I was talking to one of the clerks at the comic shop the other day, and he mentioned that his ultimate career goal is to open and run a comic shop himself. I’m not especially parental, but I have to admit that the temptation to shake him was strong. But my parents were masterfully restrained when I would lay out various career options to them, no matter how absurd they were or how ill-suited I was for them in temperament or ability, so I kept it in check. (I’m the youngest of seven, so maybe they were just tired by that point.)

And as training grounds go, the local comic shop could be much worse. It’s clean, uncluttered, and there’s nothing on prominent display that might make people who aren’t white, straight, male and 25 to 40 years old want to turn around and vow never return. The owner is a conscientious guy, and he hires accordingly. Everyone’s friendly and helpful.

That said, the owner is a realist as well. He initially made a conscientious effort to stock stuff that you wouldn’t find at the average comic shop, including manga. But realities of competition with the chain bookstores that have opened in the area seem to have taken their toll, and the selection has progressively narrowed in ways that will probably be familiar to people who track retailer lore on the web. The manga shelves have given way to a full wall of individual 52 issues and Civil War trades, and if you’re dying for the new issue of Mome or New Tales of Old Palomar, you’d better request it.

Happily, the shop encourages that. They may not stock everything, but they’ll certainly order it for you, and the shelf of reserves suggests a clientele dedicated to independent comics (and not just independent comics in the sense of superheroes created by someone other than Marvel or DC), shôjo and yaoi, and lots of other niche stuff. It seems like a perfectly reasonable, economically sustainable compromise: stock the stuff that sells to your base, but make sure people who don’t care about super-hero comics know that the store is a resource for them as well. And while I might wish that I had an Alternate Reality or Laughing Ogre or Beguiling nearby, I don’t begrudge the owner his decision to stay in business according to the demands of the local market.

I’m back from a quick trip to visit family in Columbus, and I just have to say (again) how great The Laughing Ogre is. It has such a terrific selection of everything — manga, super-heroes, art comics, comics for kids and young adults, comic-strip collections, and everything else — that it takes a great deal of restraint to escape without spending too much. It’s clean, airy, organized well, and has a really helpful staff.

And I finally tracked down a copy of the third volume of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service! And they had copies of the first two volumes on the shelf! I think this will be my new criteria for what constitutes a good comic shop. Well, one of them, at least.

Johanna Draper Carlson mentioned the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award the other day, so I swung by the San Diego Comic-Con site to see which shops had won previously. Two of my favorites have never won, so I might have to gather sufficient motivation to nominate them.

The first is Alternative Reality Comics in Las Vegas, which has apparently been nominated twice. For a relatively small space, it’s got a great selection of books and even shelves some titles by genre, which is a nice touch. Its manga selection isn’t as large as some other shops I’ve visited, but it’s one the most interesting I’ve seen with lots of books I don’t usually find on the shelves. The staff has also been friendly and helpful every time I’ve visited. The shop doesn’t seem to have a web site, but here’s an interview with owner Ralph Mathieu at Sequential Tart. I’m not much of a gambler, so I always try and minimize my losses when I go to Vegas, as it’s the best outcome I can hope for. It’s nice to have Alternative Reality as a reason to hold some cash in reserve that might otherwise be lost forever to a slot machine.

The second is The Laughing Ogre in Columbus, Ohio. On my first trip to the store, it was in the middle of a renovation, and it was still one of the best comic shops I’ve ever visited. Now that the renovation is complete, it’s a clean, well-organized, attractive space with a great selection. Their manga section is easily as large as any of the chain bookstores, and the selection is more diverse. The staff is helpful as well. They were in the middle of inventory the first time I stopped by, and they still made time to check in and see if I needed anything, helped me find books, and offered to special-order stuff that wasn’t in stock (or was packed away during the remodel). It wasn’t really practical, since I don’t live in Columbus, but the gesture was appreciated. Plus, Amy Unbounded is a staff favorite, which is probably an excellent litmus test for whether or not I’ll enjoy a comic shopping experience.