Arcane Comics

Recently decided to pick up my first ever comic book and wandered into Arcane Comics to get some advice. The staff was super friendly and helpful. They walked me through all of the basics and made some great recommendations. Now I’m hooked! I set up a subscription and started devouring a dozen different series. Now I understand why so many people love comic books!

Whenever I can’t find a title at my smaller local comic book store I head over here. If I didn’t already had a primary store that is nearby I would definitely choose this place. The lay out is really nice, kids stuff in one large room with the trades and another with the more mature titles. Staff is very friendly.

Great selection and fantastic service — they always go the extra mile to help my son find just what he’s looking for.

Big let down since it has such good reviews. I feel like there needs to be a secret room that I missed. It was just a comic book store and nothing special. The frontage is bad and i walked by it thinking the faded comic posters were for a liquor store. The selection was good but not amazing. I had troubles finding anything new or interesting to make me go out of my way to get here. I guess i found there manga and omnibus books lacking.
Don’t get me wrong it’s a great place to go if this was your closest store. The staff were friendly and knew where the book you wanted was, so ask them for help.
The place is kid friendly to you want your child to pick up a comic. However, I am positive a guy was smoking weed in the backroom that could smell it long after he finished and so could the two 10 year olds by the door with their dad.

First visit was nothing short of perfect customer service. I went asking a few questions about what comics they would recommend me looking into, I was given about 15 comics for free to take home. I’ll definitely be back.
The store itself had all the new lines of comics most people would want as well as some collectors items to look at. Toys and hardback books are also available. Great comic store and even better service.

comic store for true fans. great selection and excellent customer service. the subscription service is super simple and convenient. this is what a local comic store should feel like.

I will echo the praise for their massive trade paperback selection, but what I was most impressed with was the fair priced supplies. $ 4 for a short comic box (at the time of this review). It’s the little things that make a difference! Thank you!

I’ve been nothing but happy with Arcane Comics in the last year or so I’ve been going there. Their subscriptions are an excellent deal, their selection is very good, and they have far and away the best customer service of any comic shop I’ve been to. These guys will take care you.

Great lil’ comic book shop, with most excellent owners and employees. I haven’t been in a year or so simply because I’ve had to make some economic choices. Before that, however, I was a regular for many, many yers. they have an insane variety of books, and are always willing to discuss anything comic related.
They take your ideas seriously, and can recommend books based on previous titles you’ve enjoyed. They are more than willing to help you to expand your boundaries in regards to the choice of art, style and story, and won’t hesitate to steer you away fro what they might consider crap, even if it means losing a sale. They want their customers happy, and are willing to make sure they are honest in their recommendations.
I love ‘em and will go back as soon as I can!

This place has just about any comic book you could want. It’s amazing! I came in looking for a Who Wants To Be A Superhero comic book from the Syfy tv show and they had it!

I believe we starting coming here just about 2yrs ago. We were one of ‘those’ folks who wanted to read The Walking Dead (TWD) books after watching and enjoying the television series. Despite wandering in and being all mainstream (the hub did visit comic book stores as a kid so he has some cred, I suppose), we were treated very well and have continued to be loyal customers.
Scott is our fave employee though everyone we’ve met there (including some customers) are really cool. Scott will talk to you for a few minutes to get your tastes in books and then he’ll recommend stuff and we’ve enjoyed every recommendation he’s made (East of West and Sex Criminals most recently).
Their subscription service is excellent. Anyone who is reading a current series should definitely sign up, no stress and no fuss.

