New England's Pop Culture Emporium Since 1980! We Buy And Sell Comics, Toys, Records, Memorabilia and More!

Contact Us!

 

Worcester Store

  • 244 Park Ave, Worcester, MA 01609

    244 Park Ave, Worcester, MA 01609
    Open 11:00 am to 7:00pm, 7 days a week.

    (508) 755-4207

    • Fitchburg Store

  •  56 John Fitch Hwy, Fitchburg, MA 01420

     

    56 John Fitch Hwy, Fitchburg, MA 01420
    Open 11:00 am to 7:00pm, 7 days a week.

     (978) 342-8607

    • That’s Entertainment: New England’s Pop Culture Emporium since 1980!

    Register for our FREE BOARD GAME DEMO HERE!


    Call to sign up to play a one-shot role-playing adventure on Thursday nights!

    Magic the Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm Pre-Release Worcester Schedule!

    WE BUY AND SELL:  We buy, sell and trade popular culture, entertainment merchandise and collectibles. We feature New and Back-Issue Comics, Old-School and Modern Video Games and Systems, Toys (Vintage, New, and Imports), D&D, Magic the Gathering, New and Used Board Games, Vinyl Records (Used and New Pressings), Sport Card Packs and Singles, Autographs, Japanese Imports, Posters, and more! Please stop in to browse!

    DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL? : Call us at  508-755-4207 if you have items you’d like to sell or trade in! We are buying by appointment only (Same-day appointments only). For complete details on selling, please click HERE.

    EVENTS: We participate in national events like Free Comic Book Day, Record Store Day, and Free RPG Day. We also hold events like Magic the Gathering, Pokemon Club, free board game demonstrations, special guest signings, and more! Check back to our website, social media, or sign up for our newsletter at the top of our home page for news about all of our events, as well as new products, collections, sales and exclusive fan specials!

    Watch Our 30 Second Ad!

    902260_10151950512999730_1298145175_o

    Read About Our Values and Mission Statement

     

    Purchase a Gift Certificate from us today!

    Give one of our Gift Certificates to your favorite geek! Ask in store for any amount, or choose one of the denominations offered online! We write them out the old-fashioned way, so if you order online, please allow enough time for mailing!

  • that’s E on Facebook

    Cover for That's Entertainment
    11,530
    That's Entertainment

    That's Entertainment

    We Buy and Sell Collectibles! Please call first if you have items to sell & speak directly with the right specialist!

    That's Entertainment

    7 days ago

    That's Entertainment
    Pop 45 Countdown #12The "Death" of Superman!In mid-1992 DC Comics revealed to retailers that they intended to "kill" Superman in the seventy-fifth issue of his current comic book series. This special issue was going to be sold in two versions. One would be a regular comic book and the other would be poly-bagged with a small poster and a black armband. The poly-bagged edition would have a $2.50 cover price and it would be sold exclusively at comic book stores. We ordered five hundred copies, double the number of copies we normally ordered of the ongoing "Superman" series. Since we ordered these comic books almost two months before they were released, we really were just guessing at the demand for this "special" issue.We were not prepared for the major press and media attention to this comic book. DC Comics managed to make this big news in the mainstream media by seemingly issuing press releases to everyone on the planet. I guess the press really believed that when DC Comics "killed" Superman that he would stay dead! As the release date drew near, television, radio stations, and newspapers reported about Superman's death and it began to seem as if the general public would actually be interested in buying this issue. We doubled our original order for this comic book to one thousand copies.I don't remember which one of the employees (it may have even been my idea) in my organization came up with the idea for our special "Death of Superman" event, but it was a great idea. We appointed one of our customers, Andrew Constantinou, to dress up in a Superman costume. Gary, the owner of The Halloween Outlet, let me borrow a prop coffin for our fake funeral for Superman. I called around to a few funeral homes to see if I could have some of their unwanted flowers that might have been left over from recent funerals. Some of the funeral directors were insulted by my request (I guess they thought I was making a mockery of their profession) but I finally found one guy who was willing to help me. He gave me some nice-looking funeral flower displays that were only slightly wilted and they would serve their purpose well.Albert Aeed, one of my more "fun" employees, would dress up as a minister and he prepared a solemn and passionate eulogy about Superman. All of my employees had collaborated on this event in different ways. A few weeks before the funeral, they had all offered different ideas and many hours were spent discussing and planning this event. Everyone was willing to work together to make this fun for our customers. We decided to gather up a few thousand back issue comic books that featured Superman in them and planned to give them away to the people who attended the funeral. We also made up some packages of ten Superman-related comics to give away to anyone who came to the funeral dressed up as a "super-hero." Faxes and press releases went out to radio stations, newspapers, and the cable company. We then followed up with personal phone calls to these media outlets. Surprisingly, most of them expressed interest in running some sort of story for this event. The major newspaper in the city ran a small story two days before the event and sent a reporter and a photographer to cover the funeral. The local cable-TV news channel did a nice two-minute segment the night before the funeral and followed it up with a story after the funeral too.With all of this advanced publicity I was concerned that we wouldn't have enough copies of the special edition Superman comic book to meet the demand. I called "Jeep," my Diamond Comic Distributors representative, and he was able to do me a favor by getting me another seven hundred copies. We were pretty sure we were ready now.There were already people lined up when we arrived at 9:00 a.m. at our store on that Saturday morning. By the time we opened an hour later there were a few hundred people! Our "Superman" laid perfectly still in the coffin with his eyes closed for almost six hours as almost one thousand people streamed by him to "pay their respects" to the fallen hero. Mal and our two children, Adam and Cassy, came to help out in any way they could. My mother and my Aunt Jody (Cousin Steven's mom) even came by to be part of this event. A few dozen people came dressed as other superheroes including Sandman, Insect Man, and Batman. Albert Aeed's eulogy was well received. We gave away thousands of the back issues of the Superman related comics and sold every copy of the special edition for $2.40 each. (It was our policy to sell all of our new comics for ten cents off of the cover price) The visitors had a great time and we were rewarded with a record-breaking day of sales.Because of all of the publicity we received, people came in looking for a copy of the special "Death" edition of the Superman comic book for many weeks after the funeral. My pal, Jeep, managed to supply us with more copies so we were able to accommodate these potential new customers at the original cover price while most of our competitors were "gouging" people for as much as twenty dollars a copy!To find out more about my life in comics, visit my blog at:mylifewithcomicbooks.blogspot.com/.../my-life-with...#thatsentertainmentpop45countdown #comics #comicshopnews #thatsentertainment #superman #dc ... See MoreSee Less

