Forbidden Planet

The shop is a bit too busy with customers and stock. They NEVER have what I am looking for though. All the other customers seem to be always wearing huge guitars or backpacks and don’t give a **** about slamming them into people as they turn around. It’s hard to avoid since the place is very cramped.
Staff are okay, but just once I’d like to be able to browse in peace without being watched like I am about to make off with the till or shoplift.
Prices are not competitive, and in the past 20 years it has moved from a comic-​book store to a hipster cess-​pit. It’s the kind of place that sells «Bazinga» when it used to sell «Bastardo», if you get what I mean.
There’s nothing «forbidden» about this store anymore. If you want a bunch of tacky tie-​in merchandise then go for it. If you want an independent/​underground comic book or a back issue… go to eBay!

Well hello tiny geek heaven.
It was only a matter of time until I found myself here — or so i’ve been told by many a Unilocaler. Two steps in the door, I understood why:
I would live here if I could.
Well… I actually think it would be quite drafty. But I would happily take 100% of the contents of this haunt and move them into my little home, where I would sashay through geek heaven quite contentedly.
This place is more than a mere comic shop. From collectables to box sets and a surprisingly large section of animé, it’s a one-​stop for the geek/​nerd in your life or a great entry level place for those coming over to the dark side (welcome!). The only thing I didn’t see in the geekiverse would have been tabletop games, but there’s a chance I missed them in my brief but expensive 20 minute bounce around.
My only complaint of this shop — and it’s a common one with big places such as this — is that they can run a little bit low on certain volumes. Ie. if you’re looking for a specific book in a series, be sure to call ahead and check. Because of their insane selection, they only seem to stock one offs, so you can be left high and dry. But you can always chance it and worst case silver lining: ask the really knowledgeable staff for a recommendation of something new.
Check out the impressive collection of toys. And if you get a Malcolm Reynolds action figure, message me — we’ll have a big ol’ Firefly fan fest a la Unilocal

If there is one thing I regret the most, it was my decision to stop reading comics and graphic novels. The sense of escapism that is found in a comic book is only paralleled to novels but I always feel there is a slight edge in front for the comics. The art, the character build ups, the plots, the twists, the turns. Everything about a comic book or graphic novel is beautiful.
Considering I have been in the Glasgow and Edinburgh stores, I feel I can speak confidently that this FP is the much better store. It is a rather spacious store although there is a LOT of merch items naturally. The abundance of comic books on offer are excellent and if you don’t see the issue you’re looking for there might be a chance they have it downstairs.
I used to have an account with this FP branch which allowed me to add as many comics as I would like to it and they would save every issue up for me until I was ready to come and collect them. Better to collect them every month as, like the issues, the price keeps going up as well. It can give you a bit of a shock if you don’t keep on top of your issues.
The service I received in this branch was excellent, with very friendly and chatty staff willing to chat to you about comics and what ones are worth trying and what ones aren’t.
If you have a friend who is in to almost any fictional character from Batman and Sandman to Twilight and Doctor Who and you need a gift for them, I would definitely suggest you use this store as your first port of call.

It’s awesome because it’s Forbidden Planet, but man is this a painfully small location.
With nowhere near the depth or inventory of the London and New York locations, I was denied in my search for an 11^th Doctor costume t-​shirt. Sure I can get it on ThinkGeek, but where’s the joy in that?

My desk at work has 4 different bobble-​heads (star wars and terminator) on it, I read graphic novels, like horror movies and watch animé, in short I’m a geek (to complete the stereotype I work in IT).
Forbidden Planet is great, meeting my desire for memorabilia or comic literature, I visit once a month normally. They try to keep their prices competitive and when there is a sale often items will be cheaper than they are available on Amazon. The staff aren’t pushy and it is ok to wander in just to have a look.
Forbidden Planet on paper is a comic, memorabilia, toy shop but it is easy to lose half an hour just taking it all in, if there is any geek in you at all, head to Forbidden Planet!

