Before he can step away for his interview, Patrick Shaughnessy just needs to clear up a few things with a customer. After explaining how a first printing of 1988s Batman: The Killing Joke can be identified by its distinctive green logo, Shaughnessy next apprises the man of the various considerations that determine the exact value of a coveted 1975 Giant-Size X-Men #1.
This is clearly a man whos in his element.
I love talking comics. Especially older comics, he admits minutes later. Laughing, he continues, Believe me, Ive had really interesting conversations with people about which comics had copper staples and which ones had steel staples.... I love talking about stuff like that. If you were a fly on the wall, youd think we were idiots.
The owner of Golden Age Collectables since 1974, Shaughnessy clearly recalls the moment he transformed from a garden variety fan into a fledgling collector. It was in 1966, when I was 10 years old. I remember the first thing that I kept. It was a Batman #179. A short while later, he saw an article about storied Toronto comic collector George Henderson. It showed these old comic books that Id never seen images of before. It seemed like archaeology. I was fascinated.
Today, Shaughnessy remains every bit as fascinated with a medium that has evolved dramatically over the past decades. If you go back and look at the comics that were coming out in the 1960s, theyre a lot of fun but theyre very artwork driven. Now, its much more story driven. Theyre extremely well written. He adds, For quite a long time now, our customers have been readers.
While recent superhero films have filled the coffers of Hollywood studios, it hasnt necessarily translated into legions of new comics buyers through the doors of 852 Granville. However, the blockbusters have succeeded in rekindling interest amongst former fans. When the first X-Men movie came out, it brought back a lot of people who had given (comics) up.
And so, while he still racks up impressive sales of rare comics to well-heeled collectors, its the diehard fans that Shaughnessy values most. What counts is not the guy who shows up once and spends $5,000... Its the guy whos been coming in here every week, he suggests. Those are the ones who are the backbone of the store. I get very sentimental about people whove been coming in here forever.
