Forbidden Planet London

by Jack Bathe (subscribe)

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Published June 30th 2012

Whilst still in London after my trip to Camden Town my friends and I stumbled across 'Forbidden Planet'. Naturally, we wanted to explore this new found wonderland; hey, you can't just label something "forbidden" and expect people to ignore it, did we learn nothing from Adam and Eve?

Two Metal Doors Guard the Enterance

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So enter we did, and just as when Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit we tasted a new haven. Forbidden Planet is essentially a store that caters to all who enjoy Sci-Fi, fantasy, comics and so on. On the outside two huge metal doors greet you imposing their magnificance upon you, guarding the treasure within. It may seem like "just a store" but its much, MUCH more.

We found ourselves lost within Forbidden Planet, an infinite amount of wonders awaited us, so many infact that we orbited the shop various times and in various different patterns, like little moons. The ground level was packed full of memorabilia, from the original Star Trek series to the latest video games and internet humour, not to mention completely impractical domestic devices.

But that's just the start, downstairs is an archive of comics, posters, games and films from Anime to Marvel or DC. The entire knowledge of the fictional universe seems to reside here, with the various guardians of said knowledge floating around and guiding you to what you want to find. A wonderous sight indeed. It had always been difficult for me to imagine the pull towards comic book and sci-fi stores but I finally understood after this experience.

It is like exiting the very world you live in to enter into that of fiction, fairytales and heros. A world where you join into a collective sense that everyone around you is a friend and that everyone is thinking in almost the same way. It truely is a wonderous thing that I didn't think could occur in such a public location, a location open to many but used by few.

If you have any interest in sci-fi, fantasy or anything along those line I'd strongly suggest taking a trip to Shaftesbury Avenue in London where you will find Forbidden Planet whether you have 10 minutes or a few hours.

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