Mapping Benelux Comic Shops: Building the Ultimate Store Directory (NL/BE/LU)

We’re starting a real-world comic quest: mapping the entire universe of comic book stores across the Benelux—and building a directory that’s actually useful.

This isn’t just a list of addresses. It’s a structured project to document the physical hubs of European comic culture, from legendary landmarks like Lambiek in Amsterdam to the scene in Brussels and beyond. In this episode, I break down the full mission: the scope (Netherlands + Belgium, and Luxembourg if reliable sources exist), the rules for what counts as a “real” comic shop, the exact data fields we’ll capture for every store (including history + “vibe”), and the research method to keep everything accurate—especially when sources disagree.

The final output will be a clean, spreadsheet-style directory with a layer of analysis to spotlight hotspots, historic shops, and trends like specialization and manga growth.

Chapters

00:00 The Benelux Comic Shop Quest Begins
00:37 Mission Briefing: What We’re Building
00:55 Goal: A Complete, Useful Directory
01:15 Why This Matters in Benelux Comic Culture
01:55 Defining the Map: NL, BE, and LU Conditions
02:18 How the Directory Will Be Organized
02:39 Amsterdam Example: Hank Comics + Lambiek
03:24 What Data Each Store Entry Must Include
03:49 The “Vibe” Field: What Makes Each Shop Special
04:20 Research Strategy: Cross-Referencing Sources
04:47 Handling Conflicting Information Transparently
05:13 Final Output: Clean Table + Summary Analysis
06:02 Spreadsheet Format for Easy Updates

#BeneluxComics
#ComicShops
#ComicBookCulture
#EuropeanComics