I go to C2A multiple times a week, for both comics and to play MTG. They have a great selection of comics, and are happy to order anything they don't have in store. You can maintain a pull list and box with them to save time every week and to make sure you get the issues you want. For MTG, they have a large selection of sealed product and accessories. Accessories are all discounted if you play at their events. Their weekly FNM and Sunday draft/standard/pioneer events have a great vibe. You get knowledgeable players, and they are super accessible to new players. The space is a little tight, but they make it work, and the prize payout is very fair with most players leaving with at least a pack. Prerelease events are usually the cheapest around and are held at HomeSlyce in the same shopping center. Definitely check them out! read more

They have the best selection of comics and cards. The people are extremely nice and knowledgeable across a breadth of comics. I cannot recommend this place enough. No problems here and glad to see they are still in business after all these decades!!! it speaks mountains as to why! read more

My main comic store in Maryland. Good selection of graphic novels for teen/adult as well as a reasonable section for younger kids. The girls who work there are friendly and helpful. I hear them talk with the regulars all the time about different comics. I have been going recently for Pokemon cards for my son. Average price for packs, but they have stuff in stock. Also can look through loose commons so that is nice. Parking is ample in the plaza. read more

Bad business. The price of a comic book o purchased was changed at the register. This is the worst thing you can do as a comic book shop owner. you are not willing to do your job until after I've done all the work. This is an embarrassing way to do business. Do better read more

Comics To Astonish Inc - Bad business - Comic Books Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

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Great customer service! I stumbled upon this shop after getting pho next door. Looked around and saw some interesting things I wanted to buy. I bought a sailor moon funko mini figurine and the first issue of Silk by marvel comics for ~$13. Will definitely come here again to buy the second issue of silk. read more

Had a poor experience when purchasing Pokemon cards here. The packs were 100% resealed and they need to check their supplier. Would not recommend for Pokemon, but great comics! read more

Comics to Astonish is a really nice comic book store in one of the little hidden shopping centers on Snowden River Parkway. They dedicate most of their shelf space to graphic novels - I was glad to find some classics as gifts - and of course they have comic books. The comic books themselves are in a relatively small section up front, as they rotate them into long boxes after just a few weeks. The staff member was able to find last month's issue for me quickly and easily when I asked. The rest of the store is dedicated to many different pop items and games, making this a good place to stops whether you're a collector or looking to pick up a fun gift for someone. read more

The shop is fairly small and if you're looking to dig for some past issues then stay away on Saturdays. They push the boxes to the side due to gaming in the back (which is fine) but it makes the back half pretty much unusable if you're not purchasing new comics. I also found their pricing of back issues to be a bit high. The employees seemed nice and were pretty helpful. If you only buy new comics and you're in the area then I suppose you could stop in. If you're looking for back issues then I'd probably try another store first to get more friendly pricing. read more

Staff were very kind and helpful. Good collection of current and backlog DC comics, among other brands. When I went there, they had all variant covers of DC Pride 1 available even though it was a week after the release date!! read more

To all brown and black gamers and nerdy types, if you walk in here expect to be receive passive aggressive / micro aggressive interaction. I walked in here Wednesday night hoping to find some MtG cards. I was super excited because I knew what i was looking for and felt like a comic shop might have cards for sale. When I walk in some older white dude and a washed out pink haired white woman is behind the register finishing a transaction. No one said hello or acknowledged my entrance. I go for the cards as soon as I see them. In the ten minutes I spend looking and finding the cards I want to purchase the woman is talking to the guy about Washington DC, a conference, her experience at Pride with her ex, and her ex being hit on by a bouncer at a bar after Pride. Closer towards the five minute mark I finalize on the decision of what I'm hoping are cards I'm purchasing. I wait as the stories unfold, my excitement diminishing the longer I realize that the woman has no intentions of asking if I need any help. Granted i was crouching to see cards on the unlit display case at around 8 minutes I noticeably stand up and lean on the counter several feet away from the front of the store closer to the end of the cards. The woman stops mid conversation and remains at the front to ask if I need anything. I thought it was weird that she didn't approach me to see what i was looking at. I told her that I was hoping to buy cards. She gives me a moment of silence from the front of the store. I follow up with "I can give you a list." She, still hovering at the register, has yet to get away from the register to see the cards I'm looking at. Meanwhile the old dude is looking at us talk at each other. It may very well be very bad service or a largely disappointing employee but I will not rule out a white womans ability to uphold white supremacy by gatekeeping predominantly white spaces. I mention a single card of many that I want to purchase and says hold on I have to get my phone. She does so, and I repeat only one of the card I want. From her seat she tells me to hold on again so that she can pull up prices of the cards. At this point I recognize that this person has no intentions of treating me with any kind of respect and decide to walk out of this comic shop. I recommend to all PoC and black folk to do another spot you'll find better. read more

