In Virginia Beach, Trilogy is a longtime oasis for comic book fans

Jerome Graham of Virginia Beach speaks with Trilogy Comics owner Gerald Hogan on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, at the Kempsville location of the comic book shop. Graham has been a customer at Trilogy for about 20 years, and the shop has been a gathering spot for comic books enthusiasts for more than four decades. Graham picked up a few back issues during his visit. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]
Ed. — From the Sunday, March 27, print edition.

BY GLEN MASON

KEMPSVILLE — Entering Trilogy Comics in Virginia Beach is like walking into a comic book reader’s Batcave.

Tucked into a strip mall along Princess Anne Road near Newtown Road, the comics and collectibles shop has an unpretentious facade that opens into a cavernous space that can whisk you back to halcyon days of childhood. There is the scent of old paper, cardboard boxes and aging ink, as well as new and ever-expanding stock from floor to ceiling. 

Instead of bats, gadgets and stalactites, there are figurines. Stacked boxes contain catalogued, alphabetized stock.  

It is a virtual pulp paradise, with every inch designated to the multiverses of DC, Marvel and independent publishing companies.

Trilogy, which started more than four decades ago, was one of Hampton Roads’ first stores dedicated strictly to the comics genre — the “funny books” of old – as well as collectibles and games. There are two locations now — the Kempsville shop and a location along East Little Creek Road in Norfolk.

A store that began with the adventures of Gerald Hogan, Rick Fifield, Dan Lupton and the late Gary Edmondson has grown into a seasoned source of encountering new writers and artists and the “multiverses” that have grown from a niche interest into centerpieces of American entertainment.

Fifield, one of the original owners, fondly recalled that fateful day when Trilogy Comics first opened its doors on Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach. 

“I figured four or five years, and I’d move on to something more legitimate – what people would say, a real job.” said Fifield, a veteran who runs the Norfolk store.

After more than 40-odd years, Fifield and Gerry Hogan are still filling subscriptions, changing racks and shelves every Wednesday, which is revered nationally as new comic book day. Lupton has retired.

Gerald Hogan, seen behind the counter, has been with Trilogy for decades after joining forces with the original owners of a business that at one point had four locations. Now there are two — the Kempsville shop and a store in Norfolk. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]
Trilogy has one of the largest selections — if not the largest selection — of new and back-issue comics in the region. It also carries action figures, statues and customizable card games such as Magic the Gathering. 

How have customers changed?

“They have gotten older,” Fifield said. “When we first started, we served mostly teenagers. Those sales were the core of our business. Adult customers were relatively few and far in between. As time went on, the kids kind of dropped and adults took over a majority of sales. Today it is less than ten percent that are teens. …

“We’ll be an antique shop in ten years if not sooner. The market for paper is dwindling each year. It will all go to animation eventually.”

The Trilogy name comes from the three original owners. The store opened in 1981, when Hogan was in college and doing comic book conventions.

“I started selling comics while I was in junior college at conventions,” said Hogan, who runs the original store in Kempsville. “Then conventions and flea markets. I started to compete with (Trilogy) in sales. … Later, when they started to grow, they asked me to manage a store.”

Tim Hogan of Trilogy Comics prepares online orders to be shipped from the Kempsville location on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Trilogy has two retail spots. Online sales and events are also part of the business. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]
The first Trilogy was at Princess Anne Road, followed by locations in Norfolk, Chesapeake Square Mall and Lynnhaven in Virginia Beach. As competition grew, they concentrated on the Norfolk and Virginia Beach stores. 

“I’ve been in this for so long, I don’t see myself being anywhere but here,” Hogan said. “I’ll be doing conventions into my late sixties. I still have people point at me and say it’s the book man.”

Comic books are no longer the exclusive, escapist realm of adolescents. They’ve become big business, and technology is changing the medium, but there is still a spot in Virginia Beach where fans can pick up the latest books and go on a treasure hunt through box after box for a book they remember or never had a chance to read before now.

Alec Quarles and Marshawn Jones, both of whom live near Oceana, peruse new comic book titles at Trilogy Comics on Princess Anne Roadsin the Kempsville section of Virginia Beach on Wednesday, March 23. Trilogy Comics, which also has a location in Norfolk, has been a beacon for comics fans for more than four decades. Wednesdays are when new comic book editions usually go on sale. [John-Henry Doucette/The Princess Anne Independent News]

© 2022 Pungo Publishing Co., LLC

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