Frequently Asked Questions

No. comicshoplocator.com is no longer operational. The site was run by Diamond Comic Distributors, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025. The site now displays an SSL certificate error, and there are no indications that anyone will restore or maintain it going forward.

Local Comic Shop is the free replacement. You can search for comic book stores near you right now at localcomic.shop/discover.

Diamond Comic Distributors was, for decades, the dominant distributor of English-language comics in North America. They launched the Comic Shop Locator service in 1996, and at its peak the tool served millions of searches from fans trying to find local stores.

In 2025, Diamond filed for bankruptcy. Their assets — including the comicshoplocator.com domain — became part of the bankruptcy estate. The site was never properly handed off or replaced, leaving a gap in the infrastructure that comics readers and retailers depended on.

We built Local Comic Shop to fill that gap.

comicshoplocator.com was never truly open. To be listed, a store had to be an active Diamond Comic Distributors account holder — which meant paying Diamond for distribution. Independent shops, stores that sourced from other distributors, and any retailer who had a complicated relationship with Diamond simply didn't exist on that map, no matter how good they were. It was a directory that served Diamond's business, not the community's needs.

Local Comic Shop is different by design. Basic listings are free and open to any legitimate brick-and-mortar comic book store — no distributor relationship required, no gatekeeping, no pay-to-play. If you sell comics and you have a physical location, you belong here.

We are building toward a freemium model where stores can optionally pay to unlock enhanced features — richer profiles, promotional placement, event highlights, and more. But the core directory will always be free and open. A store that can't afford extras deserves to be found just as much as one that can.

Use our store locator. Search by city or browse by specialty — we list stores carrying comics, manga, back issues, tabletop RPGs, collectibles, graded books, and more. Each listing includes store details, hours, directions, and community ratings.

If you don't see your city covered yet, check back soon — we're expanding. You can also submit a store to help us grow the database faster.

Google will find stores. It won't tell you much about them.

A Google search gives you a map pin, a star rating averaged across everyone from hardcore collectors to people who wandered in looking for greeting cards, and a handful of reviews that may or may not reflect what the shop is actually like for a comic fan. It can't tell you whether the back issue selection is deep or thin, whether the staff knows their stuff or just rings you up, whether the shop runs good events or just posts about them, or whether that listing is even current.

Local Comic Shop is built specifically for comics readers, by people who understand what makes a shop worth visiting. Our reviews go deeper — selection, staff knowledge, atmosphere, events — and they come from verified members of the community who actually collect. We're also working toward store verification, so when a listing says a shop carries graded books or hosts game nights or has a strong manga section, you'll know someone checked.

Google is a starting point. We're the answer.

Yes. Completely free for readers searching for stores, and completely free for store owners who want to be listed. No subscription, no Diamond account, no catch.

Visit our Submit a Store page and fill out the form. We'll review your submission and get your shop added to the directory. Unlike the old comicshoplocator.com, you don't need to be a Diamond account holder to be listed here. Any legitimate local comic book store is welcome.

Any brick-and-mortar comic book store. That includes shops that specialize in new releases, back issues, manga, indie and small press, tabletop RPGs, collectibles, graded comics, family-friendly stores, gaming stores that carry comics, and everything in between. Even flea markets and comic book stores that are part of a larger chain are welcome. If you sell comics and you have a physical location, you belong here.

We do not list online-only retailers.

Yes. Community ratings will be a core part of what makes Local Comic Shop useful. You will soon be able to rate stores on selection, staff knowledge, atmosphere, and events. Real reviews from real fans.

No. Local Comic Shop is an independent platform with no affiliation with Diamond Comic Distributors, Geppi Family Enterprises, or any former operator of comicshoplocator.com. We built this independently because the community needed a replacement and no one else was moving fast enough to build it.

A few reasons that are hard to put a price on:

Your local shop is where you find things you weren't looking for. The staff who knows your taste and pulls something from the back. The back issue bin with the run you've been chasing for years. The community of people who show up every Wednesday because New Comic Book Day is a ritual, not a transaction.

Online is convenient. Local is irreplaceable. The two aren't mutually exclusive, but local shops only survive if people walk through the door.

New Comic Book Day — NCBD — is Wednesday, the traditional day when new comic book issues arrive at local shops across North America. It's been a weekly ritual for decades. Many shops make an event of it, with staff picks, pulls ready to go, and regulars who treat it like a standing appointment. NCBD was started by Diamond Comic Distributors. It's status is currently unknown.

Finding a shop you love means never missing it.

Contact us through the Contact page and we'll help you update your store's hours, details, and specialties. We're also building a store owner login so you can manage your listing directly — that's coming soon.

Two things: Submit stores in your area, and check back regularly. We're actively expanding coverage. Every submission helps.