CULTURE
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[COMICS]
Second Print Apotheosis to open new Cherokee Street location by Free Comic Book Day in August Written by
JACK PROBST
I
t’s been a challenging fifteen months for potheosis omics. In order to avoid falling under the weight of Ragnarok — or rather, the global pandemic — the comic shop maintained business like many others by offering curbside pickup options and mail orders. owever, one thing that set them above the rest was the fact that they provided the only comic-book-and-beer delivery service in the area. s the saying goes Not all heroes wear capes. “I remember I delivered a single ud ight to a dude ten minutes away because he just needed a beer, and I was like, I feel you, man,” says owner artin asas. “I threw in some free comics, too. “ e had to figure out how to survive as uickly as possible, and in order to do that, we had to figure out what worked and what didn’t by constant trial by fire,” he adds. “The pandemic for us was training for the lympics. nd, you know, I like to think that we ualified.” Thanks to that willingness to go the extra mile for its customers, potheosis omics not only survived the pandemic but is thriving, and even gearing up to open a second store in ugust. The new potheosis location will occupy the former home of the beloved oam offee eer at South efferson venue. ut that’s not all. s asas explains, the purchase of the space also included the building orning lory iner will continue to reside in and the currently vacant former location for Street Ink, which they intend to rent out in the future. ithin the plan is a commitment to beautify their corner of herokee Street with murals from local artists.
The second location of Apotheosis Comics is expected to open in August on Cherokee with its own twists, including live performances. | JACK PROBST “I am going to enlist St. ouis muralists to put up some stuff on the side of the building,” asas explains. “ nd I also want to put up what I’m calling native futurism’ by a herokee artist, who will paint something to honor the herokee people.” The first potheosis ( potheosis rime, if you will) opened in September and has become a southcity staple for casual readers, those new to comics and mega nerds. The South rand location will still boast comics and beers but stay family oriented, with classes aimed at teaching games like ok mon and ungeons ragons to an all-ages audience. In addition, the upstairs game rooms have opened once again for those that want to grab a canned cocktail, roll the die and fight orcs with all the members in their party. eanwhile, the retail section at the new potheosis will be laid out similarly to how the rand location currently is set up. Shelves will line the walls with spots for single-issue comics and trade collections, along with other pop culture memorabilia. ut it will also
feature a few new twists. “The idea behind it is that we want you to step into a comic book,” asas says. “So it’s going to be white walls with black trim everywhere, so it looks like a comic panel. e will have two coolers one full of beer and one full of canned cocktails and different soda varieties. e’ll have a coffee shop in the back that will be selling lueprint offee.” lueprint offee is just one collaboration asas has planned for the new location. e’s hoping to create more partnerships with the businesses on herokee like his previous collaborations at the other location. ( ere’s a South rand easter egg from asas “ e have a ickle Rick pickle seltzer that if you take it to afe Natasha they’ll make you a rench with it.”) hile it’s not easy to pair physical comics with food without them becoming colorful placemats, the beverage menu can certainly complement any meal you order on herokee Street. nd asas’ wheels are always spinning, thinking up new ways local small businesses can work together.
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potheosis is St. ouis’ own ouse of Ideas, so don’t be surprised if someday you start seeing its single-issue spinner racks in other businesses around the city. or those wondering about the little platform that was oam’s stage It’s staying in place, and it will not be staying empty. asas wasn’t initially considering having any special events for the herokee location, but people started asking when news of the new spot hit. So, due to the demand, the new potheosis will hold weekly comedy shows again, pairing comics with comics in a delightful bit of synergistic wordplay. s far as music goes, potheosis isn’t here to replace oam. “ e will not have, like, loud thundering punk shows anymore,” asas explains, “but it will be something interesting from the community.” ear not, True elievers! Since the bones of the new location are in great shape, asas is confident that they will have the new site open by ree omic ook ay on ugust ! xcelsior! or updates on all things potheosis, visit apotheosiscomicsstl. com. n
JUNE 23-29, 2021
RIVERFRONT TIMES
31
