{"id":492633,"date":"2026-10-11T13:22:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T13:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/492633\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T13:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T13:22:20","slug":"building-a-community-one-comic-book-at-a-time-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/492633\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a community, one comic book at a time \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love it or hate it, San Diego is the home of Comic-Con International, which recently inked a deal with the city to stay through 2030<\/a>. It\u2019s impossible to miss, even if you try to avoid downtown, and its impacts are felt citywide.<\/p>\n

The international event shines a spotlight on comic books and the true believers who love them and travel from far and wide in search of belonging at the convention.<\/p>\n

But for the San Diego comic book community, this fellowship exists year-round.<\/p>\n

\"AaronAaron Trites poses inside Now or Never Comics in downtown San Diego on Aug. 4, 2026. Trites, 44, is originally from Boston where he worked at a comic shop for 10 years after graduating high school. “I’ve known since I was 18 that I was going to own a comic shop,” Trites said. After moving to San Diego with his wife, Trites found this downtown space and has now been running the store for over seven years. Trites’ favorite comic series is “The Avengers.”<\/p>\n

\u201cComic-Con is a huge part of the reason that we opened up downtown,\u201d said Aaron Trites, owner of Now or Never Comics, a comic book store in San Diego\u2019s East Village. \u201cAnd it\u2019s our biggest week of the year by far, but it\u2019s just one week out of the year. It is not the be all and end all for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

With new comic books published every Wednesday, this sentiment is reflected by many store owners in the county. A store\u2019s success cannot rely on the one big week of sales that Comic-Con provides. Rather it leans on the collective of regulars who serve as the stalwarts of the comic book community in San Diego.<\/p>\n

\"ChaseChase Lirley poses at TC’s Rockets \u2014 Comics & Toys in Allied Gardens on Aug. 11, 2026. Growing up, Lirley, 28, and his father would find comics at Kobey’s Swap Meet, garage sales and at comic stores during road trips. “Every time we had free time, we were looking for toys or comics,” Lirley said. It was the consistent bond between him and his father that kept his love for comics going. Lirley has been working at the store for 11 years. Lirley’s favorite comic book character is Venom from Marvel Comics.<\/p>\n

Chase Lirley, co-owner of TC\u2019s Rockets comic book and toy store in Allied Gardens, said: \u201cI have the same 20 guys every Wednesday and I\u2019ll ask them, \u201cOh, did you go to Comic-Con?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lirley, out of the line of people waiting for new comics each week, only a couple got tickets to attend Comic-Con this past year. Most say they did not.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut yet those are the biggest comic collectors every single week,\u201d Lirley said.<\/p>\n

Fostering a community takes more than just selling books. It requires learning the customer base and creating an environment in which people want to spend their time. It also means nurturing a space in which people feel safe to explore the different worlds comic books provide.<\/p>\n

\"Co-ownerCo-owner Kristin Wilson, who runs the store alongside her partner Gavin Wilson and father-in-law, pose inside The Comics Stronghold in Oceanside on Sept. 22, 2026. After becoming unemployed, Wilson and her partner half-jokingly brought up the idea of opening a store. Her father-in-law was serious about it. He presented them with documents to officially open a store and they have now been running it for three years. Kristin Wilson’s current favorite comic is “Supernatural” from her favorite television show and Gavin Wilson’s favorite comic is Absolute Martian Manhunter.<\/p>\n

The owners of The Comics Stronghold, a family-run and -operated comic book store in Oceanside, lean on their own lived experiences in queer spaces to connect and better serve members of their community.<\/p>\n

The Comics Stronghold co-owner Kristin Wilson, who identifies as bisexual, said: \u201cI love being able to give people that safe space because I know how hard it can be to come across.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Wilson, being able to connect with customers by recommending books that have allowed her to feel secure in her identity is rewarding and strengthens the community she works to develop.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I read something that has to do with being bi or having affectionate feelings towards the same sex, it is always the most accepting and calm feeling that I have,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n

There are other factors at play that come together to help rejuvenate and sustain a healthy comic book community in San Diego County year-round.<\/p>\n

\"MichaelMichael Cholak poses among stacks of comics at his store Yesteryear in Clairemont on Aug. 18, 2026. Cholak, 53, had trouble reading as a child, so at his grandmother’s suggestion, his father bought him a handful of “Star Wars” comics to help improve his reading ability. Originally a wholesale comic book dealer, Cholak decided to open a store 14 years ago. Cholak’s favorite comic series is “Dark Knight Returns.”<\/p>\n

Michael Cholak, owner of Yesteryear Comics in Kearny Mesa, said that because there are so many comic book stores in the area, and the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park brings in a lot of people from outside, it is easy to build a consistent customer base outside of just Comic-Con itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is always that flavor that is still there on a month-to-month basis. It never really dissipates,\u201d Cholak said. \u201cI think that because of the focus, it\u2019s just like the Mecca of comic books.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cholak also notes that San Diego\u2019s classically good weather helps stabilize his business, both from a customer side and a logistical standpoint.<\/p>\n

Although he has to pay the \u201csunshine tax\u201d of living in Southern California, he doesn\u2019t have to deal with snowstorms or other crazy weather that could impact ground delivery of his comics.<\/p>\n

Having access to the shop ensures the community continues to persist. The weather allows this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe collectors, they can come in every Wednesday and they don\u2019t have to worry about not getting their favorite book,\u201d Cholak said.<\/p>\n

Comic book store owners, readers, tourists and artists all help to reinforce the community\u2019s strength and viability in San Diego.<\/p>\n

While Comic-Con helps put San Diego in the national conversation, it\u2019s the local people who live and breathe comic books on a daily basis in the community that give it life.<\/p>\n

Joe Chouinard, owner of North Park Comics in the Cherokee Point neighborhood of San Diego, said the artist community hosts various events including a drink and draws, a sketch party that happens at Whistle Stop Bar and a new sketch club at the Original 40 Brewing Company in North Park.<\/p>\n

Like other comic books stores in the county, North park Comics also hosts events on site that continue to bring new people into the comic book community and deepen the connection those already in the space have with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe artists in San Diego all hang out and do all the same things together,\u201d Chouinard said. \u201cThey are all supportive. Very supportive. There\u2019s a strong artist community here in San Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local comic book stores in this story<\/p>\n

Now or Never Comics: 1055 F St., downtown San Diego. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. nowornevercomics.com<\/a><\/p>\n

TC\u2019s Rockets \u2014 Comics & Toys:\u00a05155 Waring Road, San Diego. 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays; 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. tcsrockets.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The Comics Stronghold: 1906 Oceanside Blvd., Unit G, Oceanside. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays; noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. instagram.com\/comicsstronghold\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesteryear Comics:\u00a09353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite D-2, San Diego. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (except Wednesdays, when it\u2019s open until 8 p.m.). instagram.com\/yesteryearcomics1\/<\/a><\/p>\n

North Park Comics:\u00a03432 University Ave., San Diego. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. northparkcomics.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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