If I can make a suggestion, consider making a community post (or video) that highlights all the indie + small press friendly shops after you post part 2. I think a lot of indie creators and myself would appreciate that as it can be difficult to know what shops are open to indies or not. I remember going around Metro Detroit in 2016 and struggling with a number of shops that were not indie friendly at all. After going around to all the shops, I feel you have a better idea than anyone now where creators could focus their efforts. Also, based on your digging into back issues and bargain bins, how diversified were shops overall (for part one) versus "big two" shops? Lastly, if you're still Michigan based, consider reaching out. Would be fun to connect with more Michigan based comic enthusiasts.
Also, Fanfare definitely hits my bank account hard whenever I go because it's difficult not to dig in their dollar and 50 cent bins without coming out with a pile. I appreciate a good dollar and under bin, especially ones that have a good variety and not just a bunch of Valiant or DC books, no offense.
@@EasterlyArtthat’s a good idea; I’ve found that show outside detroit are generally more enthusiastic about the hobby, but have a harder time maintaining the kind of customer base that would support indie creators. There are exceptions of course, but so far it seems like the Vault of Midnight chain does the most to champion local artists. Rabbit hole, secret crisis, and comic signal come to mind as very indie-friendly, too
Dude... YOU ARE A LEGEND FOR DOING THIS! This video is hands down one of my favorite videos in all of comictube. I can't imagine the effort it must've taken to drive around the state just to record this, as well as the amount of editing and planning it took to produce the video itself. It was so fun taking a look at the comic shops in Michigan, even though I'll probably never go to any of them since I live halfway across the world. Can't wait for the next one!
hands down Comic Signal is one of my favorite shops around, The Selection of new comics and back issues is unparalleled. I drive 1.5 hrs to go here, always worth it
@@daglemjI also live within walking distance. I go there once in a while but every time I go it just feels like it’s the first time I go every time I go.
Hey Don! 3 years ago you got me started on my comics journey by recommending Batman: Year One and Ultimate Spider-Man. Those recommendations helped me fall in love with comics and I've never looked back. Keep up the amazing work!! Comic Signal will always be a 10/10 for me
I totally agree on the debating at the store. I had a friend ask why I just didn't get my books of Amazon. Then they went with me... and we hung out for an hour shooting it with other customers and the owner. The response was I get it now.
When I first started collecting graphic novels in freshman year at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, I hopped on a bus and then walked a few miles to Vault of Midnight GR. I was unbelievably disappointed in how expensive everything was.... You described them PERFECTLY, a bunch of friends at Wayne state live and die by Vault of Midnight in Detroit. It attracts those newbies willing to pay that extra to jump on the craze.
We are spoiled in Kalamazoo. I’ve been going to Fanfare for 25 years now and they always impress me. To be fair the back issues move very quickly, if you don’t jump on something quick it’s gone the next week guaranteed. Plus they have the best customer service in Kzoo regardless of business type, they are excellent. Rocket is newer but also good, really good, fuckin awesome actually. They prioritize toys over comics but they know their shit and have the books to back it up. Wish I got in there more. Talk to Eddie, interesting cat, likes to make deals. They also have good customer service, very helpful.
I have been going to Comic Relief for years and let me say you definitely came in on an off day for community involvement. There has been numerous times where customers would spend HOURS just hanging out playing board games or TCG. Lou is a great guy and runs a great shop.
This!! My Dad and I have been going since I was a kid. It's a great place to go for Comics and more. Lou has become a friend to us over the years. I definitely recommend it.
Third this comment! Lou is great shop owner and really takes care of his clientele. He always has events for Magic and Pokemon going on in the shop as well, just probably nothing going on that day!
So as someone who goes to Summit every Wednesday and who had several other Lansing stores I was a regular at close on him, I want to say: Summit is literally the best shop I've had the privilege of having a pull list at, at least in Lansing. I know the back issue bins seem a little sparse compared to some of the other shops, bit they refill the emptied out dollar bins every week with around a long box or more of stuff, and they put out about a shortbox a week of individually priced back issues in the priced section (look for the new this week tab). I don't think prices or too bad either (I'm usually leaving the place every Wednesday with at least a 4 inch stack of combined dollar and priced books for less than $30). They do have a back room for regular gaming sessions, but I believe they're in the midst of trying to renovate it/clean it up but right now it's not available to the public last I talked with the staff there. In regards to other community involvement stuff, they also have a section hosting art from local artists, and they always get a ton of people on free comic book day, with several comic-con style set of tent covered booths/tables for local artists and creators to share their stuff with customers (plus they encourage cosplaying for the thing, with several employees taking part). As far as new issues, I think they try to carry at least one copy of everything the publisher carry, from Marvel and DC to Image, Boom, IDW, Antarctic, etc. on the shelves but regardless, if you add it to your pull, they WILL get a copy for you (and your pull is actually really easy to update now, ever since they added the option to set up a League of Comic Geeks account you can sync with the store - now whenever the new solicitations come out, I just bring up the app on my phone and add all the new stuff I want to my pull as I flip through the solicits books). They also have annual sales - Stan Lee's birthday, May 4th, and a few others I'm forgetting, plus they periodically do these "house cleaning" sales where they fill up the gaming room in the back with stuff from their storage space and things from their sister location in Fort Wayne (lots of back issues, lots of trades, lots of gaming stuff, statues/figures, etc all MASSIVELY discounted). They also just recently implemented a tiered permanent discount on trades and hardcovers based on price, which is pretty sweet. And the staff is literally the best I've ever met (some of the most underpaid and overworked people I've ever met). My pull list (and a sizable one at that) has never had a mistake in the 4 years I've been going there. The only time something has been missing is if the distributor or one of the owners (who live in Indiana) messed up an order, and the rare time it happens they let me know as well as making sure I eventually get my copy. And if you're a regular, they'll keep an eye out for stuff they think you'd be interested in (they always give me a heads up on Superman, Marvel Cosmic, 90s DC and Spiderman stuff they put in the dollar and priced back issue bins since that's what I'm looking for most of the time, once Alexis found out I obsessively collect the McFarlane toys Super Powers retro figures, they make sure to let me know the second I step in the door whenever the new waves are on the shelves). Seriously, they are some of the nicest, friendliest, funniest, most helpful comic shop people I've ever met. The place is the Olive Garden of comic shops - when you're there, you feel like family. If it sounds like I'm shilling for Summit, it's cuz I am - I genuinely love that place (I wear a Summit t-shirt to work once a week and recommend it to all my nerdier coworkers when we talk comics, manga, etc) and I just wanted to do my part to let people know it's definitely better than the Vault of Midnight comparison that was made.
