Wolf Gnards

It’s time to hang up those picket signs… the Comic Book Boycott of Borders is no more. If you don’t know the story, it goes something like this: I went to Borders one fine Saturday afternoon to find their entire stock of comic books gone. I went hysterical and called Borders Nazis, then called for an immediate boycott of all Borders stores. Most my friends called me an idiot. Borders called me an idiot. As it turned out, I’m definitely closer to an idiot than Borders is to Nazis.

I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong. The comic book section was restored… and slightly bigger than it was before. I’m still hearing stories that not all Borders bookstores have the graphic novel sections back and that manga has been greatly reduced from a lot of locations. But either way, the books are back and I was wrong. Or was I? One way to look at it is, yes, I’m a nut job, but the more convenient way to look at is I’m a hero. A saint might be too strong a word, a Übermensch perhaps. We’re calling the boycott off because–guess what–we won. I made demands. Borders caved in. That’s how boycotts work. And, yes, it could very well have always been their plan, but there’s always a chance that my sheer awesomeness forced the issue.

But now that comics and graphic novels have returned to Borders, feel free to buy your comics at your local Mom & Pop comic store anyway. A lot of people just didn’t care about graphic novels being removed from a big mega chain because they want to support local business… and that’s a good thing, but they’re missing the much larger point. Hardcore fans will find comic books no matter what, but the comic industry needs larger mainstream support… this is why Marvel is throwing hourly tea parties over being bought by Disney. Without mainstream support the comic industry will collapse, closing down local specialty shops in the process. No Borders = No Comics, No Comics = No Comic Book Shops, No Comic Book Shops = Comic Book Guy Still Sitting on his Couch Eating Gummy Worms, but Much Lonelier than Ever Before. G’arr D’aK!

Also, the boycott ended just as I got a Borders gift card for my birthday. Coincidence? Or just another sign of my awesomosity?