Back in the days of Nu Earth in York I paid out around a tenner for one of the Inferno crossover issues of Amazing Spider-Man, the one with Green Goblin Versus Hobgoblin. I'd been a Spidey fan all my life, from the cartoon to the UK reprints. I started collecting the US comics with Spectacular Spider-Man #200, so I just missed out on the McFarlane era. Back issues were a plenty, but the McFarlane ones cost a lot more than most others of that era. So with my birthday money I went off to Nu Earth, picked up my comics and delved into the back issues, grabbing a few cheaper ones plus the above mentioned issue of Amazing. I couldn't wait to see what wonders awaited me inside, I'd heard of McFarlane, seen his awesome big-eyed Spidey images, but never seen his actual sequential work. The fact the issue contained my two favourite villains made it even more exciting! I handed over my money, took my comics and sat in the gardens near the Minster. I carefully opened the plastic bag containing this mythical comic by this revered auteur, opened the cover up for my eyes to fall upon the art of this modern day Michaelangelo... and it was bloody rubbish! Over-hyped crap! So every other McFarlane issue I have bought I have made sure I have got it on the cheap (including ASM#300).
Ahhhh Nu-Earth. Now there's a name from the past. I remember picking up some old DC's that weren't priced so they consulted a copy of Overstreet. And then charged a dollar for pound exchange. And then there was always their appearance in the Cerebus letter column which made for some cracking reading. Always preferred Tar-Star myself but there you go. Even if the prices were a tad high at least the stuff was priced.
One of the perks of working construction is that you tend to travel around the region finding diferent comic and book shops. But there's only one OK.
And the Toddster ~ too busy making interest off the money he's made.
I shopped at Tar Star right up until the day it closed, LOVED that shop! I used to love delving into the indie section and discovering such strange b&w titles like Usagi Yojimbo and Fish Police to buy alongside my GI Joe, Transformers and Turtles comics (that's just made me realise I was more into non-superhero stuff when I was younger than I am now!). I was gutted when "Comic Dad" told me his son's shop would be closing, which is when I started shopping in Nu Earth in the Davygate Centre.
There was also Waterstones comic section, and a comic shop in the back of Depth Charge which didn't last very long but was good for back issues.
