In the bustling shops and shoppers along Linking Road in Bandra, a vibrant store has become a haven for comic book lovers in India. Bright lights illuminate the shelves, which are filled with a diverse range of comics, varying in both price and rarity. The store also offers other merchandise and collectors' items, such as officially licensed Topps trading cards. Founded by Hamza, The Comic Book Store is the first of its kind in the country.
Naturally, Hamza’s inspiration to create a Comic Book Store stems from his deep love for comics. Growing up in India, he was initially exposed to animation and cartoons since comic books were not readily available. ‘My first exposure would be the Justice League animated series or the Batman animated series from my childhood. That’s how I got into comics," he recalls. However, without anyone living in the U.S. and not being well-off, he found it difficult to buy graphic novels at prices ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 rupees. Despite this, the animated content fueled Hamza’s interest, revealing that there was much more to explore within the medium. From that point on, he made it his goal to access comics in India, create a space for others who share a passion for comics, and ultimately popularize the medium in India like never before.
Hamza’s first comic was, Dark Knight Rises by Frank Miller, which he considers the best introduction one can get to Batman, his favourite character. ‘Now, we get to sell that, we get to sell a lot more than that.’ Although he started with little knowledge of comics, his interactions with other comic book fans, along with his dives into the lore and backstories of various characters, increased his passion for the art, and as his knowledge grew, so did the collection.
Initially, The Comic Book Store started as an online venture. In 2019, Hamza began selling comics online from his living room. When covid hit in 2020, the newfound free time on people’s hands meant that Hamza’s business skyrocketed, as more people had the money and time to explore and buy comics. ‘For two years I was just a one-person company. Then, a lot of my customers always used to tell me, this deserves a physical space.’ Knowing the importance of feeling physical copies of comics, or the smell of paper books, Hamza set out to create a physical space to showcase his collection.
The Comic Book Store, although still a somewhat small operation compared to other mainstream bookstores in India, has caught the attention of some very important people. The most recent nod came in the form of a visit from the Japanese Vice Minister of Culture, Ken Akamatsu. ‘Fifteen days before the visit, I got an email from the Consulate of Japan. I didn’t know the Council General himself would come, but it was just a casual request email saying that some of our Japanese delegation would love to visit the store. They revealed to us much later that the Vice Minister of Culture of Japan, who himself is a very successful manga artist, is coming to Mumbai, and he would love to come to the store and have a word with you all.’ What was meant to be a 45-minute meet and presentation ended up becoming a 2-hour-long bonding experience over everyone’s shared love for comics and manga.
The future for The Comic Book Store can be described in one word: growth. 'More stores, of course. More presence online, people still don’t know about us, people still come in and ask, is this a new store? Also, lots of people believe this is just a brick-and-mortar store. The process of telling people that, yes, this is online. If you buy it here and don’t want to carry it, we can ship it. We ship all over the world.' Working on building their online and social media presence, along with opening more retail stores around the country, Hamza and The Comic Book Store are steadily working towards the goal of popularizing comics in India and making them more available to the public, one comic book at a time.
Words Ayushie Shahane
4.06.2025
