Via a private mailing list sent to comics professionals, Atomic Comics owner Mike Malve has made a statement on the abrupt closing of his four-store Atomic Comics chain in Phoenix, AZ. He confirmed that he would be filing for bankruptcy.

Malve blamed the economy in general for the closings, but cited a specific incident as the beginning of the problems: in October 2006, the Mesa Superstore had to be closed for five months after a car crashed through the front window, taking out a water main and causing such severe damage that they lost a million dollars in inventory. After the reopening, many former regular customers did not return, Malve noted. This began the downward spiral of declining sales which the last two years of recession had worsened.