Fox Comics — Local services in Marion

I recently visited this store and let me start with the positives. The staff were very welcoming and seemed ready to help us find what we needed. Also if you are into new or recently released comics, this store had a very large selection. Also my son who is a better informed than myself stated that the table top game selection was also very adequate. However I am a back issue collector (1970's-2010) and this is where I felt this shop fell short. The store definitely had a very large selection but they were in the stacked drawer boxes which I understand are great for saving space but when full make the boxes really hard to hold and flip through at the same time. The last thing as an avid collector that I want to do is dump a long box into the floor and possibly crease books. Also while the proprietors had attempted to order books by title there was a lot mixing of titles and volumes which again makes shopping difficult. My biggest gripe was that nothing was priced. When I asked I was told that at the counter they look up what similar books sell for and then they get close to that price (he didn't say higher or lower). I spend a lot of money on comics per month ($100-$300 at the least if not more) and I like to know what I'm going to spend before I get to the checkout. I don't want my final price to be affected by what some casual fan that just saw a Marvel movie was willing to pay. Lets face it 1990's Marvel prices are not going to take a huge leap in price, making pre- priced books a huge risk for losing money. Also how do I know the person at the counter grading is going to grade the same as the market by Overstreet? Also are they going to open every bag/board? I buy twenty to thirty books at a time on most trips to comic shop and that will take forever! A cut or water damaged back cover that I bought at Fine/VG is a huge disappointment. I will give this shop another chance as it is 40 minutes closer than my nearest back issue outlet and if these problems are rectified I would become a regular shopper that was willing to freely...

If you like comics or Magic the Gathering, then this shop could be a good fit for you and your hobbies/interests. What's unfortunate is for pen and paper gaming, their selection of materials is nearly nonexistent. Not only this, but the owner and operator of the shop doesn't seem to understand how to interact with people who come in to buy materials.

I, as well as many pen and paper gamers like to take a look at the dice we're about to buy, and do some test rolls before making our purchase. It's an activity mostly based on superstition, getting a feel for the dice before we buy them and seeing if the dice "like" us. Everyone I've ever met who plays pen and paper games does this, and many other shops I've been to around the country even suggest doing this to new players/buyers.

I went into the shop the other day to purchase some dice (which were priced way too high in the first place) and chose a few that I liked and then tested them out. The owner talks loudly from the back of the store to make it a point to tell me that "all of the dice are balanced" and that I "don't need to do that". He then went on to say "well I'm not sure I want someone coming in with a cold and touching all the dice".

At this point I almost said something to him, but instead decided to hold my tongue. This man owns a comic book store... people come in and touch them all of the time. If he honestly doesn't want people touching his merchandise before making a purchase, then he needs to either have them all behind lock boxes, or have a sign posted saying so. Being rude to a customer who's not causing any problems and is about to give you $25 is a pretty bad move if you ask me. Overall the store has a decent selection of comics, MtG, and other...

Wow where to start...

Stopped in to Fox's Comic's this past Thursday and spoke to the owner, Mr. Fox, who was great to talk with. I'm new to the comic scene as I started reading them as a new hobby just this year. The store has been here for several years (12 to 15 years if I remember correctly) and I just happened to notice it a week or two ago when driving by the clockwork in down town Marion, IL. Mr. Fox was awesome and answered all my questions and answered some questions didn't know I had. He also told me about the upcoming free comic book day (7 Mar 2022) they have once a year to let people try new comics for the first time, I had never heard of such a thing, he gave me all the details on the event. He invited me and my daughter to attend and told me they also brought in local artists who draw comics of their own and popular superheroes as well and you can purchase their original art or prints they make or request an original piece that they can create. The daughter and I both attend the Free Comicbook Day and got a lot of the free comics, purchased several of the artists prints and picked up a few of the comics we already know and love. We had an amazing time and can't recommend Fox's Comic's any more highly. If your into Comic's, Graphic Novels, Role Playing Games or Cards like Magic the Gathering, Warhammer or Dungeons and Dragons, along with sports related material/memorabilia or Superhero statues/figures or collectibles check them out. Support our...