Leeds comic book shop says Spider-Man success shows that superheroes still matter
“I think being a geek or a nerd is kind of cool now” 🦸♂️
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has made over $2.2 billion in August alone as fans from across the world flock to cinemas to see the latest adventure of Peter Parker.
The film’s record-breaking success proves that superheroes are certainly mainstream in the modern day.
One Leeds shop knows this all too well because they’ve watched comic book culture grow over the past 35 years.
Travelling Man, located on Central Road in Leeds city centre, is fan’s emporium for comics alongside board games, trading cards, Warhammer, and other merchandise.
With regular events throughout the week including board game nights and card game tournaments, the shop is a place where fans come to find community as well as collectables.
Khalid Morton, store manager of Travelling Man Leeds said: “Travelling Man is a place for everybody - that’s one of the things we’re very proud of.
“It’s a safe place where everyone can come here and belong.”
The business was first founded by Nabil Homsi in 1991, who just like many of Travelling Man’s customers, was trying to find where he fit in.
The then-23-year-old decided to combine his passion for role playing games, with his friend Simon’s obsession with comics, to create a shop to celebrate their interests.
Nabil said: “I was living at home and I had a dead end job that I hated it and one day I just decided to quit.”
“I thought I’d just give it a shot. There was definitely a naivete there. Passion but naivete."
Nabil’s limited experience proved to be a blessing as it meant he entered the business market fearlessly.
Travelling Man began as a 200 square feet store in Headingley, a base the business quickly outgrew.
Within a few years, they moved to the Corn Exchange in Leeds city centre, before later relocating to Central Road, and opening new stores in York, Newcastle, and Manchester.
Over the years, they’ve witnessed a boom in interest in board games, books, and merchandise.
“I think being a geek or a nerd is kind of cool now with the explosion of Comic Con, film, and TV, it’s all very pop culture driven.
“When I started it it was not cool but I used to think ‘this is the coolest thing in the world - why isn’t everybody doing this?’”
Khalid added: "There's no set demographic anymore. Everyone's allowed to like what they like and that's a beautiful thing.”
Inside the Travelling Man shop, you can enter a whole range of worlds from Pokémon to Yu-Gi-Oh! to Dungeons and Dragons.
Spider-Man also has a prime place in the shop too, and Travelling Man sells comics, graphic novels, and manga, which offer more depth into the superhero’s world.
The success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day proves that superhero stories are more relevant than ever due to both their relatability and escapist factor.
Nabil said: ““I think [superheroes] resonate with a lot of our customers where you’ve felt like an outsider because comic books tell those stories.”
Khalid said: “It takes you out of the real world and puts you in a place where anything is possible. You’re seeing these heroes on the screen that are saving the day but they have real life struggles too.
“Peter Parker is an outsider with an amazing power and for our customer base, a lot of them are Peter Parker and they get to live through Spider-Man.”
Now marking their 35th anniversary, Travelling Man prides itself on continuing to be an inclusive space for the Leeds community.
They highlight that anyone and everyone is welcome to attend their events, an environment where they’ll be instantly included regardless of knowledge, skill, or background.
With fun upcoming celebrations planned for their birthday, and plenty of releases set to be stocked soon, the future is just as exciting as the present for the Travelling Man brand.
Yet, though times change one constant will always remain: a determination to always be inclusive.
Perhaps this is Travelling Man’s own’ superpower.