UPDATE: Sadly, Elfsar's storefront closed in May of 2010, they've now been added to the RIP file - you can still visit their website for info.

I have a confession. I've developed a new little vice: I think I'm becoming a comic book nerd! I never really read a lot of comics growing up, other than the odd Archie comic, and though I knew graphic novels had been becoming more popular, I never really jumped on that bandwagon either. I read Persepolis, and really enjoyed it, but what really got me hooked is the comic book Proof.

I found out about Proof because the illustrator of the comic, Riley, is a guy I went to elementary and highschool with back in Saskatoon. I thought it was so rad that he had a comic out that I started reading it, and it's an absolutely great comic book series--in fact, I have yet to find any others that I like nearly as much.

The problem was that every time I went out to try and find the new issue, they either weren't in yet or had sold out the few copies that were in at the shops I went to...until I found out about Elfsar in Yaletown. Not only is it much closer to where I live, but they always have tons of copies in stock! And if that wasn't enough to make me happy, what they say on their site is true:

"At Elfsar the atmosphere is clean, friendly and has a very approachable owner & staff that pride themselves on providing excellent customer service." - Elfsar.com

The staff at Elfsar, especially the owner Ethan, is by far the friendliest I've found, happy to help out a comic newb such as myself with suggestions of new books to try, and just generally treating me like a valued customer--they're the only shop I've been at where I didn't feel totally out of place!

The Vancouver shop opened in 2003, and you can read more about the history of the shop here, and if you're out of town please note that they also do orders through their online shop. They've also got an excellent collection of graphic novels, which I've been really enjoying, and there's a shelf of local work as well, just ask, and you can peruse authors from Vancouver and area.

Finally, if you are a comic buff of any sort, I suggest you check out their website, there is a lot of great info on it, and their blog is updated regularly (RSS feed).

Thanks guys and keep up the great work!

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