Eight Comic Book Stores Have Recently Closed, But Sixteen Have Opened

Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Coliseum, midtown, Now Of Never, summit, Things From Another world, third eye

Eight Comic Book Stores Have Recently Closed, But Sixteen Have Opened

Eight comic book stores have recently closed, but sixteen comic shops have opened

Article Summary

• 8 comic shops close across the US, from 43-year institutions to major chains like Things From Another World.
• 16 comic book stores open or relaunch, with new indies, successor shops, and expanding regional chains.
• Athens, Milwaukie, Fort Worth, Maryland, San Francisco and more gain fresh comic shop hubs for fans.
• Renovations and expansions at Midtown Comics, Now Or Never, and Akira show comic retail still growing.

Comic book retail has seen a steady churn of closures and openings over recent months, with longstanding chains winding down and new independent shops filling the gaps. Earlier this year, I ran a round-up of comic book stores closing, opening or being turned into chicken shops. Here are a few more developments over the past eight months. I should do this more often. We begin with two stores both closing on the same day, the 31st of July, both after 43 years.

• Books Galore in Erie, Pennsylvania, founded by Duane Wallin and later run by his son James Wallin, was the main source for new weekly comics in the area. Following James Wallin’s death, his children decided to shut the Peach Street location. The final day, the 31st of July, included a customer appreciation event with discounts, refreshments and a memory wall. Former manager Cole Schenley later moved to Werner Books, which absorbed the comics inventory, files and many of the customers
• The Outer Limits in Waltham, Massachusetts, closed on the last day of July after 43 years. Owner Steve Higgins announced the retirement in January, saying business had been strong but it was time to spend more time with family, travel and watch television. The store on Moody Street, named after the 1960s sci-fi series, carried a large selection of gold and silver age comics plus modern books, toys and pop-culture items. Higgins planned to continue selling on eBay and at occasional conventions. Some reports later indicated the location might continue under new ownership.
• Dark Horse Comics closed its remainingThings From Another World stores after 46 years. The two Oregon locations in Milwaukie and Beaverton shut at the end of June, with the flagship at Universal CityWalk in California at the end of September. The company stated, “This was not an easy decision, and we do not take lightly the impact it has on the people directly affected.” The chain had its roots in founder Mike Richardson‘s original Pegasus Books, and the e-commerce site had already gone offline in April 2025 as part of broader restructuring under Fellowship Entertainment. I reported the announcement at the time.
• Torpedo Comicsin Las Vegas, owned by John Dolmayanof System Down, closed after nearly a decade. A sign on the door read, “Thank you to the Las Vegas community for supporting us for the last 9 years!” The brand continues online and through live sales, focusing on Golden and Silver Age back issues. Dolmayan had started selling comics by mail and at conventions in the early 1990s, later acquired a warehouse, and opened the first Torpedo store in 2003 before the 2017 Vegas location. The shop specialised in Golden and Silver Age back issues and had been described as one of the largest collectables retailers in Nevada. It continues online at torpedocomics.com, on eBay and via Whatnot. Dolmayan had previously said modern comic shops risked becoming “glorified gaming stores.”
• Bizarro-Wuxtry in Athens, Georgia, announced in June that it was losing its longtime second-floor space in the Shackleford building after 35 years. Opened in 1991 as a subsidiary of Wuxtry Records downstairs, the store posted that it was looking to liquidate inventory. Manager Devlin Thompson said the new building owners wanted them out for renovations and to convert the building into luxury student housing.
• Hot Comics and Collectibles of Minneapolis, Minnesota announced it would close at the end of the year (final day 31 December). Its other Twin Cities locations in Richfield and Jordan remain open, with pull files transferring to Richfield. Closing sales started in mid-November.

But then there are the shops that opened or are opening, some from the bones of those closing above…

