A big thanks for helping me finish + Guide to NYC comic shop

[magnus20009]

I should have done this a while ago but you know how life gets in the way of collecting. Shortly after I joined the boards in March I posted a message in the Buy/Sell/Trade group asking people if they could help me finish the regular 703 VH1 issues and to help me out with my VH2 collection. I basically just needed 10 or so low print run issues near the end of VH1 as I picked up about 250 issues from my LCS. I wasn’t sure what the response would be as I had read a few posts about people not helping newbies out. I was floored by the response. Almost immediately 5 people responded to my posts. I would especially like to thank:

Mr. V
KO2003
Dave
Andrea Borders (sorry I forget your ID)

As they helped me push my VH1 collection up to 100% (minus gimiky covers/autos/trades) and made it so I only need like 40-50 VH2 books.

While I don’t have many doubles to help other people out I thought I could contribute to the community by giving a break down of the NYC (Manhattan) market as I went around to all the shops in March to pick up a ton of the issues I needed. As there are 19 LCS this should hopefully save some people some legwork.

I should stress that I don’t collect doubles so I only ever picked up one copy and that was only if I needed the book. So there is/was still some good stuff out there. (For address go to: http://www.ny.com/shopping/bookstores/comics.html

Top 4 Valiant/Acclaim shops:

Roger's Time Machine: These guys have about 5 or 6 long boxes of Valiant/Acclaim on the bottom shelf in the NW corner of the store. Typically the shop looks books up in Overstreet to get prices but the guy gave me books for $1.00 each and stuff I picked up ranged from Magnus 1 to Shadowman III number 6. I would guesstimate they have 75% of every Valiant published. (I was told they had more in the back but I never went back to see)

Sleep of Reason Comics: They have tons of Valiant comics. Almost every title can be found in their back issue bins. All are pretty much priced at cover price and it’s usually hard to negotiate with the employee at the till since he is not the owner. Range pre-Unity to a Turok 46 I picked up.

Village Comics: These guys have gotten wise to the Valiant craze and have been selling on eBay. In their back issue bins you can find a ton of Acclaim and some Valiant for about half of cover. One of the employee mentioned that they have/had a bunch of Valiant in the basement. What I saw in their up for auction lots were a lot of end of run Valiant issues.

Action Comics: While located in a basement the guy has been selling comics forever. Back issue boxes don’t have many Valiants but there are tons of Acclaim issues out. Bad news is they are all $0.25 above cover price. The shop owner claims (and I believe him) to have a number of boxes with Valiant and Acclaim books in the back. He offered to go through them if I gave him a want list. At cover + I declined.

The rest of the places I hit (note some are decent shops just not much Valiant):

Its Another Hit: A card shop that has a bunch of comics. The old guy that runs the comic side is a bit of a crouch. Claims to have a bunch of boxes of Valiant in the basement but couldn’t be bothered to check. Prices are usually high here. In fact if it wasn’t next to MSG and I often had time to kill before Ranger games I would not go here. On the bright side I went through his shelves of special issue comics and managed to find 6 Acclaim retailer incentives in MINT shape, which I got for 5 bucks each.

Midtown Comics: Two floor shop right in time square. They have a lot of back issues but not many Valiants – I believe X-O Manowar was the only title stock in back issues. Up front on the wall display’s they had some pre-Unity books but asking for more than I (and I think anyone else on this board would pay).

St Marks Comics: Arguably has the best back issue selection in the city. (St. Marks St location – skip their small outlet in the financial district). I am convinced that they must have tons of Valiant and Acclaim books but I could not find any other than a bunch of deathmate in the $0.50 bins. The store is CRAMPED and way too many boxes are over flowing.

Alex's MVP Cards: Mostly a baseball card shop. Very few back issues – basically just Marvel. DC and Image. I found only one Valiant comic in the place – in there stack of trades and it was a blue harbinger trade J that had likely been there since it was released.

Collector's Universe: No Valiants that I could find.

Cosmic Comics: Squat for Valiant

Forbidden Planet: They basically just do new stuff and toys now. Squat for Valiant

Jim Hanley's Universe: Not a bad shop – mostly new stuff. They have a few copies of Valiant trade paperbacks but that’s it.

Gotham City Comics Inc: I could not find any Valiant here.

Shops I have not looked to Valiant books at:

Chameleon Comics
Collector's Kingdom
Four Color Comics
Funny Business Comics
Manhattan Comic's & Cards
New City Comics: (Harlem)

Hopefully this is helpful to at least a few people on the board. It's my small way of saying thanks.

