This week’s featured indie comic shop hero is longtime friend & supporter Leef Smith, owner of Mission: Comics & Art in San Francisco, CA.
Tell us about your shop!
Mission: Comics and Art offers a wide and eclectic mix of comics celebrating the artform!
Besides comics from the major publishers, we also carry a lot of small press and self-published comics.
We also regularly host different community events and comics related art shows
Who are you? What’s your origin story with indie comics?
I’m Leef Smith. My first Indie comics were some of my dad’s Robert Crumb comics. I liked his Bigfoot comics and could could see that the artwork was on a different level, but everything else was kinda pervy and weirded me out. Well even the Bigfoot stuff weirded me out some. I discovered this comic called Spin Minus Zero in Santa Cruz in the early 90’s that I loved. Then I discovered early Optic Nerve and Paul Pope’s THB that blew my mind.
What makes your shop special?
I think I do pretty well with creating an open, friendly and inviting atmosphere where anyone can feel welcome.
I also like to promote the idea that anyone’s taste is valid. I don’t want to judge anyone’s reading taste. I like a wide variety of things myself. I don’t feel there are “good” comics or “bad” comics, just fans of different comics.
How has your audience been responding to Silver Sprocket’s catalog?
Silver Sprocket’s books have always had fans here from the very beginning, from the first Phenomenauts comic to As You Were to the newest full color books like the beloved Catboy and GIRLS.
Any non-Silver Sprocket comics you’d recommend to our readers?
Black Mask is a publisher to check out! Especially CALEXIT, Space Riders and Black.
Like many comic retailers over the past year, Mission: Comics and Art has been having a rough go of it.
If you’d like to show them some love, you can support their Patreon & follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
