Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Colorado, denver, marvel

Comic Artist Nick Gnazzo's Son Justin Opening A Denver Comic Shop

City Records, Comics & Toys is a new vinyl, cassette and comic book store opening up on 1331 East Colfax Avenue, in Denver, Colorado.

Published Mon, 16 Jan 2023 06:57:09 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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City Records, Comics & Toys is a new vinyl, cassette and comic book store opening up on 1331 East Colfax Avenue, in Denver, Colorado. And one of the new store owners Justin Gnazzo, son of comic book artist Nick Gnazzo, of X-Men, Dark Horse Comics, Cheval Noir, Robocop, Impulse, The Joker and The Flash. Nick Gnazzo is now an electrician, but is also working on a new graphic novel. But the experience of going with his father to Marvel Comics offices in New York turned Justin into a major fanboy.

Justin told the music website Westword that he "remembers accompanying his dad, Nick, to work in Brooklyn in the 1990s. It was just a quick train trip downtown to the Marvel offices, where Nick Gnazzo would drop off his commissioned comic book illustrations. Justin recalls how the editors would gift him goodies and merch based on the pages his dad helped bring to life, including X-Men. He's been a proud comic book nerd ever since."

Justin believes that "there's a need for such a space in a city that's not necessarily brimming with comic book stores, especially given the recent resurgence in collecting. But Justin doesn't want to be just any old funny-paper dealer. His vision is to create a curated comic book store with products that reflect the current zeitgeist and pop culture. For example, when Disney releases a new Marvel movie, he wants to be the guy people go to to find the original source material."

But he is also wary. "The thing about collecting, especially with the boom of 2021, when Disney released all of those shows and comics shot through the roof — people were selling things for like six times more than market value. It was insane. I made a sh-t ton of money; it was fantastic. But I realized a lot there, like, this is all FOMO, this is all speculation. I just started thinking what's going to hold value for a long time and not decrease. I started shopping with a different eye. I want to make collecting fair. When the boom was happening and I was looking at prices, I was like, 'This is ridiculous. This is not what it's worth.' I want to show and explain to people, especially anybody younger than me, what it's about. I want them to learn: Like it first; don't just collect it because people want you to. I want people to come to me for things that they love, and I want to find those things for them."

Also saying "The thing about my comic shop is, I want to represent this more as a comic book and collectible boutique. It'll be a rotating stock," he explains. "I want people to call me and be like, 'Hey, I know this is a long shot, but do you happen to have the first appearance of Wolverine?' And I'll say, 'Yes, I have three.'"

So, if you are in East Colfax, Colorado and you want three copies of Incredible Hulk #181, you know where to go soon, Here's how it's looking on Instagram reels… should be any day now.

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