Quest Comic Shop unboxes comic media base
Demand for comic book-based media has skyrocketed, but the foundation of where these comics were originally discovered still remains prevalent to this day. Quest Comic Shop is a comic book store based in Carrollton, Georgia. Founder Greg Gowens has been in business for 35 years and the shop has seen the landscape of the comic world change.
Comics have been an art of storytelling for decades. Currently, comics are accessible digitally and have become more widespread. This made it easier and faster to get comics. That being said, instant access doesn’t always mean great quality.
“Most of our customers prefer copies they can keep,” said Virgil Gowens, Quest Comic Shop’s social media manager. “I also find it easier to read comics where you can look at the whole page rather than having to scroll on a phone or computer screen.”
When a comic is on a digital device, the content itself is the same, but the layout may be changed from the original. Webcomics can change the comic reading experience and the way the reader digests the story. Breaking away from the traditional portable comic format doesn’t always work in the comic world, but it can sometimes lead to other positive results.
Companies like Disney and Warner Brothers have propelled comic book properties to the forefront of media. By cohesively building movies, games, and cartoons, these two companies introduced timeless characters and the worlds they exist in, but also introduced characters that were never widely known. The steady rise in comic properties has not only retained loyal customers, but also attracted newbies who share the same passion for comics.
“Some people get into comics through the movies and want to know the origins of their favorite characters,” Virgil said. “Some of the unpopular characters too.”
In the early days of comics, physical paperback copies were the only way for a reader to experience their favorite characters and their world. These curious fans seek out comic book stores such as Quest Comic Shop to dig deeper into the origins and lore of their favorite character. The Quest Comic Shop is reliable due to its preservation of traditional print comics. These same comics give the reader a breakdown of the characters and provide a blueprint that could be used in future productions.
“We had people come in and say, ‘Hey, you got that show from 20 years ago? “, Virgil said. “All we do is point them to the book on the shelf.”
Although we exist in the age of technology, there is a remnant and a new era of comic book readers looking to connect with their favorite characters in tangible ways. Quest Comic Shop continues to be the mainstay and provides the comic community with a space in time to experience the timeless.
