Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Nov 19, 2014 10:23:13 GMT -6
Mesa Comics of Mesa, Arizona, has opened with a new location and a new co-owner; original owner Joe Clark has teamed up with new co-owner Michael Girard, who brings his experience with games into the mix. The new store will offer not only comics and graphic novels but also game tournaments, custom printing, and a space for designing cosplay costumes.
www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/mesa/article_0901f966-6c66-11e4-b798-93b91cb06a7e.html
New name, new location for comic book store in Mesa
A comic book store specializing in graphic novels, gaming and collectables opened in a new and more profitable location in Mesa this month.
Mesa Comics offers single-issue comics and graphic novels ranging from Marvel and DC Comics to the Japanese-style manga. The store also hosts card trading tournaments for games like Magic: The Gathering weekly for participants of all ages.
“This is our sports teams for those who are not jocks,” said co-owner Michael Girard.
The store will offer customized printing in the next two weeks, and it will offer people a place to design costumes for cosplay purposes by the end of the year.
Mesa Comics was known originally as Hot Ace Comics and Collectables, which opened in 2011 and was located near the Apache Trail in Mesa. Owner Joe Clark closed that store at the beginning of the year and relocated to Power Road and renamed the store Mesa Comics prior to its Nov. 1 opening. Clark partnered with Girard, who brought his experience of card trading and gaming to the store.
Clark started reading comics when he was 8 years old and said his favorite has always been Iron Man, “the self-made hero.”
“The fascination of something different, something that separates everything from reality was kind of neat to see,” he said.
Mesa Comics features some of his favorites as well as classic hero comics from the Marvel and DC universes such as Batman and Spider-Man, a variety of issues created by smaller American publisher Image Comics, and a full line of comic books from independent writers. Clark said “The Walking Dead” comics have been the most popular among customers so far.
Mesa Comics also allows customers to play card trading games at the store, including Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering, which has been the most popular among players. Girard not only oversees gaming tournaments but tries to teach children interested in card trading how to play.
Girard was introduced to gaming by his sister as a teenager soon after Magic: The Gathering was released in 1993. Then, after Decipher Entertainment Inc. released the Star Wars Customizable Card Game in 1995, Girard was hooked. He played Star Wars for five years and then went on to work for Decipher in Norfolk, Va.
Years later, Girard moved to Gilbert to co-own the store Desert Sky Games. He eventually left that store and helped Clark open Mesa Comics.
The owners said the new location is more ideal than the previous one since Mesa Comics is so close to Loop 202 and several schools. They said they have experienced enough foot traffic in the past two weeks to keep them hopeful for a successful future.
Mesa Comics is open Tuesday through Sunday and is located at 1066 N. Power Road. For more information, visit www.mesacomics.com or call (602) 888-1658.
• Whitney Ogden is a senior at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is an intern with the Tribune this semester. Reach her at tribintern@evtrib.com.
www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/mesa/article_0901f966-6c66-11e4-b798-93b91cb06a7e.html
New name, new location for comic book store in Mesa
A comic book store specializing in graphic novels, gaming and collectables opened in a new and more profitable location in Mesa this month.
Mesa Comics offers single-issue comics and graphic novels ranging from Marvel and DC Comics to the Japanese-style manga. The store also hosts card trading tournaments for games like Magic: The Gathering weekly for participants of all ages.
“This is our sports teams for those who are not jocks,” said co-owner Michael Girard.
The store will offer customized printing in the next two weeks, and it will offer people a place to design costumes for cosplay purposes by the end of the year.
Mesa Comics was known originally as Hot Ace Comics and Collectables, which opened in 2011 and was located near the Apache Trail in Mesa. Owner Joe Clark closed that store at the beginning of the year and relocated to Power Road and renamed the store Mesa Comics prior to its Nov. 1 opening. Clark partnered with Girard, who brought his experience of card trading and gaming to the store.
Clark started reading comics when he was 8 years old and said his favorite has always been Iron Man, “the self-made hero.”
“The fascination of something different, something that separates everything from reality was kind of neat to see,” he said.
Mesa Comics features some of his favorites as well as classic hero comics from the Marvel and DC universes such as Batman and Spider-Man, a variety of issues created by smaller American publisher Image Comics, and a full line of comic books from independent writers. Clark said “The Walking Dead” comics have been the most popular among customers so far.
Mesa Comics also allows customers to play card trading games at the store, including Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering, which has been the most popular among players. Girard not only oversees gaming tournaments but tries to teach children interested in card trading how to play.
Girard was introduced to gaming by his sister as a teenager soon after Magic: The Gathering was released in 1993. Then, after Decipher Entertainment Inc. released the Star Wars Customizable Card Game in 1995, Girard was hooked. He played Star Wars for five years and then went on to work for Decipher in Norfolk, Va.
Years later, Girard moved to Gilbert to co-own the store Desert Sky Games. He eventually left that store and helped Clark open Mesa Comics.
The owners said the new location is more ideal than the previous one since Mesa Comics is so close to Loop 202 and several schools. They said they have experienced enough foot traffic in the past two weeks to keep them hopeful for a successful future.
Mesa Comics is open Tuesday through Sunday and is located at 1066 N. Power Road. For more information, visit www.mesacomics.com or call (602) 888-1658.
• Whitney Ogden is a senior at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is an intern with the Tribune this semester. Reach her at tribintern@evtrib.com.