May the 4th (Be With You) and Free Comic Book Day hit on the same day this year, which made my hope for a whole Star Wars themed party a bit unattainable, but we did get to have an accidentally too busy FCBD.
We only went to one participating shop, but before that went to another shop we enjoy mostly because, for once, my brother was also with us, so it seemed like a good excuse to drive an hour out of the way.
So, first stop was Villainous Grounds.
We’re heading into a new year, and with it, I’m steadily working on plans to make it a great year for Wandering NerdGirl. This is a rough idea of how I aim to approach next year, and there is always room to add or remove things.
Last year I went to the Superman Celebration, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. So, of course, I immediately planned to return this year.
Another year, another Free Comic Book Day. And it was busy busy busy. This year we took my nieces on a big adventure to three shops – Villainous Grounds, All the Rage, and my local shop – Not Just Comix.
I will state before going into this, that it is important to remember that even though it is Free Comic Book Day, these comics are not free to shops, and it’s important you buy something as well as pick up your free comics. I didn’t have the most money on this trip due to Fan Expo crunch time, but I still made sure to buy something at all three shops – as did my mother, my brother, and the girls. Please support local shops and keep them in business.
As you know, I went through a somewhat insane couple of weekends a while back, in which I wore myself with three different cons. I’ve already covered the first two – Wizard World St Louis and Planet Comic Con – now it’s time for the final con: the STL Comics Winter One-Day.
So, I decided to take the day off Friday and get some things done, so I’d still have down time Saturday and Sunday. Everybody needs a break sometimes, right?
I first heard about the STL Comics Summer 1 Day show when I saw a flyer at Villainous Grounds, a while back. It sounded awesome – a con focused on comics, with loads of vendors, and only $5 admission for adults. THIS was something I severely needed in my life, since our area feels like it’s lacking this sort of event. That was one of my huge complaints about Wizard World St Louis this year – where the hell were the comics?
You guys know how much I love, love, loooooove Villainous Grounds in Perryville, MO. (If you don’t know, I recommend finding out here and here.) I recently heard they were going to have comic artist Rick Burchett in the shop for a signing, and I’ve been meaning to make a trip down for a few weeks, so I rearranged my plans for May 13th and made the hour drive.
The beginning of February, I took my mom and best friend both on a bit of a nerdy shopping adventure for girls day out. It was much needed, since I haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time with my best friend lately, and retail therapy always helps.
We started our adventures back at one of my favorite places, Villainous Grounds in Perryville, MO. I caught up on some comics I needed, since they were having a fantastic sale (25% off single issues, if I remember correctly) and picked up a cup of delicious hot chocolate before we set out for our next destination.
Brittaney had told me about a store in the St Louis area called Saga Toys, gushing about how amazing it was and promising me I would love it. She was not wrong! I hope to go back some time with more money and focus, and do a proper post on just this store alone. Saga Toys is huge, filled with new and old, loads of Legos, tons of Batman (yay, me!) and – as you would expect – SO MUCH STAR WARS!
Then we moved on to the mall closest to where we were – South County. Inside, though, are two of my favorite stores to hunt for collectibles in: V-Stock, and Slackers. I bought a bunch of Batman books in V-Stock, since they were having a BOGO free sale on Batman back issues and pre-owned comics. OOOOOH, yes. Then, my only pick up from Slackers was the newest All Star Batman, I believe.
Overall, it was a great day of nerding out and spending quality time with my best friend.
If you’d like to see more of these collection hunting posts, and maybe including the haul at the end, let me know in the comments!
I have LOADS of posts to catch up on, and Wizard World St Louis is just around the corner. So stay tuned!
~Angel
A few months ago, I went to a tiny con in Farmington, MO called Max Con. While there, I met the lovely shop owner of Villainous Grounds in Perryville, MO. I’ve never been to Perryville, but decided that I’d make the 50 minute trip to check out the shop on a weekend. It took me a couple months, but I did it! Totally worth the drive!
There are two floors to Villainous Grounds. The first floor is a cool and welcoming coffee shop. The second floor, which is where I darted to first, has three rooms of comics and collectibles, etc, as well as The Mad Hatter’s Tea Room – a cozy place to enjoy your beverage ordered downstairs, or to host a small event for a reasonable fee.
Upstairs was my haven. I loved how comfortable I felt, as well as the selection of newer issues. And that DC Rebirth wall? Ooooh, yeah. I need to go back in with a list of what I’m missing and catch myself up!
But, the comfort was a big thing for me. I have, on occasion, felt very uncomfortable in some shops, as odd as it sounds. I feel like I shouldn’t look or touch, or I shouldn’t even be there, etc. However, in Villainous Grounds, I felt at home. It was clean and cool, but also felt like you were in a welcoming environment. Plus, you can’t beat the delicious smells coming from downstairs. Then, there are the nerdy little touches:
After I made my selections, I headed back downstairs to pay, and ordered one of the most delicious hot chocolates EVER to go. You can check out their menu here.
My haul:
I hope to head back soon with some friends, a list, more time, and a wad of cash. And, hopefully, make it in for an in store event. If you live in Missouri, or happen to be visiting, definitely go stop in if you have a chance. I hope to spend a little more time during my next visit, and plan to do another, more detailed post when I do.
You can visit Villainous Grounds on their website or check out their Instagram ( @VillainousGrounds ) for some fantastic pictures.
-Angel
Wandering NerdGirl 