BEST COMICS SHOP IN SEATTLE /​PUGET SOUND AREA
The Short Version:
— Best subscription service around: 10% off weekly titles AND all store merchandise, as well as special semi-​annual sales exclusive to subscribers. All subscription books bagged and boarded!
— Top-​notch service: friendly, knowledgeable people who like helping customers (i.e., the opposite of ‘Comic Book Guy’ from ‘The Simpsons’). You don’t have to be a comics «geek» or expert. They will help new and old readers find exactly what’s right for them.
— Excellent web service: manage your subscriptions on their website, special order anything fast, real time store inventory updates on their website, order anything in-​store online and pick it up later.
— They are not scared of technology! They embrace it! You can send them an e-​mail any time with a query (instead of having to physically be in the store or call on the phone) and they will respond quickly.
— Smaller shop space, but their extensive comics and trade paperback collections stands up to any in town.
— Open 10am to 8pm, 7 days a week. Almost never closed, including most holidays.
The Long Version:
To say these guys are best in Seattle says a lot, because there are a lot of good shops out there. But these guys are just a cut above in a great town for comics. They boast an impressive, robust, and full stock of just about any books, trade paperbacks, or graphic novels that you are looking for. They aren’t the largest retailer in terms of physical square footage. But they more than make up for it by being nimble, smart, quick, and offering the best subscriber and special order service in town (more on that below). The store is welcoming, fun, well-​organized, and their inventory system is top-​notch. You’ll never have to dig around in a dusty back-​room to find the book you’re looking for because they already know where it is.
What really stands out about Arcane is their service. It isn’t just that Scott, Bret, and the rest of the gang are awesome, friendly, smart, helpful, and love comics. They will help you find fun and interesting titles based on YOUR interests, not just their own. But if you’re looking for something new, they are a wealth of knowledge and can help find something for people of all interests and tastes. They’ve really helped me expand my horizons and find tons of new and interesting titles and creators.
Service and people aside, what makes Arcane stand out from other local shops is their web presence. All of their stock is inventoried exhaustively in real time on their website. You can special order ANYTHING you want (comics-​related, of course), and will obtain it very quickly. You can purchase their back-​issues and leftover variants for very good discounts on ebay.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: their subscription service is the very best in the Puget Sound area. I say this based on my, admittedly non-​scientific, yet fairly thorough investigation of local comics retailers. They allow you to mange your subscription «pull» on their store website with a unique user login and password. If you are a subscriber, you receive a 10% discount on not just your weekly books (each bagged and boarded!), but EVERYTHING in the store. They even send you a weekly email that tells you which of your subscriptions are being released that week. Order something you didn’t want or changed your mind about? They have a very friendly and reasonable policy about cancellation of titles. I’ve never had a problem with them.
In an age when books are going digital and things can be purchased on the internet, Arcane proves that brick and mortar book retailers are still necessary and important. I wouldn’t love new comics Wednesdays nearly as much if I didn’t get to see these guys each week.

This Comic shop is a True Gem. I love Trade Paperbacks and Arcane has a vast selection; More than your typical comic shop. The store is layed out well and i feel like i can see what all is there without being overwhelmed.
Very helpful and knowledgeable staff.

Marvels Civil War got me back into comics. And Arcane got me back into buying them. The staff is the best; they showed me all the great stuff i wouldn’t otherwise know about like Sweet tooth.
Their subscription service is the best in town, it’s a great deal. They have sales from time to time that are always worth going to. Also they have meet and great events for local artiest.
Best Comic ship in the emerald. So say we all.

Finished up my coffee at a local coffeehouse recently and had nothing important to do so I decided to walk a few blocks and check out Arcane Comics. Ever since visiting the Star Tours attraction at Disneyland I’ve been wanting to get back into the universe. Part of that plan included picking up some Star Wars comics for pre-​bedtime reading.
One thing I really like about Arcane Comics is that they don’t waste space. A lot of newer comic shops seem to think you need a lot of empty space between shelves, but I prefer the homey feel of a smaller space absolutely stocked full of books. And when I say full, I mean full. Arcane has one of the largest collections of comics that I’ve seen in the area. They have tons of space devoted to trade paperbacks (TPB) and graphic novels (GN). I found a huge selection of Star Wars books and was approached by the owner pretty quickly when he noticed the confused look on my face. Like a great comic book store owner/​clerk should, he immediately began by asking me what I liked and what my goals were. Once he knew those he started to make suggestions. He didn’t push me in one direction which I really appreciated. Instead he gave me several avenues that I could pursue, including both his own personal preference and a conflicting popular opinion. I ended up getting exactly what I wanted and had a great experience doing so.
This store, like most, has a subscription service and is willing to order anything you need. Unlike most stores they will get it for you by the end of the SAME WEEK you order it. Usually a store won’t do that and will require you to wait a week or more until new orders come in. I was very impressed.
Ballard has all kinds of awesome geeky shops and I only see myself spending more and more time in the neighborhood. As infrequently as I buy new comics, I very well may just wait until I’m in the area and make Arcane Comics my new shop.

