Paradise Comics – A comic book lover’s heaven
by: John Chidley-Hill
I grew up in North Toronto, near the intersection of Yonge and Lawrence. After the second grade, my family moved north of the city to the suburban town of Thornhill. To help me pass the time while my parents unpacked, my dad went to the corner store and bought me some comic books.
At first, they were just Disney Comics; Tale Spin, mainly. Every day my dad would buy me one or two more to occupy me for the day, and after two weeks of unpacking, I was hooked on Marvel Comics.
Later that summer, my limited knowledge of Spider-Man and Wolverine were enough cultural currency to win me the respect and friendship of kids at summer camp, and then classmates at my new school.
Comic books became a big part of my life, a hobby that has lasted nearly two decades.
After grade six, we moved back to North Toronto where I reunited with some friends who had also discovered comics. They took me to their store: Paradise Comics. It had had opened in 1991, just after my move to the suburbs, and had since become a focal point for school boys in the neighbourhood.
“Visiting Paradise” became a daily ritual for us that summer. I’d ride my bike to my best friend’s house, and then we’d walk to the store to look at all the titles and play Cruisin’ USA or Mortal Kombat.
Although I was too young to appreciate it at the time, I was regularly visiting one of the best collections of golden and silver age comics in Ontario, and issue by issue I was amassing a gigantic collection of my own.
Through senior school and high school I’d visit the store at least once a week, with friends or alone. I usually went on Wednesdays to see all the new monthly titles.
I always looked forward to Christmas, not because of the presents, but because of the annual Boxing Day sale at Paradise.
By the time I was in university, I’d read thousands of comics, met giants of the industry like Mark Waid and Joe Quesada and had learned to appreciate the pop art that I was buying.
Now, as an adult it’s still my favourite comic store in the city, even if it’s not my local retailer. I consider my visits to be a rare treat.
According to store manager Doug Simpson, my relationship with the store is typical for their clientele.
“Most of our regulars have been customers for over 10 years or longer,” wrote Simpson in a recent email interview. “Our clientele crosses all ages and economic groups.”
Paradise Comics has become a haven for hardcore comic fans, offering customers a full pull list and file system, as well as 20% off on the new comics and graphic novels.
If there’s a rare back issue you’re looking for, Paradise should be your first, and last, destination in the GTA. They’ve got one of the largest selections in the city, and if they don’t have it, they’ll help you track it down.
Although serious collectors rely on their ability to track down collectibles, a lot of fans come in for new releases as well.
“The majority of our customers favour the mainstream superheroes genre,” says Simpson, adding that “we also sell a large number of kid oriented material as well.”
That concentration on mainstream comics is reflected in their best selling title.
“Right now our best selling comic is Marvel Comics’ Dark Avengers.” He explained that it’s a significant book because “It’s based on the fallout from the company-wide crossover, Secret Invasion.”
One thing that has not changed since my childhood is that the most popular title in back issues at Paradise Comics is Uncanny X-Men. It might always be.
Although the store puts an emphasis on regular customers and serious collectors, new customers are always welcome.
“We have on average at least ten to twenty new customers come into the shop every weekend.”
And if you’ve never read a comic book before, they have plenty of recommendations for you, starting with three titles: Fables, Y-The Last Man, and Mouse Guard.
I’ve been to a lot of the comic book stores in Toronto, and many elsewhere, and for the serious collector or the young kid just getting into the hobby, Paradise Comics is the place to go.
Paradise Comics
3278 Yonge St., Toronto ON
416-487-9807
Author: 
Publisher-Creator Mikhail Saavedra began life down by the deepest tip of southern Latin America. He started life with a deep curiosity for all things, with music and books being at the forefront, a curious child by all accounts. As he grew and opened his eyes to the world, he developed a sense of justice and dignity in part as a reaction to growing up in a military dictatorship. Alas, this did not fill him with fear or cynicism but a more rebellious spirit, which led him to being incredibly popular at the principal’s office and the local riot police department….
Then came Canada and it was here that he was able to formulate his deep desire to learn about the world, with Toronto being the kind of multicultural soup that could engage his need to know and embrace. It started with writing, then moved on to what became Toronto’s first Latin Alternative radio show, followed by an all-English show in the same vein. It was this desire to find the true “crossover” among people, which led him to the concept of “Alternavox”
He is a lover of wine, good food, Neruda, Eduardo Galeano, rebel music, revolutionaries, dancing, family and beautiful people. Believes that kindness in this much too cynical world is revolutionary, that you are a better person when able to give a little without asking for the change and that on the same token you should laugh at yourself and the madness surrounding you as often as possible as you set out to change the world bit by bit. 