The Pickytarian

You know, I was considering finally checking out Rocketship via the Wood/Haspiel signing, but I'm still on the fence. Part of me is sure I'll want to stab half the people there because I'm more fanboy than snob. Wonder if I should try to arrange a mass Buzzscope exodus?

We have LOCAL on the shelf as I type this... hope to see you Friday!

And Guy- please at least check out the shop before you completely dismiss us as snobs. I'm not sure why you've decided we're some elitist clubhouse- it's a Comic Shop, brother.

-a

Come on, Alex, fess up - I saw you in there the other night with your smoking jacket and brandy snifter, making snide remarks about the proletariat...

In Guy's defense, he and I have been talking lately about the "fanboy vs. snob" mentality. Those are just the terms we use, and I think his comment was intended to be taken in that context.

Anyway I should be there around 8PM. Guy, I hope you can make it! Make sure you get there by 9, because by then I should be sloppy drunk and verbally abusing Brian Wood about how there were too many hipsters in Demo.

Snobs have feelings, too.

Sniffle.

I'd love to make it out, but I can't. If I could drive to Rocketship every other week, I'd be a happy nerd indeed. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to the closer Wood/Haspiel gig at Riot (which is about three-four hours closer to me) because my wife's schedule changed, so we'll be doing the whole let's-get-bored-on-a-Saturday together.

I'll... third?... the comment that Rocketship isn't inherently snobby as a store, and Alex probably reads more fanboy books than I do.

Oh, J.? MK: 4 is one of my favorite not-snobby books. If you can find some of the earlier issues on the cheap, I'd suggest it--they had a great romance comic one with a Reed/Sue/T'Challa love triangle, and one where Ben Grimm gets in a battle of fists with a golem while battling his own identity issues.

haha- that smoking jacket gets a lot of use, as I sit by the roaring Rocketship fire.

As far as Guy's post goes, he's made similar comments before, and I just wonder what we have done to exude Elitery.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my love for mainstream comical books... It's all very confusing.

-a

Thanks, Ed. I just might track those MK4 books down. Issue #23 had that perfect tone for the FF. It was funny and fast-moving, with perfect character interactions and crazy super-science action. It's sort of mind-boggling how badly Straczynski & Millar missed that mark in their books.

As for the perceived Rocketship snobbery: one thing I learned in college was that everybody will eventually love you if you keep giving out free beer.

The one time I went into Rocketship, the owner called me a philistine and kicked me in the nuts. Then he snatched all the issues of X-men out of my hands, threw them on the floor, and peed on them.

Actually, he was quite nice. I think the store is simply trying to fill a difficult niche. It downplays mainstrean books enough to make it palatable to an artsier crowd, but in so doing, it makes no effort to WELCOME the mainstream comic fan.

The result is a shop that you're more able to take your girlfriend to, but less likely to buy your weekly comics at. Sadly, the Wednesday comic fans are the bread & butter of any comic shop, and I don't see how you can succeed without their backing.

I want Rocketship to succeed. I really do. I want every comic shop to succeed (except that crappy one on 7th Ave. in Brooklyn). But they have an uphill climb. I'll stop in once a month or so when I'm on the block, and maybe buy something, but my main comic budget will always go to the store that more caters to my needs (currently Midtown Comics).

Good to be here.
Congratulations!

It was funny and fast-moving, with perfect character interactions and crazy super-science action.

Hmm... then you might not like the other two I mentioned--like most of the series, they're really character-specific pieces. Probably more so than the longer arcs of the series, come to think of it. But even when Sacasa eschews the super-science, he gets the four letter-perfect in terms of who they are.

Whenever I try to explain what I'm looking for from FF, it comes out sounding reductive and wrong. Character-driven stories are fine. I'm not demanding monthly trips to the Negative Zone or battles with Galactus. I guess what I meant by "super-science action" was that sticking the characters in straight super-hero adventures doesn't really play to their strengths.

I'm looking for a certain kind of tone - goofy, yet taking itself seriously - along with believeable, consistent characterization. Millar's sexpot Sue Storm and Straczynski's sullen, depressive Reed Richards are so ill-conceived that I wonder if they had ever read an issue of FF.

