Screw the syllabus: The A.V. Club's guide to campus comic-book shops

Welcome to college. Enjoy the next four years of some of the most boring reading you will ever do. Luckily, Chicago is home to many a super-powered comic shop, ready to suit anyone's sequential-narrative needs. The A.V. Club digs through four comic shops near the city's college campus and weeds out the good, the bad, and the polyethylened—and got some advice from the staff at each.

Northwestern: Comix Revolution
Home base: 606 Davis St., Evanston (Davis Purple Line)
Super powers: Comix Revolution is a jack-of-all-trades comic shop. Superhero comic books, indie comic books, regular books (!), magazines, posters, apparel… it never seems to end. Comic bundles are also available for discounted prices, offering low-selling series that are taking up space. This is a store for people who want what is hip, new, and a little off-center, and the place definitely delivers the goods.
Weaknesses: Discounts? Anywhere? A weekly pull list is available for interested customers, but unlike many other stores, there are no economic benefits to using the service. Its back-issue collection is sorely lacking, so it's probably best to try another store if you're looking for that ultra-rare metallic blood cover of Youngblood from 1994, and the store's online presence is next to nil.
Comic Book Guy recommends: Pantheon's Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli, a graphic novel about an architect undergoing a spiritual crisis, and Drawn and Quarterly's George Sprott: (1894-1975) by Seth, a collection of New York Times Magazine strips about a fictional Canadian TV personality.

Loyola: Third Coast Comics
Home base: 6234 N. Broadway (Granville Red Line)
Super powers: Not even a year old, Third Coast offers an ample selection of the newest superhero and indie comics. A 10 percent discount is available to those who subscribe to a pull list as well as Loyola students with a valid student ID. Story-line bundles are available for discounted prices, and there are a fair amount of sale-price graphic novels and hardcover collections. The website is easy to navigate and offers convenient tools to help customers get what they want with minimal hassle: a pull list editor, product browser, and news on upcoming events (sales, Dungeons And Dragons/Magic: The Gathering nights, signings). Plus: Tuesday Night Knitting Club.
Weaknesses: The organization of new issues on the shelves isn't intuitive, making it hard to find the books you want if you're in a rush. Being a smaller store with fewer orders means that new releases are more likely to sell out, and a very limited selection of back issues makes Third Coast less than ideal for collector types.
Comic Book Guy recommends: Vertigo's Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, the story of the last man on Earth's journey to find his ex-girlfriend; and Vertigo's Air by G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker, a monthly series about a flight attendant who can hop between dimensions.

Depaul: Chicago Comics
Home base: 3244 N. Clark (Belmont Red Line)
Super powers: Chicago Comics has what you need and all the stuff you didn't know you wanted. Comic books from every major publisher are surrounded by action figures, novels, and various novelty items, while the back half of the store is almost entirely back issues. The website keeps customers posted on upcoming events, but more importantly offers a chance to purchase merchandise online. There's a fair share of erotica, too, if that's your thing.
Weaknesses: Chicago Comics isn't going to save you money. If you can even make it out of the store without buying something you weren't anticipating, you won't see many discounts at the register. Pull-list subscriptions don't come with any benefits other than making sure you get what you want when it is available, so don't go crazy on special orders you can't afford.
Comic Book Guy recommends: DC's Detective Comics, a monthly series currently chronicling the exploits of female crime fighters Batwoman and The Question, and Vertigo's The Unwritten by Mike Carey, a comic about the son of a famous writer who discovers that he may be the Harry Potter-esque main character of his father's books.

Roosevelt/Columbia: Graham Crackers Comics
Home base: 77 E. Madison (Monroe Red Line)
Super powers: The largest chain of comic shops in the country, Graham Crackers has mastered the formula for a great comic shop. A huge selection of monthly titles and back issues can be found easily, largely due to how perfectly organized the store is. Pull-list subscribers get 10 percent off books if they subscribe to more than 10 titles, and the store's semi-annual sales offer customers a chance to get lots of comics for a very small price. The website features exclusive comics, information on new releases, and a full online store that allows customers to purchase back issues, graphic novels, or even subscribe to an online pull list where the books can be delivered right your home.
Weaknesses: Graham Crackers basically does everything right. On Wednesdays and weekends it gets fairly busy due to tourist traffic, so picking up comics on a lunch break might be a little risky.
Comic Book Guy recommends: Vertigo's Scalped by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera, a monthly crime comic set on an Indian reservation, and DC's Batman and Robin by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, a new series spotlighting the adventures of the post-Bruce Wayne dynamic duo.