Of all the businesses in all of Edinburgh, Forbidden Planet and I go the furthest back. From an 11-​year old aspiring comic book artist gathering as much inspiration as he could, to my present digital art obsession, FP has always been my first port of call for my geek needs.
Yet in honesty, and with hindsight on my side, I can say that they haven’t always delivered.
Back in the day I would frequent FP at least twice a week, unloading all my pocket money, and later my wages, into as much comic book memorabilia as I could afford. It has a vast array of comics from major publishers like Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image, as well as several popular independent labels like IDW and Oni. Admittedly they tend to stick to the majors, but for any comic newby, FP Edinburgh has enough on offer to get you started.
With my comic book collecting now over (oh alright, a sneaky graphic novel once in a while… I still like to be inspired you know!) I now tend to visit FP for my monthly issue of ImagineFX magazine (one of the few vendors of the publication) or the occasional random Christmas present. For the latter I find FP pretty unbeatable.
However, although I don’t collect anymore, I look back on my comic book habit and for some reason I feel a little let down when I enter FP these days.
— There are virtually no back issues. Not a disaster considering Dead Head’s is a Chamber Street away.
— There’s an abundant Manga section that doesn’t seem to ever decrease in size, prompting the question ‘who’s it there for?’, as it appears… no one.
— For such a limited branch of the FPI chain, the specialist books, collectibles and memorabilia seem a little like the leftovers the other stores didn’t want.
— The staff are simply there. No comment can be made, really. They’re not nice, not enthusiastic, rarely helpful or alienating. Just there. Give me an overly-​sarcastic know-​it-​all geek any day of the week (it’s a stereotype, but it’s an accurate stereotype)!
Having been to other FP stores around the UK, and other comic stores worldwide for that matter, I suppose it irks me that the variety in Edinburgh’s store is a little underwhelming.
A fact that was lost on me as a youngster.

Twilight
True Blood
Sandman
Solomon Kane
Spiderman
Superman
Batman
Power Man
Iron Fist
Ghost Rider
& Deathlok
Put simply, Forbidden Planet isn’t just a comic shop. It’s a portal to the world of super heroes past, present and future.
If you’re brave enough to enter, you’ll explore new cities, galaxies and time-​zones. You’ll also meet characters that will blow your mind and seep into your dreams. Just watch out for the bullets, flying saucers and gun toting enemies.

Most of the stuff in Forbidden Planet isn’t up my street, but they have a great range of graphic novels which look really cool. They’re mostly stories about the Hulk or lone rangers killing off the bad guys for the Greater Good. These are a little cheaper than the average book. This is great as your paying for the visual art as well as the narrative, the combination of both leading to a richer reading experience.
They also sell a wide range of action figures. Other than the Harry Potter ones I’d not heard of any othem. Most are taken from the popular series of comics and graphic novels which are on offer and allow the fans who are really into it to keep a store of memorabilia.
Forbidden Planet has much to offer for those who love their sci-​fi, comics and graphic novels.

There aren’t many places to places in Edinburgh for the comic collector to satisfy her urges. Thus I am sympathetic to lovers of Forbidden Planet. Despite my feelings, I still venture in here many a day to browse their stock. But I do feel this more due to lack of choice than anything else
Except for the superior independent Dead Head up the road, Forbidden Planet is the only place in Edinburgh to find weekly comics (graphic novels are now more widely available in book shops like Blackwells or Waterstones). But Forbidden Planet isn’t really a comic shop, its more of subculture shop. It makes up a great deal of its sales from selling overpriced figures and memorabilia from cult shows and films.
I do still feel more at home in Forbidden Planet, surrounded by images of superheroes, science fiction characters and fantasy settings, than I do in nearly all other high street chain stores
(in which I usually feel nauseous) but its because of its place within the world it tries to appeal to (that geeky world of imagination which most comic fans fall into) that I rate it so low. Within that world it feels like the exploitative incomer. I don’t know if this is true, but I have heard from a reputable comic writer that Forbidden Planet was established by a business man who saw the gap in the market for comics, not because of this love for comics. This is the feeling I get in Forbidden Planet. Whilst in Dead Head you know the owner loves comics, loves selling comics and loves talking to you about them. For some reason every Forbidden Planet I have ever been in, the staff have been unfriendly and Edinburgh’s store is no different. I get the impression that they want you to come in, pick up your comic or whatever, pay them then get out. I suppose every aspect of life though, is going to have a high street retailer creating a mainstream market for it.
Edinburgh’s Forbidden Planet has a good range of Graphic Novel’s. They aren’t neatly laid out, they are stuffed as tightly as possible onto shelves in alphabetical order. If I take novel out to read, I often find it hard to squeeze back in. Of course I shouldn’t really take them out to flick through, there are enough «NO READING» stickers around to remind me of this. The graphic novels are actually very expensive as well. No that they are very cheap elsewhere, but forking out £14.99 for something that takes me half an hour to read, unfortunately leaves me browsing amazon instead. As already mentioned, their toys and figures are unfathomably expensive, as are their DVDs (even on sale, I don’t understand how they manage to sell these).
I find it hard to dislike any shop where I can buy a large selection of comics and graphic novels. But Edinburgh’s Forbidden Planet makes it hard for me. The staff are rude, the atmosphere cold, and its all rather indistinct, part of a greater backdrop I find myself reminded of every time I walk in.

