The hero of the Dartmouth comic book shop scene, Giant Robot Comics’ Darryl Wall, says he’s never really grown up. “I love comic books and toys, and I didn’t want to get a regular, nine-to-five office job, and being able to talk to people about comic books all day sounded pretty awesome,” he says. Wall started Giant Robot Comics (114 Woodlawn Drive, 404-8400) after the store he used to work at shut down. “It took me a few years, but I saved up enough money to open my own store,” he says. “I was a child of the 80s, which was the beginning of the giant robot era—think Voltron and Transformers—hence the name of the store.” Specializing in comic books and toys, GRC hosts a monthly toy trade night for local collectors and features a wide variety of all your favourite comics. So what sets GRC apart from the rest? “I love worlds that don’t exist, and when you have a great writer and a great artist you feel like you’re really there,” says Wall. New for the holidays are a restock in Walking Dead figures and Japanese toys. Wall’s personal recommendation, Marvel’s All-New X-Men #1, was released two weeks ago and features time travel, an army of mutants and a villainous Cyclops. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and with art by Stuart Immonen, All-New X-Men #1 goes for $3.99 for all the adventure you can pack into 30 pages.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2012.