Cards & Comics Central
Categories: Toy Stores, Comic Books [Edit]
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond5424 Geary Boulevard
(between 18th Ave & 19th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121 (415) 668-3544
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
19 reviews
Neighborhood: Noe Valley
"This is not your average comic book store. For one, it doesn't remind me of someone's over packed garage where everything related to comic…" read more »
35 Reviews for Cards & Comics Central
First of all, I don't think the guy that sells the magic cards should be such a dick to the customers. Last time i went to Cards & Comic Central he was a jerk to some guy who asked the "wrong" question. I understand that he might add to the charm to this comic/game store but I don't like seeing people be treated like crap. Do they lose business a lot because of that guy? Personal I rather get my cards elsewhere for cheaper and with nicer customer service.
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So much fun stuff! Tons of imported pokemon toys and kawaii things, which is mostly what I like in a store like this. Staff was really nice, too.
okay. after showing my face again and again and again. finally starting to get some love. herb doesn't hate me anymore for haggling his steep overstreet prices and they really do have some nice back -issues in great shape.
case in point: picked up some ole byrne uncanny x-men 131-134 for 75 bones. all ish's were in about VF but whatever, i ain't really getting these for re-sale..SCORE!
not one of those shops that send everything away for CGC'ing...yes and only a hop-skip and jump from the casa =) oh..and you might have a bucky sighting on wednesdays!!!
gibson is dope.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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08/16/2007
Place is loaded with all of your dork-nerd-geek-parapherna lia...like whatever..i am too cool to… Read more »
I only buy comics a couple times a year now and I still go here for those. I totally remember when they were located a block away from this location, which is twice as big as the old one.
There's a lot of comics in here. I'm no expert but I'd almost say that they have one of the larger selections plus a good amount of collectible toys and figurines. I've recently been in a "Nightmare Before Christmas" kick so it's hard for me to not buy something anytime I'm here.
A good time to go is during the week day and before 2pm. After that it's kids, kids, kids. Man, that makes me sound like a cranky ol' b, doesn't it?
Here be the only reliable place for one to find new toys when they come out. However, the store is also crowded, over priced, and those working there range from nice but clueless, to knowledgeable but borderline rude.
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I may be a bit bias, given that I grew up in this store. Since I was a wee-lad, Tim and Herb (the brothers who own the place) have taught me pretty much everything I'll ever need to know about being awesome.
Place has moved a few times before, every move allotting them more and more space. Their current location is the most spacious, even with enough room in the back to hold MTG tournaments and such.
It gets busy around 3 to 6 on weekdays, due to school kids flooding into the store and their bag check-in policy. So if you're not being helped, they're probably overwhelmed.
If you're into CCGs, they have binders full of singles, rare and commons in addition to standard booster packs. Better cards will be in their own plastic protectors. If you want to buy a whole box, just discuss it with them. They can probably order you one if they don't have one off-hand.
If you're into comic books, well Christ, there's a whole wall full of them. If they're missing something or you don't see what you want, ask them. They probably have it somewhere in the back. Trust me.
Obviously there's other stuff like figures, statues, plushies, anime stuff, whatever. If you're into anything remotely geeky or nerdy and have money to drop, you'll find something.
This is also the comic book store of choice for Robin Williams who comes in either alone or with his kids. His son is like, a comic book connoisseur or something. Seriously, kid has good taste.
If you're a local, this place is more than worth going to. If you're not, well, would you rather go to a non-authentic "comic book lounge"? Yeah, no thanks. It's also worth noting that the earlier mentioned Tim totally looks and sounds like a Chinese Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons. He's nicer but sans 100 tacos/Dr. Who marathon, which is both a blessing and a curse.
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I have never walked in and been said hello to. The store is a disorganized mess and I generally stomp around for fifteen minutes trying to find something before grabbing one of the people who work there and asking for help, only to find out that they don't have what I'm looking for (which isn't particularly special or out of the ordinary).
