What's Your LCS?

OK.

I've been collecting comics for a good deal of time now.  It all started a long time ago when my grandparents would supply me with issues of old comic books, one of which I remember being a Curt Swan drawn Superman comic from ages past, which is pretty amazing, but lost interest somewhere around junior high and didn't really start to become interested again until close to the end of my high school career.

Flash forward through a college life infested with Marguerite-assisted trips to Heroes in downtown Palo Alto, later followed by short treks up El Camino Real to the first location of Lee's Comics and eventually combo trips for In-N-Out and Lee's second permanent location off of Rengstorff Avenue and the 101.  I come home from up North a bit more learned about the retail establishments surrounding me and suddenly, I'm looking at each comic book store in a new light.  For instance, I realized that the Local Comic Shop (LCS) of my youth, Comics Unlimited, really isn't my cup of tea.  I remember rapid sell-outs, "interesting" customer service, and quite frankly, the stereotypical Superhero Shop many people most likely expect from watching the Simpsons.  I found myself seeking out more and finding a terribly friendly retailer manning the shelves at Dark Star Comics (now closed).  Dark Star was another creature altogether.  About twice the size of Comics Unlimited, the store was more diversified, with a decided bent on the gaming and RPG-targeted customer.  Fun.

What a delight it was to me, then, when the guy running the shelves at Dark star struck out on his own when the store shut down and opened the now-defunct Black Lion comics.  I found excellent customer service, a pull list a mile long, and a nice stop whenever I came back home.  Unfortunately, when I moved out I lost my contact with the store and had to again cut back on the purchases.

Where are we today, hmmmm?  Today my LCS is the friendly and well-established Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach.  It's taken me some time to warm up to the place, since I'm not much of a talker to begin with, but what gets me the most is how enthusiastic they are about promoting themselves and the medium.  There have been signings aplenty, and the store is consistently seeing plenty of customers.  It's great as a local shop, but then there's always the Destination locations.  Oh  yes, the Destinations:

Part the First:  Golden Apple Comics on Melrose.  Golden Apple is one of the oldest stores in Los Angeles and perhaps the most famous.  This store is very high on the men in tights set and currently boasts a life-size Silver Surfer, no doubt a tie-in to the Fantastic Four sequel.  It's large, bright, and the staff are very knowledgeable.

Part the Second:  The Secret Headquarters in Silver Lake.  SHQ is one of my favorite stops because it's so atypical.  The diversity of books there is amazing for the small-ish size of the store, but what's most promising is their devotion to popular and comic art.  Nowhere else can you find a Moebius sketchbook alongside the latest Marvel or DC Hardcover. 

Part the Third:  Meltdown Comics on Sunset.  Quite possibly the largest comic book store I've seen in Los Angeles.  The number of collectibles is awe-inspiring and the events they have are always intriguing.  What makes me come back here has to be the awesome art shows they have on display in the gallery and you can find lots of artsy and independent books here all the time, which is a definite plus.

My favorite one has to be Meltdown.  While SHQ has shown itself to be a bit more friendly to first-time visitors so far and presents itself very much more like a neighborhood shop, Melt is a place to discover so much more than just comics.  This is the place where I found my first Blacksad.  This is the place where I first heard of Scott Morse.  Most of all, this is the place where I started to pick up more and more Kubricks.  The vinyl has since faded away a bit, but I keep coming back.

And yes, I have these places to blame for the countless longboxes flooding my hallways.

As always, I am a complete nerd.