Skidmore News

Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Features

Spa City Comics, located on Phila Street, offers a wide variety of comics. [Click to enlarge]

Just around the corner from Ben & Jerry's, nestled in the cozy block of buildings including such noted cultural centers as Caffé Lena, is Spa City Comics.

Located at 47 Phila Street, this abode of sequential art is instantly recognizable. The superhero cutouts and bold lettering of the shop's name stand out from the restaurant windows around it. Greeted at the door by a painting of Batman's Robin hand-in-hand with Wonder Woman and the Flash, my nerd-sense is definitely tingling (and I mean that in the most proud of ways).

The small store is packed with rows of comics. Along the wall to one side are shelves of new releases, indicating this isn't a simple trade-in operation. However, that isn't to say it doesn't offer trade-ins in abundance.

In between the walls, occupying essentially every free space, are piles upon piles of comic books, used and new, rare and common alike. The store's manager, Shaun Belsito, told me that in addition to new and used comics, Spa City offers graphic novels, action figures, DVDs, collector's supplies and manga, or Japanese comics (which have their own wall in the back).

Belsito made clear that its manga selection is one of the ways Spa City has historically been different from other stores. It was the first comic shop in the area (having been open since the 1980s) to offer manga, pioneering its popularity well before it had caught on with American readers. In addition, he stressed that Spa City has always offered more in the realm of new releases, which have made it a mainstay in the local comic community.

Some may still hold on to the quaint, antiquated notion that comics and graphic novels are pop art, not on the level of traditional literature-- this is most certainly not the case, as the medium has branched out to include every genre. In keeping with that, the range of books offered here is immense. Everything from your typical superhero story to more intellectual fare was on display.

This, Shaun explained, is what makes comics so appealing to so many, including the college-age crowd. Not being simply a distributor of mega-publishers like Marvel or DC was also an important aspect of the store. "We've always been proud to promote independent press." Belsito said. So, for those readers with reservations about being corporate pawns, no fear, for Spa City Comics is here.

I left the shop feeling like I'd known Belsito for years. The traditional aura of the comic shop, where you hurry off to after class to pick up the latest issue of your favorite series, is not lost here. Readers of comics and graphic novels can come to the store expecting a relaxed, timeless browse, and as one of those readers, I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Wyatt Erchak is a sophomore and history major from Upstate New York with his ear to the streets.