Stepping into the paneled universe

A novice’s guide to comic book stores with Jon Cohen of Beyond Comics

Visiting a comic book store for the first time can be intimidating.

For the uninitiated, the sheer volume of content can seem overwhelming, like stepping into a universe where every corner is bursting with colorful, larger-thanlife narratives. Comics are filled to the brim with multitudes of stories, legendary characters and genres that span decades of creative history.

More negatively, comic stores and the clientele they serve don’t have the greatest reputation for being accessible and welcoming. The fan base can be … passionately insular, shall we say.

Back in my day, even now, some self-appointed guardians of the medium want to act as gatekeepers, requiring a mysterious litmus test for entry into the club by defining for everyone else what comics are or should be.

Historically, comic-book culture itself, with its cliquey fan base, insider lingo, deep-rooted traditions and obsession with canon, can feel like a secret society, with its own rules and customs. In recent years, thankfully, the industry has made significant progress in becoming more inclusive, with more diverse characters, creators and stories. And comic shop owners, realizing that excluding readers doesn’t make for more sales, have worked hard to ensure the field is accessible to everyone.

In doing my part to get you (or your kids) into a comic book store, I reached out to my local comic-book store’s proprietor, Jon Cohen of Beyond Comics, and asked him for tips to ease potential readers through the doors of their local establishment.

Before you go, do a little research. What do you want to read? With dif-