Forbidden Planet has always been held as some kind of amazing treasure trove in my mind, ever since I was young. Back then, it would be a case persuading my dad to let me go into the Newcastle branch of this fantastic store and looking at the vast selection of toys — most of which I had no idea what they were from, but I would always recognise some of the more famous things such as Star Wars.
Nowadays however, I use this Edinburgh store as my own personal geek heaven. I still love the toys — and recognise far more now (think figurines from computer games, films, television programmes and popular culture) — but also have recently begun to appreciate the amount of graphic novels that Forbidden Planet offers. As I’m relativly new to this area of literature, I’m often asking the staff for help in choosing comics etc, and they seem to be as into it as I am — meaning they are friendly and very helpful.

Comics, figurines, super hero paraphernalia, it’s all here and in an impressively comprehensive manner. I’m not the biggest fan of said stuff but nonetheless I found myself gazing at skilfully designed artwork and some truly imaginative creations.
Particularly notable items where the manga inspired adaptations of Shakespeare plays. If only I’d have discovered these entertaining gems during some of my University modules. Such inventive and alternative ways of approaching classic literature has made me re-​consider the appeal of such shops.
Definitely worth a browse.

I love Forbidden Planet and I have a few friends who are really into comics, graphic novels and action figures too so this place is great if I’m looking for gifts. They also have a good selection of Hello Kitty items and I bought my friend a nice organiser for her birthday.
My friend once bought a Sentinel figure from The Matrix movies, it was so cool, if a little creepy.
For me, the best thing about this place is the GIANT Domo in the window. I have my very own reasonably sized Domo but the one in the window here really is the Daddy of all Domo’s — he’s huge! I’d love to sit him on a sofa and cuddle into his square fuzzy body but he’s quite pricey so not really top of my list of priorities at the moment, unfortunately.

As much as your average beardy academic will pour scorn on graphic novels, those in the know are well aware that some of the best fiction of the last century has come in this form. I recently finished an epic called Maus. It’s a retelling of a young guy’s experience of the holocaust, with all the characters drawn as anthromorphic animals. As you can imagine, it’s a barrel of laughs.
Forbidden Planet is probably the best option in town for such cutting edge delights, and while their selection isn’t quite as good as othee Forbidden Planet stores, they more than makes up for it by having an absolutely fantastic toy section. An enormous Domo in the window is the jewel in the crown, but there’s loads more too, from manga plush toys to unbelievably detailed video game character figurines.

Being a geek has never been this cool.
I actually hate using the phrase «geek» to describe some of the stuff in here — why should anybody ever be scorned for loving comics? Not only have the animators supplied the world with superheroes for the past 80 years, but the art in some of these pieces is outstanding.
Forbidden Planet is the place to go should you ever desire to get your paws on such stories. The vast selection of comics both classic and contemporary stands as a testement to how popular comics continue to be, and the massive market which still exists for them. There’s a lot of manga on offer in here, including imports and a wide variety of genres within this section ranging from adult to more kid based stuff similar to School Rumble.
There’s a generous selection of DVD’s of all kinds, the continuing Buffy saga in comic form, and for all our vampires in waiting, enough «R Pattz» merchandise to keep the girlies happy. Forbidden Planet’s a good mix of commercial successes, cult classics and some serious anthologies for the comic buff. Except to find collector’s editions and figurines living alongside mainstream Marvel-​esque goods so that every type of fan is satisfied. With cult films such as Sin City and recent smash hit Kick Ass gaining popularity over the years, Forbidden Planet will fulfill every fanatic’s fantasy.