Comic Book Shop Steamed Bun Brings Marvel & More to Beijing
Zap! Boom! Pow! You can follow the adventures of your favorite superheroes, adventurers, and more at Steamed Bun Comics, a dedicated comic book shop set to land in the capital this Saturday.
The brainchild of Factory founder Zak Elmasri, Steamed Bun Comics finds itself situated within the bar and music spot in Gulou. In what’s sure to be an epic day, Steamed Bun will be opening to the public with an artist’s market, live DJ sets from some Factory favorites, and an exhibition of comic-inspired hip-hop art.
We spoke with Elmasri in the lead up to the event about his inspiration to open the shop, what they’ll be selling, and what’s in store for the opening party.
So you got into comics at a pretty young age. Was there a particular issue or hero that stuck with you?
I picked up my first comics from my mom's old issues, Fantastic Four and Spiderman, Spidey was always my guy though, I remember going to the video store and borrowing all the old cartoons, I even had the full on Spiderman pajamas complete with mask.
Fast forward to today, what led you to want to open a shop dedicated to comics in Beijing?
I actually originally had the idea to open a cocktail bar where the menu was a comic and it was basically set up as a comic shop by day, bar by night, kind of that typical alter ego scenario. I committed to the idea in advance and had been purchasing and shipping the comics for close to two years. With this space, the comic/cocktail concept didn’t work, but the opportunity to set up a straight-up store made sense.
Is there a community of comic collectors in Beijing and have you garnered more interest from Chinese or foreigners?
I do know of a bunch of Westerners who are comic heads but don’t personally know any avid Chinese collectors. However, I do know proper Marvel and DC heads who got into stuff through the movies. Chengdu actually has a full on dedicated store run by an American called Matt. I went in just last year and it's seriously legit, they have a small but seriously hardcore knowledgeable group of local young Chinese followers. If Chengdu has a community, Beijing will too, so I’m sure they're gonna come creeping out of the woodwork.
What’s the story behind the shop’s name, Steamed Bun Comics?
Originally I had a different name for the space, the name I had in mind was present before I found the current location. But the most famous spot in the street since forever has been the Mantou (steamed bun) shop next to me. The fact that we are neighbors and the Chinese wordplay is also fun and kitschy (Mantou 漫画 mànhuà) kind of made it a deal sealer for me. Comics for me are essentially fun and playful and figments of the imagination, the name is a byproduct of that same outlook.
Where’d you source all the comics in the shop? Will you be getting new or other titles in the future?
For now, I have about 2,000-3,000 comics, I had ideas of which comics would appeal/make sense out here based on what people have and haven't been exposed to. I source most comics from North America and the UK. The idea at the moment is to see how well things are received and if people want more I’ll give them more. I see the space as more of a personal passion and hobby, a part of a larger space but somewhere where I can share and display the world of comics for other people.
Turning to the grand opening, there’s also going to be an artists’ market. Can you tell us a bit more about who’s coming out?
Back in the day, I hosted zine markets at my old venue El Nido. Zines are essentially the raw bones of comics, so I already knew a few heads that were delving into that world. On top of that my logo designer and this weekend’s market attendee, Chandoso, is a long term friend who has done visual work with me over the years. Way back in the day with the now defunct Lorelli arts group he produced a comic character called Mr. Lee. The other attendees are people I’ve bumped into/ made friends with over the years, but the main thing is they’re super legit graphically and kind of all fit into the mold of what connected well with comic art
We’re really looking forward to the Hip Hop x Comics exhibition of hip hop-related comics and hip hop influence on comics and vice versa. What drew you to this subject matter and how’d you gather all the works for the exhibition?
Comics have always been the hidden 6th element of hip hop, going back to Slick Rick and his storytelling creations of alter egos to the more obvious references of Ironman (Ghostface Killah from the Wu) MF Doom and more, hip hop has been present from the beginning to modern day. Depending on the historical perspective you take New York is the birthplace or at least spiritual home for both of these grassroots art forms. After the Statue of Liberty, the most cover prevalent famous landmark is most likely the Empire State Building. The exhibition will hopefully let people see firsthand how much or how long hip-hop and comics have held intrinsic connections.
The Steamed Bun Comics Grand Opening Party is happening tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 28, at The Factory from 2pm onwards. Entry is free. Read more about the event here.
READ: Weekend Walk: Literary Strolls Through Old Peking
Images: Unsplash, courtesy of Zak Elmasri
