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SHOP NAME: Excalibur Books and Comics 2444 SE Hawthrone Blvd Portland OR 97214
WHEN: 12/10/07
GREETING: Yes - both by the owner and the employee
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Great store, nice lighting, great layout and plenty of books to choose from!
HELPFULNESS: Both the owner and employee offered to help find issues for me but I declined. The employee asked if it was my first time in the store, I said yes and he gave me a quick tour. We talked about Seattle for a few and he told me to come back anytime.
RECOMMENDATION: Yes! Great store, great selection, helpful employees and fair prices.
EXPERIENCE: I had a lot of fun at this store and I spent the money to prove it. I was able to find a few Transmet issues that I was missing and few Turner covers. I found a bunch more books as well but did not get those due to pending approval from Mrs Castle. I will go back to this store as often as possible.
The Comic Shop "EXPERIENCE" ....reviews of Comics shops by customers
#151
Frank Castle 
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Posted 11 December 2007 - 05:57 PM
#152
Frank Castle
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Posted 11 December 2007 - 06:03 PM
SHOP NAME: Cosmic Monkey Comics - 5335 NE Sandy Blvd Portland OR 97213
WHEN: 12/10/07
GREETING: Yes, the owner was filing some books in the rear but made it a point to come up and say hi, can I help.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Great store! Very modern, nice colors, loved the old wood floors. And the art was great. Instead of comic posters hung around the store, the owner has been collecting "Space/Cosmic Monkey" sketches for the last many years. He has them hung around the store and it is great to see the hundred or so "Space Monkey" sketches.
HELPFULNESS: Yes. Another nice guy who also asked if it was my first time in the store.
RECOMMENDATION: Yes. Large selection of trades, manga, hc's, back issues, new issues and 3 long boxes full of "variants". Whats not to love about that!!
EXPERIENCE: I had a great time in this store and it was my favorite of the 4 shops that I went today yesterday. I also spent the most money there. Once again I found a few more Transmet issues, 6 Turner covers and few Ennis books I was missing. He had a bunch of Turner Variants that I held off on because I didn't want to spend 15 bucks on a book that I thought I may already have. but I'll be going back to the Cosmic Monkey for sure.
WHEN: 12/10/07
GREETING: Yes, the owner was filing some books in the rear but made it a point to come up and say hi, can I help.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Great store! Very modern, nice colors, loved the old wood floors. And the art was great. Instead of comic posters hung around the store, the owner has been collecting "Space/Cosmic Monkey" sketches for the last many years. He has them hung around the store and it is great to see the hundred or so "Space Monkey" sketches.
HELPFULNESS: Yes. Another nice guy who also asked if it was my first time in the store.
RECOMMENDATION: Yes. Large selection of trades, manga, hc's, back issues, new issues and 3 long boxes full of "variants". Whats not to love about that!!
EXPERIENCE: I had a great time in this store and it was my favorite of the 4 shops that I went today yesterday. I also spent the most money there. Once again I found a few more Transmet issues, 6 Turner covers and few Ennis books I was missing. He had a bunch of Turner Variants that I held off on because I didn't want to spend 15 bucks on a book that I thought I may already have. but I'll be going back to the Cosmic Monkey for sure.
#153
clever_username
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Posted 11 December 2007 - 06:08 PM
Criminy, you didn't waste any time did you? If I moved to another city, my wife would have me unpacking boxes. It'd be at least a couple weeks before I could scout out a new LCS.
#154
7h0m45
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Posted 11 December 2007 - 06:28 PM
QUOTE(Frank Castle @ Dec 11 2007, 01:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
SHOP NAME: Cosmic Monkey Comics
haha that is an awesome name.
#155
Frank Castle
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Posted 11 December 2007 - 06:42 PM
QUOTE(clever_username @ Dec 11 2007, 10:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Criminy, you didn't waste any time did you? If I moved to another city, my wife would have me unpacking boxes. It'd be at least a couple weeks before I could scout out a new LCS.
I'm sure that will be next week. We are living in a hotel for this week. I love the room service!! Once I get more time, there are a total of 8 shops within 5 miles of each other. I got 4 more to go!!!
QUOTE(7h0m45 @ Dec 11 2007, 10:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
haha that is an awesome name.
