For my comic shop visit, I have decided to revisit JPM comics in Glendora. In my previous visit, I had been on a desperate search for a hardcover copy of Angel: the Last Fall in hopes of living in the universe of a TV that ended in the early 2000s. I had went to others, including Earth 2 Comics in Northridge, and I had not found the comic. There were plenty of recent releases at Earth 2 and I checked out the Buffy and Angel section and saw a few copies of recent season 8 issues, along with some omnibus series. Compared to JPM, their selection was about the same; the recent issues were put out on display, along with newer hardcovers and hot issues. I saw a lot of recent super hero renditions, like Green Lantern, and the older comics were in boxes that were sorted in alphabetical order.
I chose to do my report on JPM in specific because they asked me what I was looking for when I was looking around. My eyes had somehow breezed over the Angel comic and they had told me where it was when I was looking for it, and gave it to me fifty percent off. It was the most pleasant experience! When I went back for a second time, the guy didn’t recognize me at first but when I mentioned the comic, he said he remembered. Whether he did or not, the guy was really awesome and made me feel as though I was in a truly friendly environment. The comic book store is about 15 minutes away from my house and is very crowded; there are action figures of super heroes, some statue busts, cardboard cutouts, posters—everything you can imagine from super heroes to Star Wars.
Although I am not an avid comic book reader, I am a huge fan of Whedon, so I didn’t feel totally alienated. The shop definitely gives off a vibe that, if one were not indulged in the comic lifestyle, could make someone feel left out. The role of super heroes in this shop was huge and looked as though it couldn’t exist without it. Although their were comics of stuff like Firefly, Buffy, Star Wars, and other things not exclusively ‘super hero’, the shop was mostly made up entirely of individual comics and graphic novels of Batman, in a variety of adaptions, along with Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. The action figures, busts, and games were all mostly centered around the super hero world. I thought it was really interesting how there are still new comics about heroes that have been popular for so long. Comics that my dad had read as a kid are now revamped and ‘modernized’, with really awesome colorists and fancy hardcovers.
Although I loved this comic book shop and they were more than happy to assist me in both of my visits, I would say that this comic book shop was not my absolute favorite, but one of my top picks for sure. I had visited another comic book shop with my dad to see the Buffy and Angel comics, and saw that one store had a complete isle dedicated to Whedon. I was in heaven. They had a huge selection of Buffy comics, almost all of them I think, and I was pleased to see that they had respected someone that has a huge fan base when other comic stores I had visited seemed to sleep on his mastery. However, JPM still had a good selection and was a pleasant visit.
As for personality of the store, I would say it was similar to most of my comic store visits. However, some comic book stores I have been to can be a little bit cold and uninviting, with guys talking about presumably insider comic and hero stuff behind the register and paying little to no attention to the people walking about. JPM was not like that. Although the workers to often talk, they pay attention to the customers. Therefore, it was a very inviting experience. The packed nature of the store made it feel like you can see everything at one time. In a few quick steps, I had already passed by comics stacked on white dividers and boxes filled with various issues.
I had a very good experience with this visit. They helped me get my book I was looking for (before I had discovered the ease of Amazon) and were equally as welcoming for my second visit. Attached is a picture of the book I bought. I had left a review on Yelp after my first visit because the experience was so pleasant. I will definitely be calling them for any more comic needs. Besides, they are down the street from my house. That’s what I call a friendly neighbor!
I chose to do my report on JPM in specific because they asked me what I was looking for when I was looking around. My eyes had somehow breezed over the Angel comic and they had told me where it was when I was looking for it, and gave it to me fifty percent off. It was the most pleasant experience! When I went back for a second time, the guy didn’t recognize me at first but when I mentioned the comic, he said he remembered. Whether he did or not, the guy was really awesome and made me feel as though I was in a truly friendly environment. The comic book store is about 15 minutes away from my house and is very crowded; there are action figures of super heroes, some statue busts, cardboard cutouts, posters—everything you can imagine from super heroes to Star Wars.
Although I am not an avid comic book reader, I am a huge fan of Whedon, so I didn’t feel totally alienated. The shop definitely gives off a vibe that, if one were not indulged in the comic lifestyle, could make someone feel left out. The role of super heroes in this shop was huge and looked as though it couldn’t exist without it. Although their were comics of stuff like Firefly, Buffy, Star Wars, and other things not exclusively ‘super hero’, the shop was mostly made up entirely of individual comics and graphic novels of Batman, in a variety of adaptions, along with Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. The action figures, busts, and games were all mostly centered around the super hero world. I thought it was really interesting how there are still new comics about heroes that have been popular for so long. Comics that my dad had read as a kid are now revamped and ‘modernized’, with really awesome colorists and fancy hardcovers.
Although I loved this comic book shop and they were more than happy to assist me in both of my visits, I would say that this comic book shop was not my absolute favorite, but one of my top picks for sure. I had visited another comic book shop with my dad to see the Buffy and Angel comics, and saw that one store had a complete isle dedicated to Whedon. I was in heaven. They had a huge selection of Buffy comics, almost all of them I think, and I was pleased to see that they had respected someone that has a huge fan base when other comic stores I had visited seemed to sleep on his mastery. However, JPM still had a good selection and was a pleasant visit.
As for personality of the store, I would say it was similar to most of my comic store visits. However, some comic book stores I have been to can be a little bit cold and uninviting, with guys talking about presumably insider comic and hero stuff behind the register and paying little to no attention to the people walking about. JPM was not like that. Although the workers to often talk, they pay attention to the customers. Therefore, it was a very inviting experience. The packed nature of the store made it feel like you can see everything at one time. In a few quick steps, I had already passed by comics stacked on white dividers and boxes filled with various issues.
I had a very good experience with this visit. They helped me get my book I was looking for (before I had discovered the ease of Amazon) and were equally as welcoming for my second visit. Attached is a picture of the book I bought. I had left a review on Yelp after my first visit because the experience was so pleasant. I will definitely be calling them for any more comic needs. Besides, they are down the street from my house. That’s what I call a friendly neighbor!