My Comic Shop History
by Flat Squirrel Productions
For nearly a decade, host Anthony Desiato explored the culture, business, and fandom of the comics retail industry on this podcast series. In 2015, New York’s Alternate Realities closed after 23 years in operation, a community united to say farewell, and a podcast was born. The series continued with deep dives into collecting, national comics retail, conventions, Westchester County’s lost shops, and more. The show signed off for good in 2023 with a quarterly farewell event entitled “For All Seasons” — but the AR community lasts forever.
Episodes
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For All Seasons Chapter IV — Fall (SERIES FINALE)
Host Anthony Desiato reunites with his Alternate Realities brethren Steve Oto, Rich Roney, and Bill Maio one last time in the SERIES FINALE of the My Comic Shop History podcast series. Almost a decade since the closing of The Store, where does the AR community go from here? In Act I of the...
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For All Seasons Chapter III — Summer
Host Anthony Desiato reunites with Alternate Realities elder statesman Rich Roney to discuss memories of The Store's dismantling, a small gathARing this past Memorial Day weekend, the state of Rich's comic book reading, a disappointing change of plans regarding an upcoming AR reunion, and—of...
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For All Seasons Chapter II — Spring
Host Anthony Desiato reunites with former Alternate Realities owner Steve Oto to discuss a recent comic shop resurrection in the Westchester area, a long-awaited update on a beloved AR figure, and the many changes in Steve's life, including the closing of his Diamond Comics account. This is the...
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For All Seasons Chapter I — Winter
Host Anthony Desiato reunites with Alternate Realities legend Bill Maio for the beginning of the podcast's final run of episodes. They discuss hopes for an upcoming reunion of the AR gang, the state of the comics industry, and the recent closing of Westchester comic shop The Spider's Web. This is...
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The Once and Future Lord Retail Part III of III
Host Anthony Desiato sits down with the enigmatic owner of Acme Comics, Jermaine Exum (aka Lord Retail), for an epic trilogy event. In the finale, Jermaine reveals customer confusion over the "Death of Superman" 30th anniversary special, shares what's on (or rather what's NOT on) his dating...
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The Once and Future Lord Retail Part II of III
Host Anthony Desiato sits down with the enigmatic owner of Acme Comics, Jermaine Exum (aka Lord Retail), for an epic trilogy event. In Part II, Jermaine discusses Superman comic recommendations, digital comics, distribution struggles, and choosing his words carefully. My Comic Shop History is a...
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The Once and Future Lord Retail Part I of III
Host Anthony Desiato sits down with the enigmatic owner of Acme Comics, Jermaine Exum (aka Lord Retail), for an epic trilogy event. In Part I, Jermaine discusses the process of breaking the news to the Acme community that he had assumed ownership of the shop. Also, Anthony shares some updates on...
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Oldest in New Jersey Part IV of IV
Host Anthony Desiato shines a light on NJ comic shop FAT MOOSE COMICS as it celebrates its milestone 40th year in operation. In Part IV, the finale, Anthony reunites with current Moose owner Shawn Hendricks to recap the 40th anniversary celebration and to ponder the future of the store. My Comic...
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Oldest in New Jersey Part III of IV
Host Anthony Desiato shines a light on NJ comic shop FAT MOOSE COMICS as it celebrates its milestone 40th year in operation. In Part III, Anthony welcomes two members of the Fat Moose "Herd," longtime customers Gene Cahill and "Philtastic" Phil Maenza, to discuss their experiences in front of the...
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Oldest in New Jersey Part II of IV
Host Anthony Desiato shines a light on NJ comic shop FAT MOOSE COMICS as it celebrates its milestone 40th year in operation. In Part II, Anthony welcomes Moose founder and former owner Ilan Strasser to discuss the shop's origin, evolution, and sale. My Comic Shop History is a Flat Squirrel...
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Oldest in New Jersey Part I of IV
Host Anthony Desiato shines a light on NJ comic shop FAT MOOSE COMICS as it celebrates its milestone 40th year in operation. In Part I, Anthony welcomes his pal and current Moose owner Shawn Hendricks, who took over the store in 2020...just in time for a pandemic. Now, Shawn reflects on his...
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The LongAR Halloween Part XIII: Fun (Finale)
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Halloween once more with Alternate Realities legend Dr. Bill Maio in the finale of "The LongAR Halloween." My Comic Shop History will return in 2022. In the meantime, be sure to listen to Digging for Kryptonite: A Superman Fan Journey, available on all major…
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The LongAR Halloween Part XII: Labor Day
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Labor Day with former Alternate Realities customer and first-time podcast guest Pete Dwyer in Part XII of "The LongAR Halloween."
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The LongAR Halloween Part XI: Ryan Holiday
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates the August birthday of former Alternate Realities employee Steve Ryan in Part XI of "The LongAR Halloween."
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The LongAR Halloween Part X: Independence Day
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Independence Day with former Alternate Realities customer and onetime webmaster Caralyn Hylenski in Part X of "The LongAR Halloween."