I agree
#156
matchkitjohn
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Posted 02 January 2008 - 07:27 PM
Shop Name: Vault of Midnight Comics, 219 S. Main, Ann Arbor MI about 40 minutes outside of Detroit.
When: Saturday December 29, 2007. This was the day after comics came in. My wife found the place and got me a couple of gift certificates.
Greeting: Don't remember a greeting upon entry since its a big place but one of the employees was helpful with recommending a title.
Overall appearance: Neat and clean. They have a basement for some indy comics, back issues, and gaming tables. You could probably go down their with your purchases and read them if you want. They have figures, new comics, trades, and the gaming items.
Helpfulness: As mention above I did get help with recommendation and they told me where the bathroom is.
Recommendation: Yes if you consider they have a 20% subscription discount and they have a nice selection of DC/Marvel and other comics and trades. Lots of trades. No if you want to browse. They have signs throughout the store stating they do not want you reading the trades on the shelf. All of the new comics are bagged and boarded on the shelf. Not just the old stuff but the issues that came out that week. They also don't want you to sit on the floor and read which I can understand to a point. But if you are someone who wants to explore they seem to put up a big barrier to do that so my overall recommendation would be NO.
Experience: I got some stuff that I was planning to buy anyway but felt like if I opened a trade for more than two minutes someone would snatch the book from me. And Lord help me if I opened a bagged comic. Would I go back there? No. I can browse at my LCS and not feel like I am breaking the law. I think they may have had to do this because people were abusing the privilge to browse. Shame.
When: Saturday December 29, 2007. This was the day after comics came in. My wife found the place and got me a couple of gift certificates.
Greeting: Don't remember a greeting upon entry since its a big place but one of the employees was helpful with recommending a title.
Overall appearance: Neat and clean. They have a basement for some indy comics, back issues, and gaming tables. You could probably go down their with your purchases and read them if you want. They have figures, new comics, trades, and the gaming items.
Helpfulness: As mention above I did get help with recommendation and they told me where the bathroom is.
Recommendation: Yes if you consider they have a 20% subscription discount and they have a nice selection of DC/Marvel and other comics and trades. Lots of trades. No if you want to browse. They have signs throughout the store stating they do not want you reading the trades on the shelf. All of the new comics are bagged and boarded on the shelf. Not just the old stuff but the issues that came out that week. They also don't want you to sit on the floor and read which I can understand to a point. But if you are someone who wants to explore they seem to put up a big barrier to do that so my overall recommendation would be NO.
Experience: I got some stuff that I was planning to buy anyway but felt like if I opened a trade for more than two minutes someone would snatch the book from me. And Lord help me if I opened a bagged comic. Would I go back there? No. I can browse at my LCS and not feel like I am breaking the law. I think they may have had to do this because people were abusing the privilge to browse. Shame.
This post has been edited by matchkitjohn: 02 January 2008 - 07:29 PM
#157
miraclemet
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Posted 02 January 2008 - 09:59 PM
Had to add some Comments since Vault of Midnight is my secondary Shop here in my town of Ann Arbor... I stop in every week after hitting my main store (Fun 4 All in Ypsilanti, MI)
Shop: Vault of Midnight, Ann Arbor-MI
When: Every Week or so for the last 2 years.
Greeting: The owner staffs this place with teens (15-20 year olds). Some are good at customer service (there's a very helpful and nice pink haired girl). Some give you a "hey" with no eye contact to maintain their "cool guy" attitude. As a 30 year old its a bit disconcerting since there are rarely any people working there that are old enough to drink (ok 1 or 2 but barely)
Overall appearance: This shop is on Main Street in Ann Arbor, which is a pretty penny for rent. They have some huge art painted on the wall facing the window (A big robot) and the place is very profesional looking. The gaming rooms downstairs have a nice lounge feel to them. They also have a large collection of odd games (not just the card games and heroclix that everyone plays but some real unusual interesting ones), and the front 1/3 of the shop is full of those collectible designer toys that are in Previews every month. Also they have a strong Manga selection. Also it does not smell (not a sure thing in the world of comics)
Helpfulness:
A story to illustrate their helpfulness: When my wife was christmas shopping for me, she printed off my Amazon list, went in and asked what they had on the list. They were very helpful and even suggested some titles to reccomend to me when she gave me the TPBs from my wish list. When I pick up a new/unknown book they are ready with an opinion on it, and they keep a good rotation going of Staff reccomendations on a special shelf.
