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Now, for those of you who hadnt noticed Christmas is on the way. Yes, I know you were thinking those decorations up in the mall a few weeks ago were for Thanksgiving, but youre wrong. I mean, why think of a holiday that is driven by quality time with people you are close to when we have a holiday coming up that is driven more by retail than good will? Cmon people, get your priorities straight!
Alright, enough sarcasm for now, lets get to the topic at hand. I am someone who tends to dress by my interest, not by my desire to impress others. My friends can back me up on this, as can the many women who have turned me down for dates over the years. Anyway, over the years Ive come across a number of sources for finding wardrobe and other items relating to the comic world and pop culture (Im a child of the 80s). So, in an effort to help those who have trouble finding such items for themselves, or as gifts for others, Ive put together a nice little list of my top 10 places to look for these things.
- Department Stores
Ok, so as much as some people wouldnt like to admit (on either side of the battle) there is a small amount of these items that can be found in your local J.C. Pennys, Target, or even (if youre brave enough to enter) a Wal-Mart. The problem with going to these places is that youre only going to find the popular comic characters and the pop culture things that are currently making the most money. Of course, they are department stores so if youre lucky you could catch a sale, which is difficult to find on a lot of specialty items.
- Spencers Gifts
You want fickle pop culture? Welcome to Spencers Gifts. If its something you like and its currently a hot commodity commercially then chances are youre going to find something related to it in a Spencers Gifts store. Thats about it for the good. The bad part is that they rotate their stuff fast enough to make your head spin and youre going to be paying the prices of a mall store.
- Hot Topic
Hot Topic used to do a fairly decent job of catering to members of your local high school and community drama clubs, but a few years ago they branched out into pop culture. They do a decent job of it too (much to the disgust of their employees it seems). The good is that they have a fair selection of pop culture clothing and rotate out a few comic related items too. Plus, if your local store sells out you can go to HotTopic.com and probably find the item there. Their online selection also tends to be a little better than what is just in the store. The bad is that sometimes they can be a bit pricey, but for a mall store theyre not too bad.
- Suncoast
Some of you may be wondering why Suncoast ranks higher than Hot Topic the reason is that they have a decent mix of shirts and collectables. Much like Spencers Gifts they tend to rotate by what is popular, but they do get in a few things that you would guess only a specialty store would carry, which is a plus for those that dont live near any. Unfortunately they only carry movies at Suncoast.com, so if your store runs out of a collectable then good luck finding it in the store again.
- GraphittiDesigns.com
In case you didnt know there was a time when Graphitti Designs made most of the comic shirts you would see on the rack in your local comic shop. Now many others are getting into the biz, but Graphitti Designs is still in the game. Most of their stuff you can get through Previews, but there is something to be said for direct purchases at times. I havent actually bought anything from them yet, but I check them regularly for new items. The worst part about them is the design of their website. They only organize their shirts by company (Marvel, DC, View Askew) and not by character or group. So, you have to spend a little time playing with your browsers back button to see everything you want.
- Local Comic Shops
Support your local comic shops! Now, the good and bad are going to vary by each shop, thats just the way it works folks. Where I am there are only a few stores and only one carries more shirts than individuals order, but they tend to charge outrageous prices on their collectables. The store I regular has great prices on their collectables, but they only order shirts on request. I wont talk about the other store because they just barely fit the bill by carrying comics. So, take a look at your store and this list and see whats best for you.
- eBay
What better place to find comic related clothing and pop culture items? If you want it then there is a good chance youll find it out on eBay somewhere, and thats the good. The bad is that you may end up in a bidding war for the item, you may have to pay some minimum outrageous price, and you know you get worried about someone wearing what they sell (Ill leave it at that). I have purchased a few collectables off eBay, but no clothing items.
- FlyingPirate.com
This is a nice little online store. I have yet to order anything from them, but its mostly because by the time I found them I already had a number of their items. They carry clothing and collectables, the majority of which seem to be comic related. They have recently added a search engine, which helps greatly. They seem to be constantly growing, so check them often. I think in a short time theyll be pacing my top pick.
- 80sTees.com
I have used this online store a number of times for my comic related and pop culture clothing. Their site has grown quite a bit over the years, but the navigation can still be glitchy. The bad part is that they only carry clothing right now, but the good part is that they tend to beat most competitors by at least a few dollars and they keep their inventory online. I can also say that Ive only had great experiences with their customer service, and once you order from them youll get coupon codes via email from them now and then. If you havent checked these guys out, youre missing out.
- WickedCoolStuff.com
This is where online shopping away from major retail chains started for me. They have a great selection of comic and pop culture clothing and loads of collectables. Their site is pretty easy to navigate and theyre constantly receiving new items. The only negative is that they can be a little pricey at times. You may be able to find some of the stuff they carry cheaper somewhere else, but you need to decide if the wait is worth the risk of them running out.
There you have it folks. Hopefully this little list has given you at least a few new options to feed that little geek inside of you that craves clothing and collectables from the world of comics and pop culture. If you know of other great sites please let me know. Now, youve lost a lot of perfectly good shopping time reading this article, now get out there and spend some money before you anger the retail gods. Happy holidays, and Ill rant at you more next year!
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