One of Las Vegas’ most lavish comic shops, owned by a famous heavy metal drummer, has closed its doors for good.
Torpedo Comics, founded by System of a Down sticksman John Dolymayan, has ended its run of nearly a decade in a shopping center near Rainbow Avenue and Warm Springs Road.
“Thank you to the Las Vegas community for supporting us for the last 9 years!” reads a sign posted on the shop’s door announcing its closing.
A fantasia of sci-fi memorabilia, comics and high-end offerings housed in a special room designed like a 1940s bank vault, Torpedo Comics was Dolymayan’s first full-fledged store after having purchased a warehouse in North Las Vegas in 2008 where he launched an online comics business.
Torpedo reflects Dolymayan’s lifelong love of comics.
“I started selling in the early ’90s, because at 18 years old, it’s tough to go to your parents and say, ‘Can I have some money for comic books?’ ” Dolmayan told the Review-Journal before the store’s opening in May 2017. “Initially, I started off by losing a lot of money trying to sell books at conventions and stuff like that until I figured out how to do it. By the time System got signed (in the late ’90s), I was making $55,000-$60,000 a year. I took a huge pay cut to join System.”
While the Torpedo store has closed, the brand will continue to live online at torpedocomics.com.