Comic Store Revue

By: Matt Kamen
Date: Monday, November 20, 2006

'm going to do a little something different this week since, well, it's been a quiet week as far as all things genre-y go here in the UK. I spend a lot of time darting between Birmingham and London and have familiarised myself with a most of the comic stores in both Central London and Birmingham. With four stores left in Central London following the closure of Comics Showcase earlier this year and two in Birmingham, that's a fair number of comic stores to be frequenting even semi-regularly and so, a review of each.

London:

Orbital Comics – 148 Charing Cross Road

My personal favourite of all the London stores. Housed in a pokey subterranean abode, Orbital's size belies its selection in terms of new mainstream and independent comics as well as one of the largest selections of back issues in the capital, both full priced and bargain bin varieties. Orbital also has a healthy range of trade paperbacks and manga and a steady supply of merchandise, usually of the giant/transforming robot variety. The store has a friendly atmosphere – only store in London with a couch – and knowledgeable staff. The only downside is some of the prices can be a bit steep.

Gosh! Comics – 39 Great Russell Street

Another good one, Gosh has something of a refined air to it. The emphasis seems largely on newspaper strip art with originals of said medium being sold there often, though mainstream new releases and trades occupy almost the entirety of their ground floor. Downstairs, you'll find manga and a small selection of back issues, though this is primarily due to lack of space. Many times, they have actually had a back issue I've been searching for but I've needed to ask for it specifically and it has been found in the storage rooms. Very much a comic shop through and through, with little in the way of other merchandise but that adds to the store's charm.

Mighty World of Comicana – 237 Shaftesbury Avenue

Stepping into Comicana is like stepping into an explosion of Jack Kirby's brain. Covers of silver age and older Marvel and DC titles adorn the walls, while row upon row of back issue boxes fill the store. Very much a store aimed at the hard-core collectors of the comic world, if Comicana doesn't have a specific issue that you need in stock, they make a point of finding it for you. Their new comics are always pre-bagged before being put on the shelf though, making it a very browser-unfriendly store if you don't know what you're looking for, and most of their back issues are sold at guide price so finding a bargain isn't guaranteed.

Forbidden Planet – 179 Shaftesbury Avenue

If Forbidden Planet were a band, they'd be a low-budget garage rock group whose fans accuse them of selling out when they signed their first record contract. Having moved to larger premises not too long ago, they now, frankly, suck as a comic store. While they get most new titles in from all publishers, they have no back issues to speak of and the majority of the store is given over to toys, apparel, DVDs, sci-fi/fantasy novels, role playing paraphernalia, audio dramas; pretty much all things bar comics. Still, they're the Wal-Mart of entertainment stores, trying to cater for all tastes and succeeding quite well in diversity of range if not to any great degree of specialisation within those rangers. Prices are generally on the high side, which is another downer.

Birmingham

Nostalgia & Comics – 14-16 Smallbrook Queensway

One of, if not the, oldest comic stores in the country. Nostalgia has diversified in recent years but still prides itself in being a comic book store first and foremost, with a wide array of comics covering mainstream, independent and self-published works alike. Like Gosh in London, the back issue selection is substantially larger than the offering on the shop floor would suggest and most of the staff will be only too happy to check if what you're looking for is available. An array of toys, t-shirts, magazines and collectibles takes over a third of the large ground floor area, while the upper level is devoted to anime, manga and related merchandise. The staff all contribute to the regular in-store newsletter, a nice touch that highlights their personal favourites and gives some spotlight to lesser-known titles.

Forbidden Planet – 38 Priory Queensway

Owned by the same company as the London branch, you can expect more of the same high prices spread over a wide range of products. While they win some points for having at least some back issues, it's only a few short boxes in nothing approaching order. Both - and, presumably, all - Forbidden Planets also charge high prices for variant covers to new titles. While many stores engage in this practise for retailer incentive covers (order ten of the regular cover and you can opt to order one of the variant, for example,) Forbidden Planet's prices seem higher than most.

Reader's World – 137 Digbeth

Honourable mention here, since Reader's World is a second hand book store that happens to carry a lot of back issues. A lot of back issues. Unfortunately, barring a few boxes in the back room, they're in no order at all. They are, however, exceedingly cheap, with the mountain of comics in the front of the store rarely more than 75p each. Be aware though – price stickers are applied directly to the back covers and marker pen is used to cross out older prices. For a bargain or a quick read though, they really can't be beaten.

Contest Update

Entries are in and the winner will be declared next week, along with the new column title.

New UK DVD Picks for 20/11/2006

With the holiday season fast approaching, it's customary to see ever-more tempting DVD collections reaching shelves just in time to drain the last few pounds from our wallets. This year is no exception and this week alone offers boxed sets aplenty to eat up boring Christmas/Chanukah/Insert-celebration-here afternoons.

Doctor Who Series Two

Look, it even rhymes. Correcting the dire packaging decision made with last year's complete box, series two comes in a more sensible box; sturdier and less wasted space. The extras go a fair bit beyond series one's offerings, with out-takes, deleted scenes, commentary tracks for nine of the fourteen episodes, production video diaries and the Children in Need special. Unfortunately, while the Doctor Who Confidential episodes are included, they are once again edited to a fraction of their broadcast run time. Barring those edits, this is a near-perfect collection. Well, that and the fact that 'Love and Monsters' is on here…

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Complete Platinum Collection

Wow. Just… wow. It's clear that the UK anime industry is coming into its own when we get better collections of prestigious series than the US does. What's even more impressive is that this collection is cheaper than importing the US release (excluding the barebones, extras-deprived thinpak boxed set that the American branch of ADV offer.) The UK exclusive release boasts every extra from the enhanced 'Platinum' edition of this generation defining mecha series and several more besides, all housed in a beautiful metal case. Stunning. Of course, main pilot Shinji Ikari is still a whiny little bitch but no amount of remastering will ever change that.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Three years on from the first film and I'm still wondering how Disney managed to produce such an entertaining movie based on a slightly tacky theme park ride. However it happened, Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the finest adventure movies of recent years and while this sequel was a touch on the slow side – some might go so far as to say "drawn out" – it was a worthy successor which will hopefully lead in to a worthy finale to the trilogy next year. The movie disc has a commentary track and out-takes while a second disc offers a plethora of behind the scenes and making of materials.

That’s it for this week. Thoughts? Comments? Hatemail? Contact me at mattkamen@gmail.com