Wednesday afternoon, walking south from Seattle Central College on Broadway and passing the all-cross intersection on E Denny Way, you’ll come to a set of doors marked by the sigil of a Phoenix. When entering those doors, you’ll be welcomed by friendly faces with a common passion: all things nerdy. Welcome to Phoenix Comics and Games.
Phoenix Comics and Games is located on 113 Broadway E, right next to Dick’s Drive-in. Phoenix opened in 2013 and celebrated their ten-year anniversary last year. The owner, Nick Nazar, wanted to open Phoenix with the purpose of serving both comic book and board game lovers in the community. Phoenix has been a staple in Capitol Hill for all your needs and interests, whether they be comic books, trading card games, or tabletop board games. Not only is Phoenix a storefront, they also hold many recurring events ranging from tabletop roleplaying game campaigns, to Magic the Gathering tournaments, and weekly comic releases every Wednesday.
We sat down with Nick Nazar and employee of six and a half years Doug Halvorsen to ask them if they’ve ever been involved with Seattle Central before, their favorite events, and what events they think everyone should look forward to.
If you’re wondering what you might find in the store for yourself, Doug puts it bluntly, “Anyone walking into the store should expect to find nerdy things.” From the latest issue of Action Comics to the newest D&D module, if you’re looking for something to scratch that nerdy itch, Phoenix is the place to check out after school.
When asked about the store’s previous involvement with Seattle Central College, Nazar answered, “We haven’t involved ourselves directly with the college before. We have, in the past, helped with professors who have basically given short impromptu lectures with—very early on—about how the comic book industry works… More recently, we did have a college professor reach out to us about textbooks, effectively doing a class on comic books, and we helped his students find a bunch of the books that he was wanting to teach.”
Nazar also had things to say about Free Comic Book day, his favorite event that falls on the first Saturday of May, right around the anniversary of the store on May 4. “It’s just a huge day. It’s just a lot of fun,” Nazar commented.
When we asked Doug about his favorite event, he answered, “At the moment it’s the Go Club. Every Thursday at 7:00 p.m., a bunch of Go players setup here, and they’re playing this three or four-thousand-year-old board game that’s been continuously played for thousands of years.”
When we asked Halvorsen what students at Seattle Central could look forward to at Phoenix, he exclaimed, “You can look forward to this,” gesturing to his surroundings, “People are playing role playing games and board games. People draw here. There are many things to do and this is a rare type of space—a third space.” A third space is somewhere individuals can relax, hang out with friends, and be comfortable, away from home and work.
Phoenix is a longtime staple of Capitol Hill and has been providing people with high-quality comic book services and community events. Phoenix is Nick Nazar’s passion project, his labor of love, and it shows. Phoenix has an overwhelming sense of community between comic book lovers, board game enthusiasts and lovers of all things nerdy. Phoenix Comics and Games is a place for people to come together to play card games, board games, or simply to discuss comic books. Nazar’s overall purpose shows.
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