Building the Ultimate Comics Empire: One Retailer’s Ten-Year Journey

Epic adventures, supporting characters, fights, family, and satisfying moments of victory are all hallmarks of the comics world, but, as comic book store owner Alan Gill will tell you, they are also integral parts of the story of Ultimate Comics, a thriving comic book store that is concluding its month-long celebration of ten years in business. The store, located in the heart of the Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, spent the month of August thanking its customers with parties, store signings by talent such as Jeff Parker (Batman ’66), sales, and an Ulti-lympics, a competition that saw participants being timed on looking up comic book prices, answering trivia questions, and more. In reflecting on the store’s tenth anniversary, Gill discussed the store’s origins, it’s growth, and Ultimate Comics’ own path forward.In thinking about where Ultimate Comics is today, Gill was reminded of his own foray into comics that sparked his urge for a store of his own. At the age of six, Gill’s family moved to Spain. It was here that his love of comics began. “This was 1976. There were no video games, no 24 hour cartoon networks, and TV for me in this country was literally foreign. Comics were my world. Going to the base and getting them every week was very important. When I walked into my first comic book store, it was in Melbourne, Florida. I was twelve years old and I remember it was horribly disorganized and reeked of urine, but I loved it and that feeling stayed with me.” That love of comics and the business side of the industry was coupled with a strong drive for his own, self-directed career path. “I’ve been doing what I’ve wanted to do forever by owning my own store. I grew up with my dad having a government job and hating every minute of it. I wasn’t going to do that. I’m not going to be in a job I don’t enjoy. If I get tired of this, I’ll go out and find something else.”