A COMIC CAN SELL FOR EVEN A LAKH!

The first and second generation phenomenon of collecting comics has given rise to unique opportunities for some people. Delhi-based 64-year-old Mohammad Shahid, for example, is a full-time dealer in comic books in a second-hand market, now a lucrative way to make money. “I turned to selling comics in the early ’90s. Since then I have been doing it full time. Technology has changed things in the last few years, but the basic principles haven’t changed that much,” Shahid says. Back in the ’90s, Shahid went around shops in Delhi putting stickers that had his name and address on comic books. Collectors, when they got hold of these comics, contacted him and eventually became part of a select group with whom he dealt. Though the number of collectors has increased since then, and the scope of the business expanded panIndia due to the web, Shahid’s inner circle of collectors is the same as before – around 25.

But the market is continuously expanding. “I believe comics are coming back in a big way. Younger kids are getting serious about collecting. But I still sell to older collectors. This small group remains my priority,” says Shahid. The value of this market can be gauged from the prices collectors are willing to pay for single editions of some comics. “The most popular and sought-after are the earliest Indrajals. People are willing to pay up to a lakh for an edition. There is hardly any other comic that matches that demand. Some editions of Deewana can sell for ₹ 5,000. Lotpot can go up to ₹ 10,000. Supremo Comics in which Amitabh Bachchan was a superhero can fetch you around ₹ 5,000. The early Amar Chitra Katha editions can fetch you between ₹ 20,000 – ₹ 25,000,” Shahid says. Though he doesn’t share the size of his cut, Shahid says business is good, and expected to only get better.