The early 1970s saw the birth of the modern comic book shop, which would soon replace drugstores and newsstands as the main source of superheroes and sequential art. Their rise was due in large part to a dynamic high school teacher-turned-entrepreneur, Phil Seuling. His direct market model allowed shops to get comics straight from the publishers, bypassing middlemen. Stores could better customize their offerings and independent publishers could now access national distribution. In this way, shops opened up a space for quirky ideas to gain an audience and helped transform several small-press series, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Bone, into media giants. At the same time, the business model meant stores bore most of the risk as they faced a pattern of booms and busts. Comic Shop is the first book to trace the history of the modern comic book shop, which since the 1970s has opened up a space for quirky ideas to gain and audience and helped transform several independent series, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Bone, into media giants. Dan Gearino takes us to the present day, when the rise of digital platforms has the industry at a crossroads even as sales are robust.

He spends a year with stores around the country, with a spotlight on Laughing Ogre in Columbus, Ohio--itself fast becoming a center for independent comics culture. Along the way he interviews those who shaped comics retailing from the early days, including many pioneering women. A guide to forty of the most interesting shops around the United States and Canada is a bonus for fans.