Hurlin' Thunderbolts from the Mount

Richard Neal and Zeus Comics

By Katherine Keller
May 1, 2007

So, last year, while volunteering at the Prism Comics booth, I met this really nice guy named Richard Neal who owned this Eisner nominated shop called Zeus Comics, in Dallas, TX. I wished him good luck.

That night at the ceremony, I saw photos of his store and promptly fell over backwards at the awesomeness. And then I realized that this was one of the guys behind that CAPE! thing that Gail Simone raves about.

Over the past several months I've come to know him as one of the more outspoken, passionate, and insightful voices in the industry.

I'm very glad that he took the time out of one of the busiest parts of his year to give ST a very in-depth interview.

Sequential Tart: How long have you owned Zeus Comics?

Richard Neal: July will be 7 years. There’s a stress line on my face around the eyes for every year. You can count them like rings on a tree.

ST: Before you got into the wonderful world of comics retailing,
what did you do? And what made you decide that you wanted to open a store?

RN: I was managing a computer network for an oil and gas company. On the eve of my 29th birthday, I had an early mid-life crisis. While I was good at my job, it wasn’t something I wanted to look back on as my life’s career achievement.

I spent some months thinking through my passions like music and comics. Ultimately I decided I was too old to become a pop star and thus Zeus Comics was born!

ST: Did you start Zeus from scratch or did you take over an existing business?

RN: I was really unhappy with the other comic shops in the Dallas market. Each one had their positives, but none of them embodied everything in one place. Zeus was built from the ground up with this in mind.

ST: Would you say that you had any goals in starting your store?
If so, do you think you've accomplished them?

RN: I was tired of walking into stores and feeling out of place. Women weren't welcome. Business professionals stuck out. Homo culture was non-existent.

We needed a store for that brought the elements of design and excellent customer service together.

Let's face it, comic stores aren't sophisticated. Borders and Barnes and Noble are sophisticated. Zeus features custom wood fixtures, colorful tiled floors and gallery lighting. Our staff is personable without being pushy.

Hopefully without sounding arrogant, the answer to the second question is yes. The local chain is even starting to copy our style.

We grew up. The comic stores need to as well. Let's all build better comic stores.

ST: What advice would you give to anybody thinking about opening
a store?

RN: No one flocks to your store the first day it opens. The audience is accustomed to shops closing within a year or two. You will still do business, but be prepared financially for the long haul.

A few other suggestions:

First, order light on new titles initially until your audience grows.

Second, look at your rent per square foot when deciding how much backstock to carry. It might make more sense to focus on new comics and trades than rows and rows of back issues.

Third, you never leave the store. You may close at 7pm, but you carry it with you 24/7. It can be rewarding, but a small business is real commitment to you and to your family and friends.

And fourth you must be fresh for every person walking in. (And I don't mean fanboy/fangirl clean) Just as the customer doesn't know about your stress, you don't know theirs. Say "hello" and be courteous.

ST: What's the most rewarding aspect of having a store?

RN: A simple greeting is always the start of a conversation. I've made some the most amazing, wonderful friends at Zeus.

ST: And, on the flipside, what's the most sucktacular part of having a store?

RN: I will always be "the Man." That means bills, sales calls,
promotion and generally being on top of every situation.

ST: You're a master of relentless publicity — having been featured in both local and national publications — how do you keep this from turning into "obnoxious" publicity? (And, have people come into your store because they've seen it featured in various news articles?)

RN: We've certainly been blessed. Truly it's about being honest and professional. I treat my customers, friends and acquaintances with respect. They in turn have advocated us in local and national media and forums. I have not asked for the attention. It's been a gift of
the incredible folks involved with Zeus.

ST: One of your most brilliant(IMHO) moves, not only as a way of
gaining publicity, but also as a means of sharing the love and doing outreach, is CAPE!. What gave you the idea for CAPE!?

RN: CAPE!, the Comic And Pop Expo is the brainchild of Scott Kurtz of PVPOnline. I can’t take sole credit for it. Since FCBD's inception, we’d been inviting local talent out the store for a successful event. (When your competition is doling out one comic per person it's not hard to do.)

In 2005, Scott had just come off a comic convention where the comic talent had been usurped by the celebrity guests. The comikers that had paid for table space were virtually ignored by the masses that had turned out for the celebrity hobbit.

Scott and I conspired to do justice for them. He invited some national talent down and I rented a big tent and plenty of free tables for not just the national, but for aspiring comic folks too. Free Comic Book Day is meant for community outreach. What better way than a free event for everyone: the public and the comics community.

Last year thousands of folks turned out and the Mayor of Dallas even honored us with a proclamation in honor of CAPE!.

ST: What have you learned from CAPE!? And what are your future plans for it?

RN: This is going to wrap back into advice and publicity. It’s
better to spend $500 for an event that will get you attention over $500 for a small ad that no one will notice.