Recommendation: Have to comment on their signs that say "dont sit on the floor" and "not a library" I go in for 30-45 minutes every wednesday, rarely buy anything beyond the occasional single that was not available at my main place or an odd indie TPB, and they have never once shooed me out, or snatched a book out of my hand that I open up and browse through. Now do I grab a trade and go sit and read the whole thing? No, but I'll skim through something for a few minutes and then put it back, no harm no foul. I think management had some excessive camping from the kids (college and younger) in town and had to institute some discouragement practices to keep it from turning into place with lots of traffic and little buying. The other weird thing is that what looks like their $1 bins downstairs they actually charge cover price for (or at least the kid checking me out did the 2 times I pulled issues from the downstairs bins). A little weird since that stuff never seems to turn over, now I just wait for cons to buy back issues.
Experience: My shop of choice (Fun 4 All) doesnt bag their comics until the weekend, so I like to "browse" them on wednesday and get what I like, but their Trade collection is limited to Marvel and DC. So if you are looking for trades from the smaller publishers (like Super Spy from Top Shelf or The Three Paradoxes from Fantagraphics, both great reads) this is a good place to go. Vault of Midnight does bag their books upon release, but I have frequently opened a bag (I asked the first time out of fear, and then have just done it since) to see interiors on comics that I was not familiar with. Did I scan the whole comic to get the gist of it? No, but I made sure the art was what I liked, or that the story seemed interesting enough to buy. The fact that this place is on Main street gets more curiosity buyers and browsers, which is fun to be a part of and see going on. The staff is helpful in trying to guide them to something that they may be interested in.
Overall: Pass on this place for back issues. Its fine for picking up your weekly comics (especially with the 20% discount on pull lists). Its OK for discovering new comics (some indie stuff, but as they say it is bagged and boarded so that does discourage but not eliminate the chance to peruse). It is a very good shop for finding HC and TPBs, and discovering new/rare ones. And yes you can open them up and look through them!
[/quote]
Shop: Vault of Midnight, Ann Arbor-MI
When: Every Week or so for the last 2 years.
Greeting: The owner staffs this place with teens (15-20 year olds). Some are good at customer service (there's a very helpful and nice pink haired girl). Some give you a "hey" with no eye contact to maintain their "cool guy" attitude. As a 30 year old its a bit disconcerting since there are rarely any people working there that are old enough to drink (ok 1 or 2 but barely)
Overall appearance: This shop is on Main Street in Ann Arbor, which is a pretty penny for rent. They have some huge art painted on the wall facing the window (A big robot) and the place is very profesional looking. The gaming rooms downstairs have a nice lounge feel to them. They also have a large collection of odd games (not just the card games and heroclix that everyone plays but some real unusual interesting ones), and the front 1/3 of the shop is full of those collectible designer toys that are in Previews every month. Also they have a strong Manga selection. Also it does not smell (not a sure thing in the world of comics)
Helpfulness:
A story to illustrate their helpfulness: When my wife was christmas shopping for me, she printed off my Amazon list, went in and asked what they had on the list. They were very helpful and even suggested some titles to reccomend to me when she gave me the TPBs from my wish list. When I pick up a new/unknown book they are ready with an opinion on it, and they keep a good rotation going of Staff reccomendations on a special shelf.
Recommendation: Have to comment on their signs that say "dont sit on the floor" and "not a library" I go in for 30-45 minutes every wednesday, rarely buy anything beyond the occasional single that was not available at my main place or an odd indie TPB, and they have never once shooed me out, or snatched a book out of my hand that I open up and browse through. Now do I grab a trade and go sit and read the whole thing? No, but I'll skim through something for a few minutes and then put it back, no harm no foul. I think management had some excessive camping from the kids (college and younger) in town and had to institute some discouragement practices to keep it from turning into place with lots of traffic and little buying. The other weird thing is that what looks like their $1 bins downstairs they actually charge cover price for (or at least the kid checking me out did the 2 times I pulled issues from the downstairs bins). A little weird since that stuff never seems to turn over, now I just wait for cons to buy back issues.
