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Midtown Comics

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Midtown Comics, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 202560 sources
Midtown Comics
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail (comic books)
Founded1997
FounderGerry Gladston, Angelo Chantly, Thomas Galitos, Robert Mileta
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Area served
United States (primarily New York City)
Key people
Gerry Gladston (co-owner and chief marketing officer as of 2019)
ProductsComic books, graphic novels, manga, toys, collectibles
Number of employees
150
Websitewww.midtowncomics.com

Overview

Midtown Comics operates as a prominent comic book retailer based in New York City, maintaining three physical locations throughout Manhattan alongside an active online storefront. Established in 1997, it holds the distinction of being the largest comic book retailer in the United States. The inaugural shop was launched near Times Square, followed by a second location on Lexington Avenue in 2004, commonly referred to as the Grand Central store due to its closeness to Grand Central Terminal. A third outlet opened in November 2010 on Fulton Street within Manhattan's Financial District. Additionally, an outlet in Astoria, Queens commenced operations in March 2020. Midtown Comics previously ran a boutique inside the Times Square Toys R Us store. In 2020, after years of managing subscription sales for DC Comics, Midtown introduced UCS Comic Distributors, a sister distribution company that assumed responsibility for distributing DC's publications.

The retailer is recognized for hosting appearances by celebrities beyond the comic book sphere and is praised for its approachable and enthusiastic staff. It is also regarded as the most media-accessible comic shop nationwide. In 2012, The Village Voice honored it as New York's Best Comic Book Store, while CBR.com lauded it as the foremost retailer specializing in comic books, graphic novels, and manga. On July 13, 2012, the National Geographic Channel debuted Comic Store Heroes, a reality series filmed at Midtown Comics. The following year, Bleeding Cool magazine positioned Midtown Comics at number 44 on its Top 100 Power List of Comic Books, attributing this ranking to its proximity to the former headquarters of major American publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics, as well as its strong connections with industry insiders.

History

Midtown Comics was established by four partners—Gerry Gladston, Angelo Chantly, Thomas Galitos, and Robert Mileta—who first connected as teenagers in Astoria, Queens. Initially, they sold comic books through their video rental shops located in Brooklyn and Queens. Their flagship Midtown Comics store debuted in Manhattan on West 40th Street near Seventh Avenue.[1] This location boasts a collection of roughly 500,000 comic books.[2][3]

The New York Times described the Midtown Comics experience as follows:

Contrary to the common stereotype of comic book stores being dark, cramped, and exclusive male-only clubs, these venues vary widely. For example, the Midtown store on the West Side is bright and spacious, welcoming all visitors across two floors spanning approximately 5,000 square feet (460 m2). The main floor—situated one level above street access—features a long wall filled with racks of current and newly released comics. Additional merchandise such as DVDs, manga, trading cards, back issues, and trade paperbacks are also available. Upstairs houses toys and collectibles. Meanwhile, the second Midtown location at Lexington Avenue and 45th Street is smaller but equally inviting.[4]

The Times Square branch spans two floors.

Since the inception of New York Comic Con (NYCC) in 2006, Midtown Comics has served as its official retail sponsor.[4] Each year at NYCC, Midtown organizes a dedicated "show-within-a-show," featuring continuous appearances by comic book creators and exclusive variant editions from publishers such as Marvel Comics and Top Cow.[5]

Initially designed solely to provide information, Midtown’s website has evolved into a comprehensive online retail platform. The brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce operations are supported by a warehouse facility in Queens and staffed by approximately 150 employees.[4] New York Magazine characterizes the staff as possessing "a unique blend of deep nerd expertise coupled with approachable confidence," cultivating an environment where browsing serves not just as shopping but also as social engagement.[3]

Midtown also produces a weekly podcast focused on the comic book industry, featuring interviews with different comic creators each episode.[6]

On November 10, 2010, Midtown inaugurated its third Manhattan location in the Financial District, specifically at 64 Fulton Street.[7][8][9] This Downtown store’s grand opening featured signings by notable creators including Jim Lee and Jonathan Layman, co-creator of Chew. By June 2012, Midtown had grown to become the largest comic book retailer in the United States.[10]

