Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: dennis barger, dennis barger jr., retailer, xanadu

Michigan Comic Retailers To Restore Local Theater For Comic Shop/Cinema Hybrid

Imagine this: Mark Millar announces he's making a new comic book. Within 48 hours, someone has snapped up the movie rights. By the time the first issue hits stands, you can go to a comic book store and movie theater, purchase an ultra-rare variant cover edition of the comic, and see the movie, all in a single location.. It's the ultimate streamlining of the comics life cycle.

Controversial retailer Dennis Barger Jr. and his business partner Robert Bowman have a plan to turn that dream into a reality.

Barger and Bowman, who own Lincoln Park's Quick Stop Comic Shop, have purchased the Denniston Theater in Monroe, MI and plan to use it to launch a reboot of their former store, Wonderworld Comics. And they'll also restore one of the theaters to show select films, according to a report in the News-Herald. The theater has been closed since 2009.

"The theater, once it is restored will be the Xanadu Theater," said Barger in the newspaper article. "We already have the domain XanaduTheater.com." Barger and Bowman, says the News-Herald, are huge fans of the Olivia Newton John film.

Intrigued, we pressed Barger for details.

"Love citizen Kane, it's the theater in Cleveland that spinal tap gets lost in and it the second best Olivia newton john musical, and Michael Beck's best," Barger gushed about his obsession. "And… Mandrake the Magician's lair."

"It all fits," he told us. "So don't acquit."

Barger told us that he cosplays as Gene Kelly, when attending screenings of the film, "of course," citing "the hat" as his reasoning.

At press time, Barger had sent us a link to the following YouTube video, unsolicited:

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