Newbury Comics

I’ve visited Newbury Comics, at its various locations, for pretty much as long as I can remember. Something just happened at this location that, honestly, has me swearing them off forever.
I just came back from I visit — I’d stopped in looking for a particular disc as a gift. As it turns out, there were two copies, both used. One had a significantly lower price than the other yet both seemed to be in excellent condition. I brought them up to the counter to ask what the difference was and the guy (pretty sure he’s the manager, as I’ve seen him there for a long time) looked at them for a moment, clearly didn’t know, then decided that the cheaper one was mislabelled.
Before I could say «Well, I’ll take the less expensive one then» he swept it away and only allowed me to purchase the more expensive one.|
Indescribably bad form, so much so that I will never, EVER shop at a Newbury Comics ever again. Screw you — your shortsightedness means that Amazon gets my business from now on.

I’ve been shopping at this awesome record store since I moved to Cambridge 20 years ago. I’m the type of person that still needs the physical version of a song or album to fully appreciate the music. Thank goodness that these shops still exist, I wouldn’t know what to do if they all vanish. So speaking of, keep supporting Newbury comics! And I’d like to give a special shout out to their assistant manager, Corey, at their Harvard Square branch. Corey goes the extra mile to help out a loyal customer like me. Cory rocks!!!

This is a good place to shop at the height of hipster time periods (when more Americans are actually taking their destiny into their own hands and not being passive), and sadly we are not in one right now. I recommend looking for real DIY stuff made by the artists themselves and not sold by big corporations, but this can be an interesting place to browse.

Purchased a hat Saturday night the staff was nice asked if we needed any help and they didn’t mind us trying literally every hat on!

I was in Cambridge over the weekend and thought I should make a trek over to Newbury Comics. I have been coming to this location for over 20 years. it is still a treasure trove of weird junk (ex. moustache straws), t-​shirts, comics, etc. Oh, and they still sell CDs at very low prices.
I picked up some Adventure Time Mad Libs. My wife loves that wacky animated show and who doesn’t love Mad Libs? I picked a few of those up and it will make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift. In addition, the staff were very friendly, too.

I just recently returned from a shopping trip here for the first time, and it honestly wasn’t quite what I was expecting, even after reading the reviews here.
Despite its name, the actual selection of comic books and graphic novels is pretty sub-​par, and what other reviewers have said about the name being a farce is pretty spot-​on. You are also paying cover price for anything found in the store, though as I write this they have a buy 2, get 1 free graphic novel sale going.
Despite my disappointment in the lack of comic books, there is actually a pretty cool selection of pop culture stuff, and it’s refreshing to see a music store still in business in today’s market. They have a good mix of T-​shirts and other clothing as well as some other pretty cool trinkets if you’ve got some money burning a hole in your pocket.
My major complaint is related closely to the lack of comic books, but I found it astounding that there wasn’t a single piece of manga or animé to be found. As an avid collector of manga, I would have at least expected to see a few staple series made available for sale. When I asked the staff about this, they were not shy about recommending a competitor to help me get my fix, which I found to be pretty cool.
As has been said, this place is more of a pop culture melting pot than a pure comic book store, but if you’re into that, you should feel right at home.

I enjoy stopping by here when I come to Harvard Square, though it’s more for the books (they have a lot of books about music and bands and random «alternative» topics) and gifts and music than for comics. There isn’t much here you can’t find online but it’s fun to browse. Prices are good for Harvard square, and the service is pretty friendly.

Every time I come to MA from Canada, my one must-​stop is Newbury Comics. This place has provided me with some gems over my last few visits and the entire chain is great. The thing about stores that sell used music is that no two are alike.
I love the used music section but also the videos and the miscellaneous stuff that are scattered throughout the store. I’ve spent at least $ 100 every time I’ve walked through those doors. The downside is that I can’t spend as much time as I’d like browsing through everything because not everyone (ie. the people I’m with) want to spend hours in one store.
I think even with music sales on the fall, there’s enough in here to keep this store around while still providing us record fans a place to remain collectables.

