What Comicola does

Comicola is a Vietnamese creative entertainment company founded in 2014 and registered as Công ty Cổ phần Comicola in Ho Chi Minh City, operating a vertically integrated ecosystem for original Vietnamese comics, cultural illustrated books, and creative merchandise. The company runs four interconnected platforms: a main web content hub (vn.comicola.com), a dedicated crowdfunding platform for creative projects (crowdfunding.comicola.com), an e-commerce store (shop.comicola.com), and the Comi Webtoon mobile app (comi.mobi) for digital reading. The technology stack is web/mobile-first with pay-per-chapter and unit-pricing digital sales, and Comicola also distributes physical products through two Comi Store retail locations (Hanoi and HCMC) and partnerships with Tiki, Shopee, and bookstore distributors.

Comicola makes money through diversified, primarily transaction-based revenue streams: physical and digital comic/book sales (unit prices typically 45,000-200,000 VND for standard editions and up to 995,000 VND for premium/limited editions like Tarot Kiều 5th), licensed international webtoon distribution (Korean and Japanese titles), specialized merchandise (tarot decks, art toys, AR-enabled standees, collectible cards, playing cards), board game distribution, and crowdfunding platform transaction fees. The company serves a B2C audience segmented into young Vietnamese comic/webtoon readers (ages 15-35), history and culture enthusiasts, tarot and merchandise collectors, board game players, and crowdfunding backers, with 12,666 backers supporting 72+ creative companies through its platform since 2014. Comicola has achieved sustained international recognition, including 4 consecutive years of Japan International Manga Award wins (2017, 2020-2023) and exhibition at the US National Museum of Asian Art. The company is founder-led (Khanh Duong Nguyen, CEO), bootstrapped with no disclosed external institutional investment, and has expanded its product portfolio into board games, AR-enabled art toys, and international IP licensing (2024 Minto Inc. partnership for Usagyuuun merchandise).

Name

Comicola

Legal name

Công ty Cổ phần Comicola

Website

https://comicola.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Comicola is a Vietnamese creative entertainment company that operates a vertically integrated ecosystem of four platforms (crowdfunding, e-commerce, webtoon app, and content hub) to publish and sell original Vietnamese comics, cultural illustrated books, tarot decks, board games, and merchandise to B2C consumers, with a secondary role as a manufacturing/licensing partner for creative projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Comic and Webtoon Publishing

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Webcomics & Digital-First Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ), Webtoon & Digital Comics Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAK), Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail (CRALAAAF), Licensed & Franchise Comics Publishing (Film/TV/Game Tie-ins) (MPAJAGAH)

Keywords

• Comic publishing
• Webtoon platform
• Creative crowdfunding
• Cultural merchandise
• Illustrated book publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanoi

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical Comic & Book Sales: Sale of printed comic volumes, manga-style books, illustrated books, and historical/cultural reference books through Comicola's own e-commerce store, physical Comi Stores, and distribution partnerships with bookstores nationwide. Revenue is one-time per unit sold.
2. Crowdfunding Platform Fees: Comicola operates a crowdfunding platform (crowdfunding.comicola.com) that supports creative projects (comics, books, board games, merchandise) from third-party creators. The platform takes a fee on successfully funded projects.
3. Specialized Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including Tarot card decks (Tarot Kiều, U Linh Tarot, Măm Tarot, Tarot Sông Núi), art toys, collectible cards, playing cards (Tứ Triều), enamel pins, keychains, plush toys, bookmarks, notebooks, and AR-enabled standees.
4. Licensed International Webtoons: Comicola acquires and distributes licensed international webtoons in Vietnam, including Korean webtoons such as 'Nghe Bảo Tôi Là Con Gái Của Vua' (I Was Heard the King Said I'm His Daughter). Revenue is generated through both digital reading (Comi app subscription/pay-per-chapter) and physical book sales of translated titles.
5. Digital Content / E-book Sales: Sale of digital editions of books and comics through the Comi platform (comi.mobi). Digital versions are reformatted for vertical mobile reading. Examples include 'Dệt Nên Triều Đại' digital edition and 'Aftermath - Ác Quỷ Rừng Phế Tích' novel available on comi.mobi.
6. Board Game Distribution: Comicola distributes Vietnamese-designed board games through its platform and stores, including titles developed via crowdfunding such as 'Anh Hùng Áo Vải' (roguelike RPG), 'Kinh Lược 1698', and 'Hội Phố'. Revenue is one-time per unit sale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Comicola is a Vietnamese creative entertainment company that publishes original Vietnamese comics and webtoons, illustrated cultural and historical books, tarot decks, board games, and collectible merchandise. It operates an integrated ecosystem comprising a digital webtoon reading app (Comi Webtoon), a crowdfunding platform for independent creators, an e-commerce shop, and physical retail stores. The company also licenses and distributes international webtoons (Korean, Japanese) in Vietnam.

