Comics and Comix
Company type | John Barrett |
---|---|
Fate | defunct (2004) |
Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 9[1] |
Area served | Northern California |
Key people | Dick Swan, Jim Buser, Scott Maple,[1] |
Products | Comics |
Comics and Comix Co. (C&C) was a
History
In late August 1972, while still an undergraduate at San Jose State University,[2] Bud Plant co-founded Comics & Comix with John Barrett (1950–2001)[3] and Plant's housemate Robert Beerbohm.[4] The store's first location was on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California.
In 1973 Comics & Comix helped organize the first Bay Area
In 1974, Comics & Comix organized Berkeleycon 74, also held at Berkeley's Pauley Ballroom. A 48-page comic called Tales from the Berkeley Con, co-published by local
Founding partner Beerbohm left the company in 1975, soon opening his own store, Best of Two Worlds, in San Francisco.
As part of his distribution business, Plant supplied Comics & Comix with product while also handling distribution for much of the West Coast.[1]
In 1987, Barrett founded the Wonderful World of Comics Convention (later known as WonderCon), which was first held at the Oakland Convention Center.[6]
In 1988, Plant sold Comics & Comix[7] to the company's comptroller; who ran it successfully until c. 1996.[1] Retailer Ross Rojek acquired the chain of stores in 1996, during the speculation downturn, and by 2004 only two Comics & Comix stores remained open, in Berkeley and Sacramento. In April 2004, Rojek was indicted on eight counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and three counts of money laundering, and was accused of cheating 112 investors out of $2.5 million. At that point, the two remaining Comics & Comics locations closed down;[8] Rojek was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison in November 2004.[9]
Publishing
Comics & Comix operated as a comics publisher from 1974 to 1978. The company ventured into publishing with
From 1980 to 1985, Comics & Comix also published the industry trade journal the Telegraph Wire (named after the street of their flagship location). Under store employee Diana Schutz starting circa 1981, the Telegraph Wire blossomed into a bimonthly, 32-page newsletter which was modeled on The Comics Journal, with each issue containing an interview, reviews, news, and ads.[10]
Titles published
- Source:[11]
- The First Kingdom (6 issues, 1974–1977) — by Jack Katz; later issues published solely by Bud Plant
- Spaced (3 issues, 1974–1976) — by Jim Pinkoski
- Dan O'Neill's Comics and Stories vol. 2 (2 issues, 1975) — by Dan O'Neill; picked up from Company & Sons
- Magic Carpet (2 issues, 1977–1978) — by Alfredo Alcala
- Telegraph Wire (24 issues, 1980–Dec./Jan. 1985) — trade journal
References
- ^ a b c d e f "THE TOUCAN INTERVIEW: Bud Plant: Comics Retailing Pioneer," Toucan: The Official Comic-Con & Wondercon Blog (June 28, 2013).
- ^ Beerbohm, Robert. "Comics Dealer Extraordinaire Robert Beerbohm: In His Own Words", Comic-Convention Memories (Jan. 6, 2010).
- ^ Nolan, Michelle. "Newswatch: Pioneering Comics Retailer John Barrett Dies at 50", The Comics Journal #233 (May 2001), p. 18: Barrett died March 14, 2001.
- ^ a b Beerbohm, Bob. "Please Consider Buying Some Comics From Industry Icon Robert Beerbohm", The Comics Reporter (March 14, 2008).
- ^ Fox, M. Steven. "Tales from the Berkeley Con," ComixJoint. Accessed Dec. 8, 2016.
- ^ "WonderCon 1987 on KTVU-2 - YouTube". YouTube. 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "Newswatch: "Comics & Comix Sold", The Comics Journal #125 (October 1988), pp. 23–24.
- ^ Comics and Comix entry, Grand Comics Database. Accessed Dec. 9, 2016.
- ^ "ROJEK GETS SIX YEARS In Federal Prison," ICv2 (Nov. 15, 2004).
- ^ Thomas, Michael "Reining in a Dark Horse: An Interview with Diana Schutz". Comic Book Resources. December 20, 2001. Accessed March 17, 2008
- ^ "Comics & Comix". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Oct 8, 2016.
External links
- Comics and Comix at the Grand Comics Database
- Comics & Comix at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)