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Gotham Underground comic book store will likely open in early to mid-March, Whiteley said.
"I always wanted to open a comic books shop since i was 5 years old," said Whiteley, 31. "It was always in the back of my mind and while I was working."
"I got married a year ago, figured I was tired of making everybody else money and now was the perfect time to start my comic shop and take off," he said.
The Oakland lifer plans on selling all the top-selling comic title with back issues, plus graphic novels, toys, and card games.
He also wants to sell local artist's work and provide a place for teens to hang out with movie nights or video game tournaments.
"The shop is going to be very community-oriented," he said.
Whiteley owns around 5,000 to 10,000 comics in his own collection. Spider-Man was always his favorite character, he said.
Given the popularity of superhero movies and other comic properties like "The Walking Dead," Whiteley said there's no better time to open a store and to be a fan.
"Society itself is kind of all about the nerd's era here," he said. "It's almost cool to be a nerd now. So it's the perfect time. [Comics are] bigger than they've been in 30 years."
MORE INFO: Visit Gotham Underground's Facebook page.
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