”The grounds of Hollywood rise into a cataclysmic frenzy, as if the very depths of Hell itself have suddenly erupted, and spewed itself unto the surface! There is a strange mountain on Sunset Boulevard!

“To access the situation, is the world’s most unlikely team up: Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Morbius and Werewolf by Night — together, they are the Legion of Monsters!”

When I first read this “Legions of Monsters” story, it scared me stupid! To find it again at the Frank & Son Collectible Show was to rediscover a childhood friend. With 175 dealers and 250 tables, Frank & Son is the largest show of its kind in the U.S. It‘s an endless ocean of affordable nostalgia and new books, too, from the silly (Jingle Bells) to the electrifying (Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl?). The booths are run two days per week by industry professionals such as Juan Pivaral, owner of Comic X, and Gary Burke and Alan Rutledge, co-owners of A&G Comics.

But it doesn’t stop at comics, true believers! Frank & Son still deals in vintage trading cards, as well as in videos, DVDs, cinematic collectibles, racing collectibles, custom-model cars, and toys. “We offer hard-to-find Japanese-import toys,” says Tina Chen of Booth 812. “Images of things we grew up with, what we knew as children and still find so endearing as adults.”

Special guests — Boba Fett, Uncle Owen, Aura Sing, all of the Star Wars trilogy, and, most recently, lucha legends Sicodelico and Sicodelico Jr. — often make appearances to sign books and greet the fans. But maybe the best reason to attend comes from A&G‘s Burke: “You can buy back all the books your mom threw away!” —

19649 E. San Jose Ave., City of Industry; every Wed., 4–9:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (909) 444-7955 or (909) 594-7492.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.