Saving the World, One Comic Book at a Time

The more things change in this world, the more they remain the same.

That’s the message from Charlie Burgio, who’s known as the “face of ” on South Wellwood Avenue in Lindenhurst. He’s had his finger on the pulse of the evolution of a product he loves both as a consumer and in business for a quarter of a century–and from his perspective, the patient is doing just fine.

“We’re still here!” said Burgio, who spoke on behalf of Bailey’s and the elusive owner. “Comics have a future, they’ll always be here. There aren’t 5,000 stores across the country anymore. More like 2,300, close to that–but there’s still a market for people who want this.”

The “this” to which Burgio is referring is the comic book business, and it’s not your Archie comics of the 1950s, or Zap Comix of the 1960s–though Bailey‘s is stocked with racks of comic books that go back decades and are as current as the latest battle between Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.

In fact, while the business has changed somewhat since Burgio started working part-time at Bailey’s while attending back in the 1980s – before its original location was destroyed by a that took down the cluster of stores at the corner of North Wellwood and East Hoffman Avenues – it remains fundamentally the same.

“Comics tell stories on a monthly regimen. People come in looking for the next installment,” said Burgio, whose comic book store duties range from custodial to dealing with distributors. He holds another job, but continues to be "the public face of the company."

If anything changed, however, then it’s the interface between comic books and other products. That’s the telling difference in the marketing of a product that once upon a time used to be found on newsstands across America.

“There’s a lot of cross marketing,” Burgio said. “Look at me, I’m wearing a Punisher hoodie and cap today. Ever since George Lucas made Star Wars, and retained the rights to the merchandise, there’s an interface between movies and other merchandise – shirts, toys, action figures, video games and comics. Comics promote the movies.“

That goes for Internet video games too, he said. “There are video games based on comics now. And comic books based on video games.”

What’s the attraction of a comic book over Internet? According to Burgio, it’s the tangibles that count.

"A comic book itself is something you can hold. It feels real to you, substantial,” he says. “And the quality of the image – digital comics are there, but if you’re just looking at something on the screen, you’re not getting the same visual liveliness. You’re not flipping through the pages.”

Plus, you’re not getting to go into town and see the merchandise and interact with other like-minded people.

“Internet has made it easier to keep up with the trends, you can keep track of what’s cool and timely,” Burgio said. “Just read the fan blogs and boards – you can tell what’s going to be good. Then you come in looking for the next installment – and instead of being part of a fan base of 25 people in a room, you’re part of a population of thousands of fans."

Burgio added, "National comic book conventions host five hundred thousand people on a weekend.”

Not that he’s expecting hundreds of thousands to show up at the door of Bailey’s on any given day. But because the characters and plots in comic books continue to grow and evolve on a regular basis – and are just plain colorful – comics continue to occupy a place in the minds of young and old alike, he said.

"We have young people reading comics, of course," Burgio said. “But comic readers are often adults – not just because of nostalgia, though there’s that in it. Comics offer something away from society, a chance to escape from the real world and into an alternative storytelling world.”