First Post!

Hello new readers of Event Fatigue! I hope you have been enjoying the website so far, and hopefully with my addition to the crew of writers you’ll like it even more. Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Peter Durkin, I’m 25 and I’ve been reading and collecting comics for a very, very long time. My taste in comic books is a fairly popular one. I follow the big two, Marvel and DC, grab a couple of indie books from time to time, but mostly keep up via trade. I also keep up on the big events, but as the name of the web site says, I am a little fatigued by the constant events. I like my action big and my dialogue quick and am a stickler for consistent characterization. I appreciate most all artists work, because, well because I couldn’t draw if my life depended on it. But I am a fan in truest sense of the word. I will pick apart my favorite books and writers for the minutest detail, but I will defend to the death the medium in all arenas. So welcome new readers, I hope I give you something to read.

I’ve decided to write my first article not on my favorite character or list of greatest deaths that have been negated by a recent rebirth, but rather one of the happiest places in the world; my comic book store on new comic book Wednesday. I have been collecting comic books since about May of 1993 and over the years I have frequented many comic book vendors. When I was young, the local Walden Books or Magazine isle in Osco was where I found my comic book fix. Ah, the simpler times of my youth, where I could go to Osco with five dollars and walk away with at least four books with X in the title. I was strictly buying a book on the strength of its cover or whether or not Wolverine could be found in the ensuing pages. Sometimes, I would pick up a two or three pack at the local Toys R Us, and can remember very clearly when that same toy store was fazing out it’s selling of comics, so they were selling hundreds of books for pennies. I bought a plastic bag of 50 books for 10 dollars.

As I became more serious about being a collector, I found my first comic book store, Atlas Comics. Atlas, which is still around today, was a small store, but it packed a big punch. I would be taken for a trip to Atlas Comics( the marquee was missing the i in comics for a very long time) every four or five months and would load up when I got there. Whatever I could find in 20 minutes that fit within my $30 budget, that’s what I walked out with. I was a huge fan of Marvel’s What If? title and any book in the X universe. Shiny covers usually helped make hard decisions and quarter bins were my specialty. Atlas also boasted a great wall of vintage comic books, most notably, my holy grail at the time, Wolverine #1. ( The Claremont mini)

For some reason in my life, I stopped collecting. Stopped reading all together. I got back into books around age 15 when I picked up Ultimate X-Men #6, and I haven’t looked back since. By that time, I was able to commit myself to the weekly grind of collecting. After a trial period of finding the right store for me, I tried out Windy City Comics on North Ave in Melrose Park. The store had a great selection of back issues, never ran out of the new issues and had trades galore. But the reason I travel the extra distance for this particular store are the people that work there. I’m always greeted by a ‘Hello Peter!’ when I walk in and a ‘take it easy when I walk out’. The staff is always up for a spirited debate of current events and always more than happy to tell me that I read too much Marvel and not enough DC ( Hey I read all of Countdown, gimmie a break). But above all else, they appreciate your business. When I started all those years ago in Osco books were $1.25. Most of my books are pushing the $3.99 mark with no signs of slowing down in price increase. Windy City Comics recognizes that their core group of comic book denizens are fans through and through and they do the little things that keep us coming back. Bags and boards are on them. And if you start a subscription list (the idea that you’re going to become a loyal customer) you get 10% off new books. Those are little things they don’t have to do, but it’s the little things that make all the difference. But most important: they learn your name. I went into a chain store in Chicago and bought 60 dollars worth of books. The guy behind the register didn’t even bat an eye. Not so at Windy City.

I’m sure I’m not the only person out there who loves their comic book store. Everyone has a ‘guy’ or a sweet deal they’ve worked out. But for those of you who don’t love your store or you don’t get a ‘Hi Bob’, do yourself a favor and keep looking. The right store is out there and it makes all the difference in the world.


I hope you enjoyed my personal reflection on the comic book stores throughout my life. I’ll be breaking down everything from favorite single issues and trades to trends in current books I can’t stand right now. I should be coming out with weekly reviews as well. So keep tuning in, more is on the way.

Peter