If you're looking for the heart and soul of the San Marcos comic scene, it's Comic Relief. This is not just a shop; it's a piece of local history, having opened back in April 1989! That means it has been supplying this college town with comics and collectibles for over 35 years. Run by the incredible Stuart family (Brian, Diane, and their son Kyle), it's the definition of a "mom and pop comic shop" where the owners are genuinely passionate about the hobby. They carry a massive selection of comics, graphic novels, action figures, and trading cards (including Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering). What sets them apart? Their impressive range of collectible vintage comics and sports cards from the 1950s and '60s. Come for the comics, stay for the friendly, personalized service. It's a clean store run with customer respect--a simple secret to 35 years of success! read more

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One of the best comic stores that i have ever been too. The customer service is truly amazing. The staff is friendly and can pretty much answer all your questions. I have been coming here a couple of years but I've always wanted to do a review. If you are looking for anything antic, comic book wise, sports cards wise etc, THIS IS YOUR SPOT TO COME TO. read more

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Went here for "Free Comic Book Day" (for the uninitiated, it's the first Saturday in May); I'd called ahead a couple days before to make sure they were participating. When we arrived they had a whole table of many different freebies available, four per customer. Plus free candy and a local artist who was doing signings of his own incredible work. How cool! The staff were very friendly and gave us a run-down of what the shop had to offer, even though it was pretty busy inside, they clearly wanted to attend to our needs. =) I was helpfully led to my comic of choice (Sonic the Hedgehog) when I asked for assistance, and they were also quick to assist when I requested a couple things out of the cabinet. About half the shop is comics and the other half are collectibles like action figures, baseball cards, prints/posters, t-shirts, dice, etc. It's not a huge shop, so it doesn't have every series under the sun, but I'm quite certain that if you asked the shop owners for anything in particular, they could get it for you and/or start carrying it. Another neat thing is that they do carry some comic-inspired art from local artists! I love when places use their influence to uplift others. I could tell the owners of this place really care about their customers and business and making a good impression. I hope it continues to thrive! read more

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Brian was very welcoming and very knowledgeable about the material there. He is a sports wiz and we converted for about an hour about sports and cards. I appreciated the experience and it is a unique store. read more

Wonderful store. Glad places like this exist. Don't cross the bridge it's very hard to get to, but you'll be happy once you get there.

I will have to say that this is one of the best comic shops in Texas! I went in to browse and left with about 50 comics! The owners are extremely friendly and very helpful. If you're near San Marcos and are looking for comics, toys, t-shirts or art prints, Comic Relief is your one-stop-shop! read more

Great place to buy comics and collectibles. Family owned and operated business. I was impressed how the owners quickly learn your name making you feel special. They even go out of their way and hold your comics to ensure you don't miss an issue and backorder any books from a series you may have just started collecting. Great place and for the über geek, a great place to buy super hero tees!! read more

Worst comic store I've ever been to from a customer service perspective. It's dark, it's dusty, and the whole time I'm inside every time I go the owners pop up behind me every 5 minutes asking if I need help. No! I really don't! Don't ever pick up a comic and start flipping through it here, that's one of their favorite cues to appear over your shoulder "CAN I HELP YOU?" No. Still no. I'm sure it sucks if people come into your store and handle all your merchandise and don't spend money, but I'm allowed to glance at a book to see if I want to buy it or not. read more

I'm really starting to get re-addicted to comics again thanks to this amazing "Mom & Pop" business. (Aren't most comic stores these days?) One of the first things that I'm impressed by is their level of service and attentive assistance. No matter if you're there just for the comics, the collectibles, the artwork or character statues, the team and staff there always help with a smile. They'll chat with you about commonalities you might share. Also when they say that they'll do something ( like order a back issue) they'll do it. It's right on my route to and from the Texas State campus which makes it easier to just stop by. As long as I'm in this area, these guys are my first choice for comics and games! read more

Walked in for the first time just to see what the store was all about. Was constantly getting hassled by whoever was working there while I was looking at statuettes. I asked if they had any Game boy games by chance and the lady responded with a very sarcastic 'No, we're a comic store...' I said to her ok, and that sometimes comic stores sell some games too. She repeated herself with even more sarcasm this time. They also have a corner cabinet dedicated to old coins and bills. I'm not sure what this has to do with comic books. read more

I love this comic book shop. I run a small business where I make items out of comic book pages, and the owner of this shop took a lot of interest in my products. She was VERY friendly, and super helpful. It's always nice to come in and have a conversation with her. I even came in one time and caught her talking about my product to someone! That really made my day. This shop is one of the most organized and clean shops I have ever been in. It is small, but I have found myself way overwhelmed going to some of the bigger shops. Prices are reasonable and she even sells local art. Love it! read more

So glad this place exists. It is good to have options in town. Not that Hastings is bad by any means, but it's nice to have a local option as well. Reading the other reviews I see that it is also family owned, double plus. I was able to find graphic novels I wasn't able to find other places. They also have a nice selection of collectibles and various trading cards. I'm glad to have found a legitimate comic shop in my new hometown. read more

This place has got to be one of the best hidden gems in San Marcos Brian and his wife are probably the nicest owners you could meet and super helpful. Even if you don't want to buy anything you'll have a great time entering this place alone. Iv been visiting the shop for almost 3-4 months on a weekly basis and they never fail to show out each time if you enjoy comics, sports cards early/old, or just vintage items in general I'd give this place a look! read more

