A Chronicle of Doom: The Walking Deadhead....

Deadhead artwork by Graham Manley.

Timely emergency visit to Edinburgh yesterday to catch Deadhead Comics before it closed its doors for one last time (in its present Candlemaker Row incarnation at least). Imagine my complete surprise to find Agent Johnny on 'Guard Duty' whilst Agent Austin took care of essential business elsewhere. Of course, I didn't have long to wait before Gaf made a welcome return to the fold, and I waited even less time before we were safely ensconced in the Oz Bar fer a quick 'view to a swill'....

Agent Johnny and Deadhead Comics in better days (if you can believe it!).

Thanks to the locally made Electric Man the shop has been preserved on film for future generations to own and enjoy at home forever (isn't that how the blurb goes...?). In fact, if you look closely enough Agents Austin and Rob, as well as Graham Manley and countless others, were immortalised on (um, digital) celluloid in the process. Alas there was nothing as valuable as a copy of Electric Man #1 lurking on the shelves or buried in the back shop to save the day....

Yep, the missing tooth's on the other side, I know....

Agent Rob can dimly recall a childhood visit to Deadhead in the previous Victoria Street location, carefully stretching his pocket money to buy several comics (including the Captain America issue below) only to be informed of 'import costs' on the cover prices at the till, his parents having to hastily supply the extra few quid to keep their young 'un happy....

Captain America's 50th (NB. actual price may differ to that advertised....)

It's been in my head for days, so as a fitting send-off here's some Cream - special in a sense as one evening post-Ice Station Gaf fired this up to 11 as requested by some foreign customers. As to whether he told them to "f*ck off out of my shop!" before or after that I can't rightly recall....

Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love

Finally, I think it's only fair to give a suitably eternal shout-out to Kirsty Wilson, Gary McLean and Tim Coombs, all essential cogs in the Deadhead machine (as I've known it - I'm sure there's been plenty others over the course of the past 26(!) years).... Hail Odin!