I was never really into sci-fi or anime or comics when I was younger, I was always into cars and bikes and just running around my grandparents pretending to be the cars that I liked. Eventually I moved out of my grandparents with my parents, more grown up, interested in other things, trying to expand my horizons, as a 10 year old does, obviously. But in that time, I remember my dad watching a show from the nineties that was always filled with spaceships and lasers and going into space. Immediately, I was intrigued by this, watching the entirety of the episode, to which I finally ask my dad, “What show was that?”, to which he immediately replied “Stargate SG-1”. That moment started my love and obsession with sci-fi.
I have the films and shows that do well whenever they come out, a personal favourite, Stargate Atlantis. The sci-fi industry does incredibly well though. YouGov ran their usual polls, but they found that films like Back to the Future and The Matrix were the famous films, both getting 96 and 91 per cent respectively on their fame indicators. Whereas, on rotten tomatoes, they put Battlestar Galatica first with an overall score of 95 per cent, and my all-time favourite, Star Trek: The Next Generation fourth with 92 per cent. I even bought myself the comic book because I love it that much.
Then, I came to university, and the love started to dwindle, I didn’t have access to the comics or the books, I didn’t have an outlet for losing myself in the world of sci-fi. As I mentioned, I still had my films and television shows on all the streaming services, but they didn’t compare to the raw experience of seeing it on a television and waiting for the next week to see the new episodes. Yes, they were re-runs but that’s besides the point.
And even then sci-fi shows the shows aren’t being cancelled either. According to cancelledscifi.com, they analysed 940 different shows and discovered that of the 279 that were of the sci-fi genre (29.7 per cent), only 34.8 per cent were cancelled after only one season compared to the overall 38.3 per cent.
And I had already been here for two years and couldn’t find anything to kind of to satisfy the wants I had for sci-fi comics. Until recently, where this quiet little shop called Geek Out opened. Obviously, I didn’t know what the shop was, I thought it was a warhammer shop that had randomly spawned into existence which I wasn’t so happy about to say the least. But when I stepped into there, I was taken aback. They had what I was looking for and wanted for so long. Comics, books, factfiles, mini figures, everything, it was a magical moment.
I combed through all of them and was in amazement of what I found, reminiscent of that first experience I had. It was incredible. I even bought myself a copy of Star Trek, the next generation version of the comic that I’ve been glued to of recent.
“It’s a mix of a treasure trove and a community hub. On one hand, you’ll find shelves packed with manga, graphic novels, action figures, and all sorts of sci-fi and anime merchandise”, says the owner of the store.
“Many stores just focus on selling products, but for us, the experience is just as important. We have our 50p mini-pack Pokémon machine which lucky winners can get graded cards.”
But obviously, in this type of business there are challenges that every business must face and “one of the biggest challenges is staying ahead of trends while balancing the costs of importing niche items. Some collectibles or manga titles can be hard to source, especially if they’re out of print or exclusive to certain regions.”
I also spoke to a small anime content creator to gain more insight into the topic of anime and manga, because I have a very limited knowledge on the topic but am always looking to venture into other realms of entertainment.
“Anime has always been a major part of my life and exploring all the different sub-genres has always been fascinating to me and being a content creator on these books and shows allows to share knowledge that may not have been previously known before.”
“Anime has always been a huge form of entertainment and it will continue to grow as new stories and continuations of shows will happen, for example, One piece has been running since October 1999, its 25 years old and they still make episode because people love it.
Factfile:
In the heart of Lincoln’s city centre, Geek Out is a newly opened business for fans of all things sci-fi, anime, and pop culture. The shop offers an impressive selection of collectibles, graphic novels and merchandise from a variety of different franchises. Whether you’re a lifelong enthusiast or a curious newcomer, Geek Out provides an immersive and welcoming space to celebrate your fandom.