Product overview

Comicola is a Vietnamese creative entertainment company operating a multi-platform ecosystem for comics, literature, and cultural products. The company operates four interconnected platforms: Comicola Web (main content hub), Comicola Crowdfunding (crowdfunding for creative projects since 2014), Comicola Shop (e-commerce for physical products), and Comi Webtoon (digital comic reading app). Product portfolio spans Vietnamese manga/webtoons (Bad Luck, Long Thần Tướng, Địa Ngục Môn, Điệu Nhảy Của Vũ Trụ), illustrated history books (Việt Sử Nhân Vật, Việt Sử Diễn Họa, Dệt Nên Triều Đại, Lôi Động Tinh Phi), tarot decks (Tarot Kiều, Thiên Địa Nhân Tarot, U Linh Tarot, Măm Tarot), board games (Kinh lược 1698, Hội Phố), and merchandise including art toys, collectible cards, and playing cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COMI: Digital reading platform for comics and content on comi.mobi
• Comicola Shop

Products and services

• Comi Webtoon (comi.mobi) Mobile-first webtoon reading application and web platform hosting Vietnamese original comics and licensed international webtoons (Korean, Japanese) with digital vertical-scroll and page-format reading. Targeted at Vietnamese comic and webtoon readers aged 15-35.
• Comicola Crowdfunding Platform Dedicated rewards-based crowdfunding platform for cultural and creative projects in Vietnam (comics, books, board games, merchandise). Connects independent creators with backers and processes transactions with platform fees. Targeted at independent Vietnamese creators and small studios and the backers who fund them.
• Comicola Shop (shop.comicola.com) Direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront selling Comicola's full product catalog, including comics, books, tarot decks, board games, art toys, and AR-enabled merchandise. Targeted at Vietnamese readers, collectors, and backers.
• Comicola Physical Comi Stores

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,666 backers have supported 72 creative companies raising over 5.9 billion VND on the Comicola crowdfunding platform since 2014
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered notable, minor, standard and core.

