According
to Stephen Floyd, owner of Gutter Pop Comics, sales in his store around
the time of comic book movie releases tend to be hit or miss, dependent on the
movie. With the recent release of projected box-office sensation “Avengers:
Endgame,” logic would suggest comic book stores would see an uptick in sales.
Floyd cited an increase in the sale of “Black Panther” comics when the movie
came out, but when “Dr. Strange” was released there was almost no interest in
those comics. Floyd thinks the movies help general awareness, but more could be
done. “I definitely think that the movies get people interested in comics, but
those companies need to do a little bit more to capitalize on that. The synergy
isn't there as much as it could be,” Floyd said. Gutter Pop Comics, 1028
Elmwood Ave., is one of the many comic book stores participating in Free Comic
Book Day, a national promotion to bring new readers into independent comic book
stores, May 4. By Nick Lukasik and
Zach Rohde
