Toronto Library Welcomes Comic Fans with Sex Tips Launch
“I now cut the ribbon on this weird comic pop-up shop thing”
Photo via Chip Zdarsky Tumblr
With those words (paraphrased) and a pair of disappointingly normal-sized scissors, Toronto artist Chip Zdarsky cut the ribbon for the opening of the new Toronto Comic Arts Festival Pop-Up Shop. Located in the Toronto Reference Library, the store specializes in comic books that are local, international, and more literary-minded than your average local comic book store. TCAF’s shop acts as a sister store to The Annex’s Beguiling, which sells superhero comics as well as rare ‘zines and independent titles, and Little Island, which specializes in children and young adult comic books. The shop itself has a great deal of room to move around with books roughly organized by similar genre. The bright, airy atmosphere of the shop is a welcome change from most comic shops and overall felt more like a boutique gift shop than the traditional comic/gaming/toy shops I’m used to.
The launch for the pop-up coincided with the release of Zdarsky & Matt Fraction’s book “Just the Tips” a cute pocket-sized collection of sex tips that should never, ever be attempted. By anyone.
Sample Page from Just the Tips
Highlights of the launch included the surprise delivery of a penis cake delivered to the event and ordered by Fraction, as well as a couple who shared a polaroid of their experience of ‘brimping’ with Zdarsky. And if you don’t know what brimping is, get yourself down to your local comic book store and pick up the first trade of Sex Criminals to find out.
Photo via Chip Zdarsky Tumblr
Zdarsky was as usual a good sport and posed happily for photos with fans, taking hours to leave individual messages in each book sold.
I see this is an incredibly wise move to increase the appeal of comic books to an audience that might otherwise pass by the medium. The knowledgeable staff on hand are sure to be able to recommend a book to suit your tastes, with a wide range of comic books available including gay Japanese bear erotica, nonfiction memoirs, Canadian published anthologies, and many more. I hope that as a result of the shop’s location there will be an increase in comic book acquisitions from the library as patrons request books that they might love to read, but can’t afford, minutes after hearing about it.
Plans for the pop-up store to become a permanent fixture depends on the support of consumers, but judging by the crowd at the event, I think it’s likely to say we’ll see this shop remain for some time. Still, if you want to ensure this, come visit, grab a coffee, and try a new book.
