Layne Wolters remembers walking out of a local comic book store when he was about 13 years old, excited to read about Spider-Man, a superhero with spider-related superpowers.
Decades later, Wolters is bringing that passion for comic books to a Jefferson City brick-and-mortar store: Capital City Comics.
Capital City Comics had its grand opening last Thursday at 2713 Industrial Drive Suite D.
Wolters said he is excited to offer comic books to avid readers but also to introduce them to those who normally would not read comics.
"Say someone who has watched the Marvel movies and thought the stories were great," he said. "Well, pretty much all of those stories have taken place and were pulled from pages of comic books. You just have to find them."
Wolters hopes to have about 6,000-9,000 comics total at the store, including Marvel, DC and independent comics. Wolters noted this number will change as he buys and sells comics.
If a customer can't find a comic they want at the store, Wolters said, the store will also offer a pull list - similar to a subscription service. Customers can call the store at 573-302-1888.
"There are people who come in, and for the last 2o years, they have bought Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk, so it doesn't make sense for them to come in and browse and wait when they know that's what they're going to buy," he said. "They can just give it to the shop owner so it's easier for them to order."
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Wolters regularly sold comics online and in person. The pandemic caused his sales to swell as people sought activities to do in their homes.
Wolters decided it was time to take his business to a brick-and-mortar store.
Wolters said he was instantly drawn to comic books because of how relatable the characters were. For example, Peter Parker, whose alter ego was Spider-Man, was a fictional teenager who experienced many of the same issues modern-day teenagers experience, minus the superpowers.
"He was still the shy, nerdy kid in high school because he didn't feel like he could use his powers there, so he had all of the problems that any other teenager has," Wolters said. "That kind of drew me in because it's just like anybody dealing with their problems - you like this girl but she doesn't like you, and you can't really use your superpowers because that wouldn't be truthful, so how he dealt with that. So there was just a lot of lessons about growing up."
Capital City Comics is open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays.
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