Out of all the shops in the video, I think Summit has received the most positive comments from customers. Scores will be adjusted to reflect this outpouring of support, thank you for your help!
@@KurtWilliamsReviews no problem! I just wanted to make sure the staff got shouted out for the most part, they're by far the biggest factor in why people keep coming back. I understand yhe ranking system and while I was watching I was like, "Yeah, I can see why that store got a 5 there and Summit didn't," etc but I think I speak for all the Summit regulars when I say the gut reaction to seeing that 20/30 was "what?! That's, like, 20 points too low!" And that's due entirely to the awesome people who work there, they will move heaven and earth to get you what you're looking for. Plus, I figured some of the rankings for the store I thought were a little low were probably because you didn't have a lot of time to visit the place - you had to hit EVERY shop in Michigan after all, which is a pretty impressive feat on its own, major props my dude for even trying, I would have been broke after 3 stores if I had tried to do it 😆
@@KurtWilliamsReviews It is my second favorite store in Lansing, but my favorite is a board game/war game/rpg store with little to no comics (Hoplite is amazing but mostly due to staff)
Thanks for giving my boy Carter a shout out and such a great score for the Perfect Storm West location in apaw Paw. He's such a great guy and I was so happy for him when he got to expand and open that second location.
I live in Hartford Michigan and am an avid collector of comics… and seeing that my local shop is #2 on your list with a 28 …. Makes me proud to know my local shop is one of the best in the state when my town is so small
Tardys has been my favorite shop since I was a prepubescent and Im half ancient now. Comic Signal is killing it. Outer Limits is now closed. Thanks for coming to GR.
Fanfare in Kalamazoo is friggen dope. been going there since I was about 12 years old, I’m now almost 22! They’ve done nothing but grow over the years, and gain more customers it seems. They deserve all the attention they get.
Tardy's collectors corner is the shop I go to all the time, the staff are super friendly and really good at recommendations if you dont have a good grasp of comics. Happy to see them score so high!
Hey Kurt, I subscribed to the channel about a month ago and have seen 4 or 5 videos. Love your passion and presentation style. But this video...this was an insane amount of work. The length of the video was a little daunting at first, but I had a lot of fun and never felt like tuning out. And I watched the whooooole thing! Exceptional video, thanks!
Man this takes me back, I grew up just a couple miles from Comic Relief and the big Spider-Man sign on Fenton road blew my mind as a kid lol. I've still got my little pile of old Spider-Man comics I got from there about 25 years ago 😎 good times! Keep up the awesome work! It's always good to see a fellow Michigander making content 😀
HEY my dad owns both of those perfect storm stores I helped with both of them and it was really nice to see them on this channel also our dog willow really appreciated this!!
Awesome video, from Lansing and Summit is my local shop (Also Evolution Games but they are 40K and card game focused not comics). To add a little on summit. One thing that isn't really advertised is they do have a back room for games. Specifically 2 a month there is a game night/Saturday a local has been running for decades now. Also Summit expanded in size recently. Shop used to be literally half the size (only the board game side now) but took over the location next to them. Which has made the store so much better specifically allowing them to expand their board game and tabletop presence. Which has always been there but now really has space. And if you are a local they have an amazing board game club that is 100% free. Every 5th game you buy you get that average of the previous 4 off. Which has been a awesome deal. But yeah sadly there used to be more comic shops and board game stores specifically in East Lansing but in the last 10-15 years many have closed. Though we have gotten a few new stores again (specifically board game) but in Lansing. It also seems like a comic stores will try and pop up every couple years but usually struggles to last more than 1-2.
Galaxy Comics was where I was 10ish years ago when the owner was pitching to my friends and I some 50 cent comics, one being an old X-Men that lost its cover, but none of us really read them at the time so there wasnt much interest. A few minutes later he realizes "Wait a minute... I think this is X-Men #1" and it turned out it was, in fact, #1 missing the cover. He goes "Ope, price on this just went up a bit" as he takes it to the back room. Was a pretty good laugh all around.
I remember going to Alpena every summer as a kid and Bob's bullpen had 2 bit operation tee shirts I remember 2 bit operation used to be a acarde in the mall Grandpa would always take me to the acarde then Jennie sweet shop very cool miss you Grandpa
Thanks for putting the time in and finding all these shops! I always thought there was a lot less shops than this in Michigan! My Dad used to own a comic book store that sadly shutdown, so it's always good to see more of these pop up.
Thank you so much for stopping in and the kind review! Great video. P.s Comic Culture in Mt pleasant back issues are all now $1!! -Joe from Comic Culture
Yo!!! Hey!!! Our shop got the highest score!!!! I’m one of the artist from @thecomicsignal . We absolutely love that shop. I stop in there to holler at Don and I gotta tell you… you need a whole day for that place. I saw that you looked at the calendar, but I didn’t see if you saw how often he has shows where we can come in, set up JUST LIKE A CON, and sell drawings and prints to the community. It’s for sure the best shop HANDS DOWN. - Also… if there’s a way, I would like to send you a few prints because watching that was exciting. - Hey Don, you run a great shop man. I’ll be in tomorrow or Tuesday to bug you about this video.
I live right down the street from Rebels Sanctuary. Greg n his Dad are great. I painted heroes on flat stones from the beach for him. Just say thanks for being there in a little town.
I loved hearing you give good remarks to some of the local comic shops I am near in the Kzoo area. I learned about some new comic shops as well that I will have to check out. Love the video, thank you!
I are a michigan alsoo. you're video makes me feel like famous. thanks for the feels bruh. my fav part was when you said the store i like. the store i like is named perfect storm, because everything comes together to make the perfect storm at the perfect storm. especially the comic books heroes and the back you can play yatzee. bathroom smells like aunt berty's cat though. if you ever are in the town again, hit me up and bring your fav yatzee cup. the guys at perfect storm call me the yatzee not see. because im really good at rememerin the rules.
Amazing Book Store has been my goto shop for years. I had made passing comments about wanting to collect some Turok books, which they did not have out at the time. The following week I walked in and they had a stack available for me ready to go. If you talk with the employees they can find thigns for you.
