Inaugural Local Comic Shop Day Syncs Up with Holiday Shopping Boom This Week

To kickstart this season’s holiday shopping, nearly 400 friendly neighborhood comic shops around the country are teaming up for the inaugural Local Comic Shop Day (LCSD). This new event is designed to draw attention to independent comic book shops at a crucial time for these small businesses. On Saturday, Nov. 28, in conjunction with Small Business Saturday, local comic book shops around the country will offer exclusive items; including hardcover and variant covers.

“Local Comic Shop Day is a new event conceived and implemented by comic book retailers to call attention to locally owned independent comic bookstores, celebrating their unique and vital role in being the primary fire-starters of pop culture,” explains Carol & John’s Comic Book Shop owner John Dudas. “There will be many different exclusive books available that day, and CNJ's is one of only two shops participating in Northeast Ohio. These books will only be available at independent brick and mortar comic shops.”

Carol & John’s will begin the celebration Friday, Nov. 27, with its annual Black Friday Sale from 7 p.m. to midnight. Although the sale continues throughout the weekend, the real fun takes place during the five-hour event on Friday with raffles, revelry and more.

“This is our 20th time doing it, and it's our longest running shop event,” Dudas elaborates on the Black Friday Sale. “We open up our back room and its inventory, about 70,000 books, all for only $1 each. Everything else in the store is also on sale in one way or another.”

Saturday’s Local Comic Shop Day features more than 20 exclusive items. Highlights include Frank Miller’s highly anticipated Dark Knight III Master Race #1, Jughead #1 (limited to just 750 copies), Call of Duty Black Ops III #1 (of 6), hardcover editions of We Can Never Go Home, Bitch Planet and Space Riders, as well as a secret, limited edition Black Mask box set (three single-issue comics and two collected books), plus variant covers of Back to the Future #1 (of 5, 2500 copies), Luminae (Black & White Line Art Edition, 500 copies), Bengal’s Wolverine #1 (Black & White Sketch Variant, 500 copies) and oversized Treasury Editions of Invader Zim and Rick & Morty (containing issues #1 & 2, 8.5 in by 13 in.).

"Basically, the comic industry invented Free Comic Book Day,” reflects Dudas “Then, the record industry responded with Record Store Day. This is a response to that. I personally try to shop local every year on Small Business Saturday to stimulate our local economy. This is to help make that decision even easier for people."

Those of you on the east side of town can support Imaginary Worlds Comics (13446 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Hts.) during Local Comic Shop Day.

“Local Comic Shop Day is a great way for Marvel to give back to the comic book stores that support us,” says Marvel Senior VP of Sales & Marketing David Gabriel. “It has never been a better time for fans to jump in to the Marvel Universe, and we’re delighted to offer these two exclusive items. Head to your local comic shop on Saturday, November 28th to support Local Comic Shop Day.”

(Carol & John’s Comic Book Shop) 17462 Lorain Ave., 216-252-0606, cnjcomics.com