I've tried to give this store my business so many times and have been treated horribly and haven't been able to purchase what I've been looking for. I'm just going to keep going to Isotrope and Comix Experience.
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They have a lot of good stuff there. Its ok i only go there on certain occasions but customer service isnt really that good it seems like they dont want to be bothered by the things you ask them, lately its been changing but its an okay store for your anime/cards/comics/collectable needs =)
honestly i go to frisco alot i never ever seen a comic book store before especially in frisco. my friend will kindof showed me this place i was so surprised.
i think this place is like the mecca of everything i like. seriously you can spend the whole day there looking at everything and still have more stuff to look at. but theirs a reason why.
the place needs to be a bit more tidy i mean they should do sections but i cant blame them they have so much stuff. how can they you know.
all in all great place for collectibles to whatever your interests are. from metal gear solid collectibles to iron man comic books. the list can go on.
When I lived in the Presidio, it was so convenient to have C&C Central so close! Now that I'm in the Lower Haight, it's a pain in the ass to get to the Richmond on a frequent basis. There are 3 great comic book stores within walking distance of my place...so why do I keep giving these guys my business?
Simple: They have a great discount subscription service... In the 4 years that I've lived in the city, they have NEVER missed putting a single comic aside for me...And they have never griped about me going a good month without picking up my comics (I read a lot of them and I know they take up a lot of space if I go more than 2 weeks without stopping by). I'm sure Al's Comics, Comix Experience, etc also have similar programs...but I don't use them, and the good folk at C&C have been kind to me--and have always set aside the comics I've signed up for without fail. They've been faithful to me, so I stay faithful to them. Hmm, maybe I'll propose...
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It's a shame that the art of comic books is slowly fading away. I'm trying to get my Godson hooked so at least one souls can keep it alive. I like coming here to browse through the shelves and shelves of toys and comic memorabilia.
So I'm a freak in closet nerd aught! Let it go. Sorry, that was my preffessional half gettin all defensive for no reason, she does that a lot.
this place is good for their wide trade selection and new releases. Not really much of back issues and the selection of independent books are OK not great. the place is pretty much a haven for card games and anime merchandise and the middle schoolers who love them, which sucks because most of the toys have jacked up prices and I hate seeing anybody getting ripped off. the guys who work there are pretty good with helping but the 2 main shopkeepers seem to enjoy hassling the younger employees and especially the kids who come in.
Its a nice place to go to when you're in the area and need to kill time to window shop.
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When I was growing up, this place moved around so much that it almost made me give up on it. But sure enough, each time it planted its roots, what sprouted was a true and correct neighborhood comic book store.
To be honest, this place has always made me feel a little uncomfortable. There are so many things to look at that I can't help feeling a little overwhelmed. It also doesn't help matters that everytime I go in, I feel a little left out of the fun. Everyone who works there looks like he knows so much about what's in the store that you only need to think of a question and he can provide you an answer. Anyways, these worries are probably more the fault of my own issues than they are a problem with the store and staff. Moving on....
From anime and manga to action figures, graphic novels and a substantial back catalogue, this place has it. With the closing of Funny Comics more than a decade ago, Cards & Comics became the only place in the neighborhood where I could go after school to meet up with my best friends...whenever they weren't too busy saving the planet, of course.
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Ive been shopping with this store for close to 16 years and Ive finally had to say "good bye" to them.
Herb is a great guy and very knowledgeable of everything he sells. But hes often so busy running around its hard to get his attention and keep it. Tim can be good (depending on what day/mood you catch him in). Most times he looks like anything you ask him is the most annoying thing on the planet, but sometimes he'll actually reveal a good amount of info for what youre looking for (begrudgingly mind you).
Ive seen a lot of their staff come and go for all the store locations they moved to but in current day (2008) they have one of the most insulting array of employees Ive ever seen. Most have niches of friends they talk to at the counters and they give off attitudes when you dare interrupt their latest discussions of Naruto fighting Sasuke just to ask if somethings in stock. Lessons in customer service and better attitude is definately needed.
