Afterburn Media Llc
Afterburn Media LLC operates a US-only Shopify storefront selling professional comic book art boards, specialty papers, and protection supplies under the Blue Line Art brand, plus original comics, novels, and games under the SkyStorm Universe and Sketch Magazine sub-brands, targeting professional and hobbyist comic creators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersFlorence, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Afterburn Media Llc does
Afterburn Media LLC is a privately held, family-owned Kentucky LLC founded in 1990 by Bobby and Mike Hickey, operating a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business built around the Blue Line Art brand of professional comic book art supplies. The company sells acid-free comic book art boards (Premiere 300/400/500 Series, Pro, and Regular lines), specialty art papers for manga and animation, art protection supplies including toploaders, sleeves, and portfolios, and ancillary merchandise such as buttons, stickers, and trading cards. Products are shipped exclusively within the United States from a single fulfillment location in Florence, KY, through a Shopify-powered storefront at afterburnshop.com.
The company also operates a parallel content and intellectual property business under the Sketch Magazine, SkyStorm Universe, and SkyStorm Games brands. Sketch Magazine has published 47 issues of creator-facing instructional content, while the SkyStorm Universe comprises 10+ proprietary comic series (including Paradox Wars, HellGirl, Blood and Roses, and StormQuest) plus the Camelot Forever novel series. Customer segments include professional comic book creators, hobbyists, animation and manga artists, and collectible preservation customers, with named enterprise relationships including Image Comics, Top Cow, and SkyStorm. The business model is primarily transactional one-time purchase retail with a single recurring revenue stream from Sketch Magazine issues, and historically no external institutional capital has been raised.
Afterburn Media Llc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Afterburn Media Llc
- Legal name
- Afterburn Media LLC
- Website
- https://afterburnshop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Afterburn Media LLC operates a US-only Shopify storefront selling professional comic book art boards, specialty papers, and protection supplies under the Blue Line Art brand, plus original comics, novels, and games under the SkyStorm Universe and Sketch Magazine sub-brands, targeting professional and hobbyist comic creators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Afterburn Media Llc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Comic Book Art Supplies & Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Western Comic Books Publishing (Superhero, Indie) (MPAJAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Anthologies & Serialized Comics Magazines Publishing (MPAJAGAL), Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail (CRALAAAF), Comic Books & Graphic Novel Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAH), Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)
Keywords
Where Afterburn Media Llc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Florence
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Afterburn Media Llc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Art Supplies Sales: Direct retail sales of professional art boards, art paper (comic, manga, animation), art protection supplies (toploaders, sleeves, bags, portfolios). Products sold in various bulk quantities with unit pricing. Revenue from one-time product purchases.
- Comic Books and Graphic Novels: Sale of proprietary comic book titles including Arteest, Freaks & Gods, Blood & Roses, and the Camelot Forever novel series. Products available in print and digital formats.
- Merchandise: Sale of collectible merchandise including buttons, stickers, trading cards, limited edition collectibles, and prints featuring proprietary comic characters.
- Sketch Magazine Subscriptions/Issues: Sale of Sketch Magazine issues offering creator resources, interviews, and how-to content for comic book hobbyists and professionals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Unit pricing for individual items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk quantity discounts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Books and novels |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels11 records
Afterburn Media Llc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Afterburn Media LLC sells professional comic book art supplies under the Blue Line Art / Blue Line Pro brand, including acid-free Strathmore-based comic book art boards (Premiere 300/400/500 series, Regular, Pro), animation bond paper, manga and specialty art papers, and art protection supplies (toploaders, sleeves, bags, portfolios). The company also publishes original comic book intellectual property under the SkyStorm Universe (Paradox Wars, HellGirl, Blood and Roses, and others), produces Sketch Magazine for comic creators, and sells collectible merchandise via its Shopify e-commerce storefront at afterburnshop.com.
Product overview
Afterburn Media LLC operates Afterburn Shop as an e-commerce platform primarily serving the comic book creator community. The core offerings center on Blue Line Art professional art products (art boards, animation paper, specialty papers) and the SkyStorm Universe creative universe (comics, novels, and games including Paradox Wars and HellGirl). The business combines art supply retail with original intellectual property publishing, selling comic books, graphic novels, novels (Camelot Forever series), art protection supplies (toploaders, sleeves, portfolios), and collectibles. Sketch Magazine provides content for comic creators. The company was founded in 1990 and serves major publishers including Image Comics and Top Cow. The store is powered by Shopify e-commerce infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Blue Line Art / Blue Line Pro: Professional quality art products including comic book art boards, specialty art papers, manga art papers, animation art papers, and art protection supplies for comic book creators.
