Downtown Salt Lake City hasn't had a store devoted exclusively to comic books since Comics Utah closed in September 2000.
But that will soon change. Night Flight Comics is poised to open a new store as part of the community shops at Library Square, 210 E. 400 South.
Night Flight will have a temporary store in the Main Library's Urban Room when the complex opens Saturday, Feb. 8. The store will move to it's permanent location in April or May.
Mimi Cruz, Night Flight manager, said the store in Cottonwood Mall, which opened in 1986, will remain open, too. In fact, Nancy Tessman, Salt Lake City Library director, said that was a requirement of new library shop tenants — they must keep their original locations.
"We'll be promoting reading," Cruz said, as one of the sidelights for Night Flight. "The benefits of reading are more than people anticipate."
Tessman sees it as a win-win situation. She hopes youngsters and teens will use comics to get into reading. The library and comics store will partner on various events.
Cruz admits comics aren't as popular as they have been in the past and hopes the store might help boost renewed interest in comics among Salt Lake residents. She said a common misconception is that comics are more a collectable item. The reality is it's more an entertainment source.
She said Batman and The Simpsons are two of the most popular comics at her store and that most of her customers are in their 20s, but she has patrons in their teens as well as in their 60s and 70s.
Comics Utah closed its downtown store because of not enough walk-by traffic. Comics Utah still has a store at 2250 W. 5400 South, Taylorsville.
In other local comics news, Amber Benson, who played Tara on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," is also a co-writer of the "Buffy" comic book (Darkhorse Comics). She's going to be at the "Canteena," designed as a new teen hangout at the new library, on Feb. 21-22.
She'll be answering questions and signing comic books at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21 and will conduct a comics workshop at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Feb. 22.
Other upcoming events include Free Comic Book Day on May 3; a Simpsons trivia event is also being planned for May.
E-MAIL: lynn@desnews.com