AlleyCat Comics

First off, points for having the comic shop be in an actual alleyway. And for said alleyway to be as neat as it can be. That being said, OH MY GOD! A little slice of comic book heaven. Great selection, friendly staff, and they have sales in most older comics. It’s a great place to stop by and check out.

«AlleyCat Comics is a gem; from the alley entrance you know this place is something special and the shop and staff make that assumption true. They have an excellent stock of new, indie, and past issue comics, as well as, a small but well curated selection of collectables.»

First things first, I’d like to say is that to me, presentation is the first thing that makes the ambience of the place shine. The architecture of AlleyCats is outstanding. I want to say it’s kind of a huge garage that’s been flipped to a hip store. The place is real unique, super clean, with nice exposed brick walls, and modern shelves that display the comics. So to sum it up, shop is dope, fresh, fly and all that! lol
Shops got a real good selection of comics. They have games and actions figures too. The staff is awesome and friendly. Their real good people. This spot is definitely my home away home.

AlleyCat is hands down, the best comic shop in Chicago. From a knowledgeable and funny staff to an insane selection, I drive out of my way all of the time to visit these cats.

There are so many cool places in Andersonville and this one is hidden. Literally… you will pass it up.
It’s almost like that scene from Harry Potter going down a secret alley to a magical universe… of Comics!
Friendly staff and a memorable experience due to the unique location.

This has become our favorite comic book joint in Chicago. The proximity started it, but the kindness, accessibility, helpfulness, and super cool hidden passage location clinched it for us. Me and my 7 year old dig it!

Alley Cat is by far my favorite place in Andersonville! If you’re looking for a hidden gem, this is quite literally the epitome of the phrase. The entrance in the gangway between starbucks and potbelly. It feels like you’re going down diagon alley! The staff is ridiculously friendly and if you go often enough they learn your name like a little mom and pop shop. I have a pull list here for my weekly comic needs and what’s nice is that they’ll throw some things in there if they think you’ll like it. Of course absolutely no obligation to buy it.
Even if you’re not a serious comic collector, the décor in here alone is pretty amazing. They have game nights, movie nights, and all sorts of fun events to bond with your fellow geek.
Gotta love these guys!

Tucked into a little alley, this discrete little store offers a lot in its minimal space. Well-​organized back issues, good current offerings, and nice selection of board games and statues make for a good selection. Personable staff know their stuff.

What a great little store! They are so friendly here, and you can find anything that you need. I’ve been several times now. My favorite part is how it doesn’t feel like a lot of other comic shops — it’s very clean, clutter-​free, and organized.

A HIDDEN GEM!
This place is truly down an alley! If you’re searching for this place, it’s located RIGHT NEXT to Starbucks. It’s the alley way between Starbucks and the business next door.
This place wasn’t huge but it was fun, inviting, and the two workers (maybe the owners) were SUPER nice and helpful. The place itself isn’t huge but they have a little bit of everything. My boyfriend bought this Spiderman bank but was curious about a Venom one that was just like it. They knew their inventory and told us it was sold out. He then had a questions about a comic and the gentlemen was knowledgeable and walked us to where the series was. They were out of what we wanted but knew it was coming in soon and offered the service of holding it for him when it arrive in store, what a great service! By the time we went back to the front to buy the Spiderman bank, the lady had researched for the Venom bank without us asking and provided us information about that specific product. She went out of her way to make sure we were highly informed and I truly appreciate the customer service they both provided us. Even though we have a couple comic places near us, we’ll be coming to AlleyCat Comics as our home comic store for now on.
Thanks for the great service AlleyCat Comics!

Alleycat, once you find it actually down a narrow alley, is a fantastic little gem. They have something for everyone with graphic novels, comics, cards and tabletop gaming. If you’re looking for something in particular, they’d be more than happy to order it for you or hold a copy of the newest edition of your favorite comic.
Whether you’re stopping in just to pick up some comics or looking to hang out, Alleycat is a great place for it!

Nothing but love for Alley Cat and all the great folks that work there. Friendly, knowledgeable, and needs, this is my favorite business to give my time as well as my money in all of Chicago.

Another place that, when I visit, I get this overwhelming sense that everything will be OK if I could just stay in their store forever. (Nothing crazy or delusional about that, nope).
Alley Cat is so special, walk down tiny whimsical brick gangway to comic paradise. I’m not a big super hero person and my boyfriend isn’t either but we have found comics to enjoy here. Half the fun is browsing their extremely huge selection of comics, admiring the art and picking up a new title to take home.
If you are, or know someone who is, a huge comic freak they have some really great, although kind pricey, hardbound full color books that would make great gifts for a true collector. Many toys and games and paraphernalia line their shelves. They have a nice selection of comics and books for younger kids and an animé section of manga. They have boxes of what seem to be older publications of classic titles and plenty of nerdy card games like Magic the Gathering. I think they actually host Magic games here throughout the week and movie nights.
The staff are all very friendly and never pressure you to buy anything, its a very welcoming environment to stop at and have a look around. A nice asset to the neighborhood and a favorite weekend stop for the bf and I.

Full on YES. For Alley Cat. Great people, very helpful and easy going. I take my kids and there’s something for everyone. The owners kid is often there on weekends so kids are welcome. Go, just to sneak down the alley

Comic book stores don’t get much cleaner and well-​organized than this. They aren’t as large as a lot of other comic book stores in Chicago. They don’t have a lot of the «toys» you’ll see jammed into nooks and crannies in other places. I’m not into comic books as much as the people I was with, so I’ll let others review the place in depth.

