Comickaze Comics, Books and More

San Diego, United States

3.7

24 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 858-278-0371
Website:
www.comickaze.com
Address:
5517 A/B Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA, 92117
Clairemont
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
2.3 miKearny Mesa Transit Center
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Today

Today –
Local time (San Diego) 17:46 Tuesday, 3 June 2025

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Tuesday –
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Description

Specialties

San Diegan’s have voted us Best of San Diego for years because we have San Diego’s widest selection of Mainstream & Indy Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga and related Pop culture items and a staff that is truly passionate about helping you find the books you want, even when you’re not sure what they are!

We also stock many prose and art books and can order any in print book, whether it is something we normally stock or not. This means that if you need a Repair Manual for your VW, a Chinese Cook Book or the new David Sedatis book just let us know.

We also have one of Southern California’s largest selection of Limited Edition Statues and Figurines as well as stocking Stikfas, Tokidoki, Kidrobot, Headphonies and other designer figures.

And with all of that if we still don’t have what your looking for, we will make every attempt to find it.

History

Established in 1993.

Although Comickaze Comics Books and More officially opened its doors in 1993, the seeds were sown back in 1980 when boyhood friends Robert Scott and Ray Wong began selling a local shop’s comic overstock at a swapmeet.

In a few months they developed a large following that now wanted new comics as well. An account was opened with local distributor and sales grew to the point that it became necessary to have an every day location, as well as shelter against the occasional wind and rain at the swapmeet.

Thus was born the Comic Alternative on Moraga Avenue in Clairemont as well as the Scottish Rite Comic Shows. School, Life and other opportunities called and the Comic Alternative closed but after a few years away from the biz, Robert decided to give it another go with Comickaze in 1993.

Since then, Comickaze has been found annually on Best of San Diego lists, Robert has written a comic, published a novel, founded the Comic Book Industry Alliance and served as Eisner Award Judge.

Meet the Business Owner

Robert S.

Business Owner

Part of the San Diego Comic Scene for over 35 years, I started reading comics brought home by a neighbor who worked at a local grocery store but «outgrew» comics in my early teens, or so I thought.

1977 brought Heavy Metal magazine to America, introducing me to Moebius, Corben, Bilal, Jodorwosky… and a new, exciting style of comic that rarely exhibited spandex or super powers and contained mature and thought provoking themes. They drug me back in.

Since then I have made a concerted effort to not only seek out new and exciting creators but to support them, as a customer, a retailer and an advocate through publishing.

I have written and published my own comic (The End: AFC Studio), co-​published the outstanding Wasting the Dawn (with IDW Publishing) and served as an Eisner Awards (Academy Award of comics) Judge and founded the largest professional Comic Industry Advocate Group, the Comic Book Industry Alliance.

Please come by and tell me about your history with comics.

Comickaze Comics, Books and More also recommends

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore — CLOSED

56

reviews

Buchhandlung

Robert S. says,

«Great staff and outsanding author events.»

Sipz Fusion Café

1137

reviews

Vegetarisches Restaurant

,

Japanisches Restaurant

,

Thailändisches Restaurant

Robert S. says,

«My customers rave about this place.»

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24 reviews of Comickaze Comics, Books and More

