Best Comic-Book Store

Austin Books & Comics

A lot of local comic-book stores have gone the way of the dodo of late, but even when this city had more outlets of graphic-novel goodness than there were Skrulls in the woodwork, Austin Books & Comics loomed head, shoulders, and propeller beanie above its putative competitors. Year in, year out, dancing a user-friendly retail tango to the tune of no fewer than 15 "Best of Austin" awards, this juggernaut of sequential-art objects seldom failed to satisfy even the geekiest jones, to impress the most discerning gimlet eye of fanboy and fangirl alike. So now, when other shops have vaporized and the competition's slightly less dog-eat-dog, now Austin Books has gone and upgraded itself with a complete remodeling, turning what was already best into something even better? Double-you tee everlovin' eff? "We've always had a healthy fear of the future," says owner Brad Bankston. "This medium has always been a niche market, even before the Internet, and who knows how long it can be sustained against alternatives in the Web, and so on. So we've tried to make ourselves more accessible to the general public, for people coming into a comic-book store for the first time. And there's the gentrification of the area, too, with the Triangle opening up and the biggest Half Price Books store in town down the street. So the landlord fixed up the outside of our building, and we fixed up the inside. … Because it's a matter of pride, too, of being proud of what you do and what you're offering. You know, there's nothing wrong with looking good." Which is one reason this perennial winner continues to flourish in these dismal economic times: You can walk around Austin Books as if you're touring a museum, ogling the walls of new comic books, the shelves of graphic novels, the free-standing displays of movie tie-ins, the life-sized Incredible Hulk statue near the store's center. Hell, you might even find old masters like Raphael, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Leonardo amid the bounty – except here, they'd more likely be turtles. Of, yes, the teenage mutant ninja variety.

Austin Books & Comics
5002 N. Lamar, 512/454-4197
austinbooks.com