The CORE Comics & Games

The CORE Comics & Games is a comic and game shop at 1926 Valley Park Drive in Cedar Falls, Iowa, that carries Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh! alongside a full comics counter. It suits readers who want a weekly pull box and collectors who want trading card games and tabletop supplies from the same shelves. The store has operated under the CORE name since 1999 and has served the Cedar Valley since 1989.

What's on the shelves

Comics lead the stock: Marvel, DC and independent titles, plus graded comics. Trading cards are covered by Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and the tabletop side adds board games, Dungeons & Dragons, dice and Games Workshop products, including Warhammer and Citadel. The rest of the store fills out with Funko products, anime and manga statues, plush toys and Gundam model kits.

Anything not on the shelf can be ordered for customers. Payment is accepted by American Express, Apple Pay, Diners Club, Discover, Google Pay, Mastercard, PayPal, Shop Pay and Visa. Returns are considered case by case, and in-store pickup is available for orders placed online.

Pull boxes

The store runs a free pull box service with no minimum number of titles. A pull box is an in-store mailbox where the next issues of a customer's chosen series are pulled and held each month. New comics are picked up at the store every Wednesday, and a mailing option is available for readers who cannot visit often. Sign-up forms can be handed in at the store, mailed to the address or scanned and emailed.

Events

The store marks the comics calendar with Free Comic Book Day and Halloween ComicFest. A Halloween costume contest is set for Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 1 PM, with $500 in gift certificate prizes. Judging runs in three categories: age 15 and under, age 16 and up, and groups. The contest is open to all ages with no registration, and weapons or props must be plastic, foam or cardboard and nothing that looks real. The store also keeps a photo archive of past events, including a day honoring actor Jeremy Bulloch.

Hours and getting there

The store sits at 1926 Valley Park Drive, Cedar Falls, IA 50613.

The local scene

Cedar Falls has several other card and game stops close by. Coulee Cards and Gaming Cedar Falls is 0.4 miles away, LOC Collectibles is 1 mile away and Video Games Etc! is 2.7 miles away. In Waterloo, Neil Hoppenworth's Cards is 5.2 miles away and Hobbytown is 5.3 miles away. The Sports Cards and Collectible Show, 58.3 miles away, next starts on November 6, 2026.