"I hope this place never closes, because there's no place like it!" -- 11yo

My favorite place to go for Magic prereleases. Friendly and casual for newer and younger players while still having a clientele for more experienced players. Staff is very friendly and there are sometimes special extra events I don't see elsewhere. I always get my sealed product from CtA.

Thanks for the kind words and we do our best. 

This is one of those shops that really try to benefit the customers. They sell at MSRP if they can, or they will sell at a reasonable markup for availability. They really have a good thing going. I would recommend supporting this shop over others that unfairly gouge prices.

I love going to Magic The Gathering casual commander nights here! The people are very nice.

Thanks for the kind words and glad you have a good time at FNM!

I’ve been going to Comics to Astonish for 6+ years and have never had a bad experience. Everyone is welcoming and eager to help. The community they’ve built for their Friday night Magic events is usually very friendly and I almost always have a great time whenever i go. Excellent variety of products and staff who are knowledgeable and eager to help you find the best selection for you!

Great store! Super friendly staff. The store is neat, clean and very organized. Everything is easily accessible but if you can’t find something the staff is always willing to help. Never a bad experience!

I love this store. The community I've found here is remarkable. Everyone I've met at events is incredibly friendly. The staff is great as well, they're kind and welcoming, and warm. Comics to Astonish is the LGS I will compare all others to.

Between the friendly staff, informative community and weekly events, this is my go to store for everything magic.

A great store with very friendly and helpful staff.

Really fun for Magic: the Gathering events, and they have a big collection of comic books too.

Lots of nice people and good selection of cards would recommend to any tcg players

Glad you had fun and thanks for the kind words!!


Extremely friendly and welcoming environment!! Ill definitely be back for some FNM 💪💪

Had a great time at Duskmourn pre-release!

Staff was friendly, got the event started and moving on time as well

Great place, friendly staff. Great for anyone wanting to learn card games or just to find some great comics

This store is my go-to place for Magic and Yugioh sales. They are warm and welcoming to all who want to play. Commander nights are super fun on Fridays and their prerelease events are well organized. The store also is very enterprising on newer TCGs such as Elestrals and One Piece. They offer so much like single cards and theyre looking to invest in sold collections and put their regulars first. Here are some pics of nice stuff Ive gotten. The poster is from the Pride Commander event in June!

My son loves this place, he comes to play Yu-Gi-Oh & that makes me happy 😊  Thanks for making this a safe place for him to come enjoy a game he loves ❤️

Comics to Astonish has been my go to comic book store for almost four years now. Simone and the rest of the team are always super friendly and helpful in the store and over the phone, whether they’re checking distributor stock for me, or putting yet another X-Men tie-in book in my box. Dropping in to grab the latest releases or check out what trades they have available is always a highlight of my week :)

What can I say about this place? It's amazing! Honestly great selection of TCG cards that range across the years. The staff is so incredibly friendly and helpful, they have the best local friendly scene for games. Skill level doesn't matter, everyone in the community makes sure that everyone is having a great time. The community is constantly growing and inclusive. This is my go to spot for Friday night games, sealed product and comics. Also they give out killer promos!

Awesome vibes, friendly staff, and a huge selection of TCGs, comics, and collectables. Great place for a Magic prerelease at fair pricing and a welcoming atmosphere!

Helpful staff. Decent prices. Good location. Exactly what I’m looking for when I go out hunting for comic books. I will definitely be returning.

Fantastic homely feeling shop with great staff and kind patrons!

Comic books on all of the walls, with extra in bulk storage boxes that are sorted by series.

Magic: The Gathering is the second most popular item that they sell in the store and they have a massive selection of sealed product on the wall, singles in a glass case, and everything you need to protect your cards as well. Friday nights there is Casual Commander for free where you get to play with a ton of welcoming individuals! I only started playing 4 months ago but it has been a blast to play at Comics To Astonish every Friday night. The prerelease events are also very fun!

This is my LGS.
They are a comic store first, magic store second, but its a close second. If you put in the face time to be a regular, they remember you and take care of you. I always feel safe here, and the events they run are fast, professional, and fair. Smaller prize pool for the top end because everyone gets a pack if you stay for the whole thing. New to magic? Multiple vets will teach you as you play (though they won't go easy on you).

Hands down my favorite gaming shop in Howard County.

