Fortress of Solitude

I like this store. I can find interesting comic books.

Found this place via google search. Was excited with all the positive reviews, went in the shop with high hopes. Upon entering I noticed 2 employees, one at a front desk which she was on her cell phone and another in the far back sitting in front of his computer. No one greeted until I said hello to girl at front desk. 3 things I noticed right away, the great selection of comics & collectibles, a dustiness that appeared as if it had not been cleaned since the first day it opened and the extremely high prices of the collectibles. Being an avid comic figurine collector I know prices for just about any toy line, and this guy definitely jacked his prices. None the less I kept walking down the store until I made it to the end of the shop, I turned to look down a corner that had more boxes of merchandise and was about to proceed when out of the blue the heavy shop owner who had been on his computer the entire time just grunted,"that's it" with a very rude tone. I turned to look at him because I wasn't sure what he said and again he just grunted,"that's it don't go any further" without ever looking up. Being a professional in a field where I deal with disgruntled people all the time I simply smiled to this person and jokingly said,'I'm sorry, I didn't notice the electric fence."... Finally this shop owner lifted his eyes with an angry demeanor and asked,"Is that supposed to be a joke?!", being baffled by his mysterious attitude I simply responded with,"Yea... it was only a joke.".... he followed up by puffing his chest again while glued to his computer chair and said,"This is NOT the place to be joking!"... Not sure what was up with this guy but instead of me exploding on him in front of my girlfriend I kept my composure and responded in a leved manner with,'Yes, you're right I am not in the right place to bring my business" and walked away while he just kept grumbling under his breath. I never take the time to write reviews but I've already gone out of my way to post a negative review on his facebook page & google. If you look up his reviews on facebook there are also other negative first time visitor reviews also complaining about this shop owners attitude. I'm sorry if this disgruntled shop owner couldn't get his daily fix of artery clogging foods from what I can tell, but never is there any justified excuse for an owner of a store to give someone an attitude in that manner. He couldn't be any more wrong about what kind of attitude you should have in a comic shop, it's a place reminiscing of our childhood and shouldn't be anything else other than a light and fun attitude. To further prove the un-professionalism of this comic shop owner after he blocked my post on his page he went on to respond to my review of his shop. Using misspelled words in his response that included,"acting like a tough guy", "out of league girlfriend" and "douche" directed towards me I don't see how anyone could pride themselves in a successful 34 years of business. Simply put this owner is not an adult shop owner but rather an overweight kid that can shave who decided to open up a comic shop. Like an episode out of the Twilight Zone we have a shop owner who puffs his chest out like he has a hardcore gym but couldn't be anymore delusional in the fact that he's surrounded by comic books and toys and feels the need to showoff in front of beautiful women. Either that or he must have been upset about his sandwich delivery forgetting to put peanut m&m's on his Italian sub. So here's to you tough guy comic book & toys shop owner, get yourself to anger management, switch from viewing anime porn or fast food commercials to business owner etiquette videos on youtube and try standing up more and greeting your customers. You'll be doing your much needed body a favor and while you're at it do your undeserving "appreciated" customers a favor and also knock down the prices of your dusty overpriced collectibles.

It is the greatest book store on the planet.I've found tons of amazing art books here for half of what they'd run anywhere else.I always have the books shipped home to S.F. from the store, so I can shop to my heart's content.No matter what you're looking for, they've got it at the lowest price.I make a special trip to visit every time I'm in the city.

The staff let's you look for books but is knowledgeable when needed.I like a good adventure and my mom is a librarian so maybe certain features of Fortress of Solitude like disorganization are lost on me, but Fortress of Solitude is about absorbing the atmosphere.If you're looking for a latte and a place to plop yourself down to read People, this is not the place for you.

It's a hidden gem that's convenient to get to. It's near Broad St station. If there's a comic that you want but the store does not have, the owner will order it for you and give you a call whenever it arrives in the store. They also have a great selection of trade backs. I always leave spending at least $20.