More treasures from comic book stores. Con.

The Printed word and written word was our information on the superhighway connected by independent Comic book stores (and the odd chain of stores) that would be most people's first look at translated Manga and news on Japanimation  (later to be known as Anime by fans). 

 By the late 80's more would trickle in America, in the form of a magazine called “Animag” edited by Trish Leoux and only published 3 times a year (thou it states Bi-monthly by 'Pacific Rim Publishing Company)!

We will look at these Professional magazines in the not to distant future!

[These hubs of information and entertainment where limited to me by geography, and as I did not own a car, the adventure of public transport awaited me, as I travelled by Bus to my nearest cities of Nottingham and Leicester.]  

Our Local Heroes were people who ran comic book stores.

Manager Lance Fielder from 'Another World' comic book store (specialists importers of Science fiction) in Leicester (sadly no longer independent, just a Forbidden Planet Toy shop with week old comics).

Final Fronter comic book store, (shut down in about the year 2000, Leicester)

[I remember when the shop was based in the “Silver Arcade” having a big poster on the wall of “Grey” the futuristic apocalyptic S/F story by Yoshihisa Tagami, and I thought Wow that's cool!]

Magic Labyrinth (now still independent, managed by Dave Holmes that can be found at 2-3 Charles St., Leicester that has been going since 1992) A good source of back issues, as you enter the shop the shelves all full, the floor is starting to fill up with piles of stuff, and the up-stairs rooms are a goldmine for comic book Geeks!

Nostalgia and comics (Shut down [date unknown], Broad Marsh Shopping Centre, Nottingham),

Part of an expanding franchise now with the help of Forbidden Planet International the surviving parent store is kept going! [I can not comment about its independence].

Then a comic book concession in the basement of Nottingham’s Virgin Megastore, then moved to 'The Fantastic Store' and later “Page 45” (it is with great sadness that one of the guiding lights to so many comic book fans and writers is no longer with us - Mark Simpson (1968-2005) he was only a year younger than me, and a fan of Hayao Miyazaki's 'NAUSICAÄ of the Valley of the Wind'. The team of "Page 45" are always welcoming; Stephen L. Holland,  Jonathan Rigby, and Dominique Kidd.

I can not do justice to his passing, so I would ask you kindly to go and read what is on Page 45's website

http://www.page45.com/world/about/mark-simpson-1968-2005/

It was the vision of managers and comic books store owners individualism and their passion that made the retail experience that of going to a friend’s house, and not getting the “Hard Sell” or the indifference of “if it's not on the shelf, we don't have it!”, it is a love for the genre when you hear “Hi, can I help you” that they are sincere in wanting you to have a fun experience reading comic-books!

[So you out there are support your local comic-book store, it is a feeling that the Internet can not mimic!]

As you have read following my recollections and transcribes of correspondence and ephemera from the 1980's, you can see that information on Japanese cartoons and Japanese comic books came mainly from an imported market aimed at boys and young adults in the form of Robot war machine's Model kits and toys, backed up with a series of competing Science fiction novels, with a smattering of VHS videos for kids. Near the end of the 80's translated comic books, Amateur Fanzines and professional magazines on Japanese pop culture would make their mark.

[So Hobby and Toy stores, and then Comic book stores imported goods, it was then “up to you” to recognise what was Japanese and find out more, even the high street had hidden gems! ]

Comic book stores

One good source of information came from independent Comic book stores being in their very nature they imported a lot of Comic books from America, as well as giving an outlet to FanZines from the Canada and the UK, even companies had InfoZines and catalogues for re-marketed and translated Japanese merchandise.

One such source was  'Advance Comics', was a monthly catalogue from 'Capital City' a comic book distribution company (from America’s Midwest) showcasing what's new and up 'n' coming in the world of comic books, toys, and other pop-culture merchandise (from 1980 to 1996).What was on the shelves in America would soon become popular here in the UK. 

Helping me see a wider world!

[I remember ordering Aikra, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Nausicaä t-shirts by Graphitti (based on the comic book's art not any of the films or Anime) from these catalogues.]

[As of July 2016 I now have have one volume of 'Advanced Comics' dated April 1992 (Volume #40), and one volume of 'Previews' dated November 1992 (Vol II. NO.11) published by Dimond Comics Distributors Inc.]

[NOTE: the B&W and gray Advert was scaned from the comicbook 'Appleseed' book3 vol 2 dated September 1989.]

Even the “Unabashed House Organ” for Robotech Role Playing Games “ The Magic of Palladium Books” had a few pages on “How to find Japanese Animation Items” back in 1988!