Very cool store: huge selection of graphic novels, mangas, single-issue comics, and tabletop games…read more They also sell role-playing game books and materials, figurines and miniatures plus painting supplies, and collectible cards and card games. There are tables near the back where they host game nights, as well as a small bar offering soft drinks and snacks. This is the kind of outfit that I would have wept tears of joy to find growing up in my small town. I'm so glad that these hobbies are more mainstream now and accessible to people through places like this. Friendly people work here who seem to know their stuff. What a fun job that would be. It's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside, and very nice inside. It seems that it relocated from Wilmette about a year ago, and still has that new-store feel.

Spent a lifetime in the world of vinyl and I can definitively say Squeezebox knows what they are…read moredoing. From variety to quality to customer service, they tick all the boxes above and beyond.

This place is a gem. I came in with some CD's to shed and they were so helpful. I wandered through…read morethe store for a few minutes as they went through my box. They have a lot of albums and CD's. It's well organized and the staff are everywhere but not intrusive or nosy. There if you want to ask a question. Not to try to get you to buy something. After a few minutes they paid me and I took the remaining CD's to Goodwill. They also buy used books. Super great to have in the neighborhood.

Great comic book store with a lot of back issues. Sasha the owner was very helpful and answered all…read moremy questions and helped me look for some books I had trouble finding. I'll definitely be coming back.

Cinegram is wonderful. I visited here with my son, who is starting to be interested in super…read moreheroes, and the staff was friendly, welcoming, and very helpful. They guided him to some age-appropriate selections of Batman graphic novels, and kindly discussed some of the other super heroes that they have and he likes. The store is clean and well-organized, and I can't say enough nice things about the staff. My son was asking when we could go back before we got home, and we will be back soon!

Big selection of comics, graphic novels and manga. I haven't bought comics in a long time and feel…read morelike I don't know what I'm looking at when I walk in because there's so much! The owner is friendly and there's so much stuff to look at so it is a fun place to browse until you find something you like. Street parking is easy with the ParkChicago app. Business idea! There isn't a coffee shop in easy walking distance. I bet this area could use two!

Honestly the best comic book shop i've visited in Chicago. Super clean and nicely presented books…read more I really appreciate the resale of old out of print manga and the resale of used comic books. I saw a lot of titles I haven't seen anywhere else. They also have a small print/zine section. Definitely going to make this a regular stop!

I do not have enough good things to say about Challengers. The staff know what they're talking…read moreabout and have always been extremely helpful. If I go in without knowing what I want, they're always there to help me find something cool to read. The sidekick section is fantastic, especially if you have children or are there to pick something up for a kid. Challengers is so great that I patron it as frequently as I am able too. I wish there were more stars to give it. If you're a nerd, a geek or a comic book junkie, then come to Challengers. You will not be sorry.

Made an order for a delivery, it was a long box and it costed around $10 dollars. Didn't hear…read moreanything about the delivery for months until I sent a message to the company's email. They said the order was for pickup only, even though there was no indication for it being a pickup only. I asked the guy if I could at least get a refund and he never responded. It was only $10 bucks so it's not like the end of the world. But still very unprofessional behavior. EDIT AFTER RESPONSE: Thanks for proving my point of how unprofessional you really are. I leave one 1-star review in the middle of the night and within moments you respond with a passive aggressive essay. You already have five stars for your business and you immediately attack any 1-star reviewers like they personally insulted you. Ever hear of 'customer courtesy'? All you told me via email is that my order was cancelled. That's it. Depending on the buisness, an order can be cancelled but not refunded. All I wanted was clarification whether I was getting my money back or not. You NEVER RESPONDED. What was I supposed to assume? And what's that petty 1-star review comment? Should I have given you a higher rating? Why? I ordered an item, waited, asked for updates on the item's delivery, got my order cancelled, and never got a response afterwards. Does any part of that sound remotely pleasant? It honestly wasn't even that big a deal for me, but the fact that you replied within moments to me with an extremely petty essay means you MADE IT a big deal. Learn to take criticism. EDIT RESPONSE 2: "full of misleading and erroneous information". I accidentally said months instead of weeks. Nothing else was a lie. I didn't know I got my money back until I made a 1-star review on your comic shop. Once again, I asked via email to CLARIFY whether I got a REFUND or not. You NEVER replied to me. I only know now because I got a response from a business owner or manager who can't handle one ounce of criticism. "This is obviously "that big of a deal" for you, because here you are, almost 2 months later, well after you were refunded, denigrating a business that handled your mistake in minutes." I'm back 2 months later because I thought I should tell others about my experience. I saw how unprofessionally you respond to all other low rating comments. I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt that you would've changed and I wouldn't be screamed at for my review. But here we are. Your acting like I made a scathing review of your store that will make it fall into complete bankruptcy. I made one review saying I wasn't satisfied with your store, get over yourself. Once again, that is the MINIMUM of what you should do. If I go to McDonalds, order something, and there was a mistake of some kind, it's the MINIMUM of the McDonald employees to fix the mistake. You act like fixing a mistake should be seen as an outstanding achievement and not a standard business practice. Do you honestly believe I should've given you five stars because you did the very minimum of your job? Unbelievable. I tried out your company, I was unsatisfied, and I'm giving it the score I believe it deserves based on my experience. Accept it and move on.