Im also sad to see that the "comic fan" feel to the store is all but gone. Theres never any negotiations for the pricing of items (especially for the older comics and toys that are rotting away) while no one has any opinions/information on 70% of what they sell minus the owners.
+1 star for the memories and good times with Herb and Tim and +1 star for the stores large stock of items.
-1 star for pricing, -1 star for terrible staff, and -1 star for location
I had no idea that places like this existed. The comics, sure, I've seen that, and the pokemon and sports cards, OK, fine. The action figures go along with that, that makes sense. What really blew me away was the back room, where the unlicensed games of Magic: The Gathering happen on long card tables with seedy, dangerous looking teenagers. Man, do not mess around with these games. They will CUT you. For serious.
It worked, it worked! The flux capacitor!
I'm back to 1990! A much more simple time. The 49ers were still on top. Superman hadn't yet died and come back again. Burton was making Batman films. TMNT was on its first leg!
Coming here always reminds me a simple time when life was simple, cards and comics was the center of life and 'getting some meant buying some 90 Donruss with the red border.
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So, what is your best chance to get on ESPN 4? I mean, I'm pretty good at ping pong, but if you can ever catch a match during Olympics coverage - which is hard because you can't really see the ball due to its intense vitriolic velocity - you'd know that the pros are several degrees above the rudimentary schoolyard champion.
Having played magic for a decade though, while always keeping abreast of the constant morphing subtleties, leaves me in a large yet tempting pool of players who could make it pro with a little luck and some way of playing all day instead of having to go to work.
Where is the underground of magic? Where it's always been, in the back areas of comic stores and an occasional baseball card or traditional toy store. Ok, it's on the internet also, but it has a different flavor.
Out of all the reviews so far for C & C Central, no one's really mentioned that they have a quality magic area? Friday night magic has the standard kid to adult ratio, with some serious local talent dropping in every once in a while to play and bring some good sophistication. Prices are standard and fair.
I haven't collected comics since Groo started, but I've played magic in comic stores all up and down the west coast, and this one seems to have a whole lot of eye candy.
Yelp alert! I'm kinda a noob here on the yelp. When I searched for Magic I got only prestidigitation/slight of hand/smoke and mirrors theatrical magic tricks. When I searched for magic the gathering, yelp skipped right over C & C! How do we put them on the map, yelpsters?
I haven't been collecting comics in awhile. I figured I'd add my two cents about this awesome store. It's a tad bit crowded in but by far the best comic store in SF. I think the last in the city. They have back issues at cover price which is cool. If you've missed a week or two. The comics are come bagged and boarded which is great if you have that set up in your collection. They also sell the variant covers at a resonable price. Lots of anime and superhero actions figures that would make a 6 year old drool. The owner is super nice too. if you're ever walking around Geary check this place out.
this is totally not the type of stores that i go too but i was captivated by the family guy figurines right by the door so i decided to take a look around... once inside.. i noticed that there were people playing cards all the way in the back.. haha that kind of freaked me out..
i didnt think i would ever venture into this store ever again until my best friend was all bitchin and complaining about how she lost her voodoo baby.. so being the bestest friend i decided to get some for her..
(sorry this post is much longer than the ones i usually write)
i looked online at the site and it gave me some place on geary that wasnt this store... i was looking for the store and realized that they must have made a mistake and ventured into c&c.. they had the hugest assortment of vd babies!! i stood there for 15 minutes wondering which ones i was goin to get my best friend and what i was going to get myself.. haha.. i will definitely be coming back here again
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If you have no other place to go for Comic Book related anything, go here. Other than that... Try Not To Go Here!
As mentioned in a past review, these guys seem to Jack Up their prices. If you're looking for Figures, be sure to look closely. Sometimes they mark the exact same items at different prices.
