Longtime popular comic book and hobby shop Comic Quest announced that it will begin to close down its operations due to the effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic and the disruption of the global distribution of comic books.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the shop thanked its loyal customers for being part of their family and expressed gratitude for giving them a chance to be part of the comic book industry.
“We wouldn’t have reached 35 wonderful years in business without loyal customers like you. Our sincerest and most heartfelt thanks for being with us through all these years,” it said.
The shop had its first branch in BF Homes at Alabang in 1986 and it eventually expanded to Greenhills, SM Megamall, Makati and beyond Metro Manila through the years.
But the COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted its operations, coupled with the disruption of comic books’ global distribution.
The management described that it “has been an extremely challenging time” for them, thus the “difficult” decision to close the operations which they said was the “best option moving forward.”
Some patrons of Comic Quest were saddened by the announcement.
“Comic Quest was one of the best things about our summer Manila trips when I was a teen, visiting my sisters in college,” a Twitter user said.
A special farewell sale will happen from September 16 to October in its SM Megamall branch where items will be sold at huge discounted prices, from 50% and above.
“While our time in this wonderful industry comes to an end, we’re wishing you many more years of happy collecting! And in the words of the great Stan Lee — Excelsior!” the hobby shop concluded.
Comic Quest has been selling a huge array of comic books created by Marvel, DC Comics and independent publishers, as well as various merchandises from toy collectibles, figurines and apparel featuring well-loved superheroes like Batman and the Spiderman.
It also sells comic books featuring stories of the epic space opera franchise “Star Wars” and other superheroes like Jessica Jones, Catwoman and Transformers.
The shop also houses other comics like the famed Archie series, James Bond, G.I. Joe, Star Trek and the popular Netflix series Stranger Things.
Comic Quest likewise sells manga such as “My Hero Academia,” “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” “Persona 5” and “Usagi Yojimbo,” among others.
The comic book shop also sponsors film screenings featuring superheroes.
Last year, it co-sponsored a special screening of “Avengers: Endgame,” the last movie of Marvel Studios on the superhero team Avengers.