Thank you for the shout out to both Galaxy of Comics and Earth-2 Comics. I know people associated with both stores--one is a friend who is also a manager at Earth-2. Great stores and great people! It's important to support comic bookstores if they are in your neighborhood and to get a pull list.
I was just a wee one when I went to my first comic bookstore. My dad had once co-owned a comic bookstore before I was born. When I was nine and started expressing interest in comic books (my interest sparked from the Marvel Universe Series 2 card set that came out in 1991), my dad would take me to Pfeiffer's in Pomona every Saturday. The Comic Bookie in Claremont was my personal fav. I am friends with the owner to this day.
There are two local comic bookstores now I visit every blue moon and those are Funny Business Comics in Pomona and A Shop Called Quest in Claremont. I also used to visit 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga when I lived closer to Rancho (but now I work in the city so I might make it a point to see them again.) 4 Color Fantasies always has amazing guests--I met Gail Simone there about ten years ago. Recently Tini Howard was signing there too.
Comic book shop visiting seems like an initiation into a not-so-secret society.
I've been reading and collecting comics for so long, it does seem to be an instinct to just know where a local comic store is. But for someone else, just getting in to it or just wanting to buy one, yeah I can see that being a question.
To add to Marc's list there are a couple shops that I have frequented here in the LA area:
House of Secrets (1930 W Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91506)
The first comic shop I went to when I moved here. Not to big but has a nice collection of old issues. Plus I ran in to Patton Oswalt once. Nice guy.
Legacy Comics and Cards (123 W Wilson Ave, Glendale, CA 91203)
I accidentally found this place, driving by it. Went in and got me some new comic boxes!
Great post, Marc (I say, months later, three steps behind the KoolKids™️ as usual). Just heard Kelly Sue DeConnick talking about the weirdness of just buying an already published comic, not to mention the surreal mindpretzel of actually supporting a comic that is just coming out, ie adding it to “your pull”…which many civilians don’t even know is A Thing…or prebuying the TPB like three months in advance. It’s bonkerz.
Appreciate the LA Comic Shop list…I’m just down in OC, need to check these out. Seemed like Golden Apple and Revenge Of were conspicuously absent, but may just be that these are your more preferred top shelf spots.
Saddest part is we've been having this same conversation for more than 20 years.
OMG. Totally. When you think about it, it's amazing that the industry has managed to survive despite its ineptitude.
Thank you for the shout out to both Galaxy of Comics and Earth-2 Comics. I know people associated with both stores--one is a friend who is also a manager at Earth-2. Great stores and great people! It's important to support comic bookstores if they are in your neighborhood and to get a pull list.
I was just a wee one when I went to my first comic bookstore. My dad had once co-owned a comic bookstore before I was born. When I was nine and started expressing interest in comic books (my interest sparked from the Marvel Universe Series 2 card set that came out in 1991), my dad would take me to Pfeiffer's in Pomona every Saturday. The Comic Bookie in Claremont was my personal fav. I am friends with the owner to this day.
There are two local comic bookstores now I visit every blue moon and those are Funny Business Comics in Pomona and A Shop Called Quest in Claremont. I also used to visit 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga when I lived closer to Rancho (but now I work in the city so I might make it a point to see them again.) 4 Color Fantasies always has amazing guests--I met Gail Simone there about ten years ago. Recently Tini Howard was signing there too.
Comic book shop visiting seems like an initiation into a not-so-secret society.
A Shop Called Quest is great! There's also one in Riverside too!
I've been reading and collecting comics for so long, it does seem to be an instinct to just know where a local comic store is. But for someone else, just getting in to it or just wanting to buy one, yeah I can see that being a question.
To add to Marc's list there are a couple shops that I have frequented here in the LA area:
House of Secrets (1930 W Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91506)
The first comic shop I went to when I moved here. Not to big but has a nice collection of old issues. Plus I ran in to Patton Oswalt once. Nice guy.
Legacy Comics and Cards (123 W Wilson Ave, Glendale, CA 91203)
I accidentally found this place, driving by it. Went in and got me some new comic boxes!
Great post, Marc (I say, months later, three steps behind the KoolKids™️ as usual). Just heard Kelly Sue DeConnick talking about the weirdness of just buying an already published comic, not to mention the surreal mindpretzel of actually supporting a comic that is just coming out, ie adding it to “your pull”…which many civilians don’t even know is A Thing…or prebuying the TPB like three months in advance. It’s bonkerz.
Appreciate the LA Comic Shop list…I’m just down in OC, need to check these out. Seemed like Golden Apple and Revenge Of were conspicuously absent, but may just be that these are your more preferred top shelf spots.
Anyhoo…thanks, man. Cheers!
for anyone in the SAN DIEGO area, I'll drop my favorite go-to comic book shops:
- YESTERYEAR COMICS
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92123
- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COMICS
8280 Clairemont Mesa Blvd #124, San Diego, CA 92111
- COMICKAZE COMICS
5517 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Suite A, San Diego, CA 92117
- TC's ROCKETS
5155 Waring Rd, San Diego, CA 92120
Just want to add that Pulp Fiction in Culver City is phenomenal - been going there for over a decade!
They're usually running 10%-30% on trades as well.
How to buy a comic book (by Marc G.)
Okay, a man (Marc G.) walks into a comic book store.
Proprietor (P): "How may I help you, sir?"
Marc G.: "How does one go about buying a comic book in 2023?"
P: "You have to go on-line for that, sir. There's an app."
Marc G.: "Where do I get the app?"
P: "At the app store".
Marc P. (Fiddling with a map app). ".. I don't see any app store near here."
P: "You'll have to go to Malibu for that, sir."
Marc G.: "I have to go to Malibu to find the app store?"
Luckily, another customer walked in just then. Marc P. eventually left, bookless.
A man walks into a Local Comic book Store...