founded 1997 founder angelo chantly thomas galitos gerry gladston robert mileta headquarters new york city new york united states number of locations 3 stores 2010 area served worldwide products comic books graphic novels manga website midtowncomics.com midtown comics is a new york city comic book retailer with three shops in manhattan and an e commerce website . 1 the largest comic book store in the united states 2 the company opened its first store in the times square area in 1997 . its second was opened on lexington avenue in 2004 1 and is known as the grand central store for its proximity to grand central terminal . 3 its downtown store was opened on fulton street in the financial district in november 2010 . it also operates a boutique inside manhattan s times square toys r us . the store is noted for appearances by celebrities known outside the comic book industry 4 for its friendly and energetic staff and for being the most media friendly comic store in the united states . 5 it was named by the village voice in 2012 as the best comic book store in new york 6 and has been hailed by comic book resources as the industry s leading retailer of comic books graphic novels and manga . 3 on july 13 2012 the national geographic channel premiered comic store heroes a reality television program set at midtown comics . due to its geographic proximity to the headquarters of the big two of the american comic book publishing industry marvel comics and dc comics and the relationship between the store and industry professionals it was ranked number 44 on bleeding cool magazine s 2013 top 100 power list of comic books . 5 contents 1 history 2 internet presence 3 in media 4 signings and appearances 5 see also 6 references 7 external links history edit the times square branch occupies two floors . downtown branch 64 fulton street midtown was founded by partners gerry gladston angelo chantly thomas galitos and robert mileta who met as teenagers in astoria queens and later sold comics in their video stores in brooklyn and queens before opening midtown comics in manhattan which houses approximately 500 000 books in its collection . 4 7 according to the new york times the stereotypical view of comics stores is that they are dim cramped and dusty places with a no girls allowed clubhouse atmosphere . in reality they run the gamut . for instance the west side midtown store is bright airy and welcoming to all with two floors and 5 000 square feet 460 m2 of space . the main floor which is one story above street level has a long wall with countless racks of new and recently released comics . the rest of the space offers dvds manga trading cards back issues and trade paperbacks . toys and other collectibles are upstairs . the second midtown store on lexington avenue and 45th street though smaller than the first one is just as inviting . 1 midtown comics is the official retail sponsor of new york comic con and has performed this role since the nycc s inception in 2006 . 1 each year midtown creates a show within a show featuring round the clock appearances by comics creators and variant comic books by publishers like marvel comics and top cow . 8 on november 10 2010 midtown comics opened a third manhattan store . known as their downtown store it is located in the financial district at 64 fulton street in the southernmost section of the borough . 9 10 11 inaugural book signings were held for that branch featuring jim lee and jonathan layman creator of chew . 11 as of june 2012 midtown is the largest comic book store in the united states . 2 the store is a sponsor of artists assemble a comics festival in union city new jersey that began in february 2013 . 12 in may 2012 midtown comics opened a boutique inside the flagship fao schwarz toy store in manhattan s fifth avenue shopping district . the boutique offered graphic novels hardcover books apparel and collectibles . 13 14 15 the boutique ceased operations when fao schwartz closed in july 2015 . 16 in october 2013 midtown opened a shop inside the toys r us store in manhattan s times square . the shop which is located next to the second floor animatronic tyrannosaurus that forms the centerpiece of the jurassic park display offers items similar to that offered in the fao schwarz boutique . 17 in 2013 midtown was ranked number 44 on bleeding cool magazine s top 100 power list of comic books due to its geographic proximity to the headquarters of the big two of the american comic book publishing industry marvel and dc and the fact that industry professionals both shop there and are privy to reaction from midtown staffers and owners . 5 internet presence edit midtown s website was at first purely informational but has developed into a full scale web retail site . the stores and website are supported by a warehouse in queens and a staff of around 150 1 who are described by new york magazine as a rare mix of nerd knowledge and chummy confidence and who foster an atmosphere where browsing is more than just a means to a badly needed social end . 7 midtown also produces a weekly podcast that covers the comic book industry with a different comic book creator interviewed each week . 18 in media edit grand central store midtown comics has developed a reputation for being the most media friendly comic store in the united states . 5 as manhattan is the location of the big two of the american comic book publishing industry marvel comics and dc comics and the setting for much of the former s stories 19 midtown comics times square and its staff have been utilized for local news reporting relating to comic books and popular culture . 