Comic Book Candy

Only a few short months after the opening of their downtown location in Block 37, both Chicago Comic Vault locations will be closing. The first to close will be the downtown store, then the uptown location. Effective this week, both have stopped ordering new merchandise. Until closing, everything in both stores is 35% off, with some items (like toys) at 50% off. My time with Comic Vault as an employee and customer has been short-lived. Owner Matt Sardo has stated personal reasons for the closing of the stores, and though I may be privy to more details than the average customer, I won’t go into details as those are irrelevant to the discussion at hand. Owning and maintaining a comic book store, or any small business, is a very time consuming stressful endeavor, and I don't think less of anyone who decides it is not for them. At the end of the day, business is not an altruistic endeavor; you can't be in it for anyone but yourself. But I do hope for the comic book community...

The month of May brings more than just warm weather and summer blockbusters. For comic book fans the world over, especially those in Chicago, Free Comic Book Day is the shining beacon that marks the end of a long, cold winter. FCBD means those much touted event books from the Big Two are right around the corner, and comic book movie adaptations aren't far behind either. This year saw the release of Thor the same weekend as FCBD, while past releases have included Wolverine and Star Trek . Despite a large amount of store participation across the world, many fans still do not know what this wonderful event is about. Speaking from retail experience, many casual comic readers see posters for FCBD and think, "What's the catch?" Though every store has different criteria, the main idea remains the same. Stop in to your local comic book store on the first Saturday in May and you can get 1 or more free books specifically released for FCBD, no purchase necessary. These books ...