The map and page was last updated on Friday 5th April 2024 – we’re aiming to “Spotlight” comic shops, as time permits!
The downthetubes.net British and Irish Comic Shop Map also includes venues that often have comics exhibitions or comics events.
Additional information and updates are always welcome – please use the update form at the bottom of this page. We are often informed when shops open – but not always when they close! So customer feedback is very helpful keeping this map up to date, thank you in advance.
We’ve also included the known locations of sites of comics interest, like statues.
LATEST UPDATES…
• 5th April 2024: Just added Lancaster-based indie comic shop Zine Freak to our Map – full details belwo of this new enterprise
• 21st March 2024: Sadly, Big Dog Books in Perth closed a while back, victim to COVID interruptions, shipping delays, and soaring costs and other factors.
• 21st March 2024: Gone is Kingdom Comics in Kirkcaldy, by its owner has a Facebook Page, The Comic Shed, where you can catch up and see what he has for sale online
• 20th March 2024: Atomic Comics and Collectors Corner in Barrow have bitten the dust, but there’s still Pepperland Collect, based in Scott Street. Owned by Brian Moxham, it’s Barrow’s only collectors shop, selling a huge range of items from – records, comics, books, old photographs from the area, football items, badges, local interest items, Star Wars, TV and Film, and more.
If the items that you want are not in stock, Brian will try and find them from the contacts he has all over the UK. (Thanks to Sim Leech for the update and info)
• 20th March 2024: Popped into Lancaster’s First Age Comics this week, which has ramped up its sales of old British comics, buying up collections and offering sales through WhatNot. Well worth checking out.
Comic Retailer Spotlight: Zine Freak, Lancaster
Assembly Rooms Emporium, King St, Lancaster LA1 1JN
The emporium is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5.30pm (and summer Bank Holidays).
Follow Zine Freak on Instagram | X
Zine Freak is an indie comic and zine shop, located in Lancaster’s Assembly Rooms emporium. It’s run by comic creator Matt Simmons, creator of titles such as Future Egg and Mukbang and offers a smashing selection of British indie comics from a range of creators, with new stock being added all the time.
Housed in a Grade II listed heritage building built in 1759, The Assembly Rooms Emporium is home to an Aladdin’s cave of stalls including Assembled Books (offering books, cards, jigsaws, games, and more); B’s Knees (ladies and gents vintage/upcycled clothes and accessories; toiletries; ephemera); Celtic Dreams (silver, vintage and antique jewellery including commissions); Asian Arts & Crafts Lancaster (Asian arts and crafts and pre-packed food and drink); Funki Fancy Dress (fancy dress, Steampunk, goth & alternative clothing, accessories and hats); Miss Frog Ltd. (novelty, nerdy and anime); and Renaissance by Mrs Feebs (upcycled furniture; antiques, collectables and art; handmade pottery & fabric items; ethnic handicrafts).
About This Map
The downthetubes British and Irish Comic Shop Map is generated using Google Maps; if we’ve missed a shop, or we’re listing one that has, sadly, gone out of business, please do email us or use the Feedback form at the bottom of this page – and let us know using the form below, and we’ll make a correction as soon as possible. Thank you!
We are aiming to identify comic shops happy to stock small press comics, an addition brought to you thanks to help from Lew Stringer, thanks to a list he began on his Blimey blog in 2016. Those shops known to stock small press titles have grey icons on the Map.
You may also be interested in this map of independent British children’s bookshops compiled by Reading for Pleasure.
Mail Order Companies are also included on the map. Where they do not offer a street address on their web site, we have listed them further down on this page, as a separate item.
Please note, despite the ever-improving accuracy of search engines, it’s worth checking a shop is still open, or its opening times, before you make a trip.
Many downthetubes readers have very kindly updated us about stores closures (all thanked below), but we do sometimes miss the sad news. (Rising rents, the exchange rate affecting comic prices, and customer buying habits moving online have all been regularly cited as reasons for closure or downsizing, with some shops ceasing to sell new comics entirely).
