I would like to know what places are the coolest for buying and/or reading
comic books.  Recently, I have started to patronize New Adventures at the
Courtyard Shops on Plymouth Road (not far from my apartment), and picked up
Beavis & Butt-Head #18 and Ren & Stimpy #33.  They also have The Simpsons,
Married..with Children, Rocko's Modern Life, and other cool comics (including
all the Marvel and D.C. kick ass superheroes).  Also noticed among the vintage
comics was a Mickey Mantle (circa 1956) for $75.  Of course, he was still
alive at the time, so it may have gone up in value since his passing.

64 responses total.

I definitely recommend the Underworld in Ann Arbor, and not just
because the manager is a long-time friend.  They have the best
selection of alternative and off-beat comics I've seen.  Not
to mention role-playing games, board games, used books, and the
ubiquitous collectible card games.

Living in the small town I do we only have one comic shop.  It is called
Stargate Comics.  It has all the AD&D stuff you would need, Magic and other
non-sort card games, books, magazines, and of course comics!  Also they have
AD&D games going on constantly in the back room 
going on all the time on a table in the f
to just hang around too.

err that is supossed to be on a table in the front, and a fun place to just...

The best place to get comics in Ann Arbor is Dave's. I say this because I am
the publisher of the Animania Magazine and had to got ALL of the store
within the Ann Arbor/Ypsi area. What's good about Dave's Comics is that it
has the best selection in town, Plus, it has a colection of back issues that
is second to none. Plus, the manager, Joe, is the greatest guy. The
subcription service doesn't cost anything and there is no minimun, plus it's
guaranteed. Even if you are not "pull" custumer, they always give you a 20%
discount. At other stores like New Adventures or Underworld, you don't get
a discount unless your on their subcription service. Plus, New Adventures
charges Tax (which by the way is illegal to charge tax on magazines) and you
end up paying more then you would at Dave's. Sure, Stadium Card and Comics
are good in Baseball cards; Campus Colectibles are good in Magic Cards; and
Underworld is great in gaming, but if you want to get comic, you go to Dave's
Comics

(-PIST- Hey Joe, can I get my money now?)

money?

I kind of like underworld just for its friendly atmosphere and cool models
that are set up. Tho the guys at Dave's are cool,too.

I like Vault of Midnight mainly because they refuse to carry Marvel.
I shop there and the Underworld, although the Underworld, as cool as it
is, has too many paint fumes since the modellers started working indoors.

Yes, I highly argee that Vault of the Midnight Comics kicks ass. They are new,
that's why I said Dave's before... But the Vault is the best place in town.
   First thing is that you know that the vault cares about comics. Just by
looking around the place, you'll see the place is a shrine for comics. They
don't sell anything but comics stuff. Other places like Stadium and New
Adventures carry sports cards. WHY? Comics and sports are two different things
and should be kept apart. Plus a lot of the other shops are corprate sponcered
or owned. Big corporations do not belong in comics. That's why creator owned
books are better. Corp doesn't care about comics, Corp gots to make more
money. Underworld is owned by DawnTreader Books. New Adventures is there
becuace they get their rent free becuace their owned by the mall. These places
it doesn't matter if they don't make money on the comics. Underworld is all
gaming with a splash of comics in the corner. New Adventures is sport stuff
with no idea what a real comic is.  Dave's is good, but has gotten to big for
it's own good. They don't care about the small stuff anymore
   Yes, the vualt rules becuase they don't care Marvel, but it's much more
,than that. They focus on the small press. They care about their comics. They
care about the customer. Their fans theirselfs and they make their own rules.
  I've said too much now...

Um, since when did the Dawn Treader become a huge corporation?
They own two bookstores, a bindery, and that's it.  And they may
not even own the bindery any more...

If you look at the Dawn Treader bags very closely, the small print says
"a subsidiary of Megacorp International."  All kidding aside, I agree with
David's response. The guys at Vault care about comics and nothing else.
All the other stores in the Ann Arbor-Ypsi area have become bogged down
with sports cards or Magic. The UNderworld, which started as a comic-book
store with gaming supplies has become the Warhammer and Magic store. They
still care about comics, but they stick it in the back. If they kept all the
shelving they originally had, noone who wandered in would even know they
carried comics. It's not their first priority.
     Does anyone think that a comic store should have it all (Magic, RPGs,
sports cards, video games, etc.)? I for one am glad that the guys at Vault
have finally created a store that carries comics and comic-related
merchandise and nothing else.

i would love to find a JUST comics store. 

Yet one more reason to hate Magic...  I remember going to the
Underworld for their first anniversary party, and not even being
able to get to the comic book shelves because the floor was
packed solid with Magic players.  >8(((

Underworld has always been about Magic and nothing else, before They had
Underworld I used to go to the dawn treader at that location to sell my magic
cards (yes I was in Magic for about haft a year, but as I said I was selling,
not buying) and they were making a lot of money on Magic, thus, Underworld
started. It was never really a comic store. Magic is the evil int he stores!

What do you think would be the ideal comic store? What would it have?
What wouldn't it have? Would it carry all comics or only independents?

the ideal comic shop would have the comics i want.. when i want them :P

Oh my gawsh. this is speshal.

an ideal comic store wouldn't sell Marvel:)

Re #17: Would you make an acceptance for Frank Miller's Electra stories? Or
Moonshadow (even though it's a Vertigo title now)? How about Doctor
Who magazine? It's put out by Marvel UK.

My ideal comic store would emphasize independent comics. It would promote
titles like Bone, Cerebus, Strangers in Paradise, Stray Bullets and others
heavily. It would have a section devoted to comic related merchandise like
t-shirts, models, action figures and trading cards. I would devote a small
section to mini-comics like Galaxion and Dreamcrashers. I'd make a huge
section devoted to manga and anime, since I think the Japanese make better
comics than any major company. Way in the back, barely taking up 5% of the
shelf space would rest Marvel and non-Vertigo DC titles. They'll sell anyway
so why bother to promote them.

