Gatekeeping at the comic shop turned me off X-Men for a year

I walked into my local shop in Denver last summer to grab a few X-Men issues since I wanted to get into the Krakoa era. Some regular in his 40s standing by the back issue bins heard me ask the clerk where to start and started laughing. He said I had to read from Claremont onward or I was wasting my money and time. I just stood there holding a House of Powers #1 I was excited about. I put it down, walked out, and didnt buy a single X-Men comic for 12 months after that. Comics are supposed to be welcoming, not a test you have to pass. Has anyone else had a gatekeeper kill their interest in a whole character run?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan_hayes16d ago

Guy sounds like he forgot comics are supposed to be fun, not homework. I've met that same type of gatekeeper at shows and shops, and they usually haven't read anything past 1995 anyway. Letting one loudmouth chase you off might mean the hobby loses someone with fresh perspectives the scene badly needs.

hannah_price7916d ago

Yeah I heard a shop owner say those types drive away more new readers than bad movies ever did.