The Time Line

This is a work in progress, so, for the moment, please forgive any errors or omissions, and please help fill in the blanks with corrections, additions, dates, and names in the comments, or sent by email to gregralphjohn@gmail.com. Julian West did the majority of this in the spring of 2021, starting with R and S Comics in 1973, and Ralph added some details and minor corrections and dates. Then after waiting for 8 months, Ralph put it here and added the pre-history through 1972 and some embellishment and even more details. We have hundreds of pictures to add.

Pre-History – the 1800’s – engraved illustrations appear in newspapers, many of them political cartoons.

1890’s – Hearst and other publishers start color Sunday Comics Sections.

1930’s – several publishers start collecting newspaper strips into stapled magazines – the first “Comic Books”.

1934 – First Original Material just for comic books – New Funnies #1 by National Allied Publications.

1938 – Siegel and Schuster, teenagers, sell their “original” comic character Superman to National Allied Publications, appearing in Action #1.

1939 – Dozens of publishers crank out hundreds of new superheroes, along with less serious topics, and newspaper reprints are left in the dust.

1940’s – sales numbers increase until the war ends, and then the market has a recession into a dark era of crime and horror, and funny animals, romance, western, and Classics Illustrated.

1950-51 – Congress is caught up in an anti-comic frenzy, loosely related to and modeled the HUAC/McCarthy hearings, resulting in censorship, the Comics Code, cancellations, layoffs, bankruptcies, and closings, and comics almost disappear.

1950’s – Long doldrums, with DC superheroes still plugging away, along with more westerns, Archies, Disneys, etc. and Timely/Marvel doing 30 monsters a month.

1959 – DC launches the new Flash and Justice League, which do well, and Marvel finally starts Superheroes again with Fantastic Four #1 in 1961.

1961-1972 – Nothing happens.

1973 – February?: Michael Rosen and Bob Selvig create R & S Comics, selling at small local shows.

1974 – June 1: Bob Selvig, Michael Rosen, and Mark & Matt Humphries open Comic City at 3149-1/2 Hennepin Av S. Soon, Joel Thingvall begins doing occasional odd jobs.

1975 – April?: Michael Rosen sells his quarter interest in Comic City to Julian West. September: Joel Thingvall starts working part-time on a regular basis. Fall?: Comic City rents one of three rooms at 3151 for displaying vintage comics.

1976 – Summer: Chris Budel, sullen teen, is hired to do odd jobs, substituting for Joel’s coveted position. Also Summer?: Julian West moves into 3149 Hennepin Av S, the house behind the store, and names it Comic Citadel. No one ever calls it that. Summer?: Bob Selvig and Julian West buy out Mark & Matt Humphries, who move to California. Also Summer?: (Big year) they rent all of 3151 and create Comic Suburb, with an art gallery, vintage comics area, and office.

1977 – June 1: Julian West buys out Bob Selvig, who moves to Los Angeles and joins The American Comic Book Company.

1978 – Julian West opens Comic Village on University Av near the campus, and hires Jay Taylor-Henderson and one other employee to work there.

1979 – July?: Julian West sells Comic City and Comic Village to Jay Taylor-Henderson and Art Solz. They close Comic Village and open Downtown Comics, a tiny spot on Hennepin, half a block from Shinder’s, with the intent of “getting Shinders” or putting them out of business(!?), under different ownership or incorporation to shield from debt to JW.

1979 – JTH hires Ralph (Greg) Johnson, late of Twin City Comics, Compleat Enchanter and Shinders, to hold down the fort at Downtown Comics. Average customer count from noon to 5 was maybe 1 per shift.

1980 – May 1: Jay Taylor-Henderson and Art Solz sell Comic City to Ralph (Greg) Johnson and Chris Budel, for assumption of debt to Julian West. Fall? (maybe the next spring): Downtown Comics ceases operations. Shinders still thriving. JTH-Solz partnership or whatever presumably dissolves.

1981 – Julian West moves out of 3149 Hennepin Av S. Strangers move in.

1982 – Fall: Ralph (Greg) Johnson sells 40% (4/5 of Ralph’s share) to Joel Thingvall, and moves to California to work for Capital City (comics) Distribution.

1984 – Spring: Joel Thingvall shares revert back to Ralph (Greg) Johnson. Summer: Chris Budel sells his shares of Comic City to Gary Sissala; Ralph (Greg) Johnson remains in California as a silent partner.

