On Comic Ground

Why list your hours if you’re not going to be open anytime close to those hours? I tried going twice, but I won’t bother trying again. There are way too many better options in San Diego.

pretty dingy & gross but probably the only place in san diego that sells new issues of «Optic Nerve» (which apparently u need an 18+ ID to buy)

I like this store and its owner. It is small and sometimes not open on time. But the owner is nice and she has great prices. I’ve bought a lot of items way under retail or current ebay value there because she like repeat customers.

I like to support small, local businesses but this place is awful. Whenever I’ve walked in there, I’ve felt like the clerk/​employee watched me as if I was going to shove books down my pants and leave. One guy there (I think he’s gone now) told me I was stupid because I didn’t want to read what he recommended and made fun of the stuff I was looking for. The back issues are in boxes, but you can’t get to them because there is always merchandised piled up on top of them. I’ll go to Villianous Lair in Normal Heights instead — the staff there takes an interest, encourages your reading, and engages you in conversation about what you are reading. If they would act like they value and care about business I could see them getting more business.

We came on Sat at 2pm to a closed shop with the sign that said «back at 2:07». Owner ended up coming back at 2:20. If we’d known the actual time they would return was 13 min later, we wouldnt have waited at the shop. Lesson: call ahead to make sure theyre open because they dont appear to adhere to their posted times.
As far as the store goes, it looked like a storage unit. Everything was stacked chin high in boxes. It was really tight and hard to move around, I kept thinking I was going to knock over a box. Overall it was very uninviting. Shop owner didnt even greet me or offer any help. The one and only thing I did like is that they have a wide selection of comics that arent packaged that you get 15 minutes to look through. Good for anyone wanting to find that new adventure. I would have taken advantage of that except it felt too uncomfortable being in that store. Regarding parking, it should be easy to get a spot close by. Store is located on the east end of University Ave away from the concentration of shops and restaurants.
We did walk away with two titles we were looking for. Its an OK source to pick up your comics if you live nearby but not worth driving cross town for if youre looking for a pleasant shopping experience.

Great service and a HUGE selection of comics. I love coming here for original new stories that aren’t your everyday superhero tales. The back issues could be cheaper and the place could be bigger though. It’s a bit of a hassle moving around in there.

Fantastic just awesome books shop-​all the best comic selection!!!
My favorite even I like its free comic books on the Big day for comics.
It is awesome to get those free though it is not for me only for my little daughter-​yet I like this shop.
Staffs are just friendly and so helpful-​love it along with my daughter.

I use to get my comics from Comics and Stuff which is a good store no doubt but I just love how personal this store is and how small and cramped and full of boxes it is and how unorganized yet organized enough to find what you were looking for and then something you didn’t expect to find. I love how here I don’t feel bad about not knowing to much about Comics; newish reader. It’s just great and even though it’s far for me who buys in Chula Vista, I plan to make the trip to Hillcrest at least once a month now.

I’m trying to visit all the comic stores in San Diego that are listed on Unilocal.
I went by On Comic Ground. It’s in a really old storefront on the edge of Hillcrest, located next to a tiny used book store and a magazine store. The magazine store is weird. It sells… old magazines. Anyway, this comic store is also very tiny. The guy inside, who was cool, said it used to take up most of the building but apparently has shrunk over time.
He was friendly. He asked if I’d ever been there before — probably noticing the shocked look on my face when I walked into the door — and then explained how the store was laid out. There’s not much too it, since it’s so shoebox-​tiny. But they’ve got a good selection of new titles, a moderate selection of backlist, and not very many graphic novels. There are a few figurines and novelties but not much.
The store’s so small and cramped and messy that it actually makes Comickaze look pretty organized. There’s something moderately endearing about being surrounded by so many comics, but at the same time it’s just too much.
I don’t see a real reason to go back unless you just live really close or are desperate to find a title sold out elsewhere. But, hey, comics are cool and I hope the store remains in business and is able to grow again.

First off, I can understand why this store doesn’t have better ratings. It’s the simple fact for a lack of organizational skills. As one reviewer wrote «There are boxes everywhere.» Very, very true. I would LOVE to donate my time to helping this store get a system in place where you can easily find what you’re looking for.
I like the store, regardless. It holds a special place in my heart for me. When I used to live off of Florida and University (13 years ago), I’d always enjoy my monthly walk to this place. It looks exactly the same now as it did then. Convoluted and forgotten.
There is a decent selection of current issues and even independent ones too. Once upon a time I scored some really great back issues of Tank Girl at this place. However, the last time I went there I couldn’t even get to the section of back issues due to the monstrosity of boxes in the way.
The woman (that I believe owns the place) is quiet, but friendly and helpful. She is the reason that my girlfriend and I are hooked on Fables. She did a great job of listening to me when I was wanting to get into a new series and came up with that suggestion. Fables RULES!!!
As long as you know all of the above mentioned before going in, you’ll be just fine. ;)

