A Comic Shopper's Guide To Jacksonville, FL

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A Comic Shopper's Guide To Jacksonville, FL
By Philip Schweier
January 26, 2008 - 10:21

A couple of years ago I wrote about the experience of comic hunting in the Big Apple, an article that seemed rather appreciated by my readers – both of them. Recently, my friend Adam (who is a lifelong New England Patriots fan) invited me to join him in his journey through the land of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and here's what we discovered.

We began our day with a stop at Borderland Comics & Games on Atlantic Blvd. A very nice shop, clean, well-lit and with one of the better gaming areas I've ever seen. Unfortunately, the fly in the ointment is its rather limited selection of older comics. Like many stores these days, its stock of back issues doesn't go much beyond 1990. Despite this disappointment – more a reflection on my own interests than any failing on the part of the store – the staff was very friendly and welcoming. I'm sure had I asked for anything special, they would have done their level-headed best to accommodate me.

Next stop was Dragons Tale at Neptune Beach. Pretty much the same story there, but I did manage to find an old issue of Adventure Comics featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes that I needed. Not much in the way of gaming, but again, the staff was quite friendly and eager to help. The clerk directed us to...

Comics & Classics (www.comicsandclassics.com), just a little ways up the road and around the corner. My understanding is that Comics & Classics only recently opened (October?). It is without a doubt one of the cleanest shops I've ever entered, and goes against the grain of what has sadly become the stereotypical comic book store. There was no doughy over-aged adolescent working his way through a large stuffed crust with extra pepperoni behind the counter. There were no stacks of long boxes filled with 15-year-old publishers surplus. There were no dusty blister packs of action figures hanging from peg boards.

What Comics & Classics did have was a warm, welcoming atmosphere one might find in an art gallery, complete with the art. There was a bin of affordable comic-related prints, as well as a Todd Nauck original hanging on the wall. The store also sells books – you know, those printed things with hard covers and no illustrations. Most seemed to be genre-related, but it only makes sense. Once customers have opened their eyes to reading, it seems inevitable that they would graduate from comics to Harry Potter and Dirk Pitt.

All in all, Comics & Classics may represent a new level of comic shop ambience. It's simply too early to judge since the store has been open only a few months.

Our next stop was Gotham City Limits (www.gothamcitylimits.com) on Southside Blvd. We'd been there once before, several years ago when it had first opened. Since then, the store has grown and expanded its stock. It features a wide selection of action figures and a small but friendly gaming area. Being from out of town, we were enthusiastically invited back for future gaming events. Sadly, once again, older back issues weren't readily available. There were a number of older Avengers issues behind the counter, thanks to a recent deal, but given the reasonable price of those, I don't see them gathering much dust.

Having exhausted those stores on our list in somewhat easy proximity, it came time to head off the beaten path into downtown, to the Universe of Super-Heroes (www.universeofsuperheroes.com). This store by far had the widest selection of back issues and action figures. I found a number of 1970s-era Brave and the Bold among the long boxes. Items behind the counter were brought down off the wall with no fuss, even though I chose to pass on buying them. The store sets its prices according to a price guide, so a few comics didn't make the journey home with me. Still, I was beginning to feel better about the trip.

By now it was late on a Sunday afternoon, and a quick call to one of the last stores on our list, Sun Coast Comics (www.suncoast-comics.com) on Blanding Blvd, assured me we could make it there before closing. This shop had maybe half the square footage as the previous one, but was very densely packed with almost as extensive a collection of back issues and figures. Prices were much better, too. They also used a price guide, but seemed more flexible in their dealing. I was able to pick up a few choice Aquaman issues from the 1960s for very little cash. My only disappointment here was I was unable to find two key titles. I was told they shift their comics around for shows and conventions, and apparently some boxes had found their way into storage with their excess stock. Oh, well. Money saved for next time.

One more stop remained: Broadsword, Inc. in Orange Park, and it is more of a gaming store. While having almost no back issues to speak of, the store serves as a place to pick up one's weekly allotment of comics. Though on the verge of closing for the day, the owner agreed to stay open a while longer for us, and talked at length about the spirit of cooperation among the gaming and comic shops in the Jacksonville area. According to him, there seems to be enough business to go around, and those that share in it survive, and those that choose not to have gone under.

With that spirit in mind, he directed us to War Dogs, another game store. Remaining open later, it had thriving gaming sessions going on, and the staff also was eager to please.

With eight stores visited in approximately seven hours, two remained that we would've liked to investigate but were unable to. Several calls to Alter Egos Comics, Gaming & Collectibles in Orange Park were unanswered, indicating to us that they were closed on Sunday afternoons. The second store in question was Roger's Collectibles – or something like that. It's hard to say as we drove by rather quickly in an effort to get to Broadsword.

By now, sharp-eyed readers of my column – both of them – may have noticed most of the images presented here feature DC's reigning King of the Seas. Believe me, it was not my intention to buy so many "aqua-centric" comics on this trip; it just worked out that way. But given Florida's proximity to the ocean, I'm completely cool with that.

So this spring, if you drive down to Florida for Mega-Con in Orlando the first weekend in March, consider a stop in Jacksonville. You may find a few treats to whet your appetite on the way down, or a few last-minute items on the way home.

Praise and adulation? scorn and ridicule? E-mail me at philip@comicbookbin.com.