Atomic empire energizes Baltimore literary scene

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Benn Ray, 38, likes to listen and overhears conversations he says confound him, make him laugh and ponder the quirky city he calls home.

He calls them “overheards.”

But Ray has turned his finely tuned observations into a comic book.

“I’ve been collecting overheards since 1999,” said Ray, who is the co-proprietor of Atomic Books and Atomic Pop, an alternative books store and toy store, respectively, in Hamden in Baltimore City. “I thought it might be interesting to have artists to fill in the backstory.”

The result is the second release of Ray’s Atomic Book Co. imprint, “I Keee You!! A Collection of Overheads.”

The book is a smartly printed collection of comics that give graphic life to scenes such as “The Stupidest Fight Ever” and “Rednecks on Patrol.”

Ray, a writer and part-time professor, said his role at Atomic Books, which he co-owns with his longtime girlfriend, Rachel Whang, gave him access to illustrators and comics.

“I know a lot of illustrators and artists; I let them pick what they found interesting,” he said.

The book, which includes overheards from dozens of contributors, is being sold directly by Ray through his store, online at www.atomicbooks.com and by other independent bookstores nationwide.

Diversification is one way to counter the large book retailers opening around town, including a proposed Borders at the Rotunda on the heels of the newly opened Barnes & Noble in Charles Village, said Ray, who is teaching a cultural studies course at Towson University.

The strategy includes the opening of his second store, Atomic Pop, filled with art toys and pop culture paraphernalia.

“In this environment with large corporate chains, it’s an organic diversification,” he said.

sjanis@baltimoreexaminer.com

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