WAMG Interview – Anthony Desiato, Director of MY COMIC SHOP DOCUMENTARY

Interview conducted November 10th, 2011 by Tom Stockman (who had not yet seen the film)

MY COMIC SHOP DOCUMENTARY is the debut film of part-time comic-store clerk and full-time law student Anthony Desiato. Alternate Realities is the Westchester N.Y., comic shop owned by Steve Oto, a former lawyer himself. Oto had been an avid collector of comic books and original art for over 30 years when he opened Alternate Realities on June 19, 1992,and the shop is a favorite among comic book fans in that area. After working at Alternate Realities for over eight years, Desiato decided to make a documentary about the shop, specifically Mr. Oto’s relationship with his employees and his store’s loyal and eccentric clientele. MY COMIC SHOP DOCUMENTARY will play at the St. Louis International Film Festival this Saturday, November 19^th at 1:15 pm at the Tivoli Theater with Anthony Desiato in attendance. Mr. Desiato took the time to speak with We Are Movie Geeks about his documentary.

We Are Movie Geeks: How did you meet Steve Oto?

Anthony Desiato: I started out as a customer at his comic shop before I was in High School, and then I started working for him during High School.

WAMG: So how long have you worked at Alternate Realities then?

AD: About ten years.

WAMG: Is Alternate Realities considered New York’s premiere comic shop?

AD: Maybe Westchester’s premiere comic shop but as far as New York goes, there are some stores in the city, namely Midtown Comics that are the real go-to place.

WAMG: What is Steve Oto like? How would you describe him?

AD: He’s absolutely a character. I think the best way to describe him is as a man of contradictions. He’s gregarious yet misanthropic. He engages with the customers and talks to them, he enjoys the friendly rapport but at the same time, if they don’t come and pick up their books every week like they’re supposed to, he declares them dead. So he’s an interesting guy.

WAMG: When they’re declared dead, are they banned from the shop?

AD: Well, banning from the shop is the last step. Once you’re declared dead, you can come back from the dead and buy your stuff. Being banned is the last resort. Not many people have actually been banned. I’ve known Steve in a couple of different contexts. First he was the guy he sold me comics, then he was my boss, and then my film subject, but more than anything he’s been a friend and I’m grateful for knowing him.

WAMG: Does Steve Oto have a great comic book collection?

AD: He did, but he sold it.

WAMG: Did he have a lot of original art as well?

AD: He did. He had quite an extensive collection. He’s in his fifties and had been collecting since he was a child. He sold it through Heritage, the online auction house a few years ago.

WAMG: Why did he do that?

AD: I don’t know. I think it was something he’d been thinking about for a while. I think it was just time.

WAMG: What was his most valuable book?

AD: I don’t know. He had all the silver age Marvel stuff.

WAMG: What makes Alternate Realities unique as a comic shop. Is Steve Oto’s personality reflected in his store?

AD: I think that’s fair to say. More than that, what sets the store apart and what I really wanted to show in the movie is the sense of community and camaraderie at the store. For example, every Saturday night, a bunch of us go out for dinner, me and Steve and some of the customers. There’s a moment in the movie where one of the customers goes on a rant about Captain America’s costume in the new movie and this is a guy who’s normally on the quiet and reserved side. Because of the atmosphere at the store, he felt comfortable expressing himself.

WAMG: It’s funny what collectors get excited about. Are there a lot of eccentric regulars that hang out at Alternate Realities?

AD: Yes, for this film I interviewed over two dozen people. A lot of them are very quirky and colorful and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to make the movie, to spotlight this colorful group but one thing I hope the movie shows is a different side of comic book fans. I feel like every time comic book fans are depicted in popular culture, it’s a stereotype and certainly stereotypes exist for a reason and there are people who are like that but I hope the movie shows a different side, that these people don’t just talk about comic books, that they have wives and girlfriends and all of that but that was definitely something I wanted to explore. This wasn’t the case of an outsider coming and putting these people under a microscope. This is from an insider’s perspective. I’ve been reading comics since I was five. I’ve been working at the store for a decade so even if the movie does poke fun at us, there’s no malice; it’s coming from a good place.

WAMG: Is this your first film?

AD: Yes, I’m in my third year of law school. I made the film between my first and second years of law school, the summer of 2010. I didn’t have any filmmaking experience and, short of composing the music, I handled every aspect of production myself.

WAMG: Are you a comic collector yourself? What are your favorite titles?

AD: My favorite character is Superman. I tend to follow creators more than characters or publishers at this point. Anything by Jeff Johns or Brian K. Vaughn, Greg Rocco, Gail Simone, those are people whose work I really enjoy.

WAMG: How has ebay changed the face of comic book dealing?

AD: I don’t think the back issue market is as robust as it has been in the past. I think that has to do with two things. Part of it, as you said, you can get copies of all of these online. Also with rise of the trade paperbacks, the fact that you get, in a single volume, an entire arc, it makes hunting down the individual back issues less essential so ebay has played a part in that. The way the movie is set up, in different chapters or vignettes, and each one highlights different aspects of life at the store and it’s Steve who ties everything together. One of the vignettes is a segment on the man-cave, ones that our customers have cultivated.

WAMG: Did you take your camera into people’s homes?

AD: I did so you get to see some of these people’s collections. There’s one in particular that’s really intense, a guy who goes to a lot of the comic swap meets and has collected so much.

WAMG: Describe his man-cave?

AD: It’s……oh, how can I put this into words……of all the things that I’ve filmed, it left the biggest impression. It’s really just one room but it’s wall-to-wall artwork and action figures and trinkets. You have to see it to believe it. It’s all Marvel.

WAMG: Is he an older guy?

AD: Probably in his forties

WAMG: Probably been collecting for many years. It’s what happens. You start accumulating. You screened your film at the San Diego Comic-Con, is that right?

AD: Yes, the first time we showed it was at New Filmmakers New York, back in May. That’s New York’s longest running screening series. Then we showed it at the film festival at the San Diego Comic-Con.

WAMG: What was the response to your film there?

AD: It was great. The people there really seemed into it, they were engaged. A lot of laughs during the movie which is always a good thing. I do think our Q&A session was one of the longer ones. One of my goals in making this movie was to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. For comic book fans watching this, there is plenty for them to appreciate more so than “outsiders”, but at the same time it’s designed for anyone to watch. It’s more about the people than anything.

WAMG: How did you get hooked up with the St. Louis International Film Festival?

AD: Cliff at Cinema St. Louis saw an article in The New York Times about my film and contacted me. I’m really looking forward to coming to St. Louis.

WAMG: What’s your next project? Do you have something planned?

AD: No, the truth is I never set out to be a documentary filmmaker. Screenwriting is my passion, but I fell in love with the process while I was making this movie so if I found the right subject, I would absolutely love to make another documentary but as of now, I’m finishing up law school and working on distribution for MY COMIC SHOP DOCUMENTARY.

WAMG: Good luck with MY COMIC SHOP DOCUMENTARY and we’ll see you in St. Louis this weekend at the St. Louis International Film Festival.

AD: Thanks.