"comics are merit based" and you look in comics and its the same 20 white guys in roughly the same age group getting hired over and over. and then the 2 women who are allowed to write bimbo books and the 1 old lady we wheel out for status quo white woman stories.
My LCS Scares Me, or, How to Buy Comics at the Store
Why does my LCS put that there? Do the people who work there hate me? What even is an LCS?! ALL I WANT TO DO IS BUY BLORBO COMICS. Fear not, friends. I am here to help.
First off: this advice is mainly for US-based comic shops, although the definitions and other information presented here may help you. This guide includes definitions, significant dates, and common questions.
Words to Know
LCS: Local comic shop.
Trade, TP, TPB: Trade paperback, softcover, etc. Usually, these are collected editions of comics originally published in single issues, but some comics are published directly in TPB or hardcover format.
HC: Hardcover.
GN: graphic novel. “What is the difference between comics and graphic novels?” None. Sometimes elitism or an attempt to sound more academic. Some people will use “graphic novel” to refer to trades specifically, and some will use the term to designate comics they think are more worthy of being taken seriously.
Floppies or Singles: Individual issues of comics.
Distributor or Distro: Printers send their books to distributors, and distributors send books to comic shops. Previously, Diamond had a monopoly, but they went bankrupt and were purchased in a pretty confusing fiery blaze in 2024-2025 that messed up orders and billing for a lot of stores. They don’t really distribute comics anymore.
Pull List or Subscription: A free or paid service provided by comic shops where you ask the shop to “pull” a series for you every time it comes out, and in exchange you basically guarantee to show up and buy the book(s) they held for you. It might be free or might involve a one-time fee. I don’t believe there’s typically a recurring fee, since most will provide a discount to pull list customers when they get their stuff. Some might ask for a card to keep on file, but I’m only guessing at that because I’ve had so many people ask.
Back Issue: Older issues, basically anything from last week and beyond.
Slab/Slabbed Books: Books that have been graded by a grading authority like CGC and are now in a protective plastic case.
Bronze, Silver, Golden, Modern Age: These designate different periods of time that comics were published in.
Omnibus and Compendium: Honestly, I don’t really know what the difference between these is. They can be hardcover or softcover, and usually collect an entire series, frequently in one book. If they can’t fit in one book, they’ll be divided into volumes.
Reprint, Printing, Print Run: When publishers receive orders from shops, they’ll print a certain number of books. This is a print run. Books printed in the first print run are part of the first printing. Any subsequent print runs are usually of less value (if the book had value to begin with). Books from later runs will be designated second printing, third printing, etc., and called a reprint. The printing is included in the barcode on modern books, and is the last or second-to-last number in the code, depending on the publisher. 1=first, 2=second, and so on.
Facsimile: Fax-im-uh-lee. Shout out to the guy who called it a fashimeel. A facsimile is an exact or near exact replica of a book, as it was originally printed, including original ads and other matter. Usually new facsimiles will have an updated price and bar code that was not present on the original, if the original is that old. I believe there are some old facsimiles or reprints that are difficult to distinguish from the original, but they’re rare. Some people will confusingly refer to facsimiles as reprints, but they’re two different things.
Variant, Variant Cover: Alternate covers to a book that are not the regular or A cover. These are referred to by letter (B, C, etc.) and designated on the barcode as either the last or second-to-last number(s). DC charges $1 more for variants. All companies charge more for foils or other special treatment covers.
Regular or A Cover: The “normal” cover for a book.
Ratio Variant or Money Variant: Shops have to order a certain number of any “open order” covers (regular and variant covers that can be ordered freely) to get one of these. They can be anything from 1 in 3 to 1 in 1000 or more. Prices are at the discretion of the individual shop. Usually ratio variants over 100 or maybe 250-300 are special books found in blind bags, like a signed copy or unique original art cover.
Short Box: A storage box that holds 150 comics.
Long Box: a storage box that holds 300 comics.
FOC: Final Order Cutoff. The last possible date for shops to order books for a release week. It’s important to get your preorders in before this day, so a book is guaranteed to be held for you.
Dates and Events to Know
New Release Day: Every. Wednesday. Barring, like, Christmas or something, in which case publishers or distributors tell shops if they’re allowed to sell books either early (Tuesday) or late (Thursday). This is when new books come out and you’re allowed to buy them!
Free Comic Book Day: This is the first Saturday in May, every year. Comic shops purchase bundles of books to give out for free. These may be limited per customer, depending on the shop, or not at all. Free comics are frequently reprints of popular or classic issues, sometimes with alternate covers, and generally include an assortment for all age ranges. This has become a bit iffy since it was run by Diamond, but it happened last year, so hopefully it will continue.
Local Comic Shop Day: This is arranged by ComicsPro, a comic retailer organization. The date varies. In 2026, it will be on September 27th. This is another date where you’ll find free books and special printings of existing books.
Trick Or Read: This comes out around Halloween or at least the month of October. They’re mostly free books for kids and sometimes special reprints, and different companies might release other Halloween themed books to give out (pretty sure the Trick or Read banner is only Marvel or Penguin Random House or something.)
And Now, Questions…
When do new books come out?
