It's not just record stores that are dealing with the scourge of online retailers and digital piracy. You can illegally obtain scans of comics almost as easily as mp3s, and online-only distributors are selling books at much steeper discounts than physical stores can afford. No shop in Orange County is better equipped to deal with this than Beach Ball Comics, which is actually organized (gasp!), clean (shock!) and well-lit (the horror!). Instead of being crammed with random junk, the store is tidy and inviting, with stock arranged logically—all of the new comics for the current week on one shelf, all of the ones from last week on another. These things sound like a no-brainer, but finding what you want at most comic stores can be as challenging as deciphering the ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion. And if you truly can't find something (or are looking for a recommendation), the chatty staff will be happy to help—also something that doesn't happen at nearly as many stores as it should.