JHU Comic Books

New York, United States

4.8

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 212-268-7088
Website:
jhucomicbooks.com
Address:
32 E 32nd St, New York, NY, 10001
b/t Broadway & 5th Ave
Midtown East, Murray Hill
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
470 ft33rd Street (6)
0.2 mi28th Street (6)
0.3 mi28th Street (N,R)
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Today

Today –
Local time (New York) 3:35 PM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

JHU Comic Books is one of America’s best comic book stores. At JHU Comic Books, we strive to stock the best range of comic titles and related merchandise that is available today.

We carry comics from Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Dynamite, Avatar, BOOM, Oni, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, First Second, Humanoids, Pantheon, 2000AD, Picturebox, Viz and so much more! We carry kids comics, international comics, literary comics, mature-​readers titles, Manga, graphic novels, small press indies, zines and mini-​comics, and everything in between. We have an extensive back issue collection, and we also carry statues, collectibles, action figures, apparel, DVDs, trading cards, books, comics, collectible card games, gaming supplies and more!

History

Established in 2013.

Founded in 1985 by Jim Hanley and Rich Hafstead, Jim Hanley’s Universe revolutionized the direct market industry with well stocked, well lit and clean stores, and unparalleled customer service. Beginning in 2013, JHU Comic Books continues the legacy of Jim Hanley’s Universe as a new company with new ownership, and the same great staff and management that made JHU America’s best comic shop. With a diverse and well-​read staff, we proudly serve the entire New York City comic community, from the Wednesday crowd to the causal reader to the uninitiated.

Meet the Business Owner

Ron n Nick J.

Business Owner

Ron Hill has been working in comic book retail since 1983, getting work at Jim Hanley’s original Staten Island store The Merchant of Venus aka The Fantastic Store. From 1985 to 2013, Ron severed as a manager of Jim Hanley’s Universe, helping to shape the legendary company.

Ron’s favorite comics include the works of Steve Ditko, Alan Moore, Dan Clowes, and Harvey Pekar.

Nick Purpura has worked in comic book retail since 1996, serving as manager of Jim Hanley’s Universe from 1996 to 2013. Nick is a graduate of Five Town Collage with a degree in music education.

Nick’s favorite comics includes the work of Jack Kirby, Chris Ware, R. Crumb, and Roy Thomas.

Ron & Nick are also musician’s and recording engineers. They have performed together as «Tryptophan» since 1997 (www​.tryp​to​phan​mu​sic​.com)

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20 reviews of JHU Comic Books

