By Robert M. Sarwark
Friday, September 13th, 2024. Don’t let that date fool you: it indeed contained a most auspicious event. Since then, and after many years without a dedicated comic shop in (central) Intown Atlanta, East Atlanta Comics has been officially open for business at 508 Flat Shoals Avenue.
Married co-owners Matt and Brandy Pruett met their friend and business partner, Zack George, fifteen years ago as volunteers at DragonCon. Later, Zack and Matt both worked as security for EAV’s The EARL. And it is precisely at that iconic locale where the heroic nature of our tale begins.
On March 27, tragedy struck when Matt was on the job he had dutifully worked for eight years. Three unruly patrons refused to leave, Matt intervened to eject them, and from there, chaos erupted. As Brandy explained to the AJC, “Chairs were flying, bar stools were flying, and people were throwing bottles, all kinds of stuff. And [Matt] got hit in the face with a chair.” Matt had sprayed one of his assailants with mace, another pulled out a gun and he shot Matt, hitting him at point-blank range.
Fortunately, the bullet missed his vital organs; however, it fractured Matt’s pelvis. He also suffered fractured orbital eye sockets after being punched. Thanks to the speedy actions of EARL regulars, Matt was rushed to Grady, and while the bullet remained, he was cleared and released to continue recovery at home after five days.
Faced with his own mortality, Matt, a lifelong collector, decided that the time was nigh to realize his dream of opening a shop of his own. He, Zack, and Brandy had talked about the idea for a long time but it wasn’t until a particular location became available that they made their move. “A couple days after Matt got shot,” Zack said, “I was covering his shifts and was walking down to [the Flatiron].” At that same moment, he saw someone put a “for rent” sign out at 508 Flat Shoals, next to Joe’s Coffee. Matt, Brandy, and Zack quickly pooled their resources to bring their dream to fruition only months later.
Comic-book aficionados will find much to love in East Atlanta Comics. The purveyors offer both classic and contemporary titles for all budgets, much of it drawn from Matt’s personal collection.
The tenacious trio also hope that their shop will serve as a community hub and a safe space for gamers, cos-players, and sci-fi/fantasy aficionados alike. “The ‘comics’ thing is kind of an umbrella term,” Zack explained. “When we [were growing up], comic shops were the safe space for nerds to meet each other.”
Whether you self-identify as a nerd, a fan, or just curious, there looks to be something for almost everybody at East Atlanta Comics.
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00am to 8:00pm (reopening from 9:00am to 12:00am for TBD events; closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Instagram: @east_atlanta_comics / Facebook: @east.atlanta.comics.