They discontinued the selling of those cool temporary tattoos. I know what you’re probably thinking. You’re probably thinking that I should get real tattoos? Well just shut up! I have 17 real tattoos but I love accessorizing with the temporary ones for fun. Now I can’t do that anymore *sigh*.
All other merchandise is still out of this world! Especially the sunglasses, body jewelry and tees.

Newbury Comics is for tourists. I know that. But I was at Garage and this place was there, too, and like any bad habit you find yourself in close proximity with, you have to at least give it a poke to see if it’s the same as you remember.
This location is PATROLLED by an older fella who dresses like he wants to be a middle school boys’ soccer coach. He never smiles, stands as close to the door as possible and reminds you frequently to ask for help and not touch anything.
On the plus side, the people you expect to work at a Newbury are farther within. Multiple piercings, pigtails, band shirts, you get the idea. They can’t work at Hot Topic because there aren’t enough of them in the Boston area and they don’t own cars, so they go to Newbury.
Anyway, I got a captive 14G for my cartilage piercing for an upcoming performance, and I didn’t realize that the old guy (Soccer Coach) had grabbed the wrong package until after I had paid for them, since he wouldn’t let me handle the bags at all. Fortunately, I noticed his error before I left the store, since that’s a state policy — no body jewelry returns, no way, no how.
A nice young lady helped me swap (the original pack was $ 15, and the one I needed and originally pointed to was $ 4, nice way to push a mark-​up, jerk), so she refunded my card the difference and sent me on my way.
Long story short, Newbury is just fine for tourists, but avoid the creepers, even if they have name tags.

I think this is my favorite Newbury location, which kinda makes me sad since I moved across town. It’s not as big as some of their other stores, but I like the feel of it. Every time I go in, it makes me nostalgic for my first years in Boston when I would come in with a list.
They still manage to cram lots of fun non-​music and –movie related stuff in there that’s fun to look at. Plus, the last time I was there, they brought back a vinyl section. I’ll come back to you whenever I’m in Harvard Sq!!!

This location has cleaned up a lot since I had last visited, and they now have that warm Newbury feel that they were previously lacking.
Though this is one of their smaller mall-​type locations, they still offer a great selection of books, music, movies, and kitsch.

I’ve never seen anything here that I couldn’t find a better price for elsewhere. Its fun to peruse and get gift ideas, but they don’t provide me with enough incentive to shop in store.
Good cd collection, but how many people go out and buy an album anymore…

I come here for music, and occasionally for fun little gifts for people.
Based on those, Newbury Comics is pretty awesome. They carry much more eclectic and unusual music than, say, Best Buy, and go «deeper» into artists’ catalogs (i.e. they don’t just have the most recent CD and the greatest hits CD). Sale prices are excellent – their top 50 sellers are reliably well-​priced and I’ve had many a pleasant price surprise browsing the racks, too. Yeah, there are also some badly priced duds, but there’s thrill in the hunt for the good stuff. Oh, and imports! Newbury Comics has a fairly good selection of these, mixed right in with the regular CDs.
I have also found the staff helpful in recommending other CDs I might like based on what I’m buying and what I’m saying. I used to have a bit of a problem opening my wallet too often in this place, and at that time the staff’s recommendations for me were getting pretty darn good based on the influx of data.
As for gifts, Newbury Comics is my first choice when I want a pooping action figure, a t-​shirt with cusswords, or an inexplicable Japanese toy. You’ll baffle and delight your loved ones.
Minus one for the ultra-​annoying crowd in here.

I had a transcendent experience last night.
Suddenly, there, standing amid the racks of label-​made, all-​caps artist names, betwixt the thwack thwack thwack of CD flipping, amongst the gay sailor Billy dolls and Bacon vs. Tofu action figures, I shed all the layers of my autonomous, iTunes-​dependent, financially-​solvent, tame-​haired, and devirginized twenty-​seven-​year-​old self and was instantly back in high school, back in a time before mp3s and the belief that music should be weightless, packageless, liner-​note-​less, grasping my dad’s crisp twenty-​dollar bill and heading purposefully towards the latest Ani Difranco release.
Bless you, Newbury Comics.

