Comics and Comix
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Comic book retailing, publishing |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Bud Plant, Robert Beerbohm, John Barrett |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California , United States |
Area served | United States (West Coast) |
| Products | Comic books, trade journal (Telegraph Wire) |
Comics and Comix Co. (abbreviated as C&C) was a comic book retailer headquartered in Berkeley, California, established in 1972 by Bud Plant, Robert Beerbohm, and John Barrett. Operating until 2004, C&C grew to encompass nine retail outlets,[1] becoming the first comic book chain store in the United States.
History
In August 1972, while still attending San Jose State University, Bud Plant partnered with John Barrett and Robert Beerbohm to launch Comics & Comix. Their inaugural store was located on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
The following year, C&C played a significant role in organizing Berkeleycon 73, the Bay Area's inaugural comics convention, hosted at the University of California, Berkeley. During this event, C&C purchased more than 4,000 Golden Age comics from Tom Reilly,[2] which supported their expansion into San Francisco (May 1973), San Jose, and Sacramento—forming the nation’s first comic book retail chain.[1]
In 1974, C&C coordinated Berkeleycon 74 and collaborated with local underground publishers Rip Off Press and Last Gasp to co-publish Tales from the Berkeley Con, a 48-page comic designed to promote the convention.[3]
Robert Beerbohm departed in 1975 to establish Best of Two Worlds in San Francisco. Bud Plant’s distribution enterprise supplied not only C&C but also much of the West Coast market.[1]
John Barrett later founded the WonderCon convention in 1987, held at the Oakland Convention Center.[4]
In 1988, Bud Plant sold Comics & Comix to its comptroller, who managed operations until approximately 1996.[1] During the industry downturn that year, retailer Ross Rojek acquired the chain. By 2004, only two stores remained open—in Berkeley and Sacramento. Later that year, Rojek faced indictment for fraud involving $2.5 million from investors; consequently, both locations were shut down.[5] In November 2004, Rojek was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison.[6]
Publishing
Between 1974 and 1978, Comics & Comix functioned as a comics publisher, debuting with Jack Katz's underground sword-and-sorcery series The First Kingdom. The company published six issues through 1977; afterward, Plant continued the series under different imprints until 1986. The publisher also released titles by Jim Pinkoski, Dan O'Neill, and Alfredo Alcala.
From 1980 to 1985, Comics & Comix produced Telegraph Wire, an industry trade journal named after their main store’s street. Around 1981, under employee Diana Schutz's guidance, it developed into a bimonthly 32-page newsletter inspired by The Comics Journal, featuring interviews, critiques, news updates, and advertisements.
Titles released
- Source:
- The First Kingdom (6 installments, 1974–1977) — created by Jack Katz; later editions published exclusively by Bud Plant
- Spaced (3 installments, 1974–1976) — authored by Jim Pinkoski
- Dan O'Neill's Comics and Stories volume 2 (2 installments, 1975) — produced by Dan O'Neill; originally acquired from Company & Sons
- Magic Carpet (2 installments, 1977–1978) — crafted by Alfredo Alcala
- Telegraph Wire (24 editions, 1980–Dec./Jan. 1985) — industry trade publication
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedToucan - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBeerbohm - ↑ Fox, M. Steven. "Tales from the Berkeley Con," ComixJoint.
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Comics and Comix entry, Grand Comics Database.
- ↑ "ROJEK GETS SIX YEARS In Federal Prison," ICv2 (Nov. 15, 2004).