Two comic book shops come to Crystal Lake

CRYSTAL LAKE – When Deneen Perron's son worked at her used bookstore in downtown Crystal Lake, he would joke that when she died, he would turn it into a pet shop or a comic book store.

So when 19-year-old Tyler Perron unexpectedly died three years ago of an undiagnosed heart issue, Perron sold Twice Told Tales and a few years later decided to give the boy what he wanted.

My Happy Place Comics, which opened Feb. 28 at 19 E. Berkshire Drive, is decorated in all red, white and blue, a reference to Tyler’s favorite superhero, Captain America. It includes an across-the-board selection of 20,000 issues, both back issues and new releases.

But it’s not the only comic book shop set to give aficionados a place to go in Crystal Lake.

A second location at 5150 Route 14 for Algonquin-based Modern Age Comics has a soft opening planned for April 1, with a grand opening to follow May 2, which is National Free Comic Book Day.

“If you’re interested in comics, it’s the right place to walk into,” owner Jesse Buck said. “We’re going to ask you what you read, we’ll talk to you about it and recommend some things.”

The Crystal Lake location will be a bit different from the Algonquin store, Buck said. It's designed to serve as a display store for people interested in franchising Modern Age Comics, and its location is meant to be convenient for Crystal Lake, Cary and Lake in the Hills commuters.

A comic book fan himself, Buck started in the business 16 years ago after getting frustrated with stores that didn’t seem able to do it right. The new issues always were bent or damaged, or they just weren’t there.

“I look at them as a literature more than the artwork,” said Buck, an Elgin resident. “You’re buying a book a chapter at a time is the way I look at it.”

Buck wants customers to be able to find that next chapter quickly and efficiently and to be able to find their next series through knowledgeable conversations with store staff. The goal is for the Crystal Lake location to be purchased by its manager – Buck’s oldest child, Jonathan – in five years.

Perron also has plans for the future. She hopes to bring in more artists, perhaps expand and maybe one day move into appraising and buying comic books.

“It’s different than expected,” she said. “I owned a used bookstore, and that’s a pretty mellow thing. People come in [Happy Place], and there’s excitement. They enjoy their comics, that’s for sure.”