I still have the Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash comic book storage box I bought at DZ Comics & Gaming a couple of years ago.
That is not the most expensive thing I’ve ever bought in a comic shop, but it is one of those purchases I still notice every time I use it. It also tells you a lot about DZ. You can walk in looking for comics and come out with something oddly specific that makes perfect sense to exactly the right kind of person.
DZ Comics & Gaming is on North Moore Avenue in Moore, and I’ve been stopping in long enough to watch it turn into something much bigger than a regular comic shop. The comics are still the backbone. There are rows of them, plus graphic novels, back issues, collectibles, figures, statues, and the usual dangerous-to-your-wallet shelves for anyone who collects plastic, paper, cardboard, or nostalgia.
But the store has stretched well past that.
More than just comics
The retail side still does what a good comic and game shop should do. You can browse comics, look through collectibles, check out trading cards, and find tabletop gaming supplies for Dungeons & Dragons, Warhammer, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and other games that have a way of turning a small errand into a full hobby budget discussion.
What stood out to me this time was how much the building feels like it has been built for people to stay awhile.
There is an arcade section, a console gaming area in the back, and a room filled with pinball machines. That changes the whole rhythm of the place. Instead of the usual comic shop pattern, walk in, browse, buy, leave, DZ gives you reasons to wander from one section to the next.
That matters if you are visiting with kids, too. I’ve heard from people who have had birthday parties there, and after walking through the gaming areas, it makes sense. A kid can bounce between arcade games and pinball while an adult looks at comics or cards without everyone staring at each other like the trip has gone on ten minutes too long.
A south-metro break that actually works for families
Moore sits in that busy stretch south of Oklahoma City where a lot of people are either running errands, driving I-35, or trying to get through the metro with children who have reached their limit in the back seat.
I’ve heard of families making DZ a stop while traveling through the area, including people doing Route 66-related trips around Oklahoma City. To be clear, I would treat DZ as a south-metro detour, not a Route 66 roadside attraction sitting directly on the old road. But as a family break from the car, it makes a lot of sense.
Parents can browse comics, cards, or collectibles. Kids can play games. Everybody gets a little reset before the next stretch of driving. That is more useful than another gas station stop where everyone buys a drink they did not need.
DZ’s own story is pretty Oklahoma, too. The business started in Moore in 2013, the same year the May 20 tornado hit the city. Over time, it has grown into a comic, gaming, and community space with enough going on that “comic shop” does not fully cover it anymore.
That growth is the thing I kept thinking about. Plenty of shops add more inventory. DZ added reasons to hang out.
If you want a place to dig through comics, it works. If you are looking for trading cards, tabletop supplies, figures, or statues, it works. If you need something indoors and family-friendly in Moore that is not just another big-box stop, it works there too.
I went in with the memory of that Jay and Silent Bob box, and I left thinking DZ has become one of those Oklahoma pop-culture places that keeps expanding its own definition. I’m curious what they add next.