This is awesome! I just moved to Michigan in the last month, now living in Manistee, so knowing the local comic shop (which I have yet to visit) is so new but so nice definitely encourages me to support it despite only passively being into comics. This also gives me lots of new places to visit as I get to know the state! Thanks for such an awesome video
i actually live just down the road from Comic Relief, and i gotta say, as much as the place holds a special place in my heart, i feel it doesn't live up to it's former glory. i recall warm summer friday evenings, taking my $10 to the shop to play friday night magic and the place was always bustling. great shop, great people.
We are so spoiled in South West Michigan as we have some of the best comic shops around. With Fanfare, Rocket Comics and Perfect Storm within good range. Such a great job and allowing us to walk through all of these amazing shops. I appreciated your detailed reports on each, as comic lovers we are excited to visit some of the other stores in our area we were not aware of until your video. I know it is hard work doing these and I appreciate your hard work. We look froward to more from you. Thank you!
Michigander here and actually a former local of Excelsior! Their comic selection pre 2018 used to be way bigger. Around then is when they started focusing more on games and community involvement, but they've always been a pillar for FNM or FCD events! Now in Mt Pleasant and have been going to CC for awhile. Moved here in 2018 when they were still called Hall of Heroes!
Carter from Perfect Storm is a legend in SW Michigan. I played Magic at Fanfare with him for years. He's a super nice guy and his community involvement since taking his position at Perfect Storm has been amazing. Thanks for shouting out the comic scene in Kalamazoo and the surrounding area.
This was a great video, especially seeing Flint/Burton stores first. It does also remind me of all the comic and gaming stores that are gone, like BC Comics in Fenton.
I was just thinking about where have you been while i was ordering new comics. Glad to see you back! Didn’t know about your ongoing battle. Stay strong ❤ all love
Glad you got to see Discount Hobby! Been going there since I was a kid, Steve is an absolute gem of a human being, and I love that little hole in the wall!
Tardys is my go to shop!!!! The owner Gavin is always so friendly and that shop always has so many great finds. They also have a really cool "rewards" program which gets you $25 off when you fill a punch card. A must stop shop in my opinion!!!!
Somehow I stumbled onto your video…. Reminds me a lot of my youth some 60 years ago. We didn’t have “comic shops” most comics we purchased in drug stores or in some grocery stores. When I was around 12 I discovered an old book store. The back wall of the store from wall to wall and floor to ceiling was magazines and comics. My first purchases were everything Harvey Kurtzman including the back issues of Mad comics that preceded Mad Magazine. My real interest was “war comics” and the store had hundreds of them. My buddies and I used to bus ride downtown. My friends usually went to movies while I went to the book store. They would come get me and my bundle of purchases for the bus ride home.
I went into Goldmine in Wyoming on a few occasions, and I was always ignored. No employee said hello or asked if I was looking for anything in particular. The store never had any customers when I was in there too, and the employees were talking amongst themselves (every visit I made was pre-COVID too). On the other hand, the Comic Signal owner is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. You want to support that place and see them thrive because they're doing it completely right.
Comic Relief in Flint has a lot of nights where they push some stuff over and have magic the gathering tournaments/board game days. I used to live across the street from it. I now live by Summit in Lansing, and it's my go-to spot for everything. They also do game nights in the back area and do a lot of bargain sales where they pull a bunch of stuff and make it 50% off.
My girlfriend and I live in Michigan and this is our hobby/goal. We have a spreadsheet of where we’ve been and how we ranked them as well. This video was very informative and put together. I love it
Oh man! I've been out of the scene for some time now, but Coy's used to be my primary spot for Magic the Gathering. They've moved a few times around town, I think they're currently on their third location. Their original building in Old Town had a really homey feel, and participating in their more casual Magic tournaments was a lot of fun. They're definitely too big though these days to occupy that spot. Coy's has really come a long way.
42:30 lansing college town is in east lansing for MSU. The place you visited was by a community college and there isnt really a lot of foot traffic at all around there. Love the video 😁
spot on, capitol area is pretty dead (though summit reliably seems to have customers). rip hollow mountain, one of my favorite spots in the el downtown. honestly i was pretty bummed at how the lansing area was such a minor blip in this odyssey but lots of other lcs i love got their flowers
Thank you again so so much for visiting our shop! (Bob's Bullpen) I wish you had been able to see our Comic Book Blind boxes! A hefty stack of comics (no doubles but had a good mix of popular and less well known characters) we ran thru a wall full of long boxes in just a few months with the blind boxes 😁😁😁 hopefully next time you visit we can have one for you!
This is invaluable thank you so much! I love looking for more remote stores too because of the weird treasures one can find in there. It was a fun scavenger hunt for me when I was trying to finish up my collection of Poison Elves. For someone else ya know maybe it's finding old issues of Sgt. Rock or Fish Police. I'm not here to judge but it's cool to see who has what kind of media out there and nice to turn those places into the destination while traveling.
Shout out Jackson !!! so weird seeing a shop right down the street from my house in this tiny town being in a video with so many views and supporters !
Fun Fact: I did a commercial for Galaxy Comics like 12 or 13 years ago when I was a kid, during the time when Walking Dead was still releasing issues (for the TV show). This was in like 2009 or something like that. I remember having makeup done, some choreography for learning how to walk like a zombie.
Great work on this video, man. Tons of work and travel here. Also, gotta shout out to all of the shops for being brave enough to even start a business in the first place and to stay in business! It’s difficult work. Good luck to them all!!!
@@KurtWilliamsReviews you did great! I have the same issue myself whenever I film myself on camera as well for @DeltaCollegiate. It's all about just letting go and having fun in the moment
Such an awesome video. Mike at Top comics is my guy and I’ve been shopping there for almost 20yrs, use to help Mike out with his shop for a few years, putting away books every Wed with a group of guys and Mike also is the godfather of the Cherry Capital Comic Con that’s been going on for over a decade, that can bump him up to a 5 in community :p
I used to go to comic relief when I was a kid. I got so many free comics on free comic day, and I picked up several graphic novels back in the day. Last few times I've gone were for Yugioh, which they do tournaments for still, I believe.
I'm not into comics, but my dad was. I remember going with him to an old comic book store in Muskegon called First Edition. They always had a cat in the store and that's what I remember the most and why I wanted to go with him.
