We used to feel awkward about never growing out of that dorky comic-book phase until we found Secret Headquarters, a smart Silver Lake shop disguised as a professor's old-fashioned library.

Comic aficionados and store owners Dave Pifer and David Ritchie pluck the best titles from all genres in the comic book world, from blockbuster superhero characters and deliciously indecent drawings to graphic novels critically acclaimed for their literary merit. The cigar-lounge ambience and chocolate-brown-leather easy chairs invite customers to settle in and leaf through the newest X-Men Zombies comic or featured titles (like the coming-of-age memoir Night Fisher from first-time author R. Kikuo Johnson) by the light of frosted lampshades. The only comic-related things that aren't found at Secret Headquarters are glass-encased toys or cluttered bins of collectible back issues wrapped in plastic. Instead, there is a neat hanging wall display of current comic-book series that have the potent addictiveness of "Lost." A suggested remedy for series junkies is Secret Headquarters' subscription service, which lists your favorite comic series and pulls them aside as issues are released. Chat up the store owners to discover unexpected new authors before they reach critical mass. —Rhea Cortado