Gem Comics

Gem Comics is my favorite local business in Elmhurst hands down. I remember growing up in Elmhurst and visiting the store every Wednesday, or as the many happy regulars call it new comic book day. The staff is great and the selection is too. There are weekly events for gamers as well. If I am in Elmhurst I am stopping at Gem.

First, I want to say I’m a loyal customer to Gem comics. Many Fridays nights I’ve spent there playing Magic the Gathering with buddies and enjoyed a great gaming experience for an evening. The reason I gave Gem Comics three stars is that this shop at this location has so much more potential. Gloria the shop owner sells her comics like you would in the 1970’s and 80’s. Much of her displays are dated and overpriced, and inventory that she hasn’t been able to sell over the years are taking up too much space in the store.
Gloria has loyal clientele and with local rent prices skyrocketing, she has done well staying in business in Elmhurst, but how long is that going to last? With a prime location right in front of the train station, she could attract so much more foot traffic with a modernized store and a higher focus on gaming. Have an online store and sell some of your overstocked inventory there. Promote young new animators and have special comic book signings. There are tons of comic book movies coming out; have promotions and drawings tied to these movies. There are too many glass displays selling too many dated comic book memoribilia; those are online sells. On the customer service end, patrons need to feel welcomed when walking into the store with no hovering and giving them the freedom to browse.
I will continue to play Magic here and will always refer friends here, but with Elmhurst becoming more upscale I want to see this store thrive and not live in the past.

Great independent comic shop. Owner was helpful and nice. She truly had a passion for comics and collecting!

Great environment and good prices, a one stop for any comic or action figure. Even trading cards. They also have shirts and other nick nacks.

Gem! Gem is excitement. Whoa Gem! Gem is adventure!
Oh wait. Wrong Gem.
This musty old comic shop is none of those things. Sure, some of the comics lining the store’s shelves may include some of those things; and you may even find some with some of the other adjectives found in that particular 80s theme song. But I assure you, none of them apply to the store itself.
As far as comic shops go, this one is pretty lame. Sorry, but it is. They have a selection of the newest titles, but always seem to run out of whatever you’re looking for. I can’t count the number of times I came here back when I read actual comic books and they didn’t have the issue I was looking for, even if it came out THAT DAY. I guess that’s good because they do have actual customers. But it did nothing to make me a regular one.
At least the lady who runs the place was always nice to me. Star for that. She had a strange cat-​lady type of vibe to her, but nice nonetheless.
Now, thankfully, I’ve gone digital, and really, Gem might want to do the same thing because they’re majorly stuck in the past.
There’s a tiny little section of back issues, and about the smallest action figure/​collectible area I’ve ever seen in a comic shop. Also a few tables for gaming, tho I’m not sure what kind. I’m guessing Magic/​Heroclix/​etcetera of that sort.
To be perfectly honest, I have no reason to go here. It’s a couple blocks away from work, and within walking distance, so that’s about all I can say for it. If you have a choice of where to purchase your comics, I wouldn’t really recommend this place. The only reason I stopped in was because it was a little warm out last Friday and I thought I’d go for a walk. Sorry, tho, there’s nothing in the store I wanted to buy.
Oh, and be careful. There’s a weird up-​dip shift in the floor that seems perfectly designed to make you trip if you’re not watching. It’s well-​marked, but if you’re looking around at what the store offers, you could miss it.
Truly outrageous.

