Benicia comic book shop celebrates first year of employee ownership

BENICIA – Jerome Sadhu got a shocking text from his boss last year. The couple who ran the Benicia comic book store where he had worked for four years were ready to close up shop. It looked like Sadhu could be out of a job, but it also presented an opportunity.

“We were just working business as usual and then they said, ‘If you guys want to take over, send us a submission,’” Sadhu said.

At that point, Zeppelin Comics had six employees between two locations, one in Benicia and one in Napa. After a discussion among all the employees, Sadhu, Ash Works, and Isaac Gomez decided to put together a proposal to take over the business.

“It was harrowing, what we had was pretty modest between our personal savings and some support from our family,”  Works said.

“We scraped it all together in a week,” Sadhu said. “It took them about a month for their lawyer to clear it and then we were off to the races!”

As of Thursday, the new owners are celebrating a full year since they took over the business with a storewide 10% off sale. 

The store, located at 929 First St., is focused on new editions, so you won't find yellowing collector items encased in plastic. But there are reprints of classic comics and new comics from major and independent publishers. The shop also carries a wide variety of manga and graphic novels, including choices for young children as well works with adult themes that are organized and packaged appropriately. 

The new owners have worked to maintain the offerings for the clientele who have been coming to the store since it opened in 2015. But they have also widened the selection to include a number of community requests and favorites that each owner has contributed.

“I'd say the growth has been organic,” Works said. “And it doesn't mean that, suddenly, everything is amazing. We're doing good, we want to keep doing better, because that benefits us and benefits the community.” 

One of the major changes the new owners have made is to dedicate a portion of the shop as a third space for role-playing games. On Friday nights a row of tables near the back is filled with gamers playing Magic’s Commander. The rest of the week the line of tables is available for open play and there are also teaching hours for those that want to learn.

“It's been something that this community has been lacking sorely for so long,” Sadhu said. So many people were asking, ‘Hey, you guys play games here. And before, when I was a worker, I’d have to say, ‘No, unfortunately, not.’”

Now, the shop has people of all ages coming to use the gaming tables and the owners have expanded their inventory of games and cards. They even carry dice tumblers designed by a local artist.

Gomez said that many comics storylines offer ways to process difficult social challenges, like the struggle to learn new skills or relate to our peers.

With that in mind, the owners of Zeppelin Comics said they strive to create a welcoming environment for everyone. The shop has a selection of LGBTQ comics as well as a selection of comics made by Black authors and artists. 

Works said that they try to promote communities that tend to need more representation in comics and gaming. 

“Either we are a part of those communities ourselves, or we care about them and want to see that they have more visibility,” Works said. The tricky part, they added, is to stock the popular items that everyone wants but to also have works that are not as easy to find. 

The three owners all pitch in when it comes to marketing because they are all long time participants in gaming and fanbase communities. And occasionally those efforts have some crossover with a favorite pastime.

The Marvel game Rivals is a favorite at the store and Gomez said that when he is playing the game on Discord, it is not uncommon for him to discover that other owners are playing on the opposite team along with customers and community members.

The store also hosts author signings and other events. On Saturday, comic writer David Andry will be at Zeppelin Comics signing the early release of the first issue of his latest comic Crush Depth. The store will also be participating in the 23rd annual Free Comic Book Day that will be held at comic shops across North America on May 3. 

You can connect to the Zeppelin Comics Discord, browse the on-line store or check the brick and mortar shop hours here.