Great little shop. The owner does a decent job making the most of the small space he has.He also does a decent job being rude, which gives you that authentic comic shop experience youve come to expect.I was on limited time so I took a quick look and didnt see what I wanted. I asked the owner if he could tell me if he had the book. I told him I wasnt sure of the title, but I think it was called House on the Lake. He typed something on his computer and told me that was the correct title and that he did have it.Being that I already looked and didnt see it, I asked if he could tell me which wall it might be on.He let out a sarcastic laugh and said,Uh under H?, in a tone that suggested I was silly for asking.Literally every comic shop Ive been to organizes their newer books by publisher, then letter. He organizes his shop by letter, which is fine, but I didnt realize that, and I dont think its silly to ask where a book might be. It also turned out he was wrong. He did correct himself and say the book was actually under N since its The Nice House on the Lake. It wasnt there and I didnt want to bother asking anything else for fear of a condescending response. I ended up spending about 30 bucks in his shop, but in hindsight I shouldve just walked out. Whenever a store owner is condescending to you just walk out. They dont want your business. Im new to the area and trying to find a good shop to go to regularly. I will never be shopping here again.

If youre looking for a hidden gem this is the place to find it

Never met a person so rude before . Usually comic book shop owners are very welcoming and appreciative of the business and support ! Not this person though !!!!!

This place has such a great collection. Thier prices are pretty decent. Its a little hard to manuever in there bcuz its really tight, but I gotta say, somehow it works. All I know is I am happy as a pig in sh*t when I leave there.

Owner is condescending and rude ! Do not give your hard earned money to this person !

Went in to browse for cards and being a smaller store their card selections are small, but their book and comic selection is always satisfying. Attendant was very helpful as always, easy to talk to. Ended up leaving with a few comics.

Got some studio ghibli books that I’m so excited about. Found Pokémon cards and they had a huge selection. Very nice place

I went in there to look at cards and manga and the guy behind the register was super rude and wouldnt even talk to me unless it was about the store and didnt even respond when i enter/ left(said hello/goodbye) I wouldnt recommended going here spend your cash at another comic shop with nicer people

The store is pretty much the same as i remember from being a kid....Not a bad store. Still love stopping in for a quick browse and buy. But as i dont live near by anymore I havent been in for 5 years or so. Used to shop here weekly, but this recent visit turned me off from the store all together. The owner was very presumptuous and felt the need to tell me about not taking the books out of order. Mind you he didnt even greet me as i walked in and and as he tells me about keeping the books in order i hand him a book misplaced and he seemed annoyed i did so and walked away. Though i understand where his grievances were when having to deal with such problems. I made a purchase and proceeded out, I said have a good one and he just sat there like he had a problem with life. As a kid I always thought this place was cool and the store was somewhere i went every week. I always thought the owners were very preppy and didnt like blacks, even though a co owner is black and they are located in new haven; a city full of blacks, he seems to not like blacks....thats fine and his own personal issues but that was a very unsatisfactory trip there and will likey skip it next time around just to not have to deal with feeling like im an unwanted customer.....it was like my money wasnt good enough. Overall id say the spot hasnt changed much and thats not necessarily good or bad, I love comic shops and visit them often, especially when i travel, and being from new haven i make this a stop every time im in town, i think ill skip it next time.

Good selection and staff was helpful.

There are a great selection of comics, manga, action figures and other geek paraphernalia. If you missed out on the latest issue of IDW Sonic the Hedgehog or need dice for your DnD session, why not give Alternate Universe a visit?

After looking for the first time to start buying comics this has become my one stop shop. They were very nice and understanding of just how confusing starting out is and lead me to to the things I wanted and wanted to know more about. They helped me sculpt my own collecting path and Ive been a dedicated patron ever since. Im the only person, I think, that goes out of their way to collect PREVIEWS and they hooked me up, no questions asked. I highly recomend picking their brains about any and every question and reservation you have about comics and collecting.

These guys have good stock and have a lot of new books on wednesdays, even more of the indy companies and obscure titles.

Love this.place since I was a kid great selection of comics

Great staff, comfortable atmosphere, great for kids 10+ (as long as you keep an eye on them). Wonderful selection of comics, board games and graphic novels, as well as collectables

Everything is super expensive

Ive been going to Alternate Universe for over ten years now and I love it. Locally owned. Run by good people. Support this store. Its small but they are a good spot and worthy of your patronage.

Great little comic book shop with a large selection of titles and collectibles. The Staff was very knowledgeable and courteous.

This place is spectacular. Wide Selection, helpful staff, and a good atmosphere. Only complaint is that merch goes literally all the way to the ceiling so it feels like you cant see everything it has to offer sometimes. Otherwise, I love this shop.

