I have no idea what to think of this place. It is massive. And SO DISORGANIZED. They have a good selection but most comics are low grade and high priced. Also I do not like the idea of the cat peeing and walking on the comics. The owner was nice. read more

This is a hidden gem in Phoebus. A comic and figurine and Star Wars collector heaven. It's a bit of a mishmash inside so you have to be willing to dig for the hidden treasures but they have literally hundreds of figurines and comic books as well as other items like board games and DVDs. We also found things like wizards, Simpson's, Marilyn Monroe, etc. so you can come browse and will probably find something you are a fan of in here. The older gentleman at the front was super welcoming and there was a pretty shop kitty inside too. Always a win when a store has a pet mascot. read more

Bender's Books & Cards - Comic Books Near Me - Hampton, Virginia

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I sold him a potential 9.8 cgc miles morales 1st appearance a 9.2 secret wars 8,a 9.4 marvel team up 141 he wouldn't give me over 200 $ when l complained miles 1st is worth almost 2,200 FMV HIS LAST WORDS, DO YOU SEE ALL THESE BOOKS I BOUGHT THAT ARENT SELLING? BTW I sold one of the other Miles morales 1st l was paid 800$ l won't ever go back and told the other dealers l know, they were upset about this terrible shop owner. read more

Awesome selection of comics, action figures, collectible cards, and more. Great location. Park in back.

I had heard comic nerds talk about this place for a while so I was excited to go. They definitely have lots of collectible comics but it's so disorganized you can't even begin to find anything you might specifically want. You just have to hope you stumble on to something in one of a gazillion mixed up piles. It's like an episode of Hoarders, one hot mess in there. (some people have complained about the cat situation but I love cats so no issues for me there) If you have hours to spend rummaging this might be up your alley (definitely some gold in there) but it was really aggravating to me. read more

Such an awesome hidden gem! Not very many of these comic stores left out there. There's unlimited comics and nostalgic toys. This is a must go to store. The owner also has an adorable cat wandering around! read more

Bender's Books & Cards - Spider-Man sign - Comic Books Near Me - Hampton, Virginia

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The inventory of comics is awesome...but the prices are absolute ludicrous...also, the smell of cat piss is rampant.....AND the roof is falling with water dripping. read more

Wanna love it but stepping in cat feces was not part of the planned shopping for the day. It's a historical gem, lots of jems with little organization, it's a lot. Enter at your own risk, if the cat smell doesn't bother you, enjoy the vast amounts of inventory. read more

My kids love this place. There prices are very reasonable and it's always an adventure when you go in. The staff is always so polite and helpful. If you're willing to dig a bit you can find all kinds of treasures. read more

My Yelp profile is purely for reviewing comic book stores. Bender's is the best comic book store I have ever been to. It is one of the oldest comic book stores in the country and a precious landmark of true comics culture. PROS: There is no comic in history that you cannot find here, unless it is hidden under one of the Lynx cats that lurks in the back-issue bins. Or it may be hidden under one of thousands of various vintage collectables of every possible variety. That rare, out-of-print, one-of-a-kind obscure item you've been hunting for forever? Bender's probably has that. But what's more important is that they have a rare, out-of-print, one-of-a-kind obscure item that you weren't even aware of yet. Discovery is a key element to Bender's. It's not just a showroom for Diamond Distributors. And you know how annoying it is that comic stores are only open from like 12pm-6pm? Or closed on Sundays? Bender's opens early in the morning and they're open every single day. It's funny that Bender's is called Bender's Books & Cards, when Comics are definitely the primary item. It's a pet peeve of mine when a store claims to be a comic book store in the name but is hiding a horrible secret within: that they have forfeited half of their store to gaming card culture or some other non-comic pastime. Bender's has earned the right to place "comics" in their name. They've also earned the right to place all of the following in their name: magazines, zines, vintage figures, planet of the apes models, star trek playsets, dick tracy mugs, board games, pulp novels, porn, universal monster masks, dragon statues, wizard statues, vintage star wars buttons, used dvds, posters, knick-knacks, records, dollars bins, etc. without sacrificing any of their comic integrity. They have plenty of space to accommodate every kind of collector. (And don't wimp out on the porn section in the back. That's where they hide a lot of potentially offensive comics with violence or nudity, like R. Crumb, Faust, Moebius, etc.) CONS: Any legitimate grievance about the condition or smell of the store is easily outweighed by the pros. Sure, that stain on the floor might be old cat piss. If you mind that, you are a poser and don't deserve this store. Yes, there are holes in the ceiling. And yes, sometimes there are cats in the holes in the ceilings. Therefore, yes, it's possible, however unlikely, that a cat will piss from the hole in the ceiling and onto your head. Accept and embrace this. VERDICT: If you prefer your comic book store to be more like an antique mall, then this is the one for you. I cannot overstate how important this store is, not only for comic books, but for every adjacent culture. No matter what you collect, you will find something here to add to your collection. Take the day, commit to digging and browsing every corner. This is the best possible version of an old, legacy comic shop that hasn't changed in decades. God bless it. read more

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I was pleasantly overwhelmed with the sheer volume and assortment of comics but the organization was good. The owner/operator was friendly and knowledgeable; he pointed me in the right direction and even pulled some of the more obscure books I was seeking. I felt welcomed and respected, like stepping back in time to 1970's hospitality and customer service. I was only able to spend about 40 min looking and gathering books to purchase (the prices are reasonable) before realizing I would need several more visits in order to do the shop justice....can't wait to visit it again! read more

