Strange Encounter

I stopped by a not-exactly-local comic shop the other day and found myself picking up a number of oddities that my own LCS did not have. But as I was browsing, an older woman came into the store and asked the clerk for some assistance. I overheard most of the ensuing conversation and she peppered the clerk with questions, and helped her sort through the racks of new comics and back issue bins.

She started off with some questions about Countdown. Basic questions, really -- what the story was about and that kind of thing. Clearly she had heard something about the series in a passing conversation or possibly a news report, and it had piqued her interest. After hearing the short explanation, she proceeded to inquire whether or not that shop had all of the 40-some issues published so far. She and the clerk proceeded to rifle through the back issue bins, pulling out every issue of the series for her.

This went on for a little while and, not surprisingly, 52 came up as they continued talking. She then proceeded to ask about purchasing all of those issues as well. In the period of maybe 15 minutes, she'd racked up a tab of over $250 without getting anything particularly valuable.

The woman was evidently 67, and had been a fan of many of the DC superheroes back in the 1950s and 60s, but hadn't bought any new comics in many years. I never did hear where exactly she heard about Countdown but the idea intrigued her enough to find a comic book shop and dive back into the hobby headfirst. She also set up a pull list to ensure that she got the remaining issues of Countdown (as well as have a repository for the handful of back issues the store did not have on hand) and actually offered to leave her credit card information on file.

If she wasn't so involved with the clerk while I was there, I'd have been sorely tempted to quiz her to find out just what in the world prompted her into the shop that day. I mean, isn't this EXACTLY the type of thing publishers want to happen, but have yet to figure out a way to regularly capitalize on?

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