For many people, there’s nothing better than hunting through the racks of a comic shop to find something new to read. But with comic shops across the country temporarily closed, that’s become much harder to do. Comic book retailers are coming up with creative ways to get new stories into readers hands and to capture the feeling of heading to a comic shop to find a new read. Several stores have created personal shopping and recommendation programs to share their comic book knowledge and get new stories into the hands of people who need them!
Check out a few of the CBLDF retailer stores that are connecting with their customers to recommend new reads. You might just find your new favorite comic! To find more local comic shops who are still operating, head over to our Retailer Spotlight.
Books With Pictures
Portland, Oregon
Books With Pictures is an Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer–nominated comic shop in Portland, Oregon. With an explicitly inclusive mission, they focus on carrying a wide array of books with a representation of diverse perspectives. Books With Pictures is offering customers an exciting personal shopping experience. Give them a budget and some info on what you typically like to read and they’ll handpick an assortment of comics and graphic novels they think you’ll like and ship them out to you!
They’re also posting fun lists of recommendations by genre on their Facebook page.
Fill out the form here to get your personal shopping done!
Check out Books With Pictures website here: https://bookswithpictures.com/
Collector’s Paradise
Pasadena, California
Collector’s Paradise has served the LA community since 1994. Known by their customers for their awesome recommendations, Collector’s Paradise has created the Collector’s Paradise CURATED program. Choose from one of their eight most requested graphic novel selections: Marvel, DC, Image, Boom, Dark Horse, Mixed Indy, Young Adult, or All Ages and they’ll send you a curated selection of 3–4 graphic novels that they think are essential reading along with a few bonus #1 issues. Sign up for 1 to 3 months of the service here.
Check out the store’s full website: https://www.comicsandcards.net/
Third Eye Comics
Annapolis, Maryland
Third Eye Comics is Annapolis, Maryland’s friendly neighborhood comic shop. They have several awesome programs to recommend customers new comics remotely. The first is their Third Eye Personal Shopper Service. Email Third Eye with your name and several times you’d be available for a personal shopping session. Third Eye will then set you up with a Zoom call, where they video chat with you, walk you through the shop, answer questions, show you product, and of course make recommendations! Once you’ve found your comics, you can pick them up curbside, or have them shipped or delivered.
That’s not the only way you can score some awesome recommended reading! Readers can also check out the Third Eye Binge Box. Each month choose from one of three different categories and receive a binge box with three graphic novels hand picked by the Third Eye Team!
Check out Third Eye’s website here: https://thirdeyecomics.com/
CBLDF is providing resources for retailers throughout this crisis at https://cbldf.org/coronavirus