CHEERS FOR COMICS

Atomic City Comics thrives by knowing exactly what the neighborhood wants.

BY JIM DANDENEAU

Ask Michael Yates What The

secret to his success as a comic shop owner is, and after fifteen uninterrupted minutes of old stories, several things become crystal clear. First, Yates has seen some stuff. He’s been a fan all his life, but he’s been selling comics since 1987. Back when Batman ’89 was coming out, everyone on South Street (Philly’s Greenwich Village equivalent, at the time) was selling bootleg Batman shirts except for Yates’ shop. “I couldn’t do that because we had artist friends,” Yates tells us. After Warner Bros. and Philly PD did a sweep of all the bootleg materials, the people from WB came back to his shop. “We’ve been looking at all the shops in Philadelphia, and you guys seem kind of different,” they said to Yates. “Do you want to host the sneak peek premiere for the Batman movie?”

This leads to the second thing that talking to Yates makes clear: there is historical and institutional knowledge behind the counter at Atomic City Comics that is tough to find in any business, let alone comics sales. Atomic City is the oldest Black-owned comic shop in Philadelphia, and very few shops have 35 years of experience behind the counter. Our conversation starts with pre-Batman ’89 sales; it goes through Dave Sim’s Cerebus and the birth of the graphic novel; the death and return of Superman; manga; romance comics; the current wave of new publishers; and con culture through the years.

Which brings us to the third thing Yates shows people in conversations about his success and the success of Atomic City: he pays attention. “My joke is we run the shop like a bar,” Yates says. “We know your name; we know your drink. And if something comes out that is kind of like your drink, we recommend it for you.”

Running comic shops for 35 years, Yates has been there for the ups and the downs. But “be like a good bartender to your customers” is probably the closest thing to a first principle you can pull out of talking with Yates. His goal is to ensure that everyone feels welcome in the shop, that they have a relationship with the folks who sell them their books, and that the store is responsive to the world around it. They stock what people are going to want to read and try to figure out what that is both for individual customers (“Every shop needs a guy that goes, ‘Hey, you, you’re not just leaving that Doom Patrol #1 on the table, are you?’”) and what’s on trend.

To this day, South Street, where Atomic City is located, has an eclectic vibe that is tough to find in many big cities. There are trendy sandwich shops next to old Greek restaurants next to sex shops next to comic stores surrounded by apartments. The whole neighborhood is vibrant and lived in, with a punk character that feels older than the individual stores. According to Yates, this tracks: South Street used to be a haven for punks and goths. “The Friday [The Crow opened, it was sold out everywhere. And we kept having goth kids walk in and see this bookshelf full of Crow trades, and they’re like, “Can I borrow [the store] phone a second?”

It’s fair to expect that Yates’ first principles will carry Atomic City into the future. “There’s an audience out there,” he tells us. “They’re coming in. I’m seeing them all the time. You have to engage with people and say ‘Hey, this is really cool.’” And hopefully, if the engagement can stay, so, too, will Atomic City.

Atomic City Comics is located at 638 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147. If your shop does something fun and unexpected tweet us @denofgeekus.