Carmine Street Comics

After getting my comics at random shops throughout the city (mostly large ones) I found a home in Carmine Street Comics. Comics are about an experience for me — Jon and the shop bring that every time you visit. I’d go as far as saying it’s the friendliest comic shop I have and likely, will ever, visit.
My pull list has been there since I discovered it and as long as I work in NYC it’s going to stay there.

I don’t know if there is a better comic book store. Yes it is a wee little place but Jon the owner is the best. He is so helpful, he will order me anything. He makes amazing suggestions about what to read. Also his pricing is so great!
Also as a lady, this place is a dream! There is not many comic shops that I have been to that have women just hanging out. I know that this might not see like a big deal but seeing other ladies in a comic shop is absolutely amazing.

This place is great. Such a cool staff member and a fuck ton of comics. You’ll have to do some routing if you want any back issues, but if you’ve got time to kill why not?
Great place

Great location close to the subway West 4^th street.
The store is really nice and the books/​comics/​manga are chosen with care.
Jon waw really friendly and professional.
They have self published independent comics and a lot of events like artist signatures amd so on.
Im gonna go back there today to ask Jon’s advice on nice indie comics to buy…

Beware: this comic bookseller illegally and unapologetically sells for full price obviously remaindered books (stamped on the top or bottom page block with black or colored marker and sold for a dollar or two to stores with the intention they be sold at a huge discount). Shady retailers like this don’t deserve your business. Better to trust it to Midtown Comics or, really, anyone else.

Love this place! I walked into Carmine Street Comics a few months ago as a comic book fan, but was by no means a hardcore collector. Cut to a few weeks later, Jon (co-​owner of the store) walked me through starting a pull list on their web site over the phone. After we finished up Jon said, «Welcome to the family.» You might think, «yeah, right,» but that’s the real vibe when you walk into their store. Jon and Mike are real, knowledgable fans who are not only willing, but excited to talk to you about comics whether you’re a newbie or a lifelong collector. This shop’s the real deal. I’d much rather give them my dollars instead of Amazon.
AND you get 20% off all of your purchases when you start a pull list with them. Can’t beat it.

This place is the future of comics and comedy. Comic book store by day and late night comedy shows at night! If you want an authentic intimate comedy experience then go to the sunday 10pm open mic. The staff is super friendly and they have a large collection of independent comics.
Trust me its not the biggest tool in the shed but its the best!

I just started reading comics, and I’m really happy I came to this place! The staff was really nice and extremely helpful. They gave me a lot of background info (which I appreciate since I’m a total beginner). He really made me feel welcome and excited about reading some new stuff. I love everything that they recommended so far. Definitely going back!

My favorite comic store in New York. Jon is great at suggesting comics and these guys know what they’re talking about. Also they’re just really great people, fun to talk to and hang out with.

Actually 3.5 Stars.
I came mostly looking for back issues because I was way behind on my comic. Props to Carmine for having massive back issue stock, but it was a bit difficult having them all stacked away in heavy boxes which aren’t so easy to peruse. Luckily, the guy at the register was very friendly and willing to pull out boxes for us. I wasn’t able to get every issue I was looking for, but I was able to find most of it. I just wish they didn’t charge the regular price for all of these old back issues. 2.99 per issue doesn’t seem like much spread out month by month, but when you’re catching up it’s a real devil to pay.

Gotta send these guys some props. Alright. I know I might get flack for this, but gotta give props to Kindle for restoring my interest in collecting. People in NYC have to conserve space whenever available. I have my coveted box of comics, but paying storage for them an many other items I don’t use in a year makes you rethink accumulation.
Well the point of the rant is a discursive way of explaining why I was led to buying a rare copy of Superman for the course that I’m teaching rather than going through Amazon for the digital copy. And the staff here was more than helpful. Once it was determined that they didn’t have a copy at the store, they proceeded to call around to other stores to save me some traveling.
I love places where they care enough about the customer to bypass their own profit.

