Comic Odyssey – Pasadena

Name:
Comic Odyssey

Address:
319 S. Arroyo Pkwy.
Pasadena, CA 91105

Phone Number:
(626)-577-6696

Websites:
Yelp

Hours of Operation:
Monday – Sunday
11:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Back in high school, I got roped into that time/money sink known as Magic: The Gathering. For someone that loved fantasy role-playing but wasn’t a big fan of always carrying around a bag full of books, dice, pencils and paper, there was a certain attraction to a game where you could get away with sticking a deck of cards in your pocket for pick-up games and then bringing the full bag with you to the shop or friend’s house when you knew there was going to be some serious games or trading going on. It was easy to pick up, and if you threw down enough money, there were enough combinations to keep the game from becoming boring. I had decks for one on one games, I had decks for multi-player games. I had a deck that worked best in a group of 8 or more that didn’t do any damage to my opponents, in fact, it gave perks to everyone in the game so no one really wanted to hurt me because I was helping them, and by the time they wanted to take me out, I had enough defensive wards up where… sorry, you know how it is once you start talking about your character or deck.

Comic Odyssey is one of those stores that knows how that is, and the guys there seem to do a good job of humoring you when you start in on it, because they’ve been there. I’ve been in there a few times during my travels, and I’ve always been impressed with how friendly they are towards me and other customers, greeting as you walk in, offering help, explaining what different cards do to newer patrons, and working patiently with parents who haven’t the foggiest notion what the heck their kids are asking for, but doing their best to try to understand. I’ve even had one of those discussions with them, talking about how I stopped playing 12 years ago and how Magic and other CCG’s have evolved since then to the point where newer players didn’t recognize my older cards except through reputation, and I had no idea what any of the newer cards did.

Now I find it funny that a store that is really known for it’s Collectible Card Game selection and sales is called Comic Odyssey, but when you walk in, it kind of makes sense. They DO carry a decent selection of printed media, mainly in the form of manga and graphic novels, but with a respectable selection of current books. They also have a large selection of action figures, import collectibles and the like. Every time I walk in I’m eyeballing the Sideshow Collectibles Rebel Fleet Trooper figure or the squishy Nightmare Before Christmas characters and lament my empty wallet. And all this is on top of an impressive selection of CCG’s like Magic, Pokemon, and probably other stuff that I’m not familiar with. I’m going to be honest here: when I saw the selection over on that portion of the counter, I decided that I wasn’t going to check it out because, well, you know how easy it is for the “cardboard cocaine” to get it’s claws into you. Even when you think you have the addiction kicked, you never really lose it and it’s easy to fall off the wagon. Okay, seriously, it was normally so crowded with people over there that I didn’t want to disrupt the real players by just nosing in. I mean, by nature of this, I’m nosing in enough, I don’t want to be disruptive while doing it!

The only thing I wasn’t real fond of was how crammed the store seemed. The walls were jam packed with books, comics, figures, collectibles, and cards. The glass display cases were packed with much of the same thing, with their tops covered with more racks and boxes of product. They have decent square footage for the shop, but the floor is crammed with long tables for playing cards, free standing comic racks, random displays, and tables covered with clearance toys. While I feel odd for saying they have too much product/stuff, they really do have TOO MUCH going on, so it’s kind of overwhelming.

Comic Odyssey is located on S. Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena. If I remember correctly, the entrance is accessible from the Southbound Lanes only thanks to a concrete median like most of those S. Arroyo is fond of. They have a parking lot in their strip mall, but there is a flower shop said lot that loves taking up most of the parking spaces with their delivery vehicles, so you might have to park at the opposite end of the strip mall. Their hours weren’t clearly posted, and they have no real online information, but I did catch the hours I have listed on the back of their sign, so hopefully they stick to those.

If you’re looking for graphic novels, mainstream comics, or want to throw down and tap some mana, check out Comic Odyssey. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area.

The Geek Explorer