Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/51643
Yeah, some of Harrison's customers probably live in their moms' basements, says Liz Manning (this page, with a Chewbacca doll), who, as the Salem location's only female employee, calls herself the store's "token chick." But the former librarian says any group of people might have a basement-dwelling subset, and for the most part, comics' nerdy image is fading fast. Plus, the growing number of female comic book fans is helping to buck the geek-boy stereotype. "I love seeing young women coming in and buying comics," says Manning, whose interests include manga (Japanese comics), Stephen King's , and . But even if you are a geek, Manning says there's no reason to be embarrassed. "I fully admit to being a geek, and I wear my geek shirt proudly," she says. "Nerd is the new black." Harrison's manager Chris Berry (opposite, left) has been reading comics since he was a kid. Growing up with an alcoholic stepfa- ther, comics were an outlet. "It was my way of escaping stuff at home," Berry says. "If I was depressed or having a hard time, I could always pick up a book…it would take me away somewhere." Although online comics are growing in popularity, Berry prefers print. "I'm from the old school. I like the paper in my hand," he says. Customer Christina Walsh (page 136) agrees. "I hope the comic lives on," she says, "even though there are so many screens to replace pages." 127 127 St The D ark T ower ar T rek