Oxford comic book store Inky Fingers closes

Inky Fingers in Cowley Road, thought to be the city’s only dedicated comic book store, shut its doors on Wednesday, July 31.

Customers say they are ‘gutted’ to see it close after four years of trading.

In a goodbye message posted on the shop’s social media pages, staff wrote: “It’s been a privilege to serve and devote this time to help the medium grow.

“By no means are we closing from lack of business - there’s a very good market for the world of comics in Oxford.

“And with schools getting more savvy with having comics in their libraries, the demand is there too.”

The shop opened in July 2015, and it was believed to be the only comic book and coffee shop in Oxford.

It stocked an array of comic books including Marvel, DC and Oxford’s very own The Phoenix, which were frequently best-sellers.

Owner and manager Dave Page opened after realising the city had lacked a comic book store for a decade.

He wrote on the shop’s website: “For some strange reason there has always been a kind of taboo surrounding reading comics.

“Inky Fingers hopes to show people is that comic books are not just ‘superhero’ stories – there are as many comic book genres as there are book genres, from horror and crime thrillers to ‘slice of life’ and rom-coms.”

The outside of the shop shown on Google Maps

Customers were given three and a half weeks’ notice about the closure, and grabbed some bargains in a closing-down sale.

Commenting on the shop’s Facebook announcement, Pedro Morais said: “Absolutely gutted! Cowley Road will be much poorer as a result.

“After a long hiatus, I was finally getting back into this wonderful world of comics.

“This was in no small part thanks to your spot-on recommendations, the great chats we had and the fact that Inky Fingers has always been such a wonderful welcoming place.”

Also writing on the post, Jamie Crowther added: “This is gutting, so sorry to hear this. I thoroughly enjoyed our chats about comics, video games and Warhammer - I was often in the shop far longer than I intended to be as a result!”

Rich Johnston, writing on his website Bleeding Cool, said the closure is a ‘shame.’

He wrote: “I believe Oxfordshire [now] has only one comic shop, Comics Connections, in Banbury, a store that bats above its weight, but too far from the gleaming spires of Oxford for casual browsing by the students.

“Inky Fingers was a damn fine comic book shop.”

Cowley Road is also home to independent game retailer The Gameskeeper, while boardgame cafe Thirsty Meeples has just celebrated its sixth year in Gloucester Green.