B & D comics

B & D Comics is a comic shop in Roanoke, Virginia, serving local and national customers for more than 40 years. It sells new comics, graphic novels, back issues, action figures and collecting supplies, and it suits readers who want a weekly pull list, a deep back-issue stock or a shop that will special order what it doesn't have on the shelf. This is a comics store first, with no card games or weekly events on its calendar.

What's on the shelves

New comics reach the shelves every Wednesday. Beyond the new-release wall, the store carries graphic novels, back issues, action figures, collecting supplies, magazines, T-shirts and other specialty items. More than 30,000 back issues are for sale online, so the same depth of stock is open to buyers who can't make the trip.

Because of demand, not every new release will be in stock, so customers are encouraged to request titles ahead of time to reserve a copy. Special orders can be placed with no deposit required.

Pull lists, subscriptions and Previews orders

Subscriptions are the store's specialty, with several options for customers who hate missing issues of a favorite title.

• Pull and Hold accounts let a customer reserve each month's new issues, held for up to one month.
• A customer who provides a credit card, billed on the 3rd of each month, receives 10% off all the titles on the list.
• Pre-paid subscription customers who order from the monthly Previews catalog save 10% to 30% on their orders. These orders cover items scheduled to ship two to six months out, and payment is due in full when the order is submitted.
• Previews orders are due by the 18th of every month, with payment.
• Catalogs can be picked up at the store or mailed, and shipped orders go by UPS with shipping charges billed to the customer's account. Lost-package insurance is included on orders up to $100.
• Orders from Virginia residents carry 5.3% Virginia sales tax.

Store policies and rewards

The store runs a Green B&D Bucks program. A customer earns one Buck for every $10 spent on in-store merchandise, and each is good for 10% off any one item. That 10% can be stacked on discounts the customer already receives, so a 25% back-issue discount becomes 35%. A Buck can also be used as a 10 cent coupon, and more than one can be applied to a single item that way.

Previews customers earn Bucks too: one for picking up the catalog, one for each day before the Wednesday prior to the due date that payment arrives, and extra Bucks for early-order discounts (one extra at 15%, two at 25%, three at 30%). Bucks are not valid during a sale, on Previews orders or on reduced items.

Events

The store hosts author signings from time to time. A guest author was scheduled to appear on February 22nd for autographs and discussions. No regular weekly events are scheduled.

Hours and getting there

The store is in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke, Virginia, at 802 Elm Ave SW. It is open Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday.

Wednesday is the late day, with doors open until 7 PM, which suits a new-release pickup after work.

The local scene

Several other hobby and game stores sit within a few miles in Roanoke: Replay Games And DVD (1.5 miles), Game Junkies (1.6 miles), Rick's Hobby Shop (2.3 miles), The Basement Toys and Comics (2.3 miles) and Super Game Station (2.4 miles).