Despite being tiny (teeeennnyyy), I really love this place.
Being small has its advantages– I can easily browse the entire collection in about 20 minutes, and have always managed to walk away with something interesting. But even if I am hankering for something specific and it isn’t there, they’ll order it for me without question AND throw in a hefty discount– which is great, because my old standby store got rid of their student discount. Which is what sent me hunting for a new place. So yea, it’s a trade off of the instant gratification of a bigger store vs a discount. I can wait a week or two for a large order to come through.
That would usually minus a star off in my book, but what more than makes up for it is their inviting attitude towards artists and independent comic makers. 1) Their independent comics/​zines are front and center by the register, which is way better than the ol’ back-​of-​the-​store where you usually find them and 2) They regularly have artists drawing there! If you’re an artist, go check it out and talk with the owners. They’re a raucous bunch, but friendly. I’ve done this a couple of times, and it always been a good way to spend a couple hours.

Apparently if you don’t fit the comic-​book-​reading profile, you do not deserve space to walk in this storefront (shared with Unoppressive). It’s not that the folks here didn’t move when I first walked in, it’s that they didn’t move AND grumbled when asked politely to move a couple inches for me to walk past. Being enthralled in your comics is one thing, but being a jerk is another. And it’s not that it’s just some clientele, because as I walked out I received an underhanded ‘nothing here for you?’ from the guy working the register. Those who wrote before and who will write after will surely bash this review, but go ahead and walk in in a tie and see what happens, folks.

Mike and Jon are good men. I met them at 23^rd Street Cosmic before it unceremoniously shut down — and when I reconnected to them at the new shop — the nostalgia felt good.
You can shop on comixology — a HUGE plus — and why I dropped my last LCS. You get a discount and they order what you want — so no worries about not getting a book.
It’s a small shop — but reminds me of the hey day when there were tiny little shops everywhere — and when you walked in — they knew you and said hello.
I was a loyal custy at Cosmic on 23^rd for 17 years — so loyalty means something to me.
They are cool, laid back — and interesting gents.
They’ve got my biz and should have yours too. We need to keep these fellas around as long as we can and make them need a bigger store!
It’s a great location too for food, drinks, strolling — all nearby.
Excelsior my friends.

I think it’s amazing the way they support local talent and carry indie books that others stores don’t. They really care and it shows.

I will start by saying, I know next to nothing about comic books. There are a couple I follow and buy when they come out, but beyond those couple titles, I know nothing.
This store makes even the most unknowledgeable person feel welcomed and taken care of. Never judged, you never feel dumb. You feel taken care of. It’s like hanging out with a bunch of great friends who want to share their intense passion for something with you.
They definitely have me hooked! I would never even think of going anywhere else!

Store owners Mike & John were a big part of why shopping at Manhattan Comics was fun, informative, and like being part of a community (Here’s my review of their previous employer
). I really like that they’ve gone even further with the community idea now that they’re on their own: frequent writer and artist appearances, the weekly discussion group Carmine Comics Reading Club, and the weekly humor/​picks video Carmine Street Picks. I still get my books at the Comixology discount, and find interesting other things to browse, though it is much smaller than MC.

These guys are the friendliest comic book store owners I have ever encountered. This place is officially tied with Forbidden Planet for my favorite comic book shop.
I walked in right after Pride with my friend, covered in glitter in my rainbow shirt, searching for a back-​issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-​Man. Despite being open for only 2 months, they had the issue I was looking for! Amazing! They also told me that they have comic book related guests and artists literally every day. Wow! I’m so impressed, I can’t wait to make my way down there again.

This seems like your cool local neighborhood comic shop. The staff was friendly and I think they share the space with a separate book store (or maybe they have a novel/​nonfiction side?)
Either way, we picked up a few things. Nice quiet ‘hood.

Owners seem friendly enough & they did have an event when we came in. This isn’t my particular field of interest and no one spoke to me but if you’re actually into comics, you might like going here. If they get more stock, they could become a good comic shop not overrun with clueless sales staff or general rudeness to the customers.