How many Santa Rosans remember the first comic book store in Sonoma County. Opening their doors in 1972 it was located at 514 1/2 Fourth St in old Railroad square. The store was called Perelandra comics. Run and owned by my good friend Brian Crist. Before that it was the short lived Bag End comics which was also a kind of Head shop run by Chuck Rogers. Perelandra was the sum and existince of my early teenage years and had an atmosphere I will never see again, from its musty old chicken boxes and stacks of comics, paperbacks, fanzines, magazines, posters, science fiction, art and more stuff than could fit in Mr. Whoopees closet. The walls and storefront were decorated with lots of fan art and reproductions of The starship Enterprise to Barry Smiths Conan and Kalutas Shadow to Bodes Cheech Wizard. I can still remember my first and many purchases there. It is where I got my first taste of Underground comix and I have never been the same since. With its forgotten and ghostly decor from being a 1920s speakeasy, old school store fronts and an always colorful cast of customers and locals that could fill a book with their goings on. It was a grungy old place that greased the wheels of my and many others imaginations and had more to do with my upbringing than my family ever did. It was also the feeding ground for many young artists from Steve Oliff and Ken Macklin to future sci-fi writers like Dave Smeds and many others. It touched my life and many of my peers lives forever. It was located in Old Railroad Square, which was the location for a 1930s Hitchcock film and other movies. The sidewalks flowed with commerce, winos and hookers and the cobblestone streets and doorways were abuzz with old Mom and Pop grocery stores and delis. There was the old Oliver Hotel, antique stores and second hand shops and rustic eateries. It was my Neverland and my Metropolis, Gotham City, Valhalla, Middle Earth and the Crypt Keepers home all rolled into one. They just do not have comic book stores like this anymore and we are all the poorer for it.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 21:33:12 +0000