Knowhere Games & Comics — Local services in San Marcos

The shop was recommended to me, due to it's size, as a place I might go to find missing parts to various series. I've visited once before, and the experience was all well and good. Second visit... Not so much. I decided to go in this evening (3/15/2020) since I was close by. It was not the best experience. I felt more like I was shopping at Comic-N-Stuff in the mall. Not being acknowledged when I walked in already put me a little off. As I browsed, they decided to stock their fridge, blocking the area I was trying to browse, making me wander and flip through stuff I'd no real interest in, until I could once again flip through the Red Sonja comics I was trying to find. As I browsed the wall selection, the comics are tightly packed stuff fell. It's cool that the selection is so big, but the way things are on the shelves can make going through the comics difficult. I had to give up looking for missing Lady Mechanica issues because every time I tried to move something, the stuff next to it would start to fall. Then decided to look to see if they carried Crossed or Ferals comics. I have no idea if they do or not, though I'm going with not. The tables, much like the wall, were so packed it made browsing difficult. But there was another issue that made it worse. Just stacks and stacks of comics laying on the table. I'm talking five or six stacks AT LEAST 15 high or more. The kicker, I'm pretty sure there were the same stacks from the first visit back in January, because I recognized a couple covers! Then came checkout. The prices were... Okay. I guess. More than my preferred shop but a little less than Comic-N-Stuff so... Yay? Never did get a receipt so I can't really compare. One thing that bugged me a bit as I drove was my total was .10$ of being an even dollar amount. I was asked if I'd like to round up to donate to whatever charity they're doing. Sure thing. But, since the guy behind the counter did nothing but hand me back cash, how do I know where that .10$ went? I'm not to worried about it, it's a dime after all, but it'd be pretty shady if it turns out rounding up is just going into the stores pockets... And the way it was done, it almost felt like that was the case. Speaking of asking to round up, that was the ONLY time the staff even bothered to acknowledge me. Hell, just checking out I felt more like I was some random NPC he had to deal with than an actual human. I'd thought about asking about some of the comics I had originally came to look for, but his disinterest made me decide to seek them out elsewhere. I also didn't appreciate the way the other guy looked at me when he saw the Red Sonja comics I bought. I guess it's a good thing I didn't buy the Zombie Tramp comics I was thinking about instead, cuz he probably would have said something instead of shooting a look of disgust. All in all, it wasn't a fun trip, and it was really off putting. Honestly, the only reason for the 3-star rating was the first visit. I'm not convinced the guy during my first visit knew as much as he hoped, though he was friendly, tried, and well, was at least passionate. And getting facts wrong about Vampirella isn't a game breaker. So, I won't lie, I'll probably shop there again, but I won't be going out of my way to do it. And even then, it depends on...

Great place to get comics. I've put my full pull list here and haven't had any bad experiences over the past six months. All my books have been in great condition. Maybe the occasional spine tic on an issue that I wouldn't consider important. And I buy a lot of issues, so out of thousands of books I'd say less than 10 have had a spine tic and that book would still be considered a 9.8. They have great claim sales and all of the staff I have met have been super friendly. They also let you know about great writers and artists who are either at the too if their game or up and coming and they have the best indie books along with everything you would want from marvel or dc. Also the staff is really helpful in letting you know what new books to watch out for. They will give you their honest opinion about what they think is good and not good. They also respect your opinion about what you think is good and not good. It’s a nice place to ask questions and learn more about the comic and card industries. It’s ran by fans for fans. In San Diego you really only have 3-4 good shops. I'd put this store as my number 1 shop because of how easy it is to get to and how helpful the staff are. Also if I ever raise a question about something they're quick to find a solution. I don't think I've ever had a request of mine denied. Sometimes there's healthy competition with other customers who are on top of what they want but it's all in good fun. Also they have back issues for days. I can jump into a series that's a year or two old a lot of times when I've finished the titles I already have. Make sure to ask questions and also look at the back issues. You will find something you like. I'm at the point where I've found too many things that I like. Watch the foc videos, and attend some claim sales that are on Thursday or Saturday nights. They definitely have some gems in here and I can't wait to see them...

Wanted to write this for a while.

The owners/managers/whoever runs this store are extremely rude and ignorant. He called my 8 year old nephew and I toxic for simply being confused as to why they do not sell Yu-Gi-Oh/Yugioh cards.

When we questioned why they did not sell Yugioh cards, the man behind the counter called ALL FANS AND PLAYERS OF YUGIOH TOXIC and blamed MEXICAN CARTELS as part of reason why the store does not carry the cards. Absolutely ridiculous excuses.

These people should not own a card shop.

To call an 8 year old child toxic for being a fan of a card game is really weird. I have encountered rude Pokemon and MTG players but I would never call the entire player or fan base toxic. This owner needs a serious reality check because he is not on this planet.

I will NEVER spend my money here. NEVER. None of my family or friends will ever come back here either. Disgusting behavior by the owners and whoever else runs this shop.

EDIT: Response to owner

This certainly happened at Knowhere Games and Comics when the store was located in the shopping center across from Winco and Best Buy, near the Discount Tire. I wouldn't go out of my way to write this review if it didn't happen.

Whoever worked behind the counter that day blamed cartels and called the yugioh community toxic. It was a rude and poor response to potential customers wondering why this shop doesn't carry yugioh cards. Bad apples don't represent an entire community and blaming cartels for not carrying a certain gard game is pathetic and borderline racist.

Again, I will NEVER shop here, neither will any of my friends or family. I will gladly go to El Cajon or Oceanside, even LA, but I will never come back here.

Supporting local shops doesn't mean one has to support rude, classless card shops...