After 25 years, Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles’ treasured comic book store, live events space, and cultural hub on Sunset Boulevard is closing its doors for the last time on March 30.
Since opening in 1993, young and old grew their love for comics and geek culture at Meltdown. The store was also home to a major comedy scene. As Variety reports, the NerdMelt Showroom, a Meltdown collaboration with Nerdist, “provided a launchpad for alternative comedy.”
Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordona and Jonah Ray’s show “The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail,” shot at the Meltdown, became a part of the Comedy Central lineup from 2014-2016.
“It has been my personal privilege to welcome so many incredibly talented minds through our doors giving them and their work a home in this great city of ours,” founder Gaston Dominguez-Letelier said in a statement.
“No business is easy, least of all one rooted in paper surrounded by brick and mortar,” Dominguez-Letelier continued in the statement. “Yet against all odds we survived just long enough to host, share, and celebrate some of the most creative and imaginative artists in the world.”
Actors, comedians and fans are heartbroken and have taken to social media to mourn.
oh no. @MeltdownComics closing is big. it’s the sorta place where u can feed the audience strawberry jelly donuts while telling period jokes pic.twitter.com/MyIa3DH88B
— Cameron Esposito (@cameronesposito) March 22, 2018
Bummed beyond belief to hear you guys are closing! 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, @meltdown! Thank you for sharing your passion with us for the last 25 years! https://t.co/rg1RDXBTtX
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) March 22, 2018
This is heartbreaking! Loved going to this staple of culture! Had my first podcast here & @andrewbowser and I did our first @Bizarre_States ghost hunt here. It will be missed! https://t.co/XCLvyEJnjh
— Jessica Chobot (@JessicaChobot) March 22, 2018
Sad to find out my friends @MeltdownComics are closing their doors after 25 Years. Thank you for the love and making me feel at home. I will miss volunteering Tuesday nights for Wednesday’s new comic book day. Thank you for the honor of sharing my Pick Of The Week! #ShopLocal pic.twitter.com/uupG6I7XAz
— Nyambi Nyambi (@Nyambi) March 22, 2018
This was the first podcast I ever recorded. I was 20 years old. I was a few months into interning @MeltdownComics when I mentioned I knew how to record and edit audio. Everyone and everything I know, I got through Meltdown
https://t.co/yfG8JE0kn9
— Aristotle Acevedo (@aristacos) March 22, 2018
#Meltdown cultivated my love of comics throughout my childhood. These guys were the first I told when I booked jughead on Riverdale. I interned here before college, they ushered me into photography, and clapped when I went back into acting. I’ll miss melt https://t.co/MrK98L1pIN
— Cole M. Sprouse (@colesprouse) March 22, 2018
Thanks @MeltdownComics @NerdMelt for being the first to make me feel welcome in LA. I always looked forward to doing shows their as I knew I’d be surrounded by friends. I’ll miss you.
— Ronald Funches (@RonFunches) March 21, 2018
The post How Fans Have Been Saying Goodbye to Meltdown Comics appeared first on L.A. TACO.