I LOVE this place. I haven't been in a while as I moved away for school. But you want comics this is the place. Another thing I loved is that I didn't get those weird looks I usually get when I walk into a comic book store like a "are you lost?" sort of look. Staff is super nice and they usually have good deals too. read more

Considering Santa Barbara only has one comic shop, we are all lucky that Metro happens to be that shop. The selection is great, and if they don't happen to have what you're looking for, they'll help make sure that you find it. The staff is great and extremely knowledgable, and my next reads have often been one of their recommendations. Their selection of comics, graphic novels, toys, and games is really pretty impressive. The only gripe that I have about this place is that their prices tend to hover around the higher end of the price range. This isn't so bad that it prevents the place from getting five stars, though. Great stop for any comic book nerd in the SB area. read more

Worst Employees Ever !!!! They are some of the rudest, most condescending people i have ever met. I would not even step foot in that place if it wasn't the only comic shop in town. I have been going there for YEARS and in that time i can count on one hand the number of times i HAVEN'T gotten a rude or snarkey answer when I've asked a question. God forbid you ask to look at the folders of magic cards, they are right behind the counter and the employees act like it's a huge hassle to let you see them. If you want magic cards go to EV Games in the El Mercado Plaza on upper state, they have a better selection and WAY better customer service. Also, don't ever send your girlfriend or wife into Metro to buy something for you because the only thing she will get is talked down to. It makes me wish for the days of Comics On Parade on state street. THAT was a comic shop worth going to. read more

I like this comic shop a lot. They have a good selection of comics and are helpful. They've ordered many graphic novels for me and did it quickly. read more

Metro is awesome. The people who work here are awesome. Please note that the one star reviews are from over a year ago and that they have a different staff of really approachable and knowledgable employees. The guys here (John, Joe, and Mack) are always exceedingly helpful- and the owner (Bob) [I seriously frequent this place] is very welcoming and clearly cares a lot about his business and customers. I'm one of those people who is relatively new to comics and frankly knowing everything about them is not a priority to me. I have never once felt self-conscious about asking a question here and am always helped by someone who is actually enthusiastic about their job. The environment that they have all created is ideal if you are interested in learning about comics or are purchasing for someone else. I don't take advantage of their other wares: cards, etc. but I imagine just from having overheard other customers inquiries that they're equally as helpful in that arena. Also for whatever it's worth: in response to the review left by the individual who mentioned basically being told it's not a library... it's not. It's a business within which you trade currency for goods- and I don't think salespeople should be faulted for encouraging that. I can't think of a business, except for the aforementioned library, where you get to use it's products for free as long as you're inside it's walls. Nor would I expect people to go through junk that I wasn't willing to despite the fact there may be something of value in it, especially when they've already stated twice what they're looking for. I think you have misunderstood the services offered here- as someone who wants to support this *local* business, I hate to see it misrepresented. read more

I am really shocked at all of the positive reviews being given to this place. As a card game player (magic, mostly) I have found this to be one of the worst shops I have ever encountered The staff is extremely rude, and make no attempt to hide their obvious displeasure at being asked to see the binders of cards. I have also talked to several other card geeks who have complained of similar treatment. Ask for the card binder, endure a sour irritated face, wait five minutes while the inattentive staff decides to come help you, and always with a horrible attitude about it. I would think that a hobby shop like this would have no problem finding employees who are excited about sharing their hobby with others. Shouldn't the people in here be enthusiastic about the products that they are selling? Excited to accept peoples money? However, these guys seem completely offended that their customers want to buy magic cards or Dungeons and Dragons merchandise. Then when you finally do see the cards, the selection is pretty lackluster. The booster packs are mostly $4.00 (should be $3.00) the booster boxes are $40.00, (should be $30.00.) I understand Brick and mortar prices are going to be a bit higher but a 33% markup is pretty insane. Advice to the owner: Hire better staff, good natured geeks who want to share their passion with others are not hard to find. read more

Shout out to Mack for being a total gem and saving my life today. I came in to pick up my pull and didn't even bother checking what was in it. I headed off to dinner, and while checking out my sweet haul, realized that I was missing two key books. I ran back over right as the poor guy was closing up shop and he let me bulldoze him and grab the comics I so impatiently insisted on having right that moment. Just another reason to love this place. read more

Staff is super friendly and very helpful. The past couple times I've been in there they were out of stock of the comics I was looking for but they were more then happy to order them for me and they always give a courtesy call when your order comes in. I always have a good experience when I go in there. Very informative staff, great service, and I'm in and out in no time. read more

Great place to be a geek, except for all of the card tournaments. They keep their comics by author and have a great selection of new stuff.

