Atomik Comiks is a comic book store that appreciates the values of yesteryear while maintaining relevance for modern day customers.
Atomik, located on 213 E. Main St., was opened in February of 1990 by Johnson City native Shawn Samier. He has collected and read comic books continously since 1971. “It’s always been a life-long love,” Samier said. “In the mid-80s when I realized there was actually comic book shops, then it became a dream.”
In the course of the 18 years that Atomik has been in operation, Samier has experienced the positive and negative aspects of running his own business. “The pros are getting to meet people of like interest and I get to read all the comics for free,” said Samier. “The cons are, it’s a small business, so it’s a crapshoot.
“Subscriptions are the life blood of the comic shop and it’s 85 percent of your income.They are highly violtile. People will start subscriptions and stick you with it, and we’re not like other comic books shops that ask you to put down a credit card number or anything like that to hold you accountable. We really work on trust,” he said.
Store-regular and current employee Brad McCracken, Jonesborough, agrees that Atomik implements a different protocol. “From all the stores I’ve been in, you actually have someone here who reads and knows what he’s talking about,” said McCracken. “He is not really in it for the money and is in it more for the joy of the medium and the industry.”
Having a storefront in downtown Johnson City can present itself with challenges like vandalism and the limited parking. However, the fosters hope in this store-owner. “I grew up around here and used to get my comics from Zimmermans and Shamrock,” said Samier. “I’ve got great nostalgic memories of what downtown used to be and could be again.”
Atomik itself has created memories for its patrons as well and provides an environment that caters to in-depth discussion about story lines. Matt Martin, 23, views Atomik is one such customer that utilizes the open forum. “Atomik for me is more the people who come here, and the idea that everyone that comes here fosters some sort of creativity,” said Martin. “Everyone here who buys comics is really interested in the stories and where they are going.
“They don’t read a Spiderman books simply because Spiderman is in it. They read it and critique it. They critique it in a way that’s educated and thought out. That exchange of ideas makes this store fun for me.”
Single issues and trades are the two forms in which you can purchase comics. Comic book readers tend to prefer one more than the other, but they both have their positive aspects. Single issues were the original format in which comics were sent out into stores and was initially the preference for Samier. “When I initially opened up I didn’t care for trades because we’re so well stocked,” he said. “We have all the issues and I felt you didn’t have to have a trade and you could buy the actual comics. I was more or less stuck in the outlook i grew up in.
“I like the monthlys and periodicals. I have an affinity for single issues but after a few years, I realized that there are people who cannot get in here monthly and issues would sell out so they would have gaps in their story lines. Trades are always cheaper. You can read a story in one sitting,” he said.
Readers new to comics can utilize trades to their advantage. Trades generally include one story line that is three to seven issues long, and with the ability to have several issues at the reader’s disposal, they can assess more efficently the nuances of a story line.
“I generally like the trades better,” McCracken said. “You get the full story and you get the extras that might not be in the regular issues. “
Niche forms of entertainment usually receive reactionary misconceptions, and comic book readers are no exceptions. “I believe that some people think that we are easily saded nerds,” Samier said. “That the stories are mainly good versus evil and they don’t understand the depth of characterization and subplots that go on with these characters and stories. Some go back 50, 60 years. “
Not only do some of these stories and characters go back several decades, they are still being dissected today. “You have 50, 60 years of history for some of these characters,” said Martin. “The writers are still coming up with new ideas or playining on ideas that are older than some comic books stores themselves.”
With a medium generally associated with males, are there comics that would appeal to females? Samier thinks that females have many options to choose from. “There are so very few female comic fans to be honest, because of those misconceptions,” he said. “When females come in and ask me for suggestions, I suggest ‘Sandman,’ ‘Fables’ and ‘We Three,’ the stand-alone graphic novel.
“There’s many many comics that are written for both sexes that appeal to both, and there are also many written for girls alone like ‘Liberty’ and ‘Buffy.’ There’s just really more in comics for females than a lot of girls realize,” he said.
From McCracken’s favorite new story line in “Final Crisis,” to the popular, friendly neighborhood “Spiderman,” there is much to explore and discuss at this downtown establishment.

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