Crash Into Comic Book Day at Bill & Walt’s Hobby Shop
By Layla Joseph:
Sept. 25 is National Comic Book Day, which celebrates graphic novels of manga, sci-fi, action, fantasy and comedy.
The biggest controversy surrounding comic books now seems to be the rivalry between DC and Marvel fans, but there was a point in time where your favorite superheroes were depicted as villains.
Comics have been around for centuries. What used to be characters drawn on cave walls with dialogs in the Middle Ages have evolved into the illustrated narratives many of us know and love today.
According to Illustration History, “The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats,” a black-and-white graphic novel compiled of reprinted newspaper comics, was the first graphic novel to title itself a “comic book” in 1897.
The National Museum of American History said that superheroes crashed into the comic world in 1938, introducing the infamous character of Superman.
In 1948, just three years after the end of World War II and a decade after Superman’s debut, comic books seemed to become the new public enemy, as Dr. Fredric Wertham, a German-born psychiatrist, found himself working with troubled youth in New York City, began to preach the immoral nature of graphic novels, according to the Comic Book Legal Defence Fund (CBLDF).
According to the National Archives, the national crime rate increased by 33.4% since 1940, and teenagers committed many of the crimes. Due to the rising popularity of graphic novels among teens and young adults during that time, public discontent grew.
In Oct. of 1948, a group of children led by parents and notable community figures in Spencer, West Virginia, sparked a flame that would travel across the country, where thousands of comic books were collected and burned in public gathering places, according to the CBLDF.
Wertham wrote a book titled “Seduction of the Innocent” in 1954, where he blamed comic books for the rise in juvenile delinquency, arguing that comics with crime and violence depicted inappropriate themes and ushered children to mimic behaviors.
Following his book in 1954, the US Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Juvenile Delinquency called Wertham to testify, where he argued that Superman encouraged “sadistic joy in seeing other people punished over and over again,” according to the Library of Congress.
The subcommittee found that reading comic books was not the sole cause of the rising teen crime. While the subcommittee ruled against censoring and banning comic books, they did encourage the comic book industry to regulate the media by adopting a rating code and as a form of self-censorship according to the National Archives.
Thus the Comics Code Authority was formed and followed by publishers until 2011. Two years later, a study published by the University of Illinois stated that Wertham misrepresented statistics, quotes and other information supporting his claims in “Seduction of the Innocent.”
Today, Superheroes won the war on graphic novels. The comic book sector has expanded, and Fortune Business Insights suspects the industry to be worth upwards of $16 billion in 2023.
You no longer have to read about your favorite comic book characters, with Marvel and DC live-action movies, Men in Black, Alien vs. Predator and TV series like The Walking Dead.
If you still appreciate a tangible copy of your favorite graphic novel, Bill and Walt’s Hobby Shop, a quaint shop on 101 Smithfield St. can satisfy your need for a good read on National Comic Book Day.
Eric Bachman has owned the shop for over a decade, after taking it over from the original Bill and Walt, who he said started the operation in the early 1970s.
“It used to just be all superheroes but there are comics for every subject under the sun nowadays,” he said. “If you have a subject you’re into, I’m sure there’s a comic about it.”
To celebrate National Comic Book Day, Bachman will be at Bill and Walt’s waiting to greet new and old comic enthusiasts.
He explained that the shop is actually in the basement of 101 Smithfield St., with a law office on the main floors. Even though the address for Bill and Walt’s is on Smithfield Street, the entrance is actually a side door on First Avenue.
“It’s a really weird location,” he said. “It’s off the beaten path, most of the time people stumble across it. Unless you’re on First Avenue, you’ll never see us.”
Bachman has had a love for comic books his whole life and, like many children before the Technological Age, he relied on his books, games and his imagination to keep him entertained.
“Spiderman was my favorite character from back in the day,” he said. “I used to build models and play with toy soldiers. My dad built us a giant sandbox, and toy armies lived and died there.”
When purchasing books for the shop, Bachman said he looks for popular comics that will have a quick turn-around.
With popular comics for affordable prices, Bill and Walt's Hobby Shop is a great place for those dipping their toes into the comic book realm. Bachman said he has thousands of comic books for only $1, allowing you to find something to enjoy without breaking the bank.
In addition to comics, Bill and Walt’s Hobby Shop is home to “probably the most miniatures you’ll find anywhere in the city,” Dungeons and Dragons merchandise from every edition and comics from local Pittsburgh artists.