Benders is the coolest collectibles store that I have ever been to. It is a portal right into the past. 5/5. Definitely one of a kind!! After I get past the fact that it does kinda smell of stale cat piss in a fat kids basement, I truly enjoyed everything that benders had to offer. Among the short list of items that benders had were: collectible GI joe dolls from the 1950's era, still sealed cards from the early 90's including cartoon Doug cards, flintstones original action movie picture cards (featuring 90's John Goodman), reboot trading cards, and action figures from as far back as I can remember. There were an assortment of collectible action figures including breaking bad, dexter, and dr who. For my purchase, I picked up an issue one of mega man manga (I thought it to be a find) and a couple of other books. Benders is less of a comic book store and more a museum for American collectible culture. They have something from everyone's childhood. I even found collectible Barbie doll trading cards that dated back to the forties. Truly amazing. I gave benders five stars because: 1. There is true historical value to this place 2. They have posters, collectible glasses and mugs, comics, magazines, and records 3. There is definitely something from everyone's childhood or sentimental life here. 4. The prices are definitely a steal. A lot of things here are priced way lower than the eBay or elitist collectors circles 5. The staff was super friendly and helpful. read more

A great, well stocked comic shop just past the HRBT in Hampton. The good - the inventory is impressive. Tons of new comics and industry related soft/hardcovers. Their amount of back issues is great. What they don't have on the floor, the owner is more than happy to look in the back. Today I couldn't find a copy of a $3 book from 1985 from my want list and he went in the back and brought me 3 copies to choose from. They also have lots of display cases filled with gold, silver, bronze and copper age books as well, but you'll have to ask to look through. In addition they have hard to find and out of print materials like art books, fanzines, pulps, big little books and magazines. If you like toys, they have a lot to choose from both new and used. You will be able to spend a good couple of hours in here and not see anything. The workers were also quite helpful. I stopped in a few weeks back and dropped $100 and went back again today and spent another $90 on items I didn't even catch the first time. I walked out with a silver age Doom Patrol book, a copper age Blue Devil book, a Marvelmania Catalog in really high grade and a Disney 33-1/3 record and book from the Haunted Mansion dated from 1970. They really have quite an eclectic bunch of stuff. The bad - It's an older building that also has some pet cats that hang out inside the store, so it has an odor. Mostly from the cats plus the age of an old building that also has some roof leaks. It can be a little off putting at first. But, if you're used to shopping at comic stores around the country like I have, then it's nothing new. The great stock and service more than make up for it. Please take a moment and check out this store, it's been a round forever and they have what you are looking for. read more

Bender's is a very quirky store, but a must visit if you like 1980s nerdy toys, comics, or just want to hang out with the two store cats, Bob and Sassy. I say quirky, because they sell cigarettes and porn magazines (in the back), so they get some very diverse clientele, and there was a vague odor in the store (cat pee?) Don't let those things turn you away, though. They have a great, reasonably-priced selection of vintage toys in good condition, along with comics. They've got Star Trek, Star Wars, Transformers, and lots of other 80s goodies, although a lot of the items are thrown into cases where it's difficult to see exactly what they've got. The cats, especially Bob, enjoy attention, and I always appreciate a good store cat. They don't appear to have a website, but they update their Facebook page regularly (it's where I got the pictures from). read more

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This place is a smorgasbord of geek culture. They have more comics, cards, toys, posters, statues and magazines I have ever seen in my life. Hell, they even have vintage TV guides and Playboys for sale. Literally any pop culture stuff you could want from Batman to Godzilla to Marilyn Monroe to unopened packs of 1980s topps dinosaurs attack cards they have! The only reason they get 4 stars instead of 5 is some of their stuff is poorly organized and going through it for specific items can take a really long time. read more

Can I give more than 5 stars? **********! Love this place! They have old and new toys, new and old comic books, action figures and statues, used books... you have to see it to believe it. If you're looking for Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Transformers, Betty Page, whatever, give them a call. Better yet, go there because they probably have something else you didn't think of asking for. The used books are sorted into categories to make browsing easy: art, humor, reference, and tv/movie are a few of the sections. read more

This is the place to go for vintage comic books, like that Cosmic Boy mini-series that was a part of the "Legends" cross-over event for DC comics circa 1986 or the one issue that you need to complete your "Gambit and the X-ternals" series from the original 1995 X-Men cross-over "Age of Apocalypse." Only 4 stars, because the store is not as neat and orderly as one might hope; however, they really do seem to have at least one copy of EVERYTHING (not always in pristine collectible condition, sometimes "reading" copies). As a bonus, there are adorable cats. read more

I drove past Benders probably a thousand times in the twenty years I have lived in this area. I had no idea what a gem it was until I stopped in last month. Absolutely classic comics, toys, cards, and games. My big thing is games. I got a copy of Battle of the Bulge by Avalon Hill from 1965. It was obviously well used, but complete. I get them to play, not to hoard or resell, so a punched, slightly beat up copy was a good deal for about $15. I'm going to hit it again this weekend and see if anything new and awesome has shown up since my last trip. I highly recommend this place for collectors. read more

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place!!! If they don't have it, you don't need it!! My favorite aspect are the lynx cats- they're hilarious!!

If you're looking for comic books or comic -related collectibles , this is the place to do it. The prices are very reasonable, and the owner is very helpful and willing to help you find a collectible if he doesn't have it in stock. The downside is that the store is somewhat disorganized, some things are not neatly displayed, but it's such a large store, you can't blame them for not organizing it every day. And in the defense of the store, it's not too terribly messy in the store, just a little disorganized in some area. But they have the largest selection of comic collectibles in Hampton, and some of the more reasonable prices out of the many comic shops in the US. And I've been to plenty of comic book stores in many states. read more