CAPE! 3 — Bride of CAPE is up next this May. There's a tight knit group of folks involved in CAPE! and I don't want to speak out of turn on this one. I personally would like to move towards not-for-profit status and attract large sponsors to pay for the event. CAPE! and the idea of promoting comics to the community does not need to be constrained by a single store.

ST: You're very open about being gay, and you (and Zeus Comics) have been written up in many gay-oriented publications, including The Advocate. While this has sent many positive benifits youraway, has there been any backlash? (And if so, how did you handle it?)

RN: If there's been a negative affect on my business, it's not been apparent. Personally I don't have time to worry about someone else's issues. I'm an adult. If you’ve got a problem with my homosexuality, you're not in my life.

ST:You're also something of an activist (I mean, I did meet you
at the Prism booth at the last SDCC) and you've openly had words with Joe Quesada about the portrayal of GLBT characters in Marvel books, specifically, the character of Freedom Ring.

Do you think Marvel's made any improvements? (Or, in retrospect, was the whole thing more of a case of JQ's "foot in mouth
disease" than anything else?)

RN: Improvements? There’s been no change. We had a situation where Joe Q said no gays at Marvel. Then he backpedaled and brought up Freedom Ring over in Marvel Team-Up. We could add Karolina in Runaways, Hulking and Wiccan in Young Avengers and the "original gay," Northstar, to that list.

Within weeks of his comments, Freedom Ring dies rather brutally. Karolina, Hulking and Wiccan get singled out for torture. Frenchie in Moon Knight get beaten to near death. And Northstar?!? Northstar had already been gutted by Wolverine and resurrected as a villain.

I think Joe Q told me he didn't want his writers constrained by politics. That's sad ... just sad.

We just went through this big Civil War event reflecting the state of modern politics in America. Yet the comics don't reflect the diversity of modern America.

I've built this wonderful all inclusive store in Dallas and found success. The publishers need to follow suit without hesitation.

I want comics that appeal to all of my readers. You know what I need? I need comics featuring black super-heroes. It's a frequent request of the parents that come in looking to inspire their children.

You know what I needed as a seven year old? I needed someone to tell me it was okay to be me. I needed role models. When I didn't know what gay was ... when I didn’t know the words to express who I was, I needed a gay super-hero.

Being gay is not a political statement. Being black is not a political statement. Being a woman is not a political statement.

What I’m doing here though is a political statement. Marvel Comics disappointed me this past summer.

You know what chaps me? When I was writing to Joe Q about gays and Marvel, I had some critics try to intervene for the gays working at Marvel. They were afraid I would harm them by talking about it.

What do we have to hide? You don't get any concessions, any progress and any movement if you stay quiet. I will NOT be relegated to the back of the bus.

ST: What would you like to see from "the big two" in terms of the
portrayal of GLBT characters? (And why should they be included in superhero comics at all?)

RN: I want a diverse pallet for everyone. I've already brought
attention to myself for talking about gays and lesbians in comics, but I would do the same for anyone.

I'm particularly sensitive to brutality towards women. It doesn't serve a story. You can do dark without salacious violence.

ST: When you look at the scope of comics that you read, which
comics (both mainstream and independent) do you think really get it right?

RN: That's tough. I would probably single out writers like Marc Andreyko, Gail Simone, Bryan Vaughn, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Terry Moore first. These folks write diverse characters.

ST: And since we're touching on issues of inclusiveness, I've heard several prominent female creators and well as women fans in general, talk about going to your store and what a wonderful place it is. What do you think makes your store a female friendly establishment?

RN: Respect. Openess .... It's hard not to answer this one without
platitudes. We work hard to make everyone feel welcome and it's sincere.

ST: You won the 2006 Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award,
and you certainly faced some very distinguished competition. Did you ever think you had a chance, since Zeus doesn't have a long track record?

RN: We opened our doors on July 21st of 2000 and we won the Eisner on our sixth birthday July 21st of 2006. It's only been possible from the generosity of everyone at Zeus and the comics community.

You know I’ve spoken at length on what's wrong but I do love this community. There are some beautiful stores out there and some great people behind them. It's a tough road but for me personally it's been very rewarding.

ST: And, what now?

RN: We’re working towards a second store and of course a bigger CAPE!. I'd like to get more involved in some other side projects for comics advancement.

ST: Finally, what trends do you see in the industry? (I know it's
broad — but run with it.)

RN: It's all very exciting. The young adult book market has been growing since Harry Potter. We’ve also seen growth in young readers to comic stores due to Manga. I expect a blurring of the comics and manga genres. The traditional comics publishers need to modify their formats or find ways to appeal to the manga and young adult book market.

We’re already seeing some trends toward original English language manga like Oni’s Scott Pilgrim. Plus Vertigo’s having success on the same front with original graphic novels.

Well need to stay on top of this trend. Comic shops are one of the last of the small retail businesses in America. We started it with the advancement of the direct market. We could lose it to the book market if the line between comics and manga leans too heavy to mass market.

Zeus Toys and Comics — Official Site
CAPE! — Official Site