Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: comic shop, comic store, gatekeeping, oregon

Oregon Comic Store Gatekeeps Customers Over T-Shirt Knowledge (Update)

DragonVine Comics & Toys of  Springfield/Eugene and Lincoln City in Oregon posted a new comic book store dress code policy that seems harsh.

Update: Representatives of DragonVine Comics & Toys of  Springfield/Eugene would like people to know that the post at the bottom of this article was intended as a joke, intended to reflect the following post that had generated a more minor stir. Unfortunately few people had read that too st and so pretty much everyone took it at face value. No geek profiling of customers based on their clothing choices and knowledge thereof will take place. To be fair, I've been known to tell jokes that not everyone got…

The original article and the original AI art follows below:

DragonVine Comics & Toys of  Springfield/Eugene and Lincoln City in Oregon posted a new comic book store dress code policy. No T-shirts, no sneakers? Not quite. more like if you don't know who published the comic book character you wear on your T-shirt, you will be ejected from the building forthwith. As literal gatekeeping as you can find these days. They posted "Store dress code: Guests cannot wear clothing with the design of any Marvel or DC superhero unless the guest can name the comic book universe they exist in. If we ask you what universe Flash exists in when you are wearing his logo, and you say Marvel, maybe try back next week."

And the DragonVine Comics & Toys comic store illustrated their point with, for some reason, an AI image of The Flash that they generated on MidJourney or something. I mean, it's like they were looking for a response…

It reminded me of when I had a Road To Damascus moment regarding cosplay. Dull of people dressing up as characters without knowing the Earth-One or Earth-Two dissimilarities. It was the likes of  MCM London Comic Con that changed my mind by actually talking to a few and finding the same passion that I had, just with a different focus for appreciation. And I was a Simpsons Comic Book Guy. I'm now in the whole,"I love how cosplayers love the same thing I do, but in different ways" mindset. I appreciate their hard work, chutzpah and dedication to their craft. I enjoy the fact that cosplay is proof that we won, what we loved is now loved by a wider demographic, and it's a sign that such appreciation has hit the mainstream.

But the idea that you'd kick a kid out of a comic store for not knowing that the Harley Quinn on their shirt isn't one of the X-Men seems a step in the other direction. Someone in your comic store who shows any appreciation should be welcomed, these days more than ever.

But if you are going to post a picture of the Flash to point out which universe he's in, make sure he is actually in one rather than just the plagiarised mind of a computer somewhere…

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