Wow. Nice video. Thorough and comprehensive. I’m a former Michigander born and raised but mostly familiar with comic shops in Metro Detroit. There were a couple featured here on the west side of the state that I would love to visit. Looking forward to part 2. Just subscribed.
The comic shop scene in the state is a lot more healthy than I would have thought. Very imptessive survey! I managed the comics section at Curious Books in E. Lansing back in the 70s, which started around 1972, but discontinued around 2000. Good luck in GA!
As Chelsea residents, we're spoiled to have 2 comic shops in town. Secret Crisis is the better spot for comics and card and fantasy games like Lorcana, Magic, D&D. Clocktower is more of a trading card shop with a comic section, lots of sports cards and Pokemon TCG. Both are great shops and the owners are heavily involved in the community beyond just their storefronts.
I drive all over Southwest Michigan for work. I'm always looking for the next shop to stop at. You did a really good job giving some of the little guys just as much credit as the big guys. Rabbit Hole in Hartford is a very easy miss but it has a lot of great content. I do think Rocket Comics in Kzoo focuses more on being a figure shop, but their card selection is growing nice now too. This was a super cool vid man. Congrats on putting something so comprehensive together and editing it down to something simple and efficient for everyone.
Wow! Just stumbled onto your channel and subscribed! Excellent work on venturing out the different comic book stores around the state! Must have been awesome and tiresome at the sane time! Looking forward to more videos! This will definitely help me when I visit! Thanks for sharing !! God bless!
Summit in Lansing is my local. They have events and things but most are independent groups that get hosted there so you have to follow the groups to know when things happen also the gaming room is in the back what would be an old storage room for a different type of store about 10 tables or so. This place is the best for tabletop gaming. There is other comic/gaming in Lansing area but not as big. One is close to the campus.
Langes in Muskegon has always been a bit more limited in its new title selection, even over 10 years ago when I was going really regularly. But they are always willing to help put in custom orders if they are missing something. They also used to (and maybe not anymore) host card games and were always willing to give out table space if you wanted to set up an RPG campaign. Not sure how all of that stuff is now, but it's basically one of the only drivers of sales (it seems) in that entire mall, so glad to see they're doing good.
Lange's is my local shop, its really crazy seeing its explosive growth over the years. They do have community events but more niche gaming shops/spaces have opened up over the years and so their popularity in that aspect has waned recently
I adore Cashman Comix! John really is a joy to talk with. Unfortunately, Peter the Boxer wasn't seen in your video. If Peter was there, Cashman Comix would easily earn a perfect score ❤
Secret Crisis is my local!! We play there every thursday night for Star Wars Unlimited. Owner and all employees are top notch as well as the patrons! Can't say enough good things about this store!
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As a Michigander, I really appreciate this a lot! Looking forward to part 2.
If I can make a suggestion, consider making a community post (or video) that highlights all the indie + small press friendly shops after you post part 2. I think a lot of indie creators and myself would appreciate that as it can be difficult to know what shops are open to indies or not. I remember going around Metro Detroit in 2016 and struggling with a number of shops that were not indie friendly at all. After going around to all the shops, I feel you have a better idea than anyone now where creators could focus their efforts.
Also, based on your digging into back issues and bargain bins, how diversified were shops overall (for part one) versus "big two" shops?
Lastly, if you're still Michigan based, consider reaching out. Would be fun to connect with more Michigan based comic enthusiasts.
Also, Fanfare definitely hits my bank account hard whenever I go because it's difficult not to dig in their dollar and 50 cent bins without coming out with a pile. I appreciate a good dollar and under bin, especially ones that have a good variety and not just a bunch of Valiant or DC books, no offense.
@@EasterlyArtthat’s a good idea; I’ve found that show outside detroit are generally more enthusiastic about the hobby, but have a harder time maintaining the kind of customer base that would support indie creators. There are exceptions of course, but so far it seems like the Vault of Midnight chain does the most to champion local artists. Rabbit hole, secret crisis, and comic signal come to mind as very indie-friendly, too
Dude... YOU ARE A LEGEND FOR DOING THIS! This video is hands down one of my favorite videos in all of comictube. I can't imagine the effort it must've taken to drive around the state just to record this, as well as the amount of editing and planning it took to produce the video itself. It was so fun taking a look at the comic shops in Michigan, even though I'll probably never go to any of them since I live halfway across the world. Can't wait for the next one!
Thank you so much! Yeah it was a TON of work, but even the tedious parts were kinda fun 👌
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yeah but have you seen my comment? go read it. ignore the parts about deleting. i havent even learned that part of the internet yet.
Thank you very much for the kind words! It was nice meeting you! Thanx, Don
hands down Comic Signal is one of my favorite shops around, The Selection of new comics and back issues is unparalleled. I drive 1.5 hrs to go here, always worth it
@@regalt1987 I live within walking distance and now I'm a bit ashamed I've never been in.
@@daglemjI also live within walking distance. I go there once in a while but every time I go it just feels like it’s the first time I go every time I go.
Hey Don! 3 years ago you got me started on my comics journey by recommending Batman: Year One and Ultimate Spider-Man. Those recommendations helped me fall in love with comics and I've never looked back. Keep up the amazing work!! Comic Signal will always be a 10/10 for me
Love going there a few times a year especially for that annual nerd flea market
Your description of Vault of Midnight is absolutely spot on
I’m glad at least one person thinks I’m not just a grouch lol
It’s the Globo Gym of comic shops.
Galaxy and Coy's, I was so happy to see these here. Thanks for making this!
Same bro
It's always cool seeing any home area shops that you've grown up going to.
I totally agree on the debating at the store. I had a friend ask why I just didn't get my books of Amazon. Then they went with me... and we hung out for an hour shooting it with other customers and the owner.
The response was I get it now.
When I first started collecting graphic novels in freshman year at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, I hopped on a bus and then walked a few miles to Vault of Midnight GR. I was unbelievably disappointed in how expensive everything was....
You described them PERFECTLY, a bunch of friends at Wayne state live and die by Vault of Midnight in Detroit. It attracts those newbies willing to pay that extra to jump on the craze.
As a Grand Rapidian, it makes my heart happy to see Comic Signal get the recognition it deserves!
