I remember the days of Soho Zat in NYC in the 1980s. An odds & ends shop that sold ephemera, clothes, vinyl records, and underground comix. Not a Spider-man or Batman in sight. That what newsstands were for. Soho Zat is where I discovered Chester Brown's YUMMY FUR and Harvey Pekar's AMERICAN SPLENDOR and it changed the way I thought about comic books. Congratulations to Bergen Street Comics for building and growing a customer base that can support their stance. It doesn't mean you can't get your mainstream superhero comics. That's what pre-orders are for. It just means they're taking less of a risk on curating certain kinds of comics. No longer are the days of the "quarter bin." Comic books got too expensive. Of course, this qualifies the superhero impulse buy but maybe a random customer will try something "alternative" instead which is encouraging for comix auteurs and independent publishers. Besides, I'm sure they'll keep in stock classics and perennials.
I write & draw for both mainstream and indie-comix and I'm used to having to hype my wares for all my work. So, BSC's stance doesn't change anything for me. Big Ups to BSC for making this bold move.
