Comic Book Hideout

Ten thousand comics up front and a Pokemon-and-MTG play area in back make Comic Book Hideout downtown Fullerton's women-owned collector hub since 2012.

Glynnes Speak grew up selling comics beside her dad at Frank & Son and San Diego Comic-Con, and on 11/11/2012 she opened a shop of her own. Comic Book Hideout outgrew its first strip-mall location within eight months and settled into the current 3,000-plus square foot space on Commonwealth Avenue in downtown Fullerton, a short walk from the Metrolink station — where it has since been named Best Comic Book Store in Orange County for more than a decade running.

Comics are the headline, with roughly 10,000 in stock spanning wall books, back issues, and new releases, but card players have a real reason to walk past the longboxes: a dedicated Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering selection feeds the play area in the back of the store, giving downtown Fullerton trading cards a home alongside its comics. Buy-sell-trade happens across both sides of the inventory.

The perks list is unusually generous for the industry. The pull service is free with no membership fee, bags and boards come free with books, and students get a discount with a school ID. A shop dog named Cura patrols the aisles, dogs are welcome, the building houses a music studio, and Wednesday — new comic day — runs late until 10PM. Free lot parking and wheelchair access round out the practical side.

Doors open at 11AM every day of the week, closing at 5PM Sunday and Monday and 7PM most other nights. For a Fullerton card shop stop that doubles as one of OC's defining comic stores, the Hideout has earned its 311 Google reviews.