Comic Swap

Comic Swap is a comic and game shop at 110 S Fraser St in downtown State College, a few minutes from Penn State's campus. It opened in 1976 as a book store and is now marking 50 years in business. Comics come first here, with trade paperbacks, manga and graphic novels filling the shelves, and card games fit in alongside them. It suits readers who want a deep comic selection and players who want Magic: The Gathering or Pokémon in the same trip.

What's on the shelves

The core of the stock is comics: new releases from Marvel, DC and Image, the newest manga, and graphic novels for kids and young adults. The shop is especially stocked in trade paperbacks, hardcovers and art books, across science fiction, fantasy, superhero, non-fiction and crime.

On the game side, the store carries Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon and Dungeons & Dragons. Magic and D&D are named among the store's specialties, next to new comics and collected editions.

Subscriptions and special orders

New comics arrive on Wednesdays. Customers with a subscription have their titles held behind the counter and ready first thing that morning. Anything not on the shelf can be special ordered at no additional charge, which makes the store a practical option for hard-to-find collected editions.

Hours and getting there

The store is open every day, with the longest hours midweek.

Holiday closures are typically announced ahead of time.

History

Lane Carpenter opened the doors in 1976 as the Book Swap. Over five decades, one name change and two owners, it became Comic Swap Inc., which is now owned by John Secreto. The 50th anniversary is being celebrated this year, and the shop takes pride in matching each customer with the right comic, whatever their interests.

The local scene

Downtown State College is dense with hobby shops. Jake's Card Shop is about 0.2 miles away and Master Goblin Games about 0.3 miles. Gamers Arena is roughly 0.5 miles off, Comic Cove about 0.9 miles, and Nittany Cards Plus about 1.5 miles. Anyone making an afternoon of it can cover several of these on foot.