I moved to Great Falls last week and went into Kelly's Comics today to get the new X-Men comic. I…read moreabsolutely adore the comic book store in Missoula and could not wait to explore what the Electric City had to offer. However, immediately upon entering the establishment, there was a prickly atmosphere.
There were two individuals working -- an older gentleman and a middle aged man -- and the younger of the two was speaking to two customers at the counter. I perused the selection for about 10-15 minutes, all the while I could hear the conversation between the men at the counter. Initially, their conversation consisted solely of complaints and frustrations at members of the community. As a recent transplant to Great Falls, I didn't recognize any of the names they gave, but it was troubling how openly (and loudly) they projected their harsh and sharp words. Their conversation made the entire shop feel suffocating, like I couldn't escape their tense and venomous energy no matter where I went. Nonetheless, I found a few comics I liked and approached the counter behind the older gentleman who was working the register. It was then that my experience took a nose-dive.
The men at the counter - the middle aged gentlemen who worked at the store and the two customers - had begun discussing movies and the lack of quality films currently out. The man working at Kelly's Comics immediately blamed China and Hollywood for this issue, peppering in several expletives directed at several institutes, people, and groups. He continued, saying that no scripts will get turned into movies if they criticize "the Wuhan virus" and complained that he couldn't even call it "the Kung Fu virus, when that's what it is!" before commiserating with the customer about how some people can't accept these hard truths.
It was at this point that I left the line, returned my comics to the shelves, and exited the store. During that time, the conversation escalated beyond aggressive complaining and became nothing more than ruthless racism from both the worker and the customers directed at Asian people, going so far as to blame an entire race for the coronavirus. The comments they made only grew more and more disgusting until I left the store and closed the door behind me. I was truly disappointed that a culture like this is allowed, fostered, and excused at Kelly's Comics. I can only deduce that they have not read the X-Men comics they sell, or perhaps they just weren't paying attention to the extended metaphor of prejudice and oppression that's central to the Children of the Atom.
While I heard many troubling things from these three individuals, there were four other people in the store when I left and as many as ten when I arrived (at least one of these was a fellow coworker of the man aiming expletives at Asian people). All these people did not bat an eye at this exchange, and in fact several contributed to it, illustrating that this is not an individual issue but rather a larger culture in this establishment that results in such brazen behavior on a casual Saturday morning.
If you ever go to Missoula, look up the comic book store in town. They know how to treat customers well. Even if we ignore everything that was said, I was in that store for over 15 minutes and never had anyone speak to me, even when I returned my comics and left. I received several stares from employees and customers, but was quickly given a cold shoulder, a turned back, or they avoided eye-contact. It was quite clear that I was not welcome in that store and they foster an environment that I have no desire returning to. Like most people who enjoy comics, I give more money than I have so that I can enjoy this thing I absolutely love - and so I will not be giving my money to those who would use their business to degrade others and belittle their own customers.
I expected more from people with such great reading material at their disposal. I suggest you re-read X-Men, learn something, and do better.