My favorite place for Friday Night Magic! Prizes are good, and there are two events each Friday night. Everyone there is friendly, and players range from young, to average, to competitive. They have a great group of players, who are all helpful and each trying to get better. The only con is a lack of space. It isn't always packed, and even when it is, getting around isn't that hard read more

I've been collecting comic books for the past 20 years (with a bunch of off years here and there) so I've been frequenting many of these types of stores for quite some time. The best ones in my opinion have lots of boxes of old issues, really expensive collector issues in the glass case, new issues on the newsstand and tons of action hero toys. This is that type of store. Some comic book stores these days only focus on new issues and the collectors books. Those stores are fine but it's nice to be able to pick up some older issues. This store has great prices on boxes, bags/boards and graphic novels. The staff is extremely helpful and they really know their stuff when it comes to comics and the authors. read more

I have been to many comic book stores throughout Maryland. This one is by far the most expensive comic book store I have ever visited. Their prices are so high I would be surprised if many comic book collectors even buy stuff here. My guess would be most of their sales are from people that just don't know much about value / cost. Their back issues are priced way above their value based on condition. I did some price comparing while I was in the store. They wanted $35 for an old fantastic four. I looked the book up based on condition using all the main price guides. The books value was about $10. I needed a long box so I thought what the hell. These long boxes cost me around $5.99 at my regular comic book store. $10.55 was the cost at this store. They also sell CGC slabs online. The same books have been listed on the site for years because...well they are just too highly priced. I would not recommend this store when purchasing comic books. read more

Great place. Handles difficult people well. Friday a very disrespectful customer came in the store. The customer purposely disrupted the Magic game continuously. The staff and volunteer who organizes the event were very diplomatic. The customer was asked to leave politely and then called 911. The staff remained calm and even calmed the players. For such a complex situation, the staff and organizer help the resolution impeccably. Good job Comics to Astonish. read more

If you are a FNM player this store is definitely a 'go-to' place. People here are serious about the game, which makes for great deck testing for me! They have consistent pre-releases and drafts and try to make everyone happy with complimentary packs even for those in last place. Now for the comic heads, you'll want to listen to this one. They have an array of different comics from new to old (especially old if you're into completing your collection) my dad loves his comics and he goes here once a week just like me (just for different reasons) So all in all, great store! read more

There is a lot to be said about this store. I would recommend this place to folks. I miss playing magic here. However there are a lot of things i don't miss. the good things: - there is an astonishingly large product selection. This includes the games, comics and magic cards. -friendly staff. The player community is one of the best I've experienced in years. The community is so diverse (including younger kids). The magic community is known to be full of doodoo heads, so anywhere i see adults playing nicely and fairly with kids means something is being done right. - events have really high payouts for winning. The things that i don't miss: -the lack of space for events. The internal space is poorly managed. I have often had to sit in the poor pizza shop next door and take up their seats(where thankfully a toilet can be found). We are lucky that the pizza place has not revolted yet. If they ever do I don't know what would happen to the frequent problem pf excess players in the store. On other occasions i have seen people STANDING while playing magic on cardboard boxes because no seating was available(i have been that perspn once before also ). From personal experience I've watched the store go from 12 people or so to 50 players a week over the course of 8 months. Although this is an impressive feat, the fact that there is no room in the store shows an overall lack of control when organizing events, especially since there is no room for that kind of crowd. I would not recommend doing a prerelease here ever for that reason -- the popular items aren't distributed properly, so not showing up to the first two events is a guaranteed loss of good pick for the pack you may have wanted to play. Their Mount Airy location is better. read more

I have been a subscriber at this store for 6 years. Keegan is a great owner that gives good discounts. He has a good staff that runs the store when he isn't there. Simone, Eric and Josh do a great job helping me when I need a book. Highly recommended. read more

Great selection and always hosting MTG Hero Clix games every week, a very nice and knowledgeable staff can please the novice to hardcore collector read more

While it's good to have a local comic store in the area, it's a shame that their stock is limited to such a specific clientele. Lots of new comics, lots of statues, paperbacks, even a kids section and a manga section. But the back issues are tucked away and often inaccessible, plus the mark-up on them is high even by comic book store standards. The walls are lined with DC Direct/Marvel Select figures, but no NECA, no Storm Collectibles, no Mezco, no Super7, no Japanese imports like Figuarts. You won't find the trendiest collectibles here or much else outside of mainstream superheroes, Magic: the Gathering and way too many Funko Pops. read more

