Forbidden Planet, the world’s largest and best-known comic book and cult entertainment retail chain is thrilled to announce Forbidden Planet 42 – an epic online event celebrating its 42nd birthday, featuring many famous faces and special guest stars.

On Saturday August 29th 2020, ForbiddenPlanet.com will play host to a huge range of celebrity interviews, as alumni from the worlds of science fiction, comics & popular culture come together to help the store celebrate 42 years of pop-culture addiction – and ponder the answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everythingwith an all-star cast of our oldest friends & customers! 

This star-studded online event will feature new, exclusive interviews with some of Forbidden Planet’s most celebrated customers including William Shatner, DMC, Neil Gaiman, Alice Cooper, Jonathan Ross, Gerard Way, Garth Ennis, Kevin Smith, Michael Moorcock, Simon Pegg, Mark Millar, Dan Slott, V.E. Schwab, Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Dirk Maggs, Chris Claremont & Ben Aaronovich amongst others, hosted by Forbidden Planet’s Andrew Sumner.

As part of the Forbidden Planet 42 celebrations, this online extravaganza will also host a tribute to Forbidden Planet’s old friend – the late, great Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) in the shape of a rare, never-before-heard interview with Douglas (recently discovered in the Forbidden Planet vaults) conducted by another old pal, celebrated author Neil Gaiman.

Discussing this special event, Forbidden Planet‘s owners, Vivian Cheung & Nick Landau said “Forbidden Planet 42 (yes, it’s our 42nd birthday!) is an auspicious tip of the hat to our old friend Douglas Adams, the genius behind The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – for whom the number 42 was the answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe & Everything. Douglas was one of the first authors to ever sign at the store and he returned for every new book he wrote. We are joined by a galaxy of stars from comics, music, science fiction, film & TV – friends of Forbidden Planet who have signed at the store over the last four decades. This celebration is dedicated to every creator who has appeared at FP and every staff member who has worked with us over the years – but most importantly, to all our customers and to every pop culture fan who shares this passion with us.”


A stalwart of the international comics & science fiction scene since first opening its doors in 1978, Forbidden Planet is proud to count many famous faces among its clientele:

“I look at Jeff Beck, I look at Paul McCartney, I look at the StonesClaptonJimmy Page – they’ve always been quality. Same thing with Forbidden Planet.” – Alice Cooper

“Before I ever visited London, Forbidden Planet was whispered about in New Jersey, you’d read about it in the letter columns of comic books, it actually appeared in the comics themselves. The first time I went over to the UK, one of the most important things to me about London was: we HAVE to go to Forbidden Planet!” – Kevin Smith (Clerks)

Forbidden Planet has a special place in my heart – it was June 19th 1983 when I realised such a magical kingdom existed. Discovering Forbidden Planet was like discovering an Aladdin’s cave!” – Simon Pegg

“I went to university in London because I wanted to stay and enjoy things like Forbidden Planet. That’s when the whole new wave of more adult, progressive comics began. It was such an exciting time – there was a lot of new books & new publishers coming out – and the ONLY place you could find them was at Forbidden Planet.” – Jonathan Ross

“I’m so glad that your Forbidden Planet stores exist – they are wonderful!” – William Shatner