So what you're telling us, Jose, is that you've never actually been to Rocketship and are therefore in no position to judge it. Get some help for that nerd rage, pal.
Comments (0) Best Comics Outpost - 2009
Rocketship - CLOSED
Getting into comics—a/k/a graphic novels, a/k/a "Don't call them 'graphic novels,' you sound like a douchebag"—is daunting for newcomers: so much to absorb, so many stigmas and clichés to roll your eyes at, so many X-Men titles to choose from. Brooklyn's Rocketship, on Smith Street in Cobble Hill, tends toward the lit-scene-approved side of things: You're more likely to find a book-length epic, like Charles Burns's Black Hole, than the latest dalliances of Spider-Man. But for those whose experience doesn't extend much beyond Watchmen, the impeccably neat, thoughtfully organized spot is a good place to expand your horizons without feeling overwhelmed or judged. Plus their constant slate of special guests and events is top-notch: Any friend of the guy who does Achewood (achewood.com, go now) is a friend of ours. Consider this a clean, well-lit place for books with pictures. 208 Smith Street, Brooklyn, 718-797-1348, rocketshipstore.com
7 comments
Not bitter Jim, just honest. This list is actually a best of list for the Brooklyn hipster set and not much else. Considering you claim you're from the Bronx and that this paper is not only NOT available up there, but also acts as if there's nothing in the Bronx but the Yankees its a bit surprising you're defending it. Then again, maybe you're just dumb. Instead of taking shots at me, trying representing where you're from and showing some love to great shops like Fordham Comics, which I'm sure wasn't even considered on this list.
Wow, bitter much? Waaa, my favorite comic store didn't get picked! Midtown comics is like every other comic shop. You might as well pick Barnes and Noble.
Just wondering what the criteria was for this selection? If you've ever set foot in Midtown Comics, you would find a store with a huge selection that caters to all types of fans, sales people who know their stuff and are extremely helpful and know most of the customers by name. Jim Hanley's is another good store.
However, this being the Village Voice and all I totally understand if your selection is skewed towards a store in the hipster mecca that is Brooklyn, that caters towards indie snobs.
We're very happy that Desert Island was chosen in our readers' poll for best comics shop. (You're right, it should say that somewhere here as it does in the newspaper, and we're talking to our web geeks about that.)
We added the poll a few years ago because, as much as we enjoy choosing our own winners of these awards, we want readers to have a say as well.
We select our winners weeks and even months before the poll is done, so it has no effect on who we choose. And in almost every case, the winners we choose, and the winners readers choose are not the same.
We think that's a fine thing.
Tony OrtegaEditor
Please note that Desert Island is the winner of the 2009 Village Voice Reader's Poll for "Best Comics Shop," as noted in the current print issue. Guess the Voice failed to predict the winner in time for press?
Spot on. Rocketship manages the neat trick of being a fantastic shop for comic geeks and a completely laid back entry point into the genre for the uninitiated. Whoever happens to be behind the counter is always smart and approachable, and invariably knows half of the people wandering through the door personally. It's like every other beloved neighborhood institution -- it just happens to sell comics. Why can't all those awful, condescending, geek cave comic shops be like Rocketship?
