Meltdown Comics Closing Its Doors After 25 Years

It’s the end of an era. Los Angeles’ legendary Meltdown Comics is closing its doors after 25 years of being not just one of the largest and best-known comic book stores in the United States.

The news broke today with many discovering that the famed store, which has been a fixture on Sunset Boulevard since it opened in 1993, was closing after the shop posted a tweet announcing their liquidation sale soon followed by the shop retweeting a post from the nearby Mega City One comic book shop with Meltdown thanking its competitor for taking care of their regular customers.

As reported by Bleeding Cool, customers of Meltdown were sent a letter last night informing them that they would no longer be selling new comics every week, directing customers to other shops in Los Angeles, including Mega City One.

The news of Meltdown’s closing is sad, but — perhaps even sadder — not completely a surprise. Local comic book shops have been struggling in the age of Amazon and digital comics which have led a lot of customers to shop online for their titles or simply have them delivered to their devices. Beyond the changing face of retail, like most major cities in the United States, Los Angeles itself has seen changes in its neighborhoods and retail areas. Meltdown, which in addition to being a massive comic book store also hosted high-profile signings and events that many creators credit with launching their careers. The store also included a performance venue called the NerdMelt Showroom. It will also close.

Since news of the closure broke today, customers, fans, and even some famous friends have taken to the internet to express their sadness and disbelief at the loss of the iconic store. Filmmaker Kevin Smith even reacted to the news.

“Bummed beyond belief to hear you guys are closing!” Smith wrote on Twitter. “To me, @MeltdownComics was always the ideal comic book store – and the gold standard by which I judged my own shop. You ran such an amazing operation. Thank you for sharing your passion with us for the last 25 years.”

For those wanting to shop Meltdown one last time, the store will remain open a bit longer. A letter from Meltdown’s founder Gaston Dominguez-Letelier indicated the shop will close March 30th.

“As is the case with all good things, at some point they must come to an end,” he wrote (via Nerdist). “Meltdown Comics is no exception to this rule and so, after 25 years covering every comic treasure we could lay our hands on, I’m sharing that on March 30th I’ll be closing our doors for the final time.”

Dominguez-Letelier closed his letter urging people to keep creating as well as buying comics.

“In signing off, I urge you all to continue creating comics buying comics, and supporting the comic book world that has given us all so much over the years.”