Rick’s Comic City Clarksville Manager Talks Turning a Passion Into a Job

We’re launching a comic book vending machine (check it out here), providing our readers with a new way to grow their personal collections and discover new favorites. Every comic is sourced from a local shop and today we want to highlight one of the stores we visited when purchasing comic books for the machine: Rick’s Comic City in Clarksville, TN

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Every comic book fan dreams of getting a job in the industry, and that’s exactly what George Alexis achieved. George is a manager at the Clarksville branch of Rick’s Comic City, a decades-old comic book shop from Nashville, Tennessee. In the latest edition of ComicBook Shop Talk, ComicBook’s Chris Killian sat down with George to discuss his trajectory in the business and his insights into how comic books will remain a cornerstone of pop culture for many years to come.

But first, check out a video of our shopping spree at Rick’s Comic City!

We’d love to visit your local comic shop for a shopping spree and featuring in ComicBook Shop Talk! Just send us a message at [email protected] and tell us all about your connection to your shop and what makes it a great place to visit.

Rick’s Comic City Clarksville

Website: rickscomiccity.com	Instagram: @rickscomiccity2
1923 Madison St, Suite H, Clarksville, TN 37043	Facebook: @rickscomiccitytn
Phone number: (931) 401-1014

How Running a Comic Book Shop Works

Chris: I guess for starters, the first question I want to know what was the comic book made you fall in love with comic books?

George: I’m gonna say… Way back in the day, when Giant-Size X-Men came out.

Chris: Nice.

George: I think that was probably the first comic book that I bought.

Chris: That’s a good one, man. My first one was Frank Miller’s Wolverine #1, so…

George: I think that might have been the second one that was rung up.

Chris: Yeah, dude, it seems to be the overarching theme here is that it’s always either X-Men or Spider-Man with everybody I’ve been talking to. So, what’s the history behind Rick’s Comic City and specifically, your role within it?

George: I know he’s had the Nashville store open, I want to say 25-ish years. I could be a little off. But he opened the Clarksville store… It’ll be, I think, 11 years in November.

Chris: Oh, wow.

George: And I used to go to the Rick’s store in Nashville. And I was just happening to drive in the back way up Madison Street, and I saw a sign that said Rick’s Comic City. And I was like, ‘No, this can’t be the same Rick’s Comic City. Well, it’s a comic store. Let me stop there. Maybe I don’t have to drive to Nashville anymore.’ And it was his. I was like the third or fourth customer in. What got me working here was that I retired from the Army. They were opening the store in the PX, and they needed a body that didn’t need to be vetted and all that. So I had a 30-second interview, basically, ‘Hey, do you want a job?’ I was like, ‘Sure.’ And then here we are, almost 11 years later.

Chris: So what’s your absolute favorite thing about working in a comic book shop like Rick’s?

George: I like seeing all the old toys because it brings back good memories when people bring them in. And the people, you meet a lot of different people here.

Chris: There have been a lot of physical media businesses that have sort of come and go. So what do you think has been the secret to Rick’s longevity? And where do you see the comics business going in the next five to ten years based on the trends that you’re currently seeing?

George: I think his longevity has to do with listening to the customers and getting what they want instead of ‘Oh, this looks cool, let me get it.’ And then it just sits here. Comic books have been around for a good 80 years. I think they’ll be around a little bit longer.

Chris: Yeah, just a little bit. Do you have any concerns about the AI craze?

George: No, because there’ll be some way that somebody will monetize it at some point, where you can go into a comic book store and pay $12 or $15 to get the digital version of it. Right now, you can download it on some sites and stuff for free, or you have a subscription. But everything moves with the times. The technology will catch up with everything at some point.

Chris: So what’s the one thing that comes to mind about running a comic book shop that nobody who doesn’t run one would ever understand? What’s the biggest misconception about running a comic book shop, I guess, is what I’m asking?

George: That’s a toughie. Probably knowing everything about all the comics that are coming out, toys, and stuff.

Chris: Are you saying you don’t know everything about every comic book ever coming out?

