Mumbai Comic Con 2023: Bookstore to exhibit graded Ironman comics worth 8 L

The coolest comic bookstore in Mumbai is ready to take ComicCon by storm this season Staged at the Jio World Centre in BandraKurla Complex the ComicCon event will witness a prototype of the original Comic Book Store based in Khar Mumbai The stall will house Tshirts with superhero prints posters and a handpicked selection of classic comics for the comic geeksFor those who are into buying comics as collectibles the comic bookstore is exhibiting editions starting from Rs 5 lakh and going way higher The most expensive comic on the shelf is going to be the first appearance of Ironman a graded comic book from 1959In a candid conversation with Midday Online Hamza Syed the founder of the comic bookstore reveals that he is excited to launch a store for comic buffs in Bengaluru in the upcoming months The store will be recreated in the form of a vault to exhibit the higherend comics that range anything between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh as collectiblesThe Comic Bookstore is turning one next month and expanding to other cities like Bengaluru and Delhi Photo Courtesy The Comic BookstoreThe bright yellow comic bookstore at the Linking Road raises brows as one navigates the vendors and whizzing fragrances in the market The insides are buzzing with preparations for the upcoming Mumbai ComicCon Hamza recounts the events that have led to his mounting success as a comic booksellerLove for comics as a teenagerAs a child Hamza was absolutely smitten by comics His love for comics was stirred by the animated Justice League series that did rounds on the Cartoon Network channel in the 2000s He would spend hours gazing at batman and ironman cover illustrations that were placed on curated shelves in bookstores Thatrsquos when he got reeled into the charm of comic books and wanted to dig it furtherRecalling his teenage days he shares ldquoBack in 2005 there were lesser approachable mediums available for comic buffs like me Only dominant bookstores like Crosswords Titles Waves Landmark etc sold comic books at prices so exorbitant that I could only dream of owning one Forget mobiles and laptops even the internet was inaccessible for many kids like merdquoHamza resonates with the sentiment of several comic book lovers from the early 2000s These comic buffs used to be desperate to possess comics but were turned away owing to the steep prices Back then a comic book would cost around INR 1000 which acted as a deterrent for many However Hamzarsquos knowledge could not be questioned as every single edition that existed in western countries was on his tips Despite the absence of singleedition comics in India the idea of owning them kept him goingSuch was his longing for comic books that shaped his conscience while he was growing up Hamza is a prodigal child who had his epiphany of creating a comic book heaven when he was only 21 and a fresh college dropout While his dream was crystallising at the backend he worked as a digital marketer to provide for his familyBraving hardships to launch an online comic bookstoreldquoI dropped out of college and started working at 17 to support my mother I had to lie on my resume as nobody would hire a dropout I went door to door asking for a job There were times we didnt even have Rs 10 to feed ourselves Managers would tear my resume in front of me I walked 8 km in scorching heat until my feet bled for a job interview at RIL because I didnt have money for the bus After many failed attempts at starting my business working two jobs and being constantly broke and destitute Irsquom grateful for how things turned outrdquo recounts Hamza in a LinkedIn postWith the popculture renaissance era coming back to life with ironman the MCOs and the western culture in the form of TV shows his dream of opening a comic bookstore struck once more His passion was sparked again at the age of 23 and he quietly began working on his idea At this stage he was resolute to turn his dream into a concrete reality Thus he quit his job and poured his entire life savings into his goalHamzarsquos comic bookstore came to life online in 2019 His workplace was his living room and a laptop With little experience at hand he encountered several challenges in the beginning His biggest challenge was the curatorial one as he was unaware of what to order and how to order The major setback came with the first stock where he suffered a loss of funds during the import as he did not know the formalities around it However he continued to make mistakes and learnPandemic A blessing in disguiseBut what kept him going was the downpouring of love from comic geeks across India It was during Covid19 that his online store hit its peak patronage solely through word of mouth As the world turned to digital outlets for stimulation his store served as a rescue for many comic book lovers ldquoCovid19 came as a blessing in disguise for me The rage for comics only went higher and higher and I moved from a oneperson company to a bigger team and space I rented a small office where I began stocking my comics and conducting salesrdquoThe online operation went on for two years when Hamza witnessed an upsurge in his customer base The orders began mounting up both in quantity as well as variety This was the tipping point where Hamza felt a real urge to launch a comic bookstore to cater to the everrising demands of comic readersHamza Syed the founder of the comic bookstore has been awarded Top 30 Under 30 for his venture Photo Courtesy The Comic BookstoreldquoThree years ago when I pitched the idea of starting Indiarsquos first comic book store people said I was crazy ldquoWho reads or even cares about comics in Indiardquo or ldquoFind me a single person who reads a comicrdquo Well I found hundreds and thousands of themrdquo rdquo With hard work and zeal Hamzarsquos destiny turned serendipitous when he launched his first comic bookstore in March 2022The Comic Bookstore as a cultural hubWhat started as a kidrsquos pristine love for the Cartoon Network channel has now turned into a fullblown comic bookstore of all ranges and varieties With his bookstore Hamza aims to democratise access to comics for the geeky ones The space is meant to bind together and engage a community that thrives on the love for comics and superhero discourseldquoThere was an idea to bring together a bunch of remarkable stories under one roof to see if they could turn into something meaningful To see if it could bring people together culturally and socially We still believe in that idea in comics And itrsquos great to see that a lot of people share that mutual beliefrdquoHamza aims to launch digital subscriptions by the end of 2023 for those who prefer digital copiesFive bestselling novels from the shelves of the comic bookstore1 Watchman by Alan Moore2 Sandman by Neil Gaiman3 Maus by Art Speigelman4 Marvel comics Spiderman5 DC comics BatmanRead More Sister Library Why this Bandra library aims to encourage reading more literature by women