Superpowering
Kitchener entrepreneur empowers indie comic book artists
When I first walk into his store, a fantastical comic book shop lodged discreetly in Kitchener’s Frederick Mall, I spot him from the corner of my eye, the gracious gatekeeper who invites visitors into a world of fantasy and makes their dreams come true.
No, I’m not talking about Ricardo Montalban, who played that rugged emissary of wish-fulfilment, Mr. Roarke, on TV’s “Fantasy Island” with help from his sidekick, Tattoo.
I’m talking about Alfonso Espinos, who like Montalban was born in Mexico and made his way to North America to fulfil dreams of a different kind.
“We dedicate ourselves solely to independent comic books and local creators,’’ says the 39-yearold founder of Studiocomix Press, which recently celebrated its first birthday. The operation is Waterloo Region’s sole indie comic book store that is also a printer and publisher — possibly the only one in Canada (or the world).
“If you want Marvel, you can go to another comic book shop.”
Forget superheroes. They’re represented, but for Espinos — whose store carries works by 200 indie comic book artists — they’re the tip of the iceberg.
“You’re talking about one genre only,” points out the laid back Cambridge resident, who moved to Canada 15 years ago.
“The vast majority of artists do not do superhero comics. There’s sci-fi, horror, children’s, westerns ...”
Festooned with colourful indie comics of all styles, genres and levels of expertise, the store is an inspiring tribute to the art of the possible — an escapist retreat with an empowering subtext.
“I’m a comic book creator myself,” notes Espinos, who launched his career as a teenager in Mexico and met Marvel guru Stan Lee three times.
“I was on the other side 20 years ago. I understand what their needs are.”
He’s being modest. To the people who seek his help creating and displaying their art, the ball-capped entrepreneur — whose clients include Mitch Markowitz from “The Hilarious House of Frightenstein” and the guy who played Joey Jeremiah on “Degrassi Junior High” — is less publisher than mentor, friend and overseer.
“Every publisher rejected me,” notes Cambridge cartoonist Andre Campbell, whose superhero in “Starkeeper” uses a wheelchair and is patterned after his own life.
“They liked my stories, but not the art. They were looking for the DC comics style.”
Campbell has cerebral palsy, which creates physical challenges that make a computer critical for drawing his distinctive, visually-arresting artwork.
His universal message of diversity and inclusion?
That comes directly from his brain.
“In my experience, there hasn’t been a whole lot of representation of disabled characters in comics,” says the bow-tied maverick, noting that his disability doesn’t define who he is.
“I wanted to emphasize that no matter who you are, you can do anything.”
In Espinos, he found a willing accomplice, a guy willing to nurture his vision without judgment.
“Before I met Alfonso, I didn’t really have a lot of faith in the industry,” notes Campbell, whose superhero was inspired, in part, by DC Comics crime-fighter the Green Lantern. “Now, I have tons.”
His determination has paid off, with sales of 500 copies of his two comics turning the 29-year-old sensitivity trainer at Extend-A-Family into an inspiration for others with physical challenges.
“They say, ‘Oh my God, you’re doing this? Maybe I can too!’”
It’s not about scale or a guest spot on Jimmy Kimmel. None of Espinos’ clients are in it for the money.
“Most places will not print anything less than 1,000 copies,” notes Campbell’s partner, Jason Louth.
The Studiocomix minimum, of course, is ...
“One!” notes the laid back proprietor. “No, two ... (laughs) ... one goes on the shelf.”
Never mind the sales figures. There is a particular satisfaction, insists 16-year-old Xander Wise, in seeing your vision through to completion, to know you’ve created a piece of art — no matter how many copies you sell.
“It’s months and months of doing panels and fixing mistakes,” notes the self-taught Cambridge resident, who sold 40 copies of his mystical war comic “Forgotten Grunt: The Undead Soldier,” inspired by the movies “Platoon” and “Apocalypse Now.”
“But as soon as you do all that work and have that copy in your hands, you realize it’s all been worth it.
“There have been a few times where I was feeling unmotivated, but as soon as I saw how it turned out, I was more than happy.”
“If Alfonso wasn’t publishing local comics,” insists Wise’s dad, Darrin, “I don’t think Xander would be doing what he’s doing.”
For Espinos, who understands the challenges of ambition without unlimited financial backing, he’s simply filling a market niche.
“You gotta start somewhere,” he notes matter-of-factly. “Nobody starts out selling 50,000 copies. Every artist has a different definition of success.”
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