1986 – September: Ralph (Greg) Johnson returns to Minnesota and sells out to Gary Sissala, and opens Capital City Distribution branch in St. Paul.

1987 – February: Ralph (Greg) Johnson moves into 3149 Hennepin Av S. October 1: Ralph (Greg) Johnson, Chris Budel, and Darryn Kozak incorporate as Comicopolis, Inc. They are aware of another Comicopolis (in California) and decide to change dba name for the future.

1988 – March 1: Gary Sissala’s Comic City is given notice to vacate Hennepin Avenue location, but still has no alternative and squats for two weeks. After destroying shelves, painting over the cartoon strips on the high windows, and other vandalism, he finds a new location for Comic City at 1600 W Lake Street (at Irving) and vacates Hennepin Av location on April 15th.

April 16th: Ralph (Greg) Johnson, Chris Budel, and Darryn Kozak open College of Comic Knowledge, aka Comic Book College, aka Comic College at 3 pm, at both addresses on Hennepin. While major renovation was happening at 3149-1/2, led by Darryn’s brother (Jake?), a quite rough store was opened by 3 pm at 3151 with full shelves (new comics accumulating in Ralph’s house since March 1!) A pretty amazing feat to accomplish in 7 hours, especially considering the debris and chaos left by the previous owner. Thanks to the help of Clem Fortman, and others (sorry, need help with work crew names here).

1989 – End of Summer? or 1990? Need help with this: Comic City goes out of business. Ex-Comic City employees Gordon Purcell, Mike Sevlie, and Chris Carraher eventually begin working at College. Darryn Kozak “sells out” to Chris and Ralph.

1989-1990 – Much growth, including mail order operations and up to 130 monthly subscribers leads to hiring many part-timers. Ralph was writing 16 paychecks at one point. You know who you are.

1991 – Spring?: Chris Budel, Ralph (Greg) Johnson, and Julian West open The Nostalgia Zone vintage pop culture store at 3811 Grand Avenue South. They are evicted by a truly sleazy landlord and grimy lawyer.

Steve Rudolph is briefly Comic College’s store manager, and then Julian West becomes the store manager.

1992 – Gigantic original art collection purchased with the help of John Pawley. Death of Superman in #75 in November is the biggest day in comics history, with Dan Jurgens signing at the store. 500 numbers were given out, like at a very busy deli.

1993 – The warehouse stock is moved to Lake Street and 38th Av S (?). There was a warehouse near University and 280 for a while, with lots of help from Greg Hemmersten. I know we vacated it, and I guess the stock got moved.

September: Ralph (Greg) Johnson with silent partner John Pawley start a new corporation, Comics Minnesota, and open a kiosk in the Mall of America and a Calhoun Square space near the front door, both named Comic College; Joel Thingvall and Don Sticksel help manage them. MOA was just 5 closets with padlocks, but we had plans for a major buildout of a permanent location, which stalled, and then TWO other comic stores opened in MOA, and the plans were shelved permanently.

December: Ralph (Greg) Johnson and Chris Budel dissolve their partnership and split Comic College into two stores, The Nostalgia Zone at the original 3149-1/2 address, and Comic College at 3151 Hennepin, with one entrance at 3151 for both stores. Many employees are laid off.

1994 – December: Comic College’s Mall of America kiosk is closed abruptly on a Friday night.

1995 – Comic College’s Calhoun Square outlet closes, after being moved three times that year. Comics Minnesota is dissolved. Don moves on to other things, and Ralph hired Clarence (Thrun) Friday, to manage the remaining Comic College on Hennepin.

2002 – Joel Thingvall quits working for Chris Budel at the Zone.

2003 – Ralph Johnson sells Comic College to Tim Lohn. And Moves to California.

2012 – Doctors sell the building and both Comic College and The Nostalgia Zone are evicted from 32nd & Hennepin after 38 years of comic stores being there. Comic College moves to the former doctors’ clinic iat 3145 Hennepin, and The Nostalgia Zone moves to 30xx 36th Avenue near Lake Street

2013 – June?: Chris moves Nostalgia Zone moves around the corner to 3535 E Lake Street.

2017 – New condos force Tim to move Comic College move from 3145 Hennepin to 4632 Nicollet Avenue South in Minneapolis.

December 2021 – Both stores are still going strong, and Ralph is still in California.