House of Secrets — Local services in Burbank

A Burbank institution, House of Secrets is in many ways the paradigm of the modern comics shop. I used to work around the corner form there and was in twice a week, building up my comics collection. They carry a wide variety of new titles for pull lists, but also have a really great selection of back issues that is constantly evolving. No picked through bins here. The wall has a better chance of having a Grail of some sort on it than any other store in Los Angeles. Last Wednesday, the wall boasted a Hulk 181 (first appearance of Wolverine, in high grade condition), Tales of Suspense 40 (2nd appearance of Iron Man), and a Hose of Secrets 92 (first appearance of Swamp Thing)...all books that are pretty unusual to find in the wild in a non-convention setting. Their trade paperback selection is staggering, with rare out-of-print volumes tucked in alongside newer releases. They have an active dollar bin program that is constantly replenished (lots of regulars pulling books from there on a weekly basis). Additionally, there is a good selection of art books and European releases. On a few rare occasions I have bought rare posters and original art from there as well. Paul, the owner, is knowledgeable and fair in his pricing. He additionally helped broker a private sale a few years ago of a personal white whale for which I had been after my whole life...the thought of owning that particular book had been an amazing fantasy of mine for years...

In any case, no matter what type of comic shop you like, House of...

House of Secrets is a comic readers/collectors haven. Everywhere you see is comics, comics, and more comics. They range from modern age to golden age comics and it cannot be said anymore that this wonderful place is beyond stocked. If you love comics you’ll be walking around and checking everything for more than an hour. There’s literally so much to look at, but that’s not it. Within the store there consist of a pocket space where more comics are placed neatly and ready to be rummaged through. They may or may not be obscure, but still worth looking through to find something spectacular. You might even find the original printings of Michael Turner’s Fathom comics. As an advent reader you’ll find that they care about the condition of the comics placed on the shelves. They understand the importance of this and make sure the best are presented with an appeal to purchase. The staff are willing to help if you have trouble trying to locate a specific comic in the store. The outside of the store however proves to be a very clever strategy that works incredibly well. As their name suggests, the windows and the door are well treated to prevent people from looking in. This gives you the curiosity to come in and discover what’s inside. House of Secrets is the place you need to visit when you...

I walked in with a few minutes to kill and no particular mission. As soon as I walked in, the gentleman behind the counter greeted and welcomed me. Seemed like a great guy.

I putzed down the aisle, impressed that pretty much every inch of the store seems to be overflowing with comics.

I asked about Moon Knight because the new show looks kinda metal and I don't know anything about the character.

He quickly suggested a little anthology of a few issues including Moon Knight's introduction in Werewolf by Night!, an appearance in the Amazing Spider-Man, and then Moon Knight #13 and Moon Knight Annual #1.

It was $10 and the art looked pretty neat so what the heck.

I also happened to notice the first two issues of something currently running, I think. It looks like Neil Gaiman is writing a "Norse Mythology" series - which is all I needed to grab the first two issues. Looking forward to seeing what that'd about.

I'm glad I dropped in, definitely...