Experience: My shop of choice (Fun 4 All) doesnt bag their comics until the weekend, so I like to "browse" them on wednesday and get what I like, but their Trade collection is limited to Marvel and DC. So if you are looking for trades from the smaller publishers (like Super Spy from Top Shelf or The Three Paradoxes from Fantagraphics, both great reads) this is a good place to go. Vault of Midnight does bag their books upon release, but I have frequently opened a bag (I asked the first time out of fear, and then have just done it since) to see interiors on comics that I was not familiar with. Did I scan the whole comic to get the gist of it? No, but I made sure the art was what I liked, or that the story seemed interesting enough to buy. The fact that this place is on Main street gets more curiosity buyers and browsers, which is fun to be a part of and see going on. The staff is helpful in trying to guide them to something that they may be interested in.
Overall: Pass on this place for back issues. Its fine for picking up your weekly comics (especially with the 20% discount on pull lists). Its OK for discovering new comics (some indie stuff, but as they say it is bagged and boarded so that does discourage but not eliminate the chance to peruse). It is a very good shop for finding HC and TPBs, and discovering new/rare ones. And yes you can open them up and look through them!
[/quote]
This post has been edited by Mr. Met: 02 January 2008 - 10:01 PM
#158
Fade2Black
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Posted 17 January 2008 - 02:13 PM
SHOP NAME: Isotope
WHEN: Wed, Jan 16, 2008
GREETING: Immediately by Matt when I walked in, and afterwards by James when he walked in. (By the way, this was just the second time I had been to that shop).
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Black and white and read all over. To describe the store wouldn't do it justice. Check it out for yourself, or visit their website. Their mini-comics rack is the best in the bay area, and the toilet seat gallery alone is worth the price of admission (which is free by the way).
HELPFULNESS: Let me put it this way. I emailed James (on this forum no less) back in July about a Paul Pope THB book he picked up at the San Diego Con. In the email, I told him I don't get up to The City very often. Five months later I walk into his shop and sure enough he still has one copy left which he had put aside.
RECOMMENDATION:
Absolutely! The friendly staff, their eclectic selection of trades & mini-comics, their art galleries, and the store's unique ambiance, make this shop a must stop if you're ever in the S.F. Bay Area.
Just a few of the books I purchased at Isotope:
WHEN: Wed, Jan 16, 2008
GREETING: Immediately by Matt when I walked in, and afterwards by James when he walked in. (By the way, this was just the second time I had been to that shop).
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Black and white and read all over. To describe the store wouldn't do it justice. Check it out for yourself, or visit their website. Their mini-comics rack is the best in the bay area, and the toilet seat gallery alone is worth the price of admission (which is free by the way).
HELPFULNESS: Let me put it this way. I emailed James (on this forum no less) back in July about a Paul Pope THB book he picked up at the San Diego Con. In the email, I told him I don't get up to The City very often. Five months later I walk into his shop and sure enough he still has one copy left which he had put aside.
RECOMMENDATION:
Absolutely! The friendly staff, their eclectic selection of trades & mini-comics, their art galleries, and the store's unique ambiance, make this shop a must stop if you're ever in the S.F. Bay Area.Just a few of the books I purchased at Isotope:
#159
matchkitjohn
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Posted 17 January 2008 - 02:21 PM
That was a nice update Mr. Met on Vault of Midnight. My experience was just on my first visit. Being a college-town store did force them to make an effort to prevent excessive browsing. It was just weird to see current releases being bagged and boarded.
#160
Frank Castle
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Posted 08 February 2008 - 09:50 PM
SHOP NAME: Guapo Comics and Books 616 SE Foster Road, Portland OR 97206
WHEN: Feb 02 2008
GREETING: Yes, the girl behind the counter said hi.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: It is a medium size store that has a large seating area, a coffee bar, tons of trades and a few back issues. It was very clean and well light.
HELPFULNESS: Not really. I was helped when I walked up the counter to make my purchase.
RECOMMENDATION: If your in the area, need a coffee and looking for some indy issues, then stop by. But I will never go back. Just wasn't my type of store. There were a dozen boxes of back issues but they were only back issues from books out 6months to a year ago.
WHEN: Feb 02 2008
GREETING: Yes, the girl behind the counter said hi.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: It is a medium size store that has a large seating area, a coffee bar, tons of trades and a few back issues. It was very clean and well light.
HELPFULNESS: Not really. I was helped when I walked up the counter to make my purchase.
