OAKLEAF – Will Williams stood stoically for more than an hour shuffling through hundreds, if not thousands, of cards, looking for just one – “No Mercy” – to complete his “Magic: The Gathering” collection.

It was a painstaking task, but worth the effort if he could find his single magical needle in the haystack.

“There’s all kinds of walks of life that come in here,” said Coliseum of Comics Regional Manager Brittani Williams. “We have people who love trading cards. We have people who love comic books who come here every day. Many people who don’t read them, but they collect them. And then we have our board game players who play here every day.”

The Coliseum of Comics is the holy land for those enamored with sci-fi, comics, trading cards and fantasy.

The store at Oakleaf Town Center has a massive collection of comics, collectibles, cards, board games, figurines, miniatures, tabletop wargames and classic cartoon figures.

Brittani said trading cards are the store’s top seller. She also said some comic books are extremely valuable.

“So right now we have a comic out, it’s called ‘Absolute Batman.’ DC Comics has put out ‘Absolute Batman’ and an ‘Entire Absolute Universe,’ and that has been one of the best-selling comics we have ever had in the store,” she said. “'Absolute Universe’ alone has already grossed over $8 million, and the ‘Absolute Batman’ comic by itself has grossed over $3 million, so that book has gone crazy. We just can't keep it.”

Does it cost more?

“Yes, if you want a No. 1, the price right now is up to $250, $300 raw. If you get it graded at a high grade, which means they sent it off, somebody inspected the book and then they sent it back like closed in plastic, and it has a grade on it, and it's a grade between one and 10, depending on the grade, can determine the price of the book,” Brittani said. “The regular issues, as they come out, they're just cover price, unless it's like an incentive. But ‘Absolute Batman’ has been selling so well that the issue is highly sought after. It's really hard to find a first printing at this point.”

Coliseum has Star Wars memorabilia, Pokémon, statues – large and small – card games and most importantly, knowledge to satisfy the most serious adventurers and gamers.

The store even has a special version of Dungeons and Dragons dedicated to “Stranger Things.”

Most of Coliseum’s comics are stored in files, organized by title and category. The high-end comics are encased in plastic and displayed on the wall.

“Those are all the pricier books, and the reason the price is up is that something big happens in those books,” Brittani said. “So, getting one of those books, you have to pay a premium price because that's how much other people are paying for that book.

“When it comes to collecting comics regularly, though, some people will just buy comics and then give them away when they're done reading them. Some people are holding on to them until the price spikes, but not very often do we have somebody that's collecting comics turn right back around and sell it to us.”

And if you can’t find it, just ask. They have ways to search for other vendors or other collectors.

Or you can be like Will and look for yourself. After all, that’s half the fun of being a serious “Magic: The Gathering” collector.