MaximuM Comics

By Katherine Keller
February 23, 2009

A few years back, my husband, Ralph caught wind of a new store on the other side of town. When we walked out of MaximuM Comics, Ralph turned to me and said, "Boy, am I glad he's on this side of town."

Sequential Tart would like to thank Jay for taking time out of a very busy schedule to answer our questions.

Sequential Tart: How did you discover comics?

Jay Bosworth: We moved around a lot when I was young — in the early 80s. As a kid, i was a super-chatty Cathy (some things never change) and my dad bought me a couple comics to keep me occupied. X-Men #181 and Legion of Super-Heroes — the issue escapes me. I was hooked. The names, the costumes the powers — I have enjoyed team books ever since.

ST: What did you do before you opened MaximuM Comics? Did it help prepare you?

JB: Before opening my shop I did whatever I felt like doing — mostly customer service related jobs. Nothing fancy. I always wanted to do the comic shop thing, having worked on and off in comic stores throughout the 90s and early 00s. I worked at Dark Tower here in town and saw how they did things and thought "How would I do things differently?". The opportunity came up to open MaximuM and here I am.

ST: What made you want to sell comics?

JB: Comics are great and I always championed them to friends and family — ad nauseum. I guess it's my missionary work — for the comic book God (Alan Moore).

ST: Starting a store more or less from scratch means making a lot of choices. What lead you to choose that location?

JB: I love my location and did consider moving it to a cheaper area, but am glad I stayed. being near Wal-Mart and Game Stop is a great place to be — lots of foot traffic. the area is nice and still maturing.

ST: MaximuM Comics is a clean, well lighted place, and I'm not kidding about the lighting. You pay more attention to lighting than any other comics store I've seen. Why is that?

JB: Business 101: make sure your space is clean, inviting and well lit. Comic shops have a reputation for being dim and dank and a tad spooky. Not all, of course, but a great many. I am proud of my shop and I hope it shows. My philosophy is to run MaximuM Comics like a party that everyone is invited to. Good lighting, good music, good vibe. The rest will follow suit.

ST: If a woman walked into your store and asked you to suggest a comic to her, what would you suggest and why?

JB: Thankfully, comics have evolved to include a vast audience — and yeah, that means women too! For too long, female readership was largely ignored by the male-dominated world of comics. Thanks to the 90s and Vertigo, that changed. Yay!!

I make sure that my store is ready for all customers, but perhaps more so for women: I like to make sure it smells nice, sounds good and feels good. No drafts, no stinky smells, etc. I want them to feel comfortable so they enjoy the experience. That has ensured a strong following with lady customers.

As for recommendations, I strongly suggest any Luna Bros book — especially The Sword. I always suggest Fables, Ex Machina and — if they like bad girls — Grimm Fairy Tales. But I never try to assume they will like a "chick book"; rather, I like to find what they enjoy first.

ST: You're very open about being out of the closet. Has this been an issue at the store? (Has it had any unexpected benefits?)

JB: Ah, the closet. Closets are for clothes, shoes and comics collections — that's it. I came out of the closet at 21 and wish it had been much earlier. So I am making up for lost time, and view being gay as an opportunity to enlighten those that still need it.

Many of my brothers and sisters paved the way for me to live "out" today, and this is how I repay their sacrifices. As far as I know, I haven't received any negative reactions to my "gayness", and I don't think it has had an impact negatively towards my store.

ST: What's currently selling well for you? What do you think is an overlooked gem?

JB: At MaximuM Comics, we promote the mainstream titles heavily — Marvel, DC, etc. There is a great indy store here in town that I really recommend should I not have the indy fare readers want (Ralph's store).

Wolverine is red-hot right now with the "Old Man Logan" story arc going on, and Green Lantern is constantly impressive in terms of both sales and story. Event fatigue has claimed many readers, so I am looking forward to the scaling back of huge crossovers by the "big two" companies.

ST: Do you offer a subscription service? Why or why not?

JB: Our subscription service is how we gauge sales for the coming months. when I hear of shops that don't have the service, I am amazed. It does many things: it allows you to make sure you have the right number of books for your customers, it brings people to you week after week as they feel obligated to pick up the books ordered just for them, and it gives the customer a feeling of relief knowing we have the best quality books for our subscription customers.

We have a multi-tiered program that rewards the frequent shopper and encourages them to grow their list — it really works!

ST: As a retailer, what changes would you like to see in the industry?

JB: My biggest concern on the short term of the business is the way that Diamond Comics conducts business. As the sole provider of Marvel and DC comics, they have a definite monopoly on the market. I find at times their attitude is "where else you gonna go?" Long term, I worry that younger audiences are reading less and less. Despite the Harry Potter series, readership is down in general among kids. Schools are finally opening their minds towards comics and that is a chance to get them in kids' hands, but stiff competition from video games and on line distractions grows yearly.

Also, the impact we have on the environment has me concerned. Being that we sell paper products, I am always trying to lessen our footprint we are undoubtedly leaving. We have a reward program for our customers that go bagless or recycle their comic bags from week to week, and we are looking to change our lights for more efficient usage.

ST: What's the most frustrating thing about owning your own store?

JB: The most frustrating thing about owning my own store is also the most challenging — it's all on me. Succeed or fail, it's my decision. I have so much respect for small business owners: the long hours, the soaring cost of goods, the gray hair. It is the toughest thing I have ever done, and I hope to be doing it for a long time.

ST: What's the most rewarding thing about owning your own store?

JB: I sorta answered this one in the last question, but besides gray hair (ahem), my biggest reward is that I am spreading the love of comics. Sharing daily in the fun they bring me and others is a huge reward.

ST: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

JB: I hope to be doing what I am doing now in ten years. While I think about expansion, I am content with the shop I have — I just want to give it a Queer-Eye makeover from time to time. I hope that comics are appreciated by a wider audience in ten years and I will be doing my part to ensure they are!

MaximuM Comics — Store web site and contact information.