WGTB goes to the British Museum!

Regular WGTB readers will notice there hasn't been as many postings this month as there was in February. Well, March has been a very busy month and I’m afraid it will only get worse in April and May. However, during this busy month your humble blogger manged to visit the British Museum, and if the guidebooks, tourist maps and bus tours haven’t already convinced you, let me add a voice to the chorus -- If you're ever in London YOU SHOULD GO.

Like comic books; museums are laden with archetypes and manifestations of humanity's collective unconscious. And in lieu of a proper comic review, I thought I would simply post some museum photos alongside their corresponding comic heroes.

Let's start with the reconstructed mask from the Sutton Hoo treasure. They think an early Anglo-Saxon owned this amazing helmet.

You might say this was an early IRON MAN!

For the Golden Age fans out there -- this winged helmet on this bust of the Roman god, Mercury should strike you as familiar.

It's the first FLASH, Jay Garrick!

Finally, let's look at a little something from Easter Island.

Well, that one was easy: The THING! It wouldn't be a WGTB posting without a little Jack Kirby!

I hope you enjoyed that. Archetypes are one of the reasons comic books continue to appeal to people accross time and space. It truly is an amazing medium.

And in the unlikely event you visit the British Museum and get bored, there are some great comic and film related shops well within walking distance. The Cartoon Museum is right around the corner (I’m planning a seperate review in the near future) and shops of note include Forbidden Planet, which is a museum in its own right. The Cinema Store is another nearby gem, but my personal favourite was Orbital Comics. The merchant I spoke with there assured me that they have the best selection of back issues in London. Good see for yourself when next in London!