Petaluma Profile: Entrepreneur inspired by youthful love of comics

Petaluma’s Christensen has memories of beloved comic book shop in Glendora|

When Brian Christensen, owner-operator of Brian’s Comics in Petaluma, was a teenager in Glendora, his home away from home was Fred’s Comics. It was the 1980s and comics were becoming more serious and adult-themed. Standouts included “The Dark Knight Returns,” by Frank Miller (1986), and “Watchmen,” by Allan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87). Brian and his friends shared the excitement.

Comics were important to them.

Co-owner Jennifer Christensen, who grew up in El Cerrito, met Brian online. They married and moved to Petaluma in 2008, thanks to a job offer for Jennifer. Which left open the question, “What should Brian do?” When Jennifer asked him to name his dream job, he admitted it was running a comic shop. Jennifer, who works today as a recruiting consultant, encouraged him to go for it.

But Brian wanted to do it right.

“So I spent three years doing the homework,” he said.

He took courses in small business management while studying the ins-and-outs of the comic industry. He devoted a full year to the matter of finding the right location.

Meanwhile, he worked on Alcatraz Island at the Audio Tour and Information Desk.

“I vowed if I ever got off of the Rock I would open a place where fans from all walks of life could come and enjoy comics,” Christensen said.

Drawn to a basement space in the historic McNear Building, built in 1887, Christensen worried that customers might not be able to find it. But people kept mentioning that there used to be a comic shop adjacent to the space.

“People remembered where the old one was,” he said, “so I figured this would be okay.”

In 2013, Brian’s Comics opened for business. The name is a fond nod to Fred’s, back in Glendora. Because Brian wanted to serve the full range of comic customers, he chose as his motto, “For All Fankind.”

“It can be intimidating for first-timers to walk in and see so many comics, so we try to make a comfortable environment,” he explained. With over 300 constantly evolving titles, the store is clean, well lit and attractive, with comic-book art on the walls.

Brian’s Comics offers comics and graphic novels.

“The only real difference between a comic book and a graphic novel is the binding,” he said. “The term ‘comic book’ generally refers to the monthly books that are around 24 pages long, while a graphic novel is more of a bound book. And the term ‘graphic novel’ helps legitimize comic books. It sounds more grown up.”

The shop’s website, brianscomics.com, keeps fans informed of upcoming arrivals, with an informative blog for customers who want in-depth information.

Owning and managing a comic book store is risky business. You can’t send unsold merchandise back to the publisher for a refund.

“Once we have it, it’s ours,” Christensen said.

So he studies the trends, attends trade shows, and takes the occasional risk. He also meets lots of Bay Area artists active in the industry, many of them self-publishers. In fact, his shop includes a “local artist” section, and his gallery displays illustrated thank-you notes from artists who appreciate his support.

“Ordering the right number of issues is a challenge,” he pointed out. If a new release has the potential to eventually become very valuable, the “comic book speculators” come running, ready to buy multiple copies, which means Christensen has to anticipate such market dynamics.

A major issue for comic shops is whether to serve the market for vintage material.

“At first, I didn’t concentrate on the old stuff, which has been pretty well taken over by eBay,” he said. “But I’ve noticed that there are more hunters now,” he said, referring to serious collectors. So now, back issues make up about a quarter of his inventory, although he prefers to avoid the “high-end, super-collectible” market.

One of Christensen’s favorite series is “East of West,” which debuted in March 2013 and ends this year. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta, the book is a science-fiction Western set in a dystopian version of the United States. Brian explained that this is a “creator-owned book,” meaning the creators have retained all rights to the work, while artists who sell to Marvel or DC, the two largest publishers of comics, sell all rights.

The synergy between movies and comics is crucial to the latter. Christensen points out that new comics featuring well-known movie characters such as Spider-Man or Batman may “spark a little business,” but relatively new characters such as those in the films “Black Panther” or “Guardians of the Galaxy” can generate a run on the related comics. Part of his job - and risk - is to be ready for such stampedes.

Movies and television can also resuscitate older comics. “The Walking Dead,” for example, had been around as a comic book for seven or eight years when the TV series began its grisly march across the culture. When this happens, the comic industry immediately packages old comics as books, which sell very well.

A special feature of the shop are the many pieces of art on the walls. Some are educational, showing the progression of a comic-book page from pencil outline, to black ink, to color, to lettering. Brian is happy to explain these crafts to customers. The inker, for example, does more than trace - “they bring the three dimensions to life,” he said. Similarly, the letterer faces the challenge of placing text on the image so that image and text coordinate.

His customer mix defies the stereotype of male adolescents. There are many comics by and for girls and women.

“And when I see parents bringing their children in and introducing them to favorite comics,” he said, “it makes me feel like we’re doing the right thing.”

From Christensen’s point of view, each year in his basement location has been a little better than the one before.

“Petaluma has been so supportive,” he said. “The downtown area is wonderful. It’s walkable, with an eclectic range of stores offering something for everyone. I feel fortunate that my customer base loves comics.”

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