RECOMMENDATION: If your in the area, need a coffee and looking for some indy issues, then stop by. But I will never go back. Just wasn't my type of store. There were a dozen boxes of back issues but they were only back issues from books out 6months to a year ago.
#161
clever_username
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Posted 08 February 2008 - 10:07 PM
QUOTE(Mr. Met @ Jan 2 2008, 02:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Had to add some Comments since Vault of Midnight is my secondary Shop here in my town of Ann Arbor... I stop in every week after hitting my main store (Fun 4 All in Ypsilanti, MI)
Do you live in Ypsi? That used to be my shop when I went to EMU. I remember taking the bus up there because I didn't have a car. Nice store.
#162
superhornet34
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Posted 08 February 2008 - 11:26 PM
hey Frank Castle your in Seattle too right? Which store do you think would have Comics Now? I havent been to any of the stores here in a while.
#163
Fnord Serious
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Posted 09 February 2008 - 03:27 AM
QUOTE(superhornet34 @ Feb 8 2008, 03:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
hey Frank Castle your in Seattle too right? Which store do you think would have Comics Now? I havent been to any of the stores here in a while.
Frank moved to Portland.
I saw a copy at Zanadu downtown, and the one in the u-district might be a good place to look. Zanadu usually orders at least one of every title that comes out, it seems. Comics Dungeon in Wallingford and Arcane in Ballard are both shops that have pretty comprehensive selection as well.
#164
Frank Castle
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Posted 10 February 2008 - 03:10 AM
QUOTE(Fnord Serious @ Feb 8 2008, 07:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Frank moved to Portland.
I saw a copy at Zanadu downtown, and the one in the u-district might be a good place to look. Zanadu usually orders at least one of every title that comes out, it seems. Comics Dungeon in Wallingford and Arcane in Ballard are both shops that have pretty comprehensive selection as well.
I saw a copy at Zanadu downtown, and the one in the u-district might be a good place to look. Zanadu usually orders at least one of every title that comes out, it seems. Comics Dungeon in Wallingford and Arcane in Ballard are both shops that have pretty comprehensive selection as well.
Correct, I moved to Portland. But I'm in Seattle right now visiting family. So I am not much help in guessing which stores would have Comics Now but Fnord mentioned all the good shops.
#165
Frank Castle
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Posted 19 February 2008 - 05:28 PM
SHOP NAME: Platinum Comics 129 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA (206) 242-1948
WHEN: Feb 18 2008
GREETING: Yes, I was greeted by the owner.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Small store, very well lit and a nice layout out too it.
HELPFULNESS: Yes, offered to help but he seemed "crazy" so I tried not to talk to him much.
RECOMMENDATION: YES! There are no new books here just back issues and TONS of OLD comics. From floor to ceiling on all 4 walls he had old ASM/Avengers/FF/Bat/Detective/ETC. I saw ASM #3 and FF #2 just hanging out on the walls. not to mention the back issues! The man had about 10 long boxes of good, medium priced issues. Then he had another 10 long boxes that were a $1 each. And the topper, between 20-25 long boxes at .25 each. This is the most cheap priced comics I've seen outside of a Convention. I grabbed plenty from both the $1 and .25 boxes and he gave me the .25 comics for free.
The kicker though, he stated that I needed to come back March 1st because he was having a "going out of business sale." He stated that everything would be 50-75% off. "Stupid Crazy prices" were his exact words!
WHEN: Feb 18 2008
GREETING: Yes, I was greeted by the owner.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Small store, very well lit and a nice layout out too it.
HELPFULNESS: Yes, offered to help but he seemed "crazy" so I tried not to talk to him much.
RECOMMENDATION: YES! There are no new books here just back issues and TONS of OLD comics. From floor to ceiling on all 4 walls he had old ASM/Avengers/FF/Bat/Detective/ETC. I saw ASM #3 and FF #2 just hanging out on the walls. not to mention the back issues! The man had about 10 long boxes of good, medium priced issues. Then he had another 10 long boxes that were a $1 each. And the topper, between 20-25 long boxes at .25 each. This is the most cheap priced comics I've seen outside of a Convention. I grabbed plenty from both the $1 and .25 boxes and he gave me the .25 comics for free.
The kicker though, he stated that I needed to come back March 1st because he was having a "going out of business sale." He stated that everything would be 50-75% off. "Stupid Crazy prices" were his exact words!
