DJ’s Universal Comics

Near my old condo. Smaller shop in a strip mall. Nice selection of newer and a bit of older stuff. Great selection of figures and busts. Really nice customer service: friendly and helpful.

This store is a nice LCS (local comic shop) servicing the So Cal area of Los Angeles’ Valley.
It’s not large in store space size, but their inventory seems to fill the space nicely providing a good solid selection as well as a variety of categories from comic books to toys/​figures/​statues and graphic novels/​trade paperbacks.
The one thing lacking here as with most LCS are vintage comic book back issues, especially high end high grade key silver age super hero books. I know those are rare and scarce for stores to stock as well as expensive inventory items with typically lower profit margins ‘tho.
This store earned it’s 4^th * star by the owner’s comments about how he likes to turnover inventory frequently, so that the same ‘ol unsold stale dust collector’s aren’t stockpiling and visitors can look forward to something market fresh and new to the store. I think that’s a refreshing attitude of not being complacent and turning a store into a warehouse of stuff nobody wants.
With so many conventions and online options, the LCS is a dying breed, but truth be told, it’s a safe haven for fans to come to have great conversations and engagement.
I don’t live in The Valley, but I’d most certainly take the 45 min drive over here for the right reasons such as any in-​store signings with comic book creators or any opportunities to pick up bargains on sale.

Love coming here!!! So much to see and buy! Incredible kind people who know their stuff! Always enjoy talking with them and browsing. BEST DEALS in town FYI!

This place is amazing! Heather and Cat are incredibly knowledgable in just about everything I ask them. They have a weekly pull list for anyone. No membership required or fees. Everything is gimmick free. Also, they are willing to hold them for a week if you can’t make it on Wednesday! They offer an amazing discount on new releases and their shop is stacked with awesome figurines and collectables. Parking has never been an issue and there is an amazing sushi spot on the first floor of the shopping center. Happy Readings!

Great store, great staff! Are you worried about being judged for your taste in comics? Not here. Are you worried about being judged as a band wagoner cuz you loved guardians of the galaxy? Not here. Are you worried about asking a dumb/​uncool question because you are curious or behind in the times? Not here. Cat and heather create a great atmosphere for customers and so do the customers! You can easily burn two hours just chit chatting or listening in on a conversation. The staff is helpful and will always point you in the right direction, even if it’s out the door to another place. New comics are a great deal, bring cash if you can. So many toys and collectibles. Supplies are the best price for bags, boards and boxes. Load up when you can because guys like me will buy them out.

Solid comic book shop that has a better price on new releases than any comic shop in Los Angeles County. Useful Pull list at
the shop gives you a discount and does the work of pulling the comics for your convenience.
The layout is simple and functional — each weeks new releases are laid out on release day across a couple of tables making it easy to get an overview of all of the weeks books. If you need back issues the shop can get them for you no problem.
Cat the owner and Heather are good people who are very helpful. This shop meets the business model 1) Offer a better service 2) at a better price and 3) better then anyone else.

Although we did not find what we were looking for here, we were quite impressed at their vast toys selections. It was one of the best we’ve seen after visiting numerous comic book shops in the valley. The friendly blonde lady at the counter makes the atmosphere in the store cozier too. Nice and helpful that’s what customers like to see in any establishment.
We were pretty mesmerized looking at their toys it was fun :) Please stock up on more variant comics!

Love this Place! DJ has had this shop for years… different locations up and down Ventura, but always been around. He’s super knowledgeable and runs his shop great. Definitely my #1 or #2. rank only depends on if i’m in the area. Highly recommended. Support local!

Cat is great to me. Knows me by name. Knows what I like and suggests new things. I enjoy every time I get to visit the store.
I can see where people looking for older stuff can be let down. Luckily for me I am into New 52 stuff so I’m all good.
I especially like his pre-​pull service. Just go on his website on Monday. Click the list of what you want for the week and he has it ready Wednesday afternoon, and gives you 10% off. And he totally understanding if you can’t make it to the store within a few days. He holds my stuff an extra week for me all the time.

Great shop owned by an awesome guy. Great selection and the owner is very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this shop!

Great shop with a good amount of back issues into the early 2000’s. Very well organized and maintained. Cat can come off as a little aggresive but he’s a great guy overall. I’ve been buying comics from him since I was about 12 years old. Always the same olé Cat. Very knoledgeable and his sales are awesome!

The best comic book /​toys shop in town. In the heart of studio city, Cat the owner is the best very helpful and he knows his stuff. You can set up a pul list and get a discount on future comics and trads

Wow that owner was aggressive and rude. I’m in the shop less than ten seconds, just perusing:
Him (talking very loudly and aggressively): what you looking for, bro?
Me: um, just some mid-​2000s stuff…
Him: bro, seriously bro, I’m one of the top ten sellers in this city, no one bought those comics back then, no one has then now, no one wanted them so I don’t keep em. Check ebay for that crap, bro.
I’m not your «bro». If you don’t want a customer to peruse and maybe buy something he hadn’t intended to buy, you did a great job in making me want to leave.

Cool small store with a small selection of back issues. Has all the current titles, toys, statues, and TPBs. Store staff was very helpful and friendly (lady with the Daryl Dixon shirt). Definitely will be coming back again.

