Phantom Studios, and the owner in particular, are a great place to locate hard to find comic…read morememorabilia, anime and about anything else. They have a long and established business reputation in the Bloomington-Normal area and I would highly recommend them.

From the owner: Bloomington-Normal's best kept secret "online" comic shop. We have been selling comics, anime,…read moretoys, and related products for almost 30 years. Our goal has always been to provide you, fellow collector, with the reliable, efficient service you deserve.

-Amazing customer service. -Amazing selection…read more -Owner is top of his game. Chris Wheeler who owns Palladins knows everything about the comic business. He does pressing, CGC submissions and knows every question you throw his way 10/10!

Review Visit: May 12th, 2015…read more In my quest to visit any and all nerdy stores, Comic Service is another stop in a long list of places to visit. Not being a comic person/collector myself, I really wasn't sure what to expect. Some comic stores carry a variety of things aside from comics, ranging from video games to cds to vinyl and the odds and ends. From what I remember about Comic Service, they seem exclusive to just the comic book scene. Well, that's not entirely true. They do sell POP vinyl figures. Not only POP but other collectible figures as well. But beyond that, not much else. The walls are literally filled with comics. Wall to wall comics and comic-related things. Overall, if you need a comic book fix, visit Comic Service. Small store, but a big variety. They have to have the most comics per square inch of all stores in the tri-county area.

This is a tiny place that is covered in comic books. One thing that surprised me was the number of…read morebooks that were falling and bending forward on the shelf. I can't imagine that is good for their value. It would be better just fill the shelf half-full so they weren't getting bent on the bottom third of the books. The owner never looked at us, never greeted us, never asked if we needed anything. I guess he figures you know what you're looking for and good luck finding it. My husband did find a book that is rather hard to fine and he charged him less than cover price. Probably worth stopping by.

This place is so cool! Definitely check it out if you haven't. They have the most unique selection…read morefor great prices!

Review Visit: March 11th, 2015…read more Thankfully they don't sell defective Acme comics.... wait, that sounds familiar. Yep, another Acme Comics post for my blog. This one is fortunately still open and is no way related to the Acme Comics in Normal, IL (which has closed recently). I am bias towards this store as I have been here many times. This store is my first place to scope out used video games. They don't have a large selection of current generation stuff, but they do have a lot of 'retro' games. Think NES, SNES, N64, PS2, Gameboy and the like. Everything is moderately priced, if not sometimes lower/higher than market value. But it's a locally owned business, so I don't mind paying a few more dollars to support a great shop. Since their inventory shifts, there is usually always something new to see when I go in. Lately, I have been getting old GamePro, Nintendo Power, Tips & Tricks magazines for $2 a piece. Talk about a nostalgic trip. They offer a large selection of CDs but they seem to be shying away from those in the more recent years. I believe they also do have vinyl and music dvds as well. I used to purchase a large amount of cds back in the day when they had 4/$10. Still reaping the benefits of that today with a massive music collection. Moving on, this place is a Comic shop first and foremost. While they do sell other things, obviously, I am betting the comic book scene is the bulk of their customers. One of my friends alone has a massive pull list there. I don't know much about comics, but they offer a wall of new arrivals as well as your $0.50 comics. The staff can be a bit inattentive at times, but they never seem bothered when you ask them for help. All in all, a pretty great local shop.

I've always had good service, and can always find something new to buy from their good selection…read more They were the only place that I could still get the Forgotten Realms MtG booster and without the usual markup that the older sets get when they stop being the current expansion, making my dollar go farther and giving me a good value.

Poorly run game shop that dabbles in sports card breaks as a side hustle. Would not recommend.read more

Nice used bookstore, good for browsing, getting something specific (knowledgeable staff), or…read moreshopping for collectible editions. Not surprisingly, one of the best collections of Illinois and Lincoln history. Perfect location if you're visiting and staying in a downtown hotel. Next to a couple of good restaurants, if you're the sort who likes a book and a glass of wine. Odd but worthwhile stack of deep discounts on carts at entrance.

