A friend of Al’s Comics — once in the Mission — passed this on. The rent party is tonight at 1803 Market Street.

Al’s Comics, a San Francisco institution for over 20 years, extends an invitation to all comic art lovers to a show of support.

Al’s has been struggling to keep its doors open during the economic downturn as attempts to negotiate a reduction in rent at 1803 Market Street in San Francisco have been frustrated by an inflexible building manager, despite the preponderance of empty retail spaces throughout the city.

Established in 1989 by Al Kizziah, Al’s comics originally resided in a cramped but filled-to-the-walls space at 17th and Guerrero in the Mission. The store moved several years ago to its present location at 1803 Market Street in order to make more room for Al’s sizable inventory and extensive back catalog.

Al’s has long been a community favorite and was named one of San Francisco’s best comic book stores by KCBS in December 2010 (http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/top-lists/san-francisco%E2%80%99s-5-best-comic-book-stores/). According to KCBS, “the real draw at Al’s Comics is Al himself. If you were to call Central Casting and ask for a curmudgeonly comic book store guy, you’d get owner Al Kizziah. No drinks! No food! No touching! No kidding! But it all adds to the nostalgic experience of the comic shop. Al has been at the helm of his beloved store, knowing more about comics than you (and saying so) for over twenty years.”

Al’s is well loved for stocking a wide variety of comic books, from the latest issues of popular classic titles to indie press darlings. Beyond comic books, Al’s Comics also sells graphic novels, collectible magazines, comic-themed T-shirts, toys, memorabilia and more.

Join the Party

Al’s firing up the bat signal, calling all loyal customers and comics fans to a shopping party. Al’s will be open late and a variety of DJs, musicians and artists will be at the scene, providing good beats and vibes.

Location

Al’s is located at 1803 Market Street and can be contacted at 415-861-1220.

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I’ve been a Mission resident since 1998 and a professor emeritus at Berkeley’s J-school since 2019. I got my start in newspapers at the Albuquerque Tribune in the city where I was born and raised. Like many local news outlets, The Tribune no longer exists. I left daily newspapers after working at The New York Times for the business, foreign and city desks. Lucky for all of us, it is still here.

As an old friend once pointed out, local has long been in my bones. My Master’s Project at Columbia, later published in New York Magazine, was on New York City’s experiment in community boards.

As founder/executive editor at ML, I've been trying to figure out how to make my interest in local news sustainable. If Mission Local is a model, the answer might be that you - the readers - reward steady and smart content. As a thank you for that support we work every day to make our content even better.

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