«You smell like girl.» ~ A comment said to me from the older female store owner when I tried to ask her a question about the shop.
I honestly didn’t know what to say. I think my reply was something along the lines of, «Me? Really? I wear Old Spice deodorant.»
Most days I can barely pass for being a girl, let alone smelling like one. In fact, when I was born my parents wasted no time getting my ears pieced right after I passed the birth canal in hopes of it being a distinguishing hint of my apparently rather ambiguous gender. When I was in grade school, I used to cut my hair short and my Dad would call me Carl because I totally looked like a little boy named Carl and not a girl named Candice. When I was a kid going to our neighborhood pool, the old biddies who ran the pool desk would always tell me that my pool ID pic, I was the spitting image of Dick Butkus. AND in both Jr High and college there was a rumor that I was really a man… the college thing was actually more of a misunderstanding and sort of my fault, but the Jr High thing… that was a real-​deal, live rumor. No joke. Basically, looking and smelling like a girl is not a thing I have ever been accused of.
After the initial interaction, the owner woman had this big melodramatic coughing fit and after what she’d just said I probably should have tried to care less– I guess there are worse things she could have accused me of smelling like than «girl», but I tried to extend an olive branch nevertheless, and asked her if she needed me to get her some water and then I said that I get the same tickle in my throat around that time of year, and suggested it could be an allergy… you know, just trying to be nice… but NO. This lady actually completely stopped her coughing on a dime to miraculously gain total composure and say, ‘No, it’s your perfume. It’s choking me.’ and then went right back into her hysterical coughing fit.
What the f*ck is happening here?
At this point I felt like I was starring in my own personal episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. As she choked I just stood there, waiting to finish asking my question that I don’t even remember and never got to finish asking, and told her that I wasn’t wearing perfume… or hairspray, or anything besides a layer of men’s Old Spice deodorant in original scent (the best!) and un-​scented medicated lotion for super dry, flaky skin. Gross, I know. I basically have lizard scales, but whatever– don’t act like you don’t have issues too. But how is this freakin’ lady gonna stand there and pinpoint me and say that my just being is basically killing her. In fact, there was another guy standing right in front of her at the counter as she started accusing me. I’ll bet it was that guy’s smell… plus he ran off almost immediately after she began laying into me– a tell if I ever saw one. He probably just had a weird fart. I, personally, didn’t smell anything, but I do know 100% that the *alleged* «girl smell» was not emanating from me.
She’s lucky I lack human feelings and have incredibly thick (and very, very dry) skin to the point where I was able to be more amused than offended, but had she been dealing with a more sensitive person, she could have had a real problem on her hands.
Eventually she regained her composure and asked how I’d heard about the store and I said that I’d seen the good reviews on Unilocal.She said she didn’t know what that was. I said it was a website and she immediately cut me off and said, «The computer. I don’t do those.» Which didn’t surprise me at all… not that it isn’t obvious enough that a person isn’t living in the age of technology when they still refer to it as ‘THE Computer,’ as if it’s one, singular thing.
This store might be alright, but after that extremely awkward interaction with a woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to The Mad Hatter, only instead of crazy time-​telling devices and tea, there’s hysterical coughing fits and comics, I really wasn’t in the mood to joy ride around her store for any cool items that might very well exist in this shop.
Smell ya later, Gem.

I really love this place. The lady is very nice and easy to talk to. I passed by one day at a car show and now I always want to come her. And its convienent that I work at the Jewel thats right there.

Theres always something for someone. There are comics and also graphic novels. Every month theres something new in both. There are also comics in boxes in the plastic sheets to protect them.

What I also like is that theres tshirts that are really nice and little stuff here and there. Also collectors items. They also play games once a week-​I think tursdays– and you can buy some pieces there for the game. I forgot what its called though.

Overall I love this place and wont stop coming here amd Id recommend this place to anyone.

Great place to stop in and look at comics. The owner was helpful as I was Christmas shopping for my nephews who love comics. She helped me pick out some that they ended up loving. She also found me some new TMNT comics that just came out. Cool stuff!

Gem has been a great place for comics for, as someone mentioned, 27 years!
I haven’t been going there that long, but it’s still the place to go.
Gloria is always helpful and knowledgeable and sweet.
I used to stop there every week to get my comics fix. They used to hold my favorites so I wouldn’t miss an issue!
Great service, great selection.
I’d recommend it to anyone with a love of comics!

Great place for comics and Magic the Gathering. The owner was very nice and helpful. She has a schedule of gaming events in her shop. I would for sure go back again!

If you are into comic books, novelty super hero shirts and posters, then Gem is the place for you! The owner Gloria is very knowledgeable and is always ready for a friendly chat! It’s a must stop when I am in Elmhurst, located right by the heart of Elmhurst, it’s a GREAT place!