    Photo

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    That's Entertainment

    1 week ago

    That's Entertainment
    Pop 45 Countdown: Moment #13Colan, the Simonsons and McGregor Team - Up!Did you ever have a day that was so AMAZING that afterwards you had to wonder if it REALLY happened? That’s Entertainment has had MANY days like that! One of them unfolded in late 1999, the day we held an event here at the store that featured legendary comic artists Gene Colan AND Walt Simonson-- AND acclaimed writers Louise Simonson and Don McGregor, too!Before I get to THAT day, I should touch on the two other times that the great Gene Colan came to That’s Entertainment. The FIRST time Gene appeared here was in July of 1998. I’ve always been a huge fan of Colan’s art, because he had a unique ability to convey motion! He experimented with oddly shaped panels with characters swinging in and out of sight. He blurred the image and used heavy shadowing to convince the reader that this was a super-hero of action! His work on Daredevil, Dracula and Batman really took advantage of his talent for depicting characters who dwelled in the darkness, but he was versatile enough to excel on Iron Man, Captain America and Wonder Woman—even Howard the Duck and Archie Comics!So back in 1998, I was intrigued when Ken told me he had seen a fax number for Gene Colan, who was soliciting commissions. Ken told me he had just written an invitation for Gene to appear here and was about to fax it to him. It seemed like just a few minutes later that we heard the familiar sounds of an incoming fax, and then we were reading an ACCEPTANCE from Gene’s wife Adrienne! After a LOT of planning and anticipation, the event turned out to be absolutely excellent. When you meet your hero, and you find out he’s worthy of your admiration, it’s special. Gene graciously sketched for the crowd and left us all in awe! In the aftermath, we played a small role in pointing Gene toward setting up his own website, through which he would sell art and deeply connect with more fans worldwide than he ever suspected he had. There’s a lot we could say about that first appearance in 1998, but the link to my blog post will tell you more (as will the book link in the comments below).Gene appeared here for a THIRD time around September of 2001! His internet fans had conspired to lure Gene to an event that would double as a surprise 75th birthday party here! Our part was to convince him to come by saying we really needed him to do an event on that PARTICULAR day—and Gene loved to help when needed, even on his birthday! He was showered with gifts, praise and good wishes from his biggest fans, who also took him out for dinner afterwards. Gene was clearly touched by this unexpected tribute.ANY of Gene’s appearances would justify its own POP 40 post, but today’s post highlights that middle SECOND appearance, on December 11, 1999! Everyone was thrilled with the first event, so we had scheduled Gene and Adrienne Colan for a follow-up event-- an encore for one of the all-time greats to meet more fans, sell more art and sign more comics! We were also in touch with the SIMONSONS around the same time. Walt Simonson had many hits on his resume, but his revolutionary run on The Mighty Thor had catapulted him to the very pinnacle of fame. Later, while his wife Louise Simonson was scripting X-Factor, Walt took over the art and the couple produced an acclaimed run TOGETHER! Louise has many other major writing credits; among the comic characters she co-created are Cable, Steel, Power Pack, Rictor and the X-Men villain Apocalypse!! When Ken mentioned the upcoming event with the Colans, the Simonsons expressed interest in joining in. Soon, writer Don McGregor, best known for his epic work on the Black Panther in JUNGLE ACTION, also agreed to attend. We suddenly had one event that was BIGGER than big!What a thrill to see our customers interact with all of these creators of so many great comic stories over the years. We fans always have profound questions and opinions, and the pros responded with good humor. One fan even recalled reading that Louise had been the model for the woman on Wrightson’s cover for HOUSE OF SECRETS #92, the first Swamp Thing story! The gregarious Walt Simonson was animatedly describing an action scene from an upcoming comic (possibly Orion #1, advance stats from which he was showing that day), when he realized he had to stand up on the table to properly demonstrate the particular pose! Gene, as usual, was a quieter presence, but every word about art carried the weight of decades of amazing accomplishments! Fans approached him with reverence, but soon found him to be kind and unassuming. Don McGregor held court with a mischievous sense of humor and was happy to sign some of the same books Gene signed, having collaborated with him on Nathaniel Dusk and some Black Panther stories. (As a side note, GAMBIT artist Lee Weeks had also been scheduled, but had to cancel at the last minute—can you imagine if Weeks had also been able to make it?!)Looking back with “2020” vision, it’s incredible that we had all that Hall-of-Fame comic book talent here at the SAME time! It was certainly one of our most memorable days ever!To find out more about my life in comics, visit my blog at:mylifewithcomicbooks.blogspot.com/.../my-life-with...#thatsentertainmentpop45countdown #comics #comicshopnews #thatsentertainment #thor #powerpack #blackpanther #ironman #genecolan #waltsimonson #louisesimonson #donmcgregor ... See MoreSee Less

