I was out with a friend recently, when he suggested we visit Gotham Central Comics. “Sure”, I thought, “I’m not that much into comics any more, but it could be fun”. Boy was I not ready for what a destination this is, and to see the variety of cool stuff they had there!

  Right through the entrance, there were glass cabinets full of figurines, with anime characters, superheroes of all types, all in a variety of sizes, from small to fit nicely on a shelf, to “where would I even put that?” and “how’d they get that in the door?”.

  Then just beyond that, we hit the Funko Pops.

  This, of course, led to several minutes of “Oh look!”, “Hey check it out!”, and “Look who they’ve got!”, and “They have a Funko of that character!?” While the whole time looking at that wall, I was trying to remember to turn around to see the shelf behind me so that I didn’t miss anything. Everywhere I looked, there was something interesting to look at!

  And then of course, there were comics. Remember, I’m not so much into comics anymore, although there are many graphic novels and series I enjoy. But if you are a comic aficionado, you need to check this out. I only took a picture of the first wall of comics that I encountered. 

  I did, however, examine all of the comics on the wall above the shelves, looking for any of those old issues that I remember owning when I was younger, so I could say “I had that one! It’s worth THAT much now?” But I didn’t see any of the specific Uncanny X-Men, Power Pack, or Spiderman issues that I owned. There were some classic issues up there, though!

  Another spot that made me pause and spend some time looking was the section with all of the art books! So many beautiful art collections of specific illustrators or themes. When I got home from Gotham Central and talked to Bill about visiting, the first thing he mentioned was the art books, since he’d been here once before. 

  Eventually rounding the corner at the back of the store, I made it to the “action figure/toy” section, which also requires a close examination just to take in the variety of different figures and collections here.  

  I even found a Lemmy Kilmister action figure!

  Near the back of the store is the game section. It’s not very big right now, but the owner, Carlos, told me that as the store is able to safely open up and allow more people in, he’s looking to expand the gaming area. I can understand that over the past while, it hasn’t been a priority. People could order and pick up the new comics, but if they can’t stop in to try or play a game, you don’t need that area. So in the meantime, that section seems to have picked up a squatter:  

  Okay, so why visit Gotham Central? Maybe you already have a local store that offers a huge variety of comics and collectibles. It’s worth visiting anyway, because they might not have all the same ones. But what else sets this place apart? Firstly, the owner, Carlos, is a really nice guy, and his staff are fun and helpful as well.

  Secondly, there’s the snacks. Sure, other stores sell chips, pop, and chocolate bars, but the food section at Gotham Central has things I’ve not heard of, and things that I have heard of, but in flavours I’ve never seen! 

  I should have taken more pictures of this part, but I was overwhelmed by the nostalgia and weirdness. You need to see what’s available here. Here’s the one, limited-in-scope picture that I did take: 

  If you want to know more, check out Gotham Central’s website, and follow their Instagram, as well. That will keep you up to date on all the new items they have coming in.

  You’ll also want to check out their Free Comic Book Day event coming up Saturday August 14th and Sunday August 15th! They have a large parking lot space, so they can have a large outdoor event, with guest artists, a charity BBQ, prizes and raffles over the whole weekend!