Meltown Comics, an institution of Los Angeles geekdom and the home of Comedy Central’s “The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail,” is closing its doors next month.
The shop, whose iconic alien mascot “Mel” graced Sunset Boulevard for more than two decades, is closing its doors forever on April 1. Meltdown Comics founder Gaston Dominguez-Letelier made the announcement Wednesday in a post to the shop’s official blog.
“As is the case with all good things, at some point they must come to an end,” Dominguez-Letelier wrote. “Meltdown Comics is no exception to this rule and so, after 25 years coveting every comic treasure we could lay our hands on, I’m sharing that on March 30th I’ll be closing our doors for the final time.”
Founded in 1993, Meltdown long served as a Hollywood HQ for all things dork, selling new titles, back issues, and a plethora of toys and collectibles to generations of comics fans. Not just a must-stop for shoppers, Meltdown was also beloved by comics professionals –indeed, the one-eyed alien mascot “Mel” was designed by Daniel Clowes, best known as the author of “Ghost World,” made into an acclaimed 2001 film directed by Terry Zwigoff.
Meltdown also became an important part of L.A.’s comedy scene. The shop partnered with Nerdist for The Nerdist Showroom, a small comedy stage adjacent to the comic shop featuring shows by up and coming alt-comedians, and serving as a launching pad for many promising careers. Most notably, beginning in 2010 the showroom was host to a weekly standup series from Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon and Jonah Ray, which in turn was turned into “The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail,” a stand up show that ran on Comedy Central from 2014-2016.
“8years ago @meltdowngaston told me to start my own monthly comedy show in the back room of @meltdowncomics. So I did,” Ray said in an Instagram post Wednesday. “Gaston said I should take it weekly, I said I didn’t have the time or energy to book and host a weekly show by myself. Then @emilyvgordon & @kumailn moved to town. while getting dinner with @deannarooney and I one night they said they had to check out a venue because they wanted to start a weekly comedy show. I said ‘what if you checked out my monthly show, if you like it, let’s turn it into a weekly show.’ They did, so we did… Then we did three seasons on @comedycentral. None of this would have been possible without Gaston. He creates culture around himself. creates communities. After 25 years he’s closing Meltdown and it will always be a high water mark for the creative community of Los Angeles.”
As news spread, comedians, comics creators and fans mourned Meltdown Comics on twitter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgm0w_agc1K/
Sorry to hear about @MeltdownComics. Reckon I’ll have to hurry up and use that $20 dollar gift certificate @emilyvgordon or @kumailn or @jonahray once gave me for going up there. Always smart eager fun crowds to try stuff out. ✌🏾
— Jeff Ross (@realjeffreyross) March 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/ericMesquivel/status/976649042405990400
This is me looking nuts on the floor of the NerdMelt greenroom, opening for @weismanjake’s show. Meltdown was a gift and a home to so many comics. Walking the racks, recording podcasts, doing shows – LA is about to shift seismically. We’ll be ok, but we’ll be different. pic.twitter.com/kEBWJ4h33c
— Eliza Skinner (@elizaskinner) March 22, 2018
The business of comics needs to evolve or this will keep happening —> Meltdown Comics, an LA Landmark, to Close After 25 Years https://t.co/4k8Rzmf8j5
— Hilluminati (@bryanedwardhill) March 22, 2018
https://twitter.com/kyliesparks/status/976622031625072640
https://twitter.com/adam_orth/status/976640635376517121
WHAT?!
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) March 22, 2018
Sad to find out my friends @MeltdownComics are closing their doors after 25 Years. Thank you for the love and making me feel at home. I will miss volunteering Tuesday nights for Wednesday’s new comic book day. Thank you for the honor of sharing my Pick Of The Week! #ShopLocal pic.twitter.com/uupG6I7XAz
— Nyambi Nyambi (@Nyambi) March 22, 2018
Read Gaston Dominguez-Letelier’s full statement below:
To The City of Angels,
As is the case with all good things, at some point they must come to an end. Meltdown Comics is no exception to this rule and so, after 25 years coveting every comic treasure we could lay our hands on, I’m sharing that on March 30th I’ll be closing our doors for the final time.
No business is easy, least of all one rooted in paper surrounded by brick and mortar, yet against all odds we survived just long enough to host, share, and celebrate some of the most creative and imaginative artists in the world. It has been my personal privilege to welcome so many incredibly talented minds through our doors giving them and their work a home in this great city of ours.
And what a wonderfully surreal run it’s been… we’ve watched every fad, trend, and next big thing come and go while customers became celebrities, children blossomed to adults, geeks morphed into moguls, and fanboys scored Oscars. Throughout it all, I’ve been most fortunate to be surrounded by my family and the best staff anyone could have ever wished for – through thick and thin you supported Meltdown and invested in me, I will never be able to repay you but know that I am eternally grateful and forever in your debt.
As I prepare to extinguish Sunset’s neon know that there is a new path for me (more later) and I close Meltdown without any regret. For 25 years I have been enriched by every inquisitive mind I have encountered on this journey and for that I humbly thank you, all of you.
In signing off, I urge you all to continue creating comics, buying comics, and supporting the comic book world that has given us all so much over the years.
For one last time, #LetsgoMELTDOWN!
Thank you, LA
Sincerely,
Gaston DL
Meltdown Comics
October 26, 1993 – April 1, 2018