Local comic book shop Black Cat Comics celebrates its 18th anniversary this year—a feat for any locally owned business and perhaps especially impressive for comics, which, let’s be honest, is still a pretty niche retail market, even with the box office dominance of multi-million-dollar superhero blockbusters.
There were times when we didn’t know if Black Cat was going to make it—like when the shop got a new window thanks to the car that drove through an exterior wall. The pandemic, too, wreaked havoc on a lot of retail, upending supply chains and bogging down distributors. This is all to say, the fact that a local comic book shop has been kicking it around Salt Lake City for 18 years…is pretty cool.
On any given day in the shop, you’ll find a wall of new issues, a more expansive collection of back issues than anyone and a vibrant and knowledgeable staff, headed by owner Greg Gage, whose longtime claim is he was “bitten by a radioactive comic book at the age of four.”
But for Black Cat Comics’ 18th anniversary, Gage brings in a lineup of local and non-local comics artists and writers for signings. The lineup:
Eric Palicki (All We Ever Wanted: Stories of a Better World) is a Seattle-based writer and editor. His work includes stories written for Black Mask Studios, Marvel Comics, Darby Pop Publishing, Ahoy Comics, Dark Horse, A Wave Blue World, and more. As an editor, Eric’s work has been featured in the New York Times and nominated for a Ringo Award.
Phillip Sevy (Triage) is a Utah-based comics creator most known for his work on Dark Horse’s Tomb Raider series. He’s drawn The Freeze and written the creator-owned graphic novel The House with artist Drew Zucker, and Dark Horse recently announced Kepler, a graphic novel created by actor/author David Duchovney and Sevy.
Adrian Ropp (Pink Panther, Fun With Little Archie) is an animation professional and has been a lead storyboard artist for Disney Infinity, Marvel Superheroes and Star Wars and comic book creator for Archie Comics, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Pink Panther, Underdog and The Three Stooges.
Madisyn Delporto (Girl Sick) is a Utah-based artist, writer and cartoonist whose work has been on display locally and who describes herself as a “cartoonist and conjurer.”
Jorge Corona (Middlewest, Feathers) is a Venezuelan artist, writer and illustrator. His work includes We are… Robin, Nightwing and Batgirls. Corona is the creator of Feathers and co-creator of Image Comic’s Middlewest with writer Skottie Young. Corona is based out of Denver, where he lives with fellow artist Moragn Beem.
Morgan Beem (Wonder Woman Black & Gold, Adventure Time) is an artist and illustrator, working as an artist on Crashing, SWAMP THING: Twin Branches, The Family Trade and Wolfsbane.
Doug Wagner (Plastic, Vinyl) is the Utah-based author of Vinyl, Plastic, Beware the Eye of Odin, Legends of the Dark Knight and World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn.
Xan Hutchen (Pandora’s Tale) is the creator of ongoing web comics series Pandora’s Tale and Thinking Too Much To Think Positively.
The Black Cat Comics 18th Anniversary event is Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Black Cat Comics.
If You Go
2261 Highland Dr., Salt Lake City
801-461-4228
blackcat-comics.com
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