Alex, I wasn't "dismissing" Rocketship as snobby. It was more of an offhanded reference to your shop's - very admirable, BTW - focus on indies and the type of crowd I suspect the Wood/Haspiel combo will attract, particularly based on your location. (I'm from the Bronx. I hate Park Slope! It's genetic.) Not sure which previous comments of mine you're referring to, but I know I've said once or twice that my perception of Rocketship was that it fell more on the snob side of the spectrum. Not a dis really, so much as an easy way to contrast you to, say, a fanboy heaven like Midtown Comics. More often, though, I believe I've referred to you in a positive light, in the same category as R!OT (which I love) and Isotope.

I do plan to check you out one of these days, though; hopefully this weekend.

PS: Just checked out Mrs. Pickytarian's site. Wow! She's good. I'm surprised you'd ever dare bring a Greg Land drawn comic into your home!

Then you'll probably like those issues, I think--they're probably my favorite two from the series.

Ha ha, thanks Guy. Yeah, Amy's an incredibly talented artist. I think she's coming to the Rocketship party too, so if you drop by you can ask her what she thinks of Greg Land!

I'm definitely going to track down those MK4 books, Ed. Thanks for the recommendation. I don't suppose you know which issues they were?

Only elitist snobs would use a word like "eschews" in friendly conversation.

Also, the fact that The Pickytarian even has a 'Rocketship' event on his social calendar implies the joint is a highbrow haven.

Me... I buy my comics from a bodega in The Bronx. Drunk. And I kick at least one old lady on my way there every Wednesday.

This was a delightful little soiree until you showed up and peed in the punchbowl. Thanks, Suckytarian. We just can't have anything nice, can we?

The romance one was #21, and the Ben Grimm story was #22.

#21 also has a flashback in Kirby-homage style, if that's your sort of thing.

I dunno. I buy mostly mainstream books in terms of numbers. Rocketship is covered with them. Their weekly "new comics" are mostly mainstreamish stuff. I don't understand how something that has only superheroes and actively discourages indie fans is analogous to a shop that has equal amounts of both. Does the mere presence of an equal amount freak out the "mainstream fan," whoever that might be?

And though I don't work there, I am a friend of the store, and I understand that they're doing more than surviving. They've got something of a second location on the upper east side now, all fancy-schmancy.

And I'll be there Friday. I'm-a-gon get my drink on again. Who will be my next victim? It is a mystery.

"They've got something of a second location on the upper east side now, all fancy-schmancy.

Let's not go crazy... we partner with a boutique that sells our shirts and books that we select... we have a "presence" on the UES. Hardly a second location, but it's nice anyway.

-a

Too late, I went crazy.

"I don't understand how something that has only superheroes and actively discourages indie fans is analogous to a shop that has equal amounts of both. Does the mere presence of an equal amount freak out the "mainstream fan," whoever that might be?"

I dunno. There isn't really a shortage of indie stuff at Midtown, but whatever. Rocketship, unless they have remodeled since the last time I was there, hardly keeps the two in "equal amount". There was one knee level shelf running around the store with the new mainstream books of the week laid out on it, and everything else in the store seems designed to draw your eyes away from it. I felt bad for that shelf. Like it was ashamed and trying to hide.

I didn't want to have to squat repeatedly accross the store each week when I buy my comics, either.

This is not to say that Rocketship didn't have its own charm. I genuinely liked the place. It's like going to a nice restaurant for lunch. It's nice sometimes, but it's not going to pull you away from that deli you go to every other day.

Was that simile too New York? Are out-of-staters that loyal to their delis? I'm ashamed to say I don't even know.

Probably not. There were no delis at all in San Diego.

The shelf with new books is waist high. I find it easily browsable and not hidden at all.

The new releases at Rocketship are knee-high... if you're ten feet tall!

Meanwhile, Midtown Comics has removed their back issue bins from the main floor, replacing them with bookshelves for graphic novels and trades. The floor & shelf space for the bound books is now much greater than the space dedicated to new releases. Much like... hmm, where have I seen that before... oh yes, Rocketship.

And Rocketship definitely has a bigger selection of indie comics & GNs than Midtown. Maybe Midtown's re-organization of the bound books has changed this, but last I saw, indie GNs and trades were in the back corner in a little 4-bookshelf ghetto. Indie pamhlet comics are racked at the far end of the new release rack. If you want to get to them on Wednesday, you have to contend with the guys unpacking new comics and stacking boxes right in front of them. There has been more than one small-press book that Midtown has not stocked that I found later at Jim Hanley's or Rocketship.

