Ferndale's Detroit Comics is closing

After more than a decade in business, the owners of Ferndale's Detroit Comics announced in a Facebook post on Monday that it will soon close its doors for good.

Reached by phone, owner Brian Kelly says "it was a lot of different reasons" that led to the decision to shutter the business after 10 and a half years. "We've been doing it for a while. Me and my wife were talking, and we said, 'Let's do something else,'" he tells Metro Times. "The results are not what they used to be, and it was maybe more stress than I want at this point in my life."

It might seem a counterintuitive move, given the fact that these days comic book superheroes like The Avengers and Wonder Woman are arguably more popular than they've ever been, with a steady stream of blockbuster movies based on Marvel and D.C. characters released in the past few years — and showing no sign of slowing down. But Kelly says it could be a case of video killed the comic book star, and the popularity of the films might actually be syphoning attention from the comic books.

"I've been trying to figure it," he says. "Marvel put out a lot of crappy product last year. There's a lot of competition for superhero [stuff], as opposed to comics. There's movies and video games. And I don't think younger people are coming into the hobby so much."

When asked what his plans are next, Kelly says he'll probably just "walk the earth like Caine from Kung Fu." In all seriousness, he says he and his wife own the building and are seeking a new tenant.

But the move remains bittersweet. "We love Ferndale. We put our heart and soul into this," he says. "It's like closing an old friend. We live around the corner. My kids grew up in the back, my customers have seen them grow up."

Kelly says this is the last week the store will be selling new comics, and a liquidation sale of all items and furniture will begin on Saturday. Kelly says the store will close when all inventory is sold, likely in the next two weeks.

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