James Sime, Comics' Coolest Retailer
from Robots From Tomorrow! Hosted by Greg Matiasevich
James Sime runs The Isotope Lounge, voted Best Comic Shop in San Francisco by the SF Bay Guardian for the last 11 years. He has a suit for every occasion (including under-the-hood auto maintenance) and, when combined with his distinctive electroshock pompadour, cuts the figure of a man engaged in the serious business of being the coolest dude in the room. Little Green Bag by the George Baker Selection has been known to start playing out of nowhere as James walks down a hallway. He once enrolled in and dropped out of a college simply to get the ID card so he could apply for a checking account. His early support and patronage helped give a boost to some of today's most successful comic creators, such as Robert Kirkman, Ed Brubaker, and Brian Wood, but he also packs just as much enthusiam into racking mini-comics on his shelves from creators as young as 7 years old. No one gets carded at the Isotope Lounge, because what they have on tap is comics for all ages, genders, and tastes. Greg went on location to talk to James, the Comic Pimp, in his element. The conversation covered the nature of 'cool', James' holistic approach to marrying brick & mortar retailing with digital sales, taking MorrisonCon from idea to once-in-a-lifetime event, reading his customers minds, and what surprises a guy who's been selling comics for over 13 years.
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