#166
clever_username
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Posted 04 March 2008 - 04:20 PM
SHOP NAME: Spazdog Comics 21610 N 35th Ave, Suite 162
WHEN: Feb 29 2008
GREETING: Yes. The owner, Shawn, greeted me when I came in and asked if I needed help finding anything.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: A little messy. The store is long and narrow. In the front was a all ages section, some toys, and manga. Along the left wall were recent issues. They were on those shelves that leave the books at a slight angle. New issues were on the right wall near the back. In the very back were some tables for gaming or reading. And there was a TV. At the time, a PS2 was hooked up. I don't know if this was normar or not. It was late Friday afternoon and the owner's family was there. There were a bunch of long boxes in the middle and random stacks of books all over the place. Didn't have the time to go through them to see what they had or how much they charged. There was also a section for local comics and comics creators.
HELPFULNESS: I didn't need any help, but the owner was very nice. I told him that I don't live on that side of town and that I usually shop at Samurai. We talked for a minute about Samurai's owner, Mike. Shawn said he was a nice guy and they sometimes traded books.
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely. I prefer the smaller Phoenix shops. The large chain, Atomic (4 locations), always struck me as more like a Hot Topic with comics. Too many emo kids. I don't know how often I will make it over there. But the northwest valley doesn't have a good store so this is a nice addition.
Artist Ryan Cody recently had some art classes there. So they really support the local scene.
WHEN: Feb 29 2008
GREETING: Yes. The owner, Shawn, greeted me when I came in and asked if I needed help finding anything.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: A little messy. The store is long and narrow. In the front was a all ages section, some toys, and manga. Along the left wall were recent issues. They were on those shelves that leave the books at a slight angle. New issues were on the right wall near the back. In the very back were some tables for gaming or reading. And there was a TV. At the time, a PS2 was hooked up. I don't know if this was normar or not. It was late Friday afternoon and the owner's family was there. There were a bunch of long boxes in the middle and random stacks of books all over the place. Didn't have the time to go through them to see what they had or how much they charged. There was also a section for local comics and comics creators.
HELPFULNESS: I didn't need any help, but the owner was very nice. I told him that I don't live on that side of town and that I usually shop at Samurai. We talked for a minute about Samurai's owner, Mike. Shawn said he was a nice guy and they sometimes traded books.
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely. I prefer the smaller Phoenix shops. The large chain, Atomic (4 locations), always struck me as more like a Hot Topic with comics. Too many emo kids. I don't know how often I will make it over there. But the northwest valley doesn't have a good store so this is a nice addition.
Artist Ryan Cody recently had some art classes there. So they really support the local scene.
This post has been edited by clever_username: 04 March 2008 - 04:20 PM
#167
Frank Castle
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Posted 05 May 2008 - 04:10 PM
SHOP NAME: Things from Another World - 4390 SW Lloyd AVE, Beaverton OR 97005
WHEN: 05/03/08
GREETING: No but it was FCBD and the store was packed and the guy was working the register.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Nice store, very clean and nicely organized.
HELPFULNESS: Kind of but once again, it was FCBD and dude was busy. The check out line was never shorter than 10 people. When I talked to him at the counter he was quite nice. So i'm guessing on a normal day he would be quite helpful
RECOMMENDATION: Yes. This was a fun store. It was like the other TFAW stores as in tons of trades, figures and Dark Horse stuff
EXPERIENCE: Had a lot of fun here. They had a good selection of back issues, tons of figures and trades. They also were having a FCBD sale so everything was 25-75% off. Back issues were 50 cents. So I loaded up!!
WHEN: 05/03/08
GREETING: No but it was FCBD and the store was packed and the guy was working the register.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Nice store, very clean and nicely organized.
HELPFULNESS: Kind of but once again, it was FCBD and dude was busy. The check out line was never shorter than 10 people. When I talked to him at the counter he was quite nice. So i'm guessing on a normal day he would be quite helpful
RECOMMENDATION: Yes. This was a fun store. It was like the other TFAW stores as in tons of trades, figures and Dark Horse stuff
EXPERIENCE: Had a lot of fun here. They had a good selection of back issues, tons of figures and trades. They also were having a FCBD sale so everything was 25-75% off. Back issues were 50 cents. So I loaded up!!
