Welcome to our latest Store Spotlight. This segment is where we talk to comic shops in Canada and the United States and eventually outside of North America, too. The idea here is to focus on what comic shops are doing to promote local talent and creator-owned books.
In this installment I speak with Jay, the owner of Happy Harbor Comics in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was a busy day for him in the shop as he was preparing for eek! Fest, a show held annually for comic creators, pop culture fans and LEGO to sci-fi enthusiasts.
Jay is more than just a business owner, he's dedicated to giving back to the industry that he loves so much. Whether that be getting big name comic pros into the store including Richard Comely (Captain Canuck creator) and Fiona Staples (SAGA) or helping up and coming artists get their foot in the door. Case in point, Jay talks about the True Patriot Tour that he set up a while back. He took the True Patriot comic team - Adrian Alphonsa, Scott Chantler and J. Torres - along with Happy Harbor's artist's in residence out to a pub for dinner and a portfolio review/chat. Talk about an awesome night!
Plus, we talk about how his shop is considered rare because of the large quantity of back issues he has available in his store. Something you just do not see much of these days at a local comic shop.
And hey, we even discuss an upcoming scotch tasting event at Happy Harbor. Scotch and comics! Does it get any better?
Hit play on the Souncloud link and enjoy my chat with Jay from Happy Harbor Comics. And you can find them on Twitter at @HHcomics and Instagram at @HappyHarborComics.
This interview was conducted and written by Chris Doucher, Managing Editor for GeekNerdNet.