Nellie Woe’s Comics ’N Such has expanded business hours and a larger inventory under the new ownership of Stanley Konieczko, who is taking over the store in its third year.

“I’ve got big plans for the store,” said Konieczko.

Konieczko is adding more than 20,000 comics to the store’s stores, as well as hundreds of new titles to the selection of graphic novels, which includes everything from independent titles like “Sandman” and “The Walking Dead” to the latest from Marvel, DC and other publishers.

Dark Horse Comics

One of the conventions of comic books is the issue number, stamped in the corner so that readers can keep track of where they are in the series. Some series have been running for decades and have issue numbers in the high hundreds, a mark of their venerable longevity, while some are miniseries that only run for two or three issues at a time; others are restarted as the characters are reimagined, and the numbering starts from scratch. Sometimes there are even prequel issues marked “Issue 0.”

It’s nigh impossible to get a good, complete story from a comic these days without first shelling out a lot of money. Most of the serials put out by Marvel and DC are so steeped in continuity that it’s a chore for new readers to jump aboard. And even the books put out by DC’s mature-readers imprint Vertigo, or independent publishers like Image, are so far along in their respective series that it could take a hefty amount of time and cash to catch up. Thank goodness more and more companies are pumping out new one-volume graphic novels. Here’s a look at three recent notable releases that give readers plenty of story for a less than princely sum.