Comically Speaking

A decent place for all your kiddie card collection needs. This is truly a nerd-​out type of store. I went here as a young boy when I was really into Pokemon and got excited about going here. Nothing really special, just your average comics store really.

Comic book Heaven! Took my 11 year old daughter there because she is a big Marvel fan! I couldn’t believe my eyes! I have loved super heroes and comics as a kid and wish I had a place like this! But hold on it gets even better! There’s also old records, cd’s, movies and mainly vintage and comic book related toys! I Its not big space wise but huge in selection! I have lived in Reading for 15 years and can’t believe this treasure is in my town! I wish there were tables and coffee to make it even more amazing.

Outstanding selection of comics, toys, games, statues, CDs, and really anything you can think of! Reasonably priced as well. Go about every 2 weeks to a month and pickup comics and figurines. No doubt the best comic shop in Massachusetts. Only downside is they have some grumpy employees but most are very kind and helpful!

Great store! Friendly staff! Incredible selection. Patrick runs a GREAT store and it is a MUST for any comic collector. There are so many great deals! Do yourself a favor and GO THERE!

2 out of five due to the few times I’ve gone in there for something really specific — they had it. But yeah, like so many other reviewers, the staff need some real work. It’s weird, because I used to love hanging out at Comically Speaking in the Billerica Mall during the mid 90’s and you’d think you could catch the same vibe here, years later. But no, there’s a odd feeling of «they don’t want you here» going on. In the old days, you’d just hang around a bit, drawing people into conversations about all thing comics and geeky, the owners, employees and customers all getting in on it, now you walk in and it’s find what you want and get out. That’s the ONE thing that’s holding this place back from being huge. Even Newbury Comics, a chain no less, has no issues with people straggling around, as long as you buy at least something and don’t shoplift. I grew up in Reading and are aware of the town have a sizable «old money» (read: snob) contingency, so why not make the place the working class kids can catch a break from?

Comically Speaking is geek mecca! I have visited this store countless times over the past six years. They have a wide variety of comics, including long aisles of boxed back issues. They’re neatly arranged, and the people who work there are can help you find what you’re looking for. Today, they had a 50% off back issues sale, and I made out like a bandit. They also have lots of toys — packaged and second-​hand. I love going through their loose toy bins for treasures. They sell sports cards, video games for any gaming console you can think of, records, DVDs, statues, busts… This place is incredible!

I’ll start by saying that myself and my girlfriend love this little place. They have basically anything a collector could really want, or could seemingly get it if requested. Video Games (both retro and current), CD’s, Graphic Novels, Trading Cards, Action Figures, Nerd-​themed drinkware, and of course comics!
This being said though despite the often impressive selection, I must mimic what many reviewers have said here. The staff is INTOLERABLE and makes the entire experience poor. I heard the old man yelling at another customer (who was thumbing through a graphic novel) that he was not allowed to read it, as other people have been damaging it. He acted like the young adult was setting the damn wall on fire!
Items are often unlabeled and unpriced, and should you desire one of these items you are either given a random number (often high) or refused the item all together. The workers are unable to (incapable of?) buy items, only the owner can do this (somewhat understandable). My girlfriend was told to return on 3 different occasions, because the owner was not present, to sell some items, and finally we arrived to meet the lazy owner, who looked at the desired sale items for less than 30 seconds before very rudely telling her it had no value to him.
As many have said it’s overpriced with rude workers, and not worth the drive. If we lived even 10 – 15 minutes closer, I might be able to put up with the little things, but its nothing worth driving 20+ minutes for.

I should preface this with the disclaimer that I’m not really much of a comic book guy, and that when I go to Comically Speaking, it’s mostly for their vintage record collection and animation/​pop culture-​related merchandise. OK, that’s out of the way.
I’ve been to this store a handful of times over the last few years, and like several others here, upon occasion I have felt that the older gentleman there was less than friendly and welcoming. Today, I had a better experience there.
I went in and spent an hour or so leafing through the records near the back of the store. They were not in their previous place, and I was worried that they were perhaps phasing the records out, but in actuality they’re in the process of building new racks for them, and if anything, they’re expanding the record section. This may not please some people, but it pleases me. Nothing wrong with a little variety.
While I browsed I overheard an employee helping another customer. He spent a good chunk of time searching what seemed like every corner of the store to help her find what she was looking for.
When I brought my records up to the register, the man behind the counter tallied up my total, and then with no prompting from me whatsoever, knocked a couple of dollars off. A couple of (I assume) his young kids were behind the counter with him, and one of them helped give me my change, which I found adorable.
It could have just been a good day, but I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and take today’s experience as evidence of an effort to make changes for the better.

