Walk the south side of the 600-block of Johnson Street and the average pedestrian might easily miss it. But if you're a collector of comics, you know exactly where to find Legends. And chances are owners Lloyd Chesley and Gareth Gaudin know you.
Heck, if Gaudin can tell you the artist and plot of any Spiderman comic, based on an issue number shouted from the back of the store, pointing out a casual comic-book buyer would be child's play.
The store, which Chesley and Gaudin acquired nine years ago from founder Grant Wilson, turned 20 this year. The battle to keep the lights on hasn't always been easy as it has dealt with recessions, the near-death of comic-book houses like Marvel and the loss of some readers who may have drifted away as they aged. But the business appears healthy as ever.
At least one comic book aficionado said Legends' survival comes down to commitment to the medium. "It's pure," said collector and self-described comic-book nerd Marcus Pollard. "It is simply a comic book store. They actually have old comics, and a lot of comic-book stores don't."
Pollard, a lifelong collector, said Legends doesn't clutter its shelves with loosely related paraphernalia, toys and gimmicks. It just offers a broad selection of both vintage and new comics and graphic novels.
Step into the store and its walls are packed with new issues from every conceivable genre and niche of the comic-book world - from the quasi-documentary and historical books of Art Spiegelman and Joe Sacco to the escapism and gore of Robert Kirkman. Collectible bins offer a trip through time with superheroes, war veterans and teenage romantics.
And then there's that smell. The smell that a kid of any age remembers if they've ever pressed their nose into the pages of an older issue of Spiderman, Superman or Archie.
That smell helped hook Gaudin, who got his first comic at age five.
"I fell in love with [Godzilla]. ... It wasn't the story or reading, but it was an object that smelled good and had pictures I could look at," he said. "I remember once a week at noon on Sundays I could watch monster matinée on TV, but I discovered that rather than just once a week on TV I could have monsters in comics at all times."
For Chesley, the hook came just as he was heading into his teens. One day while thumbing through a book it just dawned on him. "I remember looking at a page and thinking there's something special going on here. I thought it was something really unique."
That attraction has clearly continued. Both are passionate about the books and argue the stereotypes people have of comic-book culture and the people in it are out of date and tired.
Chesley said it's a medium to tell stories of all kinds. "Since we took over the store, the breadth of material has grown amazingly," Chesley said. While fantasy, gore and escapism will always be a staple of comics, the themes and topics covered by some writers and artists carry real weight, he added.
"It is a writer's medium now. Comics are finally allowing writers to do what they want - story is first," said Gaudin.
Gaudin and Chesley note the popularity of graphic novels like Road to Perdition and The Walking Dead have brought new life to the medium and new customers to stores. And as those titles and others went mainstream in the form of movies and TV shows, it legitimized the medium to those who looked down on it.
"It's funny having watched an art form going from being publicly ridiculed and even being burned in the '50s to seeing it crawl back," said Gaudin. He noted high school art classes that used to frown on students drawing their own comics have been replaced by colleges and universities teaching the craft, including a program at Camosun.
While stores like Legends used to be the haunt of kids of all ages, Gaudin said the evolution in the industry to stories that don't pander to their audience has brought in a new demographic.
"Our major new customers are 25-to 45 year-old women," he said, noting they make up as much as 65 per cent of their clientele.
Gaudin said what has kept the store vibrant and kept the pair of them involved and passionate is there's always something new coming through the door, including the highly collectible. "You never know what you're going to find," said Chesley.
Gaudin said over the 20 years almost every comic imaginable has come through the front door at 633 Johnson. "We haven't had an Action Comics No. 1 yet, which is the most expensive ever, but pretty much everything else has showed up," Gaudin said. That particular comic, which heralded the dawn of Superman, has sold for more than $2.5 million.
Over the years, Legends has bought a complete set of Batman comics spanning 60 years and, a few years ago, they sold a Spiderman No. 1 for "quite a few thousand dollars."
The store still has a Spiderman No. 1, but it is not in great shape and is priced at $15,000.
Legends is also selling more online, and Gaudin said the news that DC Comics is expanding the reach of its digital comics by selling its monthly titles through iTunes, Amazon and Barnes & Noble is good. "It means more people reading comics, and that's awesome," he said.
COMIC BOOK EXPO SUNDAY
Experience the universe of comic books at the Victoria Comic Book Expo on Sunday. Attendees will find thousands of comics - from the hottest books of the day to hard-to-find treasures of the past. You can also purchase toys, non-sports card and other collectibles. Buy, sell, trade or just browse.
Admission is free. Free comics (while they last) are at the door. The event runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Comfort Hotel, 3020
Blanshard St. For more info: victoriacomicbookexpo.ca.