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Place rating: 5
Midtown East, Manhattan, NY
Wonderful comic book store. The staff is really friendly, but unobtrusive and quiet. There is a great selection of new and older graphic novels, and a bug selection of comics for little kids.
This isn’t the JHU of old! The new location is much snazzier looking and much better organized. I especially enjoy their late hours, often going in around 10pm for a comic book fix.
Place rating: 5
Poland, ME
I went here two days ago from Maine and this is the real deal tons of back issues! Guy at the desk was very nice.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
great place, like go here and live here, signings, all the time, really support this place.
Place rating: 5
Flushing, NY
This place has literally EVERYTHING! I am a die hard collector and I’ve been in dozens of different comic book stores, JHC has blown me away. They are extremely clean, phenomenally organized and oh g-​d their lighting is flawless. The workers are nothing but nice and polite. They’ve been around for years according to everybody and I definitely believe that. They had a mint condition vintage Spiderman rare collectible. Exactly what I was looking for, for HALF THE PRICE OF EBay. 5 stars. Thank you!
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
JHU Comic Books is a quaint experience. The location is rather small but what they lack in space, they make up for in great customer service. Each time I go there to stock up, I’m sure to need help and they are happy to help me and make polite conversation. I’ve been to other comic book shops in NYC but JHU is my preferred shop.
Place rating: 5
East Meadow, NY
Fantastic store, especially if you’re looking for something off the beaten path. But they have plenty of the main stream titles as well. Great stock of graphic novels. Everyone there is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Check it out… You won’t be disappointed.
Place rating: 5
Massapequa Park, NY
Jim Hanley’s Universe has been my favorite comic book shop for the past 25 years or so. As a kid, this was THE comic book shop I always visited when I went to the city, and I never left empty-​handed. They always had a great selection, friendly staff, and a fun and well-​kept store. It delights me that JHU is still as wonderful as it used to be. Still a huge selection and lots of great deals, and very helpful and patient staff. It is definitely better than Midtown Comics (JHU’s authentic feel is much more appealing) and Forbidden Planet (once the twin giants of NYC, but now not quite so impressive). JHU is a big city, local, loveable comic book shop.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
My son and I stumbled over this place a Sunday afternoon and what a great find. Great mixture of new and vintage comics at good prices. They even had some of the more obscure European ones I seek out, and my son was happy to see their collection of newspaper comics books.
Place rating: 5
Long Island City, Queens, NY
This is a comic book shop in the purest sense of the word. The staff is incredibly welcoming and helpful. I’ve been coming here for years and when I was working at my formally crappy job, it served as my «happy place» during lunch time.
Do yourself a favor and check it out.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
This place has gotten so much better. I hadn’t been here in like a year, and I just came back recently and it blew me away. The layout is much better, they’ve gotten way more back issues, tons of stuff is really fairly priced, and they’ve got a lot of great trade paperbacks and hardcovers that I’ve never seen any other stores in the city carry. I’m honestly floored. Will definitely be back here more regularly. This is now my favorite comic book store in the city.
Place rating: 5
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
This is a great comic store.
It’s clean, well lit, well organized, has a varied selection of Comics from America and places abroad and a staff of people who can give you advice on comics if you’re unfamiliar and trying to get into the daunting world of comic books.
All the kids comics are up front so if you’re visiting with kids it’s pretty easy to find Tintin, Calvin and Hobbes, Asterix, Archie, Mickey Mouse and the rest.
There’s a good selection of alternative, mainstream, new and old. The manga selection could be bigger but if you’re looking for manga there’s Forbidden Planet at 13th and Broadway and Kinokuniya at Bryant Park.
Place rating: 4
BAYSIDE HILLS, NY
This is one of the best comic book stores in the New York City area. While smaller than the comic book powerhouse Midtown, they are really well stocked and the staff is very friendly. Every time I have gone in, they have had what I am looking for.
Place rating: 5
Forks, WA
This is a great comic shop tucked away in the heart of Manhattan. My son and I headed here while on vacation. We had checked their FB site for details and found they had a signing event. pretty frequently it seems… and had a great time. It’s a really well stocked shop. If you need help, the staff are awesome and quick to give suggestions. Truly a great excursion on vacation! Thanks folks for the awesome adventure.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
I was a big fan of the original Jim Hanley’s Universe that was on 33rd st. and was pleasantly surprised to find this remnant location after seeing its progenitor closed. It’s a lot smaller and not as well organized, but you still have excellent staff to talk endlessly about your favorite paperbacks or the latest superhero movie and it maintains the excellent location being only a block away from the old store.
Place rating: 4
Mountain View, CA
A very interesting comic shop.
I just moved nearby and have to say that JHU is one of the most unique comic shops I’ve experienced. It’s small, but they make the most with their space, particularly in their unique method of organizing their books. While most comic book stores organize either by alphabetical or by publisher, JHU organizes sub-​sections based on author. Are you a fan of Garth Ennis? They’ve got a section for that. How about Niel Gaiman? Yep, got you covered there too.
Don’t expect to find super rare vintage books here. This is all modern, all new, stuff. And all at a very reasonable price with some talkative and friendly staff members.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Back in my teen years I was a regular visitor to Jim Hanley’s Universe. At the time, they were THE place to go in the Herald Square area for toys, comic books and collectibles. They carried a wide range of publications including scifi magazines, horror, paperback books, hardcovers, indie books and even adult comic books (yes, that’s a thing). They also had posters, t-​shirts, toys, statues and more. The store was gigantic and you could easily spend hours there looking through their wide selection.