It would probably be 2 stars if it wasn’t for the fabulously convenient location.
I try hard to shop local and resisted the urge to turn to iTunes for my most recent music binge, instead making a lunch hour trip to Newbury Comics. Of the three CDs I went in hoping to buy, they had 2 at excellent prices. I inquired about the third, not seeing a name card for the band. I was pretty rudely informed that their branch had never carried said CD. … OK? Can you order it? Alas, they didn’t offer, and I was too shy to ask.
I should note that I have pretty run of the mill taste in music, at least for Harvard Square. I hadn’t even imagined that my request would be too obscure for this place.
Alright, I’m not a veteran of CD retail, maybe they can’t actually order CDs. But I am a customer service veteran, and there’s no excuse for being a sour puss.

Newbury Comics used to be better. Like, they used to actually carry comics. Now they carry about 5 titles, all mainstream, boring crap. They have a lot of doodads and chachkis, if you’re into that. It’s a good place to go to find a gift.
They’re still one of the best places to go for music, including local and independent music, although the original store on Newbury Street and the one in Harvard Square are much, much better than the eight gazillon satellite stores in every suburb in the greater Boston area.

I have much love for Newbury Comics and I’m proud of the small chain for being able to stick around. Hang in there guys! I like the dimly lit, rock and roll vibe to the place… it’s like my favorite record store back home, but maybe just a wee bit scary. My 15 year old self was doing cartwheels in my brain.
Good mix of new CDs, used CDs (and DVDs), funky gifts and rock and roll memorabilia. I found an old power pop CD that was on my «can’t find at my local store, going to hold out and not order it online» list and could have spent hours and hundreds of $$ in here, but we ran out of time (and $$).
Was kind of shocked at the price difference in some of the new CDs though. Newer pop bands for around $ 8, but newer Laurie Anderson for $ 17 ish. OUCH! Eh, it can’t all be perfect I guess!

Newbury Comics is wicked awesome! I’ve been buying vinyl since my first purchase back in 1970-​what, John Williams «Close Encounters of the Third Kind» 7″ single. Even when CD’s hit, I kept buying local band 7“s, and now VINYL is back!
For all of the reviewers that hob nob with the vinyl snobs and say Newbury Comics can’t offer a good music-​buying experience like they used to, I say «You’re dead wrong». At Newbury Comics I picked up a Rhino 7″ reissue of New Order’s «Temptation», my favorite original version of my fave song by one of my fave bands.
I don’t need anyone behind the counter to help me look for records or CDs, so I was happy to flip through Newbury’s extensive 7″ collection, their «Wicked Deals» CD bin, and drooled over their great prices on new CDs. I did find several things of note in the Wicked Deals for $ 2.99, which is like, the price of a coffee these days!
Newbury has a great used-​DVD selection! I mean, TWO copies of the Blaxploitation classic «Dolemite»? TV series box sets, horror classics, anything you want, they have it!
Newbury also caters to teens and Comic Book Guy-​type bauble collectors, with their walls of action figures, tee shirts, stickers, and flashy detritus that is FUN, but easy to ignore if you’re just shopping for music. They also offer signed pre-​sale specials, as I once got a signed CD by a now-​HUGE band that shall go nameless. Newbury Comics is the shit.

It’s a bit of a misnomer since they hardly sell comics. But records? By golly, do they have records!
Tremendously great selection of ska and punk. Great vinyl and used cd selection. They usually also have specials for new releases from bands, with a pre-​order you may get something special like a signed copy or extra 7″. They stock specialty glassware from bands, like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones pint glasses.
Also your typical selection of bags, shirts, hats, and DVDs.