Love this place! Whenever Im in New Haven I always jump in to see what they have for fun and almost always walk out with something! The guy working there is super helpful and whenever I call looking for something he doesnt hesitate to order it for me if they dont have it in stock.

Great selection, friendly and knowledgeable staff and customers, a place to find interesting titles you didnt know you needed

The breezy best yet

Great collection of comic books and merchandise. I could spend hours there

My favorite shop in CT! Super knowledgeable staff, always extremely helpful, and great selection of both new books and back issues, as well as games, indie comics, and rare memorabilia. Highly recommend!

I really like this store and the owners. My youngest son, 14, collects and has visited most of the comic stores in CT. He likes this one the best! Now that he is away at high school, I stop in there almost every week to get the latest for him. The owners have always been helpful and tolerant that I know NOTHING! lol Definitely a shop to support.

They are a tiny store, but have an incredibly wide selection. They also sell cards for games like MTG and YuGiOh. They dont like people looking through the comics unless you buy it which is understandable. Went with my college friends on a day trip. I like the atmosphere of the place overall.

Tiny store with so many books. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. They have a great selection from most publishers. Not just the big two.

Wow found this as I was looking through some old hang outs from when I lived in New Haven. Let me tell you, these guys are the best. Down to earth and really into comics, RPG and collectibles. My love of collecting all things comic related came about because of these guys. All the luck to the future.

Been getting my comics from here for 15 years- great place.

Best comic book shop in the state!! Friendly, knowledgeable staff, great selection, subscription service is amazing! Highly recommend to any comic book fan in the area

This place is awesome - they have two locations, one with more inventory than NH (Milford I believe), and the amount of effort they make to ensure you find everything you need, is awesome. my last review was of sarges comics in new london, what a night and day difference. highly recommended!

These guys respect the medium and respect the consumer. Going into a new comic shop (especially one as cramped as this) can be a bit anxiety inducing, but as you skim through their shelves and boxes you can listen to the owners talk, and you realize its not just a job for them, they really like comics!

Best comic book store in Connecticut

Hands down second to none the best of the best comic book store

One of the only comic book stores in the region.

Great place near me with knowledgeable staff!

I truly enjoyed my experience there the variety and availability of rare items was unlike most comic book stores Ive bin to.

Great place to shop for all things anime, comic books, and other neat stuff. Would recommend to others!

Whenever we travel I always find a local comic shop to go to. Usually I luck out and find a place that reminds me why I love the medium. This store does have quite a stock of comics, some nerd oriented gear, and the prices are reasonable. Unfortunately the staff couldnt be bothered that we were in there. They didnt offer to help, one gentleman ignored us when we asked where something was, but instead spent the entire time arguing with each other about reality TV stars or something. Even when cashing out we got the feeling like we were a bother to the cashier. Maybe they are good to regulars, but if you are from out of town, or want to find a new place I wouldnt come here unless you dont mind being treated like a neasaunce.

Wide selection great staff and good comic book fans 😊

I have been shopping at the Alternative Universe for over 10 years, recently switching to their Milford location since its closer to my home. The New Haven store is in a great location downtown, and is loaded with awesome back issues, toys, magazines and statues. They get tons of copies of each new release and bend over backward to get you what you want. If you are looking for a quality comic shop in the area with a group of owners who know what theyre talking about, this is where to go.

Lovable and friendly staff that will go out of there way to get what you need.

Stuffed to the brim and comics and back issues. Extremely knowledgeable staff. Love this place!

The shop had a well sized selection. Eric was super helpful, he helped me find what I was looking for and encouraged me to take my time and browse. I found what I was looking for as well as some things I didnt expect to find.

Thiz iz my local shop. I live only a couple blocks away. Always go here for new comic day and just recently went for free comic book day. They were super kool ablut tryinf to get both young and old into reading new books by new authors and artist. Im also biased cuz i consoder myself a need ;)

Awesome staff. Been coming around 20 years since they opened.

Best comic store in the area, hands down.

Awesome place to find everything on your checklist plus the people that work there are always very helpful and in case youbare missing an item they can track it down for you.

They were open on time.helpful and nice comic book store.

Love my local comic store

Great comic book store friendly workers

Good selection of current comics

Very friendly and pretty good selection of cards, comics, and collectibles

Small, but filled with comics of all kinds. Also, a small selection of board games and RPGs. They sell collectable card game boosters and packs as well.

Small place but they have every comics you need and they also have Magic The Gathering cards and products👍

I went here when I was a kid and nothing, not even the staff has changed. You can find any comic you need here.

Could be more friendlier and informative

Jammed packed with collections,my kind of store!

The place is tiny, but they have new releases and back issues.

👍

Id like to visit some year.

Ive been shopping here since I was a kid. This is home for me as far as comics are concerned.

Is it still open for business & if it is what time does it close

Great store

From high school to now