Ultimate Comics Durham/Chapel Hill — Local services in Durham

In the border region between Chapel Hill and Durham stands a cultural landmark of both cities.

You won’t find its name on the storefront, but above its door you’ll see a single word popping out of the brickwork like a speech bubble raring to be shouted out loud. It reads simply, “Comics!” and that word is enough to tell you what kind of store this is.

But that bold piece of end punctuation isn’t just a flashy touch or afterthought to distinguish this store from the bland Hardy’s across the street. The exclamation point is a statement, a declaration, a call to arms, taken from the same type writer where Stan Lee wrote his first “Excelsior!” It is an oath, a promise, that whosoever works at Ultimate Comics Durham shall be worthy of the power of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Alison Bechdel and Will Eisner and Charles Schulz; the power to spread the joys of comics to a world that hates and fears them (by “world” I refer to the majority of Americans of every standard demographic, and by “hates and fears” I mean “assumes comic books are juvenile or inaccessible” or, worse, “has no strong feelings about comics either way”).

Whether you’re a grandmother shopping for her grandson or a grandson shopping for his grandmother, an employee at Ultimate Comics Durham has the power to sell you comic books your recipient will love to read. Their collective knowledge of comics is as wide ranging as the functions of Batman’s utility belt; their open enthusiasm for the comics gospel that they preach is as vibrant and welcoming as the ‘S’ on Superman’s chest. They’ll hunt down that elusive back issue like a pack of Wolverine’s clones, and they’ll find that “book that’s appropriate for my 10-year old daughter but has Harley Quinn in it or maybe if you don’t have something like that just something with a strong female protagonist that my daughter will like and won’t teach her bad behavior and won’t make me fall asleep if she makes me read it to her—I know she’s too old for that but she still likes bedtime stories, is there like a Goodnight Moon book that has the Avengers in it?” Yeah. They can handle that.

Ultimate offers great deals—discounts for customers with subscriptions, a standing “buy three get one free” bargain, tons of storewide sales—but what really sets them apart from the distinguished competition is their dedication to customers and community. Ultimate is a place where a 20-something working man in a suit and tie can mingle with that anarchist hippy living in the funny smelling apartment two doors down from yours; where teachers and scientists, composers and adults with special needs, can come to talk about life and art and other cool stuff too. It’s a place where working professionals—the writer of Green Lantern, the creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—stop by to chat with fans and sign their books. At a store that celebrates people who wear their underwear on the outside, is it any surprise that everyone is welcome?

The world of comics is a small one, but its cultural capital is huge. Comics is an industry where fans are ascendant, and the fans who work at Ultimate are using their position in the industry to demand better and more inclusive storytelling from the companies that create the comics that inspire the superhero films that change the world. Pay attention to the people managing your pull and patiently explaining the difference between Captain Marvel and Shazam. The employees at Ultimate might just be the writers, the artists, the editors or publishers, who work on the comic books that shape the pop cultural landscape in the years ahead. Whether you’re looking for your first comic or your 1,610th, Ultimate Comics Durham is the comics...

I have only given a 1 star rating because I can not give a 0 star rating.

If you are looking to sell your comics I would recommend going elsewhere. While my experience was with Ultimate Comics Cary I am leaving this review with all their stores as all locations share the same proprietors.

I was an avid collector and enjoyer of comics prior to grad school, although my collection was not a curated as those of others. However, since graduating grad school last year I have not had as much time to enjoy the hobby as I would like and decided to part with my collection.

While I realize I might not upon first glance look like one might expect a comic fan to look, my collection is bagged, boarded, and cataloged with current updated values, including the condition of the comics.

I reached out to Ultimate Comics to sell my collection and was directed to the Cary location. I provided a list of my collection prior to my appointment to bring my collection onsite for review and was told that lists were not necessary, they would look at the comics when I arrived. I did certainly expect them to look through my collection to ensure the titles noted and the condition of the comics but was surprised they were not interested in the list.

What they told me, after reviewing my comics and picking out a few to price in the back, was that it was their policy to only offer 20% MSRP in cash.

After their offer we did not discuss what they would offer in store credit because they offered me $100 for the entire collection, 2 long boxes and 2.5 short boxes.

My collection is currently valued at over $4000 retail value, including variant covers, editions, and condition of the comics. While they said they offered me 20% MSRP they, in fact, only offered me 2%.

I do not blame the staff. They were pleasant and professional. The only other conclusion left available to me is that this is a policy created by the proprietors and pushed down to the staff who are forced to comply if they wish to keep their situation.

Needless to say I will not be doing business with Ultimate Comics, either now or in the future. However, I wish them all the future success that the multiple local locations would lead me to conclude that this pricing policy has secured for them...

Impressively laid out, nicely lit, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, with a great selection of comics (superhero, sci-fi, and fantasy) and graphic novels, alongside a modest but well-selected manga collection(JoJo, Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisan, GitS; both shonen and seinen). Unfortunately, they didn't have all of the specific issues/volumes we was looking for (which are hard to find!), but they had several others that I was, and were very helpful in looking up what their distributor had in stock.

FOR THE DISABLED AND WHEELCHAIR USERS: They have a nice ramp, not too steep for manual chairs, and the layout of the store is such that the aisles and islands have plenty of clearance, able to accommodate even large electric wheelchairs easily. Some comics and graphic novels are in places difficult to reach, but given the friendly customer service, don't be afraid to ask for help, or if you're feeling like there's something that could be improved, make a suggestion! As a disabled person, they get a hearty A+ in my book, especially compared to the claustrophobic, disorganized, disabled person's nightmare that is some of the stores...