Friar Tuck’s Comics and Collectibles is out of this world.
The new store on Harvard Street near Coolidge Corner has 80,000 comic books in stock, classics and deep cuts curated by owner Rob Tuck.
The store held its grand opening in Coolidge Corner on Monday, welcoming comic experts, newcomers, and everyone in between.
The space at 310 Harvard Street, next door to the Coolidge Corner Theater, has a meticulous outer-space aesthetic: astronaut GI Joes hanging from a satellite-decorated HVAC unit, with shimmering disco balls and a starry night ceiling.
Tuck said the grand opening was his 38th day straight of working on the store. He has been searching for a space for six or seven years and finally settled in the current spot early last year.
“It has been a long-time coming to get to this point,” Tuck said during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “I’ve been collecting for over 40 years, and my lifelong collection is in there.”
Tuck’s mother Joanne Tuck said he’s had a passion for comics since he was 8.
“This was a dream come true for him to have a comic bookstore,” she said. “It was his creativity that made it what it is. Everything in here was his personal decision, and I don’t think there’s another establishment that looks like this.”
Ryan Wenk, a customer at the grand opening, praised the quality of Friar Tuck’s inventory, noting the store has “tons of stuff I’ve actually been looking for a while that you can’t find.”
Tuck said Harvard Square used to be a “mecca” for vintage comics in Boston until many of those stores, like New England Comics’ Cambridge location, shut down. He thinks Coolidge Corner might fill that void, between his store, another New England Comics location next door, and Brookline Booksmith.
“This has become ground zero for comics in Boston,” Tuck said. “It’s really exciting.”
Photos: More scenes from the grand opening at Friar Tuck’s Comics & Collectibles
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