The Vintage & Handmade Market 
One thing I learned recently: The cliché about comic-book stores hold true. I went to four stores in one week, and in every single one, overgrown boys stood gloomily talking about girls—their problems with, their fantasies about.
Of course, in most stores, I also saw things strange and beautiful, thought-provoking and challenging and perhaps even the opposite of cliché.
Artifex Entertainment in Mira Mesa (9839 Mira Mesa Blvd., www.artifexentertainment.com) was the most obvious of all the stores. Sticking to classic and mainstream American comics, the place was full of post-adolescent boys, all of whom glanced sideways at the lone girl—admittedly a short, frizzy-haired girl who is neither bullet-breasted nor Amazonian. They all seemed engrossed—many sat at tables playing board or card games. Mid-week, midday and the place was full. But, this store doesn’t carry much outside the mainstream.
Southern California Comics (8280 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., No. 124, www.socalcomics.com) is tucked deep in the bowels of a business park. It’s jam-packed, and fairly clear, handwritten signs help you sort out where you need to go (including a giant room of $1 back issues). Again, mid-week and midday, this place, too, was quite busy. I was armed with some comic bloggers’ “Best Of” lists for 2009—of which the shop had quite a few. But anything manga was a big N-O. Not that they won’t order it for you, but this store deals in vintage, classic and modern—even small press—but not manga or, for that matter, the truly esoteric and independent. Still, the older collector will feel at home here. These guys love the gold and silver ages of comics—think anything pre-1980s. They were friendly enough, more so when they found out I was named after Dr. Strange’s erstwhile lover.
To truly fill my list, I had to go to local favorite ComicKaze (5517 A/B Clairemont Mesa Blvd., www.comickaze.com). It’s messy, complicated and downright fun. I like my restaurants spotless, but disheveled is what I think comic-book stores ought to be. Most of the comics from the “Best Of” list, no matter the sub-genre, were on a big table when you walk in: The Imposter’s Daughter, Detroit Metal City, even the non-comic, Neil Gaiman’s Who Killed Amanda Palmer. There’s a kids’ section, a manga section packed so tightly it’s hard to pull the spines from their shelves, superheroes, dark battle sagas and even some toys. I picked out a very un-cool kids’ comic, and they didn’t snub me. In fact, the guy engaged me in conversation about things he figured I’d know and like.
A clean store isn’t exactly a bad thing. And it seems befitting that San Diego’s main manga store is so organized, seeing as the Japanese are masters of efficient and hygienic design. Located in Mission Valley, Anime Manga (1620 Camino de la Reina, www.rsc-online.com) is the retail arm of Rising Sun, a sizable local online purveyor of anime and manga. I love popping into this store just to look at the covers, the toys, the candy. It has a small but well-edited selection of modern American comics alongside a whole lot of manga, drawing books, Japanese toys and soundtracks. Several of the best of 2009 titles were easily located. And while the staff isn’t the chattiest bunch, at least they smile.
And those X-rated comics? They’re here in bulk, bullet-breasted and all.
Interested in lists of top comics of 2009? Find New York magazine’s Dan Kois’ on the mag’s Dec. 20 “Vulture” blog: www.nymag.com/daily/entertainment. Search Publisher’s Weekly’s site (www.publishersweekly.com) for “Best Books of 2009.” USA Today’s “Pop Candy” blog weighed in on Dec. 15: blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy. And, for the Eisner Award-winning comics of 2009: www.comic-con.org. Write to clea@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
