Talkin' (Comic) Shop: Recommending to a Newbie

This may seem like a fairly simple and easy task: recommending a comic to a person who’s never read them. If you're a longtime reader, you likely have a vast knowledge base, but that's only one portion of the equation. For the better part of the last decade, I've dealt with an international clientele base of people from disparate countries and levels of interest: superhero fans from Brazil, neophytes from France... it's one of the benefits of working in a large metropolitan city.

Here are some things I learned over that time, in hopes that it helps you to get more people to read comics and join you in fandom.

- Find out what the other person likes: This is sometimes an overlooked step. Sure, everyone loves Batman and Spider-Man as a general statement, but that's not always the case, also, the reason you enjoy a character may not be the same as the other person's. Ask your new potential reader what they like about the character, and find the story that resonates with that aspect of the character the most. Did they like the Nolan Dark Knight series? Perhaps something a little darker, more reality based as opposed to psychotropic (so Snyder's Batman or Dini's Detective Comics run, Long Halloween, Batman Year One). In the instance that they DON'T like your favorite character, find some common ground: what genres do they enjoy? What are some movies and television shows they like? Licensed books are an easy way in, if it's based on a favorite property, but the challenge (and my favorite part of the job) is finding something that they wouldn't have considered, that they might actually enjoy based on genre. Saga is a broad choice, with its intergalactic politics, science fantasy and deeply personal family drama; it covers a lot of bases, which you should as well.

- Be informed: In my heyday, I would read 160 comics a month: I'd read 4 - 5 a day at work, 5 days a week, and I'd read another 20 at home. I've since come down from that number, and I know people who have read (and still read) more than I do. I'm not saying I'm the be-all, end-all of knowledge bases, but I kept up on all the prominent books, it was literally a part of my job. In this context I'm not saying you have to do what I did (more power to you if you're able to), but to seek out the information: keep up with the buzzworthy books by talking to someone who reads things you don't, checking out reviews or listening to podcasts. The biggest misconception of comics is that it's conflated with the superhero genre: not all comics are superhero comics, and not everyone wants to read superhero comics: branching out allows you to open yourself up to other literature, and helps you when making recommendations.

- For fans: take them to a shop! It's awesome if you have a huge collection, and can lend out from it, but if you don't feel like lending books out, or don't have the books, head to your LCS. Grab the book off the shelf, have a conversation, get a second opinion from the guys and gals working the store. I can't speak for every single store and for every single employee, but generally speaking, their job is to sell you comics. If they're good at it, they'll know the subject matter, and will be able to guide your friend to what they might like... they might even guide YOU to something new you might like!

- For LCS folks: listen to the regulars, but take chances. Listen to your regular customers, your week-to-week buyers. In all likelihood, you're basing your monthly orders on their purchases and/or subscriptions but don't be afraid to take a chance on something outside of their comfort zone. In order to expand past subs, you need to appeal broadly. It may not be possible to carry every single title (who has the time to keep up with all of that?) but finding the key sellers from smaller companies, or lines aimed at specific audiences (Boom Studios and Action Lab Entertainment have specific lines for young readers, as do other companies). If you don't handle orders and are just a staffer, having baseline knowledge of as much product as you can makes the difference. Try thinking of each title in as many different ways as possible: break down the genres represented, the different demographics the book appeals to and talk to your walk-ins and see what they're into and/or who else they may shop for (parents with kids, adults with nieces and nephews).