This weekend, Tyler Petitclerc will hand out Rebel Comics business cards and his own hand-drawn handiwork at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.
It’s all part of a grand plan to celebrate the fascination with the floppy by opening up a comic book shop in Cochrane – hopefully by the end of the year.
Petitclerc, 26, and his older brother Devin first came up with the idea more than a year ago to establish the town’s first comic emporium, just like the ones they used to visit in Calgary as kids.
When the siblings were growing up, they would find a way into the city at least once a month to scoop up the latest releases from DC or Marvel. The experience stuck with him into adulthood, and now he wants to offer that same thrill for the youth of Cochrane without them having to travel into the city.
“It’s just going to be a place where kids can hang out and have a good time,” said Petitclerc, a freelance graphic designer who graduated from Cochrane High. “I want to be able to provide that place.”
Petitclerc needs about $20,000 to fund the venture, and now that his business plan is solid he will start to meet with investors on his way to the financial goal.
Since inventory is a big thing, Petitclerc has been slowly building up a catalogue of comic material by shopping at online marketplaces and other fan forums. He’s got as many as 1,200 different ones now and he expects the shop to house between 5,000 and 10,000 various editions when Rebel Comics opens.
He’ll also stock his own stories, since Petitclerc is also a writer and illustrator in his own right – with a comic about a cowboy vigilante entitled Wild Card and an in-progress three-part series, Scrapyard.
“I love that it’s creative – it comes from your imagination,” he said.
Location-wise, he has his eye on a couple of different storefronts in Historic Downtown, where he ultimately envisions a place for Cochrane’s youth to browse and read comics, play arcade games and cruise through collectibles.
“It’s not just the comics – it’s about the whole atmosphere,” he said. “I feel they deserve the opportunity … to be inspired like I was.”
