It was a pain to find Leaping Windows Cafe.
It really was. According to the internet, it's somewhere on Yari Road, but when you go there and ask the people where it is, they'll reply with a confused "Kaha pe?"
And the omnipresent stink ofcorpses fishes doesn't help the quest, either.
But once you find it (Hint : ask someone to direct you to Bianca Towers. You'll spot it en route to that place), you'll love it.
The first floor of Leaping Windows is the cafe. Pretty decent food. Even if the portions are small, they are very well made. No factory-made crap. Rather, you order food and they'll make it for you right there.
But what's more important is the comics library.
You go down to the (air-conditioned, bytheway) basement via a winding staircase and voila!
There are no chairs, but a couple of comfy mats strewn around the place. And against the walls are book racks filled with comics. Not just DC, Marvel and Amar Chitra Katha, but you've also got a lot of Vertigo, a lot of Joe Sacco Graphic novels and a ton of manga.
On top of the racks are giant Marvel and DC omnibuses and other hardcovers and below them you've got a ton of trade paperbacks. There are the classics (Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Saga of the Swamp Thing) and the not so classics (coughDarkKnightStrikesAgaincough). They've got a lot of Dark Horse stuff, too, like each and every trade of Mike Mignola's Hellboy, Star Wars and Indiana Jones omnibuses. If you're looking for more mature fare, these guys have a lot of Neil Gaiman comics, Transmetropolitan, single issues of Preacher and Hellblazer.... These guys just stop short of having everything!
Manga fans will be left drooling at this collection. Death Note? Dragon Ball? Battle Royale? Akira? Naruto? Bleach? They've got it. I even spotted some less mainstream stuff like Koike and Kojima's masterful Lone Wolf and Cub and Uzumaki.
They've got comics for comic lovers, they've got comics for other people, they've got comics for kids, they've got comics for pretentious douchebags who annoyingly refer to comics as "Gwaphic Nauvels". They've got comics for everyone.
And you can read all of them. All for a measly sum of 30 rupees an hour. And let's not kid ourselves... comics are goddamn costly. In India, moreso. And the joy of reading comics isn't fulfilled by reading them at sites like OneManga or downloading them online and using CBR readers. The joy of reading comics is fulfilled by flipping through the pages using your thumbs, feeling the texture of each page, holding them open with your hands. Some cool software and a scrollbar just can't replace that experience can it?
The only problem with Leaping Windows is that it's in Versova, which may prove to be quite far for some. But they've even got that covered.
Leaping Windows practically spoils their members. Not only do you get to take the comics home, you can also get them delivered to you if you live somewhere between Dahisar and Churchgate stations. All for just 500 bucks a month.
So, if you're looking for great comics, or looking for great literature, get your ass there right now. Or contact them and get yourself a membership ASAP.
Leaping Windows Comics Library and Cafe can be found opposite Bianca Towers, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (West). For more info, visit their website or facebook page.
UPDATE: The Leaping Windows website seems to be down, but hey they've got a phone (9769998972, 26329133)!
It really was. According to the internet, it's somewhere on Yari Road, but when you go there and ask the people where it is, they'll reply with a confused "Kaha pe?"
And the omnipresent stink of
But once you find it (Hint : ask someone to direct you to Bianca Towers. You'll spot it en route to that place), you'll love it.
 |
| Photograph by iStud's crappy iPhone |
But what's more important is the comics library.
There are no chairs, but a couple of comfy mats strewn around the place. And against the walls are book racks filled with comics. Not just DC, Marvel and Amar Chitra Katha, but you've also got a lot of Vertigo, a lot of Joe Sacco Graphic novels and a ton of manga.
On top of the racks are giant Marvel and DC omnibuses and other hardcovers and below them you've got a ton of trade paperbacks. There are the classics (Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Saga of the Swamp Thing) and the not so classics (coughDarkKnightStrikesAgaincough). They've got a lot of Dark Horse stuff, too, like each and every trade of Mike Mignola's Hellboy, Star Wars and Indiana Jones omnibuses. If you're looking for more mature fare, these guys have a lot of Neil Gaiman comics, Transmetropolitan, single issues of Preacher and Hellblazer.... These guys just stop short of having everything!
They've got comics for comic lovers, they've got comics for other people, they've got comics for kids, they've got comics for pretentious douchebags who annoyingly refer to comics as "Gwaphic Nauvels". They've got comics for everyone.
The only problem with Leaping Windows is that it's in Versova, which may prove to be quite far for some. But they've even got that covered.
Leaping Windows practically spoils their members. Not only do you get to take the comics home, you can also get them delivered to you if you live somewhere between Dahisar and Churchgate stations. All for just 500 bucks a month.
So, if you're looking for great comics, or looking for great literature, get your ass there right now. Or contact them and get yourself a membership ASAP.
Leaping Windows Comics Library and Cafe can be found opposite Bianca Towers, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (West). For more info, visit their website or facebook page.
UPDATE: The Leaping Windows website seems to be down, but hey they've got a phone (9769998972, 26329133)!
great to know that Mumbai has at last got such a Comics Cafe. Hurrah. This place really merits a visit....and the home delivery bit is very interesting !!!
ReplyDeleteZOMG. I have to go here. Can't believe I never knew that such a place existed in our city! Thanks! O:
ReplyDelete