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Digging for Kryptonite Special: How the Arrowverse Failed the Clark Kent of Smallville
Host Anthony Desiato offers a special presentation of his Superman podcast series DIGGING FOR KRYPTONITE, currently available on all major podcast platforms. In this episode, Anthony and fellow AR alum Mike Sangregorio debate whether television's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Arrowverse crossover...
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100th Episode Special
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates the 100th episode of My Comic Shop History with special guests.
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The LongAR Halloween Part IX: Father's Day
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Father's Day with former Alternate Realities owner (and June birthday) Steve Oto in Part IX of "The LongAR Halloween."
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The LongAR Halloween Part VIII: Mother's Day
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Mother's Day with his mother, Lauren Moschella Desiato, in Part VIII of "The LongAR Halloween."
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The LongAR Halloween Part VII: April Fool's Day
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates April Fool's Day with former Alternate Realities coworker and fellow April birthday Tom Darby in Part VII of "The LongAR Halloween." Crossover alert: Anthony and Tom discuss BATMAN: HUSH on the 4/7/21 episode of My Comic Shop Book Club!
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The LongAR Halloween Part VI: St. Patrick's Day
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates St. Patrick's Day with former Alternate Realities customer, mixed martial artist, and Joker fan Brian O'Dea in Part VI of "The LongAR Halloween."
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The LongAR Halloween Part V: Valentine's Day
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Valentine's Day with former Alternate Realities co-owner, wedding officiant, and COVID survivor Drew Cheskin in Part V of "The LongAR Halloween."
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Special Presentation: My Comic Shop Book Club
Host Anthony Desiato offers a special presentation of his new podcast series MY COMIC SHOP BOOK CLUB (available on all major podcast platforms and in video form on YouTube). In this episode, Anthony and guest Shawn Hendricks of Fat Moose Comics revisit the controversial Frank Miller and Jim Lee...
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The LongAR Halloween Part IV: New Year's
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates New Year's with art collector extraordinaire Nofiel Hussain, aka "Phil Insane," in Part IV of "The LongAR Halloween."
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Special Presentation: Digging for Kryptonite
Host Anthony Desiato offers a special presentation of his new podcast series DIGGING FOR KRYPTONITE (available on all major podcast platforms). In this episode, Anthony and guest Rich Roney examine a late-20th Century relic: the "Superman 2000" proposal by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Mark Millar,...
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The LongAR Halloween Part III: Christmas
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Christmas with the Spirit of Friendship and Fun himself, Rich Roney, in Part III of "The LongAR Halloween."
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The LongAR Halloween Part II: Thanksgiving
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Thanksgiving with the wayward son of Alternate Realities, Nick "Robi" Robison, in Part II of "The LongAR Halloween."
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The LongAR Halloween Part I: Friendship
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates Halloween with Alternate Realities legend Dr. Bill Maio in Part I of "The LongAR Halloween."
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Rejected by NYCC: A My Comic Shop History Special
Host Anthony Desiato returns to the mic for a supersized conversation with Acme Comics manager Jermaine Exum (aka Lord Retail) about comics in the time of COVID. Following this coda to the podcast's coverage of comics retail, a new chapter of My Comic Shop History, "The LongAR Halloween," begins…
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My Comic Shop Country Companion: Epilogue
Host Anthony Desiato provides an epilogue to MY COMIC SHOP COUNTRY with guest Shawn Hendricks, who took over as owner of Fat Moose Comics since the filming of the documentary.
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My Comic Shop Country Companion: Audience Questions
Host Anthony Desiato answers YOUR questions about My Comic Shop Country, My Comic Shop History, Alternate Realities, the comics industry, and more. Featuring Stephanie Desiato, Anthony's wife and fellow documentary producer.
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My Comic Shop Country Companion: Commentary Track
Host Anthony Desiato celebrates the VOD release of his documentary film MY COMIC SHOP COUNTRY on Apple TV and Amazon with a special audio commentary track to accompany the movie. Featuring documentary cast member and Fat Moose Comics owner Shawn Hendricks.
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Audiobook Special: The Life and Times of Steve Oto
Host Anthony Desiato goes guest-less for a special solo episode in which he recounts the secret origin of his mentor and old boss, Steve Oto, by reading the 2008 profile he wrote for a college journalism class. Note: "The Homecoming" miniseries is on hiatus and will resume later in 2020 or 2021.
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The Homecoming Part II: New Vendor
Host Anthony Desiato reunites with frequent guest Chris Wilcock (Undiscovered Realm co-owner) to recount their experiences becoming fathers, Chris' reaction to Alternate Realities signing up as a vendor at June 2020's Undiscovered Realm Comic Con, and MY COMIC SHOP COUNTRY's 2019 screening...
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The Homecoming Minisode
Host Anthony Desiato presents the podcast's first-ever "minisode," a special edition in which he: announces that the long-awaited documentary film MY COMIC SHOP COUNTRY is available NOW on Apple TV/iTunes (Amazon release to follow on 4.7.20); addresses the dire situation currently facing comic...
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The Homecoming Part I: Westy's Best Customer
Host Anthony Desiato returns to action with Alternate Realities brethren Steve Oto and Rich Roney for the start of the 8-part miniseries "The Homecoming," a surprising new chapter in the AR Saga.