Sincerely,

Magnus20009

[Master Dorque]

Wow, what an excellent idea! Magnus20009, for someone fairly new to the boards, I think you should be commended for supplying information regarding the comic shops in your area. That is a fantastic idea, and I'm surprised it hasn't been done or suggested by one of the more experienced board members. I would like ask all other members to do the same. Tell us what you know about the comic shops in your neck of the woods. This can be a very helpful tool for us Valiant collectors. Whenever I travel, and have an opportunity, I like to rummage through the comic book shops in the area to see if I can find anything I'm looking for. With this kind of information, I could really narrow my search to those shops most likely to carry what I'm looking for. So, on that note....


I live in the Long Beach area of Southern California. There are alot of comic shops in the greater Los Angeles area, but since I only frequent a couple, I'll cover those now, and add more later after I've had a chance to go visit them again and see what they currently offer.

AMAZING COMICS - Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach - This shop is pretty amazing all right. Big shop with an incredible selection of stuff. The selection of cards, especially packs, is huge. Just about any sport, any company, any year....they have it. Also a very good selection of comic related toys and statues. The bad news is that they have very little Valiant to offer. No premium books, no pre-Unity, no final issues. Also, they are not cheap. Although I did find nice copies of Unity 0 and 1 in the 99cent bins.

RVD's 5-Star Comics - Lakewood Mall - This shop is owned by the wrestler Rob Van Dam. This is a fairly new store. They are pretty small, and so they are primarily a new comics store. Very little in terms of back issues, and no Valiants. They do have some cool wrestling stuff, if you like that. Actual championship belts, lots of autographed items, stuff like that. They offer discounts on all the new comics, and free bags and boards.

Frank and Sons Collectibles Show - Walnut - This isn't really a comic shop, it's a warehouse show that takes place twice weekly, every week. Open wednesdays from 4pm-9pm and saturdays 9am-5pm, this show is always fun, and admission is free. It's in a giant warehouse and features over a hundred different dealers selling primarily comics, cards and toys. Many of the LCSs in the area also operate booths here. Some of the sellers only sell here. Good selection of back issues, but the more desireable Valiants are rarely seen. But the fun thing is you never know what you will find because there is always a turn over of dealers, some old ones leave and some new ones come. And even the more established dealers who are always there are constantly changing what they bring. So you never know what you'll find. I've seen lots of common Valiants in 25cent boxes, but usually they are not in the best condition. This is a great place to buy new comics, as they are always discounted, and come with free bags and boards.

Once I have a chance to revisit some of the other shops in this area, I'll post my findings.

[Brother J]

Milwaukee area:

Collector's Edge (three locations): http://www.collectorsedgecomics.com

Their main location is where they have the majority of their back issues. They easily have the best back issue selection in Milwaukee. However, the problem is the majority of their back issues are not bagged and boarded. They also don't seem to have much of a clue when it comes to grading (or they hope I don't). The worst part in my opinion is that all the back issues are in their basement and they generally don't allow the general public down there except for once a year when they have their New Year's Sale. If you want back issues, you have to give them a list, which is a huge turnoff for me. They also act like it's an inconvenience when you want back issues and they charge at least cover price + .25 for everything! The only positive really is they do still have a ton of Valiant books, at least 10 long boxes worth. The best stuff is already gone because I've bought it all, but there is some pre-Unity non-keys, and they had multiple copies of most of the last issues, along with the more common Valiant books. The other two locations have back issues, but a lot fewer. I cleared out the store on Lincoln of their pre-Unity and the store on Burleigh doesn't have any Valiant, according to the person running the store the day I was there. They did have an opened copy of the Solar A&O hardcover but they wanted cover for it, so I passed.

F5 Collectibles: Greenfield Ave in West Allis: My regular LCS for new issues, I like the location and the people who work there are friendly. They don't order huge amounts of new books, so they frequently sell out on the hot books. They also give me a nice discount when I buy a bunch of stuff even though I'm just on their save list, not a subscription service where you have to pay in advance. They have a decent amount of back issues and you can look through them. They have a ton of that Yu Gi Oh stuff and the neighborhood kids are in there playing that a lot. In terms of Valiant, they don't have a lot, but they do have two long boxes of the more common books and a bunch in his .25 boxes, as well

Lost World of Wonders: They specialize in the Japanese stuff, at least half the store is dedicated to Anime, Manga and other items of that nature. They do a pretty good business with new comics, as well and they order a lot of stuff. Usually when my regular store sells out of something I want, I go here and they have tons of copies. Decent amount of back issues, no Valiants whatsoever. I think he might have some in the back somewhere, but they didn't seem interested in pulling them out.

