06/24/09

Got me back into comics

by golemjr

Gotham City Comics got me back into collecting comics. I was a big collector as a kid, but stopped when my comic shop was knocked out by the bigger stores. I tried switching to the big stores for a little, but I soon realized that half my enjoyment of being a comic collector was going to the store on Wednesday and hanging out. Even after 2 years at the bigger stores nobody knew me. I had pretty much stopped collecting until one day i walked into Gotham City comics. The atmosphere was just like my old shop. By the second week Bernie, the owner, greeted me by name as i walked in. I have been a loyal customer ever since. Bernie always makes sure to add books to my pile that he thinks I will enjoy and always orders books for me if I missed something. I look forward to Wednesdays not just for my books, but to comics and just hang out with the crew.

I wish there were more places like Gotham City Comics!

• Pros: Loyal, helpful and friendly

06/16/09

I love small shops but this one is no good

by yuuung

The guy named johnny who works the counter is a real piece of work. I realize the camp value of a rude comic book guy but this is too much. The store stock is very low in current weekly comics. I partially blame direct sales but "johnny" acted like it was my problem and not his.

• Pros: none
• Cons: rude guy named johnny, nothing in stock

04/18/09

Front-runner For Worst Comics Shop in NYC

by KingComics

One more vote for DON'T SHOP HERE.

I walked in expecting to find a normal small comics shop with some back issues and maybe some interesting things. I walked in and was appalled at how disorganized and haphazardly all the merchandise was displayed. Very few things of interest were in the store and what was good was exhorbitantly price gouged, since apparently the owner learned nothing from the comics market crash in the mid-90s.

I began to flip through a box of back issues since they weren't marked with any sort of label saying they weren't supposed to be flipped through and the owner(I assume anyhow), came over and went into a passive aggressive hissy fit and said in an angered voice that no one except him was supposed to flip through the merchandise and that if I was looking to just "pass time" I should "go to Barnes and Noble or Borders." Not letting me look through the back issue bins would've been fine except a) He didn't label them as being off-limits, b) they were 99% overprinted 90s garbage anyway, not pieces in the MOMA and c) he didn't have to be angry/passive-aggressive towards me to the point that I had to leave his store. How this man stays in business baffles me. With the poor selection, poor organization, poor pricing, and atrocious to outright offensive customer service, it'd be best to bring your business to other, friendlier, and better run shops.

Gotham City Comics makes me ashamed to be a comic book collector.

• Pros: Will most likely be a victim of the recession.
• Cons: Poor selection, price gouging, awful customer relations