They're not making safe, welcoming, diverse spaces for misfits and outcasts. They're not helping you through a bad week, or introducing you to your new favourite thing.
They're not putting on events where you meet new people who talk just as passionately as you do. They're not having hour-long hypothetical conversations about who would win in a fight between Batman and Iron Man. They're not doing jack shit, other than lining Jeff Bezos' pockets.
So when you deliberate over a £2 saving from the biggest corporation in the world, maybe think about everything your local comic shop is doing on a fraction of the money. Because it's not just selling comics. It's never been *just* that.
If you need recommendations, here's a handful of my favourite local comic shops.
UK: @OKComics @TravellingManUK @PageFortyFive @TheBigBang_ @GoshComics @CEncountersUK
US: @AwYeahComicsNY @EscapePodComics @MegabrainComics @bookswpictures
UK: @OKComics @TravellingManUK @PageFortyFive @TheBigBang_ @GoshComics @CEncountersUK
US: @AwYeahComicsNY @EscapePodComics @MegabrainComics @bookswpictures
