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Underground > Comic Books >

Best Comic books shop in New York ?

16:37 / 14.11.05

Hi !
Going to New York next week, what is the best or the two or three bests comic books shop in Manhattan ?
Any help ?
Does one of the shop sells original art by the way or most of the sales are done online nowadays ?

Mister Six, whom all the girls

17:13 / 14.11.05

Midtown Comics
200 W 40th Street (Corner of 7th Avenue)
New York, NY 10018
800-411-3341

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

17:37 / 14.11.05

That's a nice centralized location, but don't forget to branch out to Jim Hanley's on 33rd b/w 6th and 5th. It's got a much better selection.

But when you're at Midtown, don't leave without one of my postcards!

Horatio Hellpop

18:52 / 14.11.05

what are you looking for? new comics? graphic novels? back issues?

18:59 / 14.11.05

Absolutely don't miss Jim Hanley's. It's right across 33rd Street from the Empire State Building. Best selection in town -- possibly in America (though supposedly there are places in CA that give it a run for its money).

As for original art... I honestly don't know who would sell that. I suspect that's not really done through stores anymore, and has moved online like you said.

Matthew Fluxington

19:17 / 14.11.05

Midtown Comics is fine, but go to the Grand Central location, NOT the one outside of Times Square. The Grand Central store has a much better layout and a superior selection, and is not jam packed full of drooling morons 24/7. Also, the immediate vicinity is far more pleasant.

Jim Hanley's Universe across from the Empire State Building and Forbidden Planet in Union Square are MUCH better stores if you're into things other than superhero comics.

Matthew Fluxington

19:20 / 14.11.05

The downside of Jim Hanley's Universe is that it has a somewhat confusing layout. The downside of Forbidden Planet is that the store can get pretty cramped - it gets a LOT of random traffic from people stopping in to browse. The upside of Forbidden Planet is that it generally has a clientele of cool normal people of both genders.

19:58 / 14.11.05

Been a bit, but Forbidden Planet seemed to have a much nicer atmo for hanging about, than many shops. Crowded but crowded with people who you could talk with without wanting to go put a couple pencils through your eyes and into your brain. And I managed to almost always get a little extra off whatever the often-marked-down-anyway price of my purchases, which isn't something I can say for just any comics shop.

20:42 / 14.11.05

FinderWolf's top comic stores in NYC:

1) Midown Comics - Either the East or West stores (one at Times Square and one near Grand Central), this is the best store in town. They have a set-up where you get $20 worth of comics free for every $100 worth of comics you buy, although I suppose if you're from out of town and just visiting this may not be much of an incentive. But it's a fantastic store, good staff, all around great.

2) A Close Second - Jim Hanley's Universe by the Empire State Building. They have more indie & small press stuff than Midtown.

3) A Distant Third - Forbidden Planet at Union Square. Pretty good, kinda small, ehh.

Finder has spoken.

Matthew Fluxington

21:48 / 14.11.05

Finder, do you just work closer to the Times Square location? I'm just wondering why you, or ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would prefer that one to the Grand Central store unless it was an issue of proximity.

Other comic shops in the area:

St. Mark's Comics in St. Mark's Place - way too cramped, too many toys, I don't particularly recommend it.

St. Mark's Comics on Montegue Street in Brooklyn Heights - pretty decent, it was my regular store when I lived in that area, but nothing really stellar for out-of-towners.

Cosmic Comics on 23rd Street in Manhattan - I don't care for this shop at all. I've bought a few things there recently because it's right next to my bus stop on my commute to Chelsea, but I actively avoid going there.

Unlike some of the other people in this thread, I do not have a regular store. I go to whatever store is convenient to me on a given day. I try to shop at Midtown whenever I can because of the $100 thing Finderwolf was explaining, but I have no loyalties or pull list.

Matthew Fluxington

21:49 / 14.11.05

I should also note that my appreciation of Jim Hanley's is purely abstract - I hate shopping there.

01:13 / 15.11.05

I can recommend Forbidden Planet, of course, but I also like Cosmic Comics on 23rd St. near Broadway/5th Ave. More elbow room and lacks the Union Square attitude. They also have a rebate program - $20 for every $100 spent, iirc.

02:08 / 15.11.05

Forbidden Planet is more or less my "regular" store, though I don't make weekly trips anywhere anymore. I enjoy Jim Hanley's as a once-every-couple-months option; I go, and I peruse every shelf, looking for things I might've missed at smaller shops.

14:21 / 15.11.05

Midtown just changed the layout of their Times Square store to be more like the Grand Central in terms of their paperback layout (now it's shelves & no more back issue bins, so if you're short or don't have long arms, you no longer have to reach across long back issue bins to get to the paperbacks). However, this new shelf situation at the Times Sq. store makes it more crowded on New Comics Day (Wed.).

Flux is right on the money about Midtown Comics not having much in the way of indie stuff (both stores) and certainly Times Square is a busy, hustling and bustling place. I guess it's habit and the discount program that keeps me coming back to the Times Sq. store, and although I don't work or live near Times Sq., the Grand Central store is a bit out of the way for me. I guess it's just habit.

I agree with Flux on the NYC St. Marks Comics shop and Cosmic Comics, although the latter wasn't all that bad, just not very interesting the few times I've visited there.

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:28 / 15.11.05

Wait, so do you have to spend the $100 in one go?

Mister Six, whom all the girls

14:31 / 15.11.05

Sad... I'd last been to Midtown in Times Square about three years ago when I was a PR writer in New York.

Sounds like it's changed a lot.

17:01 / 15.11.05

Thanks a lot !
My weekly fix shall be satisfied !

Huh...comics are sold on wednesday, aren't they ? so, no problem of lateness because of Thanksgiving ?

18:01 / 16.11.05

If you're able to make it out to Brooklyn, you should check out Rocketship Comics at 208 Smith Street. Take the F train to the Bergen Street stop, it's on Smith Street btw Butler and Baltic. They have an excellent selection of non-superhero books (as well as the usual DC/Marvel fare).

info here

It is, as they say, a clean, well-lighted place.

18:14 / 16.11.05

Things should come out on Wednesday as normal that week -- generally, it's only holidays that fall on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday that will throw Diamond off.

Matthew Fluxington

18:21 / 16.11.05

Flyboy, you don't have to spend $100 in one go. I rarely spend more than $15 in any one trip to a comics shop. They just keep a running tally of what you buy, and whenever you hit $100, you get the bonus. You don't have to use the bonus right away, or all in one go, it just comes out of whatever you just bought, or whatever you buy the next time you're in the shop.

I was in the Times Square midtown store last week - the new layout isn't much better! The GCT store is just way way way better, all the way around.

Matthew Fluxington

18:24 / 16.11.05

Hey, out of curiosity, are there any shops in Queens at all? I used the Comic Shop Locator thing online, and there's nothing, which is sort of amazing to me. Similarly, there seems to be almost nothing in the way of book stores in Queens, especially around Astoria. It's so weird, I'm stuck living in the illiterate borrough or something.

Horatio Hellpop

23:20 / 16.11.05

there's definitely a store in queens, right off the N. i forget which stop exactly, but towards the end of the line. pretty decent mainstream superhero store.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

23:27 / 16.11.05

Damn, broseph! I so used to live in Astoria! There is indeed Silver Age Comics on the last stop (Ditmars Boulevard) of the NW. You don't even have to hit the sidewalk. It's on the second floor, which you can get to right from platform.

Matthew Fluxington

23:30 / 16.11.05

Ah, if I have to take the subway, it's not really worth it. I might check it out one of these days if I walk out that way. I'm off the Broadway stop. It's just easier for me to take the 7 to GCT.