Two military veterans found friendship through love of comics, now it’s their business
When two military veterans met through their daughters’ gymnastics program, they found a shared camaraderie in an unexpected place.
Both men loved comic books, and read them while they were serving, and now their passion has become more than a hobby. Earlier this month they opened Turlock Comics, the city’s only brick-and-mortar comic books store. And, already, the duo has found faithful fans who have been back nearly every day to check out the shop’s many offerings.
Riverbank resident Kyle Turner, 38, and Turlock resident Joey Aiello, 48, opened Turlock Comics in the University Plaza Shopping Center on Geer Road, about a block from Stanislaus State. The 1,300-square-foot shop is divided into the showroom in the front, where you can thumb through thousands of comics, and the back game room where people can play various card and board games.
The space — which through the years has been a supplement shop, tanning salon and cellphone store — has mostly been stocked through Aiello’s personal collection of some 30,000 to 40,000 comics. The store’s selection spans the gamut, from popular D.C. and Marvel titles to manga comics from Japan and Korea, indie publishers and more. The store also has an assortment of the popular Funko Pop figurines and other collectibles, baseball cards and game cards.
Both men got interested in comics in different ways, Aiello by going to comic shops as a boy with his grandfather and Turner from his older brother sending them to him while serving overseas. But now their shared love of the genre shines through as they talk with customers.
It’s even reflected in their logo, which at first might seem like just a play on the Captain America logo. But if you look closely, the silver star at its center is pocked with holes which symbolize the two men’s military backgrounds and all the sacrifices made by servicemembers.
Turner spent 13 years in the Army and Army Reserves and Aiello served with the Marines for 8 years and then the Army National Guard, Drug Enforcement Agency and Alameda County Sheriff’s Department for another 10 years.
At age 19, Turner became one of the youngest people to receive the prestigious Silver Star, given for valor in combat. In 2003 he was wounded by shrapnel during a firefight in Iraq that took the life of his friend and sergeant.
“I always looked at the award as a remembrance of my other friends that were there who were killed. The silver star (in our logo) has a silver outline of the star, but as you can see there are holes all throughout the star and that kind of represents the shrapnel that every soldier comes home with — that every military personnel comes home with,” he said. “Because you go over there and it takes a part of you and it affects you.”
Now, the business partners — both fathers of four — feel fortunate to turn something that helped them heal into a business. They staff the shop themselves, with help from Aiello’s wife Noelle.
“I just love talking comics and now I get to do it for a living,” said Aiello, who started collecting comics at age 6. “I get to talk nerd all day.”
They’re also more than happy get other people into their so-called nerd talk — and games. While they’ve been open for less than a month they’ve already hosted game nights for Magic: The Gathering, a popular collectible card game. They plan to host game nights and tournaments for Magic, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. They’re also talking about possibly hosting Dungeons & Dragons Friday nights and adding other tabletop fantasy games.
They provide the space for gamers for free on Saturdays from 4 p.m. to close. They’re happy to teach people how to play any of the games, and have had other players offer their services as well. In the future, they hope to turn some of the former tanning salon suites into private party rooms for birthdays and other special events.
The shop is already a welcome space for anyone, from kids and newcomers to experienced collectors. As comic book collecting has become more profitable, the demand for specialized services has also increased. For those who see comics as an investment, or even those who just have loving memories of their favorites, they offer a variety of in-house services.
That includes an in-house comics cleaning and pressing service, a relative rarity to find in the area, which start at $20. They will also remove stains, roll spines and offer a standard archival service. The men offer sale, trade or consignment for customers.
Turner estimates the priciest comic in the shop, a Marvel title signed by the late Stan Lee, runs about $700. But they have something for almost every price rage and bargain comic bins with titles for $1 to $2.
“The biggest thing we represent is we are here for everyone. We sacrificed so everyone has the opportunity to come into our comic book store,” he said. “We want everyone, no matter what their background and what they believe in to come in and enjoy it and enjoy the camaraderie of hobbies.”
Turlock Comics, at 2717 Geer Road in Turlock, is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information call 209-620-8190 or visit www.facebook.com/turlockcomics.
This story was originally published June 20, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
