“Let’s take care of you first. What types of tropes do you enjoy reading about?”
“For tropes, my favorite stories are romances with enemies to lovers, secret identities, or grumpy and sunshine couples, but I don’t think that would be of much help with finding a comic book.”
“You’d be surprised.” The owner chuckled. “I find that asking a person about what tropes they enjoy is more effective than asking what types of characters they like.” Walking along the rows, they stopped in front of a section of books that were thicker than an average comic book. “Have you ever read any of the Sailor Moon manga?”
Gemma shook her head. “No, but I’ve heard of it.”
“Let’s try this one and oh?.?.?. this one.” Staring at the shelf a moment longer, he added one more to her pile. “Those should tick the enemies-to-lovers and secret-identity boxes. Now to see about a grumpy-sunshine book.”
Following him around the store, Gemma couldn’t believe how many different titles they stocked. It seemed that they carried just as many as a traditional bookstore. It wasn’t long before she had a stack of eight titles.
“Your boyfriend might be a little trickier. You said he’s a collector?”
“Yes, he’s a fan of anything featuring self-made heroes, but Batman tops his list.” Gemma’s cheeks burned. “You don’t happen to know if there’s a sloth character, do you?”
The man lit up. “A sloth?”
“Uh-huh, my boyfriend also has a fondness for them.”
“That wouldn’t be Timmy would it?”
“Oh, yes. It would.”
“He’s one of my best customers. No sloths, but there’s a villain who’s named Penguin in the Batman series.” The man opened a glass case and ran his finger over a few books kept in plastic sleeves. “This comic is the first issue he appears in.”
He handed it to her. “December 1941? I hadn’t realized the series dated back that far.”
“Yes, off the top of my head, I think May 1939 was the first printing.”
For something so old, the colors on the comic appeared to still be bright and vibrant. The paper was pristine, and there were only a few creases on it. Her eyes bulged, however, upon seeing the orange price tag on the corner of the plastic sleeve. “Nine thousand dollars?” With two hands, she carefully set it on the shelf and took a step back.
“That’s the same reaction I had when my nephew explained the value of certain issues to me. We have a few Superman and Spiderman comics that are worth just as much.” The man’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “I can’t say I understand it, but he’s the one who stays up to date with the market and pricing. If it were up to me, I’d say these books are supposed to be enjoyed, not stay in plastic their entire lives.”
“I agree with you.” Gemma nodded. “Do you, er?.?.?. have any more reasonably-priced Batman books you’d recommend, or another series?”
The man stroked his chin. “I’ll see what I can find, especially if it’s for Timmy. Somebody just came by and donated a bunch of comics that were sitting in their attic this morning. Give me a few minutes to go through what’s inside.”
“Take your time.”
“Help yourself to some coffee.” He disappeared behind the curtain.
Gemma sat in one of the oversized chairs in the corner of the shop, cracked open the top book in her stack, and began to skim through the pages. She became so engrossed in the reading that when the man returned, he startled her.
“It’s easy to get lost in a good story. I’m glad you found something that piqued your interest. Feel free to leave the ones that don’t appeal to you here and I’ll restock them later.” He gestured to the counter. “Imanaged to find something special. Here, have a look. If you think Tim will enjoy it, I’d be happy to give it to you free of charge.”
“Free?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “The comics aren’t in our inventory, and if they’re going to the home of a comic lover, I’m sure my nephew wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh my goodness, thank you so much.” She shot him a bright smile. “I don’t know what to say.”
The man walked behind the counter. “Just tell that boyfriend of yours to come on down to the shop with you again soon. It’s been too long since we’ve had a good chat.”
“I will, and I’d still like to buy all of these. I can see myself enjoying each one for a different reason.”
“Of course.” The man rang her up and placed the items into a paper bag.
“Thank you so much again for everything today?.?.?. er, what’s your name?”
