024 - ACE Comics and Flake

This episode takes us across the pond to the UK where Mike was stationed for a few months. Naturally, he searched for comic shops almost immediately and found ACE Comics in Colchester, Essex. Inquiries were made and a quick train ride later Mike was at the shop on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for an interview with Martin Averre, AKA Biff. Biff has a deep history in the comics industry, particularly in the UK. He personally knows many of the great British creators, such as Alan Grant, John Wagner and Pat Mills. The building where the shop is located is centuries old and full of history. As one of the oldest comic shops in the UK, it is the perfect combination of historical landmark and a modern business. Wait until you hear about the unofficial British version of a comic book price guide that Biff published and on which Brian Bolland drew the cover! After the interview, Mike is joined by podcast fellow podcaster and comics fan, George Hanna to cover Flake, the debut graphic novel by Matthew Dooley. It’s the winner of the 2020 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, the UK’s only literary award for comic literature. George is one of the hosts of Meanwhile at the Podcast, a show that covers it all...pop culture, entertainment, fandom, you name it. ACE Comics has locations in Colchester and Southend-on-Sea and found online at https://acecomics.co.uk/. They also have a very active eBay store, so check it out! Be sure to follow ACE Comics on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Connect with George at https://meanwhileatthepodcast.libsyn.com/ and follow the show on Facebook and the site formerly known as Twitter. Meanwhile at the Podcast can be found on Apple, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts, so be sure to check it out. Big thanks to Biff for his interview and great book recommendation, and thanks to George for joining me. For more interviews at comics shops around the US and the world, subscribe to Mike’s Comic Shop Roadshow wherever you listen to podcasts.