Wednesday! Most series have a new book monthly, although some series, like Amazing Spider-Man, come out twice a month. Sometimes a very limited series or special event book will come out weekly until it’s over. Shops aren't supposed to sell books early, but some might allow you to, especially if they know you.
Will the book I’m buying come out the same week every month (like every second week or something)?
In all likelihood, no. Apparently this used to be the case, but no longer. A book could come out the first week of one month and then last week the next.
Is it ok to ask questions, not know where things are, loiter, ask what words mean, when books come out, stare at the same shelf for a really long time or flip through 1200 books issue by issue until I either buy something or leave?
Yes. Everyone does these things, which is why I listed them. If an employee asks if you need help, it’s because 1) we’re retail employees and 2) even seasoned shoppers don’t know where anything is. Also, it is a collectible store. We do expect you to rifle through stuff for extended periods of time.
What are the best ways to find out information about any comics?
If you’re at the store or want to call or email, just ask an LCS employee. We can look it up from the business side if we don’t know.
For covers, volume, publishing info: mycomicshop has a great search feature.
For catalogues, the front page of Lunar Distribution has a few PDFs available. Note that they publish DC and a variety of indie imprints, but not Marvel or…well, some other indie imprints.
For new stuff next week or within the month: Midtown Comics usually is very accurate. Hot tip: you can use their site to look stuff up and then order from your own LCS. You can also use League of Comic Geeks or CLZ, especially for releases that are farther away, but they’re more likely to be wrong, especially if dates were moved around or delayed.
How do I start a pull list or pre order books?
Stores with large online sites usually have a feature to do this for shipping or pick-up. Smaller shops might have this online, but they may require that you come in person to make the pull list. Usually you talk to an employee and set up some contact information, maybe put a card on file, and tell them what books you want. If they use an automated system, there may be a one-month delay if you place your order after FOC, but sometimes not. Pre orders may be restricted to pull list customers, but they also might not be--it depends on the store, and again, this may be a non-issue with a store that has a large online website that just bills you when your books come in (particularly if you're a shipping-only customer) or they can eat the cost if you don't show up.
Do shops have extra inventory "in the back" that we have to ask for? How do I know if something is out of stock?
There are some shops that might hold inventory seen as high value or that they might hold for people who ask, but generally this is frowned upon, especially by customers. Books are likely out of stock if you can't find them, but since shops can be confusing to navigate anyway, we don't mind you asking! Shops do not re-order out of stock floppies, except as special orders for customers. (There may be exceptions out there, but it really doesn't make sense for comic shops to restock books. We have very thin margins and a lot of books only sell out because we ordered very very few in the first place). We often restock other kinds of merch that sell well, like TPBs and toys and cards, but it depends on what it is, like any other business.
Why is my shop closed Monday and/or Tuesday?
A lot of businesses in general are closed these days, but for an LCS specifically, they're probably unpacking books and doing the pull list. This is a long process that takes hours of sorting old books, unpacking new ones, taking inventory, pricing, and sorting books for subscriptions while accounting for special requests and last-minute orders. If they have limited space or limited staff (and most do), they might be closed just so they can work without serving walk-in customers as well. If they are open, don't be surprised if they're very busy or have some inventory out that you cannot yet purchase.
I picked something up and don’t know where to put it back. Should I put it somewhere that looks right?
Would you do that in a library? In a store, it’s not a capital offense, but I can almost guarantee that we would prefer you ask us to put it back than find it somewhere weird after we spent two weeks telling people we were sold out. Also, it’s better to hand it back to us than possibly damage a book trying to squeeze it into some weird place. (This is mostly for new books. Shops that only carry old ass books that they keep in long boxes are usually not as organized, so just try to find whereabouts you got the thing, if possible.)
Why is every LCS organized in different and inscrutable ways?
A comic shop is kind of like if antique stores received 300 pieces of new merchandise per week. You know how antique stores only make sense to the people who work there, and even that’s being generous? Yeah.
Why do some comic shops only sell old stuff and some get new books in?
Some are effectively just collectible stores and some are…well, a comic shop where you can get new stuff. idk, honestly, but this is the way it is.
My LCS has boxes and bins and cabinets and shelves. How do I find what I’m looking for, and how do I know if I’m allowed to look through something?
I hate to say it, but ask. Every shop really is different, but most expect people to walk in and start going through books or even boxes. Ideally, new releases should be on some kind of wall that is more obvious or labeled as such. Sometimes these walls will include new books that week plus earlier issues, or they’ll separate that week’s issues from all prior issues. Bins and boxes have old stuff, but that could be anything from 1950 to last week. Hopefully it will be organized by era, but it could be by company or in alphanumeric order or, remember, “antique store employee sorting 250 pieces of merchandise” order. Just ask. It’s okay if you ask more than once.
Why should I even buy books from a comic shop? DC and Marvel and Penguin Random House are just giant, shitty corporations or owned by them.
