Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic shop, forbidden planet, norwich

A New Forbidden Planet Opens In Norwich On Free Comic Book Day… Aha!

A new Forbidden Planet comic shop opens in Norwich on Saturday, the 2nd of May for Free Comic Book Day... Aha!

Bleeding Cool previously reported that Forbidden Planet would be opening a new comic book store in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and so it has come to pass. And on Free Comic Book Day, Saturday the 2nd of May as well. Promising free goodie bags for the first hundred customers, and prizes for the best cosplay. Forbidden Planet Norwich will open on 59-61 St Stephen's Street, Norwich NR1 3QR, taking over the former Bright House premises, which have been empty for a number of years, and will create ten jobs at the store. Forbidden Planet Norwich's manager is Si Pittman, former owner of Regen Games, which was based in Norwich's Anglia Square shopping centre but closed after 15 years in 2023 due to repeated flooding.

The new store will open at 10 am, though folk wanting one of those hundred exclusive Forbidden Planet goody bags are welcome to queue from 8 am, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Cosplayers will get a storewide 10% discount, with a £100 gift voucher going to the person deemed the best-dressed cosplayer. And of course, it will be Free Comic Book Day, so there will be plenty of free comics for everyone.

Si Pittman said, "Forbidden Planet is such a vibrant brand and a prestigious addition to the city centre. As a Pokémon and anime guy, with a taste for indie comics, I've reached peak happiness! The range of merchandise will be unbeatable, and I'm looking forward to the new store becoming a hub for many different communities.

Andrew Staff, managing director of Forbidden Planet International, said "Opening in Norwich is a fantastic opportunity for us. There's a real sense of creativity and enthusiasm in the city, and we're excited to bring something a bit different to the high street. This new store represents an important step in the continued growth of Forbidden Planet, and we're looking forward to becoming part of the local retail landscape and welcoming customers through the doors. We can't wait to start building a strong connection with local customers and creating a space people genuinely enjoy visiting. The team have worked hard to bring this together. You will want to stay tuned for what's next." Covering almost 2,500 sq ft, Forbidden Planet Norwich will sell new and back catalogue comic books, graphic novels, manga, collectables, trading cards, action figures, games and exclusive items, with brands including Smsikis, Sonny Angels, Marvel, Bandai, Star Wars, Funko Pops, Labubu, Loungefly bags, Doctor Who, Gundam, Pokémon and POPMART.

Forbidden Planet is the trading name of two separate UK-based comic book, manga, science fiction, fantasy and horror bookshop and merchandise chains across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States, and is named after the 1956 feature film of the same name. Founded by Nick Landau, Mike Lake, and the late Mike Luckman in 1978, it has grown considerably in the interim into one of the largest comic book chains in the world. Today, the main shareholders in FP International are James Hamilton, Kenny Penman, Andrew Oddie, Richard Boxall and Colin Campbell, while Forbidden Planet is owned by Nick Landau and Vivian Cheung.  Forbidden Planet Norwich is from the Forbidden Planet International half of the chain, which includes Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Derby, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hanley, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Nottingham, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, and now Norwich.

Norwich also has a number of other comic book shops, such as Canary Comics & Collectables in Dixon's Shopping Centre, the famed Abstract Sprocket on Benedict Street, as well as Cosmic Jo's Galactic Trading Outpost on Bedford Street, and  The Television And Movie Store in Millennium Plain, which already does a fine line in Funko.   Norwich is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, about a hundred miles north-east of London, with a population just shy of 150,000 and claims to be the most complete medieval city in the United Kingdom, with cobbled streets, ancient buildings such as St Andrew's Hall, half-timbered houses, medieval lanes and the winding River Wensum that flows through the city centre towards Norwich Castle. And yes, it is the home of the fictional comedy character Alan Partridge, created by Steve Coogan. I wonder if they have a Funko Pop of him yet?

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