- SkyStorm Universe
- SkyStorm Games
- Sketch Magazine
Products and services
- Blue Line Comic Book Art Boards Professional-grade comic book art boards printed on 100% acid-free Strathmore paper in multiple series (Premiere 300 Series economical heavyweight, Premiere 400 Series 2-ply and 3-ply, Premiere 500 Series, Regular, and Pro), designed to prevent yellowing and aging for professional comic book artists working in sequential art.
- Animation Bond Paper
Companies that use Afterburn Media Llc
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Afterburn Media Llc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Afterburn Media Llc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ShopifycoreShopify powers the e-commerce platform for Afterburn Shop, enabling the direct-to-consumer online retail operations including storefront, shopping cart, customer accounts, and payment processing through Shopify's infrastructure.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Afterburn Media Llc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Canson: Art paper manufacturer producing sketch, drawing, and comic art papers for professional and hobbyist creators. Directly comparable to Blue Line Art's manga, animation, and comic art paper lines, and represents a potential upstream substitute or competitor.
- BOOM! Studios: Independent comic book publisher known for original series, media adaptations, and creator-driven titles. Comparable in indie publishing strategy to SkyStorm Universe's multiple-series approach, and a relevant benchmark for media licensing upside.
- Midtown Comics: Specialty comic book retailer offering new comics, graphic novels, and collectibles via e-commerce and physical stores. Comparable in product categories (comics, graphic novels, collectibles/merchandise) sold through Afterburn Shop's storefront.
- Dark Horse Comics: Independent comic book publisher producing original titles, graphic novels, and merchandise — comparable in product mix to Afterburn Media's SkyStorm Universe and Camelot Forever publishing arm, though at substantially larger scale.
- IDW Publishing: Independent comic and graphic novel publisher with comparable indie publishing and merchandise operations. Represents the kind of scaled independent publisher Afterburn Media's SkyStorm division aspires to as it grows its owned IP portfolio.
- Image Comics: One of the largest independent comic book publishers in the U.S. and an actual customer of Afterburn Media (Blue Line Art has printed art boards for Image Comics' creators). Operates the same publisher-creator-supplier ecosystem with overlapping indie creator audiences.
- Jerry's Artarama: Major specialty art supplies retailer offering art boards, papers, drawing materials, and protection supplies directly comparable to Blue Line Art's product lines. Serves professional and hobbyist artists through both e-commerce and retail.
- Top Cow Productions: Independent comic book publisher and customer of Blue Line Art (printed art boards for their creators). Shares the same indie comic publishing and creator-tools adjacency, making it both a customer and a competitive reference point.
Broad incumbents
- Blick Art Materials (Dick Blick): Largest specialty art supplies retailer in the U.S. with broad assortment of art boards, papers, and supplies. Comparable retail mechanics (DTC + walk-in), but operates at vastly larger scale across many art categories rather than specializing in comic book art supplies.
Others
- Strathmore: Paper manufacturer whose Strathmore brand sheets form the substrate of Blue Line Art's acid-free art boards. Operates upstream as a supplier to Afterburn Media while also selling art papers directly to consumers, making it an enabling and partially competing participant.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Afterburn Media Llc social profiles
Digital presenceAfterburn Media Llc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Afterburn Media Llc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Afterburn Media Llc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Afterburn Media Llc 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 Afterburn Media Llc
What does Afterburn Media Llc do?
Afterburn Media LLC sells professional comic book art supplies under the Blue Line Art / Blue Line Pro brand, including acid-free Strathmore-based comic book art boards (Premiere 300/400/500 series, Regular, Pro), animation bond paper, manga and specialty art papers, and art protection supplies (toploaders, sleeves, bags, portfolios). The company also publishes original comic book intellectual property under the SkyStorm Universe (Paradox Wars, HellGirl, Blood and Roses, and others), produces Sketch Magazine for comic creators, and sells collectible merchandise via its Shopify e-commerce storefront at afterburnshop.com.
Is Afterburn Media Llc a public or private company?
Afterburn Media Llc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Afterburn Media Llc founded?
Afterburn Media Llc was founded in 1990.
Where is Afterburn Media Llc based?
Afterburn Media Llc is headquartered in Florence, United States, in the North America region.
How does Afterburn Media Llc make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Art Supplies Sales are the primary driver. The others are comic Books and Graphic Novels, merchandise and sketch Magazine Subscriptions/Issues.
Who are Afterburn Media Llc's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Canson, BOOM! Studios, Midtown Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Jerry's Artarama and Top Cow Productions. Blick Art Materials (Dick Blick) is listed as a broad incumbent. Strathmore is listed as an others.
Does Afterburn Media Llc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Afterburn Media Llc.
What industry is Afterburn Media Llc in?
Afterburn Media Llc's product category is Comic Book Art Supplies & Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAGAB, Western Comic Books Publishing (Superhero, Indie), with a secondary code of MPAJAGAL, Anthologies & Serialized Comics Magazines Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.