BEST – episode – EVER.

Wantage's very own Comic Book Guy is celebrating after moving into his biggest shop yet.

Steve Taylor, who opened Toy Planet in the town three years ago, officially opened at his third new premises at 5-7 Mill Street this weekend.

Along with a new business partner, Tom Poppel, from Abingdon, he has expanded his range and now has a stack of games consoles that visitors has play in-store.

The 46-year-old, who lives in Lambourn just south of Wantage, said: "It's a totally new environment: we now have a gaming area, a graphic novel section and a Lego area."

Since opening in one of Wantage's smallest units in the Arbery Arcade in 2014, Mr Taylor said his trade had increased five-fold, riding a surge in interest in all things sci-fi and comics, partly due to the recent slew of Marvel Comics and DC-based action movies.

Mr Taylor caters to the small but lucrative market for rare memorabilia, attracting collectors from across the country.

He said: "A lot of it is down to the network of people that we've now got: people come from across the country every day to shop for rare vintage stuff.

"It's quite a community here, people will come in for a chat: we are well-supported by the town as well as people from Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage."

Toy Planet has now moved into a unit formerly occupied by Wantage's M&A Electricals, while the owners of that business, Peter and Gill Hall, have moved their shop into the Arbery Arcade.

Riding high on success, Mr Taylor is now forging ahead with planning the second annual Wantage Comic Con at the Beacon on Sunday, December 3, with sci-fi celebrity guest appearances, a costume competition and rare collectibles for sale. Watch this space for more details.