Is the comics spinner rack making a comeback?

Just got back from a wonderful week-long vacation in New England seeing family and friends again, and enjoying the beautiful autumn colors.

We stayed at the Best Western in Hampton, New Hampshire. I definitely recommend them if you’re looking for somewhere to stay in the area. Very friendly front desk who helped us out for a little Friday night get-together we planned that suddenly found itself without a location to actually get together.

To pick up some food and drinks for our little event, we stopped in the local Hannaford, a grocery store chain in the northeast, and I ran into what you see pictured. I of course had to buy the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror comic, which I enjoyed. Lots of Simpsons comics, and a smattering of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Spider-Man and Looney Tunes.

Why is this any kind of deal at all? Because comics haven’t been readily available in general interest stores like this in decades. To my knowledge, Archie Comics is the only publisher that has been able to maintain an uninterrupted presence in grocery stores and convenience stores. All other comic publishers vanished from newsstands and other mass market outlets during the late ’80s and ’90s as comics became specialty items almost exclusively available at comic book stores that have by and large catered to the medium’s pre-existing audience.

There have been some changes to that. Graphic novels have exploded onto the book store and library scenes. Market leaders Marvel and DC have occasionally popped up in some 7-11 stores. Good moves. But more can always be done.

Hopefully this wasn’t a fluke. Comics need to be as readily available as magazines, books, DVDs, CDs and other forms of entertainment.

Have you seen a comics spinner rack? Take a picture and send it in, I’ll post it. Or post a link to a picture in the comments.