It is true that Midtown has a second floor full of stuff that Rocketship doesn't sell: action figures, statues, back issues, DVDs, adult comics, etc. It's also true that their size allows them to order 100's of copies of new books, making it more likely that they won't sell out. Most compelling, of course, is their discount program. There are definitely pros and cons.

But on my last couple trips to Rocketship, I bought a recent Fantagraphics book that Midtown didn't have (Kim Deitch's Stuff of Dreams #3), I discovered and flipped through the craziest comic book I've ever seen (676 Apparitions of Killoffer), and I got to hold in my hands (very carefully, of course) original inked pages from DMZ. And let's not forget Rocketship's most compelling feature: FREE BEER.

Midtown does what they do very well, and so does Rocketship. Luckily, they are both located near the F line, so I can go to both. It's a win-win.

Knee-level, waist-high? Talk about nitpicking!

The primary difference between Midtown and Rocketship is their target audience. Midtown targets the "mainstream" superhero fan, manga reader, and comics collector, while doing a pretty good job of stocking a wide range of indies and, at least for the first week or two, giving them equal face time on their front racks. Interestingly, just last week they redid the Times Square locations' layout, putting more emphasis on trades (like the Lexington Avenue store), and moving the majority of their back issues upstairs. It's still a fanboy-friendly store, but it's now more casual reader-friendly, too.

Rocketship - as I've gathered from their blog, their events, and the pictures I've seen - and based on their location, is targeting the indie crowd and the 25-45 hipster crowd. Nothing wrong with either concept, and I think Peat's restaurant/Deli analogy is a good one. Coffee cart vs. Starbucks works, too.

Well, it apparently took me 14 minutes to write that as Donelson's post wasn't there when I started! You know, I've still never been to Jim Hanley's? Midtown hooked me early on with their discount program.

On Midtown's indie TPB/OGN selection, some are mixed into the main racks, but I believe that's specifically Fantagraphics and Alternative Comics hiding in the back section. When I visited R!OT a couple of months back, I picked up farel dalrymple's pop gun war, which I'd never seen at Midtown, and all three of the original Bumperboy mini-comics. (Hoo-fucking-ray!) Shops like R!OT and Rocketship are a great thing for the industry, and if I had the money and wherewithal, it's the model I'd go with if I had my own shop.

I'd like to interject that Farel Dalrymple's talent and skill are without peer. He is quite possibly my favorite cartoonist.

I've never understood the appeal of Midtown Comics. It's the only shop in New York where I've ever experienced rudeness.

They were probably rude to you because you were walking around the store smoking a pipe and wearing your velvet robe.

I find they are nicest to me there when I wear my Tod McFarlane Wolverine vs. Hulk t-shirt and the Midtown Comics baseball cap that I bought from them for $22.50.

Rudeness?

I dunno. I don't want to sound like I work for Midtown, but I've never found the staff there anything but helpful. Maybe it's because they know my face and how much I spend each week, but I've never had trouble getting help, having questions answered, or having them start ordering copies of books they don't normally carry for me.

As for the height of the shelf at Rocketship, I don't know. I never measured it. My point is that it is not at eye/browsing level.

Which is fine. That's not where the store's target audience is.

Picky also makes a good point about the discount programs and assorted related materials (toys, novels, statues, etc) that are available at mainstream shops. I feel like I could go to Rocketship and get most of my books each week, but that I could get them cheaper elsewhere, and that I would still want to go to a mainstream shop to check out that other stuff. It's just easier to cut out the middle-man.

But at the end of the day, I want as many comic shops as possible in existence, and I want them to be different, so all this is moot.

Vive la difference!

"I'd like to interject that Farel Dalrymple's talent and skill are without peer. He is quite possibly my favorite cartoonist."

Agreed! I'm sure you have seen his pages on our wall... I look at them when I get sad.

-a

Oh, I've seen them. If you notice me walking out of the store on Friday night with a big square bulge under my jacket and empty spots on the wall where those pages used to hang, uh... it wasn't me?

Rocketship discount-

Sorry i'm late with this...

If you have a pull list with us, you get a 20 dollar credit for every 100 dollars you spend.

-a

Oh snap! We will have to discuss this "pull list" of which you speak...