Hey everyone! Brayden here to introduce you all to our second decade 🥳 I'm so excited to be part of this awesome little local business and help bring gorgeous art and excellent stories to the lovely community that has been growing over the last 10 years. There have been A LOT of changes in that time: new location, new distributors, old distributors going bankrupt, new systems, new hires, SO many new #1's, new universes, new crossovers, new favourites, new unprecedented global events, new children, new engagements, new pets, new trends, new local legends. It's been crazy!
I won't take too much more of this blog posts time, so without further ado... The Founders of Greenlight Comics: Nick, Ross, Mark & Dan!
Left to Right: Dan, Sarah, Owen, Mark, Ross, Pippa, Jana, Brayden, Gina, Nick, Catalie Portman
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Nick:
Ten years is such a long time. In that time the world has changed so much and we have all been forced to change with it. From our opening day with a barely stocked shop floor, through COVID lockdowns and more recently through the complete collapse of traditional comics distribution the challenges have kept coming. When I look back on the last ten years of this business specifically the list of these challenges is only surpassed in length by the list of people that have supported us through those challenges.Â
I’ve sunk a lot of hours, late nights, and long weekends into every aspect of Greenlight Comics, from the products, to the software that we use to deliver them, to the physical fitout of the shop itself. People often ask me why I still do it, and if it’s worth it. I believe that the idea of a physical comic shop, a real tangible place for people to share a passion, is worth the effort, no matter how great that effort is. I believe that that space is important, that that space matters; to us, to the community, and to our customers. Being able to be the custodians of that space and to be able to share our passion with other comic fans both new and old is a real privilege.Â
Thankyou for being part of our community and our journey.
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Ross:
I struggle to put it into words, so I'll express it through interpretive dance. [Dances].
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Mark:
I love comics.
I love people who love comics.
And I love that I was involved in building Greenlight Comics—a place where comics are cherished by lovely people every day.
I love the manga fans.
I love the variant buyers.
I love the customers who trust us enough to ask for recommendations.
I love the customers who preorder months in advance.
I love the readers who see themselves in the YA, LGBTQIA+, or All Ages sections.
I love the readers who fire up their imaginations in the Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction shelves.
I love the readers who expand their minds in the Non-Fiction and Alternative shelves.
I love the Thursday crowd, perusing the new release shelf.
I love the once-in-a-while browsers in the second-hand section.
Slip into the shop during your break—love you.
Buy something online and wait eagerly by the mailbox—love you.
The DC fans—love you.
The Marvel fans—love you.
The reader who subscribes to one title—love you.
The collector who follows every issue in a company-wide superhero event—love you.
To the other Greenlight lads—Dan, Nick, and Ross—thank you for letting me be part of this wonderful community you've built.
To Brayden, Gina, Jana, Owen, and Sarah, who have slung comics with glee and kept the shop humming—thank you.
To the other comic shops in Adelaide—thank you for keeping us on our toes and building the local culture.
To local creators who trust us with their beautiful books—you're the best!
To King Kaiju, for stocking awesome Japanese pop culture artefacts—<3
And to my family, who have supported me in this adventure—nothing but love.
Thank you, everyone, for making Greenlight Comics what it is. Here’s to another 10 years!
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Dan:
10 YEARS. Wowzers.
About 10 and a half years ago, I called Ross and asked if he wanted to open a comic shop with me and Mark.
He said no.
Then he called me the next day after a brutal shift and said yes.
We still needed one more person, so I asked my mate Nick who's deep into nerd culture and somehow also the smartest guy I know (being a geophysicist will do that).
We registered the business, got a Diamond Distributor account, and found a spot near Rundle Mall close enough for foot traffic, not close enough for terrifying rent.
Then we got the keys a week before opening…
AND IT DIDN’T HAVE A FLOOR.
A “floor guy” was meant to polish the concrete. He did not. So we panic-bought a ridiculous amount of carpet tiles, grabbed glue from Bunnings, watched a YouTube tutorial, and me, Nick, and his mate Chinny spent two of the most stressful days of my life laying them ourselves.
Also, the day before opening, I smashed the glass on the front counter and had a bit of a cry.
Got a glazier in. Problem solved (mostly).
May 7th, 2016 Greenlight Comics opened.
With Sarah as our first employee (Ross and I had worked with her before), people got their first taste of what we were trying to build—a place driven by passion, community, and a love of comics. Heaps of people came down, and for the first time, it felt real.
Retail’s had its ups and downs over the years, but our customers have always backed us, and we’re incredibly grateful for that.
We’ve also been ridiculously lucky with staff. Every single one has been absolute fried gold.
Sarah, Gina, Owen, Jana, and Brayden—you’ve all made Greenlight Comics better than we ever could have on our own. Your warmth, passion, and commitment mean everything to us. Thank you.
But you don’t open a comic shop unless you want to talk nerd stuff all day, and somehow, we ended up with the best community we could’ve hoped for. From new folks popping in for a chin wag, to the regulars we’ve been serving for 20 years (including back in the old shop days) we love you all.
Yes… even the mystery bloke who dropped a stealth payload on a chair during a Super Smash Bros Comp, created what we now refer to as The Incident, and vanished like a ninja before anyone noticed.
No witnesses. No suspects. Just… consequences. đź’©Â
Like the PooGate Incident, this shop has given us thousands of stories, some heartwarming, some chaotic, some… biologically unforgettable—that have shaped our lives.
Thank you for being part of it. Here’s to the next 10. ❤️