You want to go to Meltdown Comics.

On Monday night I had the great privilege of attending Harmontown in Hollywood at a comic shop called Meltdown Comics. I'm going to dub this my second real LA experience, you can read all about my first one if you'd like. Can it count as an LA experience if it's in Hollywood? I think it can. I never even know where I am when I'm in the city because of all the different neighborhoods and cross overs. I was on Sunset Boulevard. That probably doesn't help.

But. Yes. Right.

Bask in the glory of my cellphone picture.

Harmontown is when Dan Harmon goes to this comic shop and does a stand up comedy show for an hour and a half. It happens in this tiny room that gets to be about a billion degrees, and the audience might accidently get spit on if they're sitting in the front row, and as the night goes on Harmon and his buddy will get progressively more drunk off of straight up vodka (like a boss) and tell outrageously awesome stories. They will then hang around afterward and chat with fans.

All in all, it's an awesome event that only costs $10 if you can manage to get a ticket before they sell out.

If you get to attend Harmontown, and you're not sure when you should show up or what to do beforehand, worry not! Meltdown Comics is a huge, varied, entertaining place to spend some time.

An impressive and colorful storefront. Image from Digital LA.

For one thing, the place is huge, and it's not only comic books; customers will also find action figures, toys, clothing, collectibles, DVDs and role playing books. Meltdown is family owned with a knowledgeable and friendly staff. No one harps upon your entrance to the store, but as soon as you let them know that you have a question or that you want to chat, they are ready to engage.

Their comic book selection is impressive and expansive; Meltdown carries something for literally everyone, from seasoned reader to interested newcomer. Their shelves are lined with not only the classics, the greats, and the popular, but whole sections are dedicated to small publishers and indie titles.

A conversation with the owner's brother revealed that they buy comics directly from creators! You can walk in with your finished work and they'll buy it off you then and there if your work shows real love and dedication. That's pretty awesome.

Huge! And well lit. Nothing weird about this place. Image from Contra Alliance.

Located in the back corner of the shop is table area perfectly suited to cards, tabletop games, or just chatting. There's a customer restroom that needs a book to be unlocked, and the Nerdist podcast is broadcast from an upstairs room! Meltdown Comics also offers special gifts to their Foursquare mayor, so be sure to check in if you visit.

It's wonderful to see a family owned comic shop that is thriving, and it's even better knowing that it has been open since 1993; they obviously managed to flourish and grow in spite of an increase in digital distribution and webcomic popularity.

I hope to attend another Harmontown in the future, or any other cool event at Meltdown, and maybe next time I'll have some money to spend on that awesome Dalek plushie that I saw in the front window.

-MJ

Posted in: comic shop hollywood,comic shop Los angeles,comic store,dan harmon,geek girl,harmon town,harmontown,harmontown meltdown comics,meltdown,meltdown comics,nerdist podcast