Forbidden Planet

The Minx has been in need of a day off and although it would be a stretch to say the same is true for me, we decided to have a day out in Manchester together, basing ourselves loosely in the Northern Quarter, with a little mooching further abroad. 

It's Dan's birthday, tomorrow, so I decided I would have a look around the shops while the Minx had her haircut, starting at Forbidden Planet. I remember how, nearly thirty years ago, the Forbidden Planet near Centrepoint was like nirvana to me. Mostly for the huge range of comics but also for their FP badges, which I liked wearing, of course.

These days, it's not quite so exciting; most of what I want I can buy on the web or, in fact, read through Comixology. (The iPad could have been designed for reading graphic novels.) I did see one lovely retro Iron Man t-shirt but they didn't have it my size, so I retired to the hairdressers where the Minx was being attended to and bought one online. (Still not in my size but safely larger.)

The new haircut was excellent, so we showed it off 'round a few more shops, had a linger round the Manchester Art Gallery, and then went for a late lunch at the Smokehouse, which we've fancied trying for a while. All in all, it was exactly the day we wanted it to be.

I like this photo of Forbidden Planet, not for the shop itself but for this junction, which has a curiously American feel. You could almost imagine that Edward Hopper would be along later to do a quick painting.