Try NEVER to ask what an unpriced item costs, because they may price it at the high-end. They're kinda like Snakes...
Their front counter guy is cool, but the two dudes in the back are kinda snobbish with their knowledge. W/E homeboys...
Anyway, though they have a cool selection, theres sooo many other places in SF to go, that C&CC should be one of your last choices.
Tip to C&CC Guys... don't JACK Up your Prices...
Now that eBay sellers have gone insane and began charging unreal shipping costs on top of crazy prices for toys, I find myself buying more and more stuff here.
Sure, they overprice their items to the point where they are more expensive that some ebay auctions, but they end up being cheaper since there is no added shipping costs. Plus I get to take my item home right then and there.
As for service, well I never really ask anything other than the occasional "how much is this?". I usually just browse around without any of the employees ever asking me anything. Some people may not like this lack of service, but i dont mind. I like being left alone while I shop around.
All this place needs to get 5 stars is to lower their toy prices just a tad, and I'll be as happy as can be.
This place is awsome. They have the latest sellections of voodoo dolls, peek a poohs, garbage pail kid cards, wacky packages, hollywood zombies, and baseball, football, and basket ball cards. The workers are really nice and they help a lot. They are open to questions and help with every problem you have. They dont do returns there but they do exchange for the equal amount. In all i give thos store a 9!!
It's time to let my geek flag fly for this review. This is where I head every CBW (Comic Book Wednesday, for those of you not in the know), the day new books are released out into the wild. All the books here are bagged and boarded for your collecting pleasure, and if you add your name to the "pull" list, you get 10 percent off all your purchases. The store is a little overwhelmingly cluttered, and isn't as tragically hip as Isotope, but since when do comic book stores really need to be hip? The staff are always helpful, and if they don't stock the book you are looking for, it can be added to your pull list. Definitely needs a bigger selection of back issues, but does have a large selection of toys and cards if you are into that sort of thing. But what kind of self-respecting person would collect something as lame as cards?
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If you love a nerd and you want to keep your nerd happy, get ready to hop on the 38 and visit this comic & game store a few times a year. While your boyfriend goes ga-ga over issues of Y: The Last Man & Hellblazer, you can check out some of their alternative titles. By now, your comics loving boyfriend should have at least attempted to introduce you to the alternative, literary stuff like James Kochalka, Craig Thompson, Adrian Tomine & Daniel Clowes so you should have plenty to keep you busy while your boyfriend pretends not to look at manga.
The back is for gaming and unless you are into that stuff, I highly recommend you stay away. There are parts of society even I don't want to see. Trust me, you're out of your league, girl.
Also, if you're complaining about bagging, you may want to re-check your nerd status. Every one bags their comics, dude. How else are they gonna stay clean?
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Aw, these guys are so cute! I used to come in a lot more when I was a full blown comic book addict. Now, I only visit when I'm in that neck of the woods, which is rare.
I believe they moved from another location on Geary a long time ago. I used to walk in and browse the books, probably ruining any chance of them gaining value by smudging and wrinkling the pages. Any other store would have ripped me to shreds, I'm sure. The guys at Cards & Comics were so sweet, they didn't even flinch.
What I like about this store is that the people who run it don't take everything to do in the comics world so seriously. They know that there's more to life than devoting every molecule of your body to preserving issues for future profits. They seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs and the comics they sell. That's refreshing to me.
I never saw another woman in that store, though. I think I may have been a rare sight at the time, because whenever I walked in wearing a skirt, they stared at me like I was a martian...but a really HOT martian.
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I miss my old comic store when I was growing up. These were the 90s and Tim Burton's Batman had launched Comics back into the forefront of the populace. Todd Mcfarlane had just started making toys, and there was this new game called "Magic: the Gathering" that was making all the rounds. The set up was quaint. New Comics were on racks lining the walls, old comics were set up in the middle of the store, in bins you could take time to flip through. It was a simpler time.
