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Aftertime Comics
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Comic Books Comic Books [Edit]
1304 King StAlexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-5030
- Nearest Transit:
-
King Street Metro Station (Blue, Yellow)
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for Aftertime Comics
11 reviews in English
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Review from Michael M.
Los Angeles, CA
1/14/2012
I first started coming to Aftertime when I was 12 years old. It is the best comic book shop in the East Coast because as soon as you enter you are immediately surrounded, litterally surrounded by comic books. The store can't be bigger than 20 by 10 feet, but holds more than you can imagine. And the staff can tell you instantaneously whether they have the book you are looking for. Whether it's from 1987 or from 2011 they can tell you and find it for you.
I'm 32 years old now, and I live on the West Coast and whenever I come back home, I make an effort to stop into Aftertime to revisit my childhood and support a true comic book shop that has still kept its standards after all these years. -
Review from Megan M.
Philadelphia, PA
5/23/2011
Know this, all ye who enter here: I know almost nothing about comics.
What I do know, I've learned from my darling husband.
And when we travel, he so patiently puts up with my frequent needs to source out the latest funky smelling bath product, crawl into muck at a niche garden stand, or roll the dice at a new street food cart. He never once complains.
He is MY superhero.
So we have an agreement to source out at least one comic shop on all vacations.
The hubs walked in, regarded the worn carpet, the walls layered with promo posters and the long boxes stacked on the floor and squared his shoulders with a pleased "Master of his Domain" pose. (Think Yul Brynner in cargo shorts)
Then he got down on his hands and knees and crawled around looking in all the boxes. Don't be alarmed, I've learned this is normal.
I wandered off to sneak glances in Brabo's window. I have no idea what occurred in the ensuing 30 minutes. But he came out with a few new treats.
His constructive criticism was that the inventory system was manual (ie: the price on the book could vary greatly from box to box) and that it was hard to find recent issues.
But, all superhero's have to face *some* challenges.Listed in: On the Road Again...
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Review from Brandon S.
Alexandria, VA
3/19/2009
First off, can we take a gander at the previous 3 reviews and notice they are all women? Talk about dispelling a few stereotypes!
It'd be easy to miss this store amongst all the other knick knack shopping Old Towne has to offer, but trust me, its worth seeking out. Its a heck of a lot more fun than looking at overpriced antique furniture. Lord knows theres enough of that shit up and down King St. Not enough bars if you ask me! Inside this cramped, humble little room of a business they pack the walls to overflowing capacity of comics, graphic novels and illustrated awesomeness.
There were 3 other customers shopping at the time I walked in and we all circled around, shuffling our feet like a school lunch time sidestep. There was a married couple, a man in a suit in his 40's and myself all looking for our latest read.
The employees were polite, helpful and of course eager to talk about whatever genre, character, or type of novel/comic you can imagine. I'm pretty new to it all so they pointed out a few of the more popular ones, off the wall titles and the darker Vertigo line...which of course, sparked my interest.
I'll definitely be back here again...as soon as I finish reading what I have! -
Review from Rebecca G.
Alexandria, VA
3/7/2008
If you linger in a comic book store for any length of time, you can observe a ritual akin to bucks smashing their horns together. Or maybe that of a young male baboons challenging the elder of the pack for the rights to the herd.
The intense fan sidles up to the counter and challenges the clerk by asking a question that, to which it's always obvious the questioner already knows the answer. If the clerk answers correctly, the customer's questions became more and more specific as the stakes in the challenge rise. I'm convinced the depth and breadth of the questions is based on an arcane formula derived from the number and apparent hipness of the rest of the shoppers.
On a Wednesday afternoon, when all the new comics are in, this can go on until there are grown men actually bickering about the name of Mike Mignola's second cousin's next door neighbors beagle. (It's Bertie*). Whoever prevails in this ritual of challenge gets to rule the herd and mate with the comic books, or something. It's unclear to me, actually. Let's not dwell upon it.
The staff at Aftertimes have to be some of the most goodnatured people in the history of retail comics and I've never once seen any of them cut a customer down to size for being a pain or a nuisance.
