Leeds comic shop nominated for Comic-Con award
A Leeds comic book store has been named as one of the best in the world at an international comic convention.
OK Comics was the only shop in Europe to make the 12-strong shortlist for the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics retailer award at Comic-Con in San Diego.
The top award went to two shops - All Star Comics in Australia and Legends Comics and Coffee in the US.
But OK Comics owner Jared Myland said: "Just to be the only European shop on that shortlist is enough."
Mr Myland said one of his customers nominated the shop and it would have been "incredible" to have won.
Comic-Con International has been taking place in San Diego since 1970. About 130,000 people are expected to attend the event over the next few days.
The annual retailer award is given to those "who have done an outstanding job of supporting the comics medium both in the industry at large and in their local community", the organisers said.
"A guy from the shop next door said to me 'it's a good shop, and I like you, but why are you up for a massive international award?' and I don't really know the answer," My Myland said.
"We offer a pretty diverse range of books and we stick to what we know. We're pretty evangelical about it."
Mr Myland opened OK Comics in Thornton's Arcade in the city centre 12 years ago and currently employs four members of staff.
He said he hoped the nomination would bring in new customers.
"We've got a lot of regulars, but finding new people is where the fun is."