Dude I wish I lived in Grand Rapids so that could be my LCS
I like our gr comic shops
We are spoiled in Kalamazoo. I’ve been going to Fanfare for 25 years now and they always impress me. To be fair the back issues move very quickly, if you don’t jump on something quick it’s gone the next week guaranteed. Plus they have the best customer service in Kzoo regardless of business type, they are excellent.
Rocket is newer but also good, really good, fuckin awesome actually. They prioritize toys over comics but they know their shit and have the books to back it up. Wish I got in there more. Talk to Eddie, interesting cat, likes to make deals. They also have good customer service, very helpful.
Galaxy and Cashman's comics were my stores growing in the 2000s happy to see they're still going strong.
Thanks for visiting Fanfare! They're so proud of the new building
I have been going to Comic Relief for years and let me say you definitely came in on an off day for community involvement. There has been numerous times where customers would spend HOURS just hanging out playing board games or TCG. Lou is a great guy and runs a great shop.
This!! My Dad and I have been going since I was a kid. It's a great place to go for Comics and more. Lou has become a friend to us over the years. I definitely recommend it.
Third this comment! Lou is great shop owner and really takes care of his clientele. He always has events for Magic and Pokemon going on in the shop as well, just probably nothing going on that day!
So as someone who goes to Summit every Wednesday and who had several other Lansing stores I was a regular at close on him, I want to say:
Summit is literally the best shop I've had the privilege of having a pull list at, at least in Lansing.
I know the back issue bins seem a little sparse compared to some of the other shops, bit they refill the emptied out dollar bins every week with around a long box or more of stuff, and they put out about a shortbox a week of individually priced back issues in the priced section (look for the new this week tab). I don't think prices or too bad either (I'm usually leaving the place every Wednesday with at least a 4 inch stack of combined dollar and priced books for less than $30).
They do have a back room for regular gaming sessions, but I believe they're in the midst of trying to renovate it/clean it up but right now it's not available to the public last I talked with the staff there. In regards to other community involvement stuff, they also have a section hosting art from local artists, and they always get a ton of people on free comic book day, with several comic-con style set of tent covered booths/tables for local artists and creators to share their stuff with customers (plus they encourage cosplaying for the thing, with several employees taking part).
As far as new issues, I think they try to carry at least one copy of everything the publisher carry, from Marvel and DC to Image, Boom, IDW, Antarctic, etc. on the shelves but regardless, if you add it to your pull, they WILL get a copy for you (and your pull is actually really easy to update now, ever since they added the option to set up a League of Comic Geeks account you can sync with the store - now whenever the new solicitations come out, I just bring up the app on my phone and add all the new stuff I want to my pull as I flip through the solicits books).
They also have annual sales - Stan Lee's birthday, May 4th, and a few others I'm forgetting, plus they periodically do these "house cleaning" sales where they fill up the gaming room in the back with stuff from their storage space and things from their sister location in Fort Wayne (lots of back issues, lots of trades, lots of gaming stuff, statues/figures, etc all MASSIVELY discounted). They also just recently implemented a tiered permanent discount on trades and hardcovers based on price, which is pretty sweet.
And the staff is literally the best I've ever met (some of the most underpaid and overworked people I've ever met). My pull list (and a sizable one at that) has never had a mistake in the 4 years I've been going there. The only time something has been missing is if the distributor or one of the owners (who live in Indiana) messed up an order, and the rare time it happens they let me know as well as making sure I eventually get my copy. And if you're a regular, they'll keep an eye out for stuff they think you'd be interested in (they always give me a heads up on Superman, Marvel Cosmic, 90s DC and Spiderman stuff they put in the dollar and priced back issue bins since that's what I'm looking for most of the time, once Alexis found out I obsessively collect the McFarlane toys Super Powers retro figures, they make sure to let me know the second I step in the door whenever the new waves are on the shelves). Seriously, they are some of the nicest, friendliest, funniest, most helpful comic shop people I've ever met. The place is the Olive Garden of comic shops - when you're there, you feel like family.
If it sounds like I'm shilling for Summit, it's cuz I am - I genuinely love that place (I wear a Summit t-shirt to work once a week and recommend it to all my nerdier coworkers when we talk comics, manga, etc) and I just wanted to do my part to let people know it's definitely better than the Vault of Midnight comparison that was made.
Out of all the shops in the video, I think Summit has received the most positive comments from customers. Scores will be adjusted to reflect this outpouring of support, thank you for your help!
@@KurtWilliamsReviews no problem! I just wanted to make sure the staff got shouted out for the most part, they're by far the biggest factor in why people keep coming back.
I understand yhe ranking system and while I was watching I was like, "Yeah, I can see why that store got a 5 there and Summit didn't," etc but I think I speak for all the Summit regulars when I say the gut reaction to seeing that 20/30 was "what?! That's, like, 20 points too low!" And that's due entirely to the awesome people who work there, they will move heaven and earth to get you what you're looking for.
Plus, I figured some of the rankings for the store I thought were a little low were probably because you didn't have a lot of time to visit the place - you had to hit EVERY shop in Michigan after all, which is a pretty impressive feat on its own, major props my dude for even trying, I would have been broke after 3 stores if I had tried to do it 😆
I played in their backroom on Saturday.
@@KurtWilliamsReviews It is my second favorite store in Lansing, but my favorite is a board game/war game/rpg store with little to no comics (Hoplite is amazing but mostly due to staff)
Thanks for giving my boy Carter a shout out and such a great score for the Perfect Storm West location in apaw Paw. He's such a great guy and I was so happy for him when he got to expand and open that second location.
Thanks for video- as the owner of Rabbit Hole Comics in Hartford -- it is great to see some of our fellow comic book shops and how they do things.
Bro. I shit when my 2 shops came up 1st and 2nd. Surprised you didn't mention the cats at Amazing Bookstore. This is an amazing video. Fantastic work!
Thanks so much! Amazing bookstore in flint, right? We got them!
I live in Hartford Michigan and am an avid collector of comics… and seeing that my local shop is #2 on your list with a 28 …. Makes me proud to know my local shop is one of the best in the state when my town is so small
The amount of effort you put into this video is incredible
I forgot to mention in this video that I got my wisdom teeth out the day before I started visiting shops lol
@@KurtWilliamsReviewsI was in the comicbook shop where I had my pull box at the day I had all my wisdom teeth taken out.
Great video, Kurt. Very cool to see so many shop in one video. I still can't believed you hit snow in June!