I would not want Magic cards, sports cards, RPGs, or Warhammer supplies
cluttering up the space. A comic store is for comics and related stuff.
The only exception I would make would be for the Animayhem and XXXenophile
card games and anime related RPGs because they are comic-related merchandise.

I don't know any store that is like this. Vault of Midnight comes close, but
I can't find a good source for manga or anime anywhere.

yeah! that's what I like... You forgot Spawn and WildStorm card games...

You're right! Would you include Marvel and DC's RPGs too?

maybe

I'd understand if you wouldn't. I wouldn`t allow it. It would promote
what I don`t like about Marvel and DC.

Actually, I don't think that card games and comics should mix. Same as how
Magic, gaming, or baseball cards shouldn't be together in a comic store.

I would agree, but we enter a gray area when we talk about comic related
card games. For example, simce my ideal store would have an anime section
I would want to carry the Bubblegum Crisis RPG and Animayhem CCG.
It directly ties in to my interests without bringing in Magic and D&D
after it. (Of course, if TSR decided to market a Slayers world in D&D
I'd have to consider it. Let's hope not.)

AS long as it is directly linked to the comic or manga. Magic and D&D are a
far cry from that. The key here is that you want comic related merchandise
not merchandise related comics don't you think?

That's true. Considering that, we'd have to exclude Magic comics (I would've
anyway).

The problem is a lot of times people start off trying to have a store that
is completely based on comics. Then they realize that there is a whole world
of related paraphenalia out there. Eventually after diving headlong into that
market they start to lose track of their original intentions and go for the
money. which most people end up finding in roll-playing, magic, and sports
cards, etc. If these people could actually stick with their original idea.
There could be some great comic shops in (for lack of other knowledge) the
state of michigan. Maybe even one as fascinating as the Silver Snail in
Toronto.

the Silver Snail in Toronto was awesome! I've actually BEEN there. me! i never
go anywhere!! but i've been there.. umm.. nevermind

I think that there is another side to look at this... the comic industry is
trying to get over a big drought and the state of the indestury is not really
that great. Lot of store owner are able to surive buy selling magic or
baseball card until comic sales go back up...

But the problem can be that the backup plan becomes the main focus of the
store and completely forget to go back to the original intention of marketing
comics. Some places that i havve run across have gone so far as to stop
ordering specialty items for people because they don't care enough to keep
track of the order.

yeah, that really sucks. It's hard to find a good store. No matter how good
ther is always something wrong.

That is true I somehow don't think that this was intended as a gripe question.
I do like Vault of Midnight comics one of the first stores that dare not to
carry Marvel. I think that a store solely based on independent comics is
intriguing. But sometimes I find them lacikng in some areas as a matter of
space. Like Caliber and some of the much smaller and more independent comics.
some like Dream Crashers an item that was supposedly available to order a
while ago and some of the other begiining comics and ashcans.

Well the time is coming. I was first into Dave's and I had trouble getting
the independant titles. I went to Vault when it just came out and put my
independant titles in theeir hands while leaving my mainstream stuff from
Image and DarkHorse at Dave since I got 6% better discount there. Now, I'm
having trouble getting my mainstream comics at Daves and may just have to go
to Vault for all of my titles. Dave's is good, but Diamond is fucking them
up by not sending them the correct amount of books (if they send it at all).
So Diamond fucks Dave's over and Dave's looks bad. But I've never missed a
title at Vault and never got a bent cover or any damage at the Vault (they
bag and bourd it for no extra cost). Now that Marvel is going back to Diamond,
Vault is buying Marvel for pull lists only.

I'm glad to hear that Vault continues to uphold its integrity by only
buying Marvel for pull lists. I've noticed that my lists for Stadium and
Underworld have slowly declined while Vault gets all my new orders. I
still get the mainstream stuff and t-shirts from Stadium, but the DC
comics I order keep ending. The Underworld still gives great discounts on
graphic novels, but they still screw up. By now, Vault gets the bulk of
my orders, even from Image.

Which store use which distrubing companies? I know that Vault uses Diamond.
Dave's uses Diamond and the now dead Heroes World, but doe it use Cold Cut
too? Is there any stores around the area that uses Cold Cut?

As far as I know, no store in the area uses Cold Cut. I definitely know
that Stadium Comics, The Underworld, New Adventure Comics, and Readers
Exchange in Westland use Diamond and Heroes World. We already know about
Vault.

so i supposse everyonje is under the consensus that comics are a separate
hobby from everything else, huh?  I think I really depends on how large the
store is such that they can appeal to a good selection of comics, but still
be able to market the  other hobbies such as cards and rpgs. There's a nice
store in Holland, MI that has a nice selection of comics, but they also have
a substantial market for other hobbies as well such as modelling and cards.
What I'm getting at is that people have to remember that comic collecting
still falls under the category of hobbies and a lot of stores find it
difficult when they only have stock in one form of that industry, namely
comics.

I'd have to put my vote in for the Vault, too.  They're a dedicated, brave,
and interesting bunch...

I've always liked Dave's, personally, but then the Vault's claustrophobic
atmosphere (for me, a tall person) is a turnoff.  Dave's definitely has the
line on back issues, which is one of my personal favorite parts of a comic
store.  

When Diamond screws Dave's over, it occasionally ends up being good.  I went
in on a Wednesday to find that none of Dave's new releases had arrived,
instead being sent to somewhere in Colorado.  They subsequently discounted
the rest of the comic stock by 30%, so I took the opportunity to splurge in
some back issues I was looking for.  I didn't want any of the new releases
anyway.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss