Newbury Comics 30th

FOR THEY'RE A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW: Today is Newbury Comics' 33rd Birthday. As one of the few real music retailers left, they deserve all our best wishes for at least 33 1/3 more. Newbury Comics began as a comic book vendor on Newbury Street in Boston. The company was founded in 1978 by MIT students John Brusger and Mike Dreese. Over the next few years, the focus of the company changed from comics to music, although comic books are still sold at stores in limited amounts. Dreese also published Boston Rock, a music magazine which was active from 1980-'87 that focused on punk, new wave and indie bands. There are now 27 stores in five New England states: four in New Hampshire, two in Rhode Island, one in Maine, one in Connecticut, and 19 in Massachusetts. (4/6p)