New England Comics a Brookline Oasis

The New England Comics on Harvard Street in Coolidge Corner is one of the original stores in Massachusetts. The store opened up 20 years ago after the original in Allston and the second store in Quincy.

“Our most popular titles for Marvel Comics is Deadpool,” Manager Rosemary Benton said. “For DC Comics, it has to be Batman.”

New England comics offers classic comics like Archie, Batman, Spider Man, X-Men and the Fantastic Four to newer heroes, Simpsons comics and plenty of other comics and graphics novels from Marvel, DC, Image and Vertigo comics from the U.S. and Japan.

One of the unique features of New England Comics in Brookline is there local comics section. There is an entire shelf of comics written by local writers and illustrated by local art students from Portland, RI and the Boston area. “It’s a great way to try and help local comic creators get started,” Benson said. “’One Android Stories’ and ‘Zombre’ are both examples of good Boston based comics.”

The shop is filled with all different comics for all different audiences. “The age of our clientele ranges from young kids to people in their late 60’s. It’s hard to tell how old our youngest readers are because their parents are the ones doing the shopping for them,” Benson said.

Benson described the atmosphere at the 316 Harvard Street store as “a sort of oasis” in Brookline. “Brookline is still very much a small town. We know most of the people who come in here. We have tons of repeat customers.”

The shop sells more than just comics and graphic novels. They sell action figures, baseball cards, DVD’s and t-shirts as well. The basement of the shop has a vast collection of back issued comic book bargains, ranging from $.50 to $1.

The basement also has tables set up for Magic: The Gathering tournaments every Friday and Saturday nights. They award prizes for every game.

New England Comics has something for the dedicated comic collector or anyone in need of a trip down memory lane with plenty of classics.