Flat Squirrel Productions

My Comic Shop Country is a feature-length documentary film exploring the business, fandom, and community of comic book stores across the United States. In 2015, New York's Alternate Realities closed after 23 years in operation, setting filmmaker-and former AR employee-Anthony Desiato on a quest to explore the comics retail industry from coast to coast. Comic book characters are box office gold, but why isn't the same necessarily true for comic stores? See how the 20 shops featured in the film are turning the tide, one customer at a time, seven days a week. Plus: Learn the fate (and future?) of Alternate Realities.

In 1992, Steve Oto embarked upon a journey from lawyer to comic book retailer. It has been a journey filled with accomplishment and disappointment, friendship and heartbreak, and a dream that would become a nightmare. This documentary shines a light on the unlikely community that has developed at Alternate Realities--one comprised of customers and employees more colorful than even the pages of a comic book.