At The Counter #14: The Power Of The Signing

Welcome back to At The Counter, where our features editor Tony Thornley and 22 year comics retail veteran Greg Gage of Black Cat Comics in Salt Lake City, Utah, talk about the industry from the retailer’s perspective. This week, we look at some general downsides to running a small business, as well as some of the cooler aspects of running a comic book shop.

 

Tony Thornley: Welcome back Greg! Now that I’m back in town, we can get back into the normal swing of things … at least until you’re out of the normal swing of things for a little while. You hinted at your upcoming knee surgery last time we talked. As a small business owner, how does that affect you?

Greg Gage: Very much. It’s a pretty major surgery. Things like this make up a big part of the challenges of running a business. Part of my little reptile brain thinks, “Wow. Wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to worry about this stuff? Just pop in to work, pop out, and call it a day?” Then I have the realization that, not only do I love running this store, warts and all, but there is no way I can work for anyone else at this point in my life. I’m a much better boss than I am an employee. I’m lucky enough to have a staff that will be able to take care of things in my absence. I’m doing the store orders far in advance, so I just have to tweak a few things here and there. 

Tony: There’s so many challenges that face small business owners, and a health issue is probably the most complex you can deal with. How have you navigated these issues in the past?

Greg: Honestly, I’ve pretty much worked through it. I had a triple hernia operation a while back and was back in the store in two days. Unfortunately, that’s just the reality of owning a small business. 

Tony: So we talked really briefly last time that your annual anniversary signing is coming up — this weekend in fact. Now, when we talked about FCBD I think you mentioned this is probably your second biggest day of the year. You’ve got some massive talent lined up, ranging from big names like Steve Niles and Drew Zucker to up and coming talent like Rae Allen to local talent.

How early do you start working to put this together?

Greg: Early. I’ll start touching base with creators probably around October. With all the conventions and such throughout the year, I need to get a jump on things so I’m on their schedules as quickly as possible.

Tony: What goes into organizing a signing in general?

Greg: Oh, geez. Deciding who I’d like here, looking at con dates next year so they don’t bump up against them, airline tickets, hotel reservations, so, so much.

Tony: Has it ever felt like a competition with other shops in the area? Or has your timing usually worked out differently?

Greg: Not really. My anniversary is at a time between FCBD, or whatever it is now, and local cons, so it’s always a good time to set it up. 

Tony: Though this is usually your biggest signing event of the year, it’s far from your only. Why are creator signings so important to comic shops?

Greg: First off, it’s great to thank customers for what they do for us. If they don’t come in, we don’t stay open, so much like FCBD, or whatever it is now. It thanking people for their support. Also, years back before I had a store, I loved going to signings. It’s fun to find the faces and personality behind the work.

Tony: From the creator perspective, why is a shop signing valuable versus a convention?

Greg: It’s more personal. There’s more time for interaction with fans. And shops will always (or should, at least) order the creator’s books. Most of those that I order are creator owned, so that money goes into both of our pockets ultimately. 

Tony: How is it different from a convention for the creators?

Greg: Well, I can only speak for my own events, but it’s more laid back. I try to make it like a vacation of sorts. 

Tony: So we usually talk about two topics, and this year has got me thinking. There is a huge amount of geeky media this year — there’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, Masters of the Universe, Supergirl, Spider-Man all just this summer, and the next Avengers movie is going to hit around Christmas.

Gone are the days of the movie adaptation one-shot or miniseries (at least prior to the movie), but how do you see these pieces of media affect things in the store?

Greg: My situation is a little different because I’m across the parking lot from a movie theater, so as soon as they walk out of the show, the first thing they see is my store. That’s a double edge sword, though. Not to be too specific, but if you need any Black Adam comics, I can make you a deal…

Tony: Now I say the adaptations are gone, but for some reason, Marvel is doing Star Wars adaptations months, if not years, after the fact (but not MCU releases). Are these series big movers for you?

Greg: Not huge. Spinoffs, like Shadow Of Maul, do better. Only hardcore Star Wars completists are picking up all of those adaptations. There is a certain level of nostalgia among a younger generation that helps a bit, but they don’t typically sell near as well.

Tony: I know some people talk about comic books just being IP factories for the film studios. Could studios do a better job to help the industry though?

Greg: They could. I don’t know if this is true, but I’m assuming that they can’t advertise shops on screen. I think it would be great if they would, but with big ass companies owning theater chains and other big ass companies owning the publishers, there’s probably a conflict of interest in their eyes advertising someone else’s stuff. 

Tony: What do you think is most needed to change things, one way or another?

Greg: Streamlining things. Working together. Fixing confusing things, like FCBD (or whatever it’s called now), shipping, distribution, etc. I’d love to see all publishers at all distributors. That’s never going to happen, but having that backup and choice would help us so much.

Tony: Now, we are going to take a break for a few weeks for you to recover. We all wish you the best in your recovery!

Greg: Thank you! Happy Father’s Day, Juneteenth, and World Juggler’s Day, which is, as I’m sure all of you know, also falls on June 20th this year.  

Black Cat Comics is on the web at https://blackcat-comics.com/ and via all the usual social media channels. If you live in or are visiting the Salt Lake City area, you can visit the store at 2261 Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106, or call Greg and his team at (801) 461-4228.