Appreciation post: My local comic shop in Springfield saved my kid's birthday party

So last Saturday was my son's 8th birthday and the whole thing was about to fall apart. The magician we booked canceled at the last minute, and I was scrambling. I ran into my usual comic shop, just to grab something as a gift, and I must have looked stressed. The owner, Mike, asked what was up. I told him, and he just said, 'Hold on.' He went to the back and came out with a box of old promo posters, some spare action figures, and a bunch of those cheap plastic rings from comic bags. He helped me put together a 'superhero training camp' in my backyard in about an hour. The kids loved it more than any magician. It wasn't about selling me stuff, he just saw a fellow fan in a bind. Has anyone else had a comic shop go way above and beyond like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_craig2mo ago

Honestly, that's the real magic of a community hub, right?

calebrivera2mo ago

Oh yeah, the "real magic" is definitely when someone argues about the thermostat for an hour. That's the true community glue, a shared hatred of the guy who sets it to arctic mode. It builds character, or at least a strong need for a sweater. What's the weirdest hill you've seen someone die on in a shared space?

barbaragarcia18d ago

Right, because nothing says "real magic" quite like standing in the back room digging through a box of old promo posters. Mike basically saved the day with junk that most shops would have thrown out. That's the kind of thing that makes you want to buy something out of pure gratitude, even if it's just a dusty action figure no one wanted. Meanwhile, the magician probably charges 200 bucks to do a few crappy tricks and complain about the parking. Real heroes wear capes and also sell you a weird plastic ring for a quarter.