Since I’m a regular customer and not with the store I can’t reply directly to a recent negative review. I will just say it is easy to tell when someone is being salty/whiny/self-centered and can’t see the bigger picture. I know that a certain group of MTG players would enjoy playing Friday night magic at the store. One of the reasons they enjoyed it so much was the generosity of the prizes and cheap entry for draft. However this was a money loser for the store and forced employees to stay longer hours. It is also my understanding that these players RARELY purchased anything else from the store. To me it is clear why this decision was made. I’ve been a customer for 7 years and Keegan and crew have been nothing but helpful, knowledgeable, fair, and kind. You don’t survive 25+ years by mistreating people (employees and customers alike).

A great place to play Magic: the Gathering. FNM and Prerelease are always great, they’re run very well, and the regulars are all nice people. The Standard set chaos drafts and 6-pack half-draft, half-sealed events give FNM here a unique twist. I live 30 minutes away but I choose this store over closer ones every time.

Lovely store, warm and welcoming staff. Great inventory, and a fantastic place to play games. Magic pre-releases are particularly well done. This is everything you're looking for in an LCS!

I walked into this shop 3 minutes before it was about to close on Christmas Eve eager to find a specific comic for my son.  The young lady at the counter mentioned it was closing time but when she saw I was lost and confused about what I needed she came over to help.  Even though I was clearly standing between she and her holiday free time, she took the time to answer all of my questions and make suggestions based on what I told her about my son. The best news is that she was right on point and my son absolutely LOVED her suggestion.

Little did she know that had totally gone out of my way to find this shop and had planned my entire shopping afternoon around making it to that store. I am very thankful that she was knowledgeable, friendly and kind enough to take the time to help.

Great staff and super friendly and relaxed group of regular players. Super happy to have C2A as our local game store. There are other stores near by with bigger selections of games and gaming supplies, but we always choose to play here.

Great store! The employees are super nice and helpful. They are always there to inform, or even have a casual conversation. Very organized magic: the gathering events and they try very hard to be as fair and accommodating to anyone who comes by.

First off, I have to say I entered this store on a whim and I was interested in Magic Cards only. I was surprised to see available booster packs spanning all the way back to Iceage, Homelands, and Fallen Empires. There were a lot of sets here that just simply aren't seen on store shelves anymore. There was a couple of cases containing a limited selection of single cards that spanned the history of magic. Also there were a ton of alternative sealed product options such as premium card packages, preconstructed decks, and starter products. In addition to actual cards, there were all manners of assorted card accessories, dice, and containers.

Aside from Magic related items, The available comic book selection appeared impressive to me, but I know little about them. The staff were friendly and helpful. Definitely worth a visit if you have interest in any of these items.

I haven’t bought a comic book in over 2 decades. Yes, over 20 years! Caught wind of Spawn #300 (variant Spider-Man #300 cover) and Google searched local comic shops. Visited “Comics To Astonish” and was happy with my experience. The young lady working was very friendly and helpful with questions. I talked nerd with one of the other customers while we waited. The store is small, yet they have a lot of selections for your comic book, trade paperback, figures, etc needs. I’d recommend and will more than likely return and pick up my teenage hobby again.

To anyone who wants to sell an old comic collection, I recommend that you first contact Comics To Astonish.  The owner is friendly and fair.  When I needed some information on selling some comics, he was very helpful.  The price list he used was comparable to the prices I had researched from several sources.  He handled all the work involved in marketing my comics for a fair commission.  He saved me from the unpleasant work I would have had to do in selling them myself.  I can highly recommend him for his knowledge, fairness and good nature.

This is a great neighborhood comic, game, Magic the Gathering and Table top (RPG) shop! The staff is both knowledgeable and helpful across the full spectrum of all things nerdy, geeky and otherwise awesome :) Not only can they help collectors find rare comics and cards, they are especially good at helping friends and family members find meaningful gifts for that special nerd in their life :) Another great thing about this store and more importantly, the local community/culture, is how welcoming they are. I have seen everyone from age 8 to 50+ sitting at the same table, playing the same game, and everyone was having a good time!

I know that the stores (there is one in Mt Arie also) host a large number of official Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons adventure league games. These events are welcoming to all ages and experience levels. They are a great way to try new games and meet new people.

Highest recommendations!

This place is absolutely amazing, their selection is even better. I'm not much into comics but they have what seems to be a great comics selection as well. As for magic they have boosters from pretty much 4th edition to present and anything in between. I would say they are $$ but with the selection and location that's to be expected. The guy greeted me soon as I walked through the doors and was very friendly. I might just make this my new go to lgs especially if they get a modern crowd going.

