Drawn to Comics

What Drawn to Comics does

Drawn to Comics is a family-owned comic book retailer founded in 2005 and operated by the Brown family (Ken, Susan, and Kayla Brown) out of a single ~2,500 sq ft brick-and-mortar storefront at 5801 W Glendale Ave in Downtown Glendale, Arizona. The company sells new comic releases, back issues, graphic novels, manga, statues, toys, and pop culture collectibles (including Funko Pops and Hot Wheels), and extends its catalog through a consignment service that lets local collectors sell comics via the store. It also sells store-branded DTC swag and merchandise both in-store and through an online storefront.

The business operates a managed pull-list and monthly comic subscription program, and in April 2020 launched the DTC2U ("Drawn To Comics To You") delivery service that runs scheduled Monday and Friday customer deliveries by appointment alongside curbside pickup. Proprietary or differentiated offerings include $5.99 Mystery Packs (five-comic bundles) and limited-edition exclusive covers produced with local artists, such as the TMNT: Shredder #1 Andy Carreon Exclusive with signed editions, certificates of authenticity, and dual-cover packages priced at $49.99. Technology is a standard e-commerce platform with subscription management and an appointment-based delivery workflow; no AI/ML, API, or mobile app capabilities are disclosed.

Drawn to Comics makes money primarily through one-time retail sales of physical comics and collectibles, with recurring revenue from monthly comic subscriptions and DTC2U deliveries, plus event-driven transactional spikes during the annual Free Comic Book Day Festival, Halloween Comic Festival, "Blackest Friday/Brightest Saturday," "For the Love of Comics" sale, Dice Roll Discount Days, and Door Buster Weekends. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by recurring partnerships with the Velma Teague Library (City of Glendale), Downtown Glendale restaurants, and the Kids Need to Read nonprofit. The customer base consists of local comic collectors and enthusiasts (primary), casual readers, and families in the Phoenix/Glendale metro, all served through SMB/individual transactions with no enterprise or B2B contracts.

Name

Drawn to Comics

Legal name

Drawn to Comics

Website

https://drawntocomics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Drawn to Comics is a family-owned comic book store in Glendale, Arizona, founded in 2005, selling new releases, back issues, graphic novels, manga, and collectibles to local readers, collectors, and families via in-store retail, monthly subscriptions, DTC2U delivery, and community events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Comic Book Retail

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail (CRALAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pop Culture Collectibles Retail (Figures, Statues, Funko, etc.) (CRALAGAK), Comic Books & Graphic Novel Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAH)

Keywords

• Comic book retail
• Graphic novels
• Manga sales
• Pop culture collectibles
• Comic subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Comic Book Retail Sales: New releases, back issues, graphic novels, and manga sold in-store and online
2. Collectibles and Merchandise: Statues, toys, Funko Pops, Hot Wheels, and DTC swag merchandise
3. Comic Subscriptions: Subscription program for ongoing comic orders with personalized pull lists
4. Exclusive Covers and Special Editions: Limited quantity exclusive covers (e.g., TMNT Shredder #1 Andy Carreon Exclusive) with premium pricing
5. Special Events and Sales: Door Buster Weekends, Dice Roll Discount Days, Blackest Friday/Brightest Saturday promotions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Drawn to Comics is a family-owned comic book retail store selling new releases, back issues, graphic novels, and manga from major publishers, along with statues, toys, and pop culture collectibles. The shop operates a brick-and-mortar storefront in Glendale, Arizona, an online store, a managed pull-list subscription program, and a DTC2U delivery service for subscription customers. Additional offerings include exclusive artist covers, $5.99 mystery packs, store-branded merchandise, and consignment services for local collectors.

Product overview

Drawn to Comics operates as a physical retail comic book store offering a curated selection of comic books, graphic novels, manga, and pop culture collectibles. The store provides both in-person browsing and online shopping capabilities. Core offerings include new comic releases, back issues, and an extensive subscription/pull-list service. The product portfolio extends to specialty items such as $5.99 mystery comic packs, exclusive limited-edition covers created with local artists, store-branded DTC swag and merchandise, and consignment services for collectors looking to sell. The shop also hosts community events including Free Comic Book Day festivals, making it a destination for readers, collectors, and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comic Books New releases, back issues, graphic novels, and manga from major publishers, sold in-store and online to readers and collectors in the Phoenix/Glendale area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Voted Best Comic Book Shop in Phoenix by New Times 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Velma Teague Library (City of Glendale)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2023Annual partnership with City of Glendale's Velma Teague Library for Free Comic Book Day Festival and Halloween Comic Festival events. Library serves as secondary venue for events, allowing expansion from 1 venue to 2-venue site with vendor tables, games, and activities.
• Downtown Glendale RestaurantsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 April 2023Annual partnership with Downtown Glendale restaurants for Free Comic Book Day Restaurant Crawl, driving foot traffic to local eateries during the festival.
• Kids Need to ReadminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2022Partnership with Kids Need to Read non-profit organization for 24 Hour Comic Challenge event, supporting literacy and youth education through comics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Midtown Comics: One of the largest independent comic book retailers in the US, operating multiple NYC storefronts with a strong online shop, pull-list subscriptions, exclusive variants, and a deep back-issue catalog. Directly comparable in core offering (new comics, back issues, exclusives, subscriptions) at much larger scale.
• Forbidden Planet: Long-established chain of comic book and pop culture stores with strong UK and NYC presence, offering new releases, back issues, graphic novels, manga, collectibles, and exclusive variants. Comparable across product mix, subscription services, and exclusive cover program.
• Things From Another World (TFAW): Long-running online-first comic retailer with a Portland flagship store, offering new releases, pull-list subscriptions, back issues, and a broad catalog. Comparable business model balancing brick-and-mortar community with national online fulfillment.
• Atomic Comics: Arizona-based comic book retailer (historical presence in the Phoenix metro) operating in the same local market. Direct regional competitor with comparable product mix and community-event-driven model.
• Jesse James Comics: Arizona-based independent comic shop with multiple Phoenix-area locations, strong pull-list service, and active community event programming. Comparable as a same-market competitor with multi-location scale advantages.
• Alternate Reality Comics: Independent comic shop serving the Las Vegas area with new releases, pull-list subscriptions, events, and community focus. Most comparable in size and GTM motion to Drawn to Comics as a similarly-positioned regional indie LCS.
• MyComicShop: Large online comic retailer specializing in back issues, new releases, and catalog browsing. Represents the online-direct competitive set that DTC2U and Drawn to Comics' online shop compete with for non-local comic shoppers.

Broad incumbents

• Hot Topic: National mall-based retailer of pop culture apparel, accessories, and collectibles including Funko Pops, graphic novel sections, and exclusive variants. Adjacent competitor in the pop culture collectibles space where Drawn to Comics derives non-comic revenue.
• BoxLunch: National pop culture and gift retailer carrying collectibles, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise. Comparable in the collectibles and pop culture merchandise category that supplements Drawn to Comics' core comic business.

Others

• Diamond Comic Distributors: Primary wholesale distributor for the US direct market comic book industry and the awarding body behind the Spirit Awards and Top 100 Store recognition that Drawn to Comics has received. Relevant as an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drawntocomics
• Facebookfacebook.com/drawntocomics
• Instagraminstagram.com/drawntocomics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drawn-to-comics-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Drawn to Comics