The Great Escape Owner Talks About How the Comic Book Market Has Changed Since the 1970s

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ComicBook is now offering a unique way to get comics – a vending machine! It features rare and valuable collectibles, some worth thousands of dollars. All the comics inside come from local shops, like The Great Escape in Madison, Tennessee.

In our interview series, ComicBook Shop Talk, we talk to the people who make your local comic book shops thrive – the staff working hard every day. We also take the chance to find rare comics for our vending machine while we’re visiting! This time, Chris Killian from ComicBook spoke with Greg Walker, owner of The Great Escape stores. Greg has been selling comics since the 1970s and offers a special insight into how the industry has evolved, while comics continue to be a beloved part of collecting.

Before we start the interview, take a look at some of the great comics we found at The Great Escape.

As a huge comic book fan, I’m always looking for ways to celebrate the amazing local shops that keep this hobby alive. I just heard that ComicBook Shop Talk is looking for stores to feature, and they’re even planning a shopping spree tour! If you’ve got a local comic shop you love – the one that always goes the extra mile – you should definitely reach out to shoptalk@comicbook.com and tell them what makes it special. Let’s give those shops some well-deserved recognition!

The Great Escape

Website: thegreatescapeonline.com Email: thegreatescapemadison@gmail.com
Address: 2162 Gallatin Pike N., Madison, TN 37115 Instagram: @thegreatescapemadison
Phone number: 615-865-8052

Five Decades of Selling Comics

Chris started the conversation by asking what comic book first sparked the other person’s love for the medium.

I first got into superheroes with the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon. It’s funny, because my mom wouldn’t let me read comics growing up – she worried I’d only read those and not other books. So I ended up reading a lot of Dr. Dolittle instead! When I was twelve, I finally started rebelling and a friend in my band convinced me to try Spider-Man. Around the same time, I was also a big fan of the 1966 Batman TV show, which I watched when I was in first grade. I loved anything superhero-related – I even used a towel as a cape! I started reading Spider-Man comics around March of 1972, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I also enjoyed shows like Mighty Mouse and Atom Ant.

That’s really neat! I completely agree. I actually think comics were a huge part of my learning to read. I was so eager to find out what was happening in the stories, and that really motivated me to become a better reader – maybe even more so than traditional books.

Greg mentioned it’s interesting how the Fantastic Four comic books actually helped people expand their vocabulary. Apparently, readers would often look up unfamiliar words they encountered while reading.

Chris: So what’s the history behind The Great Escape? How long have you owned it?

I started selling comic books with my dad at flea markets in the spring of 1974 – probably around April. I don’t really remember doing it consistently until September, when I started sophomore year of high school. We did that full-time for two years, traveling to flea markets in cities like Memphis, Louisville, and Nashville. We’d also look for comic book shows on the fourth weekend of each month. I stopped when I was 17 because I was missing out on parties by being away every weekend. I did other jobs for a couple of years, and then I started working at Great Escape almost 47 years ago, in April of 1979. I didn’t actually become the owner until about 10 years ago, even though I’d been working there for a long time. I think my dad felt I’d earned it when I was around 56 years old.

Chris: That’s really cool! So you’ve seen a lot of changes in selling comic books over the years. What’s the biggest difference between selling them now and back in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s?

I still deal with comics through my work, mainly online. However, I’ve moved into a management role now, so I’m not directly selling them anymore. I oversee operations and managers instead. We’ve had some valuable issues come through – I remember having a copy of Fantastic Four #1, and back in the late 70s, we collected a lot of early Detective Comics and Batman issues. I’m not as involved in the details now, so I’m not sure how much things have changed. I used to be completely immersed in it, even opening a store in Bowling Green and handling new comic orders. But the biggest change is definitely the rise of online sales, and it’s mostly a speculative market.

Chris asked about the lasting success of The Great Escape comic shop, noting that many similar businesses don’t stay open for long. He wanted to know what the shop’s secret to longevity was, and then asked for their thoughts on the future of the comics industry over the next 5 to 10 years, as well as how they are preparing the business for that future.

The key to our success over the years has been offering a wide variety of products. We’ve consistently had different items that were our best sellers. We started adding comics and then records, and being near the music scene in Nashville helped the record sales really take off when we opened our second store. Over time, cassettes, VHS tapes, Pokémon and Magic cards, Beanie Babies, and video games were all hugely popular. But after 47 years, we’re finding that people are mostly interested in music and comics – specifically records and comics – again. Sorry, what was the second part of the question?

Chris is asking where the comic book industry is headed in the next 5 to 10 years. He’s noticed that while many physical collectibles have faded in popularity, both vinyl records and comic books have remained consistently popular.

Yeah, they have been for a while – from about 1975 until now, actually. It’s a bit strange to think about how long that is. I’m curious, have you heard of Diamond Comics? They went out of business recently.

Chris: Yes.

I recently realized, now that I’m in a higher position at the company, that the comic book store I used to work at went out of business months ago. It’s a bit unsettling and makes me think about what the future holds for new comics. I’m starting to wonder if we’ll see a return to people collecting older issues. When I started at The Great Escape in 1979, there were only about 40 comics total from Marvel and DC, and they only cost 40 cents each. That meant you could read everything for around $16 a month. But with prices so much higher now, 40 cents doesn’t equate to $4 today, even with inflation. I think I’m noticing more people turning to back issues, especially since for a while, new comics were all people could afford. I’m not sure if that explanation makes sense, but the future of new comics feels uncertain.

