There weren't many comic-art hybrid stores to choose from for this award, but that's sort of the point. The guy who runs Mission: Comics & Art opened the place in 2008 because he wanted to create a place where art could inform comic books as well as the other way around. The result is an organized, comfortable, well-run store with a vast collection of graphic novels, art and illustration books, children's comics, trade paperbacks, and more. The store also doubles as a gallery for local art that oftentimes winds up being a little offbeat. Example: In February, a different scarf was on display every single day.