Ok, wowza. This comic book store is THEE comic book store as far as I'm concerned. I stopped by here when I was in the area, but I'll definitely be making trips up here from Orange County! They have everything you want! The selection is HUGE & DIVERSE!!
I just happened to be in Burbank & when I looked up comic stores in the area & House of Secrets just happened to be a mile away so I popped in to see if i could track down a couple of back issues on an ongoing series that has been sold out at all the comic book stores in my area (Orange County) & not only did I find them, but I stayed in here for literally 3 hours just perusing the shelves and taking in the environment and that was NOWHERE near enough time!!! It's one of those places that makes you want to spend millions of hours AND dollars!!!The vibe is so cool, they have so many beautiful editions & posters & covers & issues, the decor makes you feel like you're walking thru a magical comic funland!! Whoever owns this store obviously loves comics & has made the shopping experience truly special. This is the sort of place that I'd be happy to turn over my hard earned $$ to!
I have an ongoing list of things I want to track down, a lot of which are older OOP editions & more obscure independent titles, but instead of going thru my list I wound up spending the time just looking thru the shelves, pulling things, looking them up on Goodreads, etc which is my favorite thing to do as I'm fairly new to comics and am always looking for new series to get into having read mostly standalone graphic novels (My Friend Dahmer,& We Stand on Guard) until recently. So being given the time and space to browse & not being made to feel like they're annoyed by my browsing is HUGE, bc a lot of comic stores have that very distinct This-is-not-a-bookstore-pick-out-ur-comics-&-go vibe. This was the complete opposite of that, this place encourages browsing & gives you plenty to look at!!! If you enjoy browsing, give yourself adequate time bc their inventory is insane! I could have EASILY spent an entire day in here, not only do they have the best selection that I've seen in any comic book store between OC & the valley but they also carry special editions & Omnibuses, & they had a great selection of older stuff too!! I BARELY managed to make a dent in my browsing, I didn't even make it through 1/3 of their inventory!
The guy who was working there was really cool, like I said I often don't feel like I can browse in comic book stores bc in certain stores the employee will hover, especially when I'm the only person in the store, & they often manage to give off a vibe that browsing & perusing is not welcome, but this was not the case here at at all. He let me sit on the floor & sift thru their shelves & titles & kept to himself unless asked, but was approachable & helpful when he WAS asked. Sometimes employees give off an intimidating vibe to a novice reader like me, but he had a cool, easy going demeanor & was approachable & made staying in here for hours easy!!!
I've been a fan of the Marvel & DC movies for a long time & have been wanting to jump into the comics but am intimidated by the vastness ( the # of characters, runs, crossovers, teams, "events," & histories) I've been hoping to find a store with friendly, knowledgable & approachable employees that I can ask for a lil help & guidance, & I think I've found a place I can feel comfortable doing that! I'm already planning on going back next week after I get my paycheck & putting aside several hours to spend in here browsing & going thru my list!! I also thought the prices were really fair & on par with the norm & what's reasonable. I've often found that a lot of the stores in LA, &/or any larger, nicer store often will have an upcharge added to everything just to keep the doors open, but I didn't find that to be the case here. They had small comic book store prices but a large comic book store selection & specialty comic book store diversity.
This place was amazing, I loved it in here so much & am just so glad I just happened to stumble across this awesome place, the outside is so unassuming unless I knew to look for it I'd have missed it! House of Secrets is over an hour from where I live, but I already know I'll be making the trip regularly! Hands down my favorite comic book store in the area, it ALMOST makes me wish I lived in Burbank ;) read more