Without question this is my favorite comic shop. I travel all over the country for work and Cat is without a doubt one of the coolest and nicest guys ive had the pleasure of meeting.
Great selection of recent back issues and the 30% discount on new books is still the best I have EVER seen.
Do yourself a favor a stop by and check out the place youll be glad you did.

I came here last weekend with my girlfriend and her nephew. She had booked marked this comic shop and we were in the area so we decided to stop by. This shop was pretty cool, and the gentleman we spoke with (Sorry, I can’t rememebr your name) was very helpful and knowledge able (both with the Comics and and figures being sold as well as local knowledge with local shops… as I don’t live around here). The prices were reasonable for the items at hand, and there were lots and lots of cool goodies here! I look forward to my next visit.

I have been to a half a dozen different comic places around the valley and always looking for new ones. However, the two times I have gone here were bad experiences. Not simply bad by random events but by interactions with the person that I was dealing with (same one both times). I have experienced so much better service and personality from other smaller stores in the area,
First experience, the new comics didn’t come on Wednesday, so I was forced to go to another store to get them, which I never experienced ever. I understand that it could have been an aberration and may have never happened before, but the guy there didn’t explain that it was unusual. In fact, he never even mentioned to me that his new issues hadn’t come in, but we overheard him explain it to a regular. Not a good first impression.
I decided that maybe it was a fluke and the guy was having a bad day. So I decided to give it another chance the following week.
Second experience, I wasn’t able to use my debit card unless I spent $ 20 or more because of his fees. Never have I ever been forced to leave a store because I didn’t buy enough. I understand bank fees are a lot for smaller retailers but a sign posted in the store would’ve waste neither of our time. Not to mention, this was a smaller week for me and he didn’t have a very large variety of new books to purchase.
He was more eager for me to purchase more and then give me a discount, which didn’t make sense to me. Also, he didn’t have bags for his comics but only had the boards. He was willing to let me walk out the door with nothing as opposed to letting me purchase what I initially intended to buy. So he was willing to let me leave his store with a bad taste in my mouth simply because I didn’t feel the need to cover «his» fees. Not a solid business approach. I will travel back to one of my other haunts and purchase what I need and maybe something else because they treat me like a person.
The guy is not friendly to new people, much of the way he is to repeat customers. Never engaged me to see what brought me in, unlike other stores in the area. I found him to be standoff-​ish and disappointed as people on Unilocal claim that this is the best place in the Valley, while places like PittStop and Collector’s Paradise have better customer service. Yet they aren’t flawless but don’t treat you like they are doing you the favor.
It is unfortunate that I will never come to this place again. He was not social or even willing to help me, both times, with anything or simply engage me. The first time, he felt the need to stay on his phone and talk to his kids in the back. The second time, he looked like I was bothering him. I will never recommend this place to anyone and tell them to try the other place down the street. As I recommend places on my blog and podcast, I will tell people they need to stay away from this place. It is unfortunate, but there are better places to go.

Not only have I worked at comic shops in Los Angeles but I have also been a part of the industry for a decade. I can say that, without a doubt, DJ’s has the best prices in comics.
Not only does this place have the best discount for Pull Customers but they also have amazing deals on new toys, statues, and graphic novels.
Honestly, I have been to comics shops all over the country and DJ’s really does have the best prices and a genuinely friendly staff.

I haven’t lived in LA for a couple of years, and I don’t really miss it. But there are a few things I do miss. The weather for sure. The live music scene as well. But what I miss more than anything is Cat’s comic shop. And it’s not just because I have to drive to another town in Texas to get my funny papers; with traffic the way it is in LA, I probably spent more time on the road driving across the congested metroplex to DJ’s Universal Comics than I do driving from little Longview to littler Kilgore. What I miss is the service.
Cat, the owner and operator, is extremely friendly, intelligent, funny, personable and possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of comic books. He’s not the stereotypical «Comic Book Guy» you see on THE SIMPSONS who likes to exclude outsiders from the scene. He’s always ingratiating to new customers and instantly makes them feel right at home. He did it for me, and I’ve seen him do the same for every new customer who ever wandered into his shop.
If he doesn’t have what you’re looking for in stock, I’ve rarely seen an occasion in which he couldn’t order it for you and have it arrive in short order. He’s also a huge help in putting together comic runs. I remember when I first discovered Garth Ennis’ HITMAN series; Cat put together the entire run for me. I’m not sure from where, trade secrets and all. But I do know that the next time I walked through his doors, he handed me the first five HITMAN trade paperbacks and issues 28 – 60, completing the run. He even had the HITMAN VERSUS LOBO one shot, just because Cat’s a go-​the-​extra-​mile kind of guy.
I really miss this comic shop. I miss Cat’s wife and his gorgeous and funny kids. There are tons of comic shops in LA, and several within five minutes of where I used to live. I went to DJ’s Universal Comics because that’s the one Cat operated.

Kat knows the industry well and gives excellent options and information regarding the new comic books out there. He goes out of his way to get you what you need while visiting his store.
Wednesdays it can get a little crowded, because that’s when all the new books come out, but if you have the patience to wait in line, you will be rewarded with the books and info you seek.