Back in the earlier days of comics, they used to be sold at drug stores and supermarkets. The manner in which they were sold was via a spinner rack, which was a wire-framed display that would spin 360º. Of course this method of comic distribution damaged every comic that it contained, but to a kid, it was heaven.
Here is a very clever site that displays minimate figures to tell a story. Some great humor is involved in this. Especially the use of recurring gags, like the Bendis reference.