What's next for Aw Yeah Comics Muncie
- Owner, Christy Blanch hopes to start an incentive club where customers would be rewarded for buying comic from Aw Yeah instead of online or at a large retail bookstore.
- February book signing with Amy Chu, freelance writer for Vertigo/DC
- April book signing with Brian K. Vaughan, "Y: The Last Man" writer.
- Blanch hopes to work with the public library to give out books for Free Comic Book Day on May 2.
Source: Christy Blanch
Alter Ego Comics has been in an almost constant stage of transition since it opened over ten years ago. It has changed owners, locations and most recently, its name.
Last Wednesday, Alter Ego announced that it traded percentages with Aw Yeah Comics, a business located in Skokie, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. Each store now owns a small part of each other, but the owners still control their respective businesses.
As a result of the deal, Alter Ego’s name has changed to Aw Yeah Comics. Store owners Christy Blanch and Mark Waid might also move the store to another downtown location in order to make room for more merchandise and activities, including a larger area for children’ toys and comics.
Despite this, Blanch and Waid said the store should largely remain the same.
“We’re the same people with the same values, just under a different name,” said Blanch.
Blanch and Waid recently offered the original owner of Alter Ego, James Pierce, a full buy-out after encountering bills and debts they were unaware of when first partnering up.
In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Waid said the financial issues were neither “evil” nor “cheerful.”
Sophomore Darby Siscoe said she didn't mind the changes to the store, although she noticed some missing decorations.
“It was a little confusing at first because I walked in and everything looked different, but the shopping experience hasn’t really changed,” said Siscoe. “I’m just not used to saying the new name yet, but I still really like shopping there.”
Art Baltazar and Franco and Marc Hammond own the original Aw Yeah Comics. They are considering expanding their stores to other parts of the country, but Aw Yeah Comics Muncie is their first venture outside of Skokie.
Like Blanch and Waid, Baltazar, Franco and Marc are comic creators. Blanch said the stores share other similarities.
“We’re two very distinct stores, but we share the same philosophy: that comics are for everybody,” she said.
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