• Bizarro Comicsof Athens, Georgia, a smaller standalone shop with temperature control, free parking and accessible restroom was opened by Devlin Thompsonwho has said he intends to keep serving the community one way or another, and early reports noted strong local support as the new store filled in back issues
• Dogwood City Comics & Games in Milwaukie, Oregonis being opened by former TFAW manager Alex Miller on the 21st of November. in the former Things From Another World space. Miller, who grew up in the town and met Mike Richardson there as a child, confirmed construction was wrapping up. The shop will stock comics, manga, trades, and tabletop games, with dedicated event space. Local reporting highlighted his decision after watching his young daughter browse the previous store on one of its final days.
• Odyssey Comics has opened in Fort Worth, Texas, Alamo Heights, by Ray Medrano and Zachary Kersis-Warner at the previous site of The Welman Project. Medrano and Kersis-Warner said the comic book store at is the first of several small businesses that will open within the 5,000-square-foot building in spaces adjacent to Odyssey Comics and that the ultimate goal is to give local creators exposure and both creators and customers a communal space. Other services to come include a quiet lounge, a gaming room and a potential makerspace. “There’s a lot of neurodivergent folks out there, or people who are sensitive to noise and sound, so we want to have a safe space for everybody. We want to entertain you in all the ways. We want to keep you creative in all the ways.”
• <a href="https://www.instagram.com/atomiccomicsaz/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Atomic Comics in Chandler, Arizonareopened in September, opened by Mike Malve. The grand opening on the 5th September featured a signing with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman. Malve stated, “When we made the decision to bring back Atomic Comics, one of our biggest dreams was to reconnect fans with the creators they love.” The store focuses on classic comics, trades, toys, and collectibles rather than new weekly issues, marking a return after previous closures of the original chain.
• Comic Heaven in Tell City, Indiana,had a soft opening on the 1st October 2026 and a ribbon cutting on the 10th of October. Dan Hopkins described the store as the culmination of a lifelong interest in superheroes, aiming to provide both retail and community space for comics and collectibles in Perry County.
• Third Eye Comics’ ninth location opened in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The 10,000-square-foot superstore occupies a former Walmart space at 7992 Crain Highway South, just off I-97 and five minutes from BWI. It opened on the 25th of July. The store debuted a “Third Eye Thrift” section of vintage finds and later hosted Rob Liefeld. It is one of several large locations for the chain that started in Annapolis in 2008.
• Atomic Comics in Tacoma, Washington, is opening a second location at in downtown Puyallup at the end of October. OwnerShane Ziemer has run the Tacoma store at 4020 S. Steele St. for 22 years and lives in Puyallup. He noted that the city had not had a comic shop in 15 years. The store planned free comics during the Boo-Allup event on 31 October, with a full grand opening to follow. It will carry more graphic novels, toys, merchandise and back issues than the original.
• Summit Comics & Games expanded into RiverTown Crossings Mall in Grandville, Michigan (near Grand Rapids). Owner Regan Clem already operates locations in Lansing and two in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The new store is on the lower level next to Aerie, behind JCPenney, with a Summit-exclusive cover of Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 along with the usual mix of comics, action figures, Funko Pops and card games.
• Lake Effect Comics opened in North Ridgeville, Ohio in August. Owner Matt Petz, a local resident, said he had waited for someone else to open a shop and then decided to do it himself. The store launched with over 30,000 comics, a reading and gaming area, and a focus on community. Petz has described it as a place where people can hang out and feel they are among others with similar interests. It has since added local creator items and events.
• Sunday Funnies Comic Shop opened on Missoula’s Hip Stripin mid-October. Longtime collector Brian Sweatland, who spent 45 years with the U.S. Forest Service, filled the store with vintage comics and graphic novels. He has preserved Sunday pages from newspapers on the walls and is building a back space for the local comic arts community. The shop is across from Hellgate High School.
• Grand Central Comics opened in July in Kyle, Texas, a veteran-owned shop near Austin that stocks new releases, back issues and graded books.
• Mission: Comics & Art opened a second San Francisco location in the Excelsior in August, after operating in San Francisco’s Mission District since 2008. Owner Leef Smith, who grew up in the neighbourhood, received a $50,000 Storefront Opportunity Grant from the city to help with plumbing, electrical and other upgrades in a former optometry office. The store carries vintage and new comics, including Absolute Batman, plus dollar and free books for kids.
• Coliseum Comics and Games opened a new outlet in the Florida Mall, Orlando in October. The mall location focuses more on back issues, trades, toys and games rather than new weekly subscriptions (at least initially).
• Xeno Comics is opening tomorrow in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, with local vendors, face painting, food and entertainment.
• Friendly Neighborhood Comics & Collectibles in downtown Danville, Virginiais opening on Small Business Saturday. “Come meet Matt and Joe, explore our growing selection of comics, graphic novels, manga, back issues, and unique collectibles, and help us celebrate the beginning of something special!”
• North Park Comicsin the City Heights/North Park of San Diego, California, opened in May. OwnerJoe Chouinard, who previously managed Comix Revolution in Evanston, Illinois, for nearly a decade, launched the shop after relocating to the area, with a focus on new weekly comics and graphic novels

And also those that are expanding and renovating…

• Midtown Comics’ Downtown New York store is holding a grand re-opening after months of renovations that double the floor space. The store had been closed for the work; the company posted that the same Midtown experience would return with more room for comics and collectibles.
• Now Or Never Comics in San Diego is expanding into the neighbouring unit, nearly doubling in size. The store plans to move storage in-house, expand new comics, back issues, trades and toys, and add event space. Work was expected to finish by early December to coincide with an anniversary party.
• Akira Comics of Madrid, Spain, the two-time Eisner Award-winning store has been undergoing a major expansion for most of 2026, aiming to become the largest comic and fantasy bookstore in Europe (growing from ~1,080 m² to more than 1,500 m² across two floors, with a big new “Neo-Tokyo” manga section). Works were wrapping up in November; the lower floor was temporarily closed for the final phase.

If your comic book shop is opening, closing, moving, growing, shrinking or becoming a chicken shop, do let me know… these things should be noted.

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