Lost World of Wonders

I was very pleased with Lost World of Wonders. The shop is clean very well lit and nicely apportioned between the pop genres. The staff was friendly and helpful. I wrote a longer review you can check out here:

Store is huge. They have so many toys, games, collectibles, and a huge back issue collection. The prices are on par with comic con prices. They sell soda and Pokey. There’s a super friendly cat.

We usually pop into LWOW to kill some time between what we’ve been doing during the day and dinner. They get different items in pretty frequently, so there’s always something new to check out.
They don’t have a particularly large selection of any one thing, but they have a lot of various things to keep you entertained while browsing. They’ve got some manga, action figures, figurines, games, comics and clothing. It’s very rare that we leave without making a purchase.

Lost World of Wonders has a little bit of everything in the geek department. Old and new action figures, comics, trade paperbacks, Japanese manga, and card games like Magic and Pokemon are available in abundance in this sizable shop.
I visited to buy some old Magic booster packs which they had over the counter. John was knowledgeable about the game and sweet talked me into buying some $ 8 Innistrad packs. The price stung a little, but that’s rare out of print product for ya.
I also bought a Spawn figure, which they had plenty of at reasonable prices. They also have premium figures (~$ 100+) in display cases around the store.
This is a store that demands you slow down and browse the stacks for a while. No matter what you geek out about, Lost World will probably have it. The store itself was a little too dimly lit for my taste and parking was a pain on a Saturday evening, but the selection is well worth it. You can definitely make an afternoon out of this shop and American Science and Surplus just next door.

I’ve been here twice now and I had a really positive experience both times. I mostly buy trade paperback volumes, of which they have a really nice selection. They also have a surprisingly large number of half price volumes, as well. Although my friend has had some trouble locating the specific volumes he is looking for, LWOW was able to order a few volumes for him.
I was excited to find the first volume of Kabuki by David Mack here which I’ve been trying to hunt down for a good while now. I spent way more than I intended to my first visit because I found everything I was looking for and more.
Also, there’s a cat. Which in my mind makes any store a better store, so I bumped them up to 5 stars.

Lost World of Wonders has a great selection. They have everything from weeklys to trade paperbacks to toys and collectibles to card games, to animé, manga, etc. If I am looking for a specific comic this is my first stop.
The staff is very helpful and if they don’t have something you’re looking for they will offer to order it for you.
If you’re walking around looking at the comics, they don’t hound /​push you. They let you browse.
This is probably the best one in the Milwaukee Area.

Not what I thought it was going to be — I mean, I knew I’d get comic books, etc … but I was hoping for a bigger selection of board games — and I mean the nerdy, niche sort of board games. Was surprised to not find some of that stuff here.
Staff seemed friendly-​enough — said hi when we came in, asked if we needed anything — but basically I walked in and realized «these are not my people.»
Seems like it’s good for what it is, but I can’t speak to more than that.

I thought I would update my previous review, as I’ve been in here a few times since penning it and it’s been smooth sailing.
Gone are the smarmy «Comic Book Guy’s», and now it’s a staff with a new attitude. They’re kind, quick, polite and eager to answer any questions without any attitude. They’re handling the current «Nerd Revolution» and their newfound popularity with ease. This place is always packed, and like I said before, if you’re looking for full runs from the last five years or so, this is your place.
I do have two lingering complaints. One is they carry a ton of cool comic book stuff, books, graphic novels, t-​shirts, busts, toys, etc, so much so they pack it full in one side that gets a ton of foot traffic, but on the other side they have a full Manga section that from what I can tell never gets shopped. I was in here last Saturday and there was about 20 people on the comic side and nobody on the Manga side. I’m not saying get rid of it, but how about you dwindle it down a little bit and dedicate some more room to all the awesome comic book merch you manage to get here.
My other complaint is that this place sells some of the best comic book T-​Shirts in Milwaukee, yet they are always out of stock with just a couple small/​mediums in stock. Now I haven’t fit into an adult medium since I was eight, is there any way you guys can stock some more 2 XL’s
Other than that, this is one of the better comic shops in the Milwaukee area and that’s why I continue to shop here.

