The Incredible Comic Shop first opened in June 2011 inside the town’s covered market before relocating to the The Brunel Centre ten years ago.
Lifelong comic book fan Johnathan Brown founded the business alongside his friend and colleague Troy Loveday.
The pair had worked together at the The Wyvern Theatre before launching the venture.
Johnathan said:
“We worked together at The Wyvern Theatre for about a year, and I managed to persuade him to open the shop with me.
“I’ve always loved comics, it’s always been my hobby, and it’s why I opened the shop in the first place.”
The store moved to The Brunel in 2016 on international Free Comic Book Day, initially taking on a temporary unit.
When the business relocated to its current first-floor premises nine years ago, that move also took place on Free Comic Book Day.
Johnathan said:
“Free Comic Book Day is a worldwide event, always the first Saturday in May, and so this year on May 2, we’ll be celebrating that day and then we can go on to celebrate our 15th anniversary in June too.”
He sources comic books and graphic novels from the United States and increasingly from Japan.
Superhero titles from publishers including Marvel and DC remain popular with customers.
Japanese comics are also growing in demand, with some shoppers having supported the store since it first opened.
Comic books span a wide range of genres, including romance, crime, horror and science fiction.
The shop sells both new and second-hand books and graphic novels, but does not stock British weekly titles commonly found in newsagents.
During its time in the market, the store carried around 10,000 comics.
Today, that figure has grown to around half a million.
Johnathan now works alongside five members of staff. Troy stepped away from the business two years ago.
The shop takes its name from The Incredible Hulk. Johnathan said:
“The shop was named after The Incredible Hulk, and I have always been a big fan. And I still read pretty much everything that comes out in comics.”
A spokeswoman for The Brunel said:
“We are absolutely delighted to congratulate Johnathan and The Incredible Comic shop on reaching this fantastic 15-year milestone; they have become a beloved fixture of The Brunel Centre and we look forward to supporting their continued success for many years to come.”
The Incredible Comic Shop is located on the first floor of Swindon’s Brunel Centre.