Clean store and friendly staff. They even recently updated their sign, which shows a desire to present a good image. But the drawback is that they seem to under order copies, even with really popular titles. I've shown up on a Wednesday morning and not been able to buy a new issue. read more

The people at CTA are really nice. They are helpful, funny, etc. But their back issue selection is really lacking. I can never find any back issue I'm looking for. I don't consider the ones im looking for that rare. I can find most of the issues online for like .75. Rarely have I walked out of a comic shop disappointed. I have done that 5 times. I end up just buying random issues just because i hate feeling like i wasted someone's time after asking them 5 questions about certain issues im looking for. read more

Best place to get comic books and get collectibles yet it's very big store.

I used to hang out here almost every saturday growing up. Huge selection of magic cards and comics/graphic novels. Prices are ok and they will reserve things for you. Staff is friendly and honest. Glad they are still in business! read more

This comic shop is amazing. I have been playing her over a year and found the people to be really nice, and I am not worried about someone stealing my stuff like other stores. The prize support for magic is really good and they run multiple events each Friday. It's great when you can do standard and draft in the same night. The selection of singles and packs are great. You can even get unlimited booster packs as well as modern master packs. They have an online store that is stocked pretty well. I would recommend this place as your magic Mecca. read more

I love this shop! The lady behind the counter answered all my dumb questions about magic the gathering with patience and kindness!

I had already written a review for this store but I didn't see it listed so I wanted to rewrite my review. When I visited this store a few months back I was amazed by how high some of the prices were on the sealed product! They had a very wide selection but I could not justify paying the amount of money asking for Magic the Gathering cards. The prices were borderline ridiculous. I hope they adjusted them by now as I'm sure they would sell much more. I can't speak for the rest of the store though. Some of the other items, comic books and such, may be much better priced. read more

CtA is really one of the worst stores in the area to play magic at. You don't know if there is going to be enough support for the format you want to play, for example, I was drafting next to a four person standard pod. The rounds are limited to 40 minutes each, making control, or anything that isn't aggro, not a viable option. There is no room to actually play, you're always going to be rubbing elbows with the guy next to you and having your life pad on his playmat. In terms of the store itself, I've had no problems. My problems start and end with the FNM's that are run here. People take advantage of the 40 minute rounds and play slowly when they are losing so that it comes to a tie. I've seen Ray, the judge there, make incorrect rulings multiple times and his rulings negatively impact the game state. I've played at a few lgs and I have had good experiences everywhere except here. I would not recommend this store for playing magic, and judging by the other reviews, for buying comics either. read more

Well like almost every other post says there is hardly any space here so on Friday nights when they host Friday Night Magic they cram about 30+ people into a space that probably isn't even legally allowed to have that many people in it. I'm fairly certain that is a fire hazard. They also have a guy who runs Friday Night Magic that doesn't know how to be a judge because he in fact is not a judge and shouldn't be filling in for one ever because he has made stupid rulings in the past and have had some of the more experienced players show him why he was wrong and then correct what he did. He also makes rounds 40 minutes which is the minimum that you are allowed to do but doesn't announce it ahead of time like you are supposed to whenever you deviate from the 50 minute recommendation. If you can't add 30 minutes at most to a night of Magic: The Gathering then you shouldn't be hosting it in the first place. Haven't ever seen Ray be shady like another reviewer has pointed out but he sure does waste a lot of time saying he wants all of your shit but won't even trade with you even after you try to give him the better value out of a trade. Also any time I've come in to either play Magic: The Gathering or just to browse comics on a day that isn't Friday, no one who works there has ever greeted me when I walked in. Garbage customer service makes me to never want to come back. Card selection is shit for singles. If you are going to make me order online and then wait x amount of time before I can pick it up on site then I'm going to just use ebay and wait 2 days to get it from someone else. Comic and figurines selection is decent which is the only shining light this place has going for it but even that isn't enough to make me like this place or even bump it up to a 2 star review. Oh the shameless plug Ray has going on Facebook about how if 4 people give them a good review on here as Anonymous A has spectacularly taken a screen shot of before they took down the post, that they will give away stuff that should be going to the players in the first place. Bribing for good reviews is sad and you aren't supposed to do according to Yelp. read more