There's a few other minor places that have comics in the area, but none of them have Valiants, so probably not worth mentioning.

[DawgPhan]

I love when someone in the business of selling comic books will not sell me comic books. I have been to several stores that say that they have tons of valiants in storage or something like that, but will not let me take a look or even look for themselves. I have even left lists at several of them with my card. All they would have to do is look and I would buy the books. I left a list with one store that had "1000's of valiants in storage" I told him that I would buy every single copy he had of any book on that list...guess what I have never heard from him. Over on the CGC board it seems that there is always someone talking about how they have tons of valiants that they want to get rid of, but yet when you contact them about it you never hear back from them. I will asure you that it is in your best interest to sell me comics rather that store them for the next 10 years. Why pay storage on something that you dont even want and you have a willing buyer for. Of course that sounds like your typical CBG so what do you expect, most stereotypes has some basis in fact.

[ckb]

The crime here is sloth. People are lazy. It's easier not to sell them.

I love when someone in the business of selling comic books will not sell me comic books. I have been to several stores that say that they have tons of valiants in storage or something like that, but will not let me take a look or even look for themselves. I have even left lists at several of them with my card. All they would have to do is look and I would buy the books. I left a list with one store that had "1000's of valiants in storage" I told him that I would buy every single copy he had of any book on that list...guess what I have never heard from him. Over on the CGC board it seems that there is always someone talking about how they have tons of valiants that they want to get rid of, but yet when you contact them about it you never hear back from them. I will asure you that it is in your best interest to sell me comics rather that store them for the next 10 years. Why pay storage on something that you dont even want and you have a willing buyer for. Of course that sounds like your typical CBG so what do you expect, most stereotypes has some basis in fact.

[myron]

Milwaukee area:

Collector's Edge (three locations): http://www.collectorsedgecomics.com

Their main location is where they have the majority of their back issues. They easily have the best back issue selection in Milwaukee. However, the problem is the majority of their back issues are not bagged and boarded. They also don't seem to have much of a clue when it comes to grading (or they hope I don't). The worst part in my opinion is that all the back issues are in their basement and they generally don't allow the general public down there except for once a year when they have their New Year's Sale. If you want back issues, you have to give them a list, which is a huge turnoff for me. They also act like it's an inconvenience when you want back issues and they charge at least cover price + .25 for everything! The only positive really is they do still have a ton of Valiant books, at least 10 long boxes worth. The best stuff is already gone because I've bought it all, but there is some pre-Unity non-keys, and they had multiple copies of most of the last issues, along with the more common Valiant books. The other two locations have back issues, but a lot fewer. I cleared out the store on Lincoln of their pre-Unity and the store on Burleigh doesn't have any Valiant, according to the person running the store the day I was there. They did have an opened copy of the Solar A&O hardcover but they wanted cover for it, so I passed.

agreed...the place has TONS of stuff...but how you have to get it and their attitudes are a turn off

F5 Collectibles: Greenfield Ave in West Allis: My regular LCS for new issues, I like the location and the people who work there are friendly. They don't order huge amounts of new books, so they frequently sell out on the hot books. They also give me a nice discount when I buy a bunch of stuff even though I'm just on their save list, not a subscription service where you have to pay in advance. They have a decent amount of back issues and you can look through them. They have a ton of that Yu Gi Oh stuff and the neighborhood kids are in there playing that a lot. In terms of Valiant, they don't have a lot, but they do have two long boxes of the more common books and a bunch in his .25 boxes, as well

have to check that place out

Lost World of Wonders: They specialize in the Japanese stuff, at least half the store is dedicated to Anime, Manga and other items of that nature. They do a pretty good business with new comics, as well and they order a lot of stuff. Usually when my regular store sells out of something I want, I go here and they have tons of copies. Decent amount of back issues, no Valiants whatsoever. I think he might have some in the back somewhere, but they didn't seem interested in pulling them out.

wrongo buckaroo...I got an entire run of bloodshot there and a bunch of rai...they are in the back. you need to get one of the guys to go in back with a list and do a little digging (got them all for a buck a throw too...;o))

There's a few other minor places that have comics in the area, but none of them have Valiants, so probably not worth mentioning.

