The In Store

I’m one of those sad comic book collectors that where ever they are, if there is a comic book store they’ll stick there head in. You never know where you’ll find that hard to find issue to complete your collection of a comic. During my international comic hunting travels I have come across a lot of very cool stores that have been so kind to me so every now and again I want to give a little shout out to them.

The first such store I want to discuss is the one which is to thank for me to get my new releases every two week, the UK chain Forbidden Planet found at www.forbidden-planet.co.uk

Without these guys I’d still be putting up with my weeks (sometimes months) late Marvel subscription that arrived battered and bruised. Without these guys I’d still only be following 4 titles a month, instead of what now must be 40.

The selection of comics on offer covers all of the big American publishers such as Marvel, DC and Image as well as several smaller Indy publishers like Avater, IDW and Virgin. They offer the large majority of comic books released every month allowing for any UK collector to easily keep up to date with most comic books.

Their customer support is excellent as well. If I’ve received an issue with printing errors (Pages falling out, misprints etc) they send me a replacement to make up for it. If I’m having trouble finding something not many people are carrying they always try to track down the item for me. They also hold my comics from being sent out when I’m away from home. The Forbidden Planet staff seems to really strive to make you getting your comics as easily as possible for you.

They offer a 25% discount on all preorders covering comic books, trade paperbacks and hardcovers. This allows you do buy more, rather then keep the saved money of course.

Back issue selection leaves something to be desired on their offshoot site www.backissuecomics.co.uk The selection isn't the best and the prices aren’t great but it still ranks as one of the better UK back issue sellers. This is a problem with UK back issues in general, which is why I tend to import them something which I will discuss later.

I’ve heard many people complain about their high street stores but from the ones I have visited they have been nothing but friendly, again helping me track down issues I would like and always offering a smile.

I would recommend their site and their subscription service to anyone looking to following comics in the UK. I’ve yet to find another service that beats it.