Comic Showcase, London 1986 0

[EwanUK]

the seminal Comic Showcase in London circa 1985

 

Can you make out the books for sale?

 

 

 

 

[herc2000]

Paul had some great books there!

[RockMyAmadeus]

Oh, how appropriate that they should be near Monmouth and Neal Sts.

 

I was laughed at when I went to London in 1997 and pronounced it "Lie-Chester Square"...

 

[comics-rock]

i went in this shop bout 5 years ago and all i can say is his stock has changed dramatically!

[Flaming_Telepath]

Unfortunately, Comic Showcase is now gone.

 

Back in the 80s/90s it was a cut above. (thumbs u

[sniderwj]

Seems like a great looking store. I never want there when I lived in England.. I remember Forbidden Planet down in London. I lived up in Suffolk so I went to a store outside of the RAF base we were stationed at. Right above a Dr. Martin store.

 

[Ringfinger]

I've been in that area, go figure.

[3319comics]

Any good stores in Paris?

[Ken Aldred]

I lived in London from 1985 to 1990 and went to Showcase regularly.

 

Picked up quite a few reasonably priced books there during that period. There were lots of 70's books like Kirby Fourth World in their boxes, generally very high grade apart from ink spray on the top. Warehouse-find stock, maybe? A lot of that sort of stuff at 75p.

 

I picked up my Avengers 4 there in high grade for £25, Wrightson Swamp Thing 1 for £2, which looks about 9.6

 

I stopped going there circa autumn 1990, around the time of the speculator boom here in the UK. What spoiled the shop completely for me was the statement "we're putting our prices up, so either you pay them or go and collect something else". Else, not elsewhere. Rather cheeky. A rush of blood to the head because of the way the market was going, I suppose, but because I was leaving the city a few weeks later I left the shop without any regret or a sense that I would be missing something.

 

When I visited London briefly in winter 2003 I had a quick look at what was to be Showcase's last shop on Tottenham Court Road. Quite dark and claustrophobic, only trade paperbacks and new comics on the ground floor, a cordoned off inaccessible original art section downstairs. Barely a shadow of what it was originally, like Nick said earlier.

 

To end on a more positive note, around 1989 or so, maybe, I remember Tim Pilcher working there. Always very helpful, friendly and genuine, and we had some great chats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2009 by Ken Aldred

[t3quila]

Comic Showcase was awesome, I mourn it's passing, most comic shops is London are bollocks now

[Earl Davis]

It was rare for me to shop in London but I do remember a great little place in Notting Hill that provided great cheap reading. The other good shop that sticks in the mind was Gosh near the British Museum.

 

Earl.

[Galactus]

Earl if we are thinking about the same shop in Notting Hill, then it was run by a man called Roger who was a very informed collector. If memory serves me right, thats were i picked up both my copies of Seduction of the Innocent (The US one with the biblio page and the UK edition).

 

As to Comic Showcase, i use to go there every other week in 1982-85, the best place for back issues at the time bar none. Picked up many high grade Silver and Golden age comics over the years and was quite sad to hear of it's demise.

 

[StarkEnterprises]

most comic shops is London are bollocks now

 

Yep. I'd say that the only decent ones I've ever been to are Gosh (for new stuff and non-superhero fare), Orbital (for new and old comics plus decent signings) and 30th Century Comics (for its huge range of vintage comics).

[Comicopolis]

Most comic shops is England are bollocks.

[LP560-migration]

nostalgic

[Galactus]

Comicopolis, you should venture to the states more than, as i must say that most shops in the states are bollocks for older material also.

 

At least in Central London you have Gosh, Orbital and Comicana that have a quantity of Silver Age back issues, and that's just central London. In the whole of London there are quite a few more 30 century, Krypton etc. In the whole of Manhatten i have only come across 3 shops that i have found carry any depth of Silver Age and thats out of the 10 shops that i visited. Most will have a few Bronze Age and maybe a handfull of Silver Age, but that is in.

 

So i think its unfair to say the shops over here are mess, well at least the London ones (can't really comment on the outer London shops . )

[comics-rock]

Seems like a great looking store. I never want there when I lived in England.. I remember Forbidden Planet down in London. I lived up in Suffolk so I went to a store outside of the RAF base we were stationed at. Right above a Dr. Martin store.

 

That moved now I think. There's one in Manchester which was pretty neat. No back issues though.

[Earl Davis]

Most comic shops is England are bollocks.

 

I have fond memories of a great little comic shop in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent where I shopped as a lad. Sadly it is now a florists.

Edited August 29, 2009 by Earl Davis

[Comicopolis]

Comicopolis, you should venture to the states more than, as i must say that most shops in the states are bollocks for older material also.

 

At least in Central London you have Gosh, Orbital and Comicana that have a quantity of Silver Age back issues, and that's just central London. In the whole of London there are quite a few more 30 century, Krypton etc. In the whole of Manhatten i have only come across 3 shops that i have found carry any depth of Silver Age and thats out of the 10 shops that i visited. Most will have a few Bronze Age and maybe a handfull of Silver Age, but that is in.

 

So i think its unfair to say the shops over here are mess, well at least the London ones (can't really comment on the outer London shops . )

 

"Most comic shops is England are bollocks."

 

The key word here is 'most'.

[The_Captain]

Any good stores in Paris?

 

That would be interesting to know. I´d like to visit some next month if there are any. Any of you guys know any stores there?