Cards and Comics Central is not that simple store I remember. Hundreds, if not thousands, of toys/statues/stuffed animals/unicorn horns/whatever line the many semi organized and overflowing shelves and racks in the store. When Toys R Us closed on Geary a little while ago, it looks like they donated their stock to these guys.
As for the comic books themselves, their stock is large and impressive, but fairly inaccessible. While some back stock lines the shelves (not so conveniently hidden behind the new stuff, and just begging to fall all over the place should you decide to riffle) the vast majority of anything more than three months old is going to be found in their back room and can only be accessed by asking one of the employees to go look for you (which may or may not involve pulling them away from a game or something they're playing, which somehow still makes me feel like a jerk).
Bottom line, if you're going in for something specific, this place would be, and is, great. If though, you're like me and you're the type of person who likes to be able to browse on your own time, discover new reads and leaf through back stock for hidden treasures, this place probably isn't for you.
Another small thing is that they're rarely open on time when I need them to be. Between school and work, this boys got a schedule to keep, and if a place says it's going to be open at 12, it should be. But maybe that's just me being picky?
selection = 4/5
prices = 2.5/5 average
customer service = (-2)/5
how about a "thank you"... and a smile
Great selection of mainstream and really great selection of more underground titles. Staff is INSANELY knowledgable and very eager to strike up a conversation/discussion/debate/war over heroes and villains. Pretty decent retro Japanese toy collection for the people who think Kid Robot is lame. Back issues galore! Bronze, silver and golden ages. If you cant find that rare 60's gem where Superman drops a dookie in Lex's Aston Martin, they will.
It looks like a toy store exploded in here.
If you're looking for comic related toys, this is the place to look. I've never seen so much crap packed into one place. Oh yeah, there's comic books in here too, but the toy aspect really overwhelms the fact that they sell comic books.
Did I mention the cards? It looks like they have every card game and card sets being released on the market currently in stock on the shelves behind the counter.
So you're probably asking yourself right now, 'Mr. J, you've said nothing but positives about this place, so why the 3 star treatment?' Attitude.
Hey, if I wanted attitude when asking a question about something I was interested in buying, then I'd be at a car dealership, not a comic store. Oh yeah, and having someone wait to look at something behind the counter while you're doing absolutely nothing only works for bartenders, not comic store geeks.
There are better places to get the same things in the City without having to travel here.
Ok, this is a difficult review to write because I also gave Comix Experience four-stars. So here's the deal. I visit C&CC about 10 times as frequently than CE. But that's mostly because they are closer. The staff is friendly, but the priorities of this store rest in toys and cards. Which is great for toy and card guys, but I'm a comic guy. And I'm a part time comic guy. I don't have time to come in every Wednesday. So it's frustrating to walk in looking for a new series to fall into while I wait for HEROES to start back up again, and all I can find are issues 2,4,5,6,and 7 of an 8 issue run (I know, I'm a nerd, but its ok, because I'm already getting married, so I don't have to impress you). Why bother carrying any issue in a series if you don't carry them all. That being said, they do have a great selection, and if you do have time to stop by once a week, they usually don't run out of stuff as often or as early as some of the other guys. And free backs and covers is a big reason I keep coming back. Like I said, this is a tough review, because I like the place, I want to love it, but there are a few issues getting in the way of our perfect relationship.
This place has certainly gotten better after their move. I remember when I went to shop there when it was closer to the former Alexandria movie theater, and the guy who worked there who would give you a time limit as to how long you can look at 'rares'. probably security reasons, but still rather annoying.
Nerd paradise. Good selection of current and back issues, for the older back issues you'll have to ask an employee to go to the back and look. So if you're looking for a certain older issue make sure that you know the issue number. For those not into comics they also have what appears to be a large assortment of sports cards, role playing games, card games, and toys. If you start a "saver" box here they give you a discount. My only gripe is that all of the comics are bagged and boarded so you can't browse at will. If you ask though they'll let you open them.
