Local Comic Shop Day 2024: Why I Love Comic Book Shops by Jock
This Saturday, September 28th, marks Local Comic Shop Day an annual celebration of the community hubs that connect readers and share the stories that build dreams. To celebrate, DSTLRY is releasing a special Black and White edition of Jock's Gone #1—limited to 750 copies and exclusive to shops participating in the event. In addition, any shop that tags #DSTLRYLCSD24 on Instagram, Twitter, and Bluesky will receive a reshare from us.
One of the most influential visionaries of the medium, Jock took a moment to reflect on how his local comic shops shaped his passion and helped cultivate a career that would redefine the most adored myths in pop culture...as well as create new ones, in his sci-fi event of one young girl stranded on a city-sized ship careening light years away from her home planet.
LCSD 2024 GONE #1 BLACK AND WHITE EDITION
I was born in Scotland, but grew up in Dorset on the south coast of England. I didn’t have a local comic book shop when I wanted one, but I found one when it mattered most.
It was the early ‘90s, and I’d failed to get into art college and was trying to make art and figure out my future. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to find this local shop with an owner, Simon Joy, who was passionate about comics in the way that only comic shop owners can be.
At the time, it was a little area tucked in the back of his parent's newsagents—just two shelves, but they were stacked with all the new releases. He introduced me to a lot of great work that was happening then... the early Vertigo books and especially the painted comics by artists like Kent Williams, Jon J. Muth, and Sienkiewicz.
He later opened a dedicated store, and I’d visit him on weekends to hang out in the shop and check out all the new releases. That experience set me on the path that has led right up to this day, with a life and career that I never could have imagined possible.
I hadn’t seen Simon for over 25 years until last year when he came to my exhibition of Batman: One Dark Knight original art. It was a surreal and amazing moment for me to see him again, and thank him for those formative years!
My debut DSTLRY series Gone is a centuries-spanning interstellar adventure of one girl attempting to reach home in the face of galactic civil war and hive-mind predators. For Local Comic Shop Day on September 28th, DSTLRY and myself are happy to support ComicsPro and Local Comic Shops with a special black-and-white edition of Gone #1—my first creator-owned comic.
Gone #1 LCSD 2024 Black & White Edition is limited to 750 copies and ONLY available at your Local Comic Shop on Local Comic Shop Day September 28th! Gone is a nod to the raw sci-fi I devoured in my youth and this black-and-white edition gives fans a new look at the debut issue.
A big “thank you” to the retailers—the comic book ambassadors who introduce readers to new worlds every day. DSTRLY, Gone and my wonderful career in comics wouldn’t exist without you.
Jock, September 2024