Thank you! That footage was actually from March, lol
Tardys has been my favorite shop since I was a prepubescent and Im half ancient now. Comic Signal is killing it. Outer Limits is now closed. Thanks for coming to GR.
Fanfare in Kalamazoo is friggen dope.
been going there since I was about 12 years old, I’m now almost 22!
They’ve done nothing but grow over the years, and gain more customers it seems. They deserve all the attention they get.
Tardy's collectors corner is the shop I go to all the time, the staff are super friendly and really good at recommendations if you dont have a good grasp of comics. Happy to see them score so high!
Tardy's is also my main comic store where I have my pull list.
Hey Kurt, I subscribed to the channel about a month ago and have seen 4 or 5 videos. Love your passion and presentation style. But this video...this was an insane amount of work. The length of the video was a little daunting at first, but I had a lot of fun and never felt like tuning out. And I watched the whooooole thing! Exceptional video, thanks!
Thanks for sticking with it! I bet less than 10 people will do that lol
Absolutely awesome video man. I JUST moved to Muskegon from PA and i'm 100% taking a trip to Lang's shop now!
Man this takes me back, I grew up just a couple miles from Comic Relief and the big Spider-Man sign on Fenton road blew my mind as a kid lol.
I've still got my little pile of old Spider-Man comics I got from there about 25 years ago 😎 good times!
Keep up the awesome work! It's always good to see a fellow Michigander making content 😀
HEY my dad owns both of those perfect storm stores I helped with both of them and it was really nice to see them on this channel also our dog willow really appreciated this!!
That’s awesome! Is that his massive G.I. Joe diorama at the paw paw location?
@@KurtWilliamsReviewsyeah me and him made it together we both love gi joes
Just moved to Michigan 2 years ago. I still don't really know my way around the state. The work you did here helps me allot. Thank you 🤙
Awesome video, from Lansing and Summit is my local shop (Also Evolution Games but they are 40K and card game focused not comics). To add a little on summit.
One thing that isn't really advertised is they do have a back room for games. Specifically 2 a month there is a game night/Saturday a local has been running for decades now.
Also Summit expanded in size recently. Shop used to be literally half the size (only the board game side now) but took over the location next to them. Which has made the store so much better specifically allowing them to expand their board game and tabletop presence. Which has always been there but now really has space. And if you are a local they have an amazing board game club that is 100% free. Every 5th game you buy you get that average of the previous 4 off. Which has been a awesome deal.
But yeah sadly there used to be more comic shops and board game stores specifically in East Lansing but in the last 10-15 years many have closed. Though we have gotten a few new stores again (specifically board game) but in Lansing. It also seems like a comic stores will try and pop up every couple years but usually struggles to last more than 1-2.
As someone who rarely travels the state solely looking for comic shops...this video was great. Now I know where to stop on my next vacations!
As an avid shopper at Fanfare in Kzoo its awesome to see that score. They really are awesome.
I lived above Argos as a kid. Loved that place.
Galaxy Comics was where I was 10ish years ago when the owner was pitching to my friends and I some 50 cent comics, one being an old X-Men that lost its cover, but none of us really read them at the time so there wasnt much interest. A few minutes later he realizes "Wait a minute... I think this is X-Men #1" and it turned out it was, in fact, #1 missing the cover. He goes "Ope, price on this just went up a bit" as he takes it to the back room. Was a pretty good laugh all around.
49 states left. Great show well executed, great editing.
Thank you! I’ve gotta figure out a way to make this a career
I agree, good idea with years of material to work with
I remember going to Alpena every summer as a kid and Bob's bullpen had 2 bit operation tee shirts I remember 2 bit operation used to be a acarde in the mall Grandpa would always take me to the acarde then Jennie sweet shop very cool miss you Grandpa
I love that it’s harder to find shops the farther north you go.
Thanks for putting the time in and finding all these shops! I always thought there was a lot less shops than this in Michigan! My Dad used to own a comic book store that sadly shutdown, so it's always good to see more of these pop up.
Thank you so much for stopping in and the kind review! Great video.
P.s Comic Culture in Mt pleasant back issues are all now $1!!
-Joe from Comic Culture
Man I wish I still lived in Michigan
@@KurtWilliamsReviews if you ever visit we will have gold for you! We're doubling down on obscure and rare finds!
Prime Time Comics and Cards - Lake Orion, Michigan.
Check em out!
Rookies Comic Shop in Lowell Michigan is a spot I grew up on since the 90s. It's pretty awesome.
Same, Jack is the best. Been going there since I was a kid. I love their comic book day celebration.
Thanks for mentioning them, I’ve reached out!
Nostalgia Ink used to be located right around the corner in a smaller space. Was my go to place as a kid for trading cards.
Amazing Bookstore has been there forever, ever since 1995 when I moved out there. Its right down the road from where I live.
Yo!!! Hey!!! Our shop got the highest score!!!! I’m one of the artist from @thecomicsignal . We absolutely love that shop. I stop in there to holler at Don and I gotta tell you… you need a whole day for that place. I saw that you looked at the calendar, but I didn’t see if you saw how often he has shows where we can come in, set up JUST LIKE A CON, and sell drawings and prints to the community. It’s for sure the best shop HANDS DOWN. - Also… if there’s a way, I would like to send you a few prints because watching that was exciting. - Hey Don, you run a great shop man. I’ll be in tomorrow or Tuesday to bug you about this video.
That sounds awesome! He may have mentioned it, and I was just too excited to focus lol. Yeah, I would love a few prints! I’m glad you liked the video!
I live right down the street from Rebels Sanctuary. Greg n his Dad are great. I painted heroes on flat stones from the beach for him. Just say thanks for being there in a little town.
Love Manistee. Hoosier here, I visit every year.
I loved hearing you give good remarks to some of the local comic shops I am near in the Kzoo area. I learned about some new comic shops as well that I will have to check out. Love the video, thank you!
Great, I hope you enjoy the shops!
I are a michigan alsoo. you're video makes me feel like famous. thanks for the feels bruh. my fav part was when you said the store i like. the store i like is named perfect storm, because everything comes together to make the perfect storm at the perfect storm. especially the comic books heroes and the back you can play yatzee. bathroom smells like aunt berty's cat though. if you ever are in the town again, hit me up and bring your fav yatzee cup. the guys at perfect storm call me the yatzee not see. because im really good at rememerin the rules.
th-cam.com/video/BhS9en064yg/w-d-xo.html so I don't forget
delete this pls
how to delete youtube messages?
nevermind. leave it up.
figner down didnt delete it. edit button works good though.
