For a lot of people, comic books and their related paraphernalia are a guilty pleasure: but nowadays, regular cinema-goers buy tickets for Batman, Watchmen and Transformers; television show creators borrow from the genre in Heroes and Battlestar Galactica, and the writers and creators of Lost and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have crossed the divide to produce comics of their own.
With recent news of Disney’s takeover of Marvel Entertainment, Spider-Man and Mickey Mouse have now appeared front and centre in the business section of the Times and Telegraph newspapers!
With this in mind, I thought I would shine my “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull” torch over three purveyors of scintillating comic books and terrific toys and games in the city of Leeds.
The big player, if you will, is FP, named for the best 50’s sci-fi Shakespeare film of them all: Forbidden Planet.
Forbidden Planet International Leeds
30 Eastgate
The Headrow
Leeds
LS2 7JL
0113 242 6325
Forbidden Planet has stores all over the country, as well as an internet presence that has been running for a long, long while.
Offering a large selection of British, American and European comic books, as well as back-issue bins, toys and t-shirts, FP (as it is known) also prides itself on keeping up with the latest releases from film and television, such as Doctor Who, Star Wars and Star Trek, Nightmare Before Christmas, Family Guy, Twilight… you get the picture. As well as the usual toys and games, they offer Statues and posters of your favourite fictional fellows, as well as the more obscure examples of urban vinyl that you never knew you really needed (and you need them!).
Although like many larger department stores, FP can be a little imposing to the casual visitor, the staff that I have encountered in the half a dozen stores I have visited so far are a knowledgeable lot, and with their size and number, you can more often than not find just what you were looking for.
Or just what you weren’t looking for, but you’ll buy it anyway!
A smaller, but no less professional outfit is the famous (in comic shop circles) Leeds store
OK Comics: The Comic Book Shop in Leeds
19 Thornton’s Arcade
Briggate
Leeds
LS1 6LQ
01132 469366
OK Comics is an award-winning independent comic book shop in the centre of the city, selling all kinds of comics old and new, magazines and graphic novels.
Staying on top of their game and ahead of the curve is a good trait for any small business to have, and OK Comics has used a number of excellent ideas, such as the KAPOWCH! Re-usable bag for life, a unique (to the best of my knowledge) graphic novel lending Library service, and a semi-regular “Doodle-Booze” Drink and Draw, where fans of the medium can meet in an informal atmosphere and, well, have a drink and draw!
Like other larger comic shops, OK Comics proudly hosts signings, having had John Reppion and Leah Moore (Albion, Sherlock Holmes, Complete Dracula) as well as Kevin O’Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen [LOEG], Nemesis, Judge Dredd, Metalzoic) dropping in to meet their fans and sign their publications.
On the internet side of things, OK Comics has an excellent comic forum for like-minded to chat and non-like-minded people to argue all things comicbook and comics-related.
They also partner with another comics supplier:
Quicksilver Comics
2a Hilda Street
Ossett
WF5 0JJ
01132 34011
Quicksilver Comics supply a massive selection of classic Gold- and Silver- age comics. Their excellent website shows the thousands of back issues that are kept in stock, priced to suit any budget.
Lastly, but by no means leastly, I would like to big-up
Travelling Man Leeds
32 Central Road
Leeds
LS1 6DE
01132 436461
Another independent retailer, although one with shops in Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne and York as well as their Leeds store, Travelling Man Leeds is a well-run friendly store with an excellent choice of T-shirts, games, books, manga and all sorts of collectables.
Outside of stocking products from the big names – DC, Marvel, D&D and the like – Travelling Man also stocks smaller publishers such as Image, Dark Horse, Ariel and any number of one-shots and special-interest books and games. For a long time, TM (I did that) has championed self-publishers, with ashcans (self-made black-and-white comics with very limited print runs) available by the till.
As well as 20-sided dice made from amber, of course.
Customers are encouraged to participate in a number of special nights/days, such as a 2-day Manga Event and a Death Note Day (and if you don’t know what that entails – cosplay, art competitions and screenings – then such an event is quite the eye-opener).
Travelling Man has announced its own comic-con, even: the We Love Comics Con! for this weekend, with special guests in attendance.
As with FP and OK, TM have very knowledgeable staff, who are more than happy to chat and discuss comic stories and games, and have a friendly open atmosphere for any visitor, whether you are a hardcore geek or a fresh-out-of-the-mylar-bag newbie, and Travelling Man also holds open nights in the Drink and Draw style as mentioned above, so you can link-up with the like-minded!
All in all, Leeds offers a great selection of comic book sellers, one that a great many other cities would be envious of, and most importantly they know how to help the fans and encourage small publishers, an act that we should all be proud of.
(Do I get to say “Excelsior!” yet?)
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You may also be interested in:
York Comics
Chester Comic Book Stores
See Also:
Bookshops in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Bookshops in York, North Yorkshire, UK
Bookshops in Chester, Cheshire, UK
Bookshops in Liverpool, Merseyside, UK
Bookshops in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK
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