Comic book shop owner finds his niche in Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Chuck Gower, owner of Chuck's Comics in Terre Haute, will be among the many people who attend a popular convention known as Comic Con in Indianapolis this weekend.

Just as its name implies, the event is a comic book convention with 150 booths featuring comics, videos, action figures, "Star Wars" items, trading cards - and more - as well as star appearances, including Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Princess Leia in "Star Wars."

"It's a great show," said Gower, who operates his comics business at 7 S. Sixth St., Suite 219, which has been open about six months.

At Comic Con, Gower plans to buy comic books and get autographs, including that of Jim Steranko, a famous name in comics known for "Nick Fury, agent of SHIELD," The Tribune-Star reported (http://bit.ly/1wZnOIk ).

The event, and comics overall, are popular with many people, "I think because it touches on all aspects of what people like, which is stories and entertainment," he said. "It's fun."

Some of the characters have been around a long time, including Batman, who dates back more than 70 years. "They make movies of it. It's still entertaining," Gower said.

But what really makes comics popular is the bad guy, he says. "It's about the nemesis. And that's why the bad guys are so popular. People love Darth Vader," he said. "You hear more people talking about Darth Vader than Luke Skywalker."

While people love Batman, "without the Joker, it's just not as good," Gower said.

Chuck's Comics had several visitors at lunchtime Wednesday, including Rob Whitman, an Indiana State University student from Indianapolis. "I've always been a comics fan; my dad raised me on it," he said. He's also really into science fiction and enjoys Marvel's adaptation of "Robo Cop," the movie.

Whitman tries to visit Chuck's each Wednesday, when new releases are out. He describes himself as a big reader and a big movie buff, but sometimes he doesn't want to do either. "Sometimes I want something in the middle and comics provide that for me," he said. He's also a big fan of the artwork, and with some of the comic books now, "the art is just unbelievable."

In setting up shop in Terre Haute, Gower saw a need and a market. Prior to his arrival, Terre Haute did not have a comic book store similar to the one he operates, he said, and it boasted a university with more than 12,000 students. "That seemed crazy," he said.

He believes he's just "barely scratched the surface" of his customer base. Comic book fans appreciate his business, he said. "They come in and spend $20, $30 or $40 for comics and say, 'Thank you for being here.'"

Chuck's Comics is open noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and his phone number is 314-323-7475.

He plans to have a free comic book day May 2 with about 40 titles.

Gower said his most popular comics are "The Walking Dead," ''Batman" and "Star Wars." He also sells books that have collections of comics, toys, artwork, prints, comic-themed magazines and statues. He also offers subscriptions.

Among others visiting the business Wednesday was Rob Roberts, who stopped in for the first time and was impressed with what he saw. He used to collect comic books and now plans to get back into it with the new "Secret Wars" series.

He will be in Indianapolis Friday for a meeting and plans to stop by Comic Con later in the day.

Roberts and Gower quickly got into a discussion about "Secret Wars." ''There's a lot of exciting stuff going on with it," Gower said.

Also stopping in was ISU student Shaun Brown. "I've been coming since it opened last fall," he said. "It's one of the few comic shops in the region, and Chuck is a very friendly guy. ... It's a fantastic shop." Brown also hopes to attend Comic Con in Indianapolis.

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com