    Photo

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    That's Entertainment was live.

    1 week ago

    That's Entertainment

    Video

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    That's Entertainment

    1 week ago

    That's Entertainment
    Pop 45 Countdown: Moment #14Howdy, Rex!One day in 2006, store manager Ken Carson was telling his two kids about the TV shows he loved when he was their age. His favorite had been on Boston Channel 4's BOOMTOWN, an audience-participation show featuring a real Texas cowboy named Rex Trailer. Rex, as his theme song said, really could “ride and rope, do a square dance, and shoot a gun” and even “sing a song or two.” It would be hard to convey to today’s youth how BIG a local celebrity Rex Trailer was in the 1950s through 1970s, but to a kid at the time Rex existed in the same realm as Batman and Santa Claus! He was kind, capable and charismatic. If YOU don’t know about Rex, his Wikipedia page (link below) will give some idea—but if your parents or grandparents grew up in this area back when there were only 4 or 5 TV stations you could tune in to, please ask them if they remember BOOMTOWN!Ken reckoned Rex would have a website, and he discovered there that BOOMTOWN had just reached its 50th Anniversary! The website said Rex would celebrate the milestone with fans at area events TBA. Ken quickly contacted Rex’s manager, Mike Bavaro, to invite Rex to celebrate with US! Mike sounded interested, but maybe also skeptical about whether a “comic shop” could handle an event of this magnitude. Ken remembers seeing Mike walk into our main display space for their appointment a few days later. Mike stopped, took off his sunglasses, and looked slowly around our giant space nodding his head! The event was a "go!"We arranged to pay Rex an appearance fee so that the autographs could be FREE for attendees—giving something special for free generates interest and usually more press coverage beforehand! When we send out a press release, we never know how the media will react to it. We’d mail flyers to our extensive mailing list, and that would be important, but if we caught the media’s interest, our Rex Trailer event could be HUGE. Well, in the days leading up to the event, The Worcester Telegram, Metrowest Daily News and WTAG-AM Radio all covered it in a BIG way. The Mayor officially proclaimed December 10th "Rex Trailer's Boomtown Day" and a Worcester City Councilor volunteered to make a presentation! It seemed that we had stumbled onto the right idea at the right time! So why was I feeling so BAD...?! I lived in Florida at the time, and as I watched the day take shape, I was sad that I would MISS it! Rex was a boyhood hero of mine, but it just didn't make financial sense for me to fly 1,200 miles up the east coast for a few hours of nostalgia. That's what I TOLD myself anyway—up until the day before, when I decided to jump on an airplane! I called Ken from my layover in North Carolina and told him I was on my way. I just COULDN'T stay home when REX TRAILER was coming to MY STORE! When the big day came, Rex stepped out of his Cadillac and put on his cowboy hat. We got to say, "Howdy, Rex!" He was a vigorous seventy-seven years old. We rushed around helping Rex and Mike Bavaro set up, then anxiously waited! Ken worried that not enough of Rex's middle-aged and senior-citizen fans would turn up, so he asked all his relatives to come! At the start-- despite the great publicity-- it looked like the event would be more BUST than boom. Maybe only a dozen people NOT related to Ken had gathered on the platform. But as Rex chatted amiably with the first few happy fans, more and more people began to trickle in. Suddenly, we HAD our crowd—it seemed like 100 arrived within a 10-minute span, and the line snaked around the store. Not able to see the influx from where he sat, Rex continued his leisurely