Ottawa comic book retailer ready to bring ComicCon back to its roots
Don’t expect to find any Hollywood celebrities signing autographs or hosting photo ops at Sunday’s inaugural Capital Comic Book Convention. Also missing from the action will be board-game tournaments, film screenings and comedy shows. Instead, this convention is all about comic books, from the classics of the ’50s and ’60s to brandnew releases. The grassroots event is the brainchild of Ottawa comic book retailer Rob Zedic, co-owner of the Bank Street comic shop Myths, Legends and Heroes. “ComicCon has nothing to do with comics anymore,” Zedic said in an interview. “We want to get the ComicCon back to its true essence. It was called ComicCon for a reason: it’s a comic convention. That was the original intent and it’s got so far away from that in so many cities across North America.” Zedic said he’s been hearing complaints from customers for years about the lack of comic book vendors at the Ottawa ComicCon events, at the same time that comicbook vendors would bemoan the cost of participating. “It’s tough when you go to ComicCon and you go down the row and Costco is selling memberships,” Zedic said. “That’s not ComicCon.” Zedic’s passion for comics began as a child growing up in Oshawa in the 1970s. “If your mom took you to the store, you could buy some candy or buy a comic book. That was kind of the thing back then,” he said. “It’s a bit different now because there’s so much more to attract attention.” His early favourites were Batman, Justice League and SpiderMan titles, although his tastes later shifted to focus on following certain writers and artists rather than characters. When Zedic moved to Ottawa to attend university in the late ’80s, he kept buying comics, and formed a collective with other fans to increase their purchasing power. Eventually the group was whittled down to a core trio, and started selling comics on the convention circuit. Zedic turned the hobby into a full-time gig after taking a buyout at his corporate job. He and his partners opened the Myths, Legends and Heroes store on Montreal Road in 2004. After 14 years there, the building was sold and they moved last year to the current second-floor space, once occupied by A&H Records, at Bank and Cooper streets. Business is “really good” in the new location, Zedic said. Although the days of million-selling titles are long gone, he said the industry has adapted to cater to readers in any age group, while also recognizing that parents are looking for comics to make reading fun for kids. Boys still gravitate to the superheroes, while girls tend to like stories about DC Superhero Girls, My Little Pony and Disney characters, he said. “There’s no real age limitation,” Zedic said. “They create comics for all ages. The older gents are collecting stuff from when they grew up, whereas the younger kids are just looking to read something age appropriate for them. The parents are usually seeking that out. I have a lot (of customers) in the 18-34 demographic, too.” Despite dire warnings about the decline of the print industry, the comic book sector is hanging on thanks to readers who appreciate the artwork that drives the narratives. “A comic is a different monster in a way because it’s a very visual medium, and some people just don’t like reading it on a computer screen,” Zedic said. “They want the physical copy in their hands, and they want to be able to flip through it without having to zoom in on a computer. It’s just easier to read physically rather than digitally. “There are those naysayers who say it will go away, but they said that 10 years ago and we’re still here.”