It's currently a tough time for both comic book shop owners and customers, but Kevin Smith made things a little easier for his customers at the Secret Stash. Smith made an incredible gesture at his comic book shop, as he revealed he paid for the outstanding balance on all of his customer's outstanding pull lists.
Smith, best known for directing films such as Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Mallrats, and more recently Yoga Hosers and the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, as well as hosting a handful of podcasts, including Fat Man Beyond, SModcast, and Hollywood Babble-On, has been a comic book shop owner since the mid-90s. He owns the comic book shop Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash (featured on AMC's Comic Book Men) - where he paid off all remaining pull lists for his customers.
Kevin Smith and Fat Man Beyond co-host Marc Bernardin aired a new episode on their podcast on Friday, where Smith revealed he cleared and paid for the pull lists at Secret Stash. On the podcast, Smith (around the 10:20 mark) said he spoke to Secret Stash employee Michael Zapcic and asked him to clear the entire pull lists for his customers. Smith said that he was inspired by Venom writer Donny Cates, who recently paid off the entire remaining balance at his local comic book store in Austin, Texas. Cates suggested those who had their comics paid off to spend their money on something they could get due to budget concerns - like a new board game, try out a new comic series, or get something for a friend.
It's an incredible gesture for Smith to make. He's taking his own money and spending it to give his customers free comics. In a time where people are stuck at home quarantining as they wait for the spread of COVID-19 to stop, providing them with their comics that they might not have been able to afford given the circumstances is profoundly cool. It's also important to mention Cates' gesture as well, because he had no intention of making it public. He just wanted to help out his local comic shop and pay it forward. The comic industry might be in a standstill at the moment (although there are positive signs it's slowly returning) but with gestures like Smith's and Cates, people will have access to their comics at home. Kevin Smith cares about his customers and the comic industry and proved it. It's an amazing move and hopefully, more comic creators will be inspired to do the same thing.
Source: Bleeding Cool