conversation. Then word was relayed to him, and Rex stood up and saw the throng! He beamed proudly as he strapped on his guitar. Rex sang the BOOMTOWN theme in his strong, familiar voice and we all laughed-- some even remembered to “fire” their fingers into the air at the "BOOM-- BOOM-- BOOMTOWN" lyrics. Rex then graciously signed hundreds of our free special prints-- which included the lyrics to the theme-- one for each and every excited attendee. He posed for photos with star-struck fans, mostly adults who shared their childhood memories. Then Rex sang a passel of Western-style Christmas songs. When the time came for him to hit the trail, Rex concluded with an encore of the BOOMTOWN theme. He had sung it to open the event, and we had listened and laughed. But it was different this time. For one thing, we all now had the lyrics in our hands (on the print), and most of us sang along with our hero. A lot of us had tears in our eyes this time-- I know I sure did and Ken did-- maybe because THIS rendition signaled an ending. For a few hours we had all turned back the clock thirty, forty or even fifty years, to that simpler, more innocent time in our lives that BOOMTOWN represented so well. As the song and applause ended, we were yanked into the present, suddenly more aware than ever of how many things had changed since childhood, in ways both good and bad. Still, it was wonderful to go back for a little while...! In 2011 there was talk of holding another event with Rex Trailer at the Worcester store. But we felt the memory of that amazing 2006 event seemed SO perfect-- we couldn't TOP it, and we just didn't want to disturb it. Luckily we also have a Fitchburg store, so we made a whole different set of fond memories with Rex up there! Maybe we'll write about that day another time! Please check the video link for a nice overview of December 10th, 2006, "Rex Trailer's Boomtown Day": www.telegram.com/.../static/video/2006/rexTrailer/Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Trailer en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomtown_(1956_TV_series)To find out more about my life in comics, visit my blog at:mylifewithcomicbooks.blogspot.com/.../my-life-with...#thatsentertainmentpop45countdown #comics #comicshopnews #thatsentertainment #rextrailer Do you remember meeting Rex? ... See MoreSee Less

    Photo

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

  • That’s E on Instagram

    • Upcoming Events at That's Entertainment!

    One-Shot Thursdays - "Extermination Orders" - March 27th - Worcester)

    One-Shot Thursdays – “Extermination Orders” – March 27th – Worcester)

    Read More...

      03/27/2025

    6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

    One-Shot Thursdays - "Operation: UNDERTAKER" - March 27th - (Worcester)

    One-Shot Thursdays – “Operation: UNDERTAKER” – March 27th – (Worcester)

    Read More...

      03/27/2025

    6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

    Friday Night Magic: Draft (Worcester Store)

    Friday Night Magic: Draft (Worcester Store)

    Join us for Friday Night Magic Draft!

    Time: 6pm (sharp)-10pm – Unfortunately, we are unable to add late attendees due to restrictions in Wizard’s event software.

    $15.00 + tax to play (per person)

    Great for beginners! Some knowledge of how to play Magic the Gathering is required.

    In-person sign-ups only, please. We are taking sign-ups only on the day of the event. If traveling from a distance, please call ahead to make sure there are available spots before arriving.

    Want to learn to play Magic? Check out Dicebreaker and Tolarian Community College on YouTube!

    Sign up for our newsletter HERE for updates on new products, store events, sales, and more!

    Our store is located at 244 Park Ave, Worcester, MA / 508-755-4207

    Read More...

      03/28/2025

    6:00 pm - 10:00 pm