#168
daneault
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Posted 18 June 2008 - 10:09 PM
QUOTE (clever_username @ Mar 4 2008, 09:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
SHOP NAME: Spazdog Comics 21610 N 35th Ave, Suite 162
WHEN: Feb 29 2008
GREETING: Yes. The owner, Shawn, greeted me when I came in and asked if I needed help finding anything.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: A little messy. The store is long and narrow. In the front was a all ages section, some toys, and manga. Along the left wall were recent issues. They were on those shelves that leave the books at a slight angle. New issues were on the right wall near the back. In the very back were some tables for gaming or reading. And there was a TV. At the time, a PS2 was hooked up. I don't know if this was normar or not. It was late Friday afternoon and the owner's family was there. There were a bunch of long boxes in the middle and random stacks of books all over the place. Didn't have the time to go through them to see what they had or how much they charged. There was also a section for local comics and comics creators.
HELPFULNESS: I didn't need any help, but the owner was very nice. I told him that I don't live on that side of town and that I usually shop at Samurai. We talked for a minute about Samurai's owner, Mike. Shawn said he was a nice guy and they sometimes traded books.
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely. I prefer the smaller Phoenix shops. The large chain, Atomic (4 locations), always struck me as more like a Hot Topic with comics. Too many emo kids. I don't know how often I will make it over there. But the northwest valley doesn't have a good store so this is a nice addition.
Artist Ryan Cody recently had some art classes there. So they really support the local scene.
WHEN: Feb 29 2008
GREETING: Yes. The owner, Shawn, greeted me when I came in and asked if I needed help finding anything.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: A little messy. The store is long and narrow. In the front was a all ages section, some toys, and manga. Along the left wall were recent issues. They were on those shelves that leave the books at a slight angle. New issues were on the right wall near the back. In the very back were some tables for gaming or reading. And there was a TV. At the time, a PS2 was hooked up. I don't know if this was normar or not. It was late Friday afternoon and the owner's family was there. There were a bunch of long boxes in the middle and random stacks of books all over the place. Didn't have the time to go through them to see what they had or how much they charged. There was also a section for local comics and comics creators.
HELPFULNESS: I didn't need any help, but the owner was very nice. I told him that I don't live on that side of town and that I usually shop at Samurai. We talked for a minute about Samurai's owner, Mike. Shawn said he was a nice guy and they sometimes traded books.
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely. I prefer the smaller Phoenix shops. The large chain, Atomic (4 locations), always struck me as more like a Hot Topic with comics. Too many emo kids. I don't know how often I will make it over there. But the northwest valley doesn't have a good store so this is a nice addition.
Artist Ryan Cody recently had some art classes there. So they really support the local scene.
This was my shop when I lived in Tempe. Shawn is a super nice guy, and he's very active in the local comics scene. He's always willing to help get a new artist some exposure, too. He has a gallery section in the back of the store that he always has full of local artist's work.
#169
Agent_Torpor
- Fanboy
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 15
- Joined: 11-June 08
Posted 18 June 2008 - 10:19 PM
SHOP NAME: Comix Experience, 305 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
WHEN: 6/7/2008
GREETING: Nope, not a one. Wasn't packed either, so no excuses there.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Great neighborhood, reasonably clean, bright and spacious, well organized in terms of in-demand authors (i.e. Warren Ellis, Alan Moore), great window themes.
HELPFULNESS: Not really.
RECOMMENDATION: I really want to like this place as it's my neighborhood LCS, but the staff isn't the most helpful lot, and the owner doesn't look like he's got a lot of time for chitchatting anyway. Anything beyond the current comic titles are a crapshoot in terms of stock, and they seem to run out of current releases FAST. All in all, I duck in once in a while, but I go to Isotope as my main LCS even though it's further (the staff is infinitely nicer and waaay cooler - sorry, just the facts).
EXPERIENCE: A bit boring and antiseptic, to be honest. Great kids section, which was great for my son. And aside from the Ellis shelf of material, not much there that tickled my fancy.
WHEN: 6/7/2008
GREETING: Nope, not a one. Wasn't packed either, so no excuses there.
OVERALL APPEARANCE: Great neighborhood, reasonably clean, bright and spacious, well organized in terms of in-demand authors (i.e. Warren Ellis, Alan Moore), great window themes.
HELPFULNESS: Not really.