Fast forward to present day and JHU has moved to a much (much) smaller location, still in the general area of Herald Square. However the location is much (much) smaller. When you first walk in you’ll see some glass cases with statues and collectibles on the right and shelves with books on the left. Beyond that is essentially a narrow corridor of comic books, magazines and toys. Once you get towards the back of the store it widens out into an area that includes back issues.
Had I never been to the original JHU, I would’ve found this to be totally cool and normal, but I could not shake the sense of the store I once knew being «reduced» down to this. That description is unfair however. There are plenty of great items here and a wide range of publications just like the previous version of this store.
If you’re in the area, you should absolutely check this shop out. It’s a cool store and continues the spirit of the shop that predated it.
Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
Cool comic book store conveniently located by Herald Square, only steps away from the nearest subway station. Albeit, the only thing holding it back from being better or more recognizeable next to other major comic stores like Forbidden Planet or Midtown Comics is size, their variety, and selection in both the books and toys departments. They do carry some great, rare titles, especially in the graphics novel area. It’s definitely a visual feast if planning to mostly browse.
The toy and figurine display at front is really what attracted my coming here in the first place. They do have a small selection of some nice (and pricey) figures, but it’s not what I’d consider very rare or extensive. Towards the back, you’ll find some more common toys, mostly busts and Funko Pop figures. You may find a nice gem or two, as I’ve purchased a Spiderman coin bank that I personally haven’t spotted at any other store. Regarding books, there isn’t a lot but enough to keep you busy if just looking around for a bit. You’ll see some interesting titles, some rare and most unknown. While the store itself isn’t very big, the layout of their shelving and items is clean and organized. If you need assistance, their staff is helpful. It’s not ever too busy in here compared to other major comic stores. I’ve come here mostly to browse, and the staff won’t push you to purchase even you may be taking your sweet time just looking.
Overall, I’d recommend any comic fan to visit JHU if passing through this area. You could come across a rare gem here. I saw a lot of titles, old and new, that were unknown to me. Regarding selection though, you can’t compare it to the bigger stores like Midtown Comics or Forbidden Planet. Still a respectable establishment worth visiting if you enjoy and appreciate graphic novels, relevant toys/​figurines and comic books.
Place rating: 5
Bronx, NY
I love this comic book store there very organized
always in good stock and every time I go here I can always find what I’m looking for that atmosphere is very relaxing the staff are very nice helpful and knowledgeable if you ask question and you can actually have a conversation with them they know there stuff and really love comics which I do they have events where you can actually get to meet writers and some artist and get your comic signed in store how awesome is that I love this store and occasionally I go here to get my fix of comics.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Holly crap on a stick. This is EASILY one of the 3 best comic book stores I have ever been to.
The look and feel of this place is really cool. his comic book store has a very cheery and welcoming atmosphere. The store is very clean, well lit and the décor is pretty cool! They have a pretty nice amount of new comics. They are set up on some racks in the middle of the room. I didn’t really have time to look over all of it but I walked around the room once and based on shelf space I would say that this store has more graphic novels and trade than any other store I have been to.
Their comic selection is very good and has a lot more collections/​bound books than other stores I’ve been to.
The staff is very friendly and helpful! I enjoyed my time here more than at other comic book stores I’ve been too and I WILL be back!
I was here for back-​issues. They have a lot of em. This store goes the extra mile to organize and label the back issues with cards and pictures in a way so you can see where one section starts and the other ends. They had a lot more older comics to look through than I would have expected and the prices were pretty good. I have seen 1 store that has more back issues than house of secrets but this place had a lot to look through. I was very pleased. I am going back tomorrow.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
I was out with a friend on some city wandering and since it was «Free Comic Book Day» as well, we decided to venture to this particular store which to my knowledge I had never stepped into before. It was not until I got home that I learned that this was the new location for Jim Hanley’s Universe that I had been to on numerous occasions. I probably could have asked someone inside but since I was showing my companion various titles and things of interest I didn’t bother. That said the store has been rebranded as JHU and is in this new and smaller location.
The store is very nicely lit and the staff I encountered friendly which was nice to see in a comic store. Let’s face it, the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons is not always an exaggeration. New comics line the shelves in the front part of the store while scores of trade paperbacks and hard cover editions are towards the back. Everything seemed easy to find despite one or three volumes being just «put back» by patrons who didn’t make an effort to return something to where they found it.
The store was very busy since it was FCBD and what I liked as an observation was how the store was giving patrons a choice of four books that they had in a particular section. Many of these were NOT provisions based on the official day but likely some overstock and that was so much better than being turned away with nothing. Kudos JHU. There is a sizable amount of action figures and like type collector things which should expand the fan interest. Since many of these things are higher in price than a simple comic book I have listed the store as pricey. That is often the case with a shop such as this and it is not a slight. Just the fact.
Now since I am not around this exact spot a lot of times I am not sure when I will be here again but perhaps during a trade edition sale or to take visiting friends over I shall pop in. Its a nice looking space and I wish them well in the new location and keeping New Yorkers fed a healthy supply of comics and related memorabilia.