It's funny how the manager/owner(?) barks orders at the employees...wait, no it's not. Poor dudes.
Something about that place screams "parent's basement." I've shopped there several times when I can't find what I need at Isotope and they can't get it on order, which is rare. That and C&CC has a good variety of supplies for comics such as boxes, bags, and boards. Despite one guy there, Herb, who is genuinely courteous and attentive as well as more than just passably knowledgeable about the current quality literature, the rest of the staff range between less than energetic to less than helpful. The guy who owns the place is okay, but he just reminds me too much of the comic book guy from the Simpsons minus the sour, anti-social demeanor.
The other plus side of the shop is the back area for gaming, which is fun to have as few places in the city lend themselves for gaming. And the discounted used graphic novels and manga.
So that's pretty much it for the pluses. Really. I'm sure praise can be given to how much variety of inventory they have, but I find that to be one of the negative aspects of that store. One would think that the point of a store is to sell and move products, yet every time I go back there it seems as if they have more and more stuff shoved and stashed in the few nooks and crannies left there. Not to mention overpriced. Forget the fan boy market. Just at first glance, I can't help but shake my head at the exorbitant prices slapped on to some of the silliest of things.
But whatever. My biggest peeve is with how they jack the price of comics. Comics that aren't even popular and are only six months old. Come on. Is it really worth jacking some kid out of an extra quarter or dollar just so that the store can make back money on the losses they are incurring from amassing immovable inventory? And frankly, does a crappy 90s X-Men comic need to be sold for $20? This is a comic book store, emphasis on book, which people tend to forget. The whole point of selling comics is to have people enjoy some fun, eccentric, and silly stories. Something just seems unethical about running a store that seems bent on stealing money from little kids.
The thing that really drives the nail for me is one incident. This is the only store nearby that I can order a certain no longer produced card game product. I called and the guy I talked to on the phone (and by guy I mean he was very much a young adult, but was mentally a lazy boy) told me that he wouldn't bother searching through his inventory list to check what they had of that product unless I came down to the store. Well, being turd luck out of choices, I went down there on the off chance that there might be some pay off for doing so. This wouldn't be much of a minus if there was, now would it? Not a mere moment after I step through the doors and ask that boy about the product does he quickly glance behind him and tell me, "Nope, all we have is this." Thanks buckaroo. The next time I need somebody showing me something I don't need, I'll go to the nearest corner and donate a quarter to the homeless fund. Well, I didn't get my pay off, but pay-back's an itch you just can't scratch off, ain't it?
And to those who complain about the comics being bagged and boarded already (which is also a plus... sort of... keep reading). Who cares. Just open those suckers up and check the quality of the comic for yourself. You don't have to ask anybody. The only thing you should ask yourself is: why am I even in here? If you're tossing down the dough, you have every right to guarantee yourself the best product your money can be wasted on.
Always remember, they run the store and they run the service with a smile, even if it's only just your beaming reflection bouncing off of their faces.
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This place is pretty awesome--while I haven't widely investigated comic shops in the Bay area, among those I have seen this one is only (arguably) surpassed by Comic Relief in Berkeley. Its semi-remote location in the foggy hinterlands of the Richmond keeps it less exposed than some others, but it clearly has its adherents--like the ever-present gang of Yu-Gi-Oh tournament gamers at the tables in the back. Anyway, whatever you'd want a comic shop to have, this place has got it--a wide selection of current titles, new and used trade-market anthologies, tons of toys and action figures (including manga, anime, and other Japanese monster/robot characters), posters, game cards, and--if Mick F. is to be believed--a respectable collection of back issues, though I didn't see those anywhere. I'll have to check again next time I stop in, since that's one of the things I miss about old comic stores that newer ones tend not to focus on. The staff are not only knowledgeable, as mentioned, but are also professional and courteous--I can't remember the last time I was greeted as I entered a Bay area business and was actually taken a little aback when it happened here. How do you say "Two Thumbs Up" in Klingon?
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