Ghoste99

I think your memory goes back further than mine, actually and I think the history is probably a combination of what we both remember. According to an article in The Oklahoman, Mike Madden opened Bibliofile Books near Campus corner in 1978, started carrying comics and opened Southside Comics in south Oklahoma City in 1985. I remember a Southside Comics that became Planet on Campus Corner and remember the Bibliofile Books name, but I don't know if he changed the name of Bibliofile Books or if he opened a separate Southside store on Campus Corner. I'm guessing Steve was running the Norman store as manager, maybe? From '83 to '88, I was driving to Norman from small town Lexington for my weekly comicshops run and sometimes popping in to the record shop that was on Campus Corner (Shadowplay Records, I think), so some of that history is before my time. I don't recall ever going to Bibliofile, but I did go to the Book Stall store a lot, though. I think Book Stall was on Main St when I started shopping at it, then moved to Gray St and they had a small collection of back issues with the more expensive ones kept behind the counter. In the late 80's I moved to Norman and hung out and worked on Campus Corner through the early 90's and remember other shops and proprietors from that time period much better. Now, I'm curious about Bibliophile Books. I'll have to ask some friends who will know more about it than I do. Bart's store, Metropolis, was my favorite of all of them from that time, though. He had a fantastic assortment of... well, everything, really! New and old comics and pulps (I bought a Doc Savage pulp from him there. Sold it back to him years later, then bought it back from him at OAFCon a couple years back. Lol). Movie and comics posters and original art (I remember he had a beautiful golden age Superman page framed on one of the walls) and an amazing selection of some manga and Japanese model imports - I bought a model of Space Battleship Yamato from him but really wanted the Mach 5 with metal buzzsaws! A lot of the stuff he carried, I would never have gotten to see, otherwise. It was a small shop but a world of wonders!

If I remember correctly, in the early to mid-80's, Southside Comics and Science Fiction, run by Steve (Richter, I think is his last name) was on Campus Corner and Bart had Metropolis on Hal Muldrow Dr. (Someplace, I still have a brochure of Bart's Metropolis store.) I think the Southside Comics store became Planet Comics and Science Fiction shortly before they moved over to the location on Main St across from Norman High School, around the time they merged and Bart came on board. The former location of Southside/Planet on Campus Corner went on to become Cookies 'n Cards that was owned by Nancy Russell.