Come on out Saturday! This is a week to celebrate all things comics. Not only did National Comic Book Day fall on a New Comic Book Day Wednesday, but we also have the opportunity to celebrate Local Comic Shop Day this Saturday, Sept 28. As both a retailer and a fan it’s one of my favorite days of the year. Unlike Free Comic Book Day, LCSD is less about specific comics and more about the places that sell them, and is less time- and cost-intensive. Planned and coordinated by the fine folks from ComicsPro (the comic retailer organization… if you own a shop, check them out and consider joining.), it’s a day to celebrate everything your local shop and the staff mean to you. If you’re like me and you’ve been getting your comics at a physical store for any length of time, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s work, there’s home, and there’s that mythical third place where we’re just as comfortable and welcome. Cheers had it right. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name… and comic preferences. A wall of new comics, rows of graphic novels promising entertainment and escape, maybe copious amounts of older issues filed in glorious rows, and so much more. Throw in the occasional conversation with friendly staff or fellow customers, and you’re right where you should be. The owners and employees of these glorious four-color palaces put a lot of time, money, effort, energy, and love into their shops. It’s a rough business. Keeping the lights on takes selling a lot of $4 comics. Like any small business there is stress, worry, and monkey wrenches that appear seemingly out of nowhere. I’ve been a retailer for 27 years, and co-owned my own store for nearly 13. I’ve seen a lot in my time, like all of my retailer friends and colleagues. That being said, I have one of the best jobs in the world. Over the span of years, we’ve been fortunate to meet people, see kids grow up, and watch teens graduate and move on. (Many of whom have kids of their own that they share this place with). I couldn’t possibly count how many parents I’ve helped pick out comics for their kids for the first time. We’ve been privy to and sometimes parts of...