>>5839207Fellow New Yorker here; I go to their 3 locations & use their site kinda often. Midtown Comics is NOT a "Local Comic Shop"; it's a regular retail store that happens to only sell comics, toys, and other related stuff. Think Walgreen's for pop culture merchandise. So there's no "snobbery" & lack of organization that most smaller LCS irradiate, but you also won't get the personal service & rapport built "regular" status of a small business that comes from the same kind of shops.
They're good for having recent issues that would normally sell out fast from smaller shops; having multiple easy to get to locations; getting most western toys first (the same stuff you'd find in TRU, Target, etc but at slightly higher prices); toys direct from Diamond (Marvel Select, NECA, etc); and dork related clothing/merch. They have actual sales that smaller LCS couldn't, but it'd still be cheaper to get most things online (especially graphic novels & TPBs/HCs). Their website is also decent & have better sales, but you can get knocked on shipping rates and their shipping preparation is slow as molasses.
Times Square location is the tourist spot: two floors, tons of stuff, subpar back issue selection, almost always in stock of everything. Nice to just walk around & take it all in.
Grand Central location is the next step: single wide floor, comfier set-up, back issues are better but still can't beat an LCS. If the TS location doesn't have it, they probably will.
Downtown location is the newest; just opened up in 2010. Smaller set-up; back issue selection slightly better than GC; actually sells loose & older toys (though, the TS location started doing this, too). If the first two locations don't have it, this one definitely does.
I get my regular comic pull-list at a smaller place in Manhattan. I would not shop regularly at Midtown for toys; cheaper elsewhere & online, unless you MUST have it now. And even then, go to Forbidden Planet first.
