Howdy, as you may or may not know, I’m going to be in Chicago for the second half of this week.
Okay, I’m mostly going for my day job (booo!), but I’ll be showing up on Around Comics (yaaaay!), which is taping Friday night, at Dark Tower Comics. If you’re available, come on down and say hi.
Also, as Dark Tower is very far from where I’m staying, I wanted to know if you had any recommendations for stores where I can pick up my books this Wednesday. I’m staying in the Loop area, so anything close to there would be helpful.
I’ve never been to Chicago, and I’m looking forward to it. Thanks!
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Graham Crackers has a store in the loop.
They’re like the “enemy store” of Dark Tower right?
Enemy is a strong word.
Nemesis?
Adversary?
Bane?
Oppugnant
had to get to the thesaurus.
Graham Crackers might be the nemesis of Dark Tower, but it is a great shop that should have everything you are looking for. It’s on Madison St. about 20 steps west of Michigan Ave. I did some shopping there when I was in Chicago last December – lots of places close early in the Loop though, so you should check the hours.
What time is the show?
check this out.
http://news.com.com/2300-1026_3-6178538-1.html?part=rss&tag=6178538&subj=news
7-7:30?
if you go to graham cracker, Mark (the owner of Dark Tower) will kill you. If you give me your the adress of your hotel, i can give you a good store
OK, I am a HUGE fan of both of these shows (Ifanboy & AC) so I can’t wait for the “mash-up”.
In regards to your question Josh a couple shops that may interest you (all are walking distance or a very short cab ride)…
1. Graham Crackers: It is the big “chain-store” of the Chicago land area. It is ok. The one in the Loop (even though it isn’t their first) is their “Flagship” of the chain. It may be the closest to your hotel… but I don’t think it is their best. The customer service in their LINCOLN PARK store is easily their best (warm friendly- shoot the shit feel).
http://www.grahamcrackers.com/stores.htm
2. Chicago Comics: This store has one of the BEST “hip and happening” looks of ANY comic shop you’ll EVER see. Their indy selection is one of the best you’ll ever find (only second to their sister store Quimby’s which carry no Mainstream books at all). I strongly suggest that even if you don’t buy any comics her MAKE SURE YOU SEE THE SHOP. The down side to the store… HORRIBLE customer service… way to hip for their own good. It is located very close to Wrigley Field (the store is near Clark St. )and Belmont Ave) I would suggest checking it out on the way to Dark Tower. Stop in and give a look-see.
http://www.chicagocomics.com/
3. Brainstorm Comics: I view this shop is the little engine that could. It is one of the newer stores in the city located in the hip Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. Definately a cab ride. I think the owner, Robert, is awesome. the guy will bend over backwards for any customer. Brainstorm is a very cool comic/video store. The movies he has are a uber cool cult films that you never new existed but were so glad you discovered.
http://www.brainstormmcg.com/
4. Evil Squirrel Comics: This shop is easily the most “boutiquey” (is that even a word?) of all the shops in Chicago. It is on the far North side of the city near Loyala University. I have been there twice and liked the vibe of this store but it really wasn’t near my home so it was abit out of the way for me.
http://www.evilsquirrelcomics.com/
5. Darktower Comics: I adore Mark’s shop. It is the epitome of what you get when you merge hobby with community. It may not be the biggest shop… but it is definately on it’s way to being the BEST shop in Chicago. Mark my words… 5 years from now because of the owner’s knowledge of the product and the warm, welcoming atmosphere the “gentle giant” known as Mark (he’s a big motherfucker) will be the preeminent comic store owner in the Windy City.
http://www.darktowercomics.net/
I lived in Chicago for 14 years (I just relocated) but I miss the vibe the city’s shops have. No two are alike. It is because of this diversity I believe Chicago’s comic community is one of the best in the country. I hope this list helps you Josh. If you want any more info e-mail me and I’ll go into further detail about them. Enjoy your time in Chicago…
the Tiki [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/tiki_torches.gif[/img]
I can’t wait to hear that episode.. Hope you are on for the whole episode and not just some dinky segment.. But that’s just me.. I want to go to Chicago..
OK, I am a HUGE fan of both of these shows (Ifanboy & AC) so I can’t wait for the “mash-up”.
