A Lone Star in the Sky for Comic Lovers...
Written: Mar 28 '05
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| Full Review |
For those of you who know me well, a secret passion of mine that I rarely write about is comic books.
Well, when I was recently promoted at work I decided to buy myself the 1980-1996 run of Dr. Strange as a treat for myself. Remembering the comic from my childhood, I wanted to finally have the opportunity to enjoy the entire series in one run, all 70-plus issues of it!
And where did I head for this celebratory shopping excursion? Lone Star Comics Online of course...
*Functionality*
On the usual web front, the website is lightning fast if a bit busily designed. Comics and other collectibles are browseable by brand or title. More conveniently, the site has a great search engine if you know what you're looking for. Then, for each comic there's a summary and cover picture, plus a drop-down menu of the qualities available and their respective costs. Click and buy with the usual shopping cart setup.
As to the "brick and mortar" functionality, the order was literally on-the-dot correct, and all of the 70-plus issues I ordered were there and organized perfectly.
*Selection*
In my experience, the selection of comics at Lone Star is both broad and deep. Lots of great titles from not just the DC and Marvel factories, but from more independent labels and from days long forgotten. Personally, I always loved the late 70's-early 80's comics, and there are tons of them to choose from here.
*Price*
I will confess, I am cheap when it comes to comics. As a reader, versus a collector, my comic books spend a lot more time in the bathtub or on the kitchen table amusing me than in plastic cases gaining value and staying pristine. As such, I look for comics that are of decent quality but don't have the inflated prices of "mint" editions that lots of stores push on you.
While Lone Star does offer mint copies, it also offers a wide variety of qualities (priced accordingly) for more budget-focused shoppers. As if that wasn't good enough, they also hold regular sales on popular back issues, allowing those of us who have been holding back to splurge on a set of comics and feel like we're getting a decent deal to boot.
*Service*
Generally speaking, good service from an internet shop for me is to send me my order; what I want when I want it. Any other interaction is generally because something bad has happened.
Not the case with Lone Star. On all of my orders I received regular status updates (extremely helpful for larger and complex orders. Besides bringing piece of mind, the updates come in the form of an email that arrives from a REAL human being who I can correspond with, ask questions of and thank sincerely for his time and concern. If you think the personal touch is completely dead on the internet, Lone Star will prove you wrong.
*The Verdict*
At the end of the day, my superior shopping experiences with Lone Star Comics Online Star have earned it a monopoly on my business. Always superior service, great prices and plenty of options makes it a perfect "go to" place for comic lovers young and old.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Dr. Strange second series, various other comics
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Epinions.com ID:
caconti
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Member: Christian Conti
Location: Washington, DC
Reviews written: 636
Trusted by: 481 members
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