The Series
Issues: The Series is a web program concept developed by New Jersey-native and self-proclaimed film junkie Scott Nap. As frustration with strikes, political decisions and industry woes became too much, the College of New Jersey graduate decided to take matters into his own hands and set to work on a script focusing on one of his favorite subjects: comic books. The ten minute webisodes, which aired on youtube, itunes and on the Issues homepage, focus on the misadventures of the strangest gaggle of geeks this side of cyberspace. When newcomer Zeke joins Comic Relief, he enters a world that rivals the pages he loves to read. He quickly learns the ropes with the help of a unique fellowship of fanatics: a man named Leslie, a woman named Bobby, the enigmatic shelver “Mack” Riley, the silent store enforcer Edgar and his cheery goth cheerleader Madeline and the neurotic (or is it psychotic?) uber collector, Jackson.
But like the crises and invasions that rock the inked volumes on a weekly basis, a threat to the well-being of the “bookies” (comic book fans) will soon emerge. This media menace threatens to break the sanity of the weekly wanderers. Secrets will be revealed, hidden powers revealed and the struggle for balance has begun!
The Location
Sometimes art imitates life and life imitates art. But what happens when an aspiring writer and filmmaker writes a script set in a comic book store, bases it on his previous work experience, and ends up filming the script AT the real store? Is that life imitating art imitating life or art imitating life imitating art imitating life?
Now that your brains are nice and melted…
The store in question is Comic Relief, located in Lawrenceville, NJ, just off of Route 1. Featuring thousands of mainstream and independent titles, Comic Relief is a haven for the central NJ comic book fans in search of back issues, new releases, statues, figures and much more.
In the past, the store, along with sister branches in Toms River and Levittown, have been host to industry stars such as Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith, Chris Claremont, Ron Frenz, Tom Defalco, Colleen Doran, Moebius, Kurt Busiek, Peter David and Joe Kubert, and many more.
Issues creator Scott Nap had originally developed the fictional hangout of Zeke, Mack, Jackson and the band of bookies with Comic Relief in mind. While attending The College of New Jersey in Ewing, Scott spent two years stocking the shelves, ringing up customers and, of course, collecting his own issues. Upon graduation, Scott stopped back at his old haunt to see how business was going and to talk shop.
While the “bookies” of Zeke’s store are sometimes a little more eccentric than some of the people Scott dealt with, many of the customers and situations were inspired by his time at Comic Relief and in working other retail jobs.
”One of the big things I wanted to (and still want) to get across is that being a fan of superheroes and manga is more mainstream than you’d think. I’ve seen political junkies scream at each other until they were blue in the face, bar fights between Eagles and Giants fans, grand debates over philosophy and religion…Comic books can tell a story that would be financially irresponsible to tackle in any other medium, and can still present positive messages that are important to the times,” Nap has said.
“My time at Comic Relief was invaluable in hearing out opinions and understanding what it means to be a Fan of something. I had one of the best times on any job just talking with customers and the staff. Even though the ‘bookies’ are over-the-top, they are good people.”
Comic Relief is open seven days a week and is located in the Mercer Mall, Route 1 South in Lawrenceville, 08648 and can be reached by phone at 609-452-7548.
