Longbox Review

UPDATE (8/26/14): The website is no longer active. However, there’s an Amazon store front.

I just got some cheap comics from the online retailer Fearless Readers Online. I first heard about this site because it was a sponsor of one of the Comic Geek Speak episodes. Since CGS put me onto the wonderful In Stock Trades site, I decided to try FRO.

The main page is pretty self explanatory. You choose a publisher, then a title, and select the number of issues. The amount of issues available is not huge generally, but the home page does say that the inventory is always growing. Also, if they could get more Bronze (or even Silver) Age stuff, I’d probably spend a lot more money!

The best thing, however, is the price: $1 for every issue they sell–how can you not love that? I was able to get some issues to help complete a title’s run, and I got an 80-page giant that cost $5 12 years ago for a $1. And the quality of the issues are near mint, but I’m getting ahead of myself. They also sell sets, like the 4-issue Marvels series for $10, and trades for $5. It seems that most of the stock is from the 90s onward.

Once you’ve selected some issues and added them to your cart, the page refreshes showing what you’ve ordered and shows a running tally of how much you’re spending. There is a $5 minimum shipping cost for up to 10 comics, and the next jump is $10 for up to 50 comics. I just ordered 10 comics to try the service, but I’ll be sure to take advantage of the next shipping tier price next time (if they have the comics I want). I did notice, however, that the comic database was not always accurate. Some Teen Titans issues I looked for were mislisted under Marvel. That has since been corrected, but who knows what other glitches may still exist? The good news is that you can always search for a title instead of just choosing a publisher.

FRO ships via USPS, and it took 5 business days from order processing to package delivery. I received my comics in a flat rate envelope. Inside my comics were wrapped in a thin plastic bag between two slaps of thick cardboard. I ended up destroying the bag trying to unravel the packing tape, but at least my comics were secure and protected. The comics don’t come individually in bags, but what do you expect for $1? Also inside the envelope was a little printed comic want list that you can fill out if you’re so inclined. I thought it was a nice little thing, though I just use a spreadsheet that I put on my phone.

Bottom line: I will be ordering from this site again. Good quality comics for that cheap? I’d be stupid not to.