Madison:

Westfields Comics...absolutely no valiants...the guy actually told me to try half price books, three doors down...

20th century:...supposed to have decent back stock...going there sunday

capital city: haven't been there in awhile...the guy is always up on guide price...so usually no deals

[Brother J]

Good luck in Madison, that's the one place that's relatively close that I haven't checked yet. I probably won't make a special trip now since you'll probably clean them out if they have anything decent!

I neglected to mention there's a decent store in Thiensville called M L Comics that had a nice selection of Valiants. I got my first sealed Solar hardcover there and a Secret Weapons 11 VVSS. They had several long boxes of other issues, as well, just no Pre Unity.

[The Spider]

AMAZING COMICS - Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach - This shop is pretty amazing all right. Big shop with an incredible selection of stuff. The selection of cards, especially packs, is huge. Just about any sport, any company, any year....they have it. Also a very good selection of comic related toys and statues. The bad news is that they have very little Valiant to offer. No premium books, no pre-Unity, no final issues. Also, they are not cheap. Although I did find nice copies of Unity 0 and 1 in the 99cent bins.

Frank and Sons Collectibles Show - Walnut - This isn't really a comic shop, it's a warehouse show that takes place twice weekly, every week. Open wednesdays from 4pm-9pm and saturdays 9am-5pm, this show is always fun, and admission is free. It's in a giant warehouse and features over a hundred different dealers selling primarily comics, cards and toys. Many of the LCSs in the area also operate booths here. Some of the sellers only sell here. Good selection of back issues, but the more desireable Valiants are rarely seen. But the fun thing is you never know what you will find because there is always a turn over of dealers, some old ones leave and some new ones come. And even the more established dealers who are always there are constantly changing what they bring. So you never know what you'll find. I've seen lots of common Valiants in 25cent boxes, but usually they are not in the best condition. This is a great place to buy new comics, as they are always discounted, and come with free bags and boards.

I've been to both places. Frank and Sons was actually where I got an ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG #0 gold (autographed, even--can't remember, but I think I paid about $2 or less), issue #5 and 6 of VH1 X-O for 50 cents each (both issues were hard for me to find at the time... until recently, which I'll get to), MAGNUS #64 (for about $1.50) and several others I can't remember at the moment.

Several of the retailers at Frank and Son's showed up at Wizard World LA, too, with different comics for sale (That is, they didn't bring the bins from Frank and Sons).

As for Amazing Comics and Cards, well... they update their 99 cent bins often. I got much of my Bloodshot, X-O, and several other series near-complete from those bins.

...And I found VH1 X-O MANOWAR #6 for 99 cents just last week. Also, their QUANTUM AND WOODY stuff was moved to the 99 cent bin, so I got some of those, too.

[myron]

Good luck in Madison, that's the one place that's relatively close that I haven't checked yet. I probably won't make a special trip now since you'll probably clean them out if they have anything decent!

I neglected to mention there's a decent store in Thiensville called M L Comics that had a nice selection of Valiants. I got my first sealed Solar hardcover there and a Secret Weapons 11 VVSS. They had several long boxes of other issues, as well, just no Pre Unity.

really? Thiensville...whoda thunk...thanks for the info...I'll let you know about madison next week when I get back from hayward...

[Vault-Keeper]

When I was a kid living in Queens (NYC), I used to order back issues from Passiac Comics. Don't know if they still exist, but they used to do mail-order.

[The Spider]

I went back to Frank and Sons yesterday and managed to find VH1 X-O Manowar #4 and Harbinger #4 (w/ coupon) for 25 cents. However, the Harbinger issue had some corner creases, and the coupon was yellowing. Also found a Magnus #57 error issue, too.

Still, it shows that from time to time this stuff shows up.

[mattboh]

If I want to dig through bins, I have to go to Dayton, which still has several good shops. One of the classic shops in Dayton is Bonnetts. You can even see Golden Age covers in the "Photo-Journal" of comics with their store stamp on them! They've been around the longest. Indianapolis has several good shops, but I don't get over there often enough.---Steve G

When I lived in the area, I went to Bonnetts in the Oregon District weekly. One of the best music stores in Dayton, Gem City Records, was just down the block.

Don't know if you make it over to Bookery Fantasy in Fairborn, but I bought a majority (probably 80-85%) of the pre-Unity runs for a buck a piece last summer. Their dollar bins were a treasure trove for Valiants.

