The Comic Bug, Manhattan Beach

After taking over an unassuming storefront space, The Comic Bug's founders, Mike and Jun, converted the shop into a nerve center for hobbyists and comics fans—a place filled with thousands of new releases and back issues, games, figures, and graphic novels. Guests hang out on couches while sipping exotic sodas and Slurm and perusing an ample supply of mainstream-label comics, as well as a bumper crop of serials from small publishers and independent labels.

A friendly community of like-minded fans meets up at the shop for rounds of Magic and Heroclix and screenings of TV shows and movies. After catching up on the latest graphic-novel series or exploits of a famous superhero, guests browse games, figurines, DVDs, and apparel. The Comic Bug even occasionally hosts famous names in comics—past guests have included Mark Waid, who wrote Kingdom Come, and the woman who accidentally made eye contact with Stan Lee.