This place is a TREASURE TROVE for history lovers, book lovers, antique lovers, vintage lovers, and…read moreeveryone in-between. It's quite huge and to properly scour it all, you might need a couple of hours. I was there for about an hour and was so impressed by all the vintage copies of classics-- from American to British to Russian to Chinese classic literature, this place has a bit of everything. It's organized well and neatly by author last name, which eased the search process. The prices are pretty good and reasonable too. This is definitely a spot I'd like to return to if I'm ever back in Springfield.

Review Visit: January 16th, 2016…read more Let's make the Magic happen! Oh... you played a counter spell I will preface this with a warning that I am a bit bias towards The Zone. I partake in Magic pre-releases here. I have been coming here for a long time, actually. Back when I first got into Magic and his store was located in Creve Coeur, IL. Moving on. The Zone offers a wide variety of products. From comics, posters, figures/toys, trading cards (singles and sealed), Ultra Pro products, sleeves, and other odds/ends. I have played 3 Magic pre-releases there (so far) and the store owner, Scott, has been great at hosting it each time. He even helped me set up my DCI account right before the pre-release tournament was about to start. You can pretty much throw any random question at Scott and he will have some knowledge about it and can help you out. Overall, a great store to visit if you need your Magic/comics/toys fix. Plus, Maurie's Candies is right across the street! :3

There is an outstanding collection of back issues from the copper and bronze age. The owner is…read morehelpful and knowledgeable. Highly recommended.

As good as it gets for a comic store!…read more Lots of comics to dig through, some overpriced CGCs to contemplate, and lots of retro toys. There's also used blu rays/videos and posters and more memorabilia. There's really alot to dig through, which is what REAL comic fans do!

This place deserves zero stars. First and foremost they are incredibly over priced. Not one item in…read morethe entire store is even close to a fair price.......I mean they have dvd's from 2004 still priced at 10 dollars! If the prices don't bother you then the horrendous customer service should. You could say "hi" to the employees 100 times and you will get ignored every single time. You could ask for help and you'll get nothing but scoffed at. Absolutely garbage store.

I stopped here on a drive from Kankakee to Chicago, and was impressed with what they had for a…read moresmall-town comic shop. There was a good selection of comic books and tabletop games, and a room in the back where people were playing RPG's. The clerks were friendly and nice. I found a more-obscure Alan Moore book I was looking for, and came away really pleased. Not 5-stars because I am spoiled by comic book stores in Chi-town that simply have a physically denser selection of comics to choose from.

The Dragons Refuge (thedragonsrefuge.com) is a comic, card game, board game, and miniature game…read morestore with a small selection of roleplaying games. The staff is polite, and knowledgeable. This is my favorite shop to play Wizkids Star Trek: Attack Wing tournaments at. The game area is comfortable, roomy, and clean.

I love this Barns and Noble. They always have a very pleasant environment and a wonderful…read moreselection of books. The prices are manageable, and their app gives you rewards! All of the staff I have met there is very nice, and the checkout always goes quick and smooth. I would recommend this Barns and Noble to anyone who's looking for a quiet environment and some great books.

There are no freakin' outlets! Go ahead, search the store like I did walking around the edges, by…read moretables, chairs and poles. You will find one. It is in the oddest place. I'm not going to tell you where because its quite useless and I figure I might as well let you have the joy that comes from self discovery. Magazine selection is superb, Starbucks on site is good but the baristas are not held to the same standard as stand alone stores. Book selection also good. But I no longer go to bookstores for the joy of buying books... that's what my Kindle and Amazon are for. I need a place where I can mooch off of the big corporation by reading magazines and books for free while imbibing an over priced cup of caffeine and typing notes from those mooched books on my laptop. But alas, I can't plug the darn thing in anywhere. I miss Borders :-(