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Comic book shops

Bailey's Comics in Lindenhurst

Newsday photo / Bill Davis

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We know Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. But when it comes to Long Island's enduring comic-book shops, who are the iron men?

Like Lex Luthor crashing the Fortress of Solitude, we visited some stores to see what's hot, what's kryptonite and how superhero films like "Iron Man" boost their longevity, along with learning how the economy has forced these retail shops to adapt.

"Things were amazingly different" in 1984, when Amazing Comics opened in Sayville, said owner Bob Nastasi, 56. "The Internet has really changed the market."

That's why comics -- graphic novels for you snobs -- aren't the only items on their shelves. You may find hero-themed apparel, games, statues, toys, posters and pricey stuff like "Tales of Suspense" #39 (Iron Man's 1963 debut, worth $12,500) and a Green Lantern power unit ($90) that glows when touched by its Hal Jordan ring.

Loyalty also helps retailers survive. For Martin Salberg, 41, of Selden, who enjoys collecting "Justice Society of America" and "Amazing Spider-Girl," Smithtown's Fourth World Comics has been a regular destination for 20 years.

"Fourth World has ridden out the rise and fall of the hundreds of comic-book stores on Long Island," says the Briarcliffe College instructor. "I also like Stinky's [of Seaford], which has lots of the Silver Age stuff I grew up with."

So if you want to feed your inner geek, shops like these should fulfill your fantasies. As for bumping into Halle Berry in her leather Catwoman costume ... keep dreaming.

--Compiled by Joseph Dionisio

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