Golden Apple Comics rules, plain and simple. Whether you’re a manga or shojo freak, ready to unload $20,000 on a Spiderman #1 or just want to introduce your kids to Archie, you’ll find what you need here. They’ve got back issues, graphic novels, trade paperbacks and a rare-collection cabinet. The staff is ridiculously knowledgeable; newbies shouldn’t hesitate to ask questions. You can look at classic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, cult-favorite American Splendor’s Harvey Pekar or this generation’s hotties like Jae Lee and Alex Ross. The store has loads of pop culture books and sci-fi magazines, too, and action figures and toys galore. The backroom is for adults only; now-deceased Golden Apple founder Bill Liebowitz was a major player at Glamourcon, the yearly convention where playmates and porn stars hock their, uh, wares. In-store events bring in more fans, and filmmaker Kevin Smith shot promo pieces here for his comics-industry indie Chasing Amy. Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean scribes Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio are regulars, and Nicholas Cage comes in to buy Frank Miller. Located on L.A.’s coolest street, Melrose Avenue, Golden Apple Comics is as good as it gets.