I've never seen a newbie question treated with disdain (by the staff, anyway,customers are another story altogether). Special orders seem welcome. The store is brightly lit, neatly stocked, and well-organized. It's not a big place, and as the other reviewer noted, Wednesdays are rather crowded.
It's hard to pick a price range, because comics are cheap, but they do add up fast. I wish they had a website, but I believe that's a reflex. I don't know what I'd use it for. (ordering subscriptions maybe). It's definitely a place you go to browse and find new things, so the lack of a website is probably nothing to quibble about.
*So I made that part up. -
Review from Dissatisfied C.
Scranton, PA
7/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Fantastic comic shop in Old Town. Small but definitely packed to the rafters with comic fare. Owner has a great selection of current issues and one of the largest selections of HC and TPB compilations I've ever seen in any comic shop, to include several books that are out of print. Employees are knowledgeable and friendly. Don't miss an opportunity to check this shop out.
Listed in: Comic Shops
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Review from Abby S.
Alexandria, VA
8/5/2010
I've been a regular/subscriber for almost two years now- it's been a great experience. Aftertime is small on space, but huge in personality and great customer service. They manage to pack quite a lot into that space, though- they'll order for you if there's anything you can't find in the store .
I love it. -
Review from Philip K.
Arlington, VA
6/20/2009
I've been a regular/subscriber at Aftertime for the better part of decade and I can happily say I love this shop. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, they make great recommendations. I've seen mothers come in to buy a present for their kid and leave with an armload of books for themselves.
They offer the regular subscription service with 10% discount, bags , boxes, boards, fantasy, sci-fi, fiction novels, some action figures and busts, gold silver and modern back issues, and art books.
Really what else do you need? -
Review from Matches M.
Great Falls, VA
8/11/2010
Store had alot of comics the staff member was helpful but then became rude quite quickly...Not everyone that walks into a comic books store is a comic GENIUS...
Also wish the store was closer the the water....
Good store
decent prices
one member of store rude... -
Review from Mary H.
Carlsbad, CA
9/30/2007
Sure, you could get some of the same graphic novels you find here at big name chain bookstores- but there's something about this tiny little store that makes buying them here seem more legitimate. The comic book industry has definitely gotten more exposure over the past couple of years due to all the movies, but it is still essentially a club. This is especially apparent here on Weds.(a.k.a. "new comic book day") because it will usually be quite crowded with everyone eagerly waiting to pay for their comics so they can rush home to read them. I would recommend this store for anyone- from die-hard collectors to casual readers.
Listed in: Born to Shop
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Review from Daniel M.
Washington, DC
7/5/2010
This Comics store is very small but that doesn't mean it's no good. I've been out of the comic book "world" for quite sometime but am eagerly seeking out comic store in which to dive go to dive back into my long lost pastime.
I remember I could spend hour upon hours in a comic store perusing through their long and old collections of comics. This was one of my favorite things to do when I was younger and this place has plenty of comics for the relative size of the place to do that very thing.
There is one thing though: a lot of their comics where bent of shape and haphazardly strewn about. Now this ok if you are not asking full price for the damaged comics, if they are on sale or something like to that effect then is cool.
I'm just one that likes his comics not so damaged, that's all. I did purchase a collection/graphic novel there Mass Effect: Redemption and it was in great shape. and I only found it by chance as it was laying on top of some comics on a cramped middle shelf in the corner of the store.
I also bought two long cardboard boxes to replace my very old ones that have been through 4 moves across the country and back.
He gave me 10% off on this purchase without me asking for anything in that regard. That was neat
In all this is a good, small comic store that will probably have what you are looking for, if you look hard enough. -
Review from Aparna B.
Alexandria, VA
5/19/2008
i used to be an avid comic book collector, but now i only pick up the occasional trade paperback or two. the few times i've been to aftertime (not on a wednesday), the place has been totally empty except for me and the clerk. i've had some good conversations there, and usually i can finagle the discount that regular subscribers get on all their other purchases. it's definitely a lot more fun to come here than to order stuff off the web from some place like amazon.