GREAT SHOP with a Big and diverse selection of Comics and Comic-​related goodies! This store is huge, well laid out, has a big selection of comics, graphic novels, tpbs, hardcovers, Star Wars and Doctor Who merchandise, t-​shirts, pint glasses and all things comic and fun. They’ve got models, cards, animé, manga, action figures, plush figures, and a back selection of comics. They’ve got things for my kids too (varying ages that they are) and have always treated my whole family well. I usually come here on my own and visit their 50% off graphic novel section.
I’d give them a 4.5 because they don’t go lower than that on graphic novels (as does Willy Street Comic in Madison for example) and they’ll need to be more creative — especially when competing with Half Price Books and Renaissance Books. Who have equally large or bigger selections of used TPBs/​HCs at the same prices.
The staff will leave you alone unless you ask questions — which is great!
They’re located next to American Science Surplus — another wonderful MKE icon — Lost World of Wonders is by FAR the best comic shop in Milwaukee — bar none!
A must visit shop run by good folks! Don’t listen to the other cranky reviewers who stopped in to up their Unilocal review numbers — The Raimune they have for example is comic-​oriented Hello Kitty and Pokemon and NOT to be found in the Asian Grocery stores — even Pacific Produce — the largest in Wisconsin. This is a great comic shop that caters to broad comic and sci-​fi interests. Where else can you purchase $ 5 Gundam Wing models, the latest Grant Morrison comics, discount Scooby Doo comics for the littlest ones and a X-​men shot glass in Milwaukee? Ample parking and near restaurants.

I have been into comics for 20+ years and I would say that this is the best place to buy your books in the Milwaukee metro area. Good selection and friendly service are why I keep coming back.

Smarmy staff and an extremely niche cache of products that don’t appeal to the masses make this shop totally dispensable. If I wanted to drink some 3 dollar Japanese soda, I’d go to Japan and pay 50 cents for it, bro.
I guess I was expecting too much when I asked a simple question and got nothing more than a curt, one-​word response from Comic Book Guy.
This shop gives comic stores a bad name. Let people into your club, ye Gatekeepers of Nerd-​dom.

I wouldn’t recommend coming here for your animé/​manga/​import needs…
It’s basically a comic store– a big, clean one. About ¾ of the store is comics and I can’t tell you much about that side… sorry…
The other side has a small shelf of common Japanese snacks in the common/​basic flavors such as Pocky, Hello Panda, and Koala March, but the prices are several dollars higher than can be found in the average Asian market/​grocery store. They also carry Ramune.
Most of the Japanese side is taken up by animé DVDs and some Asian films, but I would suggest getting them from Amazon instead as the prices here are the highest I have ever seen. Another large section is English manga that you can find in the average chain bookstore or on Amazon, but sometimes certain titles are in the sale section… The staff has, from my experience, no knowledge of any animé or manga that hasn’t been licensed in America (so the basics Naruto, etc. etc) Fair enough as I don’t think they are animé fans and it’s actually a comic book store. The staff has also never made me feel stupid for knowing nothing about comic books, or leaving without buying anything.
There is a section with boxed figures, but I’ve never seen anything I recognize and they are pretty expensive. There is also a glass case for gashapon, but it’s pretty empty except for a few really really old pieces — like live action Sailor Moon no one wanted (they aren’t cute!). Last time I went there was also a shelf of Super Mario plushes, but the prices were quite high– you won’t find them cheaper in any other animé store so unless you know someone in Japan… that’s what happens with Japanese goods in America…
There’s an arcade in the back, but it was empty and I’m not 100% sure it was working.
The biggest disappointment was the lack of any Japanese manga magazines (Ribon, Ciao, Nakayoshi), no collectibles of new series, and no way to order anything. You’re better off going online and ordering from HLJ, cdjapan, or AmiAmi.
Also– there is a CAT that lives here, a friendly brown tabby female. That made me happy.
So in review, for Japanese needs, head to an Asian grocer or online…

I enjoy coming up to the Milwaukee area to visit this store. A large store, bright and airy, room to move around without fear of knocking something off the shelves. Not only comics but figures, anima, and statues too.
Best Collectors store in Milwaukee

Although I’m not a big comics reader, I’ve been a regular at LWOW for close to five years. I used to go in with the list from my boyfriend and try to find everything on the back wall. The friendly folks who work there taught me about Previews and how I could have a slot with my name on it and never have to look again. Plus, I could get a discount! Okay, I know what you’re thinking: this is normal at a comic shop. But I didn’t know this. I suspect that at this point, they would be able to pull his books every Wednesday without the list; in fact, they occasionally throw something in there in case he didn’t know about it or if they think he forgot to mark it. And sometimes they’re right on.
Everyone there– John, Andy, Steve– makes me feel so welcome and now, of course, we’re to the point where we joke around and insult each other. They know I know nothing about comics, but they’re nice to me anyway.
I bring treats in for the cat, Boo, and i know which drawer they’re in, so when I come in, I often go behind the counter to give her some. (By the way, they all pretend they hate the cat and call her names, but they are all completely committed to her. She goes to the vet regularly and on days when the store is closed, like Christmas, the owner, John, goes in to hang out with her so she’s not lonely all day).
The store is big, and there’s a big room in back for the teenaged boys without girlfriends to play their Magic or D&D or whatever boys are into these days. There is a big selection of manga, animé, and trades, and diet coke for only 50 cents. Hands-​down the best comic shop in Milwaukee.