Tifton comic store celebrates 4th anniversary

TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - Gray Ghost Comics in Tifton is celebrating its 4th anniversary on Saturday by keeping up with the growth of the comic industry.

Legendary Superheroes like Black Panther, Batman and Wonder Woman are just a fraction of where the comic industry is headed. Many people said that they felt some connection towards the comic characters.

“As a kid, like just having a place to come, that was the biggest thing. Having a place to come and being able to meet people that have the same interest as you and feel like a place of it’s almost like home if anything,” Cody Morris, Gray Ghost Comics customer, said.

What started off as just a comic store four years ago, has now seen an increase in the demand after adding card games and collectibles.

“One of the things that we got into was card games, and that is something that increased our business exponentially. Magic the Gathering and Flesh of Blood are two very popular card games. Magic the Gathering has a long following; Flesh of Blood is pretty new, came out in 2019, and both of those have grown pretty quickly in the community,” Scott Beasley, owner of Gray Ghost Comics, said.

Comics have been around since the 1840s ′s, but it took nearly a hundred years for the first black characters to appear. But since then, they’ve become increasingly diverse.

“There is something to appeal to every demographic, every age. Representation is a great word that has become a big thing in comics as of late. You can find characters that look like you, characters who act like you and believe like you, and there is something here for everybody,” Cody Cone, Gray Ghost Comics part-time employee and customer, said.

Organizers say the event today turned out well, and they hope to increase the number of different comics.

Several industry professionals attended the event:

• Tiffany Grant - Voice Actress
• Jason Flowers - Comic Artist
• Todd Kelley - Comic Writer
• Dan Fraga - Storyboard Artist
• Steve Ekstrom - Writer and Editor
• Carlos Mendita - Animator Artist

Click here to learn more about what Gray Ghost Comics has to offer.

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