Rainbow Comics, Cards & Collectibles - Lincoln

★★★★★

“Great service! Kind staff, friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The worker greeted us right away, directed us to the section of our interest, checked if we had any other questions, and notably, didn’t treat us (both queerly femm) in any sort of negative way or stereotypical way. (That is, sadly, a rare experience in comic book stores) Awhile later, he was easy to find to request additional help from, with no hint of resentment from being interrupted from his book again, (being made to feel like a imposition is a common experience I’ve found in other comic shops), instead he was helpful and accommodating. They have limited dice sets, but the assortment of loose ones was a good mix, a lot of premium chessex and random fun dice. I was happy to see some progress pride flags inside a couple, some rainbow layered dice, and some in pan flag colors. While I dug through the trays of loose dice, trying to curate the perfect mismatch pile of dice for a new d&d character, I overheard a family enter with a young kid, who was eager to spend his Easter money on Pokémon cards, but not a pack, the kind he got to individually pick out. The guy actively helped the family, treating the kid as the primary customer without a hint of talking down to this kindergartner or 1st grader. He was listening, asking questions, and making suggestions to the kid without being at all pushy about his advice to the kid. He quickly excused himself to assist other customers a few times, but returned promptly to keep assisting this family, and spent 10-15 minutes or more helping this kid and family, knowing from the beginning the kids small budget, but there was no impression that the low dollar value of the sale made him feel it not worth his time, (also something I too frequently have experienced at comic shops) And when the parents at one point apologized self consciously for taking up so much of his time, he reassured them by saying (what to me was already obvious) that he enjoyed being able to help kids get further into their gaming hobbies. He invited them the stores many game nights, friendly to beginners and families. The store is definitely welcoming, community minded and noticeably queer positive, they have pride stuff on display and feature local LGBT+ and POC artists’ pieces for sale, (which I didn’t get to see as I’d been playing with click-clack math rocks while my partner explored the rest) So even tho I left without the complete set of dice I came for, and my partner didn’t find a mini they wanted, we’ll both happily be coming back to checkout the rest of the store in more detail, and to finish picking out my mismatch dice hoard 💜”

★★★★★

“Very good selection of comic books and collectables, and very kind employees!! I've been going here to shop ever since I was young and I don't intend to switch up on it!”

★★★★★

“Oh my GOODNESS we are so so lucky to have such an amazing pillar in the nerd/fandom community here in Lincoln!! Rainbow Comics has NEVER failed to impress and deliver on ALL of my expectations as a frequent comic book shopper and Marvel fanboy, and I could go ON and ON about everything they do to provide for the scene here!!! 1) Amazing deals and variety!! You can find plenty of great deals and cheap comics in store, and they are constantly running events where sales are abundant! The discounts are deep too, especially compared to other stores here in town!! 2) Incredible staff!! These are some of the FRIENDLIEST and FUNNIEST people in town, and I have been so lucky to get to know them as I've shopped at the store all these years. They are not afraid to keep a fun and friendly environment in the store, and are attentive to your needs and very helpful, especially when needing to find a rare book or more stories from your favorite character! They are more than willing to manage pull lists for you or special order items they don't regularly sell, and I always feel like my needs are met here! 3) Inclusive and safe environment! It is not always easy to find a space in Lincoln where people of all types can feel welcome, but this store is ABSOLUTELY one I can recommend! The space is very LGBTQ-positive, is constantly encouraging more representation through showcasing queer and minority-produced books, and they are very friendly and welcoming to kids, with events and activities for them too! 4) Community support! Of all the nerd stores in town, Rainbow is EASILY one of the most community-involved. I can NOT think of a single other store in town which HEAVILY features wares and goods from independent and local artists as deeply as this store does! They are CONSTANTLY hosting community events, bringing the fun of a larger con at a smaller scale to support community members and give fun things for us to do! They also have a few gaming events, which all have a very low barrier of entry and are also among the most welcoming in town! 5) Selection! Honestly, if there's anything I could ding this store on, this might be the only spot, but not by a lot! They ALWAYS have the new titles weekly (unless there are weird distribution issues but they always catch up) and have a deep catalogue of modern comics, as well as comic-adjacent products like figures, plushes, stickers, etc. However, their older back-issue catalogue is not QUITE as impressive as Trade-a-Tape's, although they still have quite the collection of old books too. All in All, if you are looking for a fun comic book experience, Rainbow is your spot!!”

★

“I’ve given Rainbow Comics multiple chances because I want to support local comic shops, but after several visits I’ve decided to take my business elsewhere. The biggest issue isn’t inventory or pricing, it’s customer service and store culture. Nearly every time I’ve visited, employees seemed far more interested in watching videos and having personal conversations than helping customers. Many of those conversations included profanity and topics that felt inappropriate for a retail environment where families and younger customers are present. What stands out most is the complete lack of initiative. When customers are looking for something, there rarely seems to be any effort to check inventory, offer alternatives, place an order, or help find a solution. It often feels like helping customers is an interruption rather than the purpose of being there. What makes this especially disappointing is that I’ve visited comic shops all over the country, and the difference is remarkable. Great comic stores are welcoming, knowledgeable, and excited about comics. They make customers want to come back. Rainbow comics was much better in its previous location. Today, it feels poorly managed and disconnected from what makes card/comic shop successful. After multiple disappointing visits, this will likely be my last.”