RECOMMENDATION: I really want to like this place as it's my neighborhood LCS, but the staff isn't the most helpful lot, and the owner doesn't look like he's got a lot of time for chitchatting anyway. Anything beyond the current comic titles are a crapshoot in terms of stock, and they seem to run out of current releases FAST. All in all, I duck in once in a while, but I go to Isotope as my main LCS even though it's further (the staff is infinitely nicer and waaay cooler - sorry, just the facts).
EXPERIENCE: A bit boring and antiseptic, to be honest. Great kids section, which was great for my son. And aside from the Ellis shelf of material, not much there that tickled my fancy.
This post has been edited by Agent_Torpor: 18 June 2008 - 10:21 PM
#170
Chris Murrin
- Nobody
-
- Group: Members
- Posts: 2,887
- Joined: 16-October 06
Posted 17 August 2008 - 01:07 AM
Shop:
Metro Entertainment
6 W. Anapamu
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805.963.2168
metrocomix@aol.com
Experience:
Like Ralph's Comic Corner in Ventura, CA, THIS is how a comic shop should be run! The store was brightly lit. The immediate entry area was wide open, so the store didn't feel claustrophobic. The rear of the store was packed with comic goodness, but in a clear, easy to understand order.
New issues surround the side and back walls (except where gaming items were kept). On the left was a platform with seven or eight long boxes of newer back issues. Beneath those, however, were more long boxes of older back issues. More expensive back issues were in a glass case by the register.
There was a rack of "Real Women, Real Comics," highlighting comics by, for, and about women. There was a specific rack just for Buffy material, easily seen from the front of the store, including a CD of a band that included Lindsey from Angel. There was also a family section, which is the largest of it's type that I've seen outside of Meltdown comics in L.A.
Finally the regular trade racks were amazing. I couldn't think of a title they didn't have (okay, one, see below), including tons of indies. Also, they give you options. For example, for Invincible, they had the full run of trades, the first two hard covers, and the first "Complete" library edition. While I was standing there, they decided to order a whole run of Walking Dead trades, "Because they only had one left of 5 and 6." This is not a store with only first volumes, or worse, only volume 2 and 3.
The staff was nice, courteous, answered all my questions with no problems, and when I did ask for a book that they'd run out of (Fray TPB), they offered to have it for me by Monday afternoon and set one aside for me.
Also, they ship books anywhere, including overseas.
I ended up buying the Legacy trade and Superman 148. I could have bought more, but I didn't want to carry any more in my backpack. There were no discounts, but that might be different if you're a regular customer.
I really can't recommend this shop highly enough, especially if you're a trades-only reader.
Metro Entertainment
6 W. Anapamu
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805.963.2168
metrocomix@aol.com
Experience:
Like Ralph's Comic Corner in Ventura, CA, THIS is how a comic shop should be run! The store was brightly lit. The immediate entry area was wide open, so the store didn't feel claustrophobic. The rear of the store was packed with comic goodness, but in a clear, easy to understand order.
New issues surround the side and back walls (except where gaming items were kept). On the left was a platform with seven or eight long boxes of newer back issues. Beneath those, however, were more long boxes of older back issues. More expensive back issues were in a glass case by the register.
There was a rack of "Real Women, Real Comics," highlighting comics by, for, and about women. There was a specific rack just for Buffy material, easily seen from the front of the store, including a CD of a band that included Lindsey from Angel. There was also a family section, which is the largest of it's type that I've seen outside of Meltdown comics in L.A.
Finally the regular trade racks were amazing. I couldn't think of a title they didn't have (okay, one, see below), including tons of indies. Also, they give you options. For example, for Invincible, they had the full run of trades, the first two hard covers, and the first "Complete" library edition. While I was standing there, they decided to order a whole run of Walking Dead trades, "Because they only had one left of 5 and 6." This is not a store with only first volumes, or worse, only volume 2 and 3.
The staff was nice, courteous, answered all my questions with no problems, and when I did ask for a book that they'd run out of (Fray TPB), they offered to have it for me by Monday afternoon and set one aside for me.
Also, they ship books anywhere, including overseas.
I ended up buying the Legacy trade and Superman 148. I could have bought more, but I didn't want to carry any more in my backpack. There were no discounts, but that might be different if you're a regular customer.
I really can't recommend this shop highly enough, especially if you're a trades-only reader.
This post has been edited by Chris Murrin: 17 August 2008 - 03:59 AM