The Dragon's Lair on Fifth St. in Downtown Dayton had a bunch of Valiants in boxes under the tables last year as well.

Back in the day, I bought most of my Valiant back issues at Maverick's Comics and Cards in Kettering and Dark Star in Yellow Springs.

[lobo]

Well Canada has no Valiants left. Don't bother making the trip. You will find nothing.


Seriously, in my area there are common issues galore but no premium stuff. Between me and mainly Comicnut, I think that Northern Alberta is cleaned out!
Next time I travel out of province I will be making the comic shop rounds for new booty.

[ZephyrWasHOT!!]

Yeah, there's pretty much nothing in the Northern LA area. I've been to a lot, and they just don't have them.

I'm with you, Dawg, and I really wish these people would just go out of business already and sell their stock to someone interested in SELLING comics...not running a museum.

[Rai-fan]

Re. Capital City in Madison (the one near the U).

Hit it about 2 months back. They had great stuff, but since the guy there that day used to _work_ for Valiant, he knew what was up. (As Greg said, no great deals).

They've got a strong selection of pre-unity/golds, but aren't good for any end-run VH1 or VH2 (no Shadowman V3, for example).

Significantly, he didn't look in a price guide, just quoted me either $5 or $10 a book.

I snagged Unity 2000 1 (preview), 3, Unity 0 (red), Armorines (fall fling), Harbinger 1, A&A 0 gold, $40 total. Passed on Solar 1-10 at $10 per.

[myron]

Re. Capital City in Madison (the one near the U).

Hit it about 2 months back. They had great stuff, but since the guy there that day used to _work_ for Valiant, he knew what was up. (As Greg said, no great deals).

They've got a strong selection of pre-unity/golds, but aren't good for any end-run VH1 or VH2 (no Shadowman V3, for example).

Significantly, he didn't look in a price guide, just quoted me either $5 or $10 a book.

I snagged Unity 2000 1 (preview), 3, Unity 0 (red), Armorines (fall fling), Harbinger 1, A&A 0 gold, $40 total. Passed on Solar 1-10 at $10 per.

glad I didn't stop there...did hit 20th century had pre unity magnus, solar and x-o...one of each ($2.00 each) all in great shape...had a bunch of small print back issue stuff...said he had a bunch of signed magnus 25 packed away...

[shaxper]

Nothing much doing in the Cleveland Ohio area, but here's a break-down:

Carol & John's: Largest selection of 25 cent bargain bin Valiant issues. All are post-Unity, and I've never found any incentive versions mixed in. For a while, they did have a surplus of Magnus 57 errors in the bin, as well as Blue Rai tpbs and Magnus tpbs for cover price, but I and another Valiant collector (whom I've never seen) swiped them all. They have a LOT of early VH2, but they're asking cover price or higher for them.

Collector's Warehouse: A bunch of post-Unity at cover price. Occasionally a pre-Unity or incentive issue. Generally, they ask too much for these, but at least one person there will negotiate (I've done very well by her).

B&L Comics: A bunch of later post-Unity issues. I swiped all the final issues, but they still have all the rest of them. Also a few pre-Unity issues, but not many, and nothing particularly special. Everything is cover price or higher.

Northcoast Nostaliga: Two locations. Both have essentially the same post-Unity collection in 50 cent bargain bins. Not much of a selection, but you might fill in a gap or two. These are generally the issues EVERYONE already has. No other back issues or tpbs.

York Cards & Comics: Absolutely nothing Valiant-related.

There's also a gaming/RPG store (don't remember the name) with roughly thirty boxes of $1 bargain bin issues. They have a TON of acclaim stuff, including some variant 1st issues. I only found one Unity 2000 issues though.


Incidentally, I used to live in New York and agree about St. Mark's Place comics. Even they have no idea what they have.

[FunkiTron]

Dunedin, New Zealand:

Bag-ends Books and Comics- Actually has a few pre-unity, unity and VH-3 comics (like 20 or so). I picked up an X-O Manowar #6 for $2.50 NZ. They had a Solar #1 going for $3 or so, but it got snatched up. Uhm....that's about it for Dunedin....

Christchurch has a couple'a shops. Found an X-O Manowar #14 PINK for $4.50. But I was backpacking/hitchiking so there was no way I was going to be able to get it home in one piece so I flagged it.

The San Francisco Bay Area (my home) is rife with comic book shops with heaps of cheap Valiants. But I'll have to tell you guys about 'em later cos I don't want them to be completely looted by the time I get back...