Canadian Comic Shop Recommendations 1 1

[Mister O]

Hi All,

I will be doing a cross Canada drive from Vancouver to Halifax and would like to visit some comic shops that have a good selection of back issues.   My main drive will be using the Trans-Canada highway, so places like Edmonton will be too far out of the way and same with Toronto.

It will be places like Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton and Moncton.  Any other places in between like maybe Swift Current, Moose Jaw, etc would be helpful too.   Let me know what shops you would recommend for a great back issue selection that have all ages (gold, silver, bronze, and copper)

Thanks!

[01TheDude]

paging @thirdgreenham

[thehumantorch]

I'd suggest you visit Sulipia in Winnepeg.

[Fan Boy]

Suggest you try make a stop in Kamloops on your trip. There are two comic stores that you could try visit one of them.  Funny Pages Collectibles is that store called. Another one called High Octane Comics. Good luck with your trans-Canada trip!

[Fan Boy]

In Calgary, you can try visit two stores that I know are good with the kind of selection in all ages. Phoenix Comics NW is a good stores with lots of graphic novels, comics in all ages. I’m not sure if they have GA comics as I didn’t see any, but did see they have some SA books under the counter through glass. 

Red Skull Comics is a store overflowed with so many graphic novels, graphic novels and comics, it is kind of narrow but long inside. Good visit if you like something different. 

I would suggest Another Dimension comic store in Sunnyside community, but they have mostly CA/modern comics. Their wall did have some SA books. But they have awesome character statues in display ... easily over 200 to see! Clean and bright store inside. It is behind Safeway food store. 

[Lazyboy]

59 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

I'd suggest you visit Sulipia in Winnepeg.

Doug Sulipa is in Steinbach and doesn't have a retail storefront to visit.

There are lots of GA and SA comics in Winnipeg, but not so much in shops.

[aardvark88]

1 hour ago, Fan Boy said:

Suggest you try make a stop in Kamloops on your trip. There are two comic stores that you could try visit one of them.  Funny Pages Collectibles is that store called. Another one called High Octane Comics.

Recommend you watch out for the fires and smoke around Kamloops, BC. Suggest Golden Age Collectables in downtown Vancouver, BC but greggy already grabbed all the good stuff. Still you may be able to fill part of your want-list.

Calgary has smoke too from the BC forest fires raging. Forest City Coins in Ontario. fyi, gas costs much more in Canada compared to USA.

[kimik]

Too bad you are not coming up to Edmonton. Wizard's, Comic King and Comic Fever all have a nice selection of SA, BA and CA back issues, as well as moderns. If you are looking for older books, the selection up here is way better than in any of the Calgary stores.

[Mister O]

5 hours ago, aardvark88 said:

Recommend you watch out for the fires and smoke around Kamloops, BC. Suggest Golden Age Collectables in downtown Vancouver, BC but greggy already grabbed all the good stuff. Still you may be able to fill part of your want-list.

Calgary has smoke too from the BC forest fires raging. Forest City Coins in Ontario. fyi, gas costs much more in Canada compared to USA.

Thank you for the advice.  It doesn’t look like Forest City Coins will be on my way through Northern Ontario.

Yes, I was thinking of going through the US, but decided to see Canada all the way through, it’s a bucket list for me. 

[Mister O]

5 hours ago, kimik said:

Too bad you are not coming up to Edmonton. Wizard's, Comic King and Comic Fever all have a nice selection of SA, BA and CA back issues, as well as moderns. If you are looking for older books, the selection up here is way better than in any of the Calgary stores.

If I had extra time then I would have went to Edmonton, just can’t swing it this trip. I will go there at some point so thanks for the recommendation.

Anyone have other places to share?  If you are shy or hesitant about giving out a good store in an open forum then please PM me, I would appreciate it.

 

Edited August 22, 2018 by Mister O

[FineCollector]

Skip Ottawa entirely... dont even eat here.  Take the 20/401 out of Montreal and head to Brockville instead.  There's a very nice lady called Jan who used to have a store, but now sells out of her home Saturdays or by appointment.  Best selection in driving distance from me, definitely worth the trip.  Last Century Comics?  She's on Kijiji, let me know if you want more detail.

if you still want to go to Ottawa to see parliament or something, it's an hour North from Brockville, and wont cost you that much more time than the 40/417 out of Montreal.

[thehumantorch]

12 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

Doug Sulipa is in Steinbach and doesn't have a retail storefront to visit.

There are lots of GA and SA comics in Winnipeg, but not so much in shops.

I believe you can call ahead and visit his warehouse.  I’ve never done it but would like to

[Mister O]

12 hours ago, FineCollector said:

Skip Ottawa entirely... dont even eat here.  Take the 20/401 out of Montreal and head to Brockville instead.  There's a very nice lady called Jan who used to have a store, but now sells out of her home Saturdays or by appointment.  Best selection in driving distance from me, definitely worth the trip.  Last Century Comics?  She's on Kijiji, let me know if you want more detail.

if you still want to go to Ottawa to see parliament or something, it's an hour North from Brockville, and wont cost you that much more time than the 40/417 out of Montreal.