I will begin here, the original location was G-Mart comics until the original owner retired and…read moresold the location. G-Mart is only online now. Very clean location, plenty of space. The setup is different, but still had a good selection comics to funko pops, games, collectibles and more. Very friendly staff, greeted once coming in. The game room in the back is still available. The value of the comics are at a good price. No complaints. I was sad to see G-Mart comics go, but I am glad it stayed comic shop. I wish Dark Tower comics so much success. I will be back soon.

Not really a comic shop pro. I got back into reading comics during COVID, but mostly digital and…read moreafter a while it turned into buying physical stuff. G-Mart (the previous shop that occupied this space) was very close to me so it was my go to shop. I found their online ordering setup a bit old school, but man what I wouldn't give to have that back. At least G-Mart would send you e-mails updating you on your order. The Dark Tower system is definitely more modern, but there's no real notifications unless I'm missing something. No more discounts on subs either which is a real kick in the dick. I pre-ordered a comic months in advance, again no real e-mail communication. Showed up on the release date and they just straight up didn't have it. The good thing is they don't charge you ahead of time like G-Mart did. Luckily Challengers had it in stock though! The other day I got a new releases e-mail for the first time in the history of the store becoming Dark Tower and it's just some dudes name instead of Dark Tower so I thought it was junk. I dunno man, I usually like the real local mom and pop feel of stores because everything is a shitty chain these days, but this place may be a little too mom and pop. Hopefully I've just had bad luck with them but I'm back to a digital only comic reader for the time being.

Disgusting!! Nasty!!! Terrible!!!…read more Drove all the way here through traffic and couldn't even let the door close behind me before turning right around and escaping - this place absolutely reeks!!!! It's that cheap mop / bathroom cleaner smell. Could not even breathe. How can you not notice that?!?!?! Gross!

I can't go to a lot of used bookstores because some are so dusty that my allergies won't let me…read morereally go shopping. Plot Twist is dope because they maintain their selection really well. Staff was great too and helped me pick great gifts for the kids and something for me to read too!

This is the book store I always wished had been at this location! Prior to Secret World Books…read moreopening up here, it was a religious reading room. The space was so nice looking, and they had this adorable little garden in the back that I had only gotten glimpses of for years (like as far back as the 1990s) - but it didn't cater to my tastes and beliefs, so I never really visited there. Secret World Books recently occupied the space, and turned it into everything I love about small independently owned book nooks, which makes me so happy! They have a nicely-curated collection of books. Such a small shop obviously cannot compare to major book stores in sheer volume, but runs laps around them when it comes to style and vibe (sorry, I'm probably gonna say 'vibe' a lot here, please bear with). If you want books from local authors, if you want well-loved hidden gems that maybe missed the "[Insert Celebrity Name] Book Club™®©" spotlight, if you want to find some gently-read books with character unique to used books, if you're looking for some retro magazines, if you like comic books / graphic novels, if you're into tabletop RPGs, if you want books catering to out-of-the-box thinkers, and might enjoy an inviting safe space for people of all walks of life... Yeah, this just might be your place. And if you DO want the latest greatest manufactured-viral or pop culture hit, the Secret World staff can still get it for you, and seem chill about it. Hey, sometimes I just wanna read the latest entry in a best-selling megacorporation-owned franchise, without being judged... It's all good. Just go to the front and ask them to get a copy for you; easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Just maybe also consider looking behind the counter at their collection of books from local and lesser-known authors, who might have something that'll pull you in. It's so tough for local artists, crafters, writers, and other creative individuals go get traction; IMO, it's always bodacious when you put a little effort into checking 'em out, and generate some word-of-mouth magic to help them advance their message and/or skills. You might even just run into an author you know. They recently had some poets reading from their works, including Katana Smith and Highland Park's own poet laureate Laura Joyce-Hubbard. This weekend they'll have authors Jenna Satterwaite and Beth Kander. Seems like this is a somewhat common occurrence here... Pretty cool, huh? Oh, man, and the atmosphere here is sooo... I dunno, my ADHD want to say "cozy" and "crunchy" at the same time. "Crunchozy?" Thanks, wacky-internal-monologue-voice! Secret World feels nice and chill, but still filled with positive lively vibes. It's physically just comfortable, too. They have some comfy seats and a tea station that adds to the vibe, plus a gorgeous view of their secret garden. Dude, they even call it the "Secret Garden," which - funny(ish) personal story - I've been calling it for years. Literally, for decades, I had known there was a cool little secluded garden back there; but it's completely walled in, so I could only catch fleeting glimpses. I had a running head-canon that I would unlock an Elder Scrolls-esque mission there someday. I finally got to see it in person, and it's even cooler now! No RPG mission yet, but I'll be back to see what the zen racoon has to say. Okay, sorry, I've babbled on enough. Secret World Books book store: Cool place. Nice books. Friendly peeps. Comfy vibe. They spread the word on exercising your 5th amendment rights. They have complementary hot tea. Plenty of free street parking, near some 2-hour-free public parking lots. Neighbors to Curt's Café. Yeah, pretty awesome. Books; check 'em out!

This place is great! I was able to find a cool board game for a party. I also found some cool…read morecomics here as well!