Walking down West Commonwealth Avenue in downtown Fullerton, you might run into a mural of characters you recognize from your childhood: Optimus Prime, Batman, Superman, Spider-Man. Once inside, BBRINNG! You’re greeted by the racks upon racks full of comic books, from the newest issues of “Absolute Batman,” all the way to the MENACING collection of “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” manga in the back. With so many new worlds to explore and colorful covers drawing you in, you wander further inside. Just as you’re leaving a world full of amazing stories, you run into another world and find yourself in a game of Magic: The Gathering.
Comic Book Hideout has been selling comics for the last 13 years, but on top of that, it has provided opportunities for its community to come together. The shop offers a range of events that happen regularly, like their regular Magic: The Gathering games, and some that are a little more spontaneous, like signings for artists or creators. There are plenty of ways to join the community.
The shop posts about events on Instagram but also relies on word-of-mouth. Mark Garcia, who likes to go by Funky, is the store manager and event curator. Garcia has been with Comic Book Hideout for the last seven years and got his start by curating events. “I tend to talk about [the events] anytime somebody’s walking in,” says Garcia.
If you catch yourself visiting on a Thursday or Sunday, you’ll find the tables in the back and patio laid out ready for folks to sit down and play Magic: The Gathering, a collectible card trading game. Players use their deck of cards to battle each other. Comic Book Hideout also offers cards to buy. “We’ve been playing Magic since the store pretty much opened,” says Garcia. These events are open for anyone of any skill level to join.
Fullerton College student Will Rangel has been coming to these MTG game nights for four years. “I first came with a friend who was already here prior and just started coming in every week because I found the game really fun and the community great to interact with,” says Rangel. Rangel is majoring in teaching and finds that the proximity of the store to Fullerton College is one of its main draws to him. It’s about a 20-minute walk. “I just find this to be close enough to the college to also come here after school sometimes,” Rangel says.
First-time attendee Nicolas Salkin, a student at Cal State Fullerton, says, “I’ve been playing for a while, but I saw the Instagram post, and I wanted to come down and check out the scene.”
Along with the many other shops in downtown Fullerton, Comic Book Hideout participates in downtown Fullerton’s art walk on the first Friday of every month. This is an event meant for stores to help promote local artists. Comic Book Hideout uses its gallery space in the back to put up art for sale. They’ll occasionally do themed galleries for the art walk, like a Transformers theme, or they’ll put up work from an individual artist or a group of artists.
The shop also brings in authors for signing and posts about them on social media. “We work with a lot of indie self-published artists currently,” says Garcia. “But every once in a while, we’ll get a bigger name.” It’s a way for them to support creators but also connect the fans with the people behind the stories. They’ve had signings for folks like the writers of Doug Marcaida’s LINEAGE, one of the judges of the show Forged in Fire.
Speaking of the stories, the store offers comics from the biggest distributors, and plenty of indie titles as well. Some of the most popular comic runs out right now are any of the Absolute series: Batman, Wonder Woman, Martain Manhunter. The shop offers these as they come out, and even if you miss them, you can pick up the trades that have multiple issues.
Comic Book Hideout also offers a monthly figure drawing night, letting artists get some practice in drawing figures with references. These lessons are free as long as you bring your own art supplies, and they are open to any skill level.
Whether you’re here to spend way too much money on “just one more comic,” or here to make new friends, Comic Book Hideout gives you everything you need. Take a stroll around and you’re bound to find something interesting.
Taken from the Summer 2026 print issue of Inside Fullerton. Read it here.
