Izzy's Comics

Izzy's Comics is a comic and collectibles shop at 2801 Lurleen B Wallace Blvd in Northport, Alabama, with a trading card side that centers on sealed Pokémon and sealed sports product. It is a one-person operation, and it suits collectors who want comics, variant covers and sealed boxes more than a tournament room or a weekly event night.

What's on the shelves

Comics are the core of the stock, along with toys and statues. The store also sells sealed Pokémon product alongside sealed sports product, and the games it carries are Pokémon and the One Piece Card Game.

A distinctive part of the inventory is the line of exclusive variant covers the store releases with featured artists. Recent titles include a Kobe Bryant cover, a Michael Jordan cover done as a homage to an Amazing Spider-man issue, a Taylor Swift cover and an Eminem cover, and most have sold out. Prices on these run from about $15 to $25. One Piece fans will notice a Luffy cover by BrayzArt that is a GalaxyCon Oklahoma City exclusive, priced from $24.99.

Buying and trading

The owner buys comic collections and makes trades, and sellers are encouraged to get in touch with a description of what they have.

Pull boxes and store policies

The store runs a pull box program through Diamond. Customers get a free digital preview catalog each month, and anyone who orders enough to qualify for a ratio variant receives it at no charge. Pull box customers take 25% off everything, including comics, toys and statues. The first order is paid upfront, later orders are paid for when they arrive, and shipping goes out on whatever schedule the customer prefers, whether weekly, biweekly or monthly, with shipping paid when the customer is ready.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days, provided they are in the condition they were received in and come with a receipt or proof of purchase. Returns must be requested before anything is sent back.

About the owner

The owner served five years in the US Army and nine years as a law enforcement officer before turning a hobby into a full-time comic business. The shop is a one-person operation, with the owner's wife handling the accounting. The store also publishes a blog of write-ups on comic and horror titles, covering books such as Eight Billion Genies and Wytches.

The local scene

Several other stores sit close by. Down to Game is in Northport about half a mile away, and another Izzy's-named shop, Izzy's Collectibles, lies about 0.6 miles off. In Tuscaloosa, One Up TCG is about 3.1 miles away and Replays Gameware, Movies, and More is about 3.8 miles away.