Midtown supports Artists Assemble!, a comics festival held in Union City, New Jersey, which began in February 2013.[11]

In May 2012, Midtown opened a boutique within the flagship FAO Schwarz toy store on Manhattan’s prestigious Fifth Avenue. This boutique specialized in graphic novels, hardcover editions, apparel, and collectibles.[12][13] The boutique closed its doors when FAO Schwarz ceased operations in July 2015.[14] Subsequently, in October 2013 Midtown launched a shop inside the Toys R Us store located in Manhattan's Times Square. Positioned adjacent to the second-floor animatronic Tyrannosaurus centerpiece from the Jurassic Park display, this shop offered merchandise similar to that of the former FAO Schwarz boutique.[15]

In 2013, Bleeding Cool magazine ranked Midtown Comics at number 44 on its Top 100 Power List within the comic book industry. This ranking reflected its close proximity to Marvel and DC—the two dominant American comic publishers—and its role as a favored shopping destination for industry professionals who value feedback from Midtown’s staff and owners.[16]

In October 2016, Marvel Comics and Midtown Comics jointly withdrew a variant cover for issue #1 of The Invincible Iron Man by artist J. Scott Campbell, which had been created exclusively for Midtown. The decision followed criticism that the cover sexualized the character Riri Williams—a fifteen-year-old engineering student at MIT who reverse engineers Iron Man’s armor—in contrast to her more modest depiction inside the comic by artist Stefano Caselli.[17][18] Campbell described the removal as "unfortunate" and explained that his intent was to portray "a sassy, coming-of-age young woman," dismissing the backlash as a "faux controversy." Writer Brian Michael Bendis supported pulling the cover due to concerns over its disconnect from the creative team producing the interior artwork.[19]

The Astoria outlet store features discounted back issues and other merchandise; shown here on its March 2020 opening day.

On March 7, 2020 Midtown launched its fourth retail location—a dedicated outlet store situated at 32-11 41st Street in Astoria, Queens, marking its sole branch outside Manhattan.[20][21] The basement level offers an extensive inventory of back issues spanning both recent releases and vintage single issues or complete story arcs dating back to the Golden Age of Comic Books. Additionally included are discounted one-dollar books sold in bulk. The ground floor stocks various surplus items including newer and out-of-print graphic novels, manga volumes, action figures, and collectibles—all priced up to seventy percent below standard retail rates. Operating only on weekends with Saturday and Sunday hours exclusively—the outlet also provides an order pick-up service via Midtown’s website that allows local customers to avoid traveling into Manhattan.[20][22] Industry journalist Heidi MacDonald praised this outlet for resembling a permanent warehouse sale with impressive pricing on back issues alongside an unexpectedly large graphic novel selection for an outlet venue.[20]

In early 2020 Midtown expanded into distribution by launching UCS Comic Distributors—a sister company tasked with handling DC Comics' print distribution alongside Lunar Distribution (owned by Indiana-based DCBS). This new arrangement commenced on April 27 of that year,[23][24] building upon Midtown’s longstanding role managing DC's subscription sales.

In October 2024 one of the variant covers for Absolute Wonder Woman #1 was an exclusive illustration for Midtown Comics created by artist Dan Panosian.[25]

During February 2025 promotional activities for Captain America: Brave New World, lead actor Anthony Mackie visited several Manhattan venues—including appearances on Good Morning America, Live with Kelly and Mark, and a stop at Midtown Comics’ Times Square location—where he reflected on his history as a customer prior to achieving fame.[26]

