West Island comic fanatics living out dream with St-Henri bookstore

When George Mallari-Lee met some of his best friends in detention at Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School – all of them in trouble for reading comic books – he never imagined one day they would own their own shop.

Now he and his three friends, all comic fanatics from the West Island, are making their mark in Montreal's St-Henri neighbourhood with Crossover Comics. 

The co-owners of the shop, all in their thirties, say they are living out their dream, although they admit it wasn't easy starting up a small business.

We live in the digital age, and we are selling paper-bound books.- George Mallari-Lee, Co-owner of Crossover Comics

"Happy struggles," said Mallari-Lee. "Opening any kind of small business is difficult, especially [since] we live in the digital age, and we are selling paper-bound books."

"But the reaction has been amazing. There's a lot of enthusiasm. The neighbourhood has just shown a lot of love for us."

More than superheroes

The owners of Crossover Comics say they are unlike many of the other shops around the city, which they say carry mainly superhero-based comics.

Mallari-Lee's partner Ray Silas says more than half of their shop is filled with dozens of categories of comics, far beyond the superhero genre.

"We have romance, crime, sci-fi: You name it, we have it," says Silas.

"If you're five years old or you're seventy years old, and you've read comics your whole life or you've never read comics, I should be able to find something for you."  

They also carry a wide range of graphic novels, independently published books, board games, collectors' cards and comics for kids.

Comics in the community  

Crossover Comics is also a meeting spot for weekly community gatherings.

There are board game nights, Magic collectible card game meetups and book clubs.

They've already made their way into several schools in the area, organizing after-school comic book clubs and anti-bullying and literacy workshops for kids.

For Halloween weekend, kids can stop by to trick-or-treat and walk away with a free comic.

Loyal customers

A testament to their loyal customers is the store's constant traffic, despite major road construction going on outside their door.

The stretch of Notre-Dame Street from Atwater Avenue to their shop near Rose-de-Lima Street has been torn up for weeks.

Celebrating 4 years of comics in St-Henri

The shop is celebrating its fourth anniversary this weekend with a big sale, a comic book launch and a party. Previous events have seen lineups around the block, which may be a bit tricky this year due to the construction mess outside.

Local hip hop artist Yassin (Narcy) Alsalman is launching a comic book he wrote called World War Free, based on one of his albums at the store's anniversary event. 

"I like that they're independent guys that started with a passion and created something out of it. Come support these guys, man," says Alsalman.

Crossover Comics's event starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, at 3560 Notre-Dame Ouest.