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Fairbanks, AK
Rude!!! They were quite mean about the Unilocal deal. Apparently (allegedly) you can purchase only one time only. It’s not about the deal, but the sheer lack of customer service, embarrassing and demeaning the customer for no reason.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
Normally this was a quiet place to receive your comics and chat with the workers about any and everything comic. But today’s experience (Apr 12) washed all that away. The day of release, they marked up a release. Their excuse… «we put a sticky on it». While I understand selling out first day, reorder & mark up… it’s shady business to do that on the day off release. We will no longer be going there; on to a place that appreciates it’s long standing customers.
***UPDATE (Apr 18)*** Today I went over to discuss last week’s transaction. Lucky, who was there last week, was available to talk to about that day. Notably, there was a HUGE breakdown in communication (newer worker stating regular comics at x2 price), and unclear markings. Lucky was able to describe the normal procedures for Marvel & DC (including ordering regulars and variants) better than described here. He also explained that the regular releases were (and still are) at cover price, and that there are designated prices for variants. With proper communication and preparation, not only would this situation been avoided… but hopefully, I would instead, properly represent what great treasures this store has inside.
Place rating: 1
Easton, PA
Horrible sorting system for new books. I grabbed a variant that was on the shelf with bag or board thinking it was cover price, only to find out after I had left and happened or look at my receipt that it was a $ 10 book. Every other shop would post pricing on a book over cover price on the book itself, not to mention bagging and boarding them.
Also, everything in this store outside actual books and new issues is over priced from figures to hip-​hop variants. Definitely will not be back.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
This place has an amazing customer service and tremendous selection. They have more books than I could ever hope to look through and the staff is amazing. Dee Dee in particular is a delight and makes for a warm and welcoming environment.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Wow hoorah to the owner of this place it has survived for decades. I came here as a child a few times here and there for pogs and magic cards and I hate to say it pokemon cards. The owner often times reminded me of the Simpson’s comic shop owner hahaha. Looked just like him from the last time I remember the way he looked. But anyways good job comickaze!!!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I love this local spot (lots of Comics, figures and BOOKS!) though it is way too crammed with stuff to navigate easily. Love the new Liberty Station Location. Hope people find it!
Place rating: 5
Ravensdale, WA
Ye Old Comic book store lives! This is the place I will definitely return to. I found a hard to find animé manga that I had been looking for everywhere and they had two issues. The store is filled with comics, collectibles. Staff is knowledgeable and great to help. Will definitely be back here to get my geek on.
Place rating: 3
Oceanside, CA
Thank you Robert for your prompt and sincere response. I will consider giving your store another try in the future.
Place rating: 5
Poway, CA
I’ve been going here for just over 15 years. Robert and staff are the best. They have pretty much everything and if it isn’t in the store, they’ll find it. I can’t thank them all enough for their courteous patience over the years. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
Dede was unbelievably nice and helpful. He listened to us a vent about another local comic store’s lack of customer service, and he gave great suggestions and pointed out interesting parts of the store. He made my husband and I feel very comfortable and we were able to just chat about our favorite comic, too.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I feel as if the customer service quality has gone up at this store. Dee Dee who works there has been very helpful in helping me get the books I am looking for. He gives great suggestions for books to read as well as where to get them if they are not in store. I think I’m pretty much set on this store being my main goto store.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
I want to support mom and pop shops, but why pay such a high price for a variant when you can pay the cover price online? Picked up one book at cover price but no real incentive to come back as a regular customer. Maybe the sign of the times.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I like this place. I think it’s understandable that the displays or organization can sway people between loving or hating their experience. I think the amount of stuff can appear overwhelming or intimidating to new visitors. With repeat visits, however, I feel it becomes more enjoyable to wander and discover new things beyond the areas of the store I immediately walk to. As far as customer service goes, I’m not expecting red-​carpet star treatment from any business outside of a luxury establishment. I think these guys are helpful and friendly, but also know when to leave you alone. No complaints here.
If you can’t find something, just ask. I’ll sometimes see staff members going around and asking if people need help finding something. Once, one guy (Asian, I don’t know his name) helped me find a series buried behind another and I noticed on my next visit that the rack had been rearranged so that it wasn’t hidden. He has also guided me towards franchise-​specific items around the store when I needed a gift and seems to be friendly with everyone.
I haven’t interacted with the owner much, but he once helped me pick out children’s books as gifts. Another time, he made small talk with me about an upcoming series from a publisher whose trades I was buying and he seemed to be nice to everyone else in line as well.
I think it’s best to come here being open to asking for help and with a willingness to explore all they have to offer. I appreciate that they have lots of things versus not having them because there is something for everybody. They have so many items in stock (e.g., comics, traditional books, shirts, toys, games) that while you will find probably what you were looking for, you will likely end up spending additional time browsing for spontaneous or future purchases.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
Came here the other day with my god daughter while the wifey was looking at fabric next door at Yardage Town. The best way for me to break down my visit is by the good and bad.
Good:
Wide selection of comic books, graphic novels, manga (Japanese comic books /​graphic novels), plush dolls, figurines, shirts, toys, and more.
Staff is friendly, greeted us when we walked in, asked us if we needed help finding anything, and thanked us when we left.
Bad:
The store feels very crammed and cluttered. It does not appear well organized and some items appear pricey. A whole section of the store is taped off… looks like they are working on fixing the clutter and hopefully they’ll finish soon.
Overall, we had a fun time exploring the store and looking at different super heroes and other characters we love. I’m going to rate this place a 3 stars for now. If they can uncram, declutter, and organize this place it’ll rate much higher.
Place rating: 5
Flagstaff, AZ
