LA has some of the best, and your preference will likely be based on location.Santa Monica:
Hi De Ho
Between 5th & 6th Street, North on Santa Monica Blvd
It's a good store; you can usually find what you need there. They have packaged collections (wrapped in plastic) sometimes with terrific savings. They also have old out of print books on comics, comic strips, and other weird stuff. Staff is inconsistent in my opinion.
Culver City:
(Janet, this would be the closest to you at the Sony lot) and it's my shop of choice
Comics Ink
4267 Overland Ave Culver City, CA 90230, around the corner from Sony Studios.
They carry a great selection of current comics, graphic novels, and books in addition to a nice selection of statues, etc. A very cool place to visit. Very clean, uncluttered and the owner and his two employees all read comics constantly. They know their stuff! (And prices are all discounted off cover price instantly)
Hollywood:
Golden Apple
7018 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Certainly the most "respected" store, in terms of industry/professional connections. They just recently moved and I have not been to the new store location. It's the closest store for those living in Park LaBrea. (That means you David)
Here's what the LA Times said: "Golden Apple is the mecca of comics for the West Coast, a vast storehouse of comics, toys, posters, books and pop-culture tchotchkes of every stripe. There's a fan-boy vibe to the place that will unnerve some of the Book Soup crowd (you may find that perfect Wonder Woman figurine for your mom's birthday).But the shop also has a strong selection of alternative titles and, in a closet marked "adults only," L.A.'s best selection of erotic comics. Golden Apple takes comics seriously ..."
Hollywood:
Meltdown
Map link 7522 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90046
Okay, if you've never been in a comicbook store, and you're not a comics person, this is probably the store to go t
o. It has a great international section, it sells lots of toys and merchandise, including children's books, etc., it has an art gallery as well. It's the biggest store of the bunch and pretty amazing. This is what the LA Times said: "Not only does the store stock the offbeat and experimental comic books from smaller and overseas publishers, it also has a gallery that features the original artwork of the stars of the moment and, perhaps, the future. ...Meltdown is the hipster hub for dispatches from the new comics underground."One final plug: After your afternoon of exploring Golden Apple and Meltdown, why not grab something to eat at the Nova Express, where no one will look at you funny for reading comics while you eat. It's a pizza joint decorated in Barbarella-style sci-fi, including an entire wall papered with classic comics covers. Check out the pictures at www.novaexpresscafe.com because the place just needs to be seen. (Janet, you would probably really enjoy the slide show for its sci-fi goofiness.)
Sam, did I miss any good spots?
3 comments:
There's another small comic store on the corner of Centinela and Washington in the Venice area that's not bad. I wouldn't recommend it over any of the aforementioned, but it's a good option if you're in the area.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/koncwgqX6I_cVnZpWm2gMQ
If manga/anime is your thing I would recommend Anime Gamers. It used to be right next door to The Apple Pan, undoubtedly the best burger in Los Angeles, but I think it's since moved.
http://retail.animegamers.com/
If you're not looking for anything in particular, but want to browse more indie/alternative comics, art books, or graphic design books check out Giant Robot on Sawtelle.
http://secure.giantrobot.com/
They describe themselves as "Asian Pop Culture and Beyond" but they also carry some cool non-Asian books, comics, CD's, DVD's, and toys. Also, check out Asahi Ramen next door if you're hungry. It's one of my favorite restaurants. Huge bowls of ramen for 6-7 dollars.
http://www.asahiramen.com/fmi/xsl/cc/index.xsl?id=6385
Another store that's good for browsing is Family on Fairfax. Jim posted a link to their blog a while back and I stumbled in there a few weeks ago for the first time. They carry books, DVD's, CD's, shirts, calendars, and most importantly comics. They have a pretty small selection of everything but what they do have is all interesting. They don't have their name in front of the store so it may be a little hard to find. There's just a cartoonish mural in place of a sign.
http://www.familylosangeles.com/
It's right next door to my favorite bar/club/restaurant, the Largo. Every Friday Jon Brion plays an incredible one man show, usually with special guests like Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, and E from the Eels. I even saw Zooey Deschanel sing and play ukulele last time I was there. If you have any interest in music, this is something you MUST go to while in LA.
http://www.largo-la.com/largohome.html
That alien pizza place that Jim recommended is right next door. I'm lactose intolerant so I don't eat pizza, but every time I stand in line at the Largo I eye that restaurant suspiciously. I've heard great things about Damiano's Mr. Pizza, which is a few doors down on the same block. They have a huge beer selection and they're open till 6 AM. Apparently they also have vegan cheese, so I'll have to try it sometime soon.
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/64206/los_angeles_ca/damiano_mr_pizza.html
Oh, and Canter's Deli across the street is pretty solid deli food and is open 24 hours.
I guess I got a little off of the comic topic, but that part of Fairfax is getting pretty hip so check it out. I've been to all of the stores Jim posted except for his favorite, Comics Ink. That may be the best of the bunch, but in my experience Hi De Ho has always been the best. They also carry a lot of cool art books for those who aren't into comics.
Re: Sam's comments:
He mentioned Canter's, which is a real LA restaurant landmark. We'll be meeting there for breakfast before an upcoming field trip to the Academy library.
As for Hi De Ho/Comics Ink, I wouldn't rate Comics Ink higher. Hi de ho has a lot more stuff -- especially old art books and books on film and old comic strips. I switched to Comics Ink because there's only the owner and the same two employees; it's an older crowd, and we hang out in the store talking about old comics, and new TV shows. They also have better organization for newly released indie stuff based upon publisher, I think. They also know what I like and make suggestions.
Speaking of comics, Sam, Dave, and other interested parties, my Christmas presents included:
1). The HC New Frontier. I bought it in its original form, and in its 2 part trade PB, but I still wanted this edition. It's my favorite straight super hero work since Kingdom Come and puts both big companies supposed big events (Crisis and Civil War) to shame -- although I liked most of 7 Soldiers 2). EC Comics' Weird Science -- It's about time they released the EC stuff in a decent format. It's got some great Harvey Kurtzman art.
3). The biggest revelation -- the first volume of Seegar's Popeye. I had checked into this early strip before but it, and the Popeye character, never grabbed me. This time it's a revelation. It's also one of the best designed books in a long while. I finally get what Spiegleman was saying about Seegar, and why he was included in the American Comics Masters exhibit last year (although I still don't know why Carl Barks wasn't included)
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