Coast City Comics
656 Congress St.; (207) 776-1719
www.coastcitycomics.net

Coast City Comics was a surprise because usually I’d be satisfied with a store like Casablanca in my town. I am not sure if it is quite necessary to have two comics stores within a few blocks of each other in a small city like Portland, but one thing for sure is that Coast City Comics is bringing the competition.

Only in its third month since opening, Coast City Comics had me at “hello”. It has a good natured-friendly vibe to artists, not just comic readers. I felt welcome on a whole other level. Yes, there were comics, but there were also illustrations visible in the store window, t-shirts designed by local artists, and mini-comics from the burgeoning scene of creators in Portland. This store felt more like a hub where artists could share their work and be discovered by the regular Joe.

I already covered Casablanca in a previous post, and if I were to compare the two, I’d say Casablanca is that really cool older guy who has sold comics to you your whole life. Coast City Comics is your best friend from college opening a comic store with all your favorite stuff you used to love (and still love!). And the metaphor isn’t too far from reality! Coast City Comics was opened by Gerald von Stoddard, who also happened to be behind the counter during my visit. He spoke about the new opening and we traded a few words about the Disney/Marvel news. It was like catching up with an old friend where the comics talk always somehow made its way into the conversation. He also pointed out that some of his closest friends were also the artists behind the T-shirts I was perusing through (and bought!).

I enjoyed both stores. I enjoyed the mini-comics, graphic novel, and the T-shirt I settled on. I was stressed out all morning just trying to find a place to have lobster rolls and crab chowder, but I relaxed when I walked into these stores. In the end, I’m just happy I don’t live in Portland. I’d find it really tough who I’d give my loyalty to.

PS. Gerald showed me a Mighty Mugg character he designed of his business partner! I was really sad when I got back to my car and realized I should have taken a picture of my Munny Me with his Mighty Mugg. Gerald, send me a photo or post one up here in the comments section… and maybe our toys will meet again!

Athens is a real nice town and I’d love to chill there more. It’s kind of like a cooler Savannah with lots more to do, all within walking distance of each other. It seems like in Savannah, because of those squares, things are much further away. In Athens, its just perfect.

It’s similar to Savannah because UGA, the University of Georgia, is the town. A lot of things go down on College Ave, like the outdoor concert that was happening across the street from the comics fest. There were plenty of young Georgia students out partying and having a good time. Seems like comics and coeds can coexist, and it is a beautiful thing.

Here are some more pictures from the trip!

Here is the entrance to Tasty World. Go upstairs for Fluke! Oh, make sure you wear your festival button though, or they wont let you in!

This is just a taste of what the inside looks like.

We chilled with Dave and Josh, and gave away our minis at their table. Such great guys, awesome work and attitudes. Thanks again to Dyson Press for the quick printing turnarounds! I recommend them highly for all sorts of publishing.

I probably gave away hundreds of this mini. Of course, Dave had me on some wicked mushrooms, so I don’t exactly remember how much I gave away.

We hit up the Bizarro Wuxtry comics shop. It was a comic place that offered a wide range of comics, specializing in hard to find and rare books. They also had a sweet vinyl shop below it. It is a must for any Fluke attendee, especially when it’s three blocks away from the festival.

It was completely overwhelming.

So many books!

What a great weekend, even if it was a few hours spent actually being somewhere. We had a blast on our car ride, as it was a beautiful drive. I recommend going at least once, and experiencing comics in a completely new and refreshing way. And get some indie points on the way!

Thanks for reading!