Very well done Kurt. However, I'm upset that you didn't hit me up to go to some of these with you guys. Haha
Amazing Book Store has been my goto shop for years.
I had made passing comments about wanting to collect some Turok books, which they did not have out at the time.
The following week I walked in and they had a stack available for me ready to go. If you talk with the employees they can find thigns for you.
They pretty much have every comic ever printed. They are all stored next door and you have to ask for them.
This is awesome! I just moved to Michigan in the last month, now living in Manistee, so knowing the local comic shop (which I have yet to visit) is so new but so nice definitely encourages me to support it despite only passively being into comics. This also gives me lots of new places to visit as I get to know the state! Thanks for such an awesome video
i actually live just down the road from Comic Relief, and i gotta say, as much as the place holds a special place in my heart, i feel it doesn't live up to it's former glory. i recall warm summer friday evenings, taking my $10 to the shop to play friday night magic and the place was always bustling. great shop, great people.
We are so spoiled in South West Michigan as we have some of the best comic shops around. With Fanfare, Rocket Comics and Perfect Storm within good range. Such a great job and allowing us to walk through all of these amazing shops. I appreciated your detailed reports on each, as comic lovers we are excited to visit some of the other stores in our area we were not aware of until your video. I know it is hard work doing these and I appreciate your hard work. We look froward to more from you. Thank you!
Michigander here and actually a former local of Excelsior! Their comic selection pre 2018 used to be way bigger. Around then is when they started focusing more on games and community involvement, but they've always been a pillar for FNM or FCD events! Now in Mt Pleasant and have been going to CC for awhile. Moved here in 2018 when they were still called Hall of Heroes!
I love Discount Hobby here in Battle Creek. They're organized, have an awesome selection of back issues and, Steve is fun to talk to
Carter from Perfect Storm is a legend in SW Michigan. I played Magic at Fanfare with him for years. He's a super nice guy and his community involvement since taking his position at Perfect Storm has been amazing. Thanks for shouting out the comic scene in Kalamazoo and the surrounding area.
This was a great video, especially seeing Flint/Burton stores first. It does also remind me of all the comic and gaming stores that are gone, like BC Comics in Fenton.
I was just thinking about where have you been while i was ordering new comics. Glad to see you back! Didn’t know about your ongoing battle. Stay strong ❤ all love
Lol I don’t have cancer, don’t worry
@@KurtWilliamsReviews mann thank god i was shocked and worried whew!
Really good stuff. As someone who has lived in northern Michigan all of their life, I'm excited that you included northern Michigan.
Glad you got to see Discount Hobby! Been going there since I was a kid, Steve is an absolute gem of a human being, and I love that little hole in the wall!
Me not being from U.S and watching this is very cool and interesting. Wish I could visit one of the shops someday. Excited for part 2!
Tardys is my go to shop!!!! The owner Gavin is always so friendly and that shop always has so many great finds. They also have a really cool "rewards" program which gets you $25 off when you fill a punch card. A must stop shop in my opinion!!!!
Somehow I stumbled onto your video…. Reminds me a lot of my youth some 60 years ago. We didn’t have “comic shops” most comics we purchased in drug stores or in some grocery stores. When I was around 12 I discovered an old book store. The back wall of the store from wall to wall and floor to ceiling was magazines and comics. My first purchases were everything Harvey Kurtzman including the back issues of Mad comics that preceded Mad Magazine. My real interest was “war comics” and the store had hundreds of them. My buddies and I used to bus ride downtown. My friends usually went to movies while I went to the book store. They would come get me and my bundle of purchases for the bus ride home.
I went into Goldmine in Wyoming on a few occasions, and I was always ignored. No employee said hello or asked if I was looking for anything in particular. The store never had any customers when I was in there too, and the employees were talking amongst themselves (every visit I made was pre-COVID too).
On the other hand, the Comic Signal owner is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. You want to support that place and see them thrive because they're doing it completely right.
Comic Relief in Flint has a lot of nights where they push some stuff over and have magic the gathering tournaments/board game days. I used to live across the street from it.
I now live by Summit in Lansing, and it's my go-to spot for everything. They also do game nights in the back area and do a lot of bargain sales where they pull a bunch of stuff and make it 50% off.
Coy's is my go to shop. Great place and awesome people. It's always fun to go in there and kill an hour just looking around
My girlfriend and I live in Michigan and this is our hobby/goal. We have a spreadsheet of where we’ve been and how we ranked them as well. This video was very informative and put together. I love it
Oh man! I've been out of the scene for some time now, but Coy's used to be my primary spot for Magic the Gathering. They've moved a few times around town, I think they're currently on their third location. Their original building in Old Town had a really homey feel, and participating in their more casual Magic tournaments was a lot of fun. They're definitely too big though these days to occupy that spot. Coy's has really come a long way.
42:30 lansing college town is in east lansing for MSU. The place you visited was by a community college and there isnt really a lot of foot traffic at all around there. Love the video 😁
spot on, capitol area is pretty dead (though summit reliably seems to have customers). rip hollow mountain, one of my favorite spots in the el downtown. honestly i was pretty bummed at how the lansing area was such a minor blip in this odyssey but lots of other lcs i love got their flowers
Thank you again so so much for visiting our shop! (Bob's Bullpen) I wish you had been able to see our Comic Book Blind boxes! A hefty stack of comics (no doubles but had a good mix of popular and less well known characters) we ran thru a wall full of long boxes in just a few months with the blind boxes 😁😁😁 hopefully next time you visit we can have one for you!
It's also super dope to see all the different layouts and styles for other shops 🥰🥰🥰🥰
The blind boxes sound really cool, I’m bummed I missed them! Your shop is great, I hope I can come again 👌
@@KurtWilliamsReviews We look forward to it! 😁 You guys were wonderful to meet ☺️!! I'll save some Bonez comics if I find them!
This vid is wicked cool, it was kinda surreal seeing the comic store I go to for comics.
It’s like I went into your house while you were on vacation 🤠
@@KurtWilliamsReviews 0_0
Just stumbled on to this series. Great series! Great production work!