Prior to living in Boston, I lived in NYC where I visited numerous comic book stores. I can safely say that none of the stores there were as cool or as large as Comically Speaking. From the outside it looks like a small shop, but once you enter, get ready for a very pleasant surprise!
I generally visit this store with my two young daughters and its a blast. They have a fantastic comic book collection as well as a TON of affordable toys spanning probably the last four decades of sci-​fi and fantasy. My two kids love to look through all the stuff on display which actually gives me ample time to look around. They have comic books, video games, toys, vinyl, books, you name it. The three people I met there have been very pleasant and the store owner has been extremely helpful in pointing me to some graphic novels to try out.
Even if you’re not a comic book fan (I don’t think I am, yet), there is a ton of great stuff to check out and loads of novelty gifts to consider the next time you’re shopping for that person who has everything.
Great staff, super pleasant owner, HUGE selection of everything, and just a terrific place to lose some time and get something cool. An A+ recommendation

I’m going to have to echo other peoples sentiments about the overpriced nature + the rude people working there.
For a place like this, the atmosphere was abysmal and I would agree that the whole time it very much felt like I was being watched as I browsed. Really, comic book stores should be much more laid back feeling then that.
The guy working inside was a real jerk-​off and rude as well.
I asked a handful of simple questions about a few things, and received very abrupt and forced answers… like I was wasting his precious time inquiring about stuff I was looking to purchase.
The stuff I was looking through (video games) was greatly overpriced as well. If they actually sell cart-​only ultra common games for 7 $ a piece, more power to them. This isn’t the 90s; the internet exists and unless they’re competitive in relation to that, those things will molder on those shelves.
Odds are I will never be back. There’s plenty of other options to get your comic book store fix on.

I’ve been coming here off and on since I was about 16 (25 now) and have purchased everything from comics, action figures, and statues. I was happy to give them my business and proud to call it a place where I would go to improve my collection, but I’m sad to say that isn’t the case anymore. It has become a very unwelcome environment, especially in my pastc few visits. This is due to the two employee’s that I see working the majority of the time. The owner’s elderly father and a lanky gentleman with glasses and a pony tail. They are both consistently and intolerably rude. The father will stalk you around the store and is not shy about breathing down your neck, convinced you’re there with an agenda to steal or make a mess. I find this odd seeing how he has seen me numerous times in the store and helped me at the register. I’ve been interrogated by him upon exiting the store because I looked around without purchasing anything.
The jerk with the pony tail is just as bad, this one likes to give dirty looks and and make comments under his breath. The first time I ever asked the guy for some assistants, my…“excuse me sir, can you help me find a specific avengers trade paper back?”…Was answered with an audible…” Ugghhh” before he stormed past me to look for the book. Which he did a half assed job of searching for. I was excited to take my girlfriend here for the first time to show her the awesome atmosphere a comic book store can display, but was simply embarrassed by how rude and unwelcome they made us feel. It’s safe to say that my days of giving comically speaking my business and recommendations are over.

This place is an absolute joke! I went in recently to check the place out because it was one of the last comic store in the area I have not been in. What a huge waste of gas!!! While I was looking through the new releases I picked up a comic called Lost Vegas from Image comics. It looked like a Variant but wasn’t marked. Next thing I know I have a wannabe biker telling me that its ten dollars and that I need to give him that back??? The thing is I didn’t really care except that the guy behind the counter was a total ass. This store could have so much potential but its seriously like the blind leading the blind. The funniest thing about this store is that a couple weeks ago a friend of mine grabbed two Sex variants (another Image comic). They got them for 3.50…LOL. They are selling for $ 50 and up on ebay. The people who worked at this store were unfriendly and basically yelling at each other the whole time I was there. Its a shame because this store has serious potential but its an absolute mess. To the owner: figure out how to properly order comics and get people who can actually do the job of putting them on the shelf. Also just because you are overweight and wear a football jersey does not make you a tough guy…

