The Perry Bible Fellowship

What The Perry Bible Fellowship does

The Perry Bible Fellowship (PBF) is an independent webcomic and former newspaper comic strip founded in 2001 by Nicholas Gurewitch, Albert Birney, and Evan Keogh, with editorial and creative contributions from Jordan E. Morris (joined 2002) and web infrastructure built by Luke Dangler. The product is a hand-drawn comic series characterized by dark humor, surrealism, and absurdist scenarios; the archive contains 300+ strips, with new content published on a WordPress-based website (pbfcomics.com). Distribution and discovery occur through organic social channels (Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit) and have historically extended to mainstream print syndication in The Guardian and Playboy.

The business is a sole-creator direct-to-consumer enterprise with two revenue streams: (1) recurring Patreon subscriptions (perryfellow) marketed as an alternative to algorithmic social platforms, and (2) one-time sales of physical prints, shirts, and merchandise via the PBF Shop (pbfcomicshop.com) and the Topatoco webcomic merchandise network. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; a free Patreon tier exists. The business has won the Ignatz, Harvey, and Eisner awards, has executed collaborations with peer webcomics (The Oatmeal, Cyanide & Happiness, Poorly Drawn Lines, Extra Fabulous Comics, Twistwood, They Can Talk, Seo Kim), and produced guest comics for Marvel's Strange Tales series. In 2021, the 20th anniversary marked an expansion of the collaborative model via guest artists. The entity has no external funding, no parent company, no disclosed revenue, and operates with 1-10 employees from New York, USA.

Name

The Perry Bible Fellowship

Legal name

The Perry Bible Fellowship

Website

https://pbfcomics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Perry Bible Fellowship is an independent webcomic created by Nicholas Gurewitch in 2001, monetized through Patreon subscriptions and merchandise sales, serving global readers of dark, surreal humor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Patreon Subscriptions: Monthly subscription model where followers can support the comic for free through the Patreon platform
2. Merchandise Sales: Direct sales of comic prints, t-shirts, and other merchandise through the PBF shop

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Perry Bible Fellowship is an independent webcomic series by Nicholas Gurewitch, publishing darkly comedic, surreal, artistic comic strips free online since 2001. The company monetizes the comic through Patreon subscriptions and direct-to-consumer merchandise sales (prints, t-shirts, and apparel) via its own online shop. It also distributes select strips through mainstream print outlets such as The Guardian and Playboy.

Product overview

The Perry Bible Fellowship is a single unified webcomic offering comprising the core comic strip series, a print shop for purchasing physical comic prints, a merchandise shop for branded apparel and items, and a Patreon subscription membership for direct support and access. The portfolio consists of the main webcomic as the primary product, supplemented by e-commerce extensions for prints and merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Perry Bible Fellowship Webcomic An offbeat webcomic strip created by Nicholas Gurewitch featuring dark humor and surreal comedy, with an archive of more than 300 comic strips published since 2001, free to read online for general readers and fans of alternative comedy.
• PBF Print Shop Online store offering physical prints of PBF comic strip artwork, including portrait and landscape formats, available for purchase as physical products for fans and collectors.
• PBF Shop Merchandise Merchandise store featuring shirts and other apparel items with Perry Bible Fellowship comic artwork, available for purchase by fans.
• Patreon Membership Subscription membership on Patreon offering free and paid tier support for the comic, providing an alternative engagement channel to social media platforms and direct creator support for fans.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marvel ComicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated guest comics for Marvel Comics' Strange Tales series, including 'New Herald of Galactus' and 'The Blue Hair' as part of their collaboration.
• TwistwoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Twistwood on 'The Lost Mitten: Part 1' comic strip.
• Extra Fabulous ComicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Extra Fabulous Comics on the 'Deep Impact' comic.
• Rob DenBleykerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Rob DenBleyker (creator of Cyanide & Happiness) on 'Arise' comic.
• The OatmealminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with The Oatmeal on 'Geopardy' comic strip.
• Seo KimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Seo Kim on 'The Mission' comic.
• Luke DanglercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLuke Dangler built the PBF website. Collaborated on 'Night Shift' comic. Website developer for the comic's online presence.
• They Can TalkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with They Can Talk on 'Clear Message' comic.
• Poorly Drawn LinesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Poorly Drawn Lines on 'Dragon' comic.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC): Webcomic by Zach Weinersmith featuring science-leaning absurdist humor; comparable to PBF as a single-creator webcomic with books, merchandise, and Patreon support.
• XKCD: Webcomic by Randall Munroe combining science, language, and humor; comparable as a long-running, creator-driven webcomic with a parallel monetization model (merch, books).
• Cyanide & Happiness: Long-running webcomic by Rob DenBleyker and collaborators featuring dark, offbeat humor; comparable to PBF in tone, audience, and creator-led model, with whom PBF has directly collaborated.
• Hark! A Vagrant: Webcomic by Kate Beaton featuring historical and literary humor; comparable to PBF as an award-winning, creator-driven webcomic with book collections published by a major publisher.
• Poorly Drawn Lines: Webcomic by Reza Farazmand featuring surreal, offbeat animal and human humor; comparable to PBF in artistic style and tone, with whom PBF has directly collaborated.
• Buttersafe: Webcomic by Alex Culang and Rayn Onco featuring absurdist, surreal humor; comparable to PBF in tone and format, with a long-running archive and merchandise offerings.
• The Oatmeal: Webcomic by Matthew Inman featuring absurdist humor; directly comparable to PBF as a creator-driven webcomic with a PBF collaboration ('Geopardy'), merchandise store, and books.

Others

• Topatoco: Webcomic merchandise retailer and distributor that sells PBF products; comparable as an infrastructure/ecosystem participant enabling PBF's e-commerce distribution rather than a content competitor.

Emerging players

• Extra Fabulous Comics: Webcomic by Brad Coles featuring queer, surreal humor; comparable to PBF in offbeat tone, smaller in scale, and a direct collaboration partner ('Deep Impact').
• They Can Talk: Webcomic by Jimmy Craig featuring animals in human situations with dark humor; comparable to PBF in surreal animal-centric premise, and a direct collaboration partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PBFcomics
• Facebookfacebook.com/perrybiblefellowship
• Instagraminstagram.com/pbf_comics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 The Perry Bible Fellowship