I had an amazing experience here at the store. I have been there several times before for just small comics, occasionally a hulk read or something of that nature, but I wanted to get more serious. I went in wanting a Superman comic, more like a graphic novel, and I had some ideas of what I wanted them to be (style, author, issue #, etc). When I went in, however, these specific comics were no where to be found; I was so upset. I didn't really know what else to look at, and just as I was about to leave, I pulled back a Spider-Man novel and there sat Superman For Tomorrow by Jim Lee. At first it looked, well, bad. Not the quality of the book, no no, I just didn't like the style of the art, at first. I brought it up to a clerk and I asked "is this any good?" He told me I could open it and look inside. Wow!! I didn't expect it at all! And when I did, I was blown away by the amazing art. It looked incredible. He told me it was a great read and he recommended it. I paid for it and left, and spent the rest of the day reading it. This is my favorite comic book I've ever gotten. The art is astounding and the story is incredible. To make it even better, the people at Comics to Astonish helped me make an informed decision, and a good purchase. I am so happy with my experience here, they are wonderful. I plan on going back soon as well! Looking for some Batman or Spawn comics. Great job Comics to Astonish! You've made a life long customer!

Fantastic comic shop, with really friendly staff.

My go to for Predator comics! If they don't have it in the store, you can order it online. Great customer service too.

The cashier was a total tool, who didn't even say hello or thank you. The cashier at the Mount Airy store was the same way. No wonder that store just closed.

(Reply to author) When I first went to the store, you had wonderful staff. Ergo, years of service. Your ironic "thanks" for my "years of service" speaks to the validity of my critique. I'm sure you've noticed that my post was not the first to elaborate of customer treatment when they go into your stores.

(Edit with response to owner) I changed my rating from a 1 star to 4 because you changed your response (which wasn't nice) to my original post. In your revised response you apologize "for any issues." Thank you! I wish I had originally had a better experience (see above), but positive feedback from the owner is always refreshing. I truly liked the store and the experiences I had with every employee except that one person, so I feel it is only fair that I emphasize that in this revision of the review.

Did a magic prerelease event there. It was fun, decent crowd of people, nice enough atmosphere. However, their prize system is the weirdest thing. People who went 3-0 got different levels of prizes. Someone who went 1-2 got the same prize as someone who went 2-1. Like I'm sure they put some logic into it. But it was bad logic.

Outside of that event, they have a large selection of comics, as to be expected from their name. They also have a limited selection of magic singles and board games. Overall a decent spot in the area of those are the things you're looking for, probably one of the larger comic selections in the area. The store itself is very small, I've been in wider hallways.

The warehouse store is exactly that a warehouse with a small store front area with limited hours. We do not hide this it is clearly stated on our web-site.  We run our internet business out of there and have a small store front due to customers in that area asking us to. It is not for customers to search through our warehouse stock. The employees are there 6 days a week adding items items to the web-site and shipping packages worldwide.  

Average comic store. A fair back issue area and new issue section. Two locations with many comics that still need to be put out. Was expecting more variety in the warehouse store so that was disappointing. Both stores had a good walking space and fair prices. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff which is a plus. I have been in many comic stores and this one like many others was on par for average store.

Nice place. They need to create a better floor setup.  Once you are on one side of the tables you're kinda stuck as there are only 2 path ways to the other side.  Only been there once as I was travelling, but it was a fine shop to hang out and play some magic.

Generally friendly staff, great selection of comics (current and back issues), stocked on MTG sets new and old, plenty of mtg events. An average local comic shop. Some items fall short of competitive pricing compared to Amazon and other book stores.

I am sorry that you did not ask about buying a booster box since if you did you would have realized that it is discounted from pack price. There is always a discount from pack price for box purchases. New Pokemon sets are $149.99 for the box vs buying 36 packs would be $180.00, so $30 cheaper.  Also we only buy our product from legitimate distributors in sealed case amounts so our packs are always 100% real and have not been searched or re-sealed as so many of those Amazon boxes are.  Sellers on Amazon buy cases of cards and then start opening until they hit the 1 per case card and they stop. Those leftover packs are then sold on Amazon to get rid of them as they have pulled the best cards. We have tons of expensive cards pulled from our packs as we do not open anything. Our customers gets them all. Also older packs by nature are going to cost more as once things sell out they cost more to re-buy them so the pack price goes up.  Our job is to try and have a wide selection of packs and therefore you will find various pricing vs going to Target or Walmart and they just have the new set or buying searched cards on Amazon. 