First of all, there are lots of indie publishers out there. Secondly: An LCS is a small, local business that deals in a highly specific print-first product. Not only is it a great social outlet, but you are supporting a small business in your community by shopping at one. LCS orders also tell publishers how books are doing and whether to make more, so keeping a pull list and/or showing up to buy new books is the best way to tell even indie publishers what you want to spend your money on! If that isn’t enough, comic shops are the only authorized carriers for Direct Market Exclusive book covers, and even direct market exclusive copies of stuff like the new Invincible game.
I can’t get to an LCS. How do I support my nearest LCS or buy books directly?
Not every comic shop has a website you can buy stuff on, but a lot do! While it’s tempting and convenient to use much larger shops, do take the time to check what the nearest shop with an updated website is. Chances are they ship to you, and you’ll still be supporting an independent, and likely still small, local or local-ish business. Even if you have to order from a shop outside your area, please do consider it just as crucial as ordering from any other independent book shop over a large corporation.
There you have it, folks. A lot of this does boil down to "it depends," and your LCS may be more of a collectible or toy or game store. It is a funky little industry propped up by lots of small businesses, creators, and collectors. I hope this helps a little with your comics journey!
thinking about how Jason's apartments are shown to be serial killer pristine but Dick keeps house like an emancipated sixteen year old. if they lived together they would kill each other
hate to tell you guys but being annoying online is not enough. you do have to actually buy comics.
being shocked when a comic doesn't get an ongoing when you didn't show up to buy it, or masses you thought agreed with you didn't show up to buy it, is not enough. They keep churning out nostalgia bait because men 35+ show up to buy comics. In the actual store, even. Your theoretically favorite book about a character who doesn't get anything got nuked because nobody bought it.
Likewise, these companies have got to stop putting together dogshit teams for minority character books. They do not appear to have a way to identify that books about marginalized characters will not sell if they suck, but might sell if they invested in them. Maybe that's intentional.
But, seriously. If you do think something should keep going, you actually have to vote with your dollar. There are hundreds or thousands of people involved at every stage of making and selling comics, and a lot of them want to see Black characters with good books and women who aren't bimbos in every fucking book and queer characters who have stories about something other than how gay they are. You can kill a book with an online smear campaign, but you can't extend its life without sales.
If nothing else, if you're busy being mad at DC and Marvel for being corporate assholes, and you don't want to support the hundreds of artists, writers, colorists, letterers, and even editors who work for them...go read some indies. Some of them are even about super heroes.
Like how boring is it for them to be like "from childhood Jason was born to be Reckless and Homicidal" and then in current canon he's just some guy who hangs out with the bats and doesn't kill or use guns or have a significant difference of opinion with any of them? So we remove the actual tragedy of Jason's death, or remove the tragedy from Jason's hands, since yknow the only thing that matters is that Bruce failed to "save" him from himself, and then Jason is not even a character with significant negative presence anymore. What is the point of any of it? I mean that sincerely, like... who gives a shit, then? If you can be evil from childhood and fated to die because you're poor and mean, and then immortalized in a more important character's story as the Mean and Bad Failure, and then you just get reduced to a vaguely bad-boy character who is as willing to cooperate and be obedient as everyone else (and in that I mean roughly as disobedient as everyone else, too, not significantly different in how often he argues or what opinions he argues with), then what . Is the Point. Of the Story.
what do u think about a dicktim arranged marriage? maybe everything is the same… tim is still robin, RR still happens, but then when tim turns 18 his parents lawyers are like “oh btw to get ur inheritance from ur mom u have to honor this marriage contact” and it turns out Tim has been engaged to Dick for like 10 years and he lowkey doesn’t have a choice
yeeeees fun. At the bare minimum Bruce must have known about it, and Dick would have at some point found out, so there's that element of betrayal because Tim has been in their lives for YEARS and no one told him anything. Even if they assumed he knew...it should have come up! It really doesn't help that Tim has lived with Bruce on and off and to the public (and most people around them!), he thinks, he and Dick are like brothers. It sucks!!!! Even tho....the thought of being contractually bound to Dick for the rest of his life would have been a wet dream for his younger self
So much has gone on, his relationship with Dick has changed permanently since BftC and Red Robin, and now they're going to have to pose for pictures and kiss and hold each other on camera...the WE/DI marriage is practically a Gotham royal wedding.
dick maybe even thought that Tim's obsession with he and Bruce had something to do with the arrangement, and he was determined (after yk, initial meetings) to be nice to the kid just because the whole thing was screwed up, and each of them had this bit of freedom taken away long ago...he excused Tim's puppy crush as a fascination because of the marriage contract, and tried to keep his only feelings under wraps as tim got older. But then red robin happens and tim almost *dies* and well. Maybe dick welcomes the opportunity to keep tim by his side, at least theoretically :3 but once again, tim is betrayed and angry because dick kept something from him,...
there is something to Jason's obsessive organization...the everything being just-so, that speaks to control issues so deeply rooted in immense anxiety...so very suited to a guy who has experienced death, who tried to take a situation by the horns as a kid and ended up tied up & betrayed & dead. he can't rely on others the same way ever again. he can't rely on that childish sense of immortality ever again & we see him actively throw himself into situations he intends to be fatal over and over again. (He's not even allowed to choose how he dies.)
he can't live and he can't die and he can't control shit when it comes down to it. but look at that sick knife display cabinet 👍