In regards to your question Josh a couple shops that may interest you (all are walking distance or a very short cab ride)…
1. Graham Crackers: It is the big “chain-store” of the Chicago land area. It is ok. The one in the Loop (even though it isn’t their first) is their “Flagship” of the chain. It may be the closest to your hotel… but I don’t think it is their best. The customer service in their LINCOLN PARK store is easily their best (warm friendly- shoot the shit feel).
http://www.grahamcrackers.com/stores.htm
2. Chicago Comics: This store has one of the BEST “hip and happening” looks of ANY comic shop you’ll EVER see. Their indy selection is one of the best you’ll ever find (only second to their sister store Quimby’s which carry no Mainstream books at all). I strongly suggest that even if you don’t buy any comics her MAKE SURE YOU SEE THE SHOP. The down side to the store… HORRIBLE customer service… way to hip for their own good. It is located very close to Wrigley Field (the store is near Clark St. )and Belmont Ave) I would suggest checking it out on the way to Dark Tower. Stop in and give a look-see.
http://www.chicagocomics.com/
3. Brainstorm Comics: I view this shop is the little engine that could. It is one of the newer stores in the city located in the hip Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. Definately a cab ride. I think the owner, Robert, is awesome. the guy will bend over backwards for any customer. Brainstorm is a very cool comic/video store. The movies he has are a uber cool cult films that you never new existed but were so glad you discovered.
http://www.brainstormmcg.com/
4. Evil Squirrel Comics: This shop is easily the most “boutiquey” (is that even a word?) of all the shops in Chicago. It is on the far North side of the city near Loyala University. I have been there twice and liked the vibe of this store but it really wasn’t near my home so it was abit out of the way for me.
http://www.evilsquirrelcomics.com/
5. Darktower Comics: I adore Mark’s shop. It is the epitome of what you get when you merge hobby with community. It may not be the biggest shop… but it is definately on it’s way to being the BEST shop in Chicago. Mark my words… 5 years from now because of the owner’s knowledge of the product and the warm, welcoming atmosphere the “gentle giant” known as Mark (he’s a big motherfucker) will be the preeminent comic store owner in the Windy City.
http://www.darktowercomics.net/
I lived in Chicago for 14 years (I just relocated) but I miss the vibe the city’s shops have. No two are alike. It is because of this diversity I believe Chicago’s comic community is one of the best in the country. I hope this list helps you Josh. If you want any more info e-mail me and I’ll go into further detail about them.
Enjoy your time in Chicago…
i totally agree with FreakyTiki on #5 and #2. Mark is a great guy (all 6 foot 6, 200+ lbs of him) and i cant wait to see you at Dark Tower friday
I was in Chicago a couple of years and went to Graham Crackers. It isn’t quite on par with something like Midtown Comics (although I think they were in the process of moving to another location), but it had a more than just adequate selection.
I judge a store by the amount of mini-busts that are in stock. If I remember correctly Graham Crackers had several variants of Phoenix. If they can afford to invest that much in extraneous merchandise they must be doing well. Extraneous being anything that isn’t a floppy comic or a trade. It isn’t the best of logic, but so far it has held up well.
I can think of one local store that has no mini bust selection at all. The last time I was there was the day Captain America #25 came out. I asked the owner if he had a lot of extra traffic because of what happened in issue 25. He asked me what was special about issue 25. It was about seven at night at that point and I was a little shocked. I am not sure how that is relevant to the subject so this seems like a good point to stop this train of thought.
I’ve been to Graham Cracker a few times because it’s close to my work and it’s seems like a nice place.
I prefer The Comic Vault, a place closer to my apartment, but that’s way out of your way on the north side.
I’ll try and stop in on Friday for the Around Comics discussion though, I’ve never been to Darktower.
While Graham Crackers may be not be everyone’s favorite, it IS a good store and really the only one in the area. It’s just one week!
I, hopefully, be there on my lunch break tomorrow.
I will 2nd the endorsement for Brainstorm comics on North Ave. A nice, friendly shop that also boasts an amazing video selection. The amalgam of these two pursuits makes for an interesting atmosphere and customer base. It is a 5-10 minute cab ride from the loop, but is easily worth it (I personally trek halfway across the city weekly to get my comics from here), especially if you’re in need of a break from the drek on hotel tv.
Josh You have to tell us what shops you hit and what your impressions were…
the Tiki
The comment up there labeled Jeremy was totally me. I for some reason put my actual name in the spot.