So. Much. To. Write. For. My. Three. Readers.

I'M ALIVE!

somewhat

That's it! Got my sexy vocaloid babes singing like angels (is that a butterfly on my right shoulder? idk), so we ready.

 thank you baby jesus, for these vocaloid gifts you have left us in your manger

So, today I have a bit of a review of a local comic book shop that I just tried out for the first time today. While I realize that some of you who read this blog are NOT located in Miami or anywhere near it, I figured a review would be helpful for readers who do live in Miami, or should any of you ever want to visit and absolutely need a papery cinematic thrill ride. I didn't take pictures this time around as my kids were being hellions, however, I will try and procure some.

Today's trek into comic land was via the diamond-in-the-rough vessel that is Korka's Comics in Pembroke Pines. At first, I was highly put off by the appearance of the shopping center it's housed in; think dingy, lacking a good coat of paint, cheap, no-name center and you've got the right idea. Korka's didn't even have a sign above the store--it's nestled into the only corner in the shopping center, leaving the consumer to have to search out the store before parking. Upon entering into the store, I was immediately struck by just how awful the decorative scheme was inside. 

Now, while I realize that decoration is hardly a deciding factor for most people looking for their favorite comics, ambiance is a massive deal to me considering that I will nine times out of ten buy something when I linger in a store long enough. Korka's makes one want to run and hide, or in my case, run home and curl up in bed with Sherlock on loop. 

Initially, Korka's gives off a miserable "80's garage sale from hell" vibe--and no, not in the good way with Jem dolls and Rainbow Brite lunchboxes; in the awful faded out irrelevant toys, weird mannequins dressed in awkward collectible garb (like their dirty animatronic Hannibal Lecter for sale right next to the door), and an inordinate amount of The Simpsons collectibles in banged up, dusty and dirty boxes kind of way. The walls are painted off white with perceptible yellow staining, the ceiling has humidity stains accenting horrible fluorescent lighting; nothing is organized, and there was one area of the store named 'Pete's Corner' where an assortment of varied crap (because honestly, there is no better word for it) was lumped together haphazardly in a very pointless "just because" fashion. The gaming area was absolutely tiny with only four small tables available for play; however, being that this is predominantly a comic book store I don't factor that in to be a deciding point in my overall opinion of the place. The floors were dirty, their statuary was mediocre at best, and literally I felt like they were throwing in anything (like, literally, the items felt like things the owner had laying around his mother's attic) that was borderline geek-kitsch in the hopes some loser would walk in and want to buy it. 

 it is. it really is.

 Now, all that being said, would I go again?

Absolutely.

The thing about Korka's is that where they lack almost any positive points in the overall feel of the store, they make it up immensely in customer service and comic variety/selection. I was asked if I needed help no less than three times while being there--and not in the awful "Need some help, little lady?" type way that I've gotten in other, much bigger places (cough *Tate's* cough--review for this niche giant coming soon). Employees were attentive, knowledgeable, and even funny, oddly enough. Their collection of comics (particularly back issues) was fantastic for a little hole in the wall shop, and they had everything I was looking for in current issues as well as some interesting older finds (today I walked out with the new Supes, Birds of Prey #1 (which, while not rare, I had been wanting for a while), and Sinestro Corps #1). I do have one issue here (no pun intended)--their organizational system of non-huge/popular titles is massively lacking. Anything independent is tossed into one massive box labeled "Indy Comics" which can be a major time dump for someone in a hurry or just not very patient. Also, the issues were massively dusty--my hands were nearly black after going through four longboxes. No manga is to be found at Korka's either (at least I didn't find any) but when I asked about Sailor Moon I was informed that they did get some random things in now and then (although one of the employees had no idea about the new SM manga release... I won't get into that) which was a plus. 

All in all, I give Korka's a 2 out of 5 stars? Cats? Ice cream cones? Idk. Either way, they earn those units of subjective judgmental worth and it's enough to keep me coming back (if not frequently).

Also, I read Saga #1 today!

It was like this:

I'll possibly write a review on the first issue... But first, time to read my haul.