The Deep Comics, Games & Toys — Local services in Huntsville

Every comic and gaming enthusiast in the Tennessee Valley has been to Deep Comics & Games at one point or another.

They offer a wide selection of the newest comics and a fairly large backstock of older comics. They even have a wall of Golden and Silver Age comics, though, mostly in 7 or lower condition.

Also, they have a decent selection of tabletop gaming supplies and board games.

Here's the catch, though. You're walking into the filthiest, most poorly run comic and gaming store in the Tennessee Valley.

About once a year, I return to Deep Comics & Games during a normal business day to see if it has turned a corner. But, sadly, it is only slipping deeper into the pit of carelessness that has plagued it for so long.

My decision to stop spending my money there didn't come from one incident, rather, an atmosphere of indifference, rudeness, and inappropriateness at Deep Comics & Games.

First, and most egregious, is the language used by the employees and patrons, regardless of whomever is in the store. I'm no saint, but I would certainly feel awkward if I was in the store with my children.

Let me preface this next bit-- I don't know the backstory between a gamer and an employee. That being said, I witnessed an employee threaten a gamer with physical violence while asking him to leave. I was shocked. I thought I was going to wind up on the news or something being interviewed because I witnessed some nerd-on-nerd violence.

That's a good segway into the next bit-- the once respectable and courteous employees that worked at Deep Comics & Games in years past have moved onto bigger and better things. They have been replaced by a group of employees that seem like a boys-club. They laugh and hang out around the counter, not bothering themselves to ask what you need or if they can help you.

Though they sell a niche product to a niche crowd, it's still a customer-service industry.

So, I will continue to visit Deep Comics & Games once per year to see if they can change my mind. So, I can't in good conscious recommend this store to anyone, especially parents with young children. They have a nice selection of comics and games, but, ultimately, it isn't worth the atmosphere in the store.

Otherwise, I will continue to purchase comics online and have them delivered to my home.

I love to support local businesses, that's why I'm sad that Deep Comics & Games has let me down year after year.

I will, however, continue to purchase table top gaming supplies at The Foundry, just down the Parkway about 2 or 3 miles from Deep Comics & Games. They offer everything-- Magic cards and tournaments, 40K, Mech Warrior, Flames of War, Heroclix, Horde, Munchkin... You name it. And, what they don't have they will order for you.

This is what local business should be-- and what Deep Comics & Games should aspire to be. For example, I expressed interest in Warhammer 40K, but had no previous experience painting miniatures. The owner himself offered to give both me and my wife lessons.

I vote with my money. If Deep Comics & Games ever gives me a reason to return, I will. If not, well, my comic and gaming needs are easily...

Here is a full review on the entire complex

(For Magic Players) The place is the absolute Mecca for Magic the Gathering stuff. They have fairly competitive prices for their singles. If you are looking for cards that are in this block or have just rotated, this place is definitely for you. If you are looking for commons and uncommons, prepare to sit at a table upstairs for an eternity looking for what you want. The common section is somewhat messy with cards on the floor and pouring out of the boxes. The packs are pretty expensive though. I would recommend going to another store or looking online for those. There is no discount for buying packs in bulk, so the boxes and cases are way overpriced.

(Yu-Gi-Oh players) There is a VERY small selection for Yu-Gi-Oh singles. They just handed me a box with 10 or so good cards in it with about 500 folded up commons. Yu-Gi-Oh players there usually just trade and sell cards from their HUGE collections among themselves. All you have to do is be there on Sundays to see what I am talking about. The Yu-Gi-Oh players have every personality that you could think of. They range from the guy who fits the stereotype for any TCG (nerdy guy who hasn't showered for a month and spends all of his money on cards) to some pretty cool casual or competitive players who you would make friends with in real life. The packs are pretty expensive for Yu-Gi-Oh as well. You could buy a box online for 65-70 dollars instead of paying over 100 dollars at the Deep.

(Cardfight Vangaurd and Pokemon Players) I didn't look as Deep (pun intended) as I could have into the selection, but it looks like the store puts as much emphasis (None) on these two games as they do on Yu-Gi-Oh. You will just have to see what you can get from other players that frequent the premises.

(Board Games) I'm not much into board games, comics, or anime books, but there seem to be a wide selection of product such as War Hammer 40K, Hero Clix, and Star Wars.

(Gaming Area) The tournament area seems like is could be more organized. It's clean and smells fine, but could be set up in a better way for a more comfortable experience.

(Staff) The staff knows what they are talking about and is very helpful when talking about product, but don't expect to make small talk with them. It gets awkward pretty quickly.

Overall, it's a pretty good place. I would give it 3.5 stars. Google makes you rating a whole number, so I'll...

I see the owner responded six months ago to a review that was over 4 years old. I actually remember when that review was written. There were maybe two or three total Google reviews of the store at that time, but immediately following the negative review, there was a sudden influx of 4-5 star reviews. It was blatantly obvious they had asked their friends to boost their rating on here, which is kinda' shady if you ask me, but not at all surprising considering the type of people who work and regularly hang out there. I don't know why they were so intimidated by the negative review, as there isn't really anywhere else to buy comics in the area.

The Deep has the best comic selection in the Tennessee Valley, and that's about where the positives end(aside from hearing they stuck all the card game kids upstairs in their new location; OMG DO THEY HATE KIDS NOW?!). I used to have a subscription box there, but every time I would go in and ask for my box, they would look at me like I had just asked them to run a mile or something. I was often met with dead silence, because how dare I interrupt their piddling on the internet to actually give the store money? Then once I actually got my comics, it was extremely rare for me to get out of the store without an employee either criticizing one of the issues I bought or straight up spoiling one for me. It seemed so incredibly backwards that they thought so highly of their own opinions that they didn't care about potentially losing a sale or, as was the case with me, a customer.

I remember one specific instance where I went into the shop specifically to pick up Darwyn Cooke's 'The Man with the Getaway Face', a promotional comic for the second installment in his Parker graphic novel series. I asked the employee behind the counter if they had it, and he wasn't familiar with it(even though it had just been released that day). I said it was by Darwyn Cooke(who is a huge name in the comic industry), hoping he would maybe search his inventory to be sure, but he replied, "I don't know who that is. We don't have it." He never looked it up; he barely even looked up at me, for that matter. I decided to peruse the shelves anyway to see if anything else had come out that day that might interest me, and what do you know, there sat 'The Man with the Getaway Face'. I took it up to the counter and said, "Turns out you did have it." All he said was, "Oh. Is that all?"

I now have my comics...