Profile: Mike Van Houten, comics store proprietor

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Mike Van Houten, 39, has been running Oxford Comics since he was 13 years old, originally as part of the beloved (and sadly, defunct) Oxford Books. The store’s busiest day of the year is Free Comic Book Day, held this year May 3.

__
What’s Free Comic Book Day like?

It’s a carnival atmosphere. People come in costume, and we have artists signing their comics and doing sketches for kids all day. It’s grown each year and brings people from all over. It’s our biggest day of the year.

I’ve got 5,000 comics from each of the 20 publishers waiting in boxes that we’re gong to give away. All the major publishers sent at least two titles, one for a general audience and one for children.

When did Oxford Comics begin?

Oxford Comics grew out of the old Oxford Bookstore. It started in 1980 when I was 13 years old. Oxford Books owner Rupert LeCraw was a very open-minded man, and he was impressed that a 13 year-old wanted to open a comic shop in his store, so he said, ‘Go ahead, give it a try.’ I did it all through high school and college, and when I graduated from college, the business had expanded enough that I could do it for a living. Due to various factors, Oxford Bookstore had to close, and I combined the three shops into a standalone comics superstore on Piedmont Road in 1996. Based on our square footage and number of titles, we’re one of the largest comic shops in the nation.

Are there any misconceptions about people who shop at comic book stores?

A big change in the last five years has been a huge increase in the number of girls and women.__