For a number of readers and collectors, Dragon Lady Comics was their local comics outlet – they placed their orders and picked up their new comics and graphic novels there every week or every couple of weeks, and it was also a popular haunt for the many creators based in the area.

Dragon Lady  stayed open successfully as a viable comics retailer for 33 years (half on Queen Street the other half on College) — and managed to maintain a full time manager, as well as many part-time employees. All of whom were going to be jobless in a couple of weeks.

Thankfully, we have some good news in that a form of the store will continue on College Street, just steps away from where Dragon Lady was located:

“THE COMIC BOOK LOUNGE + GALLERY”

587A College Street (2^nd Floor)

60 Metres (just shy of 200 feet) East of Dragon Lady Comics (609 College). At the intersection of College and Clinton.

This new store will be managed by JOE KILMARTIN (soon to be the former manager of Dragon Lady Comics).

As Dragon Lady closes on Wednesday, February 1st, “THE COMICS LOUNGE” will be opening on Wednesday, February 8th for the next week’s new releases.

“THE COMIC BOOK LOUNGE” will start as a subscriber based new comics business so that Dragon Lady customers can continue to pick up their books with the same reliable service that Joe and the Dragon Lady staff have been providing for years.

The end result will be a combination of comics store (with an emphasis on graphic novels and art books as well as a selection of back issues and related merchandise), lounge area, gallery space (for the display and sale of original art) and event space (for signings, book releases, talks and other events).  “THE COMIC BOOK LOUNGE” will be something new to the comics retail landscape in that it will be both a retail space AND an event space.

It will share the location with the TORONTO CARTOONISTS WORKSHOP, who will continue to operate classes on evenings and weekend afternoons, and GUERILLA PRINTING, experts at providing comic book self-publishers and artist’s needs such as prints, sketchbooks, display signs and posters.

In addition, the store will be working with CGC to make the store a submission centre for collectors in the downtown core who wish to get their comics graded, and “THE COMICS LOUNGE” will host a number of Signature Series signings and events throughout the year and at other events both locally, nationally and internationally.