In media

Grand Central store

Midtown Comics has earned recognition as one of the most media-accessible comic book retailers across the United States. Situated in Manhattan, home to the two largest American comic publishers, Marvel Comics and DC Comics,Template:Cref and serving as the backdrop for numerous narratives within the Marvel Universe,[27] Midtown Comics' Times Square location and its personnel frequently contribute to local news segments focused on comic books and popular culture.[28][29] Gerry Gladston, co-owner and as of 2019 serving as chief marketing officer,[30] has been a frequent interviewee on various topics, including a 2006 feature about vintage comics fetching high prices at auctions,[31] a 2009 report on the resurrection of Captain America after his death two years earlier,[32][33] and a 2014 Marvel narrative introducing a female incarnation of Thor.[34] Major media outlets also sought insights from Midtown’s team in 2009 regarding President Barack Obama's depiction in a Spider-Man comic,[35][36] and later that year concerning anticipation for the release of Avatar. [37] Midtown is also a trusted source for industry reactions; for example, Publishers Weekly consults them annually regarding trends in the comics and graphic novel market,[38] and coverage of events such as Free Comic Book Day.[39] Additionally, CBR.com cited Gladston’s perspective on Axel Alonso’s appointment as Marvel’s editor-in-chief in 2011.[40] He was also interviewed by various outlets about the impact of DC Comics’ 2011 relaunch known as The New 52, which Midtown celebrated with a midnight signing event on August 31 that year.[41][42]

The Times Square branch served as the venue on December 21, 2010 for a press event where Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada alongside Executive Editors Tom Brevoort and Axel Alonso unveiled the company-wide crossover storyline titled "Fear Itself".[43][44][45] Later on March 31, 2012, Midtown hosted the New York City launch party for the Disney XD animated series Ultimate Spider-Man, where Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada and writer-producer Joe Kelly treated select fans to an exclusive preview of the pilot episode.[46][47][48] In January of 2015, Marvel revealed their "Secret Wars" storyline during a press gathering held at Midtown.[49]

Midtown Comics has also been referenced within comic book narratives themselves. In Ex Machina #12 from August 2005 by Brian K. Vaughn and published by Wildstorm Productions, protagonist Mitchell Hundred mourns the closure of a cherished comic shop in Lower Manhattan following the events of September 11; during this dialogue a friend cites several actual comic stores still operating including St. Mark's Comics, Jim Hanley's Universe, and Midtown Comics.[50] Additionally, writer Mark Millar explicitly includes Midtown in Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #2 (October 2010), where the character Nerd Hulk asks permission from Captain America to attend a book signing at the store.[51]

On July 13, 2012, National Geographic Channel debuted Comic Store Heroes, a reality television series filmed at Midtown featuring co-owner Gerry Gladston alongside Marketing Manager Thor Parker and pricing specialist Alex Rae. Similar in format to shows like Pawn Stars and Comic Book Men, this program highlights interactions between staff members and their passionate customer base while spotlighting internal dynamics during preparations for New York Comic Con.[10][13][52][53] Parker noted that unlike filmmaker Kevin Smith’s reality series Comic Book Men, their show aims to move beyond common stereotypes about comic enthusiasts by demonstrating how comics foster acceptance and create an inclusive community that positively impacts individuals’ lives.[54]

In 2017, ABC News featured Midtown's Times Square location as part of an on-site segment covering the contentious Marvel storyline "Secret Empire".[55][55][56][57][58]

In March 2019 during actor Zachary Levi’s book signing promoting his film Shazam!, the Downtown location was used as a filming site for a segment on TruTV’s hidden camera show Impractical Jokers. This footage was part of the eighth season premiere aired on March 28.[59][60]

Signings and appearances

Creators Frank Miller and Greg Capullo autographing a Batmobile toy during the store's third annual Batman Day event in 2016

Midtown Comics has welcomed numerous comic book artists for signings, such as Rob Liefeld, Dave Gibbons, Mark Millar, and Simone Bianchi. Additionally, the store has attracted figures from outside the comic realm, including celebrities like Amber Benson, Tim Gunn, members of Fall Out Boy, Olivia Munn, New York City's former mayor Michael Bloomberg, filmmaker Kevin Smith, actor Zachary Quinto, and civil rights advocate and U.S. Congressman John Lewis.

Occasionally, Midtown Comics organizes exclusive midnight launch events to release select major titles at the very start of the Wednesday distribution day, ahead of other retailers. These special occasions often feature appearances by creators, such as the September 2008 event with Peter David and Mike Perkins promoting The Dark Tower: Treachery and The Stand: Captain Trips. Another notable midnight release occurred in August 2011, when Jim Lee and Geoff Johns appeared to support comics tied to DC Comics’ "Flashpoint" storyline and the launch of The New 52 initiative.

