Toronto nerds assemble: a new community hub dedicated to comic books is opening up in the Junction this fall. 

The Sidekick, the Leslieville cafe-meets-comic book store, is opening up at Keele and Dundas in the next few months.

Taking over a two-storey building, they'll be joined by Comic Book Embassy: a ten-desk co-working space that houses freelancing illustrators, comic book writers, self-publishers, and other creators. 

Originally operating out of a second-floor Chinatown office, the Embassy has been around since 2012, and has been the workspace for notable cartoonists like Sanya Anwar, who's worked on titles like Assassin's Creed, and Meaghan Carter, the creator of Godslave. 

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A post shared by The Sidekick (@thesidekickcomics) on May 30, 2019 at 4:36am PDT

"We’re interested in nurturing a comics community," says Comic Book Embassy's manager Megan Kearney "We’re particularly interested in creating a hub for more marginalized creators who are outside of the mainstream. That's been our strength."

Embassy's current roster of artists will be moving from Chinatown to Junction, though there are four spaces open to new members. 

Also moving to the new Sidekick will be Embassy's downstairs neighbour, Comic Book Bootcamp, where classes will be taught three times a week by one of Canada's best known comic artists, Ty Templeton (think Batman, Spiderman, and the Simpsons). 

Visitors to the new Sidekick will be offering coffee and comic books, and according to owner Chris Watton, the space will have increased capacity to become a nerdy extravaganza with events like comic book ladies' nights, workshops, and book signings.