Editor Pick
Forbidden Planet
- February 20, 2005
- Rated 4 of 5 by
joellevand from Edgewater Park, New Jersey
I'm not sure why it is, but I seem to attract the comic book geek type. Every guy I've ever dated has been into some form of comic, and thus I've cultivated a taste for certain ones myself (anything Neil Gaiman or Jhonen Vasquez). This means exploring a lot of comic book shops and also being dragged to out-of-the-way shops by boyfriends searching for the newest independent publisher's book, which is especially true now that my boyfriend and I are web comic writers and artists ourselves.
As such, I've become an expert on comic-book shops. Most places aren't exactly friendly toward the female of the species. I've had my share of guys staring at me as if I was about to transform into some man-eating demon or ogling me in ways that would cause most super-heroines to kick some serious ass. In fact, in most places, I can't even get a clerk to look me in the eye, let alone tell me what the price of the new Delirium bust is and whether there will be a Death one any time soon.
Luckily for me (and all womankind), there is Forbidden Planet, a chain comic book shop that feels like anything but. Forget your hometown Hall of Heroes shops--this place is for everyone, and the Manchester store is a cut above the rest. Unlike the disasterous clutter and absent-minded staff of their London shop, the Manchester Forbidden Planet is well-organized and neatly laid-out. It was a bit pricey to begin with, but as more mainstream and independent publisher-carrying stores have filtered into the city, Forbidden Planet's prices have come drastically down, making for some seriously cheap shopping not only for books, but for figurines, collectibles, manga--everything under the sun. They even carry DVDs and postcards now, among other things.
Even someone who's never opened a comic before could find something to like in here, even if it's just the TV show videos, books, and figures on the first floor or the Monty Python action figures. It's impossible not to be amused for at least a short period of time.
Of all the comic book shops I've been to, of all the Forbidden Planets I've been to, this one is incredibly welcoming, even if the staff do tend to stick to themselves behind the registers. It's well-lit and full of something for everyone, so that on any given day, you'll find a 50-year-old Superman collector in line behind a 13-year-old X-Men fan and a college student with a stack of the more story-driven speculative fiction books in hand. And if you need help, the clerks are more than willing to help you--you just have to ask.
From journal Six Months Living in Manchester