Melbourne's All Star Comics Named World's Best At Eisner Awards

Fledgling Melbourne-based comics shop All Star Comics has been announced as the recipient of this year's Spirit Of Comics Retailer Award at industry night-of-nights the Eisner Awards.

As The Age notes, the victory effectively certifies All Star, alongside co-recipient Legend Comics and Coffee, in Nebraska, for the next 12 months as the best such retailer in the world. The stores beat out 36 other contenders, including fellow Victorian entrant Heroes HQ, for the coveted title.

“That was a real honour,” All Star's co-owner, Mitchell Davies, told The Age. “There aren’t a huge amount of international stores listed, so to have two from Victoria is pretty fantastic.”

The city's comics faithful will be no strangers to the myriad justifications for the award, with All Star being somewhat renowned for its focus on its customers as well as having hosted some high-profile in-stores from the likes of writer/artist Tristan Jones (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters) and world-beating local scribe Tom Taylor, who has capitalised on acclaimed runs on DC Comics' Injustice: Gods Among Us and Earth 2, as well as the piles of praise heaped upon his soon-to-be-televisually-adapted, creator-owned, all-ages title The Deep (available via Aussie comics house Gestalt) to recently have been announced as the new writer for Marvel's Superior Iron-Man ongoing series.

"When we first opened the store, there was already a strong comic-creating community in and around Melbourne, and we embraced that," Davies said. "Comic book readers want to feel like they’re part of that picture."

Davies and business partner/long-time friend Troy Varker opened All Star in early 2011, and that it's only taken them a mere three years to be honoured at the Eisners — essentially the industry's Oscars equivalent, held annually as part of San Diego's iconic Comic-Con — is a truly special feat indeed.

“I can count on one hand the things I’ve won in my life,” Davies said. “This is huge. It’s still sinking in, but it’s awesome.”

All Star Comics is at Level 1, 410 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. See their Facebook page for more information.