By Isiah Christie
Zapp! Comics, located in Passaic County’s Wayne, New Jersey, is one of the North Jersey region’s most prominent and properly established collectibles stores. Opened in 1993, it has enjoyed over thirty years of service in the entertainment and collection industry, chock-full of items that would be part of any collector’s dream.
It is a cozy business, founded by owner Ben, and co-owned by Corry. The two have been instrumental to its success over the years as a local phenomenon. It is diverse and thorough in its variety of available items for purchases. Among major sections include their comic books, toys, trading cards, and figurines. Their comic book section, which is perhaps the most expansive, includes active new release arrivals, an extensive catalogue of historic entries, old-school covers with rarity, and loose editions that can be found at random. The comics are nicely organized by name and character or series, leading to easy searching for enthusiasts looking to indulge in a particular storyline. The amount of comic eras is incredible, with both old-school and modern books available, and comic book boxes are also up for sale in case a customer needs a mini-storage unit for their haul.
There are also plenty of figurines up for purchase, immediately seen upon entry of the shop. This includes plenty of brands and types of figures, including those originating from television series, anime, video games, and sports. They are of varying sizes – ranging from palm-size playables to legitimate statue-size constructs – and are the perfect choice for beefing up a collector’s figurine case. Plushies are also an option for those in need of a comfort toy.
Similarly, the trading cards available are incredible – not only are there sports trading cards of many types, but also playing cards for franchises such as Pokémon, Digimon, Magic the Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and One Piece. Rare vintage cards are also for sale at heightened prices – something a collector with some funds to spare may find interest in. There is also a smaller catalogue of available video games, including older titles that may not be easy – or cheap – to find in the market anymore.
Zapp! also purchases items from their customers, ranging from single books and entire collections, to inventory items. Due to their respect and competitiveness, they are always willing to negotiate, and have plenty of cash to allocate for any sales – after all, their intention is not only to put items up for their community, but to engage in mutual exchange as well. This is just one part of their incredible presence in the North Jersey collectors’ ecosystem, and they’re here to sustain and serve with a smile – after all, that’s what comes with over thirty years of quality service and attention!
