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Comics in London

HERE BE NO DRAGONET

14:13 / 11.01.05

A friend of mine went to England (i'm from Brazil) and is going to buy some comic for me. I have some questions for you, London based comic boys and girls.

1- How much it coust a single issue over there? (for an exemple, We3)

2- Where is the best place to go?

sorry about the english, and tanks for your time...

Triplets

14:21 / 11.01.05

Hi HBND!

FORBIDDEN PLANET, on New Oxford Street is the biggest comics shop going in London and probably the place your friend should look at.

Comics should cost between £1.50 and £2.50 usually(depending on the rotation of Jack Kirby's corpse)

Our Lady Has Left the Building

16:02 / 11.01.05

They're also a big bag of suck.

Well, not quite but anyway, Gosh comics are nicer.

sleazenation

16:29 / 11.01.05

More importantly, Forbidden Planet is no longer on New Oxford Street - it is now located on Shaftsbury Avenue. And like flowers, I wouldn't recommend FP as a particularly good comic shop - its a toyshop with a comics in the basement. I would recommend GOSH, located opposite the British Museum on Great Russel Street.

Benny the Ball

17:52 / 11.01.05

Gosh is very good. Comic Showcase on Charringcross Road is good for new releases.

Mega City Comics in Camden is good (Can't remember the name of the road it's on).

30th Century Comics On Upper Richmond Road, near Putney Bridge has a great selection of unusual back issues.

Axolotl

18:37 / 11.01.05

Whilst Forbidden Planet sucks as a regular comic shop, it does have a very wide stock of new and recent issues and TPBs and therefore might well make a good port of call for a visitor to London.
However Gosh! is a much better shop in general, and is a lot better for indie comics. I'd back everyone's recommendation of it.

Alex's Grandma

19:23 / 11.01.05

Mega City Comics is on Inverness Street, first left turn past the Virgin Megastore as you stumble out of the tube.

coweatman

19:50 / 11.01.05

forbidden planet almost made me miss my flight home.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:42 / 11.01.05

Forbidden Planet treat their staff like shit and are owned by two of the most unpleasant specimens of humanity it has ever been my misfortune to meet, and should therefore be spurned as you would spurn a rabid dog.

Dan Fish - @Fish1k

09:19 / 12.01.05

Central London, all withing walking distance:

--FP
(Impressive McShop for visitors, lots of toys, no back issues, good Trade selection)
--Gosh
(good Trade selection, ok Back Issues, Emphasis on Indies, good all-rounder)
--Comicana
(Great for Back Issues)
--Comic Showcase
(Emphasis on Indies)
--Orbital
(Great for Back Issues)

(I'm not forgetting anyone there, am I?)

You should also visit Comic & Book Exchange for second-hand bargains, at Notting Hill.

ONLY NICE THINGS

11:33 / 12.01.05

Comic Showcase - emphasis on Indies? Are you on independent crack? Comics Showcase should be cherished because it is exactly what a comic store should be: dimly-lit and smelling of milk.

Is Orbital a real comic shop, then? I assumed it just sold five comics and a lot of porn...

sleazenation

12:58 / 12.01.05

Sadly I think many would see the act of simply stocking indie comics as 'focusing' on them. Showcase doesn't just stock them it has piles of them on a little table in the middle of the shop. I haven't yet managed to determine the criteria used to select comics for this table - have the been placed there because the staff recommend them or was there simply no space for them elsewhere...?

Showcase does indeed have a decent selection of comics across the board (leaving aside foreign-language comics) and does actually have a back issue section downstairs - its just they do not always staff the shop in such a way as to permit access to the downstairs area. It also opens later in the evening than other comic shops in the area on thursdays and fridays.

Orbital does sell a selection of current comics in addition to its formidible back issue stock - I've never seen any porn there, but then again I am apt to be paying more attention to the comics...

HERE BE NO DRAGONET

23:48 / 12.01.05

Thank you all very much! I gave the link of this forum to my friend and she will decide where to go, based on her current location and your tips. Tanks again.

Dan Fish - @Fish1k

06:54 / 13.01.05

Comic Showcase - emphasis on Indies? Are you on independent crack? Comics Showcase should be cherished because it is exactly what a comic store should be: dimly-lit and smelling of milk.

Is Orbital a real comic shop, then? I assumed it just sold five comics and a lot of porn...

I thought Comic Showcase looked pretty good actually - To me, it seems to devote pretty equal amount of shelf space to Marvel/DC/Dark Horse/TV&Film spin-offs/Indies like Crumb, Clowes, Etc. Maybe you are remembering the old Neal Street location? The Charing Cross site seems well lit, maybe they'd had an acident involving milk and smashed lightbulbs when you went there last...

Orbital has no porn on display (though it used to be next to a sex shop), unless one is sexually motivated by transforming robots, of which they have plenty.

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:50 / 13.01.05

Ah - it's the new location of the shop that used to be on Denmark Street, then? That makes sense.

minifig

05:44 / 22.07.06

Comics Showcase should be cherished because it is exactly what a comic store should be: dimly-lit and smelling of milk.

And now it is no more. Sniff.

Chew On Fat

10:01 / 01.08.06

I call into Comic & Book Exchange in Notting Hill v often as it is on my way home from work. They have a policy of marking down the price progressively, the longer the books are in the shop. this means that sometimes I nervously put my desired book back on the rack, hoping it'll sttill be there in a few weeks at a lower price. I'm not really so tight when it comes to comics, I just spend a fortune on them every week as it is.

Plenty of bargains there tho. I got some Garth Ennis authority (great fun!) and x-force comics for 30-50p each. Most trade paperbacks might be £5-6 if they sit around for a bit. Sometimes lower.

Chew On Fat

10:06 / 01.08.06

Oh, and a nice touch - The back issue stalls are generally divided up by comics company except for a special space labelled 'Wizards' for any back issues written by Our Grant and Alan Moore.

Jawsus-son Starship

17:45 / 01.08.06

I second the comic and book exchange.

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