Pros: Clean, well lit, perfectly organized store (no «ick* factor whatsoever). Owner is extremely helpful (almost too helpful!) and appropriately eccentric. Kid friendly atmosphere (I don’t bring kids, but for crying out loud it’s a comic book store, so I appreciate that). Decent selection of back issues. Never had a single problem with pull list service in two years I used it.
Cons: Selection can seem a little sparse, but to be fair the store is twice the size of most. Kind of hard to relax because you’re often the only one in the store and the owner is enthusiastic (I’m typically there on weekdays, mid-​day, so it may be a different story on weekends or evenings). Debit cards not welcome for small purchases.
Tips: Do not engage in any conversations about politics with staff. You will get your mind blown.
Just really nice to have a quality comic shop in Elmhurst. My stops there are occasional these days because most single issues are four bucks now.

Comic books. One of the early ways my kind was finally able to express our geekiness.
Good stores are hard to come by, so that makes this place a bit of a … oh you almost caught me in a terrible pun there. I was going to call it a «gem» but no sir, I’m a better writer than to resort to that.
The biggest plus of this place is the lady that works there. She is super helpful, always greets you as soon as you enter the store. If you need help finding something specific, she’ll drop everything and help you.
Like any good store they’re completely up to date on comic book issues… plus they carry The Guild which was surprisingly not easy to find elsewhere and Felicia Day really deserves to have her comic more widely available. There’s also a huge amount of sealed back issues of nearly everything. From common stuff like Superman or the X-​Men to slightly more obscure like The Sandman to stuff even I’ve never heard of. Whatever it is, there’s probably at least one back issue of it in there somewhere. And everything’s reasonably priced considering the pristine condition it’s all kept in.
Apart from the comics there’s a wall with geeky t-​shirts (always a fan), a bunch of collectibles ranging from lower priced action figures to really nice $ 100 statuettes. They also have a few D&D manuals and miniatures and customizable card games. I’ve noticed a couple times a handful of geeks at a table in the back playing various games, so if you’re looking for a gaming group, might be worth checking out.
My only complaint would be it’s a fairly large store but there isn’t a huge amount of stuff in there. I really feel like the extra space could maximized to increase their stock of various comic-​book related geeky items and really solidify this place as a fanatic’s destination and give it that fifth star.
Overall, a great comic book store, really set apart by those who run it. Part of being a geek is the community aspect of it, and you can’t beat a place with an owner who understands that.

Really great shop to find all of my manga. The owner is very funny and some times overly nice when trying to help you. This is Americana at it’s best, not a bunch of sweaty over-​weight guys dripping over the latest Micheal Turner Cover (with all due respect of course). This is a real Comic shop not a Wal-​Mart ala G. Crackers.

Don’t agree with most reviews here. Very small quantity of new comics and back issues — she almost never has what I’m looking for. Owner is rude and follows you around the store as if she thinks you’re going to steal something. Doesn’t like browsers. There are way better comic book stores in the area.

She just had her 27^th anniversary sale. 27% off. Boy did i load up on dice. :)

Walking into this place inspired me to start my comics collection again. I was perusing the new comics and realized that DC’s Birds of Prey is now at issues in the 100’s! When did THAT happen!!! The last issue I bought was like, issue 60. Needless to say, I bought some comics.
This place is only steps from the metra stop in Elmhurst. It’s small, but that’s ok. They have Magic nights to make up for it, if that’s your thing. Also, the staff is really nice and willing to help.

One of the few non-​franchised comic stores in the Chicago area. Run by what some would call a wisened hippy from a previous century, the place has the feeling of a down home hangout for kidults and game card hustlers. Though selection is generous there are some blind spots. Edgy adult material such as Garth Ennis & Warren Ellis is scarce though available for special order. It’s basically a good place to have comics saved, but you’ll need to go elsewhere in order to peruse the darker stuff.

The most awesome comic shop I have ever been to. If you like to start a conversation about who would win this is the store for you. If there is something you want that they don’t have they will special order it at no additional price. They have tons of toys, apparel and games as well. They offer a pull system so you won’t miss any books for free. I love playing games here ecspecially Magic on Mondays give them a call and check it out. 630−833−8787! Also conviently located 25 mins from downtown via metra station that is across the street from the stop.

This is a pretty big store. It has comics, toys, and other collectibles. The people who work here really like comics and it shows. My friend and I came here cuz he was looking for some things to complete his collection. He was able to find 2 or 3 comics he was looking for and was ecstatic. The staff was helpful and just really struck up a conversation with us.