A lot of love in a little package. They have a wide assortment of comics, manga and collectibles. Really the best part is the welcome environment and customer service. Even when asking the most ridiculous question I always felt comfortable asking the staff as they feel more like fellow nerds then employees. They have a nice selection of back issues and though I don't really play CCG's, they clearly have a thriving FNF community as the tables are usually pretty full when I go after work on Fridays. read more

Two months ago I sold an entire MTG collection to one of the three owners at Comics to Astonish. He offered me $200 cash/$200 store credit on a collection i would have been happy to get $600 cash for in a private sale. While shrewd when it comes to business this guy was kind and friendly during our interaction. Since trading the collection in I have spent my $200 in store credit over the course of a visit every week or two. The other two owners tend to be behind the cash register when I stop by but one of them a middle aged guy with a beard always has a smart comment for me. I thought this had something with to do with me spending money from a gift certificate rather than cash & wrote it off an as annoyance to their stores finances and liquid cash flows. Much to my chagrin, the attitude continued after spending the remaining balance on my gift certificate & spending another $150 at their store. Every time I had a question when making purchases, he was unresponsive and borderline disrespectful -- so when I stopped in with some mint condition Image trade books, which someone on the phone had previously told me to bring by (20 minute drive), with a laugh and "sorry I can't buy those," I was more than a little upset. I asked about the conversation I had on the phone but he assured me no one would have told me that and without a hint of apology in his voice. The main reason I started to visit this store is so it would serve as my local comic book shop - which I planned to spend $20+ week at for the foreseeable future. Anyway, I leave the store with my books in-hand before the conversation got out of hand & apologized in front of the owner and the other patrons in the store. I waited 10 minutes & followed up with a phone call on the way home. I told him I'd be lodging a complaint with the Better Business Bureau & the Local Chamber of Commerce. Afterwards he told me I was banned from the store (which I had already assumed I was) and that I should go "fu*k my mother". Clean store, good inventory, & location but because of one rude employee I will not be returning. PS The 6-10 trades I had in hand were worth no more than $15 - I would have happily accepted in store credit for $5-10 which is less that I would get on Amazon for them. TL:DR - Tried to be a good patron was told to "f*ck my mother" by the stores owner. read more

Went here once to kill some time and check out some comic books. The place has a great selection of comics, very organized. But the folks that worked their were rude and short. I was not greeted, but told not to touch the comics that were turned over. So I kept looking, nobody said anything they were doing their own thing. Then I asked another question, everything was real short. This experience made me not want to buy so I left. Even though they had a great selection, I will never go back to comics to astonish due of their lack of customer services. read more

If you collect comics, Magic cards, or anything of the sort, this is the place for you in town. The shop has built itself up over the last twenty (or so) years to be the go-to for everything comic-related, in part due to the knowledge of the friendly staff. read more

As a magic player I would avoid this spot as there are far better options in the area. The store is very small and offers little space to play. Often players are sent to the restaurant next door to play as there isn't enough room to play in store. Most of the store's singles are also only available online making it a hassle to purchase cards from them as you have to use paypal. However, the real problem with the store lies with the Tournament Organizer. While operating under pretense of kindness, the TO, abuses his position. He trades with people and undervalues their cards in order to gain value during trades. Nobody in the store calls him out on this because he is the TO and friendly so everyone trusts him. Trading ethics aside, I think it is a horrible business practice to have somebody representing the store ripping of the customers, which includes kids. In addition, the TO made a request on facebook for players to write positive yelp reviews offer prizes at next fnm as a reward (which goes against yelp guidlines if anyone cares). As such i would probably take any other post written on 3/15 with a grain of salt. link to an image of the post: http://imgur.com/6sVu0bs The store really does have a good player base and its sad that the store itself doesn't live up to how nice the community is. If you want a better experience I would go to the Family Game Store in the Savage Mill or Hacker's Mancave off of Dobbin. If you are looking for a more competitive option and want to get better at magic, I would recommend Squabbles or Games and Stuff in the Glen Burnie area. read more

I've been going to this small yet well-stocked neighborhood shop for a decade. My kid practically grew up here -- playing games on weekends with me and the staff. That brings me to the best part of Comics to Astonish ... the staff. They are a motley bunch of loyal fans of games and comics, and their consistent presence brings an air of familiarity to the place. They are the iconic characters one expects when walking into a comic shop ... on top of the pop culture, outgoing and courteous but not hesitant to explain why some customers can't always get what they want. Stick around and chat with them ... ask any question about the current scene and stories coming out ... you'll leave feeling pleasantly geeky. read more