It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a New Comic Shop in La Grange

It’s as if Carmelo Chimera can’t sit still. He’s got big plans—and lots of them—for his new store in downtown La Grange. 

, 19 S. La Grange Rd., opened to a mob at its doors last Saturday. Opening for National Free Comic Day, Chimera looked slightly frantic as I walked through the door of the bustling store where he greeted me and the other customers.

"Sorry if I'm a bit crazy," he said as I introduced myself. "We've been really busy all day. We opened at 10 a.m. and there was a mob at the door.”

There was still a mob in the store around 11 a.m. too. Young, local kids picked over action figures, DVDs, comic books and t-shirts all displayed around the shop. In the center of the store was a display holding the store’s free comics in celebration of the national comic store holiday, and posters hung on the store’s red, yellow and blue walls.

But kids weren’t the only ones getting in on the action. Frank Boyd, for example, came all the way from the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago to be there on opening day.

“Yeah, you could say I’m a serious collector,” Boyd said as I eyed his growing stack of merchandise. “I own about 30,000 books.”

“Maybe more,” his friend chimed in.

Young, Dynamic Duo Launch New Business

Chimera’s Comics is the creation (without radioactive rays or secret formulas) of Carmelo Chimera, 21, and his business partner Steve Brown, 25.

“La Grange is a friendly town with a unique feel,” Chimera said as to why the Oak Lawn natives decided to open their store in La Grange.

The two owners met seven years ago in an Oak Lawn comic book store where they both worked.

“We got assigned to the same shift,” Brown said. “I left and went to college and then came back and we got to talking about starting to do our own comic [book].”

Talk of doing a comic together eventually led to plan to open the store as well. The road has not been an easy one. In addition to opening the store, Chimera is a full-time law student in Chicago. Chimera would eventually like to get into criminal prosecution as well as comics.

“I’ve always wanted to work for the FBI,” Chimera said with a smile. “You know, fighting crime and injustice everyday.”

The duo has found opportunities in unexpected places as well.

“We saved a ton of money buying old shelving from a Boarders that closed,” Brown said.

The shelving gives the store a different feel than many other comic book stores: it’s bright and uncluttered with the merchandise readily displayed as opposed to stuffed into boxes you need to run your fingers through.

The owners have big plans for the store down the line as well. They also hope to be able to sell their own line of comic books with Chimera doing the writing and Brown illustrating. To keep people from the community coming in, they’re also planning a series of film discussions, art classes and art shows.

“We want to treat the store like a bar,” Brown said. “We want to make it a destination where people can come and hang out, learn, or just talk." 

Which is what a good collector wants in a comic book shop, right?

“You guys seen the new Thor movie yet,” Boyd asked as he gathered his purchases.

“We’re going to see it tonight,” Chimera said. “Was it good?”

“I’ll just come back tomorrow and talk to you about it. I don’t want to give anything away.”