I won't be in that area on a Saturday when they are open, so I will have to see if they are willing to do an appointment the next day if they can.   Great tip. Thank you for it. 

[CAMPER49]

Not sure if you're taking Highway 11 from Nipigon Ontario to North Bay Ontario through Hearst, Cochrane, etc. (very, very boring ride and much, much longer than 17) or if you're taking Highway 17 (Trans-Canada Hwy) from Nipigon to North Bay through Terrace Bay, Wawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, etc. (much more scenic ride and it's shorter).

If you do come through Sudbury, Comics North isn't very large but they have a half-decent assortment of back-issue comics and a lot of other related stuff.

Cal and Paula are great to deal with. Since you'll be driving through Sudbury, you may as well stop in (closed Sundays). When you turn left out of their driveway onto the main road, keeping heading straight for two days until you reach the Atlantic!

And look me up when you get here....I'll buy you lunch, or dinner, or whatever.

 

[Brock]

On 8/21/2018 at 10:02 PM, Mister O said:

Hi All,

I will be doing a cross Canada drive from Vancouver to Halifax and would like to visit some comic shops that have a good selection of back issues.   My main drive will be using the Trans-Canada highway, so places like Edmonton will be too far out of the way and same with Toronto.

It will be places like Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton and Moncton.  Any other places in between like maybe Swift Current, Moose Jaw, etc would be helpful too.   Let me know what shops you would recommend for a great back issue selection that have all ages (gold, silver, bronze, and copper)

Thanks!

Hello Mister O -

This sounds like a great trip, though a little daunting...

Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Edmonton all have a ton of great shops, but they also have a ton of great boardies, who would be better positioned than me to rank them. As an aside, Edmonton has a lot of antique malls with decent comic selection.

For Regina, my experience is limited, but if you take the alternate route from Edmonton to Winnipeg (rather than Calgary to Winnipeg) you could hit Saskatoon. I thought that Collector's Edge in Saskatoon was a little gold mine of picking, though generally 1980s and later.

Thunder Bay is actually a great comic spot too, with two shop that have large back issue selections - Hill City Comics and Cards, and Comix Plus & Music Exchange.

As mentioned above, Ottawa is a dead zone for comics. There's a couple of shops, but no big back issue selections to speak of.

Although I spend a lot of time in Montreal, it's all work and no play, so I don't know the shops there.

In Moncton, there's a great shop called Comic Hunter, which is definitely worth a visit. I'm less certain of the Fredericton shops, but I'll be there in a couple of weeks, and can let you know what's good (and what i haven't picked clean!).

If you make it any further east than Moncton, both Charlottetown and Halifax have some great stores. Strange Adventures in Halifax has frequently been called the best comic shop in Canada, though the back issue selection is relatively small (6-8 long boxes at their main location).

A couple of caveats... Google is not your friend, sometimes. It will still identify the ghost of comic shops past in some places, telling you about businesses that closed years ago. But where you do know shops are open (and real), a little research can help. Distances are big, and sometimes selection is small. Case in point - and I mean no disrespect to boardie Camper49 above - but while Sudbury is a cool town, and Comics North is a nice little shop, it's pretty small and really carries only some recent overstock in its limited back issue bins. Worth a visit if you're there, but not meriting a big side trip.

Happy to share more if it's useful - you can also always feel free to PM me.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by Brock

[Black_Adam]

I live in Vancouver and I'd also like to know where the good comic shops are with the big back issue selections. All the ones I know of locally carry primarily new stock, TPBs, toys and collectible card games. Any back issue selection is mainly moderns and if they do have anything bronze/silver (in decent condition) they are usually locked away and almost an afterthought in an old display case in some forgotten corner of the store.

Maybe it's just nostalgia, but the comic stores we have now are nothing like the ones I remember growing up in the early eighties...

Oh, and enjoy the trip! It's one I've always wanted to make, cross-country, ocean to ocean!

[thirdgreenham]

On 8/22/2018 at 6:09 AM, Mister O said:

Thank you for the advice.  It doesn’t look like Forest City Coins will be on my way through Northern Ontario.

Yes, I was thinking of going through the US, but decided to see Canada all the way through, it’s a bucket list for me. 

I would love for you to stop by, but it’s true, my shop isn’t close to the Trans-Canada Highway at all.  

Great drive, though! Very jealous.  

 

Edited August 24, 2018 by thirdgreenham

[Quicksilver Signs]

On 8/22/2018 at 11:46 AM, thehumantorch said:

I believe you can call ahead and visit his warehouse.  I’ve never done it but would like to

Sulipa’s a cool place to visit, aisles of 8’ tall shelves of comics and tons of paperbacks, toys and posters upstairs. 

In Winnipeg Galaxy Comics on Henderson is a great place for back issues although not much for GA