My wife and I came here after lunch while on our honeymoon. My wife is just getting into comics and they were very helpful in finding her several good series. read more

I previously was a regular at this comic book store for about 13 years. I had a regular pull and was friendly with the people working there and a lot of the regulars frequenting the store. Most of this time, Metro Entertainment was the only game in town. It was alright. Every once in a while, there were decent deals and discounts. The selection for new and old comics was really good. A couple of years ago, Avalon Comics and Games opened up. I wanted to check this place out and see if they had any recent back issues I missed that I couldn't find or easily order from Metro Entertainment. To my surprise, Avalon carried the last 3-5 months of back issues for several series I was interested in picking up but could not find elsewhere. While I was picking up one hard to find series at Avalon, I maintained my large pull at Metro. Due to life experiences getting the best of me, I stopped my pull at Metro and Avalon for several months. When I tried to return to Metro, the owner kept probing me about "defecting" to the other comic book store when I honestly had no loyalties to either store. I felt like the owner was taking something personal that he had no clue about. So I decided that Metro no longer needed my business. I started a regular pull at Avalon Comics and I couldn't be happier. The discounts are better, the store workers feel more personable and accommodating, and I've found a lot better deals on hard to find back issues (Captain America 25 1st printing, very early 1st printing issues of Invincible, Geoff Johns' near complete run of Teen Titans, etc. all at reasonable prices). Late last year, I walked through Metro looking for some issues I might have missed and the owner treated me rather rudely. I asked if there were any deals or discounts coming up and he rudely stated that the deals are only for people with pulls (this was not the case in the past). I asked about an upcoming signing event at Metro for a well-known Marvel writer and the owner rudely replied that people with pulls got priority. In my whole life, I've never held any grudges against people and I still don't. But for some reason, the owner seems to have a grudge against me (I am not in his head, but this is how I felt when I entered his store). I recently returned to Metro with a friend of mine and politely asked the owner how it was going. He didn't say much to me and almost acted like he was avoiding me. I thought it was just my misunderstanding, but my friend agreed that he was acting rude. Again, I hold no grudges and I think the store overall and the workers are doing a fine job. But for my money, Avalon Comics is a better deal and it is less than five minutes away from Metro. read more

Apparently both of the asshats I dealt with in a previous review have been fired and started their own comic store called Avalon (avoid them). So for now this is the best in town! read more

So I've visited almost all the comic shops south/s.east of the 105 fwy down to Orange County. Here's my rundown on my visit... My travels brought me up to Santa Barbara for a weekend. (A great trip to make.) Walking along State St. I found the Metro comic shop on a side street having a sidewalk sale. First walking into the store there R.P. game going on. The store is average size but they have a great amount of inventory and it is all well placed. They have plenty titles on their new release shelves. And a so so amount of back issues. Lots of trades and other books. A great place to get gaming supplies as well. There's a counter with some key issues to look at and very reasonably priced. This is a great little store in a wonderful town. Definitely worth a visit. read more

Hands down a must-stop when I am in Santa Barbara! This comic book store is stocked up and has a big selection. None of the comic book shops in San Luis Obispo or Santa Maria carried a variant cover of the new Power Rangers, but Metro carried it! The owners and workers are super friendly and helpful. read more

Let me tell you a thing or two about Metro Entertainment. I've only recently discovered the wonderful world or comics and graphic novels. I've fallen in love with Marvel Characters and even pick up The Story of Y: The Last Man. I'm hooked, this is my new hobby. So the first thing I do is go out looking for the nearest comic book store near me, Metro Entertainment. I'm the first to admit that I'm a noob. I usually have little idea as to what exactly I'm looking for or how to describe it. Some veteran collectors would take pity on me, helping me broaden my comic book horizon, but when I walked into Metro, burning with questions, I was received with rushed responses and annoyed looks. (They were in no way busy either). I could almost foreshadow them laughing as me after I'd walked out. Needless to say, the customer service was horrible, rude and belittling. If I wasn't so desperate to pick up the next issue of Y, I wouldn't have come back. I figured maybe they were having a bad day. The second time, I brought my little brothers hoping they too would get excited about superheroes and games. The 3 year old who instantly became enthusiastic skimming through a spider-man issue, was immediately shut down by one of the fat employees saying "He can't touch that if he's not going to buy it, they're fragile. And he's messing up the comic shelf order," (keep in mind he's talking down to a little boy; basically saying don't let the kid touch out "precious merchandise". My 3 year old brother was very uncomfortable after that) . Wow great job at getting new customers there buddy, I sure will bring them back to be emotionally abused again, thanks. If he would have ripped anything I would have bought it anyways. The third in final time I returned, I overheard a phone conversation. They had employed a young new enthusiastic guy who was very willing to help me find a graphic novel. From this end of the phone conversation I could make out that the customer wanted to know if they had a specific Pokémon card in their binders. The new employee was again eager to help and asked the condescending balding man behind the counter about the cards. When the new guy took out the binder to search for the card, the balding man stopped him saying" no, if they want a card they have to come down and look for it themselves". The new employee resentfully had to tell them to stop by and he'd help them look for it in the store. What was the problem with simply saving the customer the drive down? Those are just a few examples of how horrible the customer service is. And anyone knows that if the service is horrible, the business will lose customers, and lose revue and most important lose its reputation. Any positive review here must be from one of their butt kissers that come in weekly (they obviously play favorites with their regulars, trust me I've seen it) or an employee themselves. Metro Entertainment you suck and I've driven to comic store in Ventura just to avoid you. THAT says a lot. read more

Love this place. I'm so glad we have a great comic book store in town. Staff is super helpful and friendly. Great selection and they are more than happy to order you what you want if it's not in stock. The only thing I would like to see different is to have gift cards that are actually cards. Easier to give than the paper certificates they currently hand out. Also it would be nice to have a better sitting area for those of us who need to relax while their boyfriend is doing their tenth lap through the place. read more

As a few others have said, the customer service is lacking. I've gone in a few times with my son and there is one guy in particular who is always rude and condescending to me and every customer I've seen him interact with. Dude, you're 40-something and work in a comic book store- no need for your snobby attitude. If you hate your job that much, quit. The people who keep businesses afloat are your customers, so treat them nicely. read more

This is truly the last of the cool old comic shops in Santa Barbara. Bob is a super cool guy and is enthusiastic about comics, movies, games, and everything in the must have nerd arsenal. Great selection too. There are a ton of comics in the back with all your favorites. You wanna see Spawn chop a mob goon's head off? You got it. You need your next division of cyborg orcs for your War Hammer army? You bet your ass. Been thinking of getting back into Magic the Gathering? There are weekly tournaments so bring your life dice and prepare to get scorched by a 13 year old and demand a re-match to reclaim your lost honor you pansy. read more

Nice store, with more than just comic books. Friendly service. We found some really fun stuff!

Metro Entertainment is My Favorite Comic Book Store in California. I live in Ventura so I don't always get up to Santa Barbara.But when I do I always stop in Metro. Metro has a great selection of comics and very helpful staff. They also put on Events in there stores. Just last weekend they had Bruce Campbell doing a book signing which I was fortunate to go too.They have a ton of Graphic Novels Action Figures Trading Cards and Single issues of comics new and back issue. Sometimes they have sales in the stores as well. If you are a comic book reader defintly check out Metro Entertainment you won't be disappointed. read more

My son is getting into comics. Every single time we've gone to Metro, the staff has been just incredibly helpful and engaged, and sweet with him. It's like having a store full of geek-positive role models! read more

I've only been here to buy Magic: the Gathering cards, and every time they've been complete asses to me, particularly one employee, but still, I haven't met a single nice employee here. Whenever I go to Seth's games in Ventura instead I'm blown away by the difference. Granted, I'm no Magic expert, I'm just a casual player, so maybe they're nicer to people who are uber into it? read more

We held my son's eleventh Birthday party at the store during Spring Break. All of the kids had a great time. The owner surprised the kids with free special Pokemon packs. The staff are always very helpful and friendly. Love this place. read more

Great variety! Nice location in the Downtown Shopping area.

This is the most uncomfortable comic book store I have ever been in. I can't help but feel ripped off when I'm inside. It is the only store that charges more for their back issues instead of less. Buy your comics online if you live in SB. That's what I did. Also, the staff harasses you and makes fun of you if they feel like you don't know what you're talking about. read more

I would not do business with Metro ever again. I used to go in from time to time to check out books or tcg's because I liked to give business to the small guy even though there is a nice big store, E.V. Games, up the street about the 2100 block of state. But no more, the manager and a couple other employees are dishonest and lied to me and several other customers to make a buck by canceling the preorders when the value went over MSRP. It's too bad that's the way some businesses make a buck. read more

i like this place BUT what's up with bob? many of my friends have gone to this comic book shop and complain about his rudeness. to bob: chill out, many of the dudes who go into the shop have been clients for years but when they see you working they don't go in the store. not good for business. be nice to your customers...even if it kills ya. read more