The Continuing Adventures of Sea Donkey

The proprietor of my LCS, aka: Sea Donkey, has pulled some more astounding maneuvers this week. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Terry Moore’s Echo #14 (Abstract Studio): With his track record, I guess I can sort of understand why Sea Donkey wouldn’t have this title given his proclivities to avoid anything smacking of the small press. But… you have all of the SiP trades over there. You have the first Echo trade. I’ve bought most of the other issues from you. I guess unless I’m waiting outside the store like a stalker at 10:59am ready to rush in and push three other people out of the way in order to get the one copy of this book you ordered, I’ll miss it. Jackass.

Frankenstein’s Womb (Avatar Press): Hello, Warren Ellis wrote this. Hello, Warren Ellis is only like one of the hottest writers in the last ten years. Hello, I bought Crecy from you. Hello, I bought Aetheric Mechanics from you. Hello, it’s the same writer. Hello, it’s the same company. Why wouldn’t you order this as well? Hello.

Doom Patrol #1 (DC): I don’t have anything too snarky to add here, as I probably wouldn’t have bought this book anyway, but I just happened to notice you didn’t have this book on the shelves either. It’s a new #1 from Keith Giffen. No, nothing marketable there. Dumb. As usual, my conversation goes a little something like this;

Me: Hey, did you guys get Echo or what?
Sea Donkey: Umm, uhh, I don’t think so.

Really, you don’t think so? What part of it being nowhere in your store makes you uncertain? To add insult to injury, I went to another LCS that’s probably tied with one other for worst store in San Diego. I hate this store, but it’s on my way home so I thought I’d give it a shot. They surprisingly had some back issues of Echo, but not the new #14. Though I did overhear this little diatribe;

Customer: Do you have the second DMZ trade?
Register Jock: Umm, uhh, is that book even out yet?
Customer: Yeah, I think so.
Register Jock: Oh, I’m not sure it is.
Me (Interjecting): Yeah, it is. It’s called Body of a Journalist. The first five or six trades are already out.
Register Jock: Oh… well, we don’t have it.
Customer: Oh.
Me: You can probably find it at the Barnes & Noble just down the street.
Customer: Cool. Thanks.

Anyway, it’s basically days like this that make me want to not do comics anymore. These days it seems like a lot of effort, a considerable amount of money, and diminishing enjoyment.