Batman and Business (with Fantom Comics)

This week is our interview with the illustrious Matt Klokel, co-owner of Fantom Comics. For the unmetro'd of you, Fantom Comics exists in the heart of Union Station. It's tiny, and run like a well-oiled clock, so despite being shifted to the mezzanine, Klokel assures us, Fantom isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Klokel comes across as a shrewd businessman first, and a comics fan second. Perhaps that is what's kept Fantom alive although they are down to their last location, and why the store is so keen to expand its online presence.

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Minimum quantity of customers
expected with Union Station traffic
(image from Fantom Comics on G+)

If the key is "location, location, location," then it's hard to be in a more high-foot-traffic area that Union Station. We get to hear brilliant plans that seem so simple after the fact, but no one else seemed inclined to do. I.E. Who else was stocking their entire kiosk from floor to ceiling with every comic mentioning Obama on inauguration in 2004? Probably quite a few of them were…. but no one else was right there on the damn metro line that those thousands of attendees would have to use to get to the event.

I love the idea of a high-powered attorney, or an ultra-right-wing congressman ducking in to grab his Wednesday pull box or ogling a Batman trade paperback. And I definitely suggest setting aside some extra travel time the next time you're using metro to stop in and see what they have to offer. 

A very rare glamor shot of the empty store.
(image from Fantom Comics website)

However, some of us are lazy. I'm ashamed to admit how much of a fan I am of things like Amazon, and Kindle, and digital distribution, and I feel like I can't consider myself a comic fan for saying that. It'd be like an "environmentalist" saying they loved the BP oil spill for "spreading awareness." So I was thrilled to the bone when Matt said that Fantom Comics is associated with comiXology! You can support your local comic shop, and still be a lazy bum who buys comics online! Yay!

I could go on about comiXology, but instead, I want to end on the coolest damn part of Fantom Comics (imnsho): the rentable shelves. Let's say you have a small press comic without much exposure, and you're having difficulty convincing local shops to carry it, so you're starting to despair and consider turning to online-only webcomics. And while that's certainly an option, you could also pay a small fee each month to stock your comic on one of Fantom's few shelves that are up for grabs. That shelf is now your store, and you get 100% of the profit.

So if you stop in, make sure to pick up a self-published comic in addition to the ones like Watchmen and Hush that are going to make money no matter what.

The Great and Powerful Link List:

• Fantom Comics Website
• Fantom Twitter
• Fantom Facebook
• Digital Comics from Fantom
• comiXology Website
• Information about "pop up store" shelves for rent or auction.

Thanks again to Matt for a wonderful podcast. Stop by his shop and tell them we sent you (you may have to start by explaining what DC Geeks is, but that's normal).