Posted in: Comics | Tagged: foirbidden planet, forbidden planet, v.e. schwab

How Forbidden Planet Made V.E. Schwab Feel Far Cooler Than She Was

Forbidden Planet is about to celebrate its 42nd birthday and V.E. Schwab has been video-interviewed with Forbidden Planet and Titan Comics' Laura Dodd and Andrew Sumner, going live at forbiddenplanet.com/fp42 on Saturday, August 29th. But first, we have Victoria, one of FP's all-time favourite fantasy authors (and the creator of the upcoming Extraordinary graphic novel series from Titan), talking about her first Forbidden Planet experience as a grad student in the UK. C

"I first discovered Forbidden Planet as an American going to graduate school and there was a Forbidden Planet location in the area and I don't really I think… in the States, often we have like comic book shops but they don't really feel like kind of merch experiences. They don't feel like fandom experiences, they just feel like a comic shop. And they're kind of hard to find in a lot of the places that I've lived and so walking into a Forbidden Planet and realizing that it was kind of, like, the inside of my brain. All of the things that I loved in one place and a much more holistic experience than just comics or just pops or just, you know, pieces. It felt like a place where you just got to embrace being a fan and not just that but you could be a fan of so many different things. It kind of felt like a little bit like the inside of the internet in that way. You didn't really have to declare… I've always loved that I love that you can find a corner and find all of the books and find another corner and find graphic novels and find another corner and find action figures. It was quite a gift, it was quite a gift. And so the first time I saw it, the first time I experienced one was really just as a consumer and then the next time I experienced one was signing in it as an author and that was a completely different ball game. I felt far cooler than I am."

On Saturday, August 29^th, ForbiddenPlanet.com will be hosting ForbiddenPlanet42, with a huge range of celebrity interviews, as alumni from the worlds of science fiction, comics & popular culture come together to help the store celebrate 42 years of pop-culture addiction – and ponder the answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything with an all-star cast of their oldest friends and customers.

This event will feature new, exclusive interviews with some of their more celebrated customers including William Shatner, DMC, Neil Gaiman, Alice Cooper, Jonathan Ross, Gerard Way, Garth Ennis, Kevin Smith, Michael Moorcock, Simon Pegg, Mark Millar, Dan Slott, V.E. Schwab, Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Dirk Maggs, Chris Claremont & Ben Aaronovich amongst others, hosted by Forbidden Planet and Titan Comics Andrew Sumner.

It will also host a tribute to the late, great Douglas Adams in the shape of a rare, never-before-heard interview with Douglas recently discovered in the vaults conducted by friend of Douglas and author of Don't Panic, a certain Neil Gaiman. who is known for some other things too.

Discussing this special event, Forbidden Planet owners, Vivian Cheung & Nick Landau said "Forbidden Planet 42 (yes, it's our 42nd birthday!) is an auspicious tip of the hat to our old friend Douglas Adams, the genius behind The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy – for whom the number 42 was the answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe & Everything. Douglas was one of the first authors to ever sign at the store and he returned for every new book he wrote. We are joined by a galaxy of stars from comics, music, science fiction, film & TV – friends of Forbidden Planet who have signed at the store over the last four decades. This celebration is dedicated to every creator who has appeared at FP and every staff member who has worked with us over the years – but most importantly, to all our customers and to every pop culture fan who shares this passion with us."

And they have a bunch of quotes to run alongside…

"I look at Jeff Beck, I look at Paul McCartney, I look at the Stones, Clapton, Jimmy Page – they've always been quality. Same thing with Forbidden Planet." – Alice Cooper

"Before I ever visited London, Forbidden Planet was whispered about in New Jersey, you'd read about it in the letter columns of comic books, it actually appeared in the comics themselves. The first time I went over to the UK, one of the most important things to me about London was: we HAVE to go to Forbidden Planet!" – Kevin Smith (Clerks)

"Forbidden Planet has a special place in my heart – it was June 19^th 1983 when I realised such a magical kingdom existed. Discovering Forbidden Planet was like discovering an Aladdin's cave!" – Simon Pegg

"I went to university in London because I wanted to stay and enjoy things like Forbidden Planet. That's when the whole new wave of more adult, progressive comics began. It was such an exciting time – there was a lot of new books & new publishers coming out – and the ONLY place you could find them was at Forbidden Planet." – Jonathan Ross

"I'm so glad that your Forbidden Planet stores exist – they are wonderful!" – William Shatner

"Forbidden Planet is amazing! I had always heard about it but I had no idea how phenomenal it was – more exciting than Disney World, more exciting than Coney Island. Walking into Forbidden Planet is like walking into another dimension. For real." – DMC (Run-DMC)

The festivities will continue with special offerings and promotions in-store at all branches throughout the UK.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!