Comic Relief Getting the Boot
Annoyingly, Christmas seems to come earlier every year -- an egregious example of this being that new flick with Ben Affleck and Tony Soprano.
However, we'd like to spread the word about an impending holiday tragedy that, with some local support, can be averted, or at least minimized.
Comic Relief, the renowned, award-winning "comic bookstore" in Berkeley, is being evicted from its current location, where it has been for almost 18 years. The timing is particularly poor, as the holiday season is just around the corner -- a horrible time for a retailer to make a move, let alone find a place to move to.
Comic Relief is a special place, and the care that owner Rory Root and his fine staff put into it shines through. From alternative press to sci-fi to grown men in spandex, Comic Relief's got what you want in stock, along with stuff you didn't know about just waiting to be discovered. It'd be a shame if the move denies Bay Area denizens the chance to shop there; more the shame if a bad holiday season forces Comic Relief's quality and selection to suffer -- or worse.
So what can be done to help this East Bay institution? Go buy some comics -- pamphlets, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, whatever. Go buy that copy of Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron you've been meaning to; go check out The Watchmen, like your buddy told you to in the mid-80s. Go buy the source materials that are far superior to all those movies being based on them. The more you buy, the easier the move, as there'll be less inventory. More importantly, the more you buy, the more able Comic Relief will be to finance the move.
And, if you can make it, noted comic book author Warren Ellis (Authority, Planetary, Transmetropolitan) will be signing funnybooks there today from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
SFist Jeremy, contributing.