I’ve noticed a comeback for physical media, and comic books are definitely contributing to that. My son, for example, is really into collecting CDs because they’re cheaper than vinyl. I think this generation, after growing up with streaming services, is getting tired of constantly paying for access instead of actually owning things. They want something tangible that’s theirs to keep. So, I believe we’ll see more people interested in physical media overall, and I hope comics can benefit from that trend. However, it will depend on keeping printing costs down and comics at a reasonable price. Someone like Todd McFarlane is doing a great job with this – he’s committed to keeping his comics affordable, even while others are increasing their prices, which makes his books stand out.

Greg is wondering if the comics are still priced around $4. He checks them out weekly and posts about them on Facebook, but he wants to know if the artist is currently working with Image Comics, or another publisher.

Chris explained that the artist is still working with Image Comics, but through a separate division called TMP. Essentially, all his work is now part of the Spawn comic book series.

Okay, now that I think about it, the biggest change has probably been the number of women reading comics. When I started in 1979, women usually came into comic book stores with their boyfriends. But with the popularity of Marvel movies and other things, more women are reading comics on their own now than ever before.

What It’s Like to Run a Comic Book Shop

Chris wondered what aspect of owning a comic book store people on the outside just wouldn’t get.

Ordering comics and making a profit can be tricky. I dealt with it from 1987 to 1994, and it was tough to gauge what to order. The rise of black and white independent comics right before that actually put a lot of shops out of business. What I used to do was track sales monthly and inventory weekly. It was always a gamble trying to increase orders – you might sell one copy of a title for a year, then order two and the second one wouldn’t sell. Sometimes reordering a second copy worked right away, other times it didn’t. It really depended. I’m not sure what the current market is like with independent comics compared to Marvel and DC. Honestly, I’m probably not the best person to ask about this anymore since I’m not currently ordering comics.

Chris asks the owner, having worked in the industry for years, what he enjoys most about running The Great Escape.

Honestly, one of the biggest perks of my job is just getting to see all the new and exciting products that come through. It’s a huge reason I don’t think I’ll ever retire! As long as I have fresh music, movies, comics, and games to enjoy every week – those are my main passions – I’m happy. Just walking around and seeing all that amazing stuff daily is incredible. It is a great job, especially when I think back to my original dreams. I always wanted to be a rock star, imagining life on tour, playing in different cities, and selling comics along the way. I pictured that as the ideal lifestyle. But around 65 or 66, I realized being a massive superstar probably wasn’t for me. I’m not sure I could handle all the attention and, frankly, dealing with difficult people constantly. I’d love to be a touring musician, making a living doing what I love and earning the respect of other musicians and some dedicated fans. But the whole superstar thing? Maybe not. Though, you never really know until you try, do you?

I interview a lot of celebrities for work, and honestly, the more I’m around that world, the less I want to be a part of it. I’m actually dreaming of getting away from everything – ditching social media, finding a cabin in a beautiful, natural setting, and just disconnecting. It’s a constant competition, and it’s exhausting.

Chris: Last question for you, man. What is the most expensive book that you’ve ever sold?

We sold an Amazing Fantasy #15 about five years ago. I’m trying to remember if anything has sold for more than that. The most valuable comics, like Marvel Comics #1, are really at the top. I can’t recall anything selling for over $5,000, except maybe a really nice copy of Amazing Fantasy. Doug might have a better answer to that question, though.

Chris: Actually, I don’t think he remembered any specific high-value comic sales. Doug mentioned you’ve sold a lot of comics around the $5,000 mark, but he couldn’t recall a really rare, ‘grail’ item like an Amazing Fantasy #15. I get that though, because after being in the business for a long time, things probably all start to run together.

Yeah, and our biggest sales weren’t usually comics from eBay. We once sold an original Peanuts Sunday strip—someone in Japan bought it for around $20,000, if I remember correctly.

Chris: Oh, wow.

I’m not sure we’ve ever actually owned an Action Comics #1. We did have a really damaged copy come through our Louisville store once, but I don’t think we ended up buying it – the owner decided not to sell. It was surprising, considering Action Comics #1 was the first comic to reach a million dollars. Beyond that, things like Silver and Bronze Age comics are interesting. Silver Age comics were especially plentiful in the late 70s and early 80s. And then there are key issues like the first Wolverine, which have seen prices climb. TV and movies definitely play a role, too. For example, the price of Luke Cage #1 jumped when the TV show came out. So, TV and film are really impacting the back issue comic market.

Chris explained that he tries to buy collectibles a few years before they become popular. He gave the example of getting an early copy of the Miles Morales comic, which significantly increased in value after the game and cartoon were released. He also mentioned selling a near-mint copy of Giant-Size X-Men #1 to cover his child’s braces, hoping to buy it back later. Unfortunately, the comic’s price has skyrocketed, making it unlikely he’ll ever be able to afford it again.

Greg: I sold it in the early 80s for $75 when I thought it would never go higher.

It’s just wild how things happen with collectibles, you know? I was thinking about it because I snagged a copy of Dungeon Crawler Carl for Free Comic Book Day last week, and it completely flew off the shelves! Apparently, it was super popular, and all the copies were gone before the day was even over. Now I’m seeing them listed on eBay for like twenty or twenty-five bucks! It’s so strange trying to figure out which books become hot items and which ones don’t. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you any longer. I really appreciate you taking the time to call, especially knowing how busy you are. Seriously, thank you so much again – I really mean it.

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If you have a comic book or card shop and think we should film a shopping spree there, or if you’re a customer who wants to suggest a store, please email us at shoptalk@comicbook.com. We’re building a list of great shops across the country – and even around the world – that we’d love to visit!

Meanwhile, give the Vending Machine a spin. We wish you the best of luck in your pulls.

– Pull the egmr.ru Vending Machine – Right Here –

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2026-05-15 20:44