20 21 midtown comics co owner gerry gladston has often been interviewed for comment on such stories including a 2006 story on vintage comics selling for large amounts of money at auction 22 a 2009 story on the return of captain america after marvel comics had killed him off two years prior 23 24 and a 2014 marvel storyline that introduced a female thor . 25 midtown s staff were also consulted by major media outlets in 2009 regarding the appearance of president barack obama in an issue of spider man 26 27 and again later that year regarding the anticipation of the release of the film avatar . 28 the media also rely on midtown as a source for reaction to industry news and events . publishers weekly relies on them for their annual survey about the state of the comics and graphic novel marketplace 29 and for their coverage of free comic book day 30 while comic book resources quoted gladston for reaction to axel alonso s 2011 promotion to editor in chief of marvel comics . 31 gladston was consulted by multiple publications on the effects on new readership of dc comics 2011 relaunch the new 52 for which midtown comics held a midnight signing on august 31 2011 . 32 33 midtown comics times square was the location of the december 21 2010 press conference in which marvel comics editor in chief joe quesada and executive editors tom brevoort and axel alonso announced the 2011 company wide crossover storyline fear itself . 34 35 36 it was later the location of the march 31 2012 new york city launch party for the disney xd tv series ultimate spider man where marvel chief creative officer joe quesada and series writer producer joe kelly presented a sneak preview of the series pilot episode for small audiences of fans . 37 38 39 in january 2015 marvel announced their secret wars storyline at a press conference held at midtown . 40 the store has also been mentioned in comic book stories themselves . in ex machina 12 august 2005 by brian k. vaughn and wildstorm productions the main character mitchell hundred laments the closing of a beloved comic book store in lower manhattan following the september 11 attacks and a friend mentions some real life comics shops that are still open including st. mark s comics jim hanley s universe and midtown comics . 41 comic book writer mark millar explicitly references the store in ultimate comics avengers 3 2 october 2010 in which nerd hulk requests permission from captain america to attend a book signing there . 42 on july 13 2012 the national geographic channel premiered comic store heroes a reality television program set at the store and starring gladston marketing manager thor parker and pricing expert alex rae . like similar series such as pawn stars and comic book men the program focuses on the interactions between the store s staff and its devoted comics aficionado customer base as well as the conflict among its staff as it prepares its booth for the new york comiccon . 2 14 43 44 parker explains that comic store heroes is distinct from filmmaker kevin smith s reality series comic book men saying we re fans of kevin s show and what it brings to the table but we wanted to take things in a different direction . we wanted to try and work past the typical stereotypes about comic book fans and show that comics and the comic community have the ability to help people find acceptance become part of an extremely welcoming family and really make a difference in people s lives . 45 signings and appearances edit creators frank miller and greg capullo signing a toy batmobile at the store s third annual batman day celebration in 2016 midtown comics has hosted signings by comic book creators such as rob liefeld dave gibbons mark millar and simone bianchi 46 as well as celebrities known outside the comic book industry 4 such as amber benson 47 tim gunn fall out boy 46 olivia munn 3 new york city mayor michael bloomberg 9 48 49 50 filmmaker kevin smith 51 52 actor zachary quinto 53 54 55 and civil rights leader and u.s. congressman john lewis . 56 although the store normally closes in the evening it will sometimes hold special midnight releases in order to begin selling certain high profile books during the first minutes of the wednesday shipping day before other stores are able to . these events usually feature store appearances by creators such as a september 2008 appearance by peter david and mike perkins to promote the dark tower treachery and the stand captain trips 57 58 and an august 2011 appearance by jim lee and geoff johns to promote titles related to dc comics flashpoint and the new 52 events . 59 60 notable customers who visited the shop have included actress cate blanchett 61 and star wars creator george lucas who visited the shop in march 2015 to browse for marvel s new star wars comics 62 following the 2012 acquisition of lucasfilm by marvel s parent company disney 63 64 and the resumption of marvel s license of star wars comics for the first time since 1987 65 66 . see also edit comics portal comic books online shopping new york comic con references edit a b c d e gustines george gene november 16 2005 . some caution helps when selling fantasies . the new york times . a b c kaplan don june 25 2012 . it s a geek drama . new york post . a b c olivia munn signs her new book at midtown comics . comic book resources . july 2 2010 a b c gustines george gene may 4 2007 . superhero worship gotham to riverdale . the new york times . a