“We restock a lot!” says Henry Segovia, owner of Lobo Anime & Comics in Albuquerque. “We do our best to keep the last year of a title on our comic wall, where the customer can find it easily without digging through back issue bins. We also restock graphic novels and manga every week.”

Segovia and his staff have been doing customer service-oriented practices such as that for nearly a decade, ever since the store opened in October 2000. What began as a 770-square-foot store back then has since tripled in size; less than a year ago, Lobo Anime & Comics relocated to its new 2,400-square-foot space.
 
“I have collected comic books and toys since I was a teenager, many, many moons ago, and have been hooked ever since,” Segovia says when asked why he decided to open a comics store. “I started going to all the conventions I could find. Then I started to set up and sell at the shows and found that I really enjoyed it. Then an opportunity came up, and here I am!”
 
Free Comic Book Day is the store’s biggest event of the year, but Lobo also features monthly sales and special occasions. Sidewalk sales take place during the summer, and they hold a comic convention three times a year. Segovia’s philosophy behind the store is also one of ensuring his business is both competitive but also united with other comics shops in the area to increase sales of comics across the board.
 
“We feel we are very strong in customer service,” Segovia says. “We strive to greet everyone that comes through our door and make them feel at ease. We do our best to answer any questions they may have. If we are out of the title they are looking for, we check to see if we can order it for them and can usually have it here in about a week. If not, we get on the phone with other local stores to try and track it down. We want them leaving having found what they were looking for, be it from us or another local store.”
 
He goes on to describe the people he serves every day, “Like any great comic store, our clientele ranges from young to old. We have a large selection of toys new and old that brings in young kids who love Star Wars and older types looking to recapture some nostalgia. We have expanded our alternative and independent comic section over the years, which has brought in a ‘hip,’ twenty-something crowd from the university area. Overall, our customers seem to have one thing in common: a deep, profound love of comic books.”
 
So does Segovia, and after nearly a decade in business, he still loves what he does. “It’s like Christmas every Wednesday! I love getting in the new product every week!”
 
 
Lobo Anime & Comics
1016 Juan Tabo Blvd NE, Suite D
Albuquerque, NM 87112
505-332-0499
www.loboanime.com
loboanimecomics@gmail.com
Ebay Store: wolfinabq
 
 
 
Top 10 Graphic Novels
1. The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn (Image)
2. Irredeemable, Vol. 1 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (BOOM! Studios)
3. Green Lantern: Rebirth by Geoff Johns, Ethan van Sciver, and Prentis Rollins (DC Comics)
4. 100 Bullets, Vol. 13: Wilt by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (Vertigo)
5. Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1 by Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, and Ivan Reis (DC Comics)
6. Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2 by Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, and Ivan Reis (DC Comics)
7. Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni Press)
8. Beyond Wonderland, Vol. 1 by Raven Gregory and Dan Liester (Zenescope Entertainment)
9. The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1 by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba (Dark Horse)
10. The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone By by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore (Image)
 
 
Top 10 Manga
1. Air Gear, Vol. 13 by Oh!Great (Del Rey)
2. Berserk, Vol. 30 by Kentaro Miura (Dark Horse)
3. Full Metal Alchemist Vol. 13 by Hiromu Arakawa (Viz)
4. Hikaru No Go, Vol. 16: Chinese Go Association by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata (Viz)
5. Inu Yasha, Vol. 38 by Rumiko Takahashi (Viz)
6. Death Note, Vol. 1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata (Viz)
7. Pluto Urasawa x Tezuka, Vol. 4 by Naoki Urasawa (Viz)
8. Blade of the Immortal, Vol. 21: Demon Lair II by Hiroaki Samura (Dark Horse)
9. Sundome, Vol. 5 by Kazuto Okada (Yen Press)
10. Vampire Knight, Vol. 7 by Matsuri Hino (Viz)