Four Windy City Retailers Announce Comic Shop Crawl of Chicago
Throughout November, four of Chicago’s most well respected comic book stores are teaming up for a month-long Comic Shop Crawl event. Chicago Comics in Wrigleyville, Challengers Comics + Conversation in Bucktown, First Aid Comics in Hyde Park and Third Coast Comics in Edgewater have created a four-store tour that encourages their customers to visit each participating store in order to fill up a Comic Shop Passport with signatures from each of the shops.
Once filled, the completed Passports are turned in and four winners will be drawn to win their share of over $1000 in comic store merchandise and prizes. The drawing will take place at a comic themed party held on Saturday December 4 in Bucktown at the American Legion Hall. No purchase is necessary to participate in the crawl, but each store is offering a discount to Passport holders if they choose to shop. And the December party is open to all comic fans 21+, not just those participating in the crawl.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for years,” says Challengers co-owner Patrick Brower, “But I just didn’t know how to pull it off. Getting together with these guys made it all fall into place.”
First Aid owner James Nurss agrees, “Working together has been a real pleasure and I look forward to growing this event each year, with so many great stores in Chicago!”
“As far as any of us can recall, this is the first time something like this has been done in the Chicago comic book community,” says owner of Third Coast Comics, Terry Gant. “I mean, how many other events have you seen where you’re actively encouraged to go a store’s competitors by one of the stores? This is both experimental & needed for our community and it's the sort of event we love planning.”
Chicago Comics general manager Eric Thornton sees more than just the social aspects. "Chicago Comics is very excited to be involved in this event. Your local comic shop is as vital to many people and neighborhoods as your local bar, barber, bakery, or bodega. Each of these stores represents small business and a brick and mortar entrepreneurial spirit that is hard to find in our corporatized landscape today. Supporting your local comic shop keeps a precious art-form alive and vibrant and your neighborhood unique and fun."
What: Comic Shop Crawl of Chicago
Why: Celebrate the diversity of Chicago’s comic book stores
Where: Challengers Comics + Conversation, 1845 N. Western Ave. 2R Chicago, IL 60647 / 773.278.0155 / www.challengerscomics.com
Chicago Comics, 3244 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60657
773.528.1983 / www.ChicagoComics.com
Third Coast Comics, 6234 N. Broadway Chicago, IL 60660
847.863.7450 / www.ThirdCoastComics.com
First Aid Comics, 1459 E. 53rd St. (2nd Floor/Ring Buzzer) Chicago, IL 60615
773.75.COMIC / www.FirstAidComics.com
When: The entire month of November, 2010
About Challengers Comics + Conversation
2010 Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” Finalist, Named “Best Comic Shop” by the Chicago Reader (June 2010) and “Best Comic Book Store” by Chicago Magazine (August 2009), Challengers Comics + Conversation (http://challengerscomics.com) strives to prove that the best thing about being in a comic book store, is being in a comic book store. With a combined 38 years of comic retail experience, owners Patrick Brower and W. Dal Bush endeavor to bring Chicago a full-service, technologically interactive comic store that has the same level of wonder and enjoyment as the comics they sell. And read. And talk about. And champion.
About Chicago Comics
Chicago Comics (http://chicagocomics.com) is one of the nation’s premier comic stores, adored and loved around the world. One of the largest stores in the country, Chicago Comics prides itself on being a repository for sequential art in all its myriad of forms, from old and new comics, to small and large publishers. Coming up on its 20th anniversary, and looking forward to serving Chicago and the surrounding cosmos for another 20 years!
About First Aid Comics
Look! Up on the second floor! It's a salon! It's a fortune teller! No, it’s FIRST AID COMICS (http://www.firstaidcomics.com)! A secret hideaway located in Chicago's historic Hyde Park neighborhood, First Aid Comics is the only cure for the South side's comic book shortage. Our head nurse, James Nurss destroys the "comic book guy" stereotypes by committing himself to excellent customer service and community involvement. So if you've got the superhuman shakes or the mutant measles, come see the doctors at First Aid Comics.
About Third Coast Comics
Third Coast Comics (http://thirdcoastcomics.com) started as an online comic book retailer in 2005 and opened the doors of its Brick and Mortar location in Edgewater in August 2008. Third Coast Comics has been working hard to bring the public the best combination of love of fandom, social networking & community outreach it could, and without regard to the economic situation (oh we know it is NOT easy for any of us). It is our mission to show everyone we can, that comics are simply for everyone through mainstream comics as well as support of alternative comics and the local small press + book clubs, craft nights, comics history seminars, numerous creator signings and appearances, discussion groups, sketch nights and even live art fund raisers. To us, comics are not what you thought they were. They are exactly that and so much more.