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Episode 5.8: My Comic Shop Future
Host Anthony Desiato reaches the end of the road--for now--as this era of My Comic Shop History draws to a close. Together with Alternate Realities legends Bill Maio, Rich Roney, and Steve Oto, Anthony reveals long-held secrets, ponders a rebirth, and looks to the future. Finale.
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Episode 5.7: My Comic Shop Present
Host Anthony Desiato returns to the present to survey the Westchester comic shop scene of today. In this penultimate episode, Anthony and guest Sandro Prosperino (former Alternate Realities customer and the one-time co-owner of Near Mint Comics in Valhalla, NY) recount their post-AR experiences…
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Episode 5.6: Dragon's Den
Host Anthony Desiato shines a light on the Cross County (Yonkers) location of DRAGON'S DEN with former customer & employee Chris Wilcock, painting a picture of a diversified hobby store, camaraderie-building (and often dangerous) hijinks, and some less-than-scrupulous business practices.
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Episode 5.5: Jay's Comics
Host Anthony Desiato recalls everyone's favorite curmudgeon, Jay Meisel, and his decades-long tenure operating a booth at the Empire State Flea Market in Port Chester, with longtime JAY'S COMICS customer Jonathan Baylis.
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Episode 5.4: Alternate Realities
Host Anthony Desiato finally comes face-to-face with another ALTERNATE REALITIES legend, former co-owner Prem Itharat, to mine stories about the eBay and Pokémon years, Prem's formal (and informal) business education, and long-forgotten pranks at 700 Central Park Ave. in Scarsdale.
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Episode 5.3: One If By Cards, Two If By Comics
Host Anthony Desiato takes a ride to the Scarsdale/Yonkers border for an on-location recording at American Legends--formerly known as ONE IF BY CARDS, TWO IF BY COMICS--with co-owner Mark Rubin (wife & co-owner Donna tags in for Mark on the After Show, available on Patreon). Mark recounts opening...
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Episode 5.2: Comic Book Heaven
Host Anthony Desiato revisits another former White Plains institution, COMIC BOOK HEAVEN, with longtime employee & customer Saad Siddiqui. They reminisce about the store's owners (the husband & wife team of Morris & Irene), eccentric manager ("Bishop"), renowned back issue selection, various…
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Episode 5.1: Heroes World
Host Anthony Desiato brings everything full-circle in Season 5 with a look back at the lost comic shops of Westchester County, capturing a microcosm of the comics industry during the pivotal 1990s. Up first is the White Plains, NY, location of distributor and retail chain HEROES WORLD, the site…
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My Comic Shop Country Special
Be part of the journey as host Anthony Desiato takes you behind the scenes of his upcoming feature-length documentary film, MY COMIC SHOP COUNTRY! In this special bonus episode of My Comic Shop History—which also marks the podcast's four-year anniversary—Anthony and his wife/producing partner,...
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Episode 4.12: Con Season with the Road Warrior (Undiscovered Realm)
Host Anthony Desiato takes one last lap around the convention floor with Undiscovered Realm owner Chris Wilcock in the Season 4 finale. Anthony asks Chris about the life of a vendor on the road at three dozen conventions a year. My Comic Shop History returns with Season 5 in 2019. Additional...
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Episode 4.11: Con Season with the Retailer (East Side Mags)
Host Anthony Desiato goes old school with Jeff Beck (owner of East Side Mags in Montclair, NJ) to dig through long boxes at the Clifton Comic Book Expo, a traditional convention focused squarely on comics. They also unpack Jeff's experiences as a retailer at conventions generally, from choosing...
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Episode 4.10: Con Season with the Cosplayer (Peggy Pincurls)
Host Anthony Desiato wades into the cosplay waters with his wife, Stephanie, and seasoned cosplayer Peggy Pincurls, who has appeared at comic conventions across the country as Agent Carter, Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and more. As they explore this fascinating aspect of con life, Anthony,...
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Episode 4.9: Con Season at NYCC's Diamond Retailer Breakfast
Host Anthony Desiato pulls back the curtain on the Diamond Retailer Appreciation Breakfast at New York Comic Con 2018. Anthony and former Alternate Realities owner Steve Oto recount their entire NYCC experience, from powdered eggs and retailer presentations to convention floor farewells and an...
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Episode 4.8: Con Season with the Creators (Len Danovich and Nick Justus)
Host Anthony Desiato pulls up a chair next to two New Jersey comic book artists, Len Danovich and Nick Justus, to talk about the convention grind from the perspective of a creator. They discuss cost-benefit analysis (in deciding which shows to attend), fan interactions, and networking at shows.
Topics in this show
About this show
For nearly a decade, host Anthony Desiato explored the culture, business, and fandom of the comics retail industry on this podcast series. In 2015, New York’s Alternate Realities closed after 23 years in operation, a community united to say farewell, and a podcast was born. The series continued with deep dives into collecting, national comics retail, conventions, Westchester County’s lost shops, and more. The show signed off for good in 2023 with a quarterly farewell event entitled “For All Seasons” — but the AR community lasts forever.
Hosted by
Flat Squirrel Productions