Episode 69 - GU Conversations - Martin ”Biff” Averre of ACE Comics

For our September conversation, we speak with Martin "Biff" Averre, founder and owner of ACE Comics, a retailer in the UK! Biff's been in the industry for 40 years and he was generous with his time, allowing us to pick his brain about all things comics! Not in the UK? No worries, you can still order from ACE and have it shipped to you! (We did have some technical issues with this episode, so our apologies for the sound quality!)

 

Tracklist:

1:36 - Where does the nickname Biff come from?
3:49 - What is Biff's comic origin
5:53 - Which UK comics did Biff read before he got into American comics?
9:18 - What books Biff is catching up on right now
11:53 - Is the feeling of reading comics now the same as having read them when you were younger?
14:57 - Selling, trading, and what it takes for ACE Comics to turn a profit
18:37 - Founding ACE Comics and going from mail order to brick and mortar to thriving during COVID
24:21 - Competing with and being confused with Forbidden Planet, and fostering healthy rivalries amongst colleagues
29:22 - What was mail order like before the Internet?
34:00 - Mechanics of keeping physical comics stocked without breaking the bank
41:04 - Acquiring Economic Comics and several other mail order/online only retailers and folding them into ACE
49:42 - ACE Comic flexibility and diversity of income source really lessened the impact of COVID lockdowns in the UK
54:13 - What does Biff think the impact of digital comics and Substack will have on the comic industry moving forward
1:02:18 - The impact of old school "letter's pages" in comics
1:08:06 - Any "essential" graphic novels that Biff would recommend

 

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