Adelaide Comics

I still remember coming to this place as a teenager when it was a small shop located in John Martin’s Arcade. However as I grew up so did this shop, at first acquiring the stores next to it, and then moving over to its current location at the Citi Arcade. When I first came here the owner, Tony, also stocked roleplaying products, however that does not seem to be the case anymore (and I’m not even sure if Tony still owns the place — I don’t see him around, but he has probably long sold the shop). Anyway, they have a pretty huge collection of comics, as well as t-​shirts and other paraphanalia. In fact when I came here there were some many comics here I couldn’t decide what I wanted to buy (especially since I’m not a big comic book fan). Still, if you like comics, this is definitely one of those places that you should check out (though if you live in Adelaide you are probably already quite familiar with it).

I love this place!
I dropped in during the week to see if anything in there would be suitable for my 11 year old daughter. In the last year or two she has been right into DC and Star Wars. So I thought she might like some comics. As soon as I walked into the store, I was warmly greeted by two female staff members.
After looking around for a while (not sure what to look for) one of the staff asked if I needed a hand. I was absolutely amazed of her knowledge of comics, characters and the history surrounding particular issues.
Needless to say a bought a few comics but I’ll certainly be back… but bringing my daughter along as well.

This place is sheer awesomeness. They have such a huge collection of comic books that you could spend days rifling through boxes looking through them all. Though I don’t buy comics too often, this is the place I come to when I do. They have virtually every major series made, and whilst they’re missing some of the less popular series, they’ll certainly order it in for you if you make a request.
A few months back I was looking for a rare and out of print title that was made back in the 80’s; a very obscure graphic novel. Though I couldn’t find it in the shop, the store assistant told me he could order it in from overseas — for only $ 15! I’d seen this thing go for much more on eBay, so it was to my delight that I placed the order. As soon as it came, I got a phone call to say that it arrived, and it was ready for me in a brown bag when I turned up later that day. Now that’s service!

23/​12/​2011
Toilet break? Wanna get away from it all? Escape to Adelaide Comic Centre!
For all of your Marvel comics, Wolverine, X-​Men, Spiderman, Wonderwoman, other Superheros, books about legendary writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and really whatever the hell you need from comics.
Seriously. There is not much to criticise this store about if you grew up loving comic books and superheros. If you didn’t enjoy these kinda things back in the day when it was as popular as NBA cards or yo-​yos or Spice Girls, then get away from this store. It’s not for you. But if it is for you, you will thoroughly enjoy the products and service, I’m not joking.
The next guy that walked in had the biggest pair of eyes I have ever seen, it was at least twice the size of a 50 cent Australian coin as he looked around this store. No words can describe the coolness factor that oozes out of this store. There’s even medium sized superhero figurines on the back wall! so cool.
The staff even look super cool, yet super helpful. One chick had a bandana on like she was gonna kick some serious evil ass, another chick with dyed red hair was gorgeous looking like that American chick from ‘Mythbusters’ or tattoo artist on ‘LA Ink’, and the third staff member reminded me of a normal guy waiting to get into a telephone booth and turn into a superhero. All THREE staff members walked out of the cash register counter to grab the Stan Lee books from the front window. Be aware though that they’re not going to approach you unless you approach them FIRST. But once you tell them what you want, the three of them work as a bloody Super Dream Team in getting what you need! If there was 6 stars available on Unilocal,they deserved an extra star for the physical effort they put in for me.
The only downside to this store is the price. If only I had the money to get me some Stan Lee! What a legend. I remember reading Marvel comics everyday after school when I was a little boy, so it was really refreshing to get out of the hectic Rundle Mall strip and take a nostalgic trip back to memory lane where I had nothing to worry about except who Wolverine was going to beat up next or how much ass the X-​Mens were going to kick in the next month’s issue.

I’m not really into comics (unless they’ve been made into a CGI blockbuster), but I am into comic stores. Maybe it’s since I developed a passionate love for the Big Bang Theory, maybe it’s the anthropologist in me who feels like I’m observing a foreign species (the regulars here). I never buy anything in this store, I just wander in and look around and admittedly giggle at some of the merchandise imagining those who may seriously be into it. I also like art so I look at some of the pretty pictures, that’s about it. If you’re a mad comic guru I imagine you’ll really like it though. In a nutshell — looking for a hot geek, call me haha!

This is a usual stop off when I’m wasting time in the city. Located in Citi Centre, in a row of shops I call ‘Nerd Alley’.
Shelves and displays full of the newest comics, and racks of the oldies. There’s an extensive collections of figurines, poster, and t-​shirts.
The dude at the counter (Yes, the most accurate description I could think of was ‘dude) is a really friendly guy and eager to help any comic pursuits.

Am I into comics? No, not really… Manga isn’t a comic, it is serielised art… and culture and… ok, I am into comics.
Adelaide Comic Centre is exactly as the name suggests, I hub for countless comics. I have been in a couple of times (i don’t really buy comics I just read them and look at the pretty pictures) and have quite happily strolled around the store checking out all of interest. Unlike Rachel F I quite like the fact that none of the staff came up to ask if I needed help, but I know what she mean by feeling self aware and not very welcome. Generally the staff are chatting to regulars or fanboys who can’t believe the spelling error on page 16 of X-​Men issue 153… go on… check it.

Oh my god, I love this place. I could spend hours here, but unfortunately for me, I don’t often get a chance to check this place out, and even then, my better half only finds this place interesting for ten minutes at a time.
The coolest thing I saw here was something in the window. It was a farking light sabre. Not one of those crappy plastic childrens toys, but one that had something like a flourescent light bulb. An awesome toy for adults.
They’ve got an absolutely awesome range and all the people I’ve talked to who work there genuinely love their jobs. Awesome place.

As someone who has only recently gotten into comic books, I am very self aware when I walk into a comic book store — feeling like I do not belong there because comic books stores are known to have their own target audience. The Adelaide Comic Centre is not the kind of place that makes me feel very welcome. No matter how many times I have been there not one of the staff have offered their help or even said hello to me. On the other hand, there is a large quantity of comic books, graphic novels, and merchandise to choose from, which makes it very worth it if you know what you are looking for or if you are merely browsing.