Ben is the founder of Awesome Con. Ben started reading comics at age 13, and in the late 90s began selling parts of his collection on eBay and used the money to buy more comics on eBay. This hobby turned into a full-time job in 2008, and Ninja Pirate Gear an online comic book store was created. Ben is the founder of Awesome Con. Ben started reading comics at age 13, and in the late 90s began selling parts of his collection on eBay and used the money to buy more comics on eBay. This hobby turned into a full-time job in 2008, and Ninja Pirate Gear an online comic book store was created.