Where Have All The Comics Gone?

[haptown]

Hi everyone,
I'm new here - was an avid collector of comics when younger but I haven't purchased a comic in about seventeen years but I still have all of my old comics. I have two small children who are very interested in looking at my collection, but I don't want them handling my old comics so I thought I'd just run down to the local drug store and pick up something for them to look at, maybe start a collection for them.
I was stunned to find out that none of my local drugstores, supermarkets or book stores carry comic books!! When I was a kid I used to walk down to 7-11 and buy mine - where are they sold these days? Are they only available at comic shops now?!? Are kids still reading comic books? Sorry for the noob questions but I've been out of the comic book loop for a long time.

[Nitz the Bloody]

Any major or even minor bookstore these days will have a fully developed section of graphic novels, including trade paperback collections of Marvel and DC comics. Just go down to a Borders or Barnes and Noble and look for something you'd find appropriate for your kids.

[Jack Zodiac]

For the most part, comics are primarily found in comic shops and bookstores these days. Some grocery stores and convenience stores still carry a few titles and some Archie digests, but you'll almost never see a corner drugstore with a full spinner rack and a couple shelves of comics like you used to. Also, you can order and subscribe to practically everything on the Internet now.

As for kids, they still read comics, but you won't see as many of them grabbing Justice League or The Avengers as they used to, either. Mainstream superhero comics have gotten to the point of being mostly for the older (teens to late thirties/forties) fanbase, so both Marvel and DC have developed their own kids' lines of books. Marvel has "Marvel Adventures" and DC has "Johnny DC."

[haptown]

What about comics like Ritchie Rich, Casper, & Hot Stuff - these are some that I used to read when I was really young - are there no comics like these anymore? These are the type I was thinking of when I thought of buying some for my kids. Obviously I didn't think these comics were still around but I figured that something like that might still be available.
I'm sad to hear that the old spinner racks of comics are something my kids will not see at the local convenience store. Oh well.

[Jack Zodiac]

I don't think they still print new Casper or Richie Rich stories, but I think you can get 'em in digests, just like they reprint old Archie stories in digets. And they still print new Archie comics. Also, new Uncle Scrooge comics, but I don't think they come out that often, and they're usually five bucks a book, but they're pretty darn thick. Oh, and Archie prints Sonic the Hedgehog comics, now, too, and DC prints Scooby-Doo comics in the "Johnny DC" line.

[xarathos]

I see a few stores that have a full rack of comics. I certainly thought that they needed to return there and the 7-11. They have those promo Radioactive Man comics in bags there now for the Simpsons Movie but other comics.

[haptown]

Ah-ha!! Thanks Jack Zodiac, my kids love Scooby-Doo (so do I) and after doing a little googling I found that DC also publishes the Looney Tunes comic books. These will be perfect comics to get them started.

Thanks for the help,

Hap

[Jack Zodiac]

Ah, yeah, I forgot about the Looney Tunes books. They also print comics for some of Cartoon Network's original cartoons, like "Ben 13" or "Dexter's Lab."

[dan bailey]

I see a few stores that have a full rack of comics. I certainly thought that they needed to return there and the 7-11.

Wasn't some big intitiative announced a couple of years ago whereby Marvel (or maybe it was DC ...) & 7-Eleven were going to be teaming up for some kind of comics placement push in those stores? I'm not sure I've really heard anything more about it, not that 7-Elevens exist in these parts anyway.

[dancj]

I haven't seen a 7-11 outside Thailand in about 15-20 years