Page 45 is a comic shop whose goal has always been simple: to bring the widest range of quality comics and graphic novels available into contact with as many new people as possible, and to do so with a warmth, honesty and informed eloquence in a relaxed, welcoming and professional environment.

To recreate the European model which has meant that comics and their creators there have always been received with the respect they deserve and the sales to accompany it.

Created in 1994 by Mark Simpson (1968-2005) and Stephen L. Holland, we are:

Stephen L. Holland
Tom Rosin
Jonathan Rigby
with Dominique Kidd

Roving ambassadors: Emily Hubbard and Jhelisa Taylor.
Mistress of Myspace and Foxstress of Facebook: Ryz Glover.

Dominique has been a godsend on and off since almost day one, Tom arrived on the scene in 2002 then, after Emily Hubbard’s timely life-saving fill-in, Jonathan joined as my fully-fledged business partner in 2008.

Should you be of a curious disposition then you can find out far more about us than we’d really like you to know in The Usual Suspects, the Website Credits, the various interviews we’ve dodged (see Fun & Resources) and, obviously, the reviews we’ve written.

I make no apologies for their honesty because so much of our success has been built on trust: from customers returning after one shop-floor recommendation to ask for another. We never look down on anyone’s tastes because if you’re having fun then we’re having fun (and it’s you who are paying our wages), but we never have and never will attempt to sell you a dud. To that end each review here has been edited from our own 15-year archive rather than simply copied from each publisher’s hype-monkey.

That’s Mark at the top there, by the way, illustrated like the rest of this website by one of our all-time favourite comicbook creators, Nabiel Kanan. Mark Simpson was and remains the aesthetic heart of Page 45, dedicated not only to selling but searching out the finest creations our chosen medium has to offer. On Mark’s untimely death in 2005 comicbook creator Kathryn Cooper called him “The John Peel Of Comics.” Never was there a truer word spoken.

In 2004 Page 45 won the only ever Diamond Award for Best Retailer In The UK as voted for by the public. And frankly that’s the only vote that counts. Although, again upon Mark’s death and prompted by the beautiful Sarah Woodhouse, a certain Neil Gaiman did once write on his web-journal:

“I’ve long thought that Page 45 is the best graphic novel shop I’ve ever been to… they were the best hosts, and that’s sad news indeed.”

Thank you, Neil, that’s very kind indeed.

– Stephen