Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Jan 30, 2015 23:09:52 GMT -6
“It’s an exciting time to be into comics” says Josh Bonno, the co-owner (with his wife, Molly) of Blaze-Thru Comics in Plymouth, Michigan. The store, which just opened last year, caters to a range of customers, with a mix of superhero and indy comics. The Bonnos are also working to create a comics community with events such as a “Blaze-Thru and Brew” night at a local brewery.
www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/plymouth/2015/01/29/couple-opens-plymouth-comic-store/22460985/
A Plymouth couple has combined a love of art, good storytelling and old-fashioned superheroes at their new downtown store.
Blaze-Thru Comics, with new and collectible comic books and other serials, graphic novels and art, toys and T-shirts, opened late last year on Forest. Josh and Molly Bonno, who both have a longtime interest in comic books, say their venture comes at a time of resurgent interest in comics, fueled in part by a boom in superhero movies and television shows, like The Walking Dead, that began as comics.
There are a lot more options, though, than middle-aged Baby Boomers who bought their last comic book for 20 cents off a rotating rack at the corner store might remember.
"People want something a little bit different," Josh Bonno, a former Canton Township public safety dispatcher, said at his store Tuesday. "It's an exciting time to be into comics."
Old school, new
There are still classic superheroes – Batman, the Incredible Hulk, the Green Lantern – as well as legions of spinoffs, variations and new villains. There are also smaller publishers, like Image and Dark Horse, that offer alternatives to Marvel and DC, the giants of the superhero world. And non-superhero-based comics, with fantasy, noirish and "slice-of-life" story lines, spice up the mix.
"There are so many titles, I don't think we could fit them all in the store," Molly Bonno said.
New comics come out weekly, each Wednesday, and Blaze-Thru has them packaged in plastic with a cardboard backing, ready for collectors. "There're people who pick up every single Batman title," Josh Bonno said.
For non-regulars, though, publishers anthologize many of the major comic books, usually five issues at a time, in graphic novel-type paperbacks.
Comics community
The Bonnos are working to coalesce a Plymouth-area comic book community through their store, promoting local artists and publishers and organizing a Blaze-Thru and Brew night at the Liberty Street Brewing Co. last month, which drew about 10 people to discuss The Long Halloween, a Batman serial. They hope to have similar events in the future, including some appropriate for readers under 21.
"It's an interesting way to get people to talk" around a common subject, Josh Bonno said.
The name Blaze-Thru came after an unsuccessful stretch of brainstorming about what to call their store, he said. They hadn't thought of anything that caught their ears, he said, but when Molly went on a reading binge to catch up on a serial, he remarked, "You're really blazing through those comics" and they knew it was right.
Depth, creativity
Josh Bonno got into comic books as a pre-adolescent, at the prompting of a friend, and liked the X-Men, mutants with special powers who didn't fit into society but worked for good, and the Punisher. "The X-Men really had a lot of depth to them," he said.
He also likes creative writing, he said, and wants to promote it and get people talking about it.
Molly caught the bug from her father, Brian Howard, also of Plymouth, a serious collector and "probably our best customer," she said. His comics, kept pristine, were off-limits for the kids when she was growing up.
She still follows the superheroes, she said, but also likes deeper stories and the art that goes with them.
Running the store is a good fit for them, she said.
"I think we're allergic to anything too ordinary," she said.
Blaze-Thru Comics is at 470 Forest, No. 12, Plymouth. Store hours are 1-8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, 1-7:30 p.m. Thursday, noon to10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 1-7 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. The phone number is 734-404-5720 and the website is www.blazethru.com.
mjachman@hometownlife.com | 734-678-8432 Twitter: @mattjachman
www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/plymouth/2015/01/29/couple-opens-plymouth-comic-store/22460985/
A Plymouth couple has combined a love of art, good storytelling and old-fashioned superheroes at their new downtown store.
Blaze-Thru Comics, with new and collectible comic books and other serials, graphic novels and art, toys and T-shirts, opened late last year on Forest. Josh and Molly Bonno, who both have a longtime interest in comic books, say their venture comes at a time of resurgent interest in comics, fueled in part by a boom in superhero movies and television shows, like The Walking Dead, that began as comics.
There are a lot more options, though, than middle-aged Baby Boomers who bought their last comic book for 20 cents off a rotating rack at the corner store might remember.
"People want something a little bit different," Josh Bonno, a former Canton Township public safety dispatcher, said at his store Tuesday. "It's an exciting time to be into comics."
Old school, new
There are still classic superheroes – Batman, the Incredible Hulk, the Green Lantern – as well as legions of spinoffs, variations and new villains. There are also smaller publishers, like Image and Dark Horse, that offer alternatives to Marvel and DC, the giants of the superhero world. And non-superhero-based comics, with fantasy, noirish and "slice-of-life" story lines, spice up the mix.
"There are so many titles, I don't think we could fit them all in the store," Molly Bonno said.
New comics come out weekly, each Wednesday, and Blaze-Thru has them packaged in plastic with a cardboard backing, ready for collectors. "There're people who pick up every single Batman title," Josh Bonno said.
For non-regulars, though, publishers anthologize many of the major comic books, usually five issues at a time, in graphic novel-type paperbacks.
Comics community
The Bonnos are working to coalesce a Plymouth-area comic book community through their store, promoting local artists and publishers and organizing a Blaze-Thru and Brew night at the Liberty Street Brewing Co. last month, which drew about 10 people to discuss The Long Halloween, a Batman serial. They hope to have similar events in the future, including some appropriate for readers under 21.
"It's an interesting way to get people to talk" around a common subject, Josh Bonno said.
The name Blaze-Thru came after an unsuccessful stretch of brainstorming about what to call their store, he said. They hadn't thought of anything that caught their ears, he said, but when Molly went on a reading binge to catch up on a serial, he remarked, "You're really blazing through those comics" and they knew it was right.
Depth, creativity
Josh Bonno got into comic books as a pre-adolescent, at the prompting of a friend, and liked the X-Men, mutants with special powers who didn't fit into society but worked for good, and the Punisher. "The X-Men really had a lot of depth to them," he said.
He also likes creative writing, he said, and wants to promote it and get people talking about it.
Molly caught the bug from her father, Brian Howard, also of Plymouth, a serious collector and "probably our best customer," she said. His comics, kept pristine, were off-limits for the kids when she was growing up.
She still follows the superheroes, she said, but also likes deeper stories and the art that goes with them.
Running the store is a good fit for them, she said.
"I think we're allergic to anything too ordinary," she said.
Blaze-Thru Comics is at 470 Forest, No. 12, Plymouth. Store hours are 1-8 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, 1-7:30 p.m. Thursday, noon to10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 1-7 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. The phone number is 734-404-5720 and the website is www.blazethru.com.
mjachman@hometownlife.com | 734-678-8432 Twitter: @mattjachman