I do not live in San Diego but I used to. When ever I am in town I always hit up this store. The folks who work here are wonderful and they always have a great selection of new comics and graphic novels as well as a decent collection of toys. I would strongly recommend folks stop by an get your comic fix… then get dinner at sipz!
Place rating: 2
San Diego, CA
Very small and MESSY store. The staff was friendly enough, it was just the environment that made me anxious to leave. I felt like I was trapped in an episode of a show about hoarders. I couldn’t really enjoy browsing because so much wasn’t systematically placed. If it were cleaned up (major dusting, vacuuming, SORTING, better arrangement) I would return! Also they do not offer a military discount, which is more than fine, but a few other tidier and larger comic shops in San Diego do!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Helpful staff, enormous stock of books, easy parking. What more could you ask for?
The guys who work here really know their stuff. It may take a bit of time to build up a report with them, but it’s well worth it. With comics, I’d always recommend doing your own research. They’re super helpful if you can’t find something or if you have a question. Even if it’s a dumb question!
Place rating: 1
San Diego, CA
I wish there was a 0 star rating. Been here a couple times. Large selection of current trades and comics. Downside is they place the comics on racks that can dent the bottom since they are placed on the surface with gaps in them. If you care about the quality of your books make sure to take a close look before buying.
Owner is a grade A sleazebag. Basically hes the comic book nerd on the Simpsons. I went in here last week for a comic that came out that week on the racks. Apparently since the demand went up and ebay prices for a $ 5 comic doubled he decided to make a pretty penny. First he told me that he was sold out of the comic. I come back 3 days later and found a bunch of the batman comics bagged and boarded behind the counter for insane prices. He held issues he was suppose to sell at cover price just so he could profit more. Based on his actions if there is a comic you are looking for that literally came out that week and it’s hot, he will try to bleed you dry of your money. SCALPER!
Place rating: 1
San Diego, CA
I came here for free comic book day with a Unilocal voucher and was told that you’re limited to one in your lifetime, I used one last free comic book day. Even though this policy isn’t listed on the voucher OR the Unilocal purchase page, I was unable to use the voucher.
I expressed my frustration to my friend about how it made me not want to visit the store again and I guess the sales clerk overheard me because he said I don’t care if you come back.
That’s a horrible thing to say to a frustrated customer. Regardless of how you might feel. I definitely won’t be coming back now.
I’ve bought tons of books from this place in the past, even thought it’s a complete disaster in the store and the books are WAY overpriced I wanted to support my local comic shop. From now on i’ll be taking my business to Southern California Comics.
Place rating: 4
San Diego, CA
Pros and cons to this place.
P R O S
Plenty of selection — they grouped new releases by publishers, e.g., Marvel, Image Comics, etc, which was interesting to me but it did help me find what I was looking for.
They’ve got trades in paperback and hardcover (although you might have to do some digging around to find what you want — or just ask)
They’ve got deals. The one I noticed today was if you got issue #1 of Marvel’s «Star Wars», then you could get one of the variants for $ 9.99 — which IMO is a great deal considering some of those variants were already ranging $ 19+.
They’ve also got collectible gear, toys, clothes, etc.
C O N S
The reviews are correct, this place is a bit unorganized… maybe. I personally didn’t have a hard time finding what I needed to BUT it is small and crammed so there were trades in boxes on the floor with stacks of comics and/​or other trades on top of those boxes.
Every comic I saw was un-​bagged. The only reason this bothered me was because I couldn’t stop thinking, «How many other people have touched THIS issue?»…I’m not a hardcore collector BUT if you are one of those people then I don’t think you’d want to get your comic here. NOTE: He did ask if I wanted it bagged and boarded when I bought my comics — obviously there was a small fee (like…$ 0.20 or something)
Lastly, I feel like this is one of those places where… if you go to one shop and can’t find what you’re looking for then you probably will find it here. Hope that helps.
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
I want to give them more stars, but there layout and organization with comics is horrible. It took me almost an hour to barley look through the marvel collection. Nothing is organized and stuffed behind everything else.
They have an awesome selection of collectible figures, but NOTHING has a price tag on them. Plus a lot of them are squished together on a small shelf so you can’t see half if them. Plus they look a little beaten up. :(
Last thing would be they don’t give you a discount on your subscription box there. I think they are one of the only ones I’ve been to that don’t do that.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
Like others have said, this is a messy store. It is just full of aisles packed on top of aisles. The figurines are in a wall case that’s hard to see because you have to stand behind so much stuff. But I liked browsing through here anyway, though I don’t generally like messy stores. This seemed like a DISCOVERABLE mess, if that makes sense– like looking through treasures rather than junk.
The (I presume) owner was extremely helpful and friendly, so although we came in here to kill time before our samurai swordfighting class next door (that is not even a joke, people) we ended up buying about $ 55 worth of stuff.
They have tons of T-​shirts and posters and toys, as well as comics and graphic novels. I will come back here to Christmas shop– I should be able to buy about 90% of our gifts here! Buy local!
Place rating: 3
San Diego, CA
Sometimes this shop is great. In terms of selection they are really good, especially with graphic novels. Anytime they have not had what I was looking for they have ordered one for me.
However, I subtracted 2 stars because my most recent experience was far from pleasant. They have added a $ 1 charge for shopping at their store. They say they «give this back to you» if you use cash of purchase over $ 10. So, what it amounts to is for legality, I imagine, they cannot say it’s a credit card charge. However, when they explain it to you they are pretty much telling you that in order to buy something from them you need to first give them $ 1.
At first I planned to buy another book bringing my total over $ 10, but I found myself so irritated by the offhanded way charging a customer $ 1 to shop was explained that I just put my comic back and left. Hard to say if I’ll be back.
Place rating: 4
Arcadia, CA
Came here with some friends on a recent trip to San Diego and this is a great place to stop by if you are quite the book worm/​comic book nerd/​game enthusiast.
Be forewarned that there is not really a clear organization in the front of the store, as there are piles of books, clothes, merchandise, and games all cluttered together. However, as you venture towards the back, you will notice organized shelves and displays of action figures, clothing, and comic books.
Overall, the prices for some of the board games are pretty reasonable. The comic books are in great condition and depending on your taste and preferences — take your time around the store and you may find something that you might like =)