An awesome little comic shop, literally, hidden down the alley (as the name implies). I wish they had some more figurines but they did have some other cool swag (like a Doctor Who Tardis scarf).
The staff was really friendly and knew their stuff.

This is my Neighborhood Comicbook Shop. I’m here once a week spending all my hard-​earned money on comics (don’t judge me). The customer service is tops. Don’t know what you’re looking for? They’ll happily recommend something that you’ll end up loving. Remember a book you saw a few months ago and it was blue and about a superhero? They’ll find it or die trying. Want to put a few books aside to pick up later? I’m almost 100% sure they’ll do that. In short, they’re extremely nice, and extremely knowledgeable, and would even probably help you deliver your child if the timing was right.
Another thing I like about this store is that all are welcome. For all the time I’ve spent there I’ve never once seen a customer make it in the shop without being warmly greeted. No one is ignored; no one is slighted, and let’s face it, you can’t say that about a lot of comic shops. You’re not going to get dissed for liking Bat Mite, or laughed at for digging Greg Land’s art, or any other comic-​related offense. Alley Cat just doesn’t have that vibe.
The vibe it DOES have, is clean, tidy, and warm. You won’t be tripping over boxes of random crap, or accidentally knocking books off the shelves because they’ve been there for months and have started to warp. You won’t smell that musty moldering old-​book smell present in some shops (sorry, places who still sport the carpet you had when your store opened 25 years-​ago, but you know it’s true), And you won’t run out of things to peruse until long after your parking meter has expired (be careful, this has happened to me a few times already) because the place is packed with great stuff.
Not only do they carry all the titles from your Marvels and DC’s (and all their imprints), but they treat independent /​alternative/​smaller-​press comics with the equal reverence. They’ve got a huge selection of trades and graphic novels as well as a great selection of various games (Magic gatherings also happen here weekly, so, you can do that), statues, figures, shirts, magazine, AND a great kid’s section! Can you even believe it? So much stuff… it’s pretty amazing.
Lastly, the neighborhood. It’s a walking neighborhood as well as a parking, shopping, and driving-​away neighborhood. Starbucks, Potbellies, lot’s of eateries and ice creameries, and shops are within footsteps of AlleyCat (which is hidden at the end of a small. but completely safe alley between Starbucks and Potbellies). The only downside is that in the summer on Wednesdays — that’s «comic book day» for those that don’t know — there’s a stupid old farmer’s market half a block away (just kidding, it’s excellent). that makes parking a bit harder to find. Not nearly impossible, just a bit harrowing if you’re running out of gas. Still, worth it though.
Finally, you should really support your local comic shop. If you haven’t been comic shopping since you were a kid (like in the 90’s, like Youngblood, am I right?), or you fell out of it because you thought you’d set aside childish things for a job and a car and kids, well, you should go back NOW. Things have changed. This is the titanium age of comics (I think I just made that up). The
literally better now than it’s ever been. The stories are amazing and encompass every imaginable genre and subject (including zombies). Amazing artists and writers are being employed by comic companies (or starting their own) in incredible numbers, and it makes the comic experience so much more fulfilling. You should re-​check it out. It’s awesome.

The staff is very helpful and friendly. Amazing customer service. I seen a ton of interesting comics, and although I’m not a comics person, I do enjoy certain shows (like Doctor Who and BTVS) that the store caters too. And there’s comics and games you can ffind on those hip, campy, tongue-​in cheek shows too ;p
Definitely give this place a try!

Go. Take the kids. Get them addicted young. DO IT.
1. Place is awesome; location kick ass
2. Staff is friendly.
3. They keep their pulls right behind the counter and know your name.
4. Awesome events
5. Great selection; don’t see something you want? ASK!
6. So classy & fun
I wish this place continued success!

I get that Andersonville is tiny and everyone gets excited about a new place opening up, but seriously? Besides having an extremely cool location this place has nothing going for it. And it’s getting two strikes from me on big issues.
First off, the selection is super duper tiny. Went in on a Friday morning when they first opened and there were so many holes of things sold out. I would say ‘good for you’ but instead I say ‘shame on you for not ordering enough of what you customers want’.
Additionally, being in Andersonville, I didn’t think I would feel like I would stick out like a sore thumb. There’s a weird thing that happens when a girl walks into a comic book stores — not all but some — and it’s where all the boys stare like they’re thinking I walked in the wrong place. And then offers no hello, no help, and when I decide to check out after perusing their tiny selection, not a word. And when my wife compliments you on your space, you answer. Don’t just keep your eyes low and ring my credit card through. Not. One. Word. This is rude and I already wanted to tell the dude to forget it but my card had been processed.
Secondly, it’s been brought to my attention that they refuse to carry gay and lesbian books because they’re «family friendly». To start, look at what neighborhood you’re in. And also, you have comic books that have porn in them. Saga for instance is on the second to last shelf where any child could pick it up. If you’re SO worried about being family friendly, you would either ban that too or put it up higher.
I’m not sure if this is a business that doesn’t want conflict. Or if they’re just altogether not gay friendly. Perhaps this is why my wife and I got the cold shoulder when we entered even though we were spending money — and not on fluff either — I’m a Walking Dead girl!
I would advise my friends and other comic lovers to not enter this store though because they’re using some crap business practices. Go to Chicago Comics where you’re not shunned just for being a girl or even being gay — this place is wack!