Arcane has a large and interesting selection of comics. They have just about everything possible that’s new, plenty of backstock for classics and bestsellers (when you absolutely have to have a copy of Fables Trade #8), and a vast array of older items that you’d normally have to hit up Amazon or Ebay to find. The staff is friendly, but they tend to ignore you. It’s not a big negative, sometimes I just want to stare at the shelves for a couple of hours and be left alone, but it would be nice if they checked in every now and then.

Most recently, I rolled up in here (or so I’m told) after I had a minor procedure in the hospital. I was hella drugged up and only remember sitting on the curb outside, «…taking in some ‘rays.» According to my wife, I was in the store for over an hour. All I know is I woke up in my bed with a stack of comics about six inches high. And apparently, I have impeccable taste in comics while under the influence.
The bill came later…
Hands down, best comic book store in Seattle, with regard to new title selection.

This is hands down without a doubt my favorite Comic book shop in the city. I find myself hopping around a plethora of different shops in my quest for geeky glory. But since I started running
, I’ve found that keeping up with my geek game needed to to leveled up a little bit.
Whenever I’m in Ballard and in need of a superhero fix, I pop by Arcane. The selection is wide and they are such great guys here. They go out of their way to get you the books you need and from what I understand, their subscription service is pretty awesome. I tend to go digital for most of my comics, but sometimes I like to collect variants, special limited series, or for some of my favorites I’ll buy a physical copy with my digital.
Either way, this is one of my spots! Whether you like Superman, Spider-​Man, or some manner of heroic… Arcane is your spot.
5 GO-​web-​GO stars or of 5

This comic book store is freaking awesome. They stock so many books I worry sometimes they might be overstocked! When I stopped in here it was a lazy sunday morning about 11am. The fellow manning the store was great and showed me around. He gave me a free long-​box and convinced me to buy two new series I wasn’t even considering, but that I am very happy with.
If any other store runs dry on your favorite comic book, these guys will most likely have it. They keep an amazing stock of back issues too (just ask, since they’re in the back storage room.
I’ll be coming back here again for sure, it’s a great store, you should check out.

I couldn’t click 5 stars fast enough.
Ballard is fast becoming my one-​stop shop for geeky sundries. For years I’ve been a regular at a local trading card and board game shop, and what compliments this better than an amazing comic shop?
I first walked into Arcane Comics over a year ago (summer, 2012) to pick up some trade paperbacks of TWD, having never really been in a comic store before. Scott may have sensed this, as he was incredibly accommodating for me. He spent a good 10 minutes with me talking about various comics and stories that I enjoy to get a feel for my taste, and after hearing about my predilection for Final Fantasy and Y: the Last Man, suggested I pick up a new title that was generating a bunch of buzz called ‘Saga’. Little did I know how addicted I would be for picking up the next issue.
Arcane Comics has an excellent online subscription service that makes it incredibly easy to add new titles to your box, with various options for pickup, or delivery if you prefer. With the only requirement being to stop by the store once a month, it’s very convenient for someone like me who lives in Renton. Pretty much the only negative I can think of with AC is a couple issues that came up with special orders. Both times this happened, they were very helpful in resolving the issue to prevent me from being overcharged. Work with them, and you won’t go wrong.
One thing I really want to mention, their trade paperback collection is insane. I have yet to see one as complete as theirs covering entire walls. They even had the TPB of Serenity from several years ago, the first time I’d seen it in a store. One of my favorite parts of their store is their «Intro TPB» wall, where they have some of their favorite volume 1’s of all time. These recommended reads are based on their taste and experience, which after speaking with them both is vast.
While there’s legions of other reasons to come here, do you really need any more?
EDIT: I’ll give you one more. The man (owner) knows his baseball.