Last Gasp
Last Gasp is an independent San Francisco publisher founded in 1970 that sells underground comix, manga, art books, and counterculture publications directly to consumers worldwide through its own Shopify e-commerce storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Last Gasp does
Last Gasp of San Francisco is an independent book and comic publisher founded in 1970, specializing in underground comix, alternative comics, manga, art books, and counterculture publications. The company publishes under the Last Gasp Publications imprint and the Last Gasp Manga sub-brand, and operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront built on Shopify. Its catalog spans hundreds of titles ranging from vintage underground comix of the 1960s-1980s to contemporary graphic novels and limited/deluxe editions, including works associated with Robert Crumb, Richard Corben, Robert Williams, Trina Robbins, Junko Mizuno, and Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen series. The company also distributes specialty items such as figurines, prints, apparel, and themed collections (e.g., Krampus), and publishes Weirdo Magazine, an underground comics anthology.
The business model is direct-to-consumer transactional sales with no subscription or recurring component. Products are priced individually (e.g., $9.99 to $25.00 per title), with automatic volume-based discounts ranging from 20% (orders over $10) to 55% (orders over $1,000), and free media mail shipping on US orders over $50. Marketing is conducted through email newsletters, organic social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), and SEO-driven traffic to the Shopify storefront. There are no physical retail storefronts and no international distribution network beyond US media mail. The company is privately held with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company involvement, and operates from a single headquarters at 777 Florida Street, Suite 201, San Francisco, California.
The primary customer segments are comic and art book collectors seeking rare and out-of-print titles, manga and graphic novel readers interested in underground and psychedelic works, and counterculture and underground art enthusiasts documenting Bay Area punk, underground press, and alternative art history. There are no enterprise or wholesale customers disclosed, and the entire revenue base is derived from individual consumer transactions. No AI/ML capabilities, integrations beyond standard Shopify payment processing, or third-party technology partnerships are evident in the available data.
Last Gasp firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Last Gasp
- Legal name
- Last Gasp of San Francisco
- Website
- https://lastgasp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Last Gasp is an independent San Francisco publisher founded in 1970 that sells underground comix, manga, art books, and counterculture publications directly to consumers worldwide through its own Shopify e-commerce storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Last Gasp industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent Comic & Book Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art/Alternative/Underground Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail (CRALAAAF)
Keywords
Where Last Gasp is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Last Gasp business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: Revenue generated through direct sales of published books, comics, graphic novels, manga, art books, and merchandise through their e-commerce platform. The company publishes both their own titles (Last Gasp Publications) and resells select third-party publisher inventory. Sales are primarily one-time transactional purchases with no recurring subscription component.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product pricing with volume-based discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Last Gasp product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Last Gasp is an independent publisher and retailer of underground comix, alternative comics, manga, art books, and counterculture publications. The company publishes its own titles under the Last Gasp Publications imprint and the Last Gasp Manga sub-brand, and sells both its own publications and select third-party titles directly to consumers through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with no physical retail location.
Product overview
Last Gasp is a book and comic book publisher founded in 1970, operating an e-commerce storefront for its own publications and selected titles from other publishers. The company publishes under its own Last Gasp Publications imprint and Last Gasp Manga sub-brand, offering an extensive catalog that spans graphic novels, manga (including Keiichi Koike's Ultra Heaven series, Junko Mizuno's works, and Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen), vintage underground comix from the 1960s-1980s, art books, adult coloring books, limited/deluxe editions, and specialty items including Krampus-themed products, T-shirts, figurines, and vintage ephemera. The company also operates discount programs (Super Discount at 70% off, Art Book Sale at 60% off) and publishes Weirdo Magazine, an underground comics anthology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Last Gasp Publications The company's core publishing imprint, producing comics, graphic novels, manga, art books, and limited editions from notable underground and alternative artists including Robert Crumb, Richard Corben, Robert Williams, Trina Robbins, and Junko Mizuno. Sold directly to consumers through the Last Gasp Shopify storefront.
- Last Gasp Manga
Companies that use Last Gasp
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Last Gasp technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Last Gasp partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Last Gasp competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dark Horse Comics: Established comic book and graphic novel publisher with a broad catalog including licensed and creator-owned titles, competing for the same collector dollars but across mainstream and indie titles.
- BOOM! Studios: Comic book and graphic novel publisher with both licensed and original creator-owned titles, representing a larger-scale alternative in the same comics-publishing category.
- Viz Media: Largest English-language manga publisher and a major direct competitor in the manga segment that Last Gasp addresses through its Last Gasp Manga imprint, though at vastly greater scale and with mainstream titles.
Direct peers
- Drawn & Quarterly: Montreal-based independent publisher of graphic novels, alternative comics, and translated manga/bandes dessinées, operating a comparable indie catalog model with a strong direct-to-consumer and bookstore presence.
- Top Shelf Productions: Independent graphic novel and alternative comics publisher (now an imprint of IDW) with a similar indie-curator profile, publishing literary and art-forward comics targeted at adult readers.
- Fantagraphics Books: Founded in 1976, Fantagraphics is the closest direct peer to Last Gasp: an independent publisher specializing in underground and alternative comix, classic comic strip archives, and graphic novels, with relationships to many of the same artists (Robert Crumb, etc.).
- Tokyopop: Manga and indie comic publisher with a similar mix of translated Japanese titles and Western alternative comics, competing directly for manga readers alongside Last Gasp's manga sub-brand.
Emerging players
- City Lights Books: San Francisco-based independent bookstore and publisher historically tied to Beat Generation and counterculture literature; comparable as a long-running Bay Area independent publisher of alternative/counterculture literary works.
- Akashic Books: Independent publisher of literary fiction, nonfiction, and counterculture-adjacent titles with a D2C and specialty retail distribution model similar to Last Gasp's.
Others
- Alternative Press Magazine: Long-running music and counterculture magazine documenting punk, alternative, and underground scenes, sharing Last Gasp's audience overlap in counterculture and Bay Area punk heritage (e.g., Murray Bowles' photography).
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Last Gasp social profiles
Digital presenceLast Gasp financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Last Gasp leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Last Gasp funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Last Gasp M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Last Gasp
What does Last Gasp do?
Last Gasp is an independent publisher and retailer of underground comix, alternative comics, manga, art books, and counterculture publications. The company publishes its own titles under the Last Gasp Publications imprint and the Last Gasp Manga sub-brand, and sells both its own publications and select third-party titles directly to consumers through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with no physical retail location.
Is Last Gasp a public or private company?
Last Gasp is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Last Gasp founded?
Last Gasp was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Last Gasp based?
Last Gasp is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Last Gasp make money?
One revenue line is on record: direct Product Sales.
Who are Last Gasp's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dark Horse Comics, BOOM! Studios and Viz Media. Direct peers are Drawn & Quarterly, Top Shelf Productions, Fantagraphics Books and Tokyopop. Emerging players are City Lights Books and Akashic Books. Alternative Press Magazine is listed as an others.
Does Last Gasp have an API?
No public API is recorded for Last Gasp.
What industry is Last Gasp in?
Last Gasp's product category is Independent Comic & Book Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAGAK, Art/Alternative/Underground Comics Publishing, with a secondary code of CRALAAAF, Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.