Meltdown Comics, R.I.P.

Sorry to hear that Meltdown Comics up on Sunset Boulevard is going away. It was a comic book shop but it was also a kind of media center and a gathering place for funny people of the "Let's put on a show!" mindset. The building was old and cluttered and the parking was just awful but they did all sorts of special events and comedy shows in a little auditorium-type space in the back, and I never went to that store without running into someone I was glad to run into.

The merchandise was not the only colorful, creative thing in the place. All over, you found interesting artwork and statuary and it was a terrific place to browse, run by people who obviously loved what they sold. It opened in 1993. It closes for good on March 30…and when I heard, I hoped it was a joke and the day after they closed, they planned to yell, "April Fools!" and reopen. But apparently not. Long sigh.