Among the distinguished visitors to Midtown Comics are actor and Jack Quaid and professional wrestler Britt Baker.

References

Template:Cnote

  1. ↑ Prendergast, Daniel (October 10, 2017). "Man robs comic-book store, tries to escape like a superhero". New York Post.
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nyt2007
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NewYorkMagazine
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NewYorkTimes2005
  5. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi. "The Beat: NYCC: Midtown Comics" Publishers Weekly, April 15, 2008
  6. ↑ "Midtown Comics". iTunes. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Workforce
  8. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi. "Midtown goes Downtown" The Beat, June 23, 2010.
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DowntownGrandOpen
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NYPost
  11. ↑ DeChiaro, Dean (February 10, 2013). "Superheroes and fanboys unite!". The Hudson Reporter. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
  12. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi (May 31, 2012). "Midtown Comics opens boutique in FAO Schwarz". The Beat.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ComicBookResources
  14. ↑ Townsend, Matt; Levitt, David (May 16, 2015). "FAO Schwarz store in Manhattan to close in July as rents rise". Bloomberg Business.
  15. ↑ Melrose, Kevin (October 22, 2013). "Midtown Comics opens boutique in Toys 'R' Us Times Square". CBR.com.
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named BleedingCool#7
  17. ↑ Couto, Anthony (October 20, 2016). "Marvel Pulls J. Scott Campbell's Riri Williams Iron Man Cover". CBR.com.
  18. ↑ Jusino, Teresa (October 19, 2016). "Dear Marvel: Stop Sexualizing Female Teenage Characters Like Riri Williams. Love, Everyone". The Mary Sue.
  19. ↑ Flood, Alison (October 21, 2016). "Marvel pulls Iron Man cover after accusations of 'sexualising' teenage girl". The Guardian.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ComicsBeat
  21. ↑ Griepp, Milton (March 5, 2020). "MIDTOWN COMICS OPENING OUTLET STORE IN ASTORIA, QUEENS". ICv2. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  22. ↑ Johnston, Rich (March 5, 2020). "Midtown Comics Grand Opening in Astoria, Queens". Bleeding Cool. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  23. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi. https://www.comicsbeat.com/so-who-are-lunar-distribution-and-ucs-comic-distributors-anyway/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ↑ https://www.newsarama.com/49873-inside-dc-s-new-print-distribution-pla-and-the-new-distributors-involved.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ↑ https://screenrant.com/absolute-wonder-woman-all-in-special-dc-comics/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ↑ https://www.thepopverse.com/comics-movies-captain-america-brave-new-world-red-hulk-comic-book-recommendations-marvel-studios. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ↑ Goldin, James Grant. Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked. History Channel. July 2003.
  28. ↑ Johnston, Rich (July 31, 2015). "Fox News Compares Last Month's Superman To Ferguson". Bleeding Cool.
  29. ↑ Prowse-Gany, Brian (August 12, 2015). "Rise of the Female Superhero". Yahoo! News.
  30. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NewYorkTimes2019
  31. ↑ Furman, Phyllis (February 14, 2006). "MARVEL-OUS INVESTMENTS. Comics' collectors turn 'Man of Steel' into pot of gold". Daily News (New York)
  32. ↑ Sacks, Ethan. "Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers is coming back to life two years after Marvel Comics killed him". Daily News (New York). June 16, 2009
  33. ↑ Clark, Amy (February 11, 2009). "Fans: Captain America Died For His Ideals". CBS News.
  34. ↑ Schindler, Rick (July 15, 2014). "Female Thor? Marvel Comics' thunder god is now a goddess". USA Today.
  35. ↑ "Spidey's New Sidekick: Obama-themed Marvel comic becomes instant collector's item.". ABC News. January 15, 2009
