Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Biscuit Factory, cinema, comic shop, elizabeth line, forbidden planet, nick landau, reading, vivian cheung

Forbidden Planet Opens New Comic Shop Underneath A Cinema In Reading

Forbidden Planet is opening a new outlet of its comic shop chain underneath a cinema in Reading, in September 2026

That's the thing about Forbidden Planet: it's full of people who like reading. And know they can like reading in Reading in Berkshire. Forbidden Planet is now opening a new store in the town, and thanks to the Elizabeth line, five minutes away, it's an hour journey to their Forbidden Planet London Megastore if you fancy doing a day trip between the two. But now, if you live in Reading, you don't have to. Especially if you move in above them.

Because Forbidden Planet Reading will be at 1B/1C Queens Walk, at the Reading Broad Street Mall, previously known as the Butts Centre, and man, that was a much-needed name change. It's part of the Minster Quarter regeneration scheme with 1300 new homes by 2030, 422 of which will be built above Broad Street Mall, as well as a cultural hub in the heart of the town. And now somewhere for them to buy their comics. And beneath the Reading Biscuit Factory, a curiously named boutique cinema and bar, currently closed but reopening next week. A comic book shop underneath a cinema is a wonderful thing, as Harrogate knows well. The London Megastore has suffered a little from the neighbouring cinema closing and becoming a nightclub, but being underneath the cinema is even better, as cinema-goer footfall will be exposed to the comic shop every time they go. And canny operators who see the new Supergirl movie will have copies of the comic it's based on in the window, along with all the merch. Forbidden Planet Reading will be a larger affair than Destination Venus. Other neighbours include TK Maxx, Taco Bell, Greggs, Subway, Muffin Break, Poundland, Holland & Barrett, Burger King and Superdrug. And Co-Space Reading occupy the top floor (for now) of the Mall, providing office and event space for local businesses and workers.

Forbidden Planet Reading will open in September on the ground floor, possibly part of where the Spinners bowling alley/darts/mini-golf complex is now, and promises a "cocktail of comics, manga, action figures, Japanese collectables, graphic novels and collectable card games to the pop culture-loving residents of Berkshire's county town". Forbidden Planet's Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Sumner, commented "We've been dreaming of bringing Forbidden Planet to Reading for decades and, at last, that dream has morphed into a 21st-century reality. This vibrant town – the jewel of the Thames Valley – is a spirited locale with a richly diverse cultural scene. We can't wait to introduce the feel-good power of Forbidden Planet to the community!" Ten years ago, the Queen's Walk end of Broad St Mall in Reading did not live up to its name and even Argos announced it was pulling out, and was described in 2016 as "something of a walk of shame for Reading. Despite the admirable attempts at distracting our attention with a flamboyant floral effort" it was "desolate, blank frontages, a hotchpotch of paving, and a comical cordon of cones encircling a sawn-off street lamp." But over the last ten years, the old Yell offices were refurbished and turned into student accommodation, and a number of businesses moved back or set up after lockdown, taking advantage of lower prices and the opening of the Elizabeth Line, which extended the London Underground network to the town for the first time. The old Civic Centre at the end of Queen's Walk was demolished, the old Argos became Spinners, and Reading Biscuit Factory, and mixed homes/business spaces were built. It has been observed that it is rather good for businesses to have people living above and around them, rather than separated into zones, as long as people don't mind the noise and have double glazing, since the late-night restaurant and bar scene eventually follows. The same fight that Soho is having right now seems to have been won in Reading.

There is another comic shop in Reading, Crunch Comics, over at the Harris Arcade, a seven-minute walk away, even closer to the train station. Some stores dread a Forbidden Planet coming into town, smart stores work with them, agreeing to pass customers between them when one does not stock an item and the other does. Crunch Comics is very much a comics-only store, Forbidden Planet is more mixed media, and its presence and marketing clout are likely to lift the overall market for such in Reading for all ships. People will come to FP, unaware that Crunch Comics exists, but their presence will help lift Crunch Comics' awareness as well. I mean, if you are going to one comic shop, you might as well go to two, seven minutes apart, especially if Crunch is on the way to FP from the train station. In London, Gosh Comics in Soho does very well from the Forbidden Planet Megastore, being a similar distance away.

With a logo designed by Rian Hughes, Forbidden Planet is one of the biggest and best-known international comic book store brands. Established 48 years ago, and now making up three separate companies after the original owners split, Forbidden Planet Reading is part of the Forbidden Planet Limited business owned by Vivian Cheung and Nick Landau, alongside Titan Comics, that includes stores in Covent Garden, Bristol, Cambridge, Coventry, Croydon, Liverpool, Southampton, Birmingham, Newcastle and Forbiddenplanet.com.

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