If you want to contact a particular comic shop, you’ll have to follow the links through on the Map. For the most part the locations provide information sourced from Google Maps.
Some shops don’t publish public email addresses but they do have a fill-in form on their site for enquiries – and of course, you can always phone them, too!
Legend
• Blue: Comic Shop
• Red: Shops also known to offer Mail Order Services
• Grey: Shops also known to sell small press comics – information welcome!
• Yellow: Comic-related sites of interest
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• Please do share this map. The short link to the Google Map is http://bit.ly/dtt-uk-comic-shops
• View the downthetubes British and Irish Comic Shops and Exhibitions map on Google Maps
downthetubes Comic Retailer Spotlights…
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: The Comic Store, Glastonbury
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Dave’s Comics, Brighton
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Gnash Comics, Ashburton
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Jam Bookshop, Hackney
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: OK Comics, Leeds
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Page 45, Nottingham
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Paradox Comics, Poole
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Red Robot, Barnsley
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: That Comic Shop, Preston
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Travelling Man (Various locations, including Leeds and Manchester)
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Vanguard Comics, Gosport
IRELAND
• Comic Retailer Spotlight: Big Bang Comics, Dublin
• Check out our British and Irish Comic Shop Map
Other Book and Comic Shop Maps
• The Reading for Pleasure site has a map of independent British children’s bookshops here
If you see a book you’d like on this useful catalogue site, featuring the stock of some 300-plus UK bookshops, contact the bookseller by email or phone, or order online through UKBookWorld so they can pass your order on to the bookseller concerned. In either case you’ll be buying the book direct from the bookseller listing the item for sale; UKBookWorld.com is not involved in any way in the supply process.
Online Comic Services
In addition to the online businesses listed below, it’s also worth checking the web sites of your local comic shops – or indeed the web sites of any of the comic shops mapped above – as most also provide mail order services.
• Comics and Toys
Web: www.comicsandtoys.co.uk
Online only store operating out of Chester selling comics, actions figures and more
• Galactic Comics
Web: galacticcomics.co.uk
Online retailer specialising in pre-orders and weekly releases
• GetMy Comics
• Grumpy Wolf Comics
Also on Facebook
Grumpy Wolf Comics stocks high quality collectible comics, for the discerning comic book collector: first appearances, key issues, variant covers, Star Wars books, new series… and just pretty cover art!
• Sad Lemon Comics
Web: www.sadlemoncomics.com | ebay Store | Facebook
One of the largest suppliers of exclusive variants in the UK, also selling a wide variety of weekly releases through the web site and ebay store, supplying customers worldwide.
• Splat Comics
Web: www.splatcomics.com | Facebook
• The Unreality Store
PO BOX 7922, Wellingborough NN8 9JZ | Facebook | Twitter | Instgram
A UK-based independent comic book store selling over 12,000 comics
Additions, corrections or suggestions about the downthetubes Local Comic Shop Map? Please drop us a line!
We will try and make corrections as soon as possible.
• Please do share this map. The short link to the Google Map is http://bit.ly/dtt-uk-comic-shops
Compiled by John Freeman, Jeremy Briggs and Colin Noble
With thanks to Mike Allwood, Phil Boyce, Martyn Chivers, Daniel Clifford, Andy Davidson, Peter Duncan, Kerry Earl, Antony Esmond, Carl Flint, Jason Graham, Paul Griggs, Kev Hopgood, Alex Hunt, Stuart Jenkins, Greg Kitchin, Sim Leech, Andy Luke, Steve Marchant, Rob Marland, Maya Arts, Matthew Morley, Leigh Oakley, Joan Ormrod, Kenny Penman, Dan Powell, Martin Proctor, Brian Rawlinson, Mark Roberts, David Robertson, Neil Bhuna Roche, Sean Simmons at Scorch Comics, Robert JE Simpson, Spa Town Comics, Morgan Spiceman, Lew Stringer, Alex Sutton, Mike Teague, John Webster, Andrew Wildman, Alan Woollcombe, WOW Comics – and everyone who has supplied information