This is a great place to buy pokemon cards from because most of the time, you will end up with a good card. The thing is, a pack alone is around 6.00 and that depends on what type of pack you buy, because if their a little old like a year, they will be like 8.00 for one, but the newer they go, the less expensive they get, they need to lower their prices because if I bought a booster box there, it would be around 300 dollars, but amazon would be half, so lower the prices please.

While the back issue selection is always kept well stocked, even the most recent back issues are at least 50 cents over cover price. The staff is also less than friendly, and besides the occasional indifferent greeting when entering the store, they do not offer to help customers unless asked to do so. There have been a couple of times where upon request to help look for something, the staff member looked annoyed that I bothered him in the middle of his Magic game.

Thank you very much for your feedback. We are a local collectibles business, and as such, we are unable to acquire products at a large-scale discount that many big box store retailers can. Because of this, we unfortunately have to price our products to match the premium in cost that we are forced to pay. When customers and guests come into the store to try to buy up as much product as possible in order to resell it online for a profit, they are sometimes disappointed to see that we have policies in place that limit the purchase of hot items to one-per-customer to increase availability to as many customers as possible. If you're looking for better deals, that is perfectly understandable. I would recommend you check out Walmart or Target. Thank you again for your feedback and have a pleasant day!

Comics to astonish wants to take advantage of prices. A trading card pack that is msrp of $24.99 was marked up to $39.99. I understand there will be a markup at LCS but that is completely inappropriate. There are plenty of other LCS in the area that offer better prices with better customer service.

Looks to be another fake review from a fake name

A wonderful example of exactly how NOT to run a business. Let alone a customer facing one. Some of the worst customer service I've ever experienced. Avoid this business at all costs. There are better shops in the area, with people who care about their clientele. Can't wait to see what replaces them.

Love to support local, but not worth it for D&D. Dropped by the day after the Spelljammer release to pick up the alt cover. They're charging $90 and won't match other local shops. Drove to Games & Stuff and saved $20.
I get that they're focused on "collectibles" and, to their credit, they do have some older alt covers I can't find elsewhere- but charging 30% more the day after release when supply is plentiful is just absurd.

Bad business. I bought back issues today and I was alright with paying the price marked on the book, which was 4.50, take it to the counter and it ends up being 6.50 after I was rung up. The cashier didn't tell me the price was going to be higher, and I didn't notice until I had already left, which is completely my fault for not noticing however if I had I'd have told them to keep the book. This is one of the worst things you can do as a store period, if you want to make all the money that's fine, but do your job and make sure you mark your merchandise accordingly, you don't get to change your mind after I've done your job for you. It's bad business all the way around, just because you're to lazy or too cheap to do your job or pay someone to do it for you. Highly disappointed in your shop. Do better

We are a collectibles store and go out of our way to keep items in that can't be found at most other places as they are sold out and by nature these items will not be MSRP, the price will be based on what we had to pay to get and will be priced at Market Price. We provide a service to our customers to try and have what they are tying to find. I think you have a profound misunderstanding of what type of shop we are as we are not Target or Walmart or a Five and Dime store.

OK selection. Prices are way too high. Establishments like this are supposed to charge msrp, not 1.5 times market price. It’s a store, not eBay. Charging over market price in an establishment like this is scalper territory. I guess i remember why i chose other places to shop…. Maybe they’ll be better in another couple years.

Employees are nice, but management doesnt really care about their service. The website (managment/owner) and store have a communication issue that the former entity fails to acknowledge. Space for gameplay is limited unless it is a special event, then they hold it somewhere else. Merchandise is priced a bit high and individual cards like, magic the gathering, are priced at near mint usually despite actual card shape. My advice go somewhere else like Games and Stuff in Glen Burnie, Gritty Goblin, or even take the hike to Annapolis to visit Third Eye Games. At least with these stores you will have room to move, a nicer atmosphere to play or shop, and a much better selection of items at a very similiar price point.

I've been here three times and I don't plan to return. I'm writing this as a warning. The employee I've dealt with all three times is incredibly rude. When asked if they'd get more of a new comic instead of answering me, he literally explained to me that there's not multiple FIRST printings in the most condescending tone imaginable. No idea why he is so deliberately rude, but that combined with their prices vs shops like third eye and big planet who have friendly staff and reasonable prices makes this shop one to avoid. I'd rather take my chances on Amazon or eBay than ever go here again.

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