Page 32 - the NOISE November 2014

Businessnews
wOulda call me a cOmic?
FROM leFT: Nick Schwenne, Chris Tran, lindsay
Williams, Cory Bushnell, Natalie Arvizu, David Golle story & photo by and Michael Sherman make up the knowledgeable clair anna rose
unmetered rides tO infinity ... and BeyOnd! and comic savvy staff of CAB Comics.
On a Thursday afternoon I mosey down to CAB Comics, located at 1471 S. Milton Road, to meet the staff of Flagstaff’s only comic book store. Like on any other Thursday, CAB comics is brimming over with players meeting up for a Yu-Gi-Oh card tournament.
Cory Bushnell, owner of CAB comics, tells me how he first became interested in comics. “I have been reading comics since I was a kid,” he says. “My Dad was the driv- ing force for me getting into comics. Some of my earli- est memories were of him taking me around to different comic book stores as a kid. It was an exciting experience going with him and seeing all the different characters. He would read them to me or sometimes I would read them and if there was a word I didn’t know he would help me.”
The walls of CAB comics are lined with the newest comics from a plethora of series, and as I wander along the wall, I am surprised to find that some of the comics I read as a teen are still in print. One wall is dedicated to the newest comics, and is cleared out every week and stocked with the newest releases.
“Wednesday is new comic book day and for me that’s the most important day,” Mr. Bushnell tells me. “We’re not just a comic book store and there’s a variety of things we cater to. That’s the excitement for me, people coming in and getting the comic books they want and talking to me about them as well. Sometimes people will be wait- ing outside, for example, Wolverine just died, and we had a few people waiting outside for the store to open. It’s a good feeling for me: When it’s new comic book day, there’s new issues, there’s excitement and it’s something I can talk to people about and relate to. It’s fun.”
In the center of the store are rows and rows of back is- sues of comics, board games and individual collectable cards from various card games for sale. There is even a section for comics by local writers, and while some of these comic series come from Phoenix, there are a few drawn by folks who live closer to home.
Toys hang above the comics portraying some of the characters from popular series, and the shelves behind the counter are stocked with themed coffee mugs, but- tons, card packs, Heroclix figurines and collectable items.
I ask how CAB Comics came to Flagstaff. “CAB Com- ics has been open since late December of 2010. We will be hitting 4 years this December,” Mr. Bushnell says. “I was at an impasse in my life and wasn’t really doing anything. With a couple friends I went to the Phoenix Comic Con four years ago and sat in on a panel called
‘So you want to run a comic book store?’ with store owner Jesse James from Jesse James Comics and Marco Regaldo from Pop Culture Paradise. It was an awesome panel ex- plaining all the steps involved into getting a comic book store started. There was mention of a lack of a comic book store in Flagstaff. That would be something I could do! I was planning on moving up to Flagstaff that summer anyway. It
just seemed to fit.”
Since the opening of a comic book store, more people
have become interested in reading comics. “The comics have become more popular since we have opened,” Mr. Bush- nell says. “There are more people looking to see what comic books are all about. A lot of comic book fans come in be- cause, like me, they grew up with an interest in them. Good stories and some awesome artwork get people hooked into an amazing adventure. Our staff each has a different comic they like and can help anyone looking for something new to get into. With more movies and TV shows looking towards comics as source material we make sure to help our custom- ers find what they are looking for.”
“Batman from DC comics is our most popular superhero book,” he tells me when I ask about the best selling series. “Right now the Justice League is under the control of a villain. So it’s Batman vs. the Justice League. Another top comic is Saga from Image comics. That comic is one of the best comics being written. It’s a comic for people who don’t read comics. It’s worth checking out if you haven’t heard about it. There is also Lumberjanes from Boom Comics, which is writ- ten, drawn, edited, colored, and lettered all by women. The co-creator and editor Shannon Watters is from Oak Creek
Canyon. This is one of best comics out there.”
Besides being your go-to place for comics, CAB comics is a
place for gamers to get together and play Magic the Gather- ing, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Heroclix.
“Monday we have open tables,” Mr. Bushnell informs me of the weekly schedule. “We co-sponsor a game night Monday nights at Zane Grey. Tuesday we have Magic the Gathering drafts and Heroclix events, and Wednesday is new comic book day. We have the newest issues ready to purchase when we open. Thursday is our Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament, which we have every Thursday at 4pm and it’s $5 to enter and on Friday we have Friday Night Magic, or FNM. It is part of Magic the Gathering card game. It is $15 entry and we have a relaxed casual atmosphere for players who like to play in a limited format.”
I have a chance to sit and talk with Caleb Alexander who hosts a game night every Monday at a downtown landmark.
“It’s a place for people to come and get to know new people and try out some games and learn something new,” Mr. Alexander tells me. “Through Cory here I get to bring in demos from all over the place. We always try and play new things and I’m trying to increase my own library. Ideally for CAB Comics, it’s a place for people to learn about new games and maybe get introduced to something that’s getting to be a really huge field of new board games and revisiting the classics that not every- one knows about.”
Mr. Alexander tells me about one older game that is experiencing some revival. “CAB comics has a copy of Cosmic Encounter in stock,” Mr. Alexander says. “Cosmic Encounter has been around for 30-35 years, and the premise is very nerdy, but the mechanics are actually pretty straightforward. It’s a game where you’re trying to colonize other planets that have different alien spe- cies on them, so it’s very sci-fi themed. You take turns drawing randomly to see where the warp gate goes, or where you get to travel to.”
“In terms of casual play, I have Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity. I have some classics like Othel- lo and Balderdash. We’ve found some games that are still fun to play after a drink, a little more complicated, like Red November, a fantasy themed game. Everyone is playing a gnome on an experimental submarine and everything is going wrong. So you’re trying to fix leaks, put out fires, and keep missiles from going off. You can resolve certain issues by taking a drink of grog, but your character might pass out if he has too much grog based on the frightfulness of the event that just happened. It’s a little more complicated, but it’s actually really fun.”
Game Night at the Zane Grey Ballroom starts at 6PM on Mondays and goes until 10PM. People can show up at any time, and leave at any time. The feature game will start at 6:15PM and usually takes about 90 minutes to play. At that time guests can move onto another game or have another try at the new game.
November 7-9, CAB Comics will be taking part in the Kikori Con at the Little America Hotel, as a facilitator and vendor. On Saturday, November 22, the store, at 1471 South Milton Road, is holding a “yard sale” featuring dis- counted action figures and statues, 25¢ comics, and spe- cial deals. CabComicsAZ.com, 928/774-1655.
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