For the Love of Comics

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

Fans of superheroes and villains welcomed the recent arrival of North Park Comics, a dog-friendly shop with an unassuming facade that also serves as a supportive hub for local sketch artists. So far one drawing session has taken place inside the store, with more planned in the coming months.

Owned and operated by comics enthusiast Joe Chouinard and his wife, Karen, the shelves carry a coveted mix of independent, alternative and mainstream comics—some that are hard to find.

Among them are horror books by Japanese film director Junji Ito and the prose-fiction series Dungeon Crawler Carl, which Chouinard says “is blowing up online lately.”

Chouinard moved here several years ago from Chicago and previously worked for Charles Schwab from his North Park residence. His love for comics dates back to when he was a kid.

“I started mostly with reading Superman comic books and later worked for a comics business in the Chicago area when I was in my 20s,” he told us while adding that he is currently pondering what kind of events he might hold at the shop for this year’s Comic Con, to be held July 23–26.