Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Mystery News & Notes!

ITEM, MYSTERY: Sometimes, when we purchase old comics here at Flying Colors (gotta update those old pix!), it takes us months to process the comics for sale. Recently, when going through a bunch of old comics we had purchased a few months ago, I stumbled upon the photo here.

It's a comic shop from sometime in the 1980s. A little dark, to be sure...but the store does look pretty well stocked full of comics and games. So the mystery is this--- does anyone reading this blog recognize the store in the photo? If you do, please let me know by hitting the comments link at the end of this blog post. Thanks!

ITEM, POLITICS: Did you know that our new President Obama is also our first admitted "Geek-in-Chief"? Well, if you didn't, just take a look at this latest piece in the ONION. The photo and story are copyright 2009 by the Onion--and well worth you hitting the link to catch the whole thing! Comedy gold!


ITEM, COMICS:
Over the last week, the Retailing Brigade here at Flying Colors has been busy re-stocking our impressive selection of back issue comics we have on display. Time for some bin-diving!

ITEM, COMICS II: Also in stock, but likely not for long, is a copy of Spider-Man's very first appearance from 1962 in AMAZING FANTASY #15. A low-grade copy to be sure, but it's a very solid copy for only $1300. YOu likely won't find another copy better and cheaper than this!

Hope to see you soon... in Flying Colors!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

6 comments:

heretic said...

I'm not sure, but it reminds me of Bob Sidebottom's old shop in Downtown San Jose.

Parker said...

Elementary, Watson. You see, the paneling is of the hue favored by...

Okay, I have no earthly. But I would have had a blast in there at the time.

Joe "FlyCoJoe" Field said...

I have it on good authority... namely that of a former frequent visitor to Bob Sidebottom's shop in San Jose... that this photo is not from that shop.

Some have deduced from the comics on the racks that this photo is likely from 1980 or '81.

Any other help here? Other guesses? Do you have old shots (pre-'88) of comic shops you want to share here? Send 'em on!

FlyCoJoe

Anonymous said...

I was a regular at Bob's store on East San Fernando Street in the mid-80s while attending grad school at SJSU, used to be part of the Friday night after-hours crowd that hung out, drank beer and listened to his voluminous collection of Jazz music. (He named his daughter Parker, after Charlie Parker).

At first I wasn't sure, but looking at it again, yeah, that's Bob's Comic Collector Shop.

Joe "FlyCoJoe" Field said...

That's two solid votes for ob Sidebottom's Comic Collector Shop.

I also have one solid vote from an old Comic Collector Shop devotee that swears this photo is not that shop.

In any case, it seems like the kind of place I used to hang out in early '80s... a Comics & Comix, Best of Two Worlds Berkeley vibe, but too small to be either of those shops.

I never went to Sidebottom's, but was always told that anyone of reasonable armspan could almost reach both walls inside the store.

Must have been great (read that: cheap) rent!

Peace!

FlyCoJoe

Anonymous said...

Sidebottom's shop was pretty small, and I think the roof leaked. But only when it rained. I'm pretty sure this isn't it--it's way too orderly. Could it be the Comics and Comics that opened and closed pretty fast in San Jose?