The Good:
* Friendly and helpful cashier (pony-​tail guy).
* Typical selection with some obscure titles
* Knowledgeable staff if you have questions or are looking to branch out in titles.
* Will hold titles for you if you are a frequent customer
* Great for those who live near or frequent the Hillcrest area
* Great for those who enjoy simple, comic book shops. You won’t find toys, games, or paraphernalia here.
* If you hate manga, this place has very little to offend your senses.
The Bad:
* Street/​metered parking only. If you know Hillcrest, then you know the parking can be HORRIBLE at times.
* The shop is small, hot, and cramped. Not much room to move around or browse.
* Hard to view or find titles. The organization is subpar.
* While this place does have your typical titles (and obscure ones), I found it disheartening to see issues 1, 2, 5, and 7 with no 3, 4, or 6 in sight. The store simply sold out or did not have enough in stock.
* Boxes everywhere!
* Not a great place to find items that you would want to buy as a gift (i.e. hard-​cover TPD editions).
* For those who are into manga, this place does not have a huge selection.
The Bottom Line:
Stop by if you’re in the area. If you like to spend time browsing or discovering something new, I would not suggest this place because it is cramped and hard to discover new and exciting titles. I have been to better stores and will probably only come back to this one because I live very close to it. If you are looking for a specific book, I would suggest calling a head to see if the store carries it. That way you can avoid the parking hassle and digging through all the boxes.

I see other people bashing the store from 10′ and before but I recently went to the store (watch out, parking is annoying) and it was a good experience.
They carry most of the available current titles, I think this store might be more popular than it looks because you’ll miss issues if you’re not on it to pick them up.
My only complaint is that the majority of the store is covered in boxes… what’s in the boxes? I have no idea! It would be fun to look inside but again that’s a hassle to move boxes around to look into specific ones.
They have back issues and they have an independent comic section which is cool because a lot of people tend to shy away from them since they’re obscure.
I like this store, it ignited my passion for comic books again.
Now to hunt for more Hellblazer!

I’ve been coming here for years for a reason: they have or will get any small press or obscure book you could ever dream of.
They know their stuff and they know their customers. Still one of my favorite shops.

This was the first comic book store that I knew about in San Diego, so it’s the only one I went to for quite a while.
It’s VERY small, and I hate the organization. If your store can only be understood by the people who work there, then something is wrong with it.
If you’re only after comic books, and you live close by, then shop here. If you’re looking for more from your shopping experience, head on over San Diego’s other fine comic book store.

If your a comic book collector and you’re local to the area then check them out to pick up your recent books. They had a few trade paperbacks I couldn’t find elsewhere.
If your new to comics and want to browse, ask questions and read a bit before you buy then drive up to Comickaze!

Been in here a bunch of times and I am never disappointed when I go. They usually have all the hot titles that I am looking for. The place is a little small but what they lack in space is made up by the selection of books to choose from.
As for the staff, they are nice. The mohawk guy with the superhero tattoos (Teen Titans rule!) is fricken hilarious. The girl with the Star Wars pictures of her posing as Princess Leia is cool. They are nice when I go in there. Support your local comic shops especially if they are good. This is one of the good ones.

When I reviewed Southern California Comics, I made the claim that it is the classic «premium» comic store.
Well, On Comic Ground is the classic «this is not a library» comic store. Come in to pick up your monthlies, and don’t you dare get to thinking you’re entitled to browse. Not that you could… even if you wanted to brave getting yelled at by the surly dude with the Wonder Woman tattoo, almost everything is already bagged and boarded. Gosh, wonder what the message is supposed to be there…
Apart from that, the place is a total hole in the wall and pretty unremarkable.

I drive by this place on a daily basis and my roommate swears by it so I went in and checked it out. I used to be a pretty hard core comic book collector but that was back in grade school. I still have boxes of comics laying around, collecting dust somewhere in storage.
The place is ok, the organization is a bit random but the variety is pretty good. The store looks bigger from the outside than what it actually is, which is small. The owner looks like he needs more real estate for this business.

Ummm. it’s decent. This store is within walking distance for me so I usually come here just for the monthly Buffy’s and Angel’s.
Small, cramped store. I’m too lazy to take the time to browse the trades here.
They do give you 5 free comics on free comic book day.

I rarely have bad experiences anywhere I go, but today’s experience at this place was something else — I could not believe how rude the cashier person was. When I first arrived, I was not greeted — the guy just sat there reading what was probably email or random internet surfing. The place is literally a mess and there are comic-​filled boxes everywhere with no organization or signs, so when I asked about how to navigate my way around, all I was offered was attitude — he barely looked at my friend and me the entire time we were in the store. My friend said «thanks» to him on the way out and the response we got was a nod, but he didn’t make any eye contact — he continued to look at his computer…
I’ve read some of the other reviews on here and noticed that others have written about that same guy: blonde/​dirty-​blonde with short hair/​mohawk/​fauxhawk with a ton of attitude… pretty interesting that it can be so consitent.
Anyway, point is, don’t come here: the place is messy, it has no organization, it’s filthy, it’s small and to top it all off, the person here was really rude. If you want to come into a comic shop, purchase a new comic book and leave all within 2 minutes, then this is place is okay; if you’re looking for a place with a huge selection, a spectacular catalog of organized back issues and trade paperbacks, then this is place is not for you: try Southern California Comics in Clairemont Mesa — it’s the opposite of this place (this place has great reviews too — read them!).
I would never recommend anyone to come here — there really is no reason when there are so many other options in San Diego.