The Preamble
Last September 16, 2020, Comic Quest Philippines rocked the local comics community when they announced through their Facebook page that the economic challenges brought by the pandemic have forced them to close their doors after 34 years.
The news was sudden and difficult to read.
I also had a lot of time to reflect on this development. If there was one thing that the pandemic has given us, it is a lot of time reflection.
The Beginning…
I was 9 years old when I first jumped into Comic Quest’s first branch in BF Homes Parañaque. The shop wasn’t readily visibility to passers by, but what immediately caught my attention was The Amazing Spider-Man that was painted on the side of a nearby water tower. Immediately below the iconic web slinger was the name of the shop—Comic Quest.
Relative to my size, the branch didn’t seem to have a lot of space back then. I can vaguely recall glass display cabinets—forming an inverted “L” shape—were lined up together. Neatly displayed on its transparent shelves were issues of Marvel Comics and DC Comics.
I immediately gravitated towards the Marvel Comics section, specifically the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero books. Here is one of the earliest books that I remember picking up.
For those of you reading this that are a bit too young to remember, Marvel and DC Comics titles usually shipped a single issue per month. That would mean that a title like Captain America would only have 12-issues (plus an annual) per year.
So every month, I would read that month’s issue over-and-over until it was time to drop by Comic Quest and pick up the next one.
Rinse and repeat.
That was how it was back then.
I followed Comic Quest to their GoldCrest branch in Makati. As I got older, I would also make stops to their Greenhills, Megamall, and Festival Mall branches.
Thank you Comic Quest for playing your part in my formative years.
But this is not goodbye.
I am a big believer in taking two steps back and one foot forward. It it my fervent hope that you would consider reopening once we have all put the pandemic behind us.
In the words of Comic Quest owner, Michael Simbulan.
”Never say never.”
Photos of our September 20, 2020 trip to Comic Quest Megamall.
Panoramic shot of the interior of Comic Quest Megamall.
Photo opportunity with Comic Quest owner Mr. Michael Simbulan.
Safety first. Family first.
Comic Quest Hauls: Clockwise: A large Tron Glow-In-The-Dark themed shirt, The final two Walking Dead graphic novels (Volume 31: The Rotten Core | Volume 32: Rest in Piece), Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice #5 By Jeff Lemire and Michael Walsh, and that very familiar Comic Quest purchase paper.
And then there were 12: Several years ago, I sold my entire Walking Dead graphic novel collection at cost. At the start of 2020, I made the most of National Bookstore’s sale and reacquired 18 of them. The Comic Quest sale allowed me to fill out the back end of that collection.
Book Sale Finds...
Whenever I visit SM Megamall, I always make it a point to visit Book Sale. I have to say, if you ever find yourself in the area (during these uncertain times), make it a point to pay the used bookstore a visit. They are well stocked and their selection, diverse.
During the short time I was there, I managed to pick up Alisa Kwitney’s adaptation of Brian Michael Bendis’ New Avengers graphic novel entitled, Breakout. I also secured a writing handbook for children by Linda Strachan.
I hope to use both as resources for similar themed writing projects in the near future.
About
Tedi Villasor is—among many things—an indie comic book writer (Lindol, OBIsessions) based in the Philippines.
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