Metropolis Comics

The fourth comic shop I went to was Metropolis Comics in Bellflower. This shop was like a hybrid between Pulp Fiction and Amazing Comics. Really knowledgeable staff, lots of merchandise, but the store were very sparse. It’s a true comic shop. Rather than a ton of bookshelves, it has low tables covered in boxes that are filled with comics.

Metropolis was started in 1998 and has been going strong since. They received 3^rd place in the 2011 BEST Comics competition (purely a customer voted list online that showcases comic shops all around Southern California.) and got the Runner-Up position in 2009.

This place has a wide assortment of comics from DC, Marvel, Darkhorse, IDW, Image, and many smaller publishers. They have a wide range of age appropriate comics as well with a selection for kids, which includes Simpsons, Kung Fu Panda, and many more.

The online site is very helpful and has a really easy interface that allows you to sort by publisher or character/group like X-Men, Justice League, Spider-Man, etc. This corresponds directly to in-store material, which is a big plus. They also have a ton of statues and collectable action figures in online galleries. The online store allows you to actually shop and add items to a cart, making it really easy to purchase product.

In the store there are comics everywhere. They also have a few small bookshelves that hold specialty items like statues, action figures, graphic novels, and other comic-esque books. They also have a large t-shirt collection on rack coming off the walls. They have some pretty cool merchandise hanging from the walls, like a Captain America Shield and some cool posters, but they aren’t for sale. They also have a large rack of posters ranging form comics to videogames.

Like Amazing Comics, Metropolis sells game cards. The selection is dominated by Magic, but there are a few examples of Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon as well.

Over all this was a really cool store with a great staff. I can see why they were voted so highly for the BEST Comic awards.

Beach Ball Comics

     Beach Ball Comics in Anaheim was awesome. It was very similar to Amazing Comics in the fact that they sold a wide variety of merchandise and had a very knowledgeable and helpful staff.

     They have a nice selection of Marvel, DC, IDW, Image, and other indie comics, and they have 3 walls of bookshelves. The store has tons of signings and events, along with silver age comics for the hardcore collector.


Beach Ball was originally a dump of a store. Its located in a shady shopping center, surrounded by a tattoo parlor and a taco shop. 2 years ago, new owners took over and completely turned the shop around. Now its well lit, clean and really cool.

     Aside from the mass of comics they have, they also have a wide selection of cards, toys and action figures. They aren’t run of the mill stuff. They have a lot of rare collectables and even some old vintage toys which is really awesome for collectors.

     Like i said the staff is really friendly and they are willing to just talk with you about comics or video games or really anything that peaks your fancy. They don’t mind taking the time to get to know the customer. This is really cool. Amazing Comics and Beach Ball are the only ones I’ve been to that have a super nice and personable staff.

     Downside, they don't have a website. This doesn't make sense to me because we are in such a technology driven age. I think because the shop is relatively small and is more of a  locals only type store that they don't feel the need to have an online option.