Comic Relief is crammed with comics, cards, role playing accoutrement, collectibles, and other nerd faire to quell your inner dork. Without admitting what I walked in for ... I'll say that CR stocked the desired item and that the older woman clerk engaged me in a detailed conversation about lesbian vampires that I won't forget any time soon. read more

I absolutely love this place. I transferred to Texas State University a year and a half ago and was really wanting to find a locally owned comic shop that i could do my book shopping at. I found Comic Relief and absolutely love the place. The owner, Dianne, is an absolute pleasure. She learned my name fast, and pays attention to the comics you frequently purchase because after a few weeks I had showed up late one Wednesday to pick up some new releases, well she had set them aside for me knowing I'd eventually come in to buy them. The shop isn't huge, but the selection is! I'll be sad when I move away from San Marcos. read more

The couple that ran the place were super friendly and talkative; the overall store was very nice. It was well lit and had a big selection that was super well organized. They had a good selection of figures and cards and was just an overall good shop that I would visit again if I were ever in the area. read more

I like this place! My boyfriend dragged me in here the other day and really likes it too. The owner is a very sweet woman and they have a great selection of comics and cards here. read more

The couple that run this shop are the nicest people you could hope to meet. So warm and engaging, I spent my first time in the shop talking baseball with the gentleman (his name escapes me now, unfortunately... A good reason to go back, though!) for a good hour. Dianne is equally as warm and engaged me in a conversation about an injury to my finger the second time I went into the store. The perfect place to browse and buy sports cards, comics, and old toys! I hope they are open for decades to come! read more

Went in to find a comic book I couldn't find at other comic book stores. Customer service was amazing. The lady working led me right to what I was looking for and even asked what comic number and handed it to me so I didn't have to go digging. Then she took it to the front because I wanted to look around and because I walk with a cane it is hard to carry,walk, and look at things when you only really have one hand. Even though I live a bit far from San Marcos I will check in if I am around the area. read more

Been a customer for years - ever since college days. I visit San Marcos about once a year. Always glad to see some familiar things in town, such as this card shop. Has lots of interesting sports memorabilia, comics, and magic cards. Stocks new mtg cards plus 2 large glass rotating cabinets filled with singles going all the way back to beta. If you're with your wife or gf, there's things like Avon there she can look at while you browse ;) read more

Great local store for new comics! Skip Hastings, come here! Will say that I wish they had better cheap bins but you can always find a little something for a great deal! read more

I've been dropping into this establishment weekly to grab my new releases for about a year now, and I couldn't be happier with the place. It's not a big store, but that suits me just fine, because the owners are very friendly and go out of their way to look out for their regulars. Dianne had even memorized my name within the first month or so of my visits. The second or third week, I was presented with a pull list that I quickly filled out and gave back to them, but it hardly gets used because I can't wait to get down there on Wednesdays to pick up my faves, but for the past few months while i was having money problems I had to re-prioritize my spending and comics sadly got put on the sideline. That didn't stop Dianne from pulling my comics and when she hadn't seen me a while she even gave me a call to see if I was doing all-right and to let me know that she had a couple of months worth of comics waiting for me when I got my finances straight again, and she's still holding them. Now I'm back in there every week and buying a few from the big stack of comics from when I was absent those months each time, and gladly spending my about 20-30 dollars there weekly, as opposed to the big business bookstore down the street. Sometime's I even get Archie, Simpson, and The Brave and the Bold for nephews and such! It really shows that they work tirelessly in that little store, and they sell not only comics but collectible figures, trading cards, even magic cards. I'm going to continue to get my weekly fix here until I have to move. read more

I've been put off family owned comic book shops because of the rude customer service i received at Comic Relief. I was told that the establishment "wasn't a library" because i was skimming through 1 or 2 graphic novels in one section to see what it was i was going to buy. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone because of the interaction I had with the lady who was working there read more

Huge fan of this mom and pop shop! Their customer service is fantastic. Sells MTG singles and packs of MTG, Pokemon and other card games. I always enjoy looking at the collectibles they have for sale and can frequently hear them working on orders for comics for their customers. read more

They wanted $5.99 for a short box! -I've purchased them for less tehn $3.75! We're talking about a box you have to put together yourself!

This place is absolutely amazing. I've only been able to find one or two bad reviews on here and to be honest those people are crazy for thinking this place is not exceptional. They have a huge selection of comics, toys, posters, collectables, rare comics, and cards. The customer service is great, Dianne and her Husband are just awesome, they really engage with their customers. It's the only comic book store I shop at in San Marcos and for good reason. read more

this is the place in san marcos for cards and comics, lived here for four years now, frequent this business often and never had any problems, owners are friendly and helpful. if anyone didn't like this place they can stay out and walk theirselves down to hastings where no one cares about anything. read more

the best comic book store in the world,awesome selection great prices,the owners are amazing....katie h. can suck an elephant dick what the fuck does she know she needs to stick to giving $2.00 handjobs in the goodwill parking lot like her dad taught her. fucking country ass banjo playing,deliverance loving back hill slag. if i were her i'd do the world a huge favor and kill myself. read more