HellPop!

Cozy spot with a very nice back issue selection. I come here for my weekly fix and my experience there is always great. The staff is very helpful and laid back. Spent plenty of time just shootin’ the shit there. Prices are awesome and their even willing to bargain if your pockets are kind of low. Just a couple of guys chilling and selling you comics. 5 stars all day.

Fantastic hole-​in-​the-​wall comic book shop. A local small place for comic book readers and collectors alike. It may be small but well organized; DC section on the left, Image, Dark Horse, IDW in the middle and Marvel on the right. They have most new issues – of not all of them – as soon they are release and they have various amount of back issues. If you are into variant covers, they have a few and a limited amount of them.

Shop is small, which wouldn’t be bad except they have everything crammed inside. Selection of new books was good, but a small sample of silver and bronze age. Prices on the few older books where ok, but nothing special about the shop that makes me want to go back. Did like the vibe of the building, but parking is a real hassle as the parking lot is very small and you have to find street parking. Staff was nice.

I know very little about comics, but my daughter loves them, so I take her here… The staff is very nice and helpful
As a non-​comic person I have scored records by F.Y.P and Furious George, as well as a book by Robert Williams here… I have also seen some amazing bands play here, such as Can of Beans, Weed, Fuzz SoLo, Plurales, Bad Future, Catholic Guilt… etc

This place is great. The owners seem to have read every book in the store somehow, and the fat one that runs his mouth all day is actually a really nice bloke. Often when I go in, they are in the middle of a dice game, and always offer to let me play.
The kids love the place too, but mostly because of the super hero posters and figurines strategically placed throughout the store. They are always busy on First Fridays, so try to go during the week. Get a box too, and don’t be a douche and not pick it up.

It might just be that small little comic book shop inside the Arts Factory, but it’s much more than that.
The people who run it are just down for comics! The way it should be. They stay open late during First Friday. You can go in, hang, shoot the sh*t…it’s very comfortable in there.
Support your local business and shop at Hellpop!

Yesterday I made my first visit to HELL POP COMICS. I will be back. Nice selection, reasonable prices and the man behind the counter, Shane, very friendly and helpful.

Best little comic book shop in the west!

Again, I’m so terribly sorry for slacking off on reviews everyone. I’ve had a LOT on my plate as of late. Long story. I first went to Hellpop several months ago and I’m just now getting around to writing a review so here goes.
The Arts Factory has evolved into a rather… well, contradictory place. What started as a celebration of local art, music and alternative scenes and subcultures seems to have now become the virtual antithesis of that — a mall. At the same time, it’s like an anti-​mall sort of mall. Instead of Panda Express, pretzels or Applebee’s, you have the Bar+Bistro. Instead of Icing, you have several suites selling handmade jewelry and accessories. Instead of a video arcade, there’s the Electronic Music Café. Instead of the graphic novel section of Barnes & Noble… you have HellPop! The best comic book store I’ve ever been in.
It’s right off one of the main entrances (or, you’ll find it when you find it, that place is like a maze. I’ve been in there innumerable times and I still haven’t figured it out), in a cavern-​like space with darkroom style lighting. The racks are lined with comics, comics and more comics. As far as I could tell, they have editions dating all the way back to the 60s, and I’m willing to bet they have editions older than that!
Shockingly enough, the prices are pretty reasonable. I’ve been in many «collection» stores (whether we’re talking about comics, books, records, clothes, etc…), and there have been more than a few times where the collector has ridiculous asking prices for items from their collection. Like, if you don’t want to part with your cherished collection, DON’T SELL IT IN A STORE THEN. The owners of this shop seem to realize that here. I think the most expensive comic book I saw was $ 10.
The space is ridiculously cramped unfortunately. It’s hard to browse in here without losing one’s patience as people try to walk through you as if you’re a ghost (Yes, that actually happened to me while looking in the racks, swear to god). That’s probably the only major con, you can’t spend a whole lot of time browsing in here due to the lack of space, at least during First Friday.
Like I said, as I was losing my patience, I just yanked some old Archie comics and went up to the cashier. As I made my purchase, they gave me a free Marvel calendar and a free copy of BLACK SPIDERMAN. :D How generous, the perfect way of ensuring a customer will come back!
The Final Verdict:
Pros:
Brings activity to the arts district when it isn’t First Friday.
Non-​pretentious, a rarity in collection type businesses.
Reasonably priced.
Run by two awesome guys.
They gave me a comic for free after making my purchase.
Endless amount of comics in the racks.
Cons:
The terribly claustrophobic space it’s located in.
Suggestions:
I think one or two galleries have left the Arts Factory recently, how about getting out of this suite and moving into one of the larger ones?
Return factor: Of course.

I found this place during one of my recent First Friday jaunts, and I’ve grown to like the little place.
For such an off the beaten path location, it’s got a surprisingly respectable selection, and at good prices, no less. Their back issue collection is actually diverse enough to find some gems that don’t shatter the wallet. They also have some good sets of collected storylines, again at decent prices. And the people behind the counter are friendly, even when it’s crazy busy in there.
And on First Friday is it ever busy. And there’s one of the flaws about the place. On a busy day, you can’t move around very well in there, or look at things, or in some cases, get in. At one point, the crowds seemed so hectic that I looked up and actually found myself outside back in the hallway of the Arts Factory. It’s not the fault of the people running the place, and I’m sure during slower moments, navigating the little store is not an issue. But on a busy night like First Friday? You need to plan on how to get in and out of there in one piece.
But I do like the place, and plan to frequent it whenever I’m in the neighborhood as the prices, service and selection are good stuff. And it’s great that a store like this exists within the Arts Factory, where it seems like the perfect venue choice for everyone involved. I’d just like to not get hustled out by the mob next time I’m browsing their back issues.
Good stuff. Definitely check them out.