The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
HIDDEN TREASURES
Comicpalooza Comic Crawl offers collectors safe comic shopping during pandemic
Folks have had to adapt in order to still hold events during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Two Amherst comic book vendors, Alan Thompson and Charles Daugherty teamed up seven years ago to host “Comicpalooza”, their own personal comic con, which brings together local comic book vendors for one show, had to shift plans and come up with a “Comic Crawl” event where multiple vendors run comic sales out of their garages simultaneously.
“Normally, it would be a convention inside a hall, but we decided to instead structure it like a bar crawl,” said Bryan Daniels, who sells his comic collection under the Warlocks Collectibles name and was one of the vendors involved with the crawl.
“A lot of people live for this, they like to dig. I’m one of them. You never know what you’re going to find.” — James Lute, Akron
“Instead of going from bar to bar, you go from vendor to vendor. Started it because (Thompson and Daugherty) had been doing a show for years now. So, the idea this year was to make sure we socially distanced, use masks and use hand sanitizers….and we could have our own mini comic con.”
Thompson, a host at his 514 Seaton Court home, said it worked well.
“All the comic conventions have been pretty much cancelled...so I felt like this was a better way to do it than jamming everyone into one hall,” he said. “Folks can drop by different locations throughout the day today (Sept. 5) and tomorrow (Sept. 6). It was a way to spread people out (10 per location). It’s going very well; we got a lot of positive feedback from doing this. Charles Daugherty and I decided to invite other people to fill it out with multiple locations in the area.”
Daugherty liked the way the event came together.
“It was seven vendors in five locations, and we expanded it to include six in eight locations,” he said. “Everything has been cancelled this year, so it gives folks an opportunity to go out of the house and have a good time. They can buy some cheap comics while talking to their friends. Everyone involved in this has great comics for sale.”
James Lute, from Akron, shopped for comics.
“I’m just browsing through the selections,” he said. “I just like the art work, you really get some good styles in comics. A lot of people live for this, they like to dig. I’m one of them. You never know what you’re going to find.”
The locations include:
• Comets Comics & Warlock Collectibles, 514 Seaton Court, Amherst
• Chuck’s Comics, 658 Cobblestone Drive, Amherst
•HatchbackComics,7465 HiddenGlenDrive,Amherst
• Phat Daddy’s Comics at Jamie’s Flea Market (East Building, booth 153), South Amherst
• Comics Are Go, sidewalk sale, 5214 Detroit Road, Sheffield Village.
• BBQ Bob’s Comics, 8848 Oberlin Road, Amherst Township