This is invaluable thank you so much! I love looking for more remote stores too because of the weird treasures one can find in there. It was a fun scavenger hunt for me when I was trying to finish up my collection of Poison Elves. For someone else ya know maybe it's finding old issues of Sgt. Rock or Fish Police. I'm not here to judge but it's cool to see who has what kind of media out there and nice to turn those places into the destination while traveling.
I sent this to a friend who lives in Michigan. Told him it's a road trip list. Great video!
Shout out Jackson !!! so weird seeing a shop right down the street from my house in this tiny town being in a video with so many views and supporters !
Fun Fact: I did a commercial for Galaxy Comics like 12 or 13 years ago when I was a kid, during the time when Walking Dead was still releasing issues (for the TV show). This was in like 2009 or something like that. I remember having makeup done, some choreography for learning how to walk like a zombie.
The amount of work put into this is insane and admirable, adored watching this :) One of your very best videos
Thank you so much!
This is awesome, I actually was planning on going to every shop in Michigan and now I know what to expect
Great work on this video, man. Tons of work and travel here. Also, gotta shout out to all of the shops for being brave enough to even start a business in the first place and to stay in business! It’s difficult work. Good luck to them all!!!
When I saw this in my recommendation I thought “hm I wonder if he went to fan fare” and I was extremely happy to see that you did! 😂
One of my favorite shops!
Oh my god. I drove by you filming the outside bit for Cashman's a while ago!
I was just like "dang, he's pumped for Cashmans. Hell yeah!"
Oh man that’s awesome! Nobody ever asked me what I was doing, but I felt pretty self conscious for a good chunk of thevtime
@@KurtWilliamsReviews you did great! I have the same issue myself whenever I film myself on camera as well for @DeltaCollegiate.
It's all about just letting go and having fun in the moment
Such an awesome video. Mike at Top comics is my guy and I’ve been shopping there for almost 20yrs, use to help Mike out with his shop for a few years, putting away books every Wed with a group of guys and Mike also is the godfather of the Cherry Capital Comic Con that’s been going on for over a decade, that can bump him up to a 5 in community :p
Thank you! The correction has been noted and will be updated 👍
I used to go to comic relief when I was a kid. I got so many free comics on free comic day, and I picked up several graphic novels back in the day. Last few times I've gone were for Yugioh, which they do tournaments for still, I believe.
From NW Ohio.... So I will be driving North at some point. Some great shops in this video. Thanks for driving to all.
I love seeing Langes get some recognitions. Born and raised in Muskegon here 😂
Aye yo! Pretty cool to see how it compares to pretty much all the other shops here
I'm not into comics, but my dad was. I remember going with him to an old comic book store in Muskegon called First Edition. They always had a cat in the store and that's what I remember the most and why I wanted to go with him.
i grew up going to mr dales. it is a 1 man shop, and im so glad its been around as long as it has
Mr. Dale is an absolutely awesome guy! we love him in the community and My daughter constantly wanting to go in. He gets a lot of our dollars lol.
Mr Dale is a legend
I'm a local of Comic Signal, and I must agree!!! :D Such a wonderful store!!❤️
Wow. Nice video. Thorough and comprehensive. I’m a former Michigander born and raised but mostly familiar with comic shops in Metro Detroit. There were a couple featured here on the west side of the state that I would love to visit. Looking forward to part 2. Just subscribed.
The comic shop scene in the state is a lot more healthy than I would have thought. Very imptessive survey! I managed the comics section at Curious Books in E. Lansing back in the 70s, which started around 1972, but discontinued around 2000. Good luck in GA!
Being a nerd new to Michigan this is very helpful
As Chelsea residents, we're spoiled to have 2 comic shops in town. Secret Crisis is the better spot for comics and card and fantasy games like Lorcana, Magic, D&D. Clocktower is more of a trading card shop with a comic section, lots of sports cards and Pokemon TCG. Both are great shops and the owners are heavily involved in the community beyond just their storefronts.
Todd at Langes is AWESOME! I've been going there for over 20 years. Proud to call that my LCS!
Heck yeah!
I drive all over Southwest Michigan for work. I'm always looking for the next shop to stop at. You did a really good job giving some of the little guys just as much credit as the big guys. Rabbit Hole in Hartford is a very easy miss but it has a lot of great content. I do think Rocket Comics in Kzoo focuses more on being a figure shop, but their card selection is growing nice now too. This was a super cool vid man. Congrats on putting something so comprehensive together and editing it down to something simple and efficient for everyone.
Wow! Just stumbled onto your channel and subscribed! Excellent work on venturing out the different comic book stores around the state! Must have been awesome and tiresome at the sane time! Looking forward to more videos! This will definitely help me when I visit! Thanks for sharing !! God bless!
Bay city guy, and galaxy has always been good to me.
Summit in Lansing is my local. They have events and things but most are independent groups that get hosted there so you have to follow the groups to know when things happen also the gaming room is in the back what would be an old storage room for a different type of store about 10 tables or so. This place is the best for tabletop gaming. There is other comic/gaming in Lansing area but not as big. One is close to the campus.
Langes in Muskegon has always been a bit more limited in its new title selection, even over 10 years ago when I was going really regularly. But they are always willing to help put in custom orders if they are missing something. They also used to (and maybe not anymore) host card games and were always willing to give out table space if you wanted to set up an RPG campaign.
Not sure how all of that stuff is now, but it's basically one of the only drivers of sales (it seems) in that entire mall, so glad to see they're doing good.
So glad to hear you enjoyed Cashman's, John is the best!
Lange's is my local shop, its really crazy seeing its explosive growth over the years. They do have community events but more niche gaming shops/spaces have opened up over the years and so their popularity in that aspect has waned recently
I adore Cashman Comix! John really is a joy to talk with. Unfortunately, Peter the Boxer wasn't seen in your video. If Peter was there, Cashman Comix would easily earn a perfect score ❤
Peter was very friendly! He was napping in the back room while I filmed, so I didn’t mention him because I didn’t have any shots to show.
As a Grand Rapids local, the vault of midnight has always been the comic store where I find the ONE VOLUME of a manga I can't find anywhere else.
Secret Crisis is my local!! We play there every thursday night for Star Wars Unlimited.
Owner and all employees are top notch as well as the patrons!
Can't say enough good things about this store!
Comic Relief was my shop of choice since I was a kid. Can’t believe that was the first one.