Comically Speaking has a very good selection of back issues as well as current books. Recently they have made shelving improvements for their toys and games but I still can’t help but feel cramped and cluttered with the sheer amount of back issues and toys. Employees are always standing in the way sorting and pulling books for people, which just ads to the cramped-​ness.
They also have a great selection of older video games at market prices. You won’t get any deals but the prices aren’t inflated.
You can spend as much or as little as you want to in this shop, and they probably have what you are looking for. My only other complaint is that street parking in front is minimal, and there always seems to be a van parked in the prime spot.
It’s not my weekly comic shop but if I can’t find something at my regular place, they probably have it at Comically Speaking.

I’ve been to plenty of lame comic book stores, but this is the first one I’ve been to that was downright unpleasant. They do have some fun stuff that you don’t see every day (spotted a Miracle Man #12 up on the wall!) but it’s pretty overpriced. And from the utter silence in which you could hear every gross bodily noise of every geek in the store (how about playing some of those moldering LPs in the back?), to the boxes piled in front of the back issues that you have to lean waaaay over to look through the bins, I wouldn’t have much to rave about.
However, the kicker was that a lot of the silver age comics were unpriced, and after spending an hour going through these bins and picking some out, I was told that they couldn’t sell them to me without prices. No way, no how, no apology. I wasn’t going behind curtains or under shelves, these were comics that were mixed in with priced comics in the bins.
I left without buying a thing, and told them I’d take my money elsewhere. What a complete waste of my time. We went to Webhead down the street in Wakefield, and while they have a smaller selection, it was a much better experience.

This store has hard to find items. Reasonable pricing (you should always check list price before buying an old comic).
This is my go-​to place for my geeky needs.

I love this store! The have a massive selection and I always find what I’m looking for. The 50 cent comic bins are fun to go through. I always get a good deal and Patrick (the owner?) is always willing to help me find what I need. Get on the mailing list to find out about the great sales they have.
My son loves the store because of all the action figures. They have thousands, both boxed and loose.
I’ve shopped at all of the area comic b ook stores and this is by far the best.

Unfriendly staff, totally overpriced… would not recommend to anyone.

Great selection of comic books, action figures — a discount bin for the little ones to pick from, and the like. A great stop with the kids and the husband. Not sure which of them enjoy it most. It would help if they had a little music playing, I feel like every word you say is echoed through the whole store where the older gentleman at the register presides… Overall staff very nice, of course the comic book store guy character from the Simpsons does come to mind.

My friend recently started getting serious about collecting comics and he brought me to Comically Speaking so I could see for myself how rad it is. And it is. It’s almost like a little warehouse, and there are so many good action figures I immediately wanted to buy them all. I’m not huge into comics, but there is such a nice variety of other items (again…wrestling action figures… hehe) that it’s easy to do some browsing. My only beef with this place is that it’s as quiet as a library. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells in there! It’s a comic book store guys! Put some tunes on… anything…turn it up and send out some good vibes! If there was some cool music playing in this place and the staff were a bit more outgoing, I would come here all the time. Added bonus: They also sell Nintendo (NES) games.

Comically Speaking has an amazing selection of comic books: new and old, mainstream and indy, and a ton of hard to find titles. They also have sales quite frequently and you can get great bargains on multiple titles. The store also sells collectibles (lots and lots of collectibles), posters, other books, dvds– you name it! If it’s nerdy and comic-​related there is a good bet that you’re going to find it here.
My boyfriend is a huge fan of comic books. So kind of by default, and because I’m just that cool, I’m a peripheral fan of comic books. I’ve read some of the classics, and every now and then I’ll pick up an interesting title. So I really enjoy browsing, and this store is huge. You could spend hours browsing their bookcases full of comics. Needless to say, my boyfriend is in heaven when we go to Comically Speaking. I think he makes a detour through the Reading area just to stop here!
The staff is great. Very friendly, but never any pressure to buy and they don’t hover over you as you browse. Some shops do this and I hate it! The prices are great. If you buy multiple items you always get a great deal. The location is good for parking too.
If you love comic books, please go out of your way to check out Comically Speaking! You will LOVE it!