12.01.08
While in Houston over Thanksgiving (visiting my father-in-law), I got to check out a couple of comic shops. The first, Third Planet, was a convenient three-minute drive from the house, and, interestingly enough, right around the corner from televangelist Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church. I had to wait 'til our second day in town to go, but it was worth it.
After getting our high art fix from the impressive Menil Collection earlier that day, it was time for some pop-art. Switching into hardcore hunting-and-gathering mode as I walked through Third Planet's doors around 2PM, I began with my usual sweep - hitting the bins for priority back issues on my printed-out list. Batman, Fantastic Four, Hulk, various X-Men-related titles.
Third Planet's layout could be described as cluttered basement heaven. Marvel character collectable garbage pails perch lightly atop bins of old comics and issues of Mad, Cracked and Creepy. In a neighboring sector, Ikea bookshelves lean at odd angles under the weight of semi-alphabetically ordered graphic novels. A good half of the store's space is devoted to sci-fi novels, posters, toys, games and hobbies, with an impressive variety of geek paraphernalia stemming from floor to ceiling. Along the east wall, the customary comic shop glass counter houses and protects Silver Age (roughly 1956 - 1970) and Bronze Age (early 70s - mid 80s) issues of Action Comics, Spider-Man, Avengers and many other precious funny-books.
I was glad to hear all the usual nasal banter about Star Trek, Transformers and Spider-Man while perusing the shop, the only difference from NYC being the presence of a Texas drawl in those voices. While a guy with cowboy hat and mustache rang me up, I snuck a peak behind him into the cluttered office, which looked like one of the most awesome little alcoves in the world - littered with comic book-related items including a blow-up Spidey. Although I only purchased one book from Third Planet (Captain America Winter Soldier vol. 2 TPB), it was cool to check out a Houston nerd haven.
As much as I was enjoying my visit to Third Planet, we had plans to meet some friends at The Wine Bucket at 4pm. Faced with nearly two hours to kill in a comic store, my desperate wife convinced our friends to push the meeting time up to 3:30PM. Yael took this pic of me with her phone, while on the verge of boredom-induced tears. My wife is a good sport, God bless her.
We hit Bedrock City Comic Company the following day. Although the store was in a state of slight disorganization from the recent Hurricane Ike, the whole place smelled like new carpet and old comics. Bedrock City reminded me a lot of Cobble Hill, Brooklyn's Rocketship in its clean, antiseptic yet pleasant environment - even the piles of unordered books were neat.
I could barely contain myself as I perused pull-out drawers stuffed with back issues, shelves of graphic novels, and displays of fresh, sealed Lego Star Wars figures. If not for poor Yael following me around the store like a bored puppy, I would have sniffed old newsprint and rolled around on the fragrant, gray office carpet like a kitten enjoying his first bit of catnip.
While sorting through some X-Men limited series, I heard a twenty-something store employee ask me if he could interest me in an issue of Thundercats. Did I look like some kind of fool? Did a fellow employee put him up to a dare? Or was he simply high as a bitch? I couldn't tell, because he was too cool to look at me while talking to me. I politely explained that I enjoyed the animated series in its heyday, and would prefer to leave it at that. At least he didn't suggest Archie or Alf comics. I would have had to challenge him to an old-school Texas shootout for such an insult.
Alf slips one by Greenpeace.
That night, we hit The Dirt Bar for some Shiner Bock (sadly unavailable in NYC) and rock n' roll music (thankfully widely available). Divey yet clean, the bar's dark, womb-like atmosphere was punctuated by blasts of punk, metal, rockabilly, emo, garage and indie tunes. We sat there enjoying our drinks as we imbibed among our Houston hipster counterparts. This is precisely the kind of place you will run into guyliner-rockin' dudes and bad-ass Suicide Girls, but the vibe is welcoming to all. To add to the coolness, hidden projectors displayed four different classic covers of 60s and 70s horror comics mag Creepy on the walls.
If you happen to be in Houston, I highly recommend Third Planet and Bedrock City for your comics fix. For your driving and shopping soundtrack, hit Soundwaves and Cactus (I picked up an old Mars Volta EP and the latest disc from The Sword). You'll definitely be hungry after all that schmyin', so down some BBQ at Goode Co. Texas BBQ, munch on Tex-Mex at Cafe Adobe or enjoy some new American cuisine with a Mediterranean twist at Ibiza (say "ee-BEE-tha!") before heading over to House of Pies for dessert. Wash it all down with Shiner Bock at The Dirt Bar or Cecil's, or with ZiegenBock at Lola's; they're all great spots for the Comic Book Widow who wishes to reconnect with her husband after hours spent in hobby shops - or to assist in drowning her sorrows regarding the amount of time and money her obsessive husband spends on comics.
Yes, cowboy hats can be acquired anywhere in Texas, even in record stores like Soundwaves.
Come here for some tasty, Texas vittles - esp. the brisket.
"Rub ma head if yew wanna hear some Willie Nelson" (at Goode Co. Texas BBQ)