George: That’s impossible. Nobody can know that. But people think that we do. It’s like, ‘Hey, do you know when this is coming out?’ It’s like, ‘No, I haven’t even heard of it yet. I’m doing orders all the time.’ It’s like, ‘Well, why didn’t you know?’ It’s like, ‘Well, I don’t know. The places I order stuff from didn’t tell me it was out yet.’ I look at the news and all this other stuff. One of our other guys that works here, Ryan, he’s my news guy. So every time he comes in, I’m like, ‘All right, get on Key Collector. Get on YouTube. Get on whatever. Find out what’s hot.’ So we try to keep our ear to the ground. You gotta listen to the people. You can’t get it because you like it. You gotta get it because the customer likes it. Because if you get a whole bunch of stuff that you like, you might as well just put it in your house.

Chris: That’s great advice, actually, for running a comic book shop. Are there any comic books that you read as a kid that you’re still reading today?

George: X-Men, Spawn. Really, that’s it.

Chris: Those two?

George: So much that comes out, yeah. I mean, I read books, but not a lot. Everything has changed so much. You know, there are 85 different #1 issues of Spider-Man and 150 different #1 issues of Batman. It’s kind of hard to keep up with the stories. But when stuff comes in, I skim it. ‘Oh, this looks interesting.’ Especially if it’s like a number one or something like that. So I know when somebody comes up and asks, ‘Hey, what’s going on with this book?’ I can tell them. There are a couple of other titles I get, but not since I was little.

Chris: What’s the most recent book that you’ve read that you absolutely loved?

George: I’m going to have to go with Absolute Batman. It’s not a recent book, but a semi-recent one, The Batman Who Laughs series. The whole Death Metal when that came out. And the new Transformers.

Chris: Nice, those are good.

George: There’s new stuff that comes out all the time. It’s like the new Ben 10 that came out on Wednesday. I’ve skimmed through it. It doesn’t seem like that’s going to be a legit book.

Chris: Is there a particular writer or artist that you follow that, no matter what they come out with, you’re going to check it out?

George: Scott Snyder. [James] Tynion [IV]. I like some of Skottie Young’s stuff. Not necessarily just because he does cool art, but he has some really good books.

Chris: Bro, this was your chance to say “Chris Killian,” and you totally let me down. It’s fine.

George: I was getting there. Your book was really cool.

Chris: Thank you, man. Yeah, no, actually, I’m getting pages in right now for the sequel. It’s awesome, dude. I’m so excited for everybody to see it.

George: Are you going to come here when it comes out?

Chris: Yeah, man. Yeah, we’ll swing back in. We got a couple of other things that are coming. We got Creepshow coming later this year, and Spawn, and we got this Skybound thing. So yeah, we’ll find something to come back in.

George: You’re always welcome here.

Chris: Oh, thanks, man. I appreciate that. Last question for you, but what’s the most expensive comic that you personally have sold?

George: I’m going to say Hulk #1. We sold it for $18k. Somewhere between $15k and $18k. I can’t remember. I remember we got it in. I posted it on Facebook. I got a call from Rick that night saying, ‘Hey, can you bring the book tonight?’ I was like, ‘Oh, no. I’m the only one here.’ He’s like, ‘Well, can you bring it first thing in the morning?’ I was like, yeah. So it wasn’t even in the store for 24 hours.

Chris: Dang. Do you remember what you guys paid for it?

George: I don’t. It was a couple of years ago.

Chris: Okay.

George: I want to say probably about half of that price, maybe a little bit more. It was in great condition. I think the person who bought it got it graded. I think he came back like a 3.5 or a 4.5. Yeah, so that was the big book here.

Chris: Hell yeah, dude. Well, man, I don’t want to take up any more of your time. Thank you for taking the time and everything, man.

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If you own a comic book or card shop and would like us to come do a shopping spree at your store (or if you’re a customer who would like to nominate your favorite retailer), reach out to us at [email protected]. We’re assembling a nationwide list of interested stores to visit – as well as some international locations as well!

We sincerely hope you’ll give the Vending Machine a spin – and wish you luck in your pulls.