There is a comic heaven in Midtown, and luckily it is two blocks away from Distrikt’s front doors! Located on 40th Street at 7th Avenue, Midtown Comics holds two enormous floors of an impressive collection of comics, magazine, graphic novels, anime, manga, t-shirts and apparel, and much more. The store opened its doors in 1997, followed by its two sister stores in Grand Central (2004) and Downtown Manhattan (2010). The company has built its reputation over the years, and is now known as the leading vendor of comic books, manga, and graphic novels.
Once you climb the dark, narrow staircase, admittedly a bit intimidating, you find yourself in a large bright room with fantastic views of Times Square. Sunlight hits every corner of the store, as eager, young and older customers peruse the overwhelming shelves of comic goodness.
On the register, the young employees respond to all guests’ questions in professional and amiable tones. A tall man was helping a customer interested in selling his vintage comic to the store. The store buyer opens the book and inspects it with great care.
Unable to decide which section to look at first, I spun around and observed the room from floor to ceiling. Occasionally, my eyes jumped to the large signs advertising a new release or specials. I decided to start on the left from the “manga” section, and work my way around bookshelf by bookshelf.
I felt a rush of joy and my inner child come back when I saw all of my childhood favorites. I walked the countless aisles and admired the various selections of Spiderman, Captain America, The Punisher and Superman comics. The most exciting part was the Ninja Turtle backpack hanging on the wall!
I climbed the staircase to the second floor and was greeted by a life-sized Spiderman statue. Posters of all action superheroes decorated the walls, and on the right, collectibles were displayed beautifully on glass shelves. I moved from display window to display window, admiring Star Wars, Spiderman, X-men, and even Asterix and Obelix figures.
Near the back of the room were hats, shirts, bags of all of your favorite super heroes. There were playing cards, games, and action figures on the left. I overheard a little boy say to his aunt with excitement, “Finally you’re buying me something!”
Before I left, I glanced at the countdown clock to this year’s Comic Con in Manhattan, and smiled to myself.
For purchases, information and future events visit: http://www.midtowncomics.com/
By: Paola Mathe
Great store with a great selection. These days it’s good to see any book store survive, let alone a comic book store. And it’s good to be reminded of Comic Con. I definitely need to go this year. Haven’t been to one of those in many, many years.
This looks like an awesome place and will definitely be on our ‘to visit’ list when we stay next year. My husband loves the comic stores over here in the UK but this is on another level! He’ll be happy for hours