I was sad to see that A1 Books & Comics had ceased trading after some 26 years in their current location in Parnie Street. For those of you that do not know “A1” was of the successor to the legendary “AKA Books and Comics” shop which served in the 1980s as the meeting place where future comic book superstars Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Frank Quitely (Vincent Patrick Deighan) Jock, and many others would meet to plan their future domination of the world of comics.
Above: John McShane the co-founder (along with Bob Napier and the much-missed Pete Root)
of the original AKA Books & Comics with a young Alan Moore at an AKA book signing. - Below the original location of AKA Books and Comics in Virginia Galleries.
In 1983 the original AKA store opened in the Virginia Galleries, a bohemian shopping arcade with around 40 traders in the city centre. The store was originally located in a single small unit on the ground floor of the Galleries before moving to larger premises in the same area. By the summer of 1984 the store was a resounding success and was firmly established as the main comic shop in the city, this led in 1986 to the failed experiment that was “AKA 2” a new more upmarket shop selling mostly SF/fantasy books in the trendy west end of the city - a few months later “AKA 2” had closed its doors.
Above "
Avengers" issue 96 (cover by Neal Adams) and below "The Fly" issue 1 (Cover by Jim Steranko) two comic books I vividly recall purchasing in the original AKA shop from John and Pete.
In 1998 the Virginia Galleries were deemed to be unsafe and were closed after sinking 10 inches over a single weekend as excavation work was going on at the adjacent Marks & Spencer store in Argyle Street. At this point AKA moved to its final location in Parnie Street and was renamed “A1 Books and Comics”. Over the years that followed “A1” changed management and slowly focused more on toys, collectors’ models, and games, all of which were already being sold in the company’s partner store “Static” just a few doors along on the same street - it was obvious something had to give and that sadly was A1 comics.
Above: The Virginia Gallaries just before it was demolished.
On its last day (searching in vain for some bargains of interest to myself) the manager of the store informed me that the “Static” store would remain open and that “A1” would continue as a Facebook online store. As good as online stores may be they will never provide the great memories that stores like AKA and A1 books and comics provided to many comic fans.
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Good to see you back - and see those photos of The Virginia Galleries, McS. How can it all seem like only yesterday and 100 years ago at the same time. Bob Napier sadly died a few years back (some time after Pete Root), so that's only John McShane and Steve Montgomery that survive.
ReplyDeleteMy memory of a lot of details about these times is becoming less and less by the year. I used to be in Virginia Galleries and AKA almost every week but ow I can't visualise how AKA etc looked inside. Sad news about Bob Napier . So many comic shops have gone now, Kollectables and Plan 9 on Parnie St and Futureshock, Plagerist comics etc in the West End .
DeleteFunnily enough, despite my atrophying memory these days, I still remember AKA pretty well. At first they were on the left at the end of the corridor as you entered the galleries, then they moved across the hallway to the right. I still have quite a number of items purchased in both incarnations.
DeleteLove the lore of vintage comic shops, especially those in offbeat locations. It's pure nostalgia I know, but they often lose a bit of the magic when they shift to glossier digs. The shop I currently frequent most regularly is also fully stocked with toys, statues, and such faire. Not my cup of tea, but if it's what keeps the doors open, I'll suck it up.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear from you again amigo.
Thanks Rip. I really miss the small indie type comic shops , those that are operating seem to be stuffed full of those Funko Pop type dolls and only sell a few comics and yet they operate under the umbrella of being a comic shop . We have a large Forbidden Planet store that is full of so many collectables but to be fair they sell almost every US comic title released each month , plus they have a pretty nice back issue section which is more my style.
DeleteNice to see you back, Paul.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve, I won't be posting as regular as I used to but will pop on now and then. I still read and enjoy your ( Kid and Rips) blogs when I have free time.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you back on line, Paul. And with a lovely bit of comic shop nostalgia, as well, recalling those days when comic shops were owned and run by fans themselves. There should be an archive somewhere to collect memories and photos of these shops. Occasionally blogs pop up with memories of specific shops on various blogs.
ReplyDelete