Hellau big world wide web!

One day, a little while ago, I was sat at my iMac, reading comics, listening to podcasts, drinking tea and eating cookies. Anyone who knows me will tell you that it was 'just like any other normal day' - but on this particular day, I was down on my cash, I wanted to buy more comics - and I wanted to get them cheap.

I'd been taunted for about a year and a half, listening to Comic Geek Speak (which is well worth a listen) - hearing all about the wonders of fairly priced comic books on sale in America. But not in the UK - because of damn shipping charges.  
In the UK we have had to put up with 'collectors' editions if we want reasonably priced Marvel or DC goodness. 'Collectors' editions that are usually 2 or 3 years out of date. Or 'collectors editions' that have already been relased in far more 'collectable' manner - i.e. trade paperbacks or graphic novels.

"Well f@*k that for a game of chess" thought I.

I did some searching around while I was looking for cheap comics, and do you know - there wasn't one good online comic store in the UK that caters not only for a desire to read good books, but for people to talk about them too?

Again - "f@*k that" I thought.

All I'd ever wanted since I was a child was to be part of comics. I wanted to draw them, and I wanted to read them. Hell - I wanted to read them so badly at one point, I 'borrowed' my brother's entire collection, and craftily hid them under my bed, where he would neverfind them (until he did find them - and slapped seven shades of @*&$ out of me).

I wouldn't have borrowed them if I'd been able to afford them myself though.

I couldn't remember a time where I wasn't interested in reading about how Peter Parker and Mary Jane were getting on (or not, in the case of Brand New Day), or how Batman and Robin were fighting crime and patrolling the streets of Gotham (or, again, not, in the case of Knightfall).

But I'd never been able to find out what was going on without shelling out more money than makes good sense.

Back when I was a kid, I remember laughing my little cotton socks off over Giffen and DeMatteis' Justice League International. I'd wonder what was going to come up for Blue and Gold next - and I'd always be dying to chat with someone about it all.

But I couldn't. My mates couldn't afford to read the expensive imported comics. They could only get the 'reprints' - which at that time had such 'stunning' storylines lik DC's Millenium. Not a patch on what I was reading - comic books that had matured past the bad storylines - comic books that showed us what could have been with Amageddon 2001, or showed us the Hearts of Darkness within Wolverine, The Punisher and my Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch).

And did things improve over time? Well - a little - but not a great deal. I could log on to forums and talk comics with people in America (which wasn't bad - don't get me wrong - some of my favourite people are Americans) - but I couldn't help thinking - "wouldn't it be nice to chat to someone... Nearby me?"

So I decided I'd had enough of al that. I wanted comics. I wanted good prices. I wanted to talk to people nearby me about comics. 

And then I thought - "I bet you want comics too. And I bet you want good prices. And if I want to talk to people nearby me about comics - maybe you want to talk to people nearby you about comics too..."
So why the hell not...? If no-one else is going to give me and the rest of the UK what we need - then it's up to me.

I'm going to do my best to make www.biffbampowcomics.co.uk the best damn comic book store and meeting place you ever did see.

With great comics - comes great responsibility. Watch this space. And this space too.

Pete