Kakkanad reminds Kochiites of the drudgery of the IT industry. However, two youngsters are set to change this perception and bring some vigour to the hasty procession of life in the suburb with their 2,400 sqft space. Their two-month-old rendezvous on Moolepadam Road houses Kerala’s first comic book library and an art school run by 24-year-olds Tony Davis and Sachin M S. We visit the youngsters at their haunt to learn more about their ‘start-up’.
Graphic authority
There’s an evident inspiration behind Comic Collective initiative—comic books are simply hard to find in Kochi. “Being a comic enthusiast is an expensive affair, as many releases are not available in India. Although many series are available online, the reading experience is complete only with the feel of the paper,” says Tony, who is also a visual FX expert. With exclusive graphic novel lending libraries being a rarity across the country—Mumbai’s Leaping Windows being the only other—this one features nearly 1,050 titles and cosy reading spaces.
While this library features latest titles from DC and Marvel universes, including imported books like Dark Days: The Forge, the collection also features independent publishers like Dark Horse and Image. Ten Indian labels including Graphic India and novels like Odayan and Aghori find space in the collection, along with rare mangas and Malayalam versions of superhero comics like Batman.
Membership from `999
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Breeding visions
Engineer-turned-artist Sachin’s creative school is more than a place for learning acrylic painting and pencil shading. While art education is shunned as insignificant, this young guy believes that his individual syllabus for each student will help them develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. “I encountered multiple distortions in the discipline, like ghost painting, which will be the end of real creators and so I decided to create a space for bringing up real talent,” says Sachin, who himself works alongside live musical acts and has set up pop-up workstations at commonplace locations like the Thrikkakkara market.
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