• Minto Inc. (Japan)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2024Comicola partnered with Minto Inc., the Japanese IP holder of the Usagyuuun (Thỏ Tăng Động) character, to produce Usagyuuun merchandise with Comicola-designed concepts. After over a year of testing various design ideas, the collaboration resulted in officially licensed Usagyuuun merchandise produced by Comicola.
• Hesman Legend (NFT/Blockchain)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Comicola announced a collaboration with Hesman Legend for NFT (Non-Fungible Token) related initiatives, leveraging blockchain technology to authenticate and potentially tokenize Hesman Legend comic merchandise and collectibles.
• Liên Quân Mobile (Garena Vietnam)notableGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2022Comicola co-organized a merchandise design competition with Liên Quân Mobile (Garena). The competition offered total prize money of up to 100 million VND, inviting designers to create Liên Quân Mobile merchandise. Comicola served as the creative and production partner.
• EverJoy (Vietnamese Board Game Publisher)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022EverJoy, a Vietnamese board game publisher, brought Vietnamese board games to the Essen Spiel game fair (world's largest board game event). Comicola's tarot decks (Thiên Địa Nhân Tarot and Tarot Kiều) appeared at this event through EverJoy's presence.
• Tiki and Shopee (Marketplace Partners)standardChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 July 2021Comicola sells its products through major Vietnamese e-commerce platforms Tiki and Shopee, extending its online reach beyond its own e-commerce store. Postcard bonuses and exclusive perks are available for purchases made on these third-party platforms.
• Ngũ Hành GamesnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Comicola supports and distributes board games from Ngũ Hành Games, including Hội Phố and Kinh Lược 1698. Ngũ Hành Games is a Saigon-based independent board game developer focused on Vietnamese cultural themes. Comicola helped bring these games to market through its platform and retail stores.
• 72 Creative Companies (Crowdfunding Platform Users)coreOthers · 1 January 2014Since 2014, Comicola's crowdfunding platform has supported 72 creative companies/small studios bringing cultural entertainment products to market. Notable supported creators include Ngũ Hành Games, Nextstep, and numerous individual comic artists.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Shopee Vietnam: Shopee is the other major Vietnamese marketplace and a distribution partner of Comicola. It is comparable as a third-party online sales channel and as a benchmark for the broader consumer reach Comicola's products access in Vietnam.
• First News (Vietnamese publisher): First News is a major independent Vietnamese publisher with a deep illustrated and reference-book catalog (including cultural and lifestyle titles). It is comparable to Comicola on the Vietnamese-language illustrated book and reference book side, and competes for the same retail channels.
• Tiki: Tiki is one of the two largest Vietnamese e-commerce marketplaces and a distribution partner of Comicola (selling Comicola books, tarot decks, and merchandise). It is comparable as the dominant third-party online channel for Comicola's physical goods in Vietnam.
• NXB Trẻ (Tre Publishing House): NXB Trẻ is the leading youth-oriented book and comic publisher in Vietnam, and the dominant traditional publisher that Comicola's publishing arm competes with for retail bookstore shelf space. It is a regional peer reflecting the legacy publishing model in Comicola's home market.

Direct peers

• Tappytoon: Tappytoon is a Kakao Entertainment-owned webtoon and web-novel platform that distributes licensed Korean titles in multiple languages. It is a direct competitor in the licensed-Korean-webtoon category that Comicola carries on Comi, and competes for the same Vietnamese-language localizations.
• Tapas Media: Tapas operates a digital comics and webtoon platform with a creator-publishing and serialized-reading model similar to Comi's. It is a relevant peer for cross-platform format, mobile reading UX, and creator economics, although Tapas is primarily English-language and based in the U.S.
• Picta Comics (Vietnamese webtoon platform): Picta is a Vietnamese webtoon and digital comics platform competing in the same domestic market as Comi. It is a direct peer on platform business model (creator-uploaded serialized comics, mobile reading), and represents the in-country competitive pressure Comicola faces for Vietnamese creator talent and reader attention.
• Kuaikan Comics (Kuaikan Manhua): Kuaikan is a leading Chinese webtoon and manhua platform with a comparable mobile-first, vertical-scroll format and original-IP publishing model. It is a directly comparable platform peer in Asia, particularly relevant on the digital reading experience and licensed-content strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Webtoon Entertainment (Naver Webtoon): Naver's webtoon division is the global category leader in digital comics and the dominant licensed-webtoon distributor. It competes with Comicola both for licensed content (Korean webtoons) and for original creator talent, and serves as the structural ceiling on Comicola's domestic Vietnam ambitions.

Others

• Garena Vietnam (Liên Quân Mobile): Garena Vietnam operates Liên Quân Mobile and has co-organized merchandise design competitions with Comicola. It is comparable as a major mobile-gaming partner for IP collaborations in Vietnam, relevant to Comicola's stated evolution into mobile game publishing and licensed merchandise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYZqP5hGsruce4eTdXppZlw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ComicolaFanpage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/comicola
• Xx.com/comicolajsc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Comicola