  36. ↑ Chan, Sewell (January 14, 2009). "Lining Up for Obama and Spider-Man". The New York Times
  37. ↑ "Blue in the Face: Avatar Fanatics: James Cameron action movie draws devotees even before it opens." ABC News. December 19, 2009
  38. ↑ Price, Ada (March 15, 2010). "Comics Retailers Adapt to a Tough Economy; Look Ahead to Better Times". Publishers Weekly
  39. ↑ Fitzsimons, Kate (May 3, 2010). "Big Crowds for Free Comic Book Day In NYC". Publishers Weekly
  40. ↑ Phegley, Kiel (January 5, 2011). "Industry Reacts to Alonso as Marvel E-I-C". CBR.com.
  41. ↑ Rogers, Vaneta. "UPDATE: Some Retailers Seeing NEW DCnU Readers; Others Not". Newsarama. August 31, 2011
  42. ↑ Gustines, George Gene; Kepler, Adam W. (September 30, 2011). "So Far, Sales for New DC Comics Are Super". The New York Times.
  43. ↑ Sacks, Ethan (December 21, 2010). "Marvel Comics launches 'Fear Itself'; Miniseries has superheroes threatened by God of Fear". Daily News (New York)
  44. ↑ Truitt, Brian. "Be afraid: Marvel's heroes gear up for 'Fear Itself'". USA Today. December 21, 2010
  45. ↑ Manning, Shaun (December 21, 2010). "Marvel Announces 'Fear Itself'". CBR.com.
  46. ↑ Kilpatrick, Conor (March 30, 2012). "VIDEO: Behind The Scenes of 'Ultimate Spider-Man' PLUS: Launch Parties in NYC & LA!". iFanboy.
  47. ↑ Zalben, Alex (March 29, 2012). "'Ultimate Spider-Man' Premiere Party This Saturday In NYC!". MTV Geek!.
  48. ↑ "Ultimate Spider-Man Kickoff Parties in NY & LA". Marvel Comics. March 26, 2012.
  49. ↑ Yehl, Joshua (January 20, 2015). "The Marvel Universe Is Coming to an End in May 2015". IGN.
  50. ↑ Brian K. Vaughn (w), Tony Harris (p), Tom Feister (i). "Fact v. Fiction Part 1" Ex Machina, vol. 1, no. 12 (August 2005). Wildstorm Productions.
  51. ↑ Millar, Mark (w), Dillon, Steve (p), Lanning, Andy (i). "Blade Versus the Avengers, Part Two of Six" Ultimate Avengers 3, no. 2 (November 2010). Marvel Comics.
  52. ↑ Ritchie, Kevin (June 28, 2012). "Nat Geo acquires 'Comic Store Heroes'". Real Screen.
  53. ↑ Videos: "The Challenge". National Geographic Channel. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  54. ↑ Fama, Russell (June 2, 2012). "An Interview with Thor of Comic Store Heroes". Super Sidekick.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Hickey, Walt; Rothman, Michael (2017). "Inside Marvel: Captain America leads Hydra takeover in 'Secret Empire'". ABC News. Retrieved April 11, 2019. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help); no-break space character in |access-date= at position 6 (help)
  56. ↑ Shiach, Kieran (September 14, 2017). "Marvel's controversial Secret Empire event is over. Was it worth it?". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date=, |date=, and |archive-date= (help); no-break space character in |access-date= at position 6 (help); no-break space character in |archive-date= at position 6 (help); no-break space character in |date= at position 10 (help)
  57. ↑ Matadeen, Renaldo (September 19, 2017). "Yes, Secret Empire Was Worth the Controversy". CBR.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date=, |date=, and |archive-date= (help); no-break space character in |access-date= at position 6 (help); no-break space character in |archive-date= at position 6 (help); no-break space character in |date= at position 10 (help)
  58. ↑ Pulliam-Moore, Charles; Whitbrook, James (September 30, 2017). "What Was the Point of Marvel's Secret Empire?". io9. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date=, |date=, and |archive-date= (help); no-break space character in |access-date= at position 6 (help); no-break space character in |archive-date= at position 6 (help); no-break space character in |date= at position 10 (help)
  59. ↑ Bonomolo, Cameron (March 31, 2019). "'Impractical Jokers' Trolls 'Shazam!' Star Zachary Levi". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help); no-break space character in |access-date= at position 6 (help); no-break space character in |date= at position 6 (help)
  60. ↑ "Impractical Jokers and SHAZAM! Unite!". Impractical Jokers. TruTV. March 28, 2019.

External links

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