Big Monkey Comics to close

This is the announcement on their website. That's two comic stores to close this year (the Fantom Comics store in Tenleytown closed, although the one in Union Station remains open).

GOOD-BYE!
September 07, 2009 11:00 AM

It's the end of an era. Big Monkey Comics is closing our doors at the end of this month. It wasn't Galactus, Lex Luthor, or Dr. Doom that defeated us, but simple dollars and cents. The economy has adversely affected so many people, and we are the latest casualty. Last year alone Virginia last 45% of its comic book shops due to the economic downturn and we are sad to say that we now join their number.

We will no longer be receiving any new comics. We realize that this is a massive inconvenience and apologize profusely for how this may affect your reading schedule.

Everything in the store is now 50% off. Please come and clean us out. Anything that is not sold will have to be unloaded at pennies on the pound. We need to liquidate and we can think of no better way to do it than to pass on savings to you, the customer. We appreciate your business and support and this is our final way of saying thank you.

Starting this weekend, Big Monkey will only be open Friday and Saturday, 12:00 - 8:00 through our last month of business. Since there are no new comics coming in, we hope you will be able to walk out with a bundle of books on the weekend.

You have 3 weeks to pick up your subscriptions. After that we are putting all books on the shelves.

Thank you all again. Your continued patronage and support have meant the world to us. It's always sad when a comic book store closes, and it's sadder when it is ours. I hope you are all able to find a new place to pick up your weekly comics and hope to see you at the sale.

Washington City Paper Best of DC 2009 comic stores

I missed this the first time I skimmed the issue desparately looking for my name to be a best of again, but in "Best Way to Come Out to Yourself as a Geek," Glen Weldon first recommends the Freer's anime marathon which has passed, but then suggests a comic book store crawl beginning with Big Planet Georgetown, moving to Fantom Comics in Tenleytown and wrapping up with Big Monkey Comics on 14th St.

I didn't realize or remember Weldon was local - he writes regularly for NPR's Monkey See blog which I'll start throwing links up to.

Big Monkey Comics breaks street date for comics this week

I got a tip that Big Monkey Comics had a note on their website today that read:

NEW COMICS ARE IN!
In our last post, we told you we weren't expecting our books until Friday 01/02/09. BUT IN FACT, we did get them today, through the blessings of the postal gods. So new comics will be available for you ON WEDNESDAY 12/31/08!.

This is a big no-no in the comics retailing world since it would let retailers steal customers based on how soon they were able to get their comics from Diamond (which is a monopoly so there's no one else to get new comics from), and I'm sure they got called on the carpet for it as the notice later disappeared.

Am I the only one who actually misses comics arriving on Friday? I much preferred that - you could pick them up after work or school and read them as late as you liked.

September 10: Steve Niles at Big Monkey Comics

Chris of cIndy podcasts sent along this flyer which says that Steve Niles will be at Big Monkey Comics on 14th St at 5 pm on September 10th. That night the National Academy of Sciences is also having a comics-related event.


The NAS event is The Physics of Superheroes
Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 pm

Ever wondered how strong you would have to be to “leap a tall building in a single bound?” Was it the fall or the webbing that killed Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man’s girlfriend in the classic Amazing Spider-Man #121? How does Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics and movies use quantum mechanics to walk through walls? And who is really faster, Superman or the Flash? Join in the fun as we explore physics through comic book examples where the superheroes got their physics right!

James Kakalios, Ph.D., is a professor in the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy. His research interests include amorphous semiconductors, pattern formation in sandpiles and fluctuation phenomena in neuroscience. He has been reading comic books longer than he has been studying physics. He is the author of The Physics of Superheroes and he knows the chemical composition of Captain America’s shield.

Thanks to Jeff Reznick for the tip!

Big Monkey problems?

I've heard a rumor that they're closing their Fredericksburg store. Anyone heard that? Know anything about the 14th St store?

Gene Yang at Big Planet Comics and beyond

Gene Yang says he's in town to speak to schoolchildren at the Kennedy Center tomorrow which will apparently also go out over a webcast. Details desired.

Quick notes - he used the Monkey King because the character was in lots of childrens books his parents had. He read superhero comics, not manga (Dragonball is based on the Monkey King, so I asked). He's working on a new book with Derek Kirk Kim which First Second will publish. His Slave Labor books - Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order and Gordon Yamamoto And The King Of The Geeks are still available from that publisher.

Here's some pics.

Gene Yang and Joel Pollack at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, Maryland.

Randy T getting a sketch from Gene Yang.

You can see the sketches here and here.

Gene Yang signing his book American Born Chinese at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, Maryland.

Gene Yang doing a sketch at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, Maryland.

More, similar pictures on flickr.

Big Monkey Comics profiled

See "Washington’s Big Monkey Encourages Debate," by Laurel Maury, PW Comics Week January 8, 2008.

Big Monkey Comics women-only reading group

The story's in today's Post - "Girl Power at Big Monkey Comics" by Jen Girdish, Washington Post Sunday, September 30, 2007; Page N04. Big Monkey Comics is on 14th St, NW, close to U St.

Free Comic Book Day at Big Monkey Comics, Washington DC

On FCBD, a neighbor and I loaded up his minivan with kids - my 9-year-old daughter, a friend of hers, and his 7 and 4-year old daughters. We cruised into the city on 14th St, and drove right past Big Monkey Comics' new home. They had formerly been in Georgetown, but moved in March to 1722-B 14th St, NW (202-333-8650). The store has a couple of signs, and a monkey on the 2nd floor window. After going up a narrow stairway, we got into the store which was fairly crowded with a twenty-something average customer. The free comics were set up in the back room where the new comics racks are - the kids (and adults) each got to pick 3 comics and they also were giving away sets of bagged back issues. The kids all went out into the small hallway and started reading their comics while I took a quick look around. I'd say the store has less stock than it did on Wisconsin Avenue, but it has a little more space, some of which was being used for a table for a Heroclix game. The staff was friendly, and all wore FCBD shirts that made them easily identifiable.

The kids continued reading in the van and we cruised over to Georgetown to visit Big Planet's Dumbarton Street store. Store owner Peter's known me for years, and let the kids pick up some more comics while not holding me to the store's limit of 10 freebies. However I dropped a hundred on sale books and toys, so I think he came out ahead. The store continues to have a good range of collections and indy material - perhaps the best selection of the three stores. There was a good crowd here too and Peter was happy with the turnout.

The girls continued reading in the car. My daughter's friend was most taken with Fantagraphics' Peanuts - she reads the comics in the newspaper when she can. My daughter gets comics regularly so was a bit more jaded, and I'm not sure what the neighbors daughters were reading, although the 4-year-old passed out on the ride anyway. Both stores carried the DC Conspiracy's mini-comic as well and I picked up one for Michigan State University's Comic Art Collection which I'd encourage all 17 of my readers to donate to.