COCHRANE— Looking to inspire Cochranites to find their inner superhero, Rebel Comics has opened its doors in a new location.
Celebrating its third anniversary, a grand reopening and Batman Day Rebel Comics opened the doors of its new shop location on Saturday (Sept. 19).
It is exciting being in a new space, said owner Devin Petitclerc, and he hopes the new location will serve as a home for the growing comic culture in Cochrane. He added the opening was made even more special by a visit from Gotham's caped crusader Batman.
“I always like describing it as a place to go feel comfortable when you've never felt comfortable,” Petitclerc said. “For people like me growing up in this town, there was never anything for the artistic or the very niche. Here you can come, you can find almost anything that you’re secretly interested in.”
Petitclerc was born and raised in Cochrane, he said, and it was always a dream to open a shop in town that could serve as a Hall of Justice for pop culture lovers with his brother Tyler.
“We were growing up and we were always so interested in it. But, we had to hustle our cousins and other kids at schools for comic books because we were never able to go to the city and get them,” Petitclerc said with a grin.
Tyler recently moved to British Columbia with his wife, but Petitclerc is keeping the dream alive with the grand reopening of Rebel Comics.
The shop offers a unique mixture of items including classic comic books, board games, retro video games, collectibles and other items.
“I like to offer things you can’t really find anywhere else,” Petitclerc said.
He added he is grateful for the support the community has provided in keeping the shop alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Rebel Comics has just opened its doors at its new location, Petitclerc said, he was kept busy during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with curbside pickup requests.
Petitclerc noted there has been a “drastic” increased interested in tabletop games during COVID-19. He added that has included requests for online web-cam gaming and board game orders.
He appreciates that embracing one’s inner “nerd” has become more accepted, Petitclerc said, adding he hopes those that visit the shop feel comfortable and ready to celebrate who they are and what they love.
One of the best parts of having a new location is he has been able to embrace a fresh concept that makes use of a more open space.
“Everything's segregated in its own little spot and it just works out way better,” Petitclerc said. “I like how open it is, everything is spaced out just enough so people can get around each other.”
Rebel Comics will also be able to host game nights, he said, and features tables for tabletop game players available whenever the shop has its doors open.
For those looking to dip their toes in comic culture, Petitclerc said, he recommends any movie that has featured a comic book hero on the silver screen.
“Kids these days have such a short attention span— Anything that has a movie so they can reference the movie to the comic book is extremely educational that way,” Petitclerc said. “It helps them put a name to the face and that sort of thing.”
Rebel Comics is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Sunday at their new location in Pioneer Plaza.
