Drawn to Success

from Atlanta Intown - April 2016

by Rough Draft Atlanta: Atlanta Intown, Reporter Newspapers

Real Estate Briefs

Local comic book shops continue to thrive in digital age

Criminal Records in Little Five Points and My Parents’ Basement in Avondale Estates.

Criminal Records, a staple of Little Five Points since 1991, is a laid-back shop that carries an extensive selection of records, CDs and comics. Zano Ludgood, who heads up the comics department at Criminal, works at a small counter stacked high with comics that overflow into boxes on the floor and a nearby table. Posters and artwork plaster the walls, music plays over the sound system, and shelves are lined with products as far as the eye can see.

Ludgood has been working at Criminal for more than nine years, and is, as would be expected, a lifelong fan of comic books and comic culture. “I don’t even have a first memory of comics,” he said.

As a young man growing up in Acworth, he frequented Dr. No’s in Marietta, a comic shop established way back in 1977. When he later moved to Downtown Atlanta, he came across Criminal Records, and he quickly became a regular at the shop. “I started working here because I shopped here a lot,” he laughed. “When I found Criminal it was kinda like, ‘OK, this is my shop. When you shop for comics that’s a kinda big deal – finding a shop that’s a good fit for you.”

Indeed, the following at Criminal is almost cult-esque in their fervor for all things comic and vinyl. The subscriber list that numbers around 250 members is a solid endorsement for the lasting appeal of the shop. Being on the list as a subscriber means that the shop will pull and hold your desired new releases as they become available, and qualifies you for a discount.

Criminal Records hosts regular events that encourage the community to come out, meet one another and discuss comic books. The shop currently has three clubs: one that features a different graphic novel every month, another called the #1 club that features the top single issues from the previous month, and an all-ladies club. You

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By Isadora Pennington

Vinyl records are making a big comeback. Cassettes still have that “mix tape” nostalgia. The death of printed books was greatly exaggerated. While the way we listen to music and read stories continues to change and evolve, the affinity for comic books and graphic novels has not faded over time.

In fact, it would appear that as the average fan grows older, they often rediscover their passions for the comics that they grew up reading. There’s something that’s special about seeing and holding a physical, printed comic, something that just can’t be replicated with e-readers and tablets.