(Review) JAF Comics - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Sometimes doing the right thing is the rare thing...

I've already posted about my experience with #FreeRPGDay this year.    My first two locations pushing off the event in lieu of other things, and those decisions led me to search the area again on the site and out JAF Comics was also participating.  

I've known about JAF for years, outside of Bethlehem in the Trolley Station Outlet Mall.  I haven't been into comics for about 15 years and Trolley Station is in that no-man's land between Bethlehem and Nazareth.  I believe things have changed drastically.

It seemed to be a sore sport for some past reviews, but in this case I was greeted not only once when I walked in the front door in the comics sections, but I was greeted going into the CCG section where #FreeRPGDay was being held.  Everyone was super awesome and friendly, and I was reminded of the connection between JAF and my previous employer, Nick at Dreamscape Comics.  

When Nick passed away in 2012, it was JAF that bought a lot of the comics backstock after the store closed.  The store had such an impact on the owner, when he decided to start publishing comics, he's using the Dreamscape Publishing moniker.  Bonus points for nostalgia. 

Location: The Trolley Station Outlet Mall on PA 191 is barely minutes north of US 22.  If I base it on how fast I can each a Wawa wrap I had just purchased, I needed to sit in my car outside the front doors to finish my lunch.  

What I believe was originally one small storefront in the mall now dominates the building.  One large area for comics and board games, two large areas for open gaming and CCG sales, with a few other rooms. 

Miniatures:  Not a miniature place, although, if you want action figures over in the comics area, they've got to you covered without being overwhelmed. 

Board Games:  An immense and diverse selection of board games. 

RPGs: It is amusing that the only store in the Lehigh Valley to participate in #FreeRPGDay only has a solid stock in new D&D product, including some of the "Official" D&D dice sets and such.  

Accessories: A healthy supply of dice, card sleeves, and CCG accessories.  I bought an inexpensive ($7.99) set of dice there, sort of my requirement if a store does want to support new gamers.

CCGs:  Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lorcana, Star Wars, One Piece, and a host of other CCGs.  One thing that might be a pain in the butt for staff but warms my heart was a guy pulling Magic commons out of a 5,000 count box.  Stores with only pull service never seem to have good results (I'm still waiting 3 years from a different store for about $10 in commons I had cash for that day.) 

Events:   A full calendar of events (see the right side of the calendar for the regular game days, D&D, etc). There were folks in both open gaming rooms when I visited.

Comics:  Not one of my normal categories, but JAF is certainly a geek mullet:  comic book/collectible shop in the front, game store in the rear.  I'm out of my element, but the shelves were full of new product, back issues, dollar boxes, $5 graphic novels, actions figures, a pull service, vintage graded stuff, etc.   Should cover each type of comics demographic that still exist. 

I came to JAF as a result of failure, and to be honest, there's a needs to be a bigger RPG section and a dabble into miniatures, but it's a much more convenient drive for me while I go down to visit my mother than the other stores in the valley. 

I'm happy to give JAF Comics four out of five gnomes on the Gaming with the Gnomies "Five-Gnome" scale. 

There's the aforementioned gaps in products that I'm looking for, but if you need a good comic/game store with an activity community and incredibly pleasant staff, check them out! 

JAF Comics is located at 224 Nazareth Pike, Bethlehem PA 18020.  It's open Monday-Friday 1pm-8pm, Saturday 11am-8pm, and Sundays 11am-4pm.