One of the bonuses of living in the US Midwest is that you’re never far from a comic mart. (Mrs B does not agree with this sentiment). Thanks to the chaps at the “epguides” site, a schedule is published of all upcoming marts in Illinois and surrounding states, so with a full tank of petrol it is possible to find a mart open on any given Sunday.
The thing about these mid-America marts is that they are patronized by local dealers and customers from rural areas ; the prices are reasonable and dealers are willing to negotiate on price.
So today being a particularly bright, sunny and warm day - clear blue skies - I headed off to Rockford, Illinois for a gander at what was on show. The mart was held at the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) hall - (the equivalent of the British Legion) - and when I arrived there were probably 50 customers and 12 dealers.
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| Punters at today's mart |
I took a quick snap as I entered, and it struck me (not for the first time) that most dealers and customers were getting on in years. Including me. Casting my mind back to the Seventies, and attending the Lyndhurst Hall mart in Kentish Town, London, I think that everyone then was still of a similar age - just that we were all youngsters. The last time I went to a Sunday Lyndhurst Hall mart was January 6th 1976 ; the only person of my current age then was my Dad, who had come up to London with me for the day.
I don’t believe that the Comic Mart as an event has changed one whit in fifty years. Just comics in card board boxes on trestle tables, and mainly blokes with lists searching for elusive Silver Age and early Bronze-Age comics. As the years go by, will this type of mart survive, or wither on the vine? I believe it is already part of a bygone age.
In the end , I picked up only one comic; a nice copy of Brave & Bold #67 caught my eye - the first team-up of Batman and Flash - for $18. This issue was the first American comic I ever had. You can read about it here.
It crossed my mind “This is where I came in; perhaps a good point to stop.”
© Ian Baker
I remember when I attended my first comic mart, back around 1981, in the Royal Stuart Hotel in Glasgow. It was either at that one or the next that I noticed how many 'old' men in raincoats or anoraks were there trying to recapture their youth. I thought it was kind of sad at the time, but now realise that those 'old' men were quite a few years younger than I am now. I think I'd be hesitant about going to another mart these days, lest I'm seen as the sad old guy I thought so many others were back then. Payback, eh?
ReplyDeleteI do understand your reticence, Kid. These places can sometimes hold up an uncomfortable mirror to us.
DeleteWhen I first attended marts in the early 1980s attendees were around my age , mostly all blokes that for the most part seemed loners and in need of a tidy up, very overweight and very loud seemingly only able to hold a conversation about comics. The last mart I went to in Glasgow was mostly attended by old gits like myself and was pretty good but that mart ended soon after. I would attend more ( there are a few in my area) but the comics on sale are mostly from the 1990s to date and any earlier comics cost way too much . I enjoyed the marts I attended in the 1980s ( especially Memorabilia events) until they were taken over by film and tv stalls (I'm not interested in Dr Who etc actors that played Dalek number 15 in 1973). I certainly note that the folk in conic shops looking at actual comics and not toys, are all over 40, I always feel old When I visit.
ReplyDeleteI'm in sync with all your observations and sentiments about marts, Paul. Especially the one about feeling old when I visit! I'm wary of generalising about the clientele, but it is true that most of the attendees seem to be "loners in need of a tidy up" as you succinctly put it, and mostly old gits. The whole thing seems a rather sad affair that I don't want to be part of. Somehow there is a disconnect between the exciting and innovative things taking place in the comics industry today - creator-owned comics, etc - and the interests of individuals at comic marts, still looking for material published 50 years ago.
DeleteMy interest in comics these days is very much in the history of the industry in the 60s and 70s, and in the individuals who shaped it in those years. I'm far less interested in the comic characters themselves, which was my main passion as a teenager.
Back in 2016 I was lucky enough to attend a small event for an evening with Denny O'Neil, put on by his industry peers, celebrating his contribution to the comic industry. I'll blog about it one of these days. That event was a major highlight of my comics-related experience - to be in a room of industry professionals who I have admired for many years, and get the chance to listen in first hand to industry tales that were new to me.