On the corner of Avenue 35 and Eagle Rock Boulevard, Revenge Of is a nostalgic haven for comic book nerds and pinball enthusiasts alike. About a fifteen-minute drive away from Occidental, Revenge Of offers a uniquely extensive catalog of comic books from both large and small publishers, as well as an array of pinball machines and a food bar.
Revenge Of regular Thomas Ouellettu said he developed his passion for the shop’s pinball machines after the COVID-19 pandemic, recalling the history of pinball as a social game for friends at spaces like bars in describing his indulgence in the game.
“It was really only a year ago that I got into it through coming here, and just how many amazingly-maintained pinball machines there were, versus if you were in a bar with one busted pinball machine,” Ouellettu said.
Ouellettu said there are various events organized by the staff of Revenge Of, like “Magic: the Gathering” drafts every Friday and the monthly Pinball League. Before finding Revenge Of, Oullettu said he did not really know of any other space that had so many social events on a regular basis, as well as a community of other pinball players.
“[Revenge Of] is a place that welcomes all levels,” Ouelletu said. “Even in the Pinball League, there’s three divisions, including people who are playing for the first time. They want to share pinball, so they’re really welcoming.”
Coral Breeden, a cashier and technician for the pinball machines at Revenge Of, said the shop acts as a pinball arcade as well as a comic lovers’ paradise. She said that many of the machines included multiplayer features to be enjoyed either with company or with newfound friends.
“My first time I came here, I didn’t know what to expect,” Breeden said. “I knew they had some pinball machines and I was like, ‘Ah, it’s a comic book shop,’ and from my experience — I’m from Tennessee — the comic book shops I’ve seen are not anything like this. This place actually got me to start reading comic books.”
Breeden said the shop’s events like “Lotzilla,” the store’s very own monthly comic convention, brings vendors, writers and artists from comic book publications within reach of Eagle Rock residents.
“[2023] was the first year I went to Comic-Con, and seeing how the writers were set up, I honestly hated it,” Breeden said. “I liked what we did here, it was so much more intimate.”
Revenge Of manager Kenzie Bizon said the shop had a difficult and slow start opening in January 2022.
“It was pretty quiet,” Bizon said. “People were definitely timid about spending any kind of money on something like comics or anything recreational like that, and also, I think, part of it was just like ‘We’re a new business’. Now, we’ve made a name for ourselves.”
Bizon said the support shown the by the Eagle Rock community is vital to their business and has allowed for wider recognition beyond the shop’s immediate area.
“Each event you do gets bigger and bigger and more people show up,” Bizon said. “The caliber of celebrities and writers and artists gets bigger and bigger [as well].”
Bizon said patrons can keep up with the shop’s happenings through the monthly event calendar that Revenge Of makes available on the shop’s Instagram account, like Monday livestreams.
“[The livestream] is usually all of us that work here, hanging out, talking about everything coming out,” Bizon said.
Bizon said there are new comics and free play on some of the pinball machines on Wednesdays.
“We pick two machines, and these are on free play all night,” Bizon said. “We usually have songs playing, you can get food and just hang out.”
Bizon said Revenge Of often publicizes the work of smaller writers, giving them a platform for readership, along with the other comic bookstores it collaborates with. Since joining the Revenge Of team, she said she has rediscovered her own love for comic books.
“I just didn’t realize that there were so many other types of comics,” Bizon said. “I thought, you know, X-Men and superheroes were all that there was. I